The Missing Mortals, page 43
“I’m hungry,” Sebastian said a few minutes later. “I wish Doug had packed some food in that backpack of his.”
“He had no way of knowing that this was going to happen,” Emma said, speaking for the first time since the whole rail incident. “At least we have water.”
Before Doug had started down the rope, he had taken all the water bottles out of his backpack saying they’d add too much weight. Emma had felt bad that he wasn’t taking any water for himself, but as it turned out, they needed it more than he did. Doug could always make his way back to the ship if he needed something to drink or eat. Lord Dinswood kept plenty of supplies on board his ship. The tower, on the other hand, had no food or water to offer.
“That’s true,” Martha agreed. “Things could be a lot worse.”
“Tell that to my stomach,” Sebastian muttered.
With flashlight in hand, Doug quickly found the collapsed portion of the basement wall. He climbed back into the cave and picked up a fist-sized piece of brick from the rubble so he could mark his path. Before they’d found the tower, they’d been marking the walls of each passage they traveled with an X. Doug planned to mark any new routes he took with an O. He smiled to himself when he realized that when writing notes, X’s and O’s meant hugs and kisses. Then his expression sobered as he realized that his friends were counting on him to get help. Rubbing his sore left shoulder, he set off down the passage.
Now that he was by himself, Doug was able to move along a lot faster. It wasn’t long until he came to a place where the tunnel forked. Without hesitation, he picked the passage they hadn’t chosen previously. He followed this same procedure every time the passage branched. Doug found it more than a little ironic that after they’d left the lake—when they were trying to choose tunnels that led away from the castle—in every instance, they’d taken the ones that led back to it. He must have gotten completely turned around. His friends had been depending on him, and he’d let them down. On the other hand, if he hadn’t gotten turned around, they never would have found the last Mortal. Doug couldn’t wait to tell Lord Dinswood about it, but a visit with the old man would have to wait. First, he needed to find help.
Doug couldn’t say how long he’d been walking when suddenly the passage opened up into a huge cavern, as high as it was wide. He stopped for a moment in surprise. Then he swung his flashlight around to get a better look and saw that the ceiling of the cavern was literally covered with sleeping bats. He quickly lowered his flashlight beam so as not to disturb them. In that instant, he knew where he was. They’d come through this same room last year. Sebastian had called it the “bat room,” and Martha had been terrified. Doug remembered it all like it was yesterday.
The good news was that now that he knew where he was, he also knew how to get out. He looked around until he saw it: the tunnel that opened out next to the stream that ran on the west side of the castle. Doug wanted to shout with joy, but he was pretty sure the bats wouldn’t appreciate the noise, so he kept quiet.
A few minutes later, he was standing beside the stream. It was nighttime now, but the half-moon provided enough light for him to find his way, so he turned off his flashlight. Whistling as he went, he followed the stream back up to the castle.
EMMA SAT UP and rubbed her eyes. Light was just beginning to filter in through the tower windows. She yawned and looked over at Sebastian and Martha, who were both still sleeping. Emma continued to watch her friends as she wondered where Doug was. Martha must have sensed that she was being watched because she rolled over a moment later and peered groggily at Emma, her eyes barely open.
“What time is it?” she asked, her voice thick with sleep.
“I don’t know. Probably around six.”
“Has Doug made it back yet?”
Emma was about to say no when the faint sounds of people talking began to drift up from below. The girls quickly got to their feet and left the turret room, leaving behind a still sleeping Sebastian. When they were standing on the bridge, Emma walked over to the edge and looked down. Martha’s fear of heights prevented her from going anywhere near the edge, especially with most of the railing gone.
“It’s Doug, isn’t it?” Martha asked. Then before Emma could answer, she asked another question. “Who’s with him?”
“I can’t really tell. It’s still kinda dark down there,” Emma answered. She could make out Doug’s form because she knew it so well. The two people with him were still a mystery, but she was pretty sure neither one of them was Doug’s dad. Her brow furrowed in confusion. She had been certain that Doug’s dad would come with him, not only for Doug’s sake, but also for the sake of three of the academy’s students. The fact that he hadn’t, meant something else must have happened, most likely something bad. Emma had just begun to worry about what that something could possibly be when Doug called up to her.
“Sorry it took me so long to get back. Mr. Dorfman said we couldn’t really do anything until it got light outside anyway.”
Well, that explained who one of the two people with Doug was, Mr. Dorfman. The other person appeared to be a woman. A few minutes later, the sun came up, and Emma could see that her assumption was correct. The third person was Miss Krum.
The three of them were carrying ropes and backpacks full of clanking equipment of some sort, and they were all dressed similarly in what looked like biker shorts, tight-fitting short-sleeved shirts, and some special type of shoes. As they began pulling things out of their backpacks, it finally dawned on Emma what they were preparing to do. The clothes and the equipment were for rock climbing. With a gasp of surprise, she realized that one of the three of them, most likely Mr. Dorfman, was going to scale the tower wall.
The next moment, she chided herself for being surprised. How else were they supposed to get to the top of the tower? They couldn’t exactly use the stairs.
While preparations for the climb continued below her, Emma backed away from the edge and thought about whether or not she could ever do what Mr. Dorfman was about to do. Even though she wasn’t afraid of heights, Emma had a healthy respect for gravity. She finally decided that rock climbing might be something she would actually like to try sometime.
Emma quickly figured out how they planned to get her, Martha, and Sebastian down to the tower floor. The procedure would undoubtedly involve harnesses and ropes. Martha, who did have a fear of heights, would freak out if she knew what Doug’s rescue team was planning, so Emma kept quiet about what was going on down below her.
“Hey, looks like they’re gonna climb up here and then lower us down,” Sebastian said directly behind Emma, making her jump. She’d been so engrossed in her own thoughts that she hadn’t heard his approach. Thankfully, she was no longer standing near the bridge’s edge, or he might very well have caused her to fall. That wasn’t the reason, however, for the glare she was currently giving him.
“What?” Martha shouted in a panic. She’d heard what Sebastian had said.
“When will you learn to keep quiet?” Emma hissed. “I wasn’t going to tell her how they were planning on getting us down until it was absolutely necessary.”
Martha’s face had drained of all color, making her normally pale complexion even paler, if that was possible. She looked like she was about to faint. Fearing that her friend might actually pass out, Emma went over and gently advised her to sit down. Martha didn’t even argue. She immediately plopped down in the middle of the bridge and put her head between her knees. Then she began taking deep breaths, all the while muttering, “I can’t do it. I can’t do it.”
Emma gave Sebastian a scathing look and mouthed the words, thanks a lot! She got even madder when Sebastian merely shrugged.
“She would have found out sooner or later,” he said.
“Later would have been better!”
While the drama continued up above, down below Mr. Dorfman calmly walked over to inspect the wall more closely. He needed to get an idea of what type of protection devices he’d be able to use on his climb. The wall was in poor condition; the mortar between the stones had deteriorated. In some spots it had crumbled, and in others large chunks of it were missing. This was actually a good thing. He would have plenty of places to wedge the nuts and cams he had with him.
Nuts were small blocks of metal attached to a loop with a cord. The metal ends were jammed into cracks and crevices, and the climbing rope was then attached to the loop on the other end using a carabiner. Carabiners were common devices with multiple uses, including rock climbing. They consisted of a metal loop with a spring-loaded gate. Cams were similar to nuts except that the end placed in the crevice would spring open once it had been inserted, providing a secure hold. As he climbed, Mr. Dorfman would place these devices in the wall at regular intervals along his route and connect his climbing rope to them. Then, if he should happen to lose his footing, he wouldn’t fall all the way to the bottom. The last protection device he’d placed would stop his fall.
Mr. Dorfman took a step back from the wall and viewed it from a broader perspective. Three hundred years ago, when the wall was being constructed, the builders had used quarried rock. This meant that the rocks were not uniform in size or shape; and, unlike the quarried rock of today, they weren’t perfectly smooth or flat either. The result was numerous ridges, which a climber could grip with his hands, and numerous projections upon which a climber could rest his feet.
Satisfied that it wouldn’t be too difficult a climb, Mr. Dorfman went over to where he’d laid his equipment and stepped into his harness. Emma watched from above as he attached several nuts and cams to the harness’s numerous loops. Then he strapped on a small helmet and adjusted it until it rested comfortably on his head. After one last check of his equipment, Mr. Dorfman tied in and nodded at Miss Krum.
Miss Krum was going to act as the belayer. Her job entailed keeping the slack out of the rope and preventing any additional rope from playing out in the event Mr. Dorfman fell. The protection devices Mr. Dorfman placed would do him no good if Miss Krum didn’t do her job properly.
Although Miss Krum weighed quite a bit less than Mr. Dorfman, this was not a problem. Miss Krum was using a belaying device called a GriGri. All she had to do was remain alert and use the device to arrest the movement of the rope if Mr. Dorfman lost his footing.
Emma watched with fascination as Mr. Dorfman stepped up to the wall again—this time to begin his climb. He had a slight build, but as Emma was about to find out, he was very strong. Sebastian came up to stand beside her then. Martha was still sitting in the middle of the bridge, rocking back and forth nervously.
“Belay on,” Mr. Dorfman called to Miss Krum.
“On belay,” Miss Krum replied.
“Climbing,” Mr. Dorfman said.
“Climb away,” Miss Krum answered.
“Communication is very important in rock climbing,” Sebastian told Emma. “Mr. Dorfman was making sure Miss Krum was ready, and she was letting him know that she was. Climbers can be seriously injured, or even killed, if there’s any miscommunication between climber and belayer.”
“What’s a belayer?” Emma asked then.
While they watched Mr. Dorfman’s progress, Sebastian began to explain the basics of rock climbing. Whenever Mr. Dorfman stopped to place a nut or cam, Sebastian told Emma what he was doing and why.
“How do you know so much about it?” she asked Sebastian when he had finished.
“I’ve gone rock climbing with Doug and his dad before.”
“You mean Doug climbs too?” Just when she thought she knew everything there was to know about Doug, she learned something new.
“Sure. We did a little climbing early last summer. There are a lot of good spots around the academy, it being situated in the mountains and all. I’m still a beginner, but Doug’s pretty good.”
“I didn’t know Mr. Dorfman and Miss Krum were into the sport,” Emma mused. “Mr. Dorfman must really enjoy it. He’s got a lot of equipment, and he’s climbing that wall like he’s Spider-Man.”
“Yeah, he and Miss Krum are exceptional climbers. Mr. Dorfman told me once that climbing was one of the reasons they both took jobs at the academy. They like to go on the weekends, and there are some pretty challenging rock faces nearby.”
Emma and Sebastian grew silent then and continued to watch as Mr. Dorfman climbed higher and higher. Emma began to appreciate just how much upper body strength Mr. Dorfman had. He also seemed to have a very strong grip and amazing agility. Although she’d meant it as a joke earlier, he really did remind her of Spider-Man.
It wasn’t long until Mr. Dorfman was climbing onto the bridge. “Everybody okay up here?” he asked as he walked toward them.
Sebastian looked at Martha before answering. “We’re all okay.” Then he nodded in Martha’s direction and whispered, “But Martha’s afraid of heights.”
Mr. Dorfman nodded his understanding but didn’t say anything. There was only one way down from their current position. Martha may not like it, but they were out of options. He would do his best to make Martha feel as secure as possible when it was her turn to be lowered. Other than that, there wasn’t much else he could do.
“We’ll have you down from here in no time,” Mr. Dorfman told them. He then began looking for a good place to set the anchor. When he had found a suitable crevice in the wall, he inserted a cam and hooked the rope to it using a carabiner. He repeated the procedure with three additional cams. When he was satisfied with his anchoring system, he fed the end of the rope down to Miss Krum. Then he stepped up to the edge of the bridge and hollered down to Doug.
“Okay, Doug. You can tie in now. Miss Krum has you on the other end. Start climbing when you’re ready.”
Emma was both surprised and dismayed. She hadn’t realized Doug would be doing any climbing today. She was also more than a little confused. “Why does Doug need to climb up here?” she asked Mr. Dorfman.
“He’s going to remove all the protection devices I placed. Don’t worry. Doug will be perfectly safe. I’ve got him anchored up here now, and Miss Krum has him on belay.”
Emma didn’t ask any more questions but instead stepped to the edge of the bridge and watched anxiously as Doug started up the wall. She could tell right away that she had nothing to worry about. Doug didn’t seem to be having any problems and had a strength and agility matching that of Mr. Dorfman.
While Doug climbed, Miss Krum watched alertly from below. When Doug reached the bridge, Mr. Dorfman went over to give him a hand. The next moment, he was standing on the bridge smiling at them all as if their current situation was an everyday occurrence.
Emma’s head was spinning with all the questions she wanted to ask Doug, but she decided all but one could wait until later. “Where’s your dad, Doug?” Emma realized as soon as the question was out that it sounded more like an accusation. In an attempt to soften her tone, she added quietly, “I thought he’d come with you.”
Doug stepped close to her before he answered. He didn’t want the others to hear what he was about to tell Emma. “When I got back to the castle, I couldn’t find Dad anywhere. I ran into Miss Grimstock and she told me that Lord Dinswood had collapsed. Dad found him lying unconscious on his living room floor. Lord Dinswood’s been rushed to the hospital in Benton, and Dad’s there with him. That’s all I know.”
Emma’s heart sank at the news. She could see how upset Doug was, and she understood completely why he didn’t want to share the bad news with everyone right now. It must be hard on Doug not knowing what was going on with Lord Dinswood. Emma prayed silently that Lord Dinswood would be all right.
Doug left her then to rejoin Mr. Dorfman. Together, they got everything set for the descent. Mr. Dorfman and Doug had each brought additional harnesses with them so there would be enough for everyone. The harnesses were made of a lightweight nylon and, like Doug’s and Mr. Dorfman’s, were the kind you put your legs through.
Once everything was set, they put a harness on Emma and prepared to send her down. They had decided Emma should go first so that Martha could see how easy it was going to be.
Before he let Emma go, Mr. Dorfman shouted down to Miss Krum, “Ready to lower!”
“Lowering!” Miss Krum yelled back.
Emma hung there for a moment and then began to descend at a slow but steady pace. Emma found herself enjoying the ride down. All she had to do was sit in her harness and let Miss Krum do the work. “This is a piece of cake, Martha,” Emma shouted up to her friend. She couldn’t see from her position that her words were having absolutely no effect. Martha was terrified, and nothing anyone said was going to change that.
Once Emma was safely down, it was Martha’s turn. Incredibly, she allowed Mr. Dorfman to put the harness on her and get her set. It wasn’t until they began walking her to the edge of the bridge that she balked and began screaming her head off.
“Let me talk to her,” Sebastian suggested.
Doug and Mr. Dorfman readily agreed. Their only other option was to forcibly drag Martha to the edge and then push her off. Neither of them wanted to have to resort to force. If Sebastian could reason with her, they were all for it.
“It’ll be okay, Martha,” Sebastian began in a soothing tone, but Martha wasn’t listening. She just kept shaking her head and mumbling. Not knowing what else to do, he grabbed her shoulders and squeezed hard. Martha was so surprised by the sudden pain that she stopped what she was doing and looked at him. Sebastian spoke quickly while he had her attention. “Listen, Martha. There’s no other way down. You’re going to have to do this. I know you. You’re brave. Now suck it up and get going. Just close your eyes and think of it as a ride, okay?”
To his amazement, she nodded her agreement. He wasn’t sure which of his rather harsh statements had gotten through to her. He was just glad she was back to herself. He’d apologize later for hurting her shoulders. Right now, they needed to get her going before she had any more time to think about it.
