Luke waited until twilight before setting out. "Now remember, keep the fire going all night. I want their attention down here."
"All right." Cole gestured to the pile of dead wood the passengers had gathered. "That should be enough to last us. What about in the morning?"
"I'll try to get them just as the sun's coming up."
Mark came forward. "Pa, I'm coming with you."
"No, you're not," said the big man. He held up his rifle. "I need you down here with this." The boy blinked with surprise and his father went on. "Everybody knows I always have my rifle with me. The Jackmans will believe I have it up there and they'll come down."
The boy swallowed hard. "What if they don't?"
"They will," said his father reassuringly. "They'll think they're caught between me up there and the others down here." He handed the rifle over and Mark took it reluctantly. "I'm depending on you. If something does go wrong, you'll have to cover me."
"All right, Pa." Mark stood up very straight and took a firmer grasp on the rifle. "I won't let you down."
Luke smiled. "I know." He turned to Cole. "I'm going to swing around through the brush so I can cross the road further down. As far as they know we're stuck here. I'd like to keep it that way."
Cole stuck out his hand. "Good luck, Lucas."
They shook, and Luke went off into the night. He had scouted his route earlier in the day but with only starlight to go by, he had to move slowly. He judged it was almost an hour before he crossed the road and made it back to the rock. By then the moon had risen, not a full moon, but enough to see by. The rock looked a mile high and he tried not to think of the story in Arrian. He had neglected to mention that when Alexander sent his men to climb the Sogdian Rock, one in ten had fallen to their deaths.
Luke pulled on his leather gloves, took a deep breath, and reached up to grasp the rock. It was rough going and he had to stop frequently to search for a secure place to hold onto. His feet kept slipping, and once a piece of the rock broke away and he slid down, fetching up against a sturdy sapling growing out at an angle. He clutched the branches, trembling all over, waiting until his pulse slowed and his breathing steadied. He looked down and closed his eyes. There was nothing but darkness below. Was he high enough to die if he fell, or would he only break his legs or his back and lie there until he was found by the others? Luke thought of what Mark's face would look like if that happened and he shook himself, then set his feet against the sapling and pulled himself up the rock.