They left the lantern. Bainisk uncoiled some of the rope and tied the end about Harllo’s waist, fumbling with numbed hands on the knot. ‘Take a few deep breaths first,’he said. ‘And then one more, deep as you can.’
The plunge into the dark left Harllo instantly disoriented. The rope round his waist pulled him down and then into the face of the current. He opened his eyes and felt the thrill of shock from the icy flow. Strange glowing streaks flashed past, possibly from the rock itself, or perhaps they were but ghosts lurking behind his eyes. At first he sought to help Bainisk, flailing with his arms and trying to kick, but after a moment he simply went limp.
Either Bainisk would pull them both through, or he wouldn’t. Either way was fine.
His mind began to drift, and he so wanted to take a breath-he couldn’t hold back much longer. His lungs were burning. The water would be cool, cool enough to quench that fire for ever more. Yes, he could do that.
Cold bit into his right hand- what? And then his head was lifted above the surface. And he was sucking in icy lungfuls of air.
Darkness, the rush and gurgle of water flowing past, seeking to pull him back, back and down. But Bainisk was tugging him along, and it was getting shallower as the tunnel widened. The black, dripping ceiling seemed to be sagging, forming a crooked spine overhead. Harllo stared up at it, wondering how he could see at all.
And then he was being dragged across broken stone.
They halted, lying side by side.
Before too long, the shivering began. Racing into Harllo like demonic posses-sion, a spirit that shook through him with rabid glee. His teeth chattered uncon-trollably.
Bainisk was plucking at him. Through clacking teeth he said, ‘Venaz won’t stop. He’ll see the lantern-he’ll know. We got to keep going, Harllo. It’s the only way to get warm again, the only way to get away.’
Hut it was so hard to climb to his feet. His legs still didn’t work properly. Bainisk had to help him and he leaned heavily on the bigger boy as they staggered skidding upslope along the scree-scattered path.
It seemed to Harllo that they walked for ever, into and out of faint light. Sometimes the slope pitched downward, only to slowly climb yet again. Pain throbbed in Harllo’s legs now, but it was welcome-life was returning, filled with its stubborn fire, and now he wanted to live, now it mattered more than anything else.