Mallory pressed the dagger against the rope, sawing back and forth as the strands separated. When the rope broke and the merfolk slipped downwards, Mallory nearly fell. Her grip tightened on the dagger and she grazed her knuckles on the cliff trying to steady herself. The sting had her drawing her breath in sharply. “This is madness.” She spoke the words softly.
“Can I move along?” Ryan asked.
Sheathing her dagger, Mallory gripped his other hand. “Okay.” She wobbled as Ryan moved along the cliff face. Her hands ached from how tightly she held onto him. When he stopped at the next merfolk, she steadied herself before drawing the dagger. Meeting the gaze of this merfolk, she was surprised to see only anger in her eyes, her hair a similar shade to the male merfolk. For a moment, she couldn
