Chapter 18

                                    

                                          
"Dank farrik," I hiss under my breath.
I don't know how high up I am. I don't want to know. I just want to get down, but I don't want to fall. I keep my body flat against the ice and rock wall as I climb, trying to focus on moving one hand after another and one leg after another instead of the height of the wall. I think I'm about halfway.
I make the terrible mistake of looking down and let out a whimper, pressing my forehead against the freezing ice. 
I'm not even close to halfway. 
A blaster bolt whizzes past my head and I shrink into the wall even more. I'd love to shoot those laserbrain stormtroopers right now, but that would require taking one hand off the wall. The best I can do is make myself a difficult target, which isn't too impossible since stormtroopers have the most horrific aim to begin with. 
I reach my hand up to the next jagged rock I can grip and start to pull myself up when my foot slips. I let out a sharp cry, dangling by my arms, and squeeze my eyes shut. I can't do this. I really can't do this. 
Trust in the force. 
The voice of the strange man from earlier fills my head and I suck in a breath. I'm annoyed with him, whoever he is, for leaving me when the troopers came. But that familiar feeling in the force urges me to follow his words, so I do. 
With a deep, shaky breath, I scrape my feet against the wall until they find a good grip and start to climb again. I don't worry about the stormtroopers or the height that increases with each step I pull myself up to. I only focus on my hands and feet and keeping them steady on the ice. 
The sound of another blaster fills my ears and I risk a glance downward to check on Din. To my surprise, he's leaned against the top of the rock he'd been hiding behind and using his rifle to shoot back at the troopers. Worry lodges in my throat as he stays in his position, partially exposed to the heavy fire, but I quickly push it aside and keep climbing. He's giving me a chance to reach the top, and I can't waste it. 
By the time I'm only a few feet away from the top, my heart is pounding so hard I think my chest will burst. My head spins with the idea of being up so high, and my hands start to slick with sweat. Still, I manage to haul myself up the rest of the way and roll onto the solid ice of the upper level. 
I shove to my feet, quickly running over to take care of the two remaining stormtroopers shooting at Din. I slide between the first one's legs, kicking outward to make him lose his balance and fall down the wall. The second one lets out a startled scream and I pull out my blaster, ending him quickly. When I stagger back to my feet, I glance down at the incredible height below me. 
The force practically sings with approval. 
I let out a breathy chuckle, the adrenalin finally starting to wear off, and turn on my heel to examine this new upper level of the caves. One opening stands out, making me breathe a sigh of relief. There are more bright, glittering crystals all around the walls. 
One of them shines a little brighter than the rest. 
I frown, slowly inching my way toward it. Every step seems to make the force press even more on the edges of my mind. When I reach the small nook in the wall where the bright crystal rests, my eyes widen.
"A kyber crystal," I whisper to myself, hesitantly reaching for it. My fingers brush against the bright crystal and it immediately dims enough for me to really look at it as it rests in my palm. 
Something about the crystal just feels...right. 
I shove the crystal into my belt and run back to the edge of the wall, gasping when I see Din staggering over to the edge with Grogu in one arm.