Page 28 of Hollow Child

“Gosh, the more I’m looking at this, the more I’m worrying about the group managing a climb like that,” Garrison said, and he cast a look at Stella, who already needed her walking stick on more stable ground.

“And I’m no spring chicken myself,” Garrison continued with an uneasy smile. “Are we sure there isn’t another more gradual way around?”

“There might be,” Lillian said, and she unshouldered her backpack to pull out her battered atlas.

Everyone took that as a sign of a break, and they all dropped their bags and sat on the rocks or fallen logs around us. I got my hand drawn map out of my back pocket, comparing it to Lillian’s official map marked with a red pen. Boden, Serg, Garrison, Lillian, and I crowded together around it with our maps.

Mine had much less detail, but the major landmarks, like the river, the waterfall, the towns, all matched up. Lillian’s was a relief map, showing the changes in elevation.

“It does look like we could go around here.” Garrison traced his finger in a large circular path out to the west of the falls. “The incline seems much more gradual.”

“It does,” Lillian allowed. “But it also looks like…” She trailed off, muttering numbers to herself as she did some quick math in her head. “It would be about 40 kilometers out of the way, and that depends on whether or not there is a maintained trail. But I would guess that it would add another day or two to our journey, at least.”

Garrison frowned. “How long do you think it would take to climb up the trail next to the waterfall, assuming we all even could?”

Lillian looked up at it and the zig-zagging path of switchbacks carved into the stone beside it. “What time is it now?”

Garrison checked the Vostok mechanical watch he wore on his wrist. “It’s almost half past eight.”

“Then we could probably make it to the top by two or three this afternoon,” Lillian figured.

Castor let out a long, low whistle. He was sitting on a log behind us next to Samara, while Polly was resting on the ground nearby.

“That is quite the difference,” Castor said.

“Lillian is only speculating,” Garrison countered. “We don’t know for sure how long it will take, and if that climb up alongside the waterfall is steep and slippery, making it treacherous, that could take us a lot longer. I mean, how tall is this waterfall anyway?”

“According to the inset on my atlas, it has a drop of nearly a kilometer,” Lillian said. “The trail up, with all those switchbacks, would probably be six to seven times as long as that. So, maybe five kilometers.”

“It seems obvious then,” I said. “Five kilometers versus forty. Even if it’s an intense hike, we can take plenty of breaks and still make it up by nightfall. It’s a no-brainer.”

“Maybe for you.” Garrison gave me a hard look. “Have you even asked Stella if she thinks she’s up for something so arduous?”

I looked back over to where she was sitting on a large rock. Max was behind her, rubbing her shoulders, and she was leaning forward against her walking stick. Her auburn hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and her cheeks were flushed and sweaty.

“I would like to at least try the steep trail next to the waterfall,” Stella said, sounding more energized than she looked. “It’s better for everyone if we get to the town sooner.”

“If we go on the steep path, we’ll camp out at the top, and we’ll be able to make it to Emberwood by tomorrow evening,” I reasoned. “Tomorrow. Then this long road would be completely behind us.”

“I vote for the steep path,” Stella said.

“Are you sure?” Max asked her. “I don’t want you pushing yourself too hard. Another couple days won’t make that much of a difference.”

“We have time to take lots of breaks, and we’ll still be way ahead of schedule,” Stella said. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“I think we should take the steep path, too,” Castor agreed.

“Me, too,” Samara added and gave her father an apologetic smile. “It really does seem like the best option, even if it’s not quite ideal.”

“I agree,” Serg said. “It will be tough, but we will all help each other, and we can go as slow as needed.”

“I am voting for whichever one is faster,” Polly grumbled from where she laid on the ground. The hood of her sweatshirt was pulled down over her eyes to keep the sun out, but she was apparently awake enough to contribute to the conversation.

Garrison looked back at me and Lillian, his pale eyes sad and defeated. “I know where you two stand.” Then he turned his attention toward Boden and Max. “Come on. You both have to know that it’s not safe for Stella.”

“This is what she wants,” Max justified. “It’s what everybody wants. We ought to at leasttryit.”

Garrison’s shoulders sagged, and Samara came over and put her hand on his back. “Come on, Dad. We’ll all help each other.”

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