Page 61

Chapter

Forty

ARA

I wash my face in the stream Calix mentioned, relishing the cool water on my burning skin, and we fill up his waterskin. Yesterday was a slow start, but today is better so far, especially since we haven’t encountered any surprises.

Maybe I have been a little hasty there, I think, when I hear voices ahead of us, and I give Calix a sign to stay back.Ever since I saw Livia with that rider, my inner voice has been telling me to be careful.

Calix might be good at this outdoor stuff, but he’s awful at creeping around. He grimaces but complies.

The ground under my feet slopes upward into a small hill, and the voices come from behind it. I stick close to the trees. It’s already getting dark, making it easier not to be seen.

I get down on my hands and knees, wincing when a stick burrows into my knee. I’m sore from two nights on hard stone floors, but I do my best to ignore it, crawling forward until I see what, or better, who is beneath me.

It is none other than Livia and the four runners she always hangs out with. I’m glad for my precautions now.

They sit around a magical fire, the violet and blue flames throwing eerie shadows on their faces and bodies.

Of course, Livia found a way around the magic ban.

“He won’t walk out of here alive,” Livia declares, and the others chuckle.

I’m stunned. Not that I put it past her to kill another runner, but unlike Assessment, when behavior like that seems to be ignored, leadership does not condone something like that during Picking.

Too much went into training us to have us then die uselessly due to murderous contestants.

I slowly crawl backward.

“He seems to have crossed quite a few people the wrong way,” Livia continues.

“I can’t believe they even offered to pay you for this,” another voice said. “When will we meet them?”

“Once I have found him.”

Oh great, Livia kills or intimidates for money now? Talk about making your passion your trade. But despite my grim humor, my gut twists. I have a bad, bad feeling about this.

I get back up when I am far enough away and hurry off in the direction I left Calix. A hand grabs me. I whirl around, my dagger aiming where the other person’s body has to be, but I meet steel instead.

“I’m happy to see you too,” Mariel’s voice hisses. I relax.

“Dammit, Mariel, I nearly killed you.”

“Not even close.” She giggles.

“Then she’s in good company, I’d say,” Calix grumbles.

“She tried to kill you, too?” Mariel asks, humor in her voice.

I huff. “You can’t sneak up on someone out here and not expect to get a knife for your trouble. Gods, you two, am I the only one paranoid about someone wanting to kill me?”

“Yes,” Calix answers, while Mariel says, “No.”

“Let’s get out of here. Livia and her minions are over there planning someone’s demise. So I’d say we should walk a while before making camp.”

We walk until there isn’t enough light left, and we stumble repeatedly.

We pick a spot with soft ground for our camp, and after two nights on stone floors, it feels like heaven.

Calix pulls out the rest of the meal we shared for lunch, and we split it between us.

Not enough to be filled, but we aren’t going hungry either.

We later lie on our backs in the small clearing we found, facing the sky bright with stars.

“Do you think many runners have bonded already?” Mariel asks.

“Hard to say.” I shrug. “But did you see the Rukh circling us? He kept close for quite a while.”

“Yeah,” Mariel answers. “I pray to the gods that one of them picks me. Could you imagine going through the last three months for nothing?”

Calix's breathing next to me is slow and even, hinting he’s asleep already.

“We’ll be fine,” I tell her and wish I could believe it, too.

What if birds don’t bond with cursed ones?

I push the thought away and nudge Mariel instead, jerking my head in Calix's direction. She looks over at his sleeping form and giggles when he grunts.

“Have you told him yet?” she asks.

“No, I’m afraid it will change things between us.”

“Eh…” Mariel waves her hand like she’s trying to get rid of flies. “He is not the person to hold it against you.”

“True,” I agree. “But you know how he is…”

“With every female but me, you mean.” Mariel sighs, and I wonder if that is regret in her voice. But the moment passes, and Mariel switches the topic back to the most obvious one.

“So what bird do you wish for?” she asks.

“I don’t know.” I sigh. “Probably Strix or Rukh. They are the most common ones, and it’s not like I have the intimidation vibe Night Ravens seem to go for.” I shrug.

“Well, you are pretty badass, like when I grabbed you earlier.”

“You laughed.” I deadpan.

“Well, I knew you wouldn’t hurt me once you saw it was me,” she explains.

“See? Not intimidated,” I counter.

“Okay, okay, intimidating is not the word I would use to describe you. More like cute and fun and a little reckless?”

I snort at that. I sound like a freaking puppy.

“That is a good thing, you know,” she rushes to explain. “And because you totally are badass under all that sunshine, it works in your favor because people tend to underestimate you.” She smiles at me.

I frown.

“And you are mysterious and sexy and…” she hurries on.

I laugh. “Cute and fun, got it. You can rest your case now…”

Mariel gives me a worried look but relaxes when she sees I’m not mad. How could I when sunshine is a nickname I’m very fond of now?

“Are you sure we’re still walking in the right direction?” Mariel asks after a while, and she has a point. I, for my part, am not sure. I look at Calix, but his expression tells me he isn’t either.

“How about I get up there real quick and see where we’re headed?” I point at the cliff next to us with heaps of massive boulders at its foot.

Calix snorts. “Real quick? Well, go ahead. We don’t want to spoil your fun.”

I grin at him.

“Be careful, okay?” Mariel asks, and I lift my eyebrow.

“Are you doubting my abilities?” I ask.

“Nope. Just be careful,” she repeats. I hand her my shield and clamber up on one of the boulders. It’s only when I’m out of sight that I get rid of my helmet as well. It will only hinder me, and I very much doubt I will run into anyone up there.

I really should tell Calix.

The sun is high in the sky, and the stone is warm beneath my fingers.

It’s nice. The wind whips through the few strands that came loose from my braid as I scramble up the face of the cliff.

The world falls away beneath me, and my horizon broadens the farther I climb.

I haul myself over the edge and take a moment to admire the view while simultaneously searching for clues.

Everything I would need to make this moment even more perfect would be a set of wings and maybe a certain centurion at my side.

The spires of buildings peek over a slope to my left, and a sliver of blue—a glimpse of the sea—is right next to it.

If Telos is over there , I recall the map we studied so rigorously over the past few weeks and use the city, along with the mountains around me, to orient myself, then we have to head that way.

We aren’t far off course. I memorize the trees we have to head for, then make my way down.

I pick up my helmet and place it back on my head before I jump from one big stone to the next.

Pain rips through my ankle, and I cry out. I kick my foot reflexively and dislodge the snake that bit me, its body flying off and falling between the rocks, but not before I see the blue belly. Shit.

“Are you okay?” Calix and Mariel shout. I peel back my pants, my eyes fixed on the two puncture marks on my skin.

I curse.

“Gray?” Calix shouts.

“I’m fine.” Or at least as close to it as I can be in this situation. I move my ankle gingerly, wincing at the pain and the swelling that is already starting.

I hope my curse will eliminate the poison since bluebellies are part of the magical creatures, but that means I can’t tell the others what happened without revealing what I am. Dammit.

“What happened?” Calix asks.

“Um…I twisted my ankle,” I tell them.

“Can you walk?” Mariel asks. I take a few steps and find the pain manageable.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Their doubtful gazes land on my swollen ankle, but it actually looks worse than it feels. I refuse their offers to look at it, and we take off in the direction of the collection point.

The pain spreads while I walk, climbing up my leg and sliding down into my foot. After a while, I start limping, and by the time the sun sets, every step is like walking on incandescent coals. My whole leg is swollen by now, and the cloth of my pants rubbing over my skin is torture.

A stream runs past our campsite, and I don’t hesitate. I roll up the legs of my pants and step right into its icy flow. The pain instantly becomes more bearable.

I’m unbelievably tired, and since my appetite is gone, I only nibble on a small piece of the rabbit Calix caught earlier. Thankfully, the others are tired too, so we all lie down after that.

The pain radiating from my leg is so intense that it wakes me, and I can’t stay still a second longer. Instead of giving in to crying, I get up and hobble to the stream. Before I reach it, I fall to my hands and knees, heaving up the contents of my stomach.

Dying would be a damn blessing right now.

I crawl the rest of the way to the water, plunging my leg in, not caring that I get my pants wet in the process.

Then I just sit there, waiting for the pain to subside and trying to think of anything but the walk that awaits us in the morning or the fact that no bird has tried to approach me yet.

Some have been around, and both Calix and Mariel reported they felt nudges in their mind. But nothing for me so far.

I stay in the water until my leg is numb, then I walk back to my sleeping friends, trying to get some rest as well.