This one is the real Ace, I’m certain of it. The leaves gave him away, crunching when he stepped on them, unlike the first time he walked over to me. He seems to sense that I figured it out, and right as I’m about to bury an arrow in him, he surrounds himself with a dozen duplicates, hiding within them.
They all speak in unison as they begin to surround me, masking the sound of any crunching leaves. “If you give me the band now, I won’t hurt you. Badly.” They laugh and it’s a sickening sound, seeming to bounce around in my skull.
I spin in a circle, not knowing who to aim for. I only have six arrows now, and I can’t afford to waste a single one. They are closing in on me, closing in for the kill.
Find the real Ace.
Easier said than done. They all look and move exactly the same, all holding spears and ready to stab me, though only the real one can do any damage.
“I’m going to enjoy this, Paedyn,” they say, smiling.
My eyes flick over each of their bodies. I take in their identical stances, their identical facial expressions, their identical everything.
I will not die. I will not die. I will not die.
And then my eyes snag on a particular Ace, identical to the others.
Found you.
The tiny bead of sweat trickling down the side of his temple is all it takes to give him away, the only sign of his struggle to cast the illusions.
I raise my bow towards him at the exact moment he lunges towards me. I jump to the side, but not before pain irrupts across my stomach. Searing, stinging pain that I ignore as I release my arrow, letting it fly straight into the flesh of his leg.
He screams, dropping to his knees in the dirt, hands trembling as they wrap around the arrow protruding from his thigh. But I don’t give him, or the Sight now watching, a second glance before I spin and sprint.
I don’t know how far I’ve made it. Don’t know how much distance I’ve put between us before the adrenaline bleeds from my body, reminding me that I’m bleeding. The searing pain is back, punching me so hard in the gut that I’m panting.
I lift my loose shirt to reveal the silky tank beneath it, now sopped with blood. I take a deep breath and pull up the layer of cloth separating me from the wound before shuddering at the sight of it. A long, bloody gash slices open the skin right beneath my rib.
A spear wound.
My breaths come in shaky, shallow pants.
At least I’m alive.
But I sure as hell don’t feel alive. It’s excruciating. The pain is biting and blazing, setting my nerves on fire. I gingerly pull off the large shirt, wincing and choking back cries of pain with every lift of my right arm. The movement pulls at the skin, the gash, causing it to gush even more blood.
I rip the bottom hem of the shirt, creating a wide strip of white fabric. I work as swiftly as the injury will allow me, gingerly wrapping the cloth around my waist and over the wound. I gasp for air at the throbbing pain this causes, blinking away tears as I pull on what is left of the shirt, so large it still covers my stomach.
I need to find water.
I heave a shaky sigh, that action alone jolting a sharp pain through me as I begin walking again through the forest.
No, stumbling is more like it.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Paedyn
Stay awake. Stay awake. Stay awake. My traitorous eyelids feel like lead. With each blink, I’m afraid they won’t open again. I’ve been slowly stumbling through the shadowy forest towards the creek for what feels like hours, blindly hoping I’m still headed in the right direction.
I’m tired. So very tired. I want nothing more than to slump against a tree and close my eyes for a minute. Just one blissful moment of peace—
No.
I pinch my arm, hard, causing my drooping eyelids to fly open.
If I fall asleep, I likely won’t wake back up.
I’m in bad shape, and I don’t need to be the daughter of a Healer to realize it. I’ve lost so much blood, making my head swim as I try to keep my footing. I shake my head, trying to ignore my fevered skin and shivering body. Just like I ignore that the strip of cloth I used as a bandage is already soaked with blood, staining the cotton scarlet.
I need to clean the wound and soon. If I don’t, I’m as good as dead.
What I need is water.
Every part of me burns. Burns with pain and thirst and hunger. If I can just get to some water, I can wash out the wound at the very least, cure my dehydration, and come to my senses long enough to create a concoction of herbs to clean the injury.
I hope.
Then I’d worry about eating, seeing that I can barely pull back my bowstring, and the rabbit I shot is long forgotten at the site where Ace ambushed me.
Leaving me defenseless and starving.
Get to the creek. Get to the creek. Get to the creek.
A faint, orange glow peeks through the trees ahead of me, blurry from my drooping eyes. I squint at it, unsure if I’m hallucinating or not. I tighten my sweaty grip on the bow, already knocked with an arrow, though it’s practically useless if I can’t pull back the damn string to fire it. I continue to creep closer to the fire flickering a few dozen yards away, completely unattended.
The light it casts reflects off something shimmering beside it.
The creek.
A relieved, breathy laugh escapes me as I cautiously continue forward. I’m being reckless, of course, but I don’t particularly care in this state. Someone started this fire, and I may be walking straight towards them. But I’ll die if I don’t get to that water, though I might be killed if I do.
Both options will likely lead to my imminent death. Great.
I’m only a few feet away from the fire now, my eyes searching the shadows for any sign of the human who lit it.
Get to the water. Get to the—
“You just can’t seem to stay away from me, can you, Gray?”
I halt, heart hammering.
I can hear the amusement in his voice, practically picture the dimples peeking out on either side of his smirk. I take a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for the excruciating pain I’m about to endure.
Whipping around, I raise my bow and pull the string taut. I swallow my cry of pain as I feel my wound tearing, stretching with the movement.
I can’t let him see I’m injured. Put on a show. Get to the water.
The tip of my arrow is pointed at his heart, and I just make out his exposed chest in the flickering light. It looks as though I’m not the first opponent he’s encountered, nor am I the first one to aim something at his heart. He’s wrapped a strip of cloth under his arm and around a wound just above his swirling tattoo.
My eyes flick back to his, willing the agony from my features. Willing him to see me as a threat. His gaze sweeps over me with an expression I can’t decipher, but I’m not in the mood or headspace to puzzle him out.
“Leave or I shoot.” My arm is beginning to tremble with the effort and pain of keeping the bow trained on him.
He only chuckles and takes a step towards me. “Good to see you too, Gray.”
“You think I’m kidding. How cute.” I bite out the words, my chest heaving.
“What, that’s it? You’re just going to shoot me?” His lips twitch. “Where’s the fun in that?”
“Oh, it’ll be fun for me, I assure you.” My voice is shaky. I’m shaky.
Kai takes another step towards me, cocking his head to the side. His hands are casually in his pockets as he looks me over again. “I’m confused. You do realize that the point of this Trial is to take my band, correct?” His smirk grows. “Or at least try.”