“I’m good. This is going to be great.”
He gave me a hard nod, his gaze focused and serious. “I’m ready.”
Chapter Four
Lawson
Watching Connor step over the edge put my stomach through the wringer. Vince, albeit young, was very good at what he did. If I’d thought him to be frivolous and rambunctious—and I could admit that I had—then I was wrong.
He’d been rock climbing and abseiling since he could walk, apparently. And admittedly, I felt much better knowing he was in charge of the ropes and anchor.
I’d discerned that Vince was the wild one, Amy was the science one, and Connor was the older brother who kept everything in line. Together, the three of them made a pretty good team.
When Connor was safely down and it was my turn, Vince and Jack helped me into the harness and triple-checked everything. But when it came time to step backwards over the edge, my feet were literally on the precipice, Jack stood too close to me. Worry etched his features, and he looked a little pale.
“Please move back,” I told him.
Jack blinked. “I’m two metres from the edge. I have a safety harness.”
“Jack, I’m not joking,” I said, firmer this time. “Please step back from the edge.”
Vince tried not to smile, Amy just grinned away, but Jack refused to step back. “Be careful. Watch your footing,” he said.
“I’ve done this before, you’ll remember.”
“Lawson.” Jack’s tone was sharp. “Focus and concentrate.”
“Mm,” Amy said. “Maybe it’s not relationship goals to do this with your partner.”
I pursed my lips and stepped out backwards, meeting Jack’s eyes. “See you down there. Don’t be late.”
He smiled then, and step by slow-and-steady step, I descended. I daren’t look out at the vastness of open air behind me, and I certainly didn’t look down. I kept my breathing even, concentrated on where my feet and hands were at all times, keeping each movement steady. I was relieved and surprised when Connor’s voice got closer, and then he was directing me down to the ledge and then beside me and holding me steady.
I unhooked myself free, with adrenaline-shaking hands and knees, and quickly made my way into the mouth of the cave. With terra firma under my feet, I could breathe a bit easier.
But I’d breathe a whole lot easier when Jack was with me.
Connor talked him through it, like he did with me, and as soon as his legs appeared, I was ready to grab him until he had two feet on the ledge. We got him out of the rigging, and I pulled him in for a hug.
“You okay?” he asked, his arms wrapped tight around me.
“Better now,” I replied.
He kissed the side of my head. “It’s as easy as stepping off a mountain.”
I laughed then, just as Connor said, “Here’s the first of the gear.”
We unhooked the bags and I set them down to one side, out of the way. I could see enough of the front of the cave. The mouth itself was perhaps four metres tall by three metres wide, but inside it opened up like a room. But without lighting, I couldn’t see much more than jagged rock walls and dirt for a floor.
More gear came down next and I put it to one side. I found my bag and pulled out a lamp, switching it on, amazed at what it revealed.
We seemed to be in a first chamber, some ten-metres wide by ten- or twelve-metres long. The ceiling was uneven and jagged rock probably five-metres high. And it was, for all intents and purposes, empty.
There was a fissure in the rock wall toward the back of the chamber, like a narrow doorway. I would imagine that led to the other two parts of the cave, and that was where I needed to go—I told myself to be patient. The last of the gear came down, then Amy followed, and Jack and Connor helped get her down. She looked as relieved as I felt, and I patted her shoulder when she came over.
“Solid rock never felt so good,” I said.
She grinned. “God, yes.” Then she looked around. “Oh wow.”
“Amazing, yes?” I shone the torch toward the fissure. “There’s a doorway through there, to the other two chambers, I would think.”
She nodded and already had her barometer reader out. “This is so cool.”
It was warmer inside the cave, and if it was warmer for us, that meant it would be warmer for other creatures too. Namely butterflies, but also . . . “Uh, will there be snakes in here?”
Jack and Connor were helping Vince plant his feet on the ledge, so my question fell to Amy. “Uh, I don’t think so,” she replied. “I mean, I can’t guarantee there won’t be. But the rainforest below is warmer, and that’s where the birds’ eggs, frogs, and rats are. I can’t imagine there’s be much for a snake to eat up here.”
Sounded reasonable, and we could hope.
Vince came in, holding his ropes and gear, grinning. “Starting without me?”
“Thank you,” I answered. “Your expertise in rappelling is most appreciated.”
He grinned some more, as though what I’d said was funny. “No worries. You handled it like a pro.”
“Made easier by your confidence and assurance,” I added, the compliment most deserving in my opinion. But Vince cast me an odd look as though I was making fun of him.
Jack chuckled and clapped Vince on the shoulder. “You did good.” Then he turned back to the entrance. “Look at that view.”
The mouth of the cave now framed the most spectacular landscape picture nature could probably provide. And truth be told, I could appreciate it more from here than I did at the very top. It felt like we were on top of the world.
“And there are just the three chambers?” I asked.
“Yep.” Connor nodded toward the end of the cave. “There’s no secret passages or channels, just three large rooms, much like this one. The third one is a bit smaller.”
“And are there other caves in this mountain range?”
“Uh, yes. Several. None this high up though,” Connor replied. He gestured to the rock wall. “This is quartzite and limestone, some seven-hundred-million years old. Last time that volcano probably erupted would have taken out some dinosaurs, but it left some remarkable formations.”
I nodded, my interest piqued. If the cave played a part in the required ecosystem for this butterfly, we could have several locations to inspect. I turned toward the fissure at the end of the first chamber. “Well . . . shall we?”
“Hell yes,” Jack said. “Let’s just look first, worry about the scientific stuff second.”
I rolled my eyes, not even mad. His excitement about finding butterflies made my heart so happy. I lifted my torch. “Okay then, let’s go. Now the butterflies were in the third chamber, right?”
Amy nodded. “Yep.”
So I walked first, Jack close behind me, and we passed through the split in the rockface into the second chamber. It was so dark, and my torch lit a halo of light around us, but I’d hate to think of being in here without it.
The second chamber was roughly the same size as the first, though it sloped downward at the end of the long room. The ceiling was rougher and darker though, and . . . did it just move?