Curufin slid his thumb under the rope and that gave him just enough room to get the knife blade in as well, without cutting Reiji. The knife was sharp as a razor, and it cut through the rope easily. Curufin put the knife away and disentangled the rope form the leg. Then he stepped back a foot and said, "Can you manage now?"

He waited for Heiji to start wading through the deep mud and follow him.