It seemed a long time, but probably was only a few minutes when I came to my first obstacle.  A set of spikes that looked like repurposed spear heads decorated the wall, their downward pointing blades more than adequately denoting their purpose.  Worse, my dagger and rope contraption was tangled in the spikes meaning that from here on upward I’d be on my own.

Although the spikes had been up here for as long as the wall had stood, with my limited visibility I couldn’t see any signs of wear and tear that might indicate an easy way through.  Whoever had put these spikes up here knew what they were doing.

Now that I could see where my rope was attached, I was willing to trust it a lot more. I wrapped the rope around my leg, enabling me to put all my weight on the rope and rest my hands for a short time while I considered how to get past the spikes.  Time was not on my side.  I would have preferred to rest a while longer, but I was going to have to get a move on.