The horse seemed impossibly large.

Even through the rain, the monument dominated the point where the Rhine and Moselle met, a mountain of dark stone with an emperor on horseback balanced above it.

Corbin wanted nothing to do with it.

The broad staircase climbing the pedestal was soaked by freezing rain, each stone step polished smooth by more than a century of feet.

There were no handrails.

Even walking towards it, the wind swept across the open plaza hard enough that we leaned into it.

“I don’t want to.”

“I know.”

I crouched so he could climb into the carrier on my back.

He wrapped his arms around my shoulders without another word.

The extra weight changed everything.

Every step demanded attention.

My boots searched for dry patches that didn’t exist while Corbin’s weight shifted gently with each stride, not enough to throw me off balance, but enough that I thought about it anyway.

I couldn’t catch myself if I slipped.

I wasn’t climbing for one anymore.

Ahead of us, Dani carried Avery in her own backpack.

We climbed slowly, saying little, each waiting for the other to find secure footing before taking the next step.

At the first landing, we ducked beneath the massive stone pedestal.

The wind vanished almost instantly.

Rain drummed overhead while the boys stayed tucked against us, warm enough now that neither complained.

One final staircase climbed toward the horse itself.

It was even steeper.

A heavy chain stretched across the entrance.

Closed.

Neither of us argued with the decision.

We each reached out and touched the chain anyway. Then we turned around for the part I’d been thinking about ever since we’d started.

Going down.

I went first.

Dani followed.

Every few steps I looked back.

I planted each foot before committing my weight, feeling for grip before taking the next step. Corbin stayed perfectly still, sensing, perhaps, that this wasn’t the time to wiggle or ask questions. He simply held on.

When we finally stepped back onto level ground, I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath.

Only then did I look back up.

The monument was still absurdly large.