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Alex managed to get the tip of A’enara pressed up against the Jarnock faster than anyone else could react, and she raised her eyes to the three other chiefs and bellowed, “Nobody move!”

They didn’t. But Taka did, bucking so fiercely against Alex that, unless she wanted to skewer the Jarnock, she had to pull back her blade. She only did so a fraction, but Mareek took advantage of her wrestling distraction to draw his dart pipe.

Seeing his movement from the corner of her eye as she struggled to keep Taka contained, Alex cried out, “No!” but it was too late to stop him.

With another burst of speed, she leapt aside to avoid the dart’s trajectory, resulting in it pricking Taka’s chest instead. The Jarnock was out in seconds, causing Mareek to release an ear-splitting roar. But Alex was too focused on avoiding the multitudes of incoming darts now flying her way from every direction to worry about his fury.

She spun and twisted, jumped and sprinted away from the projectiles, but she knew the outcome was inevitable. Bear, she could see, was already sprawled unconscious on his side, and she knew it was only a matter of time before she joined him. She should have known they’d have no chance of fighting their way out, not with so many Jarnocks standing against them, and not when she was unwilling to hurt any of them. But after the words she’d heard from the chiefs… Alex couldn’t just sit by and wait to see what they’d meant. Now, however, she would have no other choice.

When Alex was finally pricked in her side, she had only seconds of conscious thought left as she started blacking out for the third time that afternoon. In that moment she realised that Hunter was right: the Jarnocks might not have much going for them in terms of evolution… but they certainly made up for it in numbers.

Eighteen

When Alex woke, it was to apounding headache. But that, she quickly realised, was because she was hanging upside-down, with the pressure of her blood having been pooling in her head for what must have been some time.

Trying to gather her wits about her, she saw that both she and Bear were dangling from vines tied to their ankles, held aloft about ten feet above the ground. They must have looked ridiculous, with their hair on end and their still bound arms hanging uselessly in the air. Aware that their positions rendered them completely helpless, Alex knew they had to remedy that—immediately.

It wouldn’t be a comfortable fall for either of them, but she couldn’t see or hear any Jarnocks, so she summoned A’enara, fully intending to cut them both free. But a strange awareness washed over her, an instinct that caused her to hesitate, and she squinted into the dying afternoon light that barely reached through the trees to the forest floor.

It was only then that she realised they weren’t hanging above mossy, muddied ground, but rather, they were positioned above a stagnant creek. The water was so murky that she hadn’t been able to differentiate it from the other brown and green vegetation.

There was something about the creek that caused pinpricks of warning along Alex’s nerve endings. Focusing her eyes, she looked closer and—there! A shifting motion, like air bubbles pressing through the murky surface. She watched even more intensely and that’s when she saw it—a dorsal fin, much like that of a shark, but instead of being smooth, it was spiked. The colour was the same brownish-green of the water, and the fin rose out only enough for Alex to establish that it belonged to somethingbig. Something neither she nor Bear wanted to end up swimming with.

Banishing A’enara, Alex glanced over to her unconscious friend, then swallowed her pride and called for help.

Niyx? Any chance you can zip over here and lend a hand?She sent a mental picture of her situation.

His response didn’t come instantly, which was unusual, but just when Alex was about to call out again, he answered.

I’m in the middle of something, kitten, he said, sending her a visual as well.

He was seated beside Aven in the Meyarin palace. There was some kind of meeting in session, with the room containing at least a dozen others. Some Alex already knew, like the gifted humans Calista, Signa and Gerald. She also recognised the Claimed council members,LasaRiza andLasaNaelin—Kyia’s aunt—as well as Queen Niida. Skraegon, the brute from the tavern brawl with Zain was also there, but Alex didn’t see any other familiar faces.

I won’t be leaving here anytime soon, Niyx told her.You’re just going to have to… hang around for a bit.

This isnotfunny, Niyx, Alex said. She sent him another picture showing her memory of the fin in the water.

This time his responsewasinstant—and threaded with urgency.Whatever you do, donotenter that creek.

His tone caused goose bumps to rise up on Alex’s skin.Why? What’s wrong?

That’s Kaku, he said.The Jarnocks consider him their jungle deity. They offer him full moon sacrifices and believe doing so blesses their hunting and gathering for the next month.

Alex’s mouth turned dry and she replayed for Niyx the conversation she’d heard between the chiefs.

He swore, loudly.It’s a full moon tonight, Aeylia, and it’s already approaching twilight where you are. You have maybe an hour before those Jarnocks return and cut you loose. You’re going to be Kaku’s next meal ticket if you don’t find a way out of there.

But how—

He cursed again and interrupted in a hurried voice,Aven is asking us questions—I have to pay attention and act like his puppet or I’ll be in just as much trouble as you. I’m sorry, kitten, but I can’t help you right now. You’ll have to save yourself. You can do it—just trust yourself.

His presence vanished and Alex didn’t risk calling out to him again, not while he was in a meeting with Aven. More than just her and Bear’s lives were at risk right now.

“I’ve been in worse situations than this,” Alex said to herself. None immediately sprang to mind, but there were some close contenders. “There has to be a way out.” Again, nothing immediately sprang to mind.

Knowing two heads were better than one, she sought to wake Bear. After calling his name three times with increasing volume, she realised he needed more of a prod. Too far away to reach him with just her hands, she heaved her body back and forth until the vines holding her swung with her motion. Grunting from the strain—as well as her ever-increasing headache—Alex finally collided with Bear and latched onto him with her bound hands.

After giving him a rough shake and calling his name again, he groaned his way into consciousness.