"We need to find a path, or we will have no choice but to scale the cliffs," Thame said.
Dru coughed and gasped in much-needed air as Thame released him and jumped to his feet. Dru got to his feet, snatching Thame's leather satchel from the ground and tossing it to his brother. In front of them, there were cliffs, the crack between the two far too small for either of them to fit through. At the bottom of the crack was a wider opening that the brothers studied.
"Do you think we could fit?" Dru asked.
"Neither of us will be able to. A slender dog could, perhaps, but not two grown men," Thame said dismayed.
Dru cussed under his breath, biting his lower lip as he looked around frantically. The slightest movement of his body caused Dru to wince as a sharp pain bloomed across his reddened skin, his only relief coming from the cool ocean spray that soothed the burned skin but elevated his panicking.
"We have to climb, Thame," Dru whimpered.
Dru swallowed hard as his brother cast him an annoyed glance, his cheeks flooding with shame. He knew that no one would ever consider him to be brave, but Dru was confident that one day, someone would see his wisdom and treasure him for his gentle kindness and curious mind. That day would never come, however, if Thame continued wasting time judging the width of the crevice. Balling his fists, Dru clenched his jaw and took a deep breath through his nose, steeling his nerves.
"Thame, we need to climb the cliff," Dru said quietly, rolling his eyes at himself.
Clearing his throat several times, Dru repeated himself much more forcefully.
"We need to climb the cliff," Dru shouted, mildly embarrassed, but pleased that he had accomplished saying it at a volume in which Thame could hear.
"So, we can fall to our deaths? Not fucking happening, brother," Thame snapped incredulously.
The tide was moving closer, waves lapping against the shore just a couple of feet away from the cliffs now, and Thame was still studying the crevice as though he could force it to open wider if he glared at it long enough. Within the hour the waves would be crashing against the cliff walls, the beach would be underwater, and they would likely be dead.
"Don't be such a coward, Thame. We have to hurry, which means we have to climb," Dru argued.
Thame stood to his full height, taking an aggressive step towards Dru, which nearly caused him to falter in his conviction, but Dru held his ground.
"I wasn't aware that I was the coward, Dru. Have we switched places? Are you now the brave and noble fighter, and I now know nothing of the world other than what I've read holed up in the dusty library of our father's palace?" Thame asked mockingly.
An itching flush worked its way up Dru's neck, his hands trembling at the confrontation, but he was now thoroughly insulted, and his mouth spewed words back to Thame before he could calm the erupting anger within himself.
"Brave and noble fighter?" Dru asked, chuckling mirthlessly. "Does sparring with the novice warriors make you brave or even skilled enough to consider yourself a fighter? Father would have no use for you in battle, other than for you to be cannon fodder. Hell, brother, you couldn't even play nursemaid, tending to the injured real warriors because you've never attempted to open anything more than a woman's legs! You may call me a coward, but at least I am not the dumb one trying to get the rocks to move with my fucking eyes."
Thame's eyes flashed dangerously as his lip curled in disdain.
"Maybe if you attempted to open something other than a book, you wouldn't be such a coward. You're wound up so tight all the gods blasted time that you cannot think for yourself! You think in facts, never forming your own opinions, original thoughts. Gods above, if you ever did lay with a woman, you'd probably start reciting sonnets, or you'd be so overwhelmed by the first experience of true joy that your brain would melt and ooze out of your ears," Thame shouted.
"Oh yes, brother, true joy," Dru replied sarcastically. "Because we all know true happiness comes from rutting like mindless animals. Really good point."
"You would take this much more seriously if you had, in fact, ever laid with a woman," Thame growled.
"And you would be taking our predicament much more seriously if you had, in fact, ever drowned before, which will be happening shortly as we are still not fucking climbing!" Dru snarled back.
The water was indeed covering the bottoms of their shoes now, and very little of the sandy beach remained above water. They had --at best--minutes to get a head start on the rising tide and climb towards safety. Every minute wasted arguing was another minute closer to their deaths. Dru felt the building pressure, could almost hear the faint ticking of a clock taunting him as the tide drew closer. Heart panging painfully, Dru's ire waned as despair clawed its way up to his throat, prickling his eyes as moisture pooled within them.
"I meant none of that, brother. I just want you to know that. I was frustrated, panicking, and it was stupid. You're my best friend, Thame, and no matter what happens next, I--"
"Oh, shut up, we're not going to die, little brother. We will do as you suggested and climb, but it won't be easy," Thame said, patting Dru on the back with a careless grin that didn't reach his eyes.
Dru nodded, solemn in the face of their next task. His trembling limbs would hinder him on the climb, and he knew because there was plenty of truth to Thame's earlier words. Dru had hardly experienced anything outside of their library back home, and though he knew the theory and technique behind rock climbing and other outdoor activities, that knowledge was nothing compared to skill.
"Just grab where I grab and step where I step," Thame said.
Dru nodded once, thinking that it wouldn't be particularly that simple as Thame would be above him, but there was no time for questions or another argument. Thame stood eyeing the cliff face, hands on his hips, his head cocked. After several seconds, Thame reached out, grabbed hold of protruding rocky surface, and hoisted himself off the sand. Dru watched raptly as Thame seemingly slithered up the cliff until he was at least twenty feet high. If Dru did not hear the grunts of exertion, he would have thought that Thame was climbing effortlessly. As it was, Dru could hear the effort and could see the way Thame's muscles on his arms and back were bulging and straining to hold him up and carry him higher.
"I'm going to die," Dru whispered miserably.
Dru grabbed where Thame grabbed and struggled to pull himself up. It took several tries, but eventually, his feet were no longer cushioned by the sand; they were precariously rested on jagged rocks. Putting one hand higher, then the next, Dru tried to focus on his movements and not on the fact that he could very easily plummet to his death. He stopped listening for Thame, putting all his faith into knowing his big brother could take care of himself because worrying about anything other than getting his shaking limbs to keep moving was going to cause him to fall.
Time felt suspended like the world took a giant breath and was holding it until Dru either succeeded or failed. Dru couldn't tell if minutes or hours passed by or if he was still only feet off the ground. His palms were sweaty, his grip slipping several times, leaving only fierce determination and fear of dying to keep his other hand glued to the cliff. The sky was darkening, the day cooling. A chilly breeze tickled along Dru's back, sending a shiver racing down his spine. Hungry, thirsty, and tired, Dru longed to stop climbing, to lay down and sleep for a week.