By dawn, the black ship was only a few hundred feet away. Even Curllini could no longer deny that it would surely catch up to them in a matter of minutes.
"He's right on top of us!" said Geraldo; then to himself, he added "...I wonder if he's using the same wind we're using..."
"It doesn't matter...whoever he is, he's too late!" Curllini laughed gleefully. "See?--The Cliffs of Insanity!!" He pointed to the humongous wall of rock looming before them. Helganna strained to see the top of the enormous cliffs--which rose, as it seemed, straight into the sky. The three men tied her hands and feet, then they steered the boat up onto the sand and jumped out (the giant carried her, of course). They ran to the foot of the cliff and stopped at a single thick rope hanging flat against the rock face all the way from the very top, where it was knotted around a huge tree. Quickly, they tied Helganna onto Festinky's back, then Geraldo and Curllini fastened themselves around the giant's sides. When all were safely tied together, Festinky took hold of the rope and began to climb.
Hand over hand, never pausing, the giant's powerful arms rhythmically pulled the four of them closer to the top of the steep cliff. Ten.....fifty....two-hundred feet and more he climbed. Still, he tirelessly continued his chore. It was times like this, when asked to use his strength, that he felt as though he were actually helpful instead of merely in everyone's way. Curllini was obviously the brains of the three...and Geraldo could defeat anyone with his sword. Festinky knew that he was far from being the brightest or the quickest, so he was glad that his greatest strength lay in.....well--his strength. He focused solely on pulling, each movement another crucial step toward safety and success....
"Look! Look!" Curllini shouted.
Geraldo grunted. "At what? Your big mouth is blocking my view."
Curllini scowled, but kept talking. "The man in black! His boat has reached the shore, and now he's watching us, trying to decide what to do next. Fool! Doesn't he realize he has failed? We have the princess...he can't possibly catch us now. Ha-ha-ha-ha!"
The man in black had indeed stopped at the base of the cliff and stared up at them as if defeated. But it was only for a moment, for then he put his hand on the rope, and...
"Hey--he's climbing! He's coming after us!" Geraldo said, surprised. (Apparently, Curllini had moved his big mouth out of the way.)
"Inconceivable!"
The man in black climbed swiftly, pulling himself up the rope without hesitation. Soon he had cut their lead to four-hundred feet....now three-fifty....now three-hundred.....Festinky was over halfway up the side of the cliff, but the man in black was steadily advancing.
"You were supposed to be this colossus," Curllini snapped at the giant. "You were supposed to be this amazingly strong thing.....And yet, he GAINS."
"But I'm carryin' three people," said Festinky apologetically. "He's only got himself to worry 'bout..."
"I will not tolerate excuses."
Festinky and the man in black kept climbing.
Hand
over
hand.
Inch
by
inch.
Now the giant was past five-sixths of the way there.
The man in black was almost one-hundred feet behind.
Pull.
Reach.
Pull.
Reach.
Pull.
Now seven-eighths.
Now.....
The giant collapsed on the ground at the edge of the cliff, exhausted. Quick as lightning Curllini freed himself, and as the others did the same, he ran to the tree where the rope was tied. The man in black was fifty feet from the top and still climbing.
Curllini whipped out a knife and swiftly sawed through the rope.
The cut rope coiled like a snake, slid across the sand, and disappeared over the side of the cliff.
Festinky and Geraldo walked to the edge and looked down.
"He's got very strong arms," said the giant, his eyebrows raised.
Curllini straightened. "He didn't fall?!" He joined the others at the edge. The man in black had let go of the rope just in time, and was holding on to the rocky cliff by his hands about forty feet below them.
"Inconceivable!!"
Geraldo rolled his eyes and turned to Curllini. "You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means."
"Whillikers!" said Festinky. He pointed to the man in black. "He's still climbin'!"
They watched as the man in black moved carefully up the cliff. Slowly, and not without great difficulty, of course--but he was doing quite well considering he had already climbed several hundred feet straight up and had just barely avoided falling several hundred feet straight down.
After a minute or so, Curllini turned to his companions. "We can't take the risk of anyone seeing us with the princess. Therefore, one of you must stay here to finish him off if by some chance he makes it to the top. You..." ...here he addressed the Spaniard. "The giant and I will take her toward the Guilder frontier. Catch up when he's dead. If he falls, fine--if not, the sword."
Geraldo watched as the other three started away. "I'm going to do this left-handed," he announced.
Curllini looked back. "Why? You know we're in a rush."
"It's more fair that way. If I use my right hand, well...it's over too quickly."
"Fine, fine. Do whatever you want--just hurry it up!" He ran off.
Alone now, Geraldo withdrew his sword and made a few practise swings. He walked around to get more familiar with the area. He was pleased to see that the ground was flat and rocky, and would make for an excellent fight.
Providing the man in black knew how to fence.
Really fence.
Geraldo sheathed his sword again. He had devoted over ten years of his life to learning the art of fencing. Although young for a swordsman of his skill, he had uncanny natural talent (and a seething desire for revenge) motivating him, and already he had become practically undefeatable. Unfortunately, the more undefeatable he became, the harder it was to find someone worthy of a challenge. He was always in the mood for a good fight.....but what was the greatest living swordsman to do when there was no good fight to be found?
The man in black would not, could not fall. The man in black would finish his climb safely, and then...the real battle would begin. If, as Geraldo hoped, the masked stranger did not turn out to be a horrible swordsman.
Of course, horrible swordsmen did not usually carry swords with them, and the man in black had what looked like a very nice sword at his side--so that was encouraging...
Geraldo walked to the edge of the cliff and knelt down.
"Hey there, buddy," he called to the man in black.
The man in black grunted in response, and kept climbing.
He tried again. "Slow going?"
The man in black turned his head carefully. "Look, I don't mean to be rude...but I'm a little busy right now--so if you don't mind..."
Geraldo nodded, and kept silent. After a minute, he added impatiently: "I don't suppose you could speed things up?"
The man in black shot him a dirty look.
"Sorry I asked."
Another minute passed as the man in black inched his way up the cliff.
Finally the man in black glanced up at Geraldo again. "Couldn't you find something more useful to do instead of just standing there and watching?"
"I have some rope up here," Geraldo said, "...I could lower it down and you'd be up on top in a flash--but I don't know if I should, since I'm only waiting around to finish you off. You might still fall and save me the trouble." (Secretly, he hoped this wouldn't happen, of course...it had been a long time since his last real sword fight.)
The man in black smiled slightly beneath his mask. "I don't plan on falling...so I guess you'll just have to wait."
"I hate waiting," Geraldo said under his breath.
He took the leftover rope and lowered it down the cliff.
*************************
A/N: Yes, it's been some time since the last update. My apologies. I blame schoolwork, for being a big kick in the head and keeping me busy.