Page 27 of Raven Rebel (Sablewood #1)

Shoulders screaming, Meara caught herself with one hand. She used her momentum to swing forward and catch the lower branch that Xurey stood upon. Her palms split under the rough bark. She hauled herself up with the last of her adrenaline, and threw her arms around the trunk, panting.

The remains of the bottom rope smoldered, uselessly dangling from her perch. Ayala floated down, her descent slowed by her own magic and her brother’s. Tayen held his hands up, his face tense with concentration.

Meara’s heart leapt into her throat and her breath caught as she scanned the forest floor for her sister. Brenna huddled against the trunk, her eyes squeezed shut, unharmed.

“That bitch burned my tunic!” Ayala howled from below.

A hysterical laugh burst from Meara, the relief euphoric. Ayala raised her palms, her teeth flashing as she snarled, but Cerne grabbed her wrist and tugged her back.

“Enough,” he growled.

Looking up at Xurey, Meara blurted, “I think we are sure to win now.” Her heart pounded in her ribcage like a sparrow fighting to escape its cage.

“Then let’s finish this task so we can get out of these trees.” Xurey edged around the trunk and began to climb.

Meara reached for a higher branch and heaved herself upward, grasping the vertical rope that Xurey scurried up. With a resigned exhale, Meara followed her.

Sticky blood congealed on her palms. The pain felt further away as a vicious sense of triumph grew in her chest. Her teeth clenched as she finally reached a platform of planking set across several boughs.

Gold streaked the sun drenched leaves across the highest layer of the canopy. Clouds meandered overhead, softening the effect. Meara’s heart soared at the scene.

“Are you injured?” Xurey asked, her voice soft in this quiet haven. Scratches marred her arms, but her concern was for Meara.

“I can handle it.” Her smirk was fringed in pain. “It’ll be worth it to beat Ayala.”

Xurey chuckled and they turned, searching for the next task. “There!” She pointed at a square of red fabric tied to a branch.

Squinting, Meara wrinkled her nose. “How are we supposed to retrieve that?”

“I hate to say this, but Ayala could easily reclaim it. Maybe Tayen could have, though I am grateful he is on the ground in case one of us falls.”

“Can you ask a bird to get it?”

Xurey sighed, chewing her lip. “If we ask nicely, they may help. But creatures only do what they want to.”

“Better to ask than attempt to reach it ourselves,” Meara muttered. The spindly branches above them swayed in the gentle breeze. She flinched, the memory of Ayala’s magic nearly blowing her off the rope too fresh.

She watched Xurey close her eyes, working her magic craft.

Moments passed, and Meara feared that Ayala would attempt the climb again and steal this victory from them.

Finally, a speckled starling settled on a branch beside Xurey.

A moment later, it flitted away. They watched as it wove between branches and paused near the fabric token.

And then it darted away. Xurey cursed under her breath.

“We can try another bird,” Meara suggested.

“Unless you have some fruit or nuts in your pockets, I’m afraid they have no motivation to help.”

Exhaustion seared Meara’s muscles. They came so far, only to have no way to retrieve the prize. She could not accept failure, not after shedding her blood on the rope and branches along the way. Gritting her teeth, she reached for a higher branch.

“What are you doing?” Xurey’s voice pitched higher.

Without looking back, Meara pushed herself up and reached higher. The trunk split again and she was left clinging to a tediously thin bough. “Tayen will catch us if we fall, correct? ”

“Yes, but I wouldn’t stake my life on it.”

Shrugging, Meara reached higher. “I spent my childhood climbing trees, and I’ve never quite given up the habit.”

Xurey circled the tree in an attempt to counterbalance her.

Meara resorted to tugging the highest branches to her, lower and lower until they bent.

She had to use both hands, leaving her balanced precariously on a branch far too thin for her comfort.

She was so close, she could not abandon the task.

As Meara leaned farther, her bloody fingers reached the red fabric and she seized it.

Her shout of victory turned to a shriek as the bough she teetered on slipped from under her feet.

Branches lashed her ribs and whipped her face.

Reaching wildly for purchase, she managed to slow her descent before her hands lost their grip and she was free falling.

Something slammed into her, knocking the air from her lungs. Terror struck her, seizing her muscles and throwing her heart into a hammering rhythm. She gasped for air, and felt the ground meet her back and slowly press into her as she was placed upon it by an invisible force.

Brenna fell to her knees beside her. “What were you thinking? That was so foolish!”

Another painful breath, and Meara was able to answer, “We won.” Brenna smacked her stomach. “Ouch! Please don’t hit me, I’m in enough pain already.”

A scrap of red fabric fluttered down, and Brenna snatched it from the air. Too weak to protest, Meara raised a hand, reaching for it. Shaking her head and tutting, Brenna passed it to Tayen, who presented it to Seda.

Ayala stood beside Cerne, her tunic singed and torn away at the waist. Her cold gaze promised murder. Despite her discomfort, Meara’s lips curved into a smile.

“I’m so sorry about the fire. I didn’t mean to,” Brenna began.

Meara raised a hand. “You were brilliant. It looked intense. Have you produced that light before?” Brenna shook her head. “You should try again during training.” Her distraction worked and Brenna relaxed.

“Well done,” Seda said. “That was quite the showing. Are you sure you don’t want to join the guard?”

“Absolutely not, I could never,” Brenna said, her voice rising in pitch.

Meara frowned. Cerne watched her as Ayala whispered into his ear. When he ignored the beautiful faerie, Ayala growled and stalked away, wind whipping her hair into a frenzy.

Turning to Tayen, Meara said, “Thank you for catching me.”

“Ayala tried to make her fall,” Brenna sputtered, her face flushed and eyes burning. “She could have died.”

Cerne shrugged. “Tayen would have caught you. Or maybe you would have broken something and we’d visit a healer.”

“She doesn’t have a way to defend herself,” Brenna argued.

“I wasn’t in any true danger,” Meara argued, hoping it was true. She trusted Tayen, even if his sister was a monster.

“Then I suggest she find her craft,” Cerne said. Brenna glared at him, but Meara had to agree.

“I’m ready for a luncheon,” Xurey declared.

She leapt from the lowest branch and crossed to stand beside them.

“Next time try to refrain from falling.” With a smile, she offered her hand, grasping Meara’s wrist to avoid her injuries.

Meara rose to her feet and brushed herself off.

New bruises ached along her spine, her hip, and her stomach, but she was victorious and that pride drowned out the pain.

She limped as they made their way through the woods and back to the manor house, her mind going over the herbs she could use to create a salve for her hands.