Building Harlequin’s Moon by Larry Niven, Brenda Cooper Page B

height made her dizzy with fear. The stones below her looked like sharp teeth. Water licked up the rocks, urging her to keep going up. Gloria was too close to the water, and that scared her. “It will be okay, Gloria,” she called, terribly afraid that it wouldn’t.
    As she inched toward the top she heard a voice, close, just overhead. “Rachel, we’re here.” It was Gabriel.
    A rope dangled in front of her. There was no way to grab it. “I can’t,” she said.
    “Carefully,” Gabriel said softly. “Find a way to get the rope.”
    She reached, fingers not quite touching the rope, felt the fall below her and pulled her hand back. “Swing the rope,” she called up.
    She shifted her feet, managing enough balance to grab the rope with one shaking hand and pull it in to her, knotting it around her chest. She let out a long cry of relief as they pulled her up the last few yards of cliff face. In mere steps she was in Gabriel’s arms, and then Harry’s.
    Harry set her down and handed her the butt end of the rope, telling her to run it around her back and brace her feet. She did, and Gabriel went down the face for Gloria while she and Harry belayed. The rope hurt her raw hands and pulled tightly against her back. It was surprisingly fast given how long the climb up the fissure had seemed—in just moments Gabriel was back, Gloria tucked in front of him, her arms around his neck.
    “You girls did well,” he said.
    Rachel smiled. “I was really glad to see you.”
    “All in a hero’s day.” Gabriel grinned, wide and silly, hardly looking like a Council member at all. Rachel smiled back—giddy with success. Harry was grinning as widely.
    Gloria spoke up. “Did you bring medicine to make my ankle stop hurting?”
    Gabriel donned his Council face again, but stayed light-voiced as he answered. “We’ve got a splint and bandage in the plane—Ali and Ursula are bringing it around. The bruise is something you’ll have to deal with. We’ll get your ankle up and cold as soon as we get to the plane.”
    “Okay.” Gloria managed a momentary smile although pain shone brightly in her eyes. “Can we go now?” she asked.
    Rocky soil stretched flat between two boulder fields, not far from where they stood. The stains that identified the high tide mark were so close Rachel could touch the bottom edge of them. They really could have drowned, she thought.
    “I’m ready,” she said.
    “The plane is up above us,” Gabriel pointed. “Harry will walk you up. I’d like to make good time with Gloria and get to the cold pack in the plane.”
    “Sure.” Rachel nodded, and realized she was holding Harry’s hand. How had that happened? Oh—when he helped her up a moment before—he hadn’t let go. His hand was stronger than she thought, comforting, but it was also rough on her skinned palm. She pulled it away, grinning at Harry. “You’re going to get your hand bloody.”
    Harry shrugged and smiled.
    Gabriel and Gloria quickly outdistanced them. By the time they got to the top of the boulder field her bruised leg hurt, her arms were sore, her palms stung. Sweat dripped and tickled and itched.
    “You need a break,” Harry said. “Turn around and look at the water.”
    They stared out over the crater. The sea was high now, and frothy at the edges from responding to the pull of the gas giant. Harlequin floated overhead, its reflection rippling in the moving water. She couldn’t even see the crack she and Gloria had fallen into.
    “Gabriel was really unhappy about the wild stream,” Harry said.
    “Well, it’s not supposed to be there.”
    “I think he wants to control everything.”
    “It’s as if Selene is getting a life of its own.” Her hands shook. “Oh, Harry, I almost killed Gloria. I can’t believe I didn’t see it or hear it. Is Gabriel angry with me?”
    “He didn’t say. I’m glad you’re safe,” Harry said.
    “Me too. We might not have been if you hadn’t come.”
    “You’d have made