Braxton grunts in agreement, and we fall into a tense silence as we continue to climb. The sun crawls across the sky at a slow pace, beating down on us until sweat is rolling down my face and my throat aches for water.
Then a scream shatters the silence.
I spin to find Andy clutching her calve, her eyes glued to the ground.
“Kai.” Her voice is little more than a whisper. “Don’t. Move.”
I follow her gaze to where dozens of beady, black eyes stare back at me, forked tongues flicking. Snakes. Huge and hungry. I can’t even make out how many of them there are with all the underbrush and rocks scattering the ground, but I know that there are enough for me to be worried.
Blair bites back a scream when she spots the slithering creatures surrounding us while Braxton swears under his breath.
“Alright,” I say slowly, never taking my eyes off the ground, “this is going to have to be you and I, Blair.” She turns her wide gaze on me, her cold demeanor thawing from fear.
“What do we do?” she whispers harshly, trying to hide her horror.
I draw out a breath, not sure if I have an answer for her. The snake nearest to me is drawing closer by the second, and I eye it, mind reeling. “I’ll deal with the snakes over here,” I nod to where Andy and I stand, “And you handle yours over there.”
“Handle?” she hisses, sounding like one of the snakes encircling us.
“Yes. Handle.” I sigh. “It’s not a great plan but just…throw them.”
“Throw them?”
“Ready?” I ask, ignoring her question. She grumbles something, and I take that as a yes. “Good.” I pause. “Go.”
I reach out blindly with Blair’s power towards the snakes slithering at our feet. I lift three of their massive bodies off the ground and send them flying far down the mountain. I hear a chorus of hisses and spot two more before letting them sail through the air after their friends.
There are dozens of them. Blair and I are sending snakes flying left and right, all of us dodging and dancing on our feet when they get too close. I hear a yelp from Andy and spin to see a snake lunging towards her, mouth wide and fangs ready to sink into flesh. I suspend it in the air before it can add another bite to Andy’s leg.
After finally scrambling up and away from the nest of snakes, Andy staggers, and I’m at her side in a heartbeat. “You got bit.” It’s not a question. “Let me see.” Her face is pale as she peels her hand from her leg, revealing two deep fang wounds, blood dribbling down her foot and into her shoes.
I brush a strand of deep, red hair from her sticky forehead, searching her eyes. “How do you feel?”
“Well,” she chokes on a laugh, “my pride seems to be hurting more than I am. I didn’t even see the snake coming. And then the rest of them showed up and…I’m sorry.”
She trails off, focusing on the sun now beginning to sink behind the mountain. “Hey, none of us saw them, remember? But I need you to tell me how you’re feeling.”
Plagues, please don’t be poisoned.
“I feel alright. It hurts like hell, but I’m alright.”
For now.
The unspoken words hang in the air between us.
I’m hoping that our only problem is the pain she is in and nothing more. Hoping that I don’t almost lose another one of the few people I can’t afford to.
“Can you walk?” I ask.
She takes a step, her face scrunching in pain. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Bullshit,” I mutter before crouching down in front of her. “Come on. Get on my back.” I throw her a small smile over my shoulder. “Just like old times.”
She laughs hoarsely. “Seriously, I’m fine—”
“Well, clearly you’re not,” Blair’s agitated voice cuts in. “So get on his damn back so we can get a move on.” She starts climbing upwards, muttering something that sounds like, “Plagues, I hate teamwork.”
“I could try to transform into a small animal so I’m easier to carry?” Andy sounds doubtful. “But I’m not sure I could hold that state for long…”
“Save your energy. Come on. Up you go.” I help her onto my back, gripping the back of her knees as she grips my shoulders. She’s tall and lanky, her weight barely bothersome.
For now.
And then we are climbing again.
Chapter Forty-One
Paedyn
There is a rock in my shoe. The same one that’s been there for the past half hour, but my hands are too busy keeping me from falling to my death to do anything about it.
We’ve been climbing for hours. There are far fewer trees now, giving way to steep slopes covered in slippery plants. My hands are grasping at large boulders as I catch my breath, turning my eyes toward our destination.
The peak.
Despite our constant climbing, it still looms far above us. Jax is beside me, panting just as hard as I am. “I think we’re out of shape,” I say breathlessly.
He flashes a smile before rasping, “You think?”
I huff out a laugh while forcing my feet to move again. My legs are shaky, strained from climbing nonstop for hours with no food and no water to aid us. I hold out a hand to Jax, helping him over a particularly steep patch of rock, returning a favor he has done for me multiple times.
“How cute.”
Jax and I stiffen at the sound of that voice, considering that the owner of it tried to kill the both of us. I bite my tongue, forcing myself to stamp down the flare of anger igniting inside of me and ignore him instead.
Ace sighs dramatically as he continues to climb nearby. “Well, this is awkward. The three of us being paired together to be a team.”
It’s not awkward—it’s intentional.
Everything the king does is deliberate. Twisted. And this Trial is no exception. The fights, the teams, and the tension between contestants are all calculated.
“What? Are you just going to ignore me until we reach the top?” Ace croons from behind.
I’m thankful that Jax happens to be the other Elite I’m paired with, so I don’t have to fight the urge to kill both of my teammates. Though, that may be a bad thing considering that I likely trust Jax too much. But I ignore the thought just like the boy behind me and continue carefully climbing.
“At least—” Ace’s words die on his tongue before he cries out, “Paedyn! Look out!”
I turn to face him and instead spot the giant snake slithering around my ankles. A strangled scream tears from my throat before I can stop it, and I stumble. My ankle catches on a rock, and I trip, falling backward—
The last thing I see before I’m about to fall down the mountain and likely to my death, is the snake scattering into shadows when my foot connects with it.
Illusion.
But it’s too late. My body is falling and I’m going to tumble down the slope with no way to stop myself.
What a pathetic way to die—
Hands are suddenly at my back, pushing and pulling me to my feet before I can collide with the rocks and roll down the mountain.
“I got you,” Jax grits out behind me. “I think.”
I reach out a hand and claw at the closest jagged rock, helping to get my feet beneath me. When I’m standing mostly upright on unsteady legs, Jax Blinks back in front of me, sweaty and panting. I’m sure I look no different, but I offer him a weak smile and hope he sees the gratitude in my gaze. This boy Blinked behind his opponent to save me from—