River Runs Deep by Jennifer Bradbury Read Free Book Online

last days. As he was thinking on this, he saw lights in the distance. Moments later they came upon Nick and Stephen looking into a cleft nine feet up near the low ceiling.
    â€œThere he is,” Stephen said, looking over at Elias, sniffing the air. “You smell like onions.”
    Elias’s hand wandered to his shirt. “Doc’s been having ’em do poultices on me. Ramps and goose fat.”
    Nick made a sound that might have been a chuckle, and he spat a stream of tobacco over his shoulder. “Be good and greased up for it, any road.”
    â€œGreased for what?” Elias asked.
    Stephen patted the rock wall. “We’ve been at this spot for a while now. Trying to figure out what might be over there. Trouble is,” he said with a frown, “none of us can fit through.”
    Elias looked at the spot again. It might have been sixteen, eighteen inches across at its widest. He swallowed hard but kept his voice steady. “How far you get?”
    â€œStephen got farthest, not quite up to his hips,” Mat offered. “So he thought maybe you might try.”
    Stephen had half a foot on Elias in height, but was broader by more. Part of Elias couldn’t wait to try. But the other part was hollering that he could die right there in that hole in the wall.
    â€œYou willing?” Nick asked, holding up a loop of rope knotted in something terribly like a noose.
    â€œAfter I get through . . . what then?”
    Stephen took over. “We fetch up a light for you. And then you go as far as you can before the rope gives out. If you still can go farther, we splice another rope on. That way you can find your way back out.”
    â€œOr if you fall in a pit, we might be able to catch you,” Mat added, eyes flashing wickedly.
    â€œMight?” Elias took a step backward.
    â€œWe’ll hold fast on it,” Stephen said, shaking his head as Mat lowered the loop over Elias’s head, then shoulders, finally securing it around his waist.
    â€œYou mind if I retie this?” Elias asked, looking at the almost-noose. It might hold fine, but a bowline would be better, less likely to snag on something.
    â€œGo on then,” Mat said, crossing his arms and rocking back on his heels.
    Elias steadied his hands, took one end of the rope, measured out an arm’s length, and twisted a bight to tie a bowline. His daddy’s words echoed in his head. Send the rabbit up the hole, then around the tree, and then back down the hole. Satisfied, he tightened and dressed the knot.
    â€œIs it pretty enough for you, or you want me to find some flowers to stick in there too?” Mat asked, annoyed, but Elias could tell by the way his eyes stayed locked on the knot that he was admiring it. Figuring out how to do it himself.
    â€œHere,” Stephen said, handing Elias a lighter weight of rope, “fix this to your waist rope. Then if you need something, we can tie it on and send it up to you.”
    â€œWhat am I going to need?” Elias asked, his voice breaking on the last word. Stephen leaned down to catch Elias’s eye.
    â€œMore light or a pry bar or something. That’s all.”
    â€œOkay, then.” Elias studied the cut in the rock he was meant to shimmy through. It looked smaller suddenly. “I suppose I’m ready.”
    â€œYou want to climb it, or you want we should boost you?” Stephen asked.
    â€œI can get up there.” Elias reached for the rock. It was cold beneath his hands, but it was dry, and that was something. He gripped a couple of the biggest knobs and then lifted one foot onto a good solid chunk jutting out of the wall, testing it to be sure. Then he stood himself up, his left foot still floating in the air till he found another good edge up near where his knee was before. He balanced, then brought that other foot higher and reached up with his left hand at the same time. Before he could say “Jack Robinson,”