"No I’m not," Layla said in flat voice.
"You are! And you’re going to look beautiful in this dress."
Ella could see that Layla was fingering the supple material as she held the hem, casting her eye over the gold trim. Ella quickly pinned the sides of the dress, tucking it in a little at the waist, letting it out at the hips. She then pinned the hem.
"There we go, done! Hold up your arms. There!"
Layla turned to Ella and grinned. It was so rare that she smiled that Ella found herself smiling along.
As Ella worked on the dress, a gentle breeze began to blow against the hill, and the mist began to clear. Ella added some finishing touches and smiled to herself, putting the scrill and essence away. She wondered how long it would take Layla to discover the runes she’d enchanted into the fabric of the dress — whether she’d recognise them for what they were or think they were merely decorative.
"What are you smiling about?" Layla said.
"Nothing," Ella said. "I’m just happy that the dress has turned out well. Here," she handed it to Layla, "you can try it on another time."
Layla took the dress, handling it with suspicion. But her sparkling eyes showed her interest.
Ella gathered herself and stood. "Look!" she said.
The haze below the cliff had cleared to reveal a breathtaking panorama. A turbulent river twisted and turned its way through a green valley. Tracing it with her eyes, Ella could see at its source was a majestic waterfall, spouting from the cliff face directly below them. In the far distance she could make out the dusty road, turning ever south and east to the glass-bottle mountains of the Elmas at the extreme limits of her vision.
"It’s beautiful," Ella said.
"If we cross that river, it will be the farthest I’ve ever been from Loralayalana," Layla said.
Ella followed the healer to the cliff edge. It was sheer, dropping down for hundreds of feet before it began to develop any kind of level with the ground.
"Surely he didn’t come this way?" Ella said.
She drew away at the glare Layla gave her.
"Look," Layla said, pointing.
It was a braided rope, tied to the base of a sturdy tree. From the marks in the tree, it looked like it had been there for a long time. The rope was yellowed with age, thinning out in places.
Ella knelt down and began to pull up the rope. A small pile of rope built up on the ground in front of her. Then she pulled up the frayed end.
It had been cut. It would never reach down to the bottom of the cliff. It wouldn’t even reach half way.
Layla looked at Ella. "I think we will not be going this way. By the time we get down from here he will be long gone, your book with him." She shrugged. "We tried. I am sorry."
Ella sat down hard. She looked at the rope in frustration. Suddenly she picked up the pile of rope. Her fingers worked quickly as she began to unbraid it.
"What are you doing?" Layla said. "That rope will never be strong enough. Even I would not trust it. You are much bigger than me, much heavier than me. Your body is large."
"Thanks," Ella said wryly. Her fingers continued working.
"We should be going now. I should be going now." Layla said.
"Just wait."
Ella finally completed breaking the rope into three thin lengths. The rope was so old that in some places it had almost broken through.
She rummaged inside her satchel, pulling out the fine scrill and the vial of essence.
"What are you doing?" Layla said.
"Shh," said Ella.
The separate strands of rope were perhaps half the width of Ella’s small finger. First she tied the strands together, to make one long piece. Then, sitting down in a place where the light of the sun was the best, Ella began the delicate process of enchantment.
Rope was difficult, but not impossible — the trick was to tie knots into simple rune structures and then trace the essence along those knots. When she was done she looked up triumphantly. Layla was sitting on a tree stump nearby, munching on some forest food she had foraged. Ella picked up the rope in her hands. It was just as light, but she could feel the new strength she had imbued it with. She’d had to keep the runes very, very simple, but she was proud of what she had done.
"Here!" Ella said. She threw the rope at Layla, who deftly caught it. "Try to break it, test its strength."
Layla was red in the face before she would acknowledge that the rope was strong enough.
Ella tied the rope back onto the tree and cast it out over the cliff. She looked at Layla. Layla looked away. Sighing, Ella began to lower herself down the rope.
She soon developed a rhythm, finding holds for her feet first, before gently lowering herself, holding onto the rope with her arms, her feet searching the cliff for new footholds.