But then my hand wraps around the worn handle, and I’m drawn back into the real world, where they give us dull weapons and whip us.
On the trail, I spot one of the leather wraps that climbers use to attach themselves to trees tossed on the ground. With no attention focused on me, I reach down, snatch it up, and hurry in the direction of the others.
"That was foolish," Abet says when I get close enough.
I ignore him, looking back in the direction where the bloody man went.
"Let's get to work," I say.
Nicolás begins to wrap the leather around the trunk and climb. Then, I connect myself to the tree and follow him up.
"What are you doing?" Abet demands. "You are full of foolish ideas today."
I shake my head. "We have three trees to cut. We need to work quickly. Just stay on your side and there will be no problems."
"The tree will move too much with you both cutting!" Abet calls up.
I poke my head around the trunk.
"Hold on tight. Balance and strength first," I say to Nicolás.
He nods, and we continue.
When we reach the top of the trunk, it doesn't take long for him to start chopping. When I feel the vibration of his first cut, I wait for his branch to crack and fall.
The tree sways slightly under the loss of its limb, but I hack at another branch before it has time to recover. With one powerful chop, the branch splinters and falls.
"¡Ojo!"?1I call down as it tumbles, selecting the human word they use in warning.
"Hostia puta,"?2Nicolás murmurs from the other side of the tree.
I look around at him and grin. "I'm fast."
“You’re something, that’s for sure!” he calls back.
We follow the same pattern as we move around the trunk. Branch after branch hacked away in record time.
When the last branch is done, we climb down.
Abet lets out a bitter laugh and curses under his breath.
"Fine. If you want to risk your life to make sure we don't die tonight, be my guest," he grumbles.
“Thank you,” I start, rolling my eyes.
Turning sideways, I see Eneko standing near a group fifty paces south.
My eyes look for his cart, searching for Melisa, and I find it nearby. There are a few men speaking to her as their climber hacks away at branches.
Turning to my team, I hold up my hand. “I’ll be right back.”
Abet purses his lips. “Off to take a piss?”
“Something like that,” I say over my shoulder as I stride toward them.
As I approach, Melisa looks up, and I see the glittering, polished smile she seems to put on for everyone. It’s nothing like the fear, the desire, the fury I’ve seen painted on her face.
My blood goes hot.