"Does it really count as parenting when I'm mostly trying to spare Helen from having to amputate your foot?" I ask, and step gingerly past Kira, surveying the state of the pathways. None of them look particularly sturdy, but I don't trust that pulley system, either.

"It's not flooded now, at least," I say, and cast a glance toward the canopy again. "It might not be a bad idea to find a way to cut ourselves some of those longer vines down. They'll be more sturdy than any rope we find, and I really don't trust this place to drop me three stories."