Digging the hook into the ice until he thought it was secure, he tossed the twenty feet of rope over the edge. Thankfully it reached the next tier so they wouldn’t have to jump too far.
Once Darien was sure the grapple was safe, he motioned for Koori to come ahead. “You go down first. I’ll make sure the rope holds. When you reach the bottom give me a sign that everything’s okay.”
Koori made her way down without any problem. When she reached the end, she gave Darien the thumbs-up. He smiled at that.
After pulling the rope up, he tied his pack onto the end. But before he let it down the side of the wall, he took out a set of boot picks and handheld ice picks used for mountain climbing. After securing the rope again, he tossed it over the side and let out slack slowly to prevent dumping the pack onto the next level. He didn’t want anything inside it to break apart unnecessarily.
When it reached the bottom, Koori untied it and gave him another thumbs-up. He pulled the rope up but this time he pulled the hook out of the ground and tossed the whole thing over the edge. He couldn’t use it to go down. He had to climb down another way.
Sitting down near the edge, Darien strapped the ice picks to the toes of his boots. Once secure, he swung his legs over the edge of the roof and stuck two ice picks into the roof to hold on to. So far so good. Slowly and steadily he made his way down.
It wasn’t the first time he’d climbed down ice cliffs. He’d done some spelunking at the Columbia Icefield in Alberta, Canada, and in Iceland. But the slick walls on the castle weren’t exactly like the cliffs he’d climbed. Instead of a gradual descent and small mounds and bumps to find purchase and footholds on, it was a straight slide down to the bottom. And he didn’t have an anchor rope. Falling and breaking his legs wasn’t exactly the way he wanted to get to the next tier.
About halfway down the wind picked up. At first it didn’t bother him, but eventually it became a problem. Violent gusts pushed and prodded him. It was as if it were a separate entity trying to yank him off the wall. Whipping at his coat and pants, Darien felt the cold taking hold. It wouldn’t be long before his legs went numb from the constant battering of the bitter wind. His only chance at making it was to keep moving.
Foot, foot, hand, hand. Darien concentrated on every motion he made. One small slip and he’d fall. He glanced down to see Koori waiting anxiously for him at the bottom. He was far enough down that even if he did fall, he wouldn’t break anything vital. At least he didn’t think he would.
Another violent flurry blew up and whipped at him. Squeezing his eyes shut against the barrage, Darien stilled and flattened his body against the icy wall. He could feel the wind racing over him as if trying to find a way to tear him away from the wall. Over and over it swirled around him until he could hear nothing but the strident cry of it.
He couldn’t let it stop him. He had to make it down. He had to save Koori. That’s all that mattered to him now. Gathering his strength, Darien started to move again, putting one foot down after another, using one handhold he made with the pick to the next. Methodical. Determined. Another few steps, and he finally set his foot down on the level roof.
Koori rushed to him, wrapping her arms around him. “I thought you were going to fall.”
He hugged her close. “For a second there, so did I.”
“What now?”
“Now, we go to the next level.” Holding Koori’s hand, Darien walked to the edge of the roof and looked down. He still couldn’t see the ground. But he did see the next flat rooftop. It was another twenty feet down.
Glancing up into the sky, he wondered when night was going to fall. Doing this was dangerous enough in the murky gray light of the day; he couldn’t imagine what it would be like in the absolute dark. He had a flashlight in his pack, but it wouldn’t cast enough light to be helpful. One small slip and either of them could fall and get injured or worse. He hadn’t come this far with Koori to fail. He just wouldn’t.
“We need to hurry. Night is coming.” And with that, he hooked the grapple into the ice and tossed the rope over. It was going to be a long day.
Chapter 12
A nother three hours and they finally reached the ground. Koori sent up a silent prayer that they had made it right before full dark. The last leg of the descent had been treacherous at best in the waning light. Darien had slipped once, nearly falling the last ten feet and she had, too. The palms of her hands still ached from the rope burn.
Because they had no idea where they were, Darien didn’t want to wander in the dark, so he had pitched a small tent at the base of the palace out of the worst of the wind. Inside the nylon hut it was surprisingly cozy and warm, but cramped. They had to lie down side by side. There wasn’t much room to sit up. They drank water and ate the freeze-dried food Darien had in his pack.
They weren’t ideal conditions but at least Koori felt like they had a fighting chance to escape. Hope warmed her heart. And that was something she hadn’t allowed herself in so long she could hardly remember what it actually felt like.
Darien handed her the canteen of water so she could wash down the barely edible food bar that she’d been chewing for the past ten minutes. She took a long drink and handed it back to him.
He glanced at his own bar and shrugged. “Hey, it’s vitamins and energy that we’ll need.” He bit off another piece and chewed. After he swallowed, he said, “Once we’re out of here I’ll take you to the best restaurant in Tokyo.”
She smiled, touched that he made the offer. “I’ve never been to Tokyo.”
“Really? Well, let me tell you, it is something to see.” He smiled. “Mind you, it’s changed some in the past millennium.”
“Yes, I imagine it has.” Her smile faded.
She hadn’t considered what it would be like for her if she ever got free. She couldn’t even picture what the world would look like. Over the years, she had glimpses of some changes with every stranded stranger she came across. She could discern some things by the way they dressed or what vehicle they had driven. But she never let herself wonder for too long. It was too painful to think about. But now because of Darien, it was a possibility.
“What is your home like?” she asked.
He took another swig of water then capped the canteen and set it to the side. “It’s a small town in Montana. A place where everybody knows everybody whether you want them to or not.” He smiled. “There’re lots of trees and a small stream that runs just on the edge of my family farm. I’d go swimming in that stream every summer as a kid.”
“I wish I could remember summer. I can’t even remember the sun.”
Darien set his hand over hers, linking their fingers together. “When we get out of here, I’ll take you to that stream, and we’ll go swimming in the hot summer sun.”
“You would take me to your family home?”
“Yes.” He squeezed her hand tight. “I’ll take you wherever you want to go for however long you want to.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. She was overwhelmed with emotion. Emotions she hadn’t experienced in so long that her heart throbbed with the intensity of everything. Here was this man, a man she had plucked out of his world and into hers, risking himself for her, to free her from this curse and offering more of his life and his time to her.
A tear slipped from her eye and she hurried to wipe it away before he saw it. But he beat her to it and brushed her cheek with his thumb. That was the second time he’d wiped her tears away. She didn’t deserve such a sweet and caring man like Darien. There was so much about him that reminded her of Shiro, her lost lover, but there was a lot that was different. Where Shiro was feckless and unmotivated, Darien was strong and determined and spirited. She felt safe and protected with him. And the way he looked at her made her stomach clench and her thighs tingle with pleasure.
Exactly in the way he was looking at her now.
She lowered her gaze, aware that the temperature in the tent was rising. But she lifted her eyes again when he brushed the stray hairs from her face with the tips of his fingers. The touch sent shivers from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet.
“I don’t know what it is about you,” he sighed. “But every time I look at you my heart aches just a little bit more.”
Smiling, she nuzzled against his palm as he cupped her cheek. Slowly, he stroked his thumb over her mouth. On a sigh, she parted her lips and pressed her tongue against his skin.
His eyes darkened to flint and she found she could hardly breathe as he leaned toward her mouth. It was torture waiting for his lips to touch hers, but when they did she felt a surge of fire between her legs.
The kiss was slow and liquid like melted honey in her mouth. Koori thought she would never taste anything as delectable as Darien’s kiss. Not even the sweet taste of sugar could compare.
She moved her hands into the suppleness of his hair and deepened the kiss, pressing her tongue against his. As he moved his hands over the bodice of her kimono, she quivered under his touch. Her br**sts ached for his caresses; her ni**les peaked and throbbed in desperate need.
Darien slowly untied the ribbon at the side of her garment. She groaned against his mouth, begging him to hurry. Soon it was undone and the fabric loosened, affording ample room for him to maneuver.
Koori moaned and arched her back as he captured her breast in the palm of his hand. The heat of his skin against hers sent waves of rapture over her body. She needed more, wanted his flesh pressed to her, to feel his hunger.
“Oh, please hurry, Darien.”
He licked her earlobe and whispered into her ear. “I have thought of this moment too many times today to rush it away.”
He watched her face as he pulled the top of her kimono down over her br**sts, exposing them to the cool night air. With just one finger, he traced the slope of her br**sts, circling her nipple with every stroke. Bending down, he brushed his tongue over her flesh, flicking her ni**les with the tip.
“Beautiful,” he moaned before pulling a nipple into his mouth and rolling it between his teeth.