It only took me a short distance of climbing to willingly admit this had been a terrible idea. I hadn’t accounted for the added strain it would put on my shoulders and arms to compensate for my useless leg, and my leg that did work was screaming for relief.
Every inch I rose required a series of steps. First was to visually locate my next hold. Generally speaking, this wasn’t too difficult, and I planned ahead to be sure I wouldn’t find myself in trouble farther up. The second step was to reach for it with my lead hand, the stronger one that would keep a steady grip even if everything else failed. Then I used both hands to dig into the wall while I jumped to the next hold with my good foot. I found that I could use my injured leg temporarily for the jump. It hurt like the devils themselves had come to torture me, but as long as I moved quickly, it kept me balanced for the final step of moving my second hand into the new position.
A climb like this normally would’ve taken me only a half hour, but I was moving considerably slower than usual. The sunlight was inching away and with it, any hope I might have to survive the night. I heard the sounds of pirates moving above me, but luckily, none of them thought to look over the cliff wall for anyone. Most of them seemed fairly busy anyway, probably still in preparation for Roden’s dinner.
After an hour I was more than halfway up. Every muscle in my body ached and I was soaked in sweat, but I knew now that it was possible to succeed. So I forced myself to continue upward, letting thoughts of those I cared for most spur my strength.
I had to live. There were so many people I needed to apologize to, so many people I hoped to see again. Beyond that, it was strange to realize that I wanted to see Drylliad again, to gaze at the white walls of my castle and walk through its doors, where I belonged.
And so I continued to climb. There came a point when the anticipation of pain no longer deterred me from using my hurt leg. I still couldn’t put weight on it, but every other muscle now hurt so much I was willing to use it more for balance and stability. Besides, I had to hurry. If I was still here when it got dark, I had no chance of reaching the top.
The sun was only minutes from setting when my lead hand grabbed a rock lodged into the surface of the cliff. I hesitated a moment to be sure I was alone. By this time, the dinner seemed to have already started, so nobody was around. Apparently, Roden wouldn’t send someone to get me until after the meal ended. I hoped they had many courses left to eat.
With a final hoist, I rolled to the top of the cliff, where I lay breathless for several minutes before it occurred to me to continue moving. When it did, I could do nothing more than scoot beneath a bush. Every part of me hurt, with some muscles on my shoulders competing against the pain in my broken leg.
Then I glanced to the side and smiled.
Soon after I came to Mrs. Turbeldy’s orphanage, there had been one night when I took a beating after stopping one boy from kicking a much younger boy for stealing food. Afterward, Mrs. Turbeldy showed me an aravac plant in her yard, a dense, dark green bush with narrow leaves and bright purple flowers, and told me how chewing on its leaves helped numb pain.
I had just rolled beneath an aravac plant.
I gripped a branch tightly and ran my hand down it to strip the leaves free, then stuffed several in my mouth. The taste was awful, but the numbing effects began to work almost immediately.
When I’d gotten all the use from them that I could, I spat them out, then stripped another branch and began chewing on those. They didn’t stop my pain, but they did ease it a bit. As I chewed, I tightened the fabric around my leg brace, which also helped with the pain there.
Moving forward again was an act of pure willpower on my part, but I told myself that it would only get worse the longer I waited. Still, I couldn’t move until I pictured Roden walking up to me, seeing that I had made it here, but no farther. I could almost hear his laughter, mocking my failed effort to reach him.
All I could do to move was lie on the ground, pushing my body forward with my good leg while my injured one dragged uselessly along behind me. Though I was alone, I felt pathetic to have to travel this way, no better than a slithering snake. Even Fink’s rat walked with more dignity than this. Maybe this was what I’d come to. Was it possible for a king to run so far from his identity that he ceased to be anyone special? Because I had never felt lower, or less worthy of my title.
By the roars of laughter in the distance, it was easy to know where the pirates were eating. They weren’t far from me now. I passed the arena where Agor and I had dueled. The thin wooden swords were still hanging from the tree. Slowly I got to my feet, then grabbed two of them to use as crutches. They weren’t much better, forcing me to stoop over like a hunchback, gritting my teeth with every halted step I took, but at least I wasn’t crawling. About halfway to the pirates, one of them broke and I collapsed again onto the ground.
Once more, my abject position brought a smile to my face. A patch of Imogen’s flowers was right in front of me. It was hard to miss them. They seemed to be everywhere I was, or at least, every place where I might find myself in trouble. Imogen said she planted them for me, as constant reminders of the danger I was in.
Then I groaned as I finally understood. No, Imogen planted them because of the danger. They were for me. I dug beneath the flowers with my fingers and very quickly felt something hard beneath them. After a little more digging I pulled out a knife. Undoubtedly one of the many knives Agor had said were missing from the kitchen. Imogen must have buried them all over this camp. For me.
When I got up again, I hid the knife in my boot, then tossed the broken sword away. It had splintered into long, jagged edges that were completely unusable. I continued to use the other sword. If I let the wood carry my weight, I could hop forward while using my injured leg only when necessary for balance. I felt entirely useless, and I had never needed more determination than with each hop I took toward Roden.
A sweet smell filled the air as I got closer, and I guessed some sort of hot pudding was being served. On the outskirts of the camp, someone had left a pile of used dishes. Probably the serving girls who had to haul them back and forth from the kitchen. I quietly went through them in search of food, anything that was edible. Much of what I ate was nothing but gristle carved off the side of a roast, yet I took all I could get.
“Oh.”
I swerved around, too anxious and hungry to care how humiliating this was. Serena had spotted me. She faced me, frozen in her steps. I put a finger to my lips, a silent plea for her help. Her eyes darted in every direction before she walked over to some dishes farther away from me. She picked up a load and carried them to where I was hiding, setting them down in front of me. There wasn’t much more food on them, but every morsel was a boost to my strength.
With the food in my stomach and the effects of the aravac plant soothing the aches and pains, there was no point in waiting any longer. I was as ready as I’d ever be tonight.
I stood and used the sword to hobble my way into the dinner. The tables were arranged in a large square and Roden sat at the head of them all. The pirates were so engrossed in their conversations and eating, it took a while before they noticed me. When they did, it immediately became quieter than a chapel.
Roden stood and his mouth hung open. His eyes went from my bound leg to the wooden sword in my hand. “You can’t be serious.”
“Let’s finish what was begun in my gardens,” I said in the strongest voice I could muster. “Roden, I’ve come to challenge you as king of the pirates.”
