Page 31 of Wild Bond (Wild Bond #1)

“G o!” I hissed, trying to keep my voice down. “I’ll lead them away and be right behind you.”

Lessa stared at me in horror, her big brown eyes shining in the lantern light from further down the corridor. “But—but I want to stay with you.”

“You can’t.”

“But they’ll catch you!” she protested.

“No, they won’t,” I assured her, knowing it was a lie. I pulled her into a fierce hug, and her little arms grasped onto me tightly. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, wishing there had been time to enact my plan and get us both to safety. Freedom had been so close. I kissed the top of her head and pushed her away from me. “Now, go!” I commanded, more firmly this time.

Tears spilled over and left streaks on her cheeks. “I love you, Rinny,” she said, worry for me evident on her sweet face before she turned and scurried down the hall, her dark hair and clothes disappearing into the shadows.

Hefting the ancient sword in my grip, I turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.

As the old memory faded, I fought to open my eyes. I was lying on something hard. My head was pounding and my muscles—my entire body—felt weak, as if I hadn’t used them for some time. My mouth felt like it was filled with dust, and my stomach felt like I hadn’t eaten in days. The feeling brought back horrible memories, and it was odd to think I wasn’t used to that feeling anymore. I blinked rapidly several times, but my eyes still felt heavy as I forced myself to sit up.

Confusion bombarded me. Where was I? I definitely was no longer at The Tower.

I took in my surroundings and became aware of several things at once. It was night. I was outside. And I was alone. I looked down and could just make out in the moonlight that I was wearing my boots and riding leathers.

What had happened to me? How had I gotten here? But no answers came. There was nothing. My mind was a blank.

Frustration washed over me, and my head seemed to throb even more as I strained to remember. The last thing I recalled was . . . going to my bedroom . . . finding the daggers and reading Rake’s note . . . then feeling tired and . . .

Skye.

Skye! I called out to her, searching the bond. But again, there was nothing. Panic rose as I searched and searched for the connection, the thread that bound me to my dragon, but it was gone. That wasn’t possible. Skye wasn’t dead. I would know if she was . . . so then why couldn’t I feel her?

I made to stand and gasped when I felt a twinge of pain in my arm. I stood and examined it in the meager light and saw I had several places on my arm with cuts and bruising, all of which appeared to be a few days old.

What had been done to me? Why couldn’t I remember? Had I been kidnapped? I thought of the griffin attack and those men who wanted to take me. But why kidnap me just to leave me . . . here? I looked around. Wherever here was.

The night air was chill, and I could make out trees and rocks around me and hear the rustle of animals and the call of night birds. A forest, then.

I took a tentative step forward and nearly went sprawling on my face as I tripped over something. Crouching down, I was shocked to find a short sword and a . . . feather? And this wasn’t just any feather, but a phoenix feather—I recognized the long, elegant shape and could just make out a hint of reddish gold in the moonlight—which looked for all intents and purposes to have been intentionally left there for me to find.

Baffled, I picked them both up. Why would someone kidnap and drug me, then leave me in the middle of the wilderness with a sword and a feather? I suppose the feather could have just been left there, but for some reason I didn’t think so. This felt deliberate.

Instinctively, I reached for Skye again and felt nothing. Closing my eyes, I tried to focus on her, knowing she had to be there somewhere. Again, I felt like I came up against a wall. But then I realized that it was a wall, that I could feel a hint of something on the other side that might be Skye; a tiny thread of energy and life the wall couldn’t totally conceal. The wall was simply blocking it. My relief that the bond was still there was palpable. But what could be blocking the bond? I didn’t think that was even possible. I opened my eyes again with a growl of frustration. So many questions with even fewer answers.

I swallowed hard and was reminded of how raw my throat and mouth felt. First things first, I needed to find water. I had heard somewhere that it was better to drink from running water like a stream or river rather than a stagnant pool, so I set off in search of one. Then I needed to find a tree to climb or someplace high and out of the way to wait out the darkness. Hopefully, I could avoid any unfriendly creatures that might be nearby. In the morning, I would have light on my side and could figure out where I was.

I didn’t know much about surviving in the outdoors, having spent nearly all my life in Dessin. Admittedly having no sense of direction, I decided forward was as good a direction as any. With the sword clutched in one hand and the feather in the other, I tried to remain aware of my surroundings while watching where I put my feet in the darkness. The ground beneath me was on a slight incline, and the last thing I wanted to do was slip and fall.

I was focusing so hard that I almost missed the gentle sound of trickling water up ahead. When I realized what I was hearing, I couldn’t believe my luck. As I headed in that direction, I came up short when the feather in my hand started glowing. The light emitting from it was faint but unmistakable. I stood there in stunned surprise wondering what it meant. The last thing I wanted was to become a beacon for some hungry creature, but I also felt like the phoenix feather had been left with me for a reason. Deciding to keep it with me, for now at least, I tucked it as best I could beneath my leathers, concealing its glow for the most part.

Unfortunately, the light continued to grow brighter the closer I got to the stream, and by the time I reached it, the light was so bright I knew I would have to get rid of it for my own safety.

Deciding water was more important for now, I set the sword and the feather aside. I knelt by the stream and had just taken my first drink of the blessedly cold water when a horrible stench like rotting flesh reached my nose. Then a menacing growl split the night.

I glanced up, and the blood froze in my veins, as an ancient, primal fear took hold.

Not a dozen feet away, on the other side of the stream, were a pair of white pupilless eyes staring out from the face of a large lupine creature. It crouched on all fours with short black fur, a lean muscular frame, pointed ears, a long whiplike tail, and sharp yellowed teeth. Drool dripped from its snarling jaws as it prowled another step closer. The ground sizzled, and smoke rose wherever the creature’s spittle fell.

I had never seen one before, but I thought this creature had to be a shadow hound. One of the creatures said to be charged with guarding the Dark Realms, where the three Dark Gods resided. Some of the traders that came into the city had reported seeing them in the wild from time to time, though I had never been convinced those stories were true.

I was convinced now.

Two more of the creatures emerged from the night behind the first. Ever so slowly, I lowered my hand and had just grasped the hilt of the sword when the beast lunged.

I swung my weapon upward, clipping the beast’s muzzle and jarring it to the side so that I wasn’t impaled by its claws and teeth. The animal still landed partially on top of me, taking me to the ground. I cried out as its thick fur filled my mouth, and its back paws scraped along my side, leaving streaks of fiery pain in their wake. Forcing myself not to gag on its foul odor and to ignore the pain, I pushed with all my strength and rolled out from under the hound.

Managing to hold onto my sword, I came up on my knees just as the creature lunged again. As I braced myself for the hit, raising my sword, an arrow pierced the shadow hound right through the eye, and it collapsed dead in front of me.

Before I could react one of the other hounds was there. I saw it out of the corner of my eye and struck out blindly with my sword, managing to catch it in the side. The hound whimpered as it landed a few feet away. I was finally able to get to my feet and backed up, slipping partially into the stream as I tried to put some space between us.

The beast leaped for me again, snarling in rage. I was prepared this time. I jerked to the side out of the way of its snapping jaws and swung my arm, feeling my blade sink into flesh. The hound’s momentum yanked the sword from my hand. It gave another cry as it landed partially in the stream. The hound struggled to stand, my weapon still sticking from its side, and then its body went limp.

“Rin, look out!” a familiar voice shouted. I glanced up just in time to see the third shadow hound barreling towards me. I bent, intending to pull my sword from the dead hound’s side, but before I could, a second arrow flew past me, and the final hound died before it could reach me.

I yanked my sword free and spun to see who I had to thank for saving my life.

And there stood Con.

He was dressed much as I was and approached slowly with his bow still out, scanning our surroundings for more of the shadow hounds. I could make out his grim features easily thanks to the glowing feather that he too possessed and had tucked into his belt.

Con . Con was here. But how . . .? “What are you doing here?” I asked incredulously, though I probably should have been thanking him for saving my life.

“I could ask the same of you,” he replied. I watched in confused fascination as he crossed the stream, eyeing the dead hounds as he went, scanning the ground all the while as if looking for something. He must have spotted what he was looking for on the far bank, because he crouched down and carefully plucked a small patch of white flowers from the ground.

Perplexed, I waited until he made his way back over to me before asking, “What do you mean? I have no idea what’s going on. I think I was kidnapped or drugged or something, and I woke up not far from here. What’s happening? Where are we, Con?”

His brow furrowed in concern when I mentioned being kidnapped, but then smoothed out as he asked, “You haven’t worked that out?”

I opened my mouth to tell him I had no idea, when suddenly things started aligning in my mind. Con was here . . . but he had left with Rake and all the other riders for Three Points. And if that were the case, then I must be . . . My eyes were drawn upward and sure enough, I could just make out the outline of a mountain peak backlit by the stars.

Three Points. I was on Three Points. And that could only mean . . .

Before my mind could even form the words, Con confirmed it. “We’re on Three Points, Rin. And you’re in the trials.”

The trials. Somehow, someone or something had placed me right in the middle of The Dragon Rider Trials.

“How are you here?” Con questioned again, his face a mask of confusion. “And what do you mean you were drugged and kidnapped?”

I didn’t respond right away, my mind still reeling from the realization that I was on a mountain in some clandestine location, and that I was currently in the middle of the rider trials. All after having been captured and placed here without knowledge or explanation.

I raised my arms, noticing the blood on the sword. I grimaced and began wiping it on the dead shadow hound at my feet as I replied, “I don’t know. The last thing I remember was being in my room in the barracks. Then I think I was drugged. I passed out and then I woke up here. The rest is a total blank.”

His brow pinched. “That makes no sense. Why capture you, only to bring you to the trials? Especially considering the likelihood of death or serious harm.”

I shrugged. “I’ve been asking myself that same question.” Then something occurred to me. “This can’t be legitimate though, right? It won’t count. Someone placed me here, but I can’t actually be expected to compete?”

I looked to him and watched his face go through a myriad of emotions, much like how I was feeling, and then finally he shrugged too. “I doubt anything like this has happened before, so I’m not sure.”

I grasped the back of my neck, trying to massage away the tension there as I tried to wrap my mind around all that had happened. I gestured lamely to the flowers he was clutching in his hand, like his life depended on them. “What’s with the flowers?”

“They’re part of the First Trial. I know you haven’t studied at The Tower long enough to know, but these,” he held up the tuft of tiny white flowers, “are called Lethara’s Tears. It’s a flower that only grows where phoenix tears have fallen. They can be found all over this mountain. That is why the phoenix feathers react to their presence. But the high level of magic the flowers give off draw magical creatures to them and make them difficult to obtain.”

I thought of our confrontation with the shadow hounds and had to agree.

“But why?” I asked. “What’s so great about them? What do they do?”

“They have a number of uses, but the most significant is that they can free any being from or dissolve any enchantment.” He looked at me pointedly. “Most importantly, our dragons.”

My stomach flipped. “What do you mean our dragons? Is Skye in danger?”

He shook his head, glancing around. I got the feeling he was anxious to move on. “No, no of course not. The other dragon riders would never allow that.”

“Then what?” I urged.

“It’s part of the trial,” he explained. “Each of us is given a weapon at random,” he gestured to his bow and my short sword, “and a feather to find the flowers. Then we have to get to our dragons and use the flowers to free them, then make it through The Rift and come out the other side before sunrise.”

“Free our dragons from what?” I demanded. “And what is The Rift?”

He sighed. “The Rift is a narrow pass through the Black Caves. It’s a part of the mountain that is incredibly difficult to fly through. If you’re able to come out on the far side with your dragon, before sunrise, you will have completed the trial. You’ll see what I mean about the dragons . . . that is . . . if you’re going to compete?”

The question hung in the air. I hadn’t even considered the idea and couldn’t imagine actually competing. I wasn’t prepared for this. I didn’t have enough training. And if I’d been placed here to die in the trials for some reason, participating would only make it easier on my abductors.

“I don’t think so,” was all I said.

Con nodded. “Probably best. Just find a safe place to wait out the night, and I’ll send someone for you in the morning. We can get it all sorted out then. I’m sure the council will want to hear about what happened to you.”

I was sure they would. Rake was going to be furious. Part of me wondered if one of them might have even had something to do with it.

“I better get going,” Con motioned behind him. “I don’t plan on failing this time, and time is short.”

I didn’t want him to go, but I also knew I couldn’t accompany him. I would just be in the way. And I wouldn’t keep him. I knew how much this meant to him. “Good luck,” I finally said.

“Stay safe,” he replied. I watched him as he disappeared into the trees.

I stood there for several minutes after he left. Thinking.

I knew there would be no shame in simply surviving the night and letting myself be rescued in the morning, as Con had suggested. I could attempt the trials in three years like I’d planned. No one would blame me for waiting things out.

But . . .

Could I really just cower in a tree all night and not even try? I was already here. Regardless of who entered me or for what reason, I was here, in the dragon rider trials, and I had an opportunity.

My entire life things had happened to me that were out of my control. Whether it was my mother’s death and being thrown out on the street, homeless and alone, Safan finding me and using me for his own gain while making my life a living nightmare, or being thrown in prison for helping Lessa with no hope of escape.

And now this.

Each time I had been left to pick up the pieces and try and make something of a bad situation, to learn how to survive in a new reality, and I had. I had survived and now I was here. Why should this be any different? Why not attempt to compete? Why not try?

A fresh wave of adrenaline, excitement, and fear coursed through me at the realization that I was going to go through with this. I was going to compete in the trials.

I cursed aloud as the harpy once again slashed me with her claws—this time in my thigh—before using her long wings to narrowly dodge the swinging steel of my blade. The creature—a large batlike thing just slightly smaller than me, with a warped feminine humanlike form and long teeth and claws—cawed loudly as she flew higher.

Glancing down, I saw through my torn leathers that my thigh was bleeding profusely, along with my arm and a spot on my neck. All that in addition to the partially healed wound at my side, courtesy of the hounds.

Realms, I hurt all over! I thought, as I eyed the little white flowers lying about a dozen feet away where I had dropped them.

Once I had made my decision to take part in the trials, I went back and retrieved my feather. Then I spent another hour wandering the mountainside until it began to glow again. When it grew brighter in a particular direction, I was much more cautious on my approach, knowing these flowers would most likely be guarded as well. And I was right. I spotted the harpy where she was perched in a tree directly above a patch of Lethara’s Tears. I had managed to distract the creature by hiding my glowing phoenix feather in the woods about fifty yards away. When the harpy flew to investigate, I had darted for the flowers, moving as silently as I could. I had just plucked the flowers from the ground and turned to disappear back into the woods when the harpy attacked me.

I wasn’t sure how long I had been fighting the creature, but I was exhausted. I didn’t have Con or his bow to help me this time, and my injuries were such that I didn’t think I could continue much longer without passing out from blood loss.

As the harpy came at me again, I decided to go for her wings. Like dragons, I imagined they were one of her only weak spots. If she was wounded and couldn’t fly, then I would stand a much better chance of getting away.

As she dove at me, I ducked out of the way of her extended claws, spun to the side, and brought my sword down on her outstretched wing. The blade nearly sliced clean through the tendon at her shoulder. The harpy’s shriek was deafening as she crashed to the forest floor. I didn’t waste any time and dashed for the flowers, despite my body’s screaming protests. I snatched them up without breaking my stride and ran as fast as I could, in my current state, into the trees. The harpy’s cries of pain and outrage followed me for what felt like miles as I ran.

When I finally felt like I could go no further and was safe from pursuit, I collapsed onto the ground underneath a large tree. My entire body felt like it was on fire, but there wasn’t much I could do for my injuries besides resting and allowing them to begin to heal. As I caught my breath, I tried to distract myself from the pain by studying the flowers more closely.

They were tiny, no longer than my pinkie finger, with little bell flower petals that drooped downward from a thin green stem. They were all clustered together, sharing the same set of roots. Clasping them gently in my hand, I hoped they would be enough. It had to be only a few hours before dawn now, and I no longer had my phoenix feather to help me find more.

My mind turned to my next task, which was to find Skye. Con hadn’t told me where the dragons would be, but he had mentioned something about caves. So I would have to keep an eye out for a cave system. I tried not to consider how the thought of being inside a cave again made me feel, and instead, focused on searching for Skye in the bond. I could feel her presence more strongly now behind that internal wall, almost as if whatever had been done to us was partially wearing off, but I still couldn't breach it. Even still, I tried to let that trickle of awareness and sense of where Skye was guide me as I struggled to my feet. With a wince, I trudged on, hoping I was heading in the right direction.

The few times I heard something up ahead—a rustle of an animal in the brush, or a glimpse of what I thought might be another trainee—I was careful to avoid them. Better not to tangle with anyone or anything else. I didn’t trust that someone wouldn’t harm me or steal my flowers, if given the chance.

I eventually came upon a small clearing in the trees that led to a large drop off. From what I could see in the darkness, it was a steep cliff of rock and dirt that plateaued where I was currently standing. It was a small miracle I had noticed it at all in the darkness. My throat, lungs, and muscles burned, and I was desperate for a drink of water. I wished I was back at that stream, as I paused to consider my options. I was obviously lost, or at least turned around, because there was no way I could make it down that drop-off in the dark, and I doubted the other dragon riders expected—

I heard something behind me and spun around just in time to be struck across the face with something hard. I stumbled at the unexpected blow as pain lanced through my skull, and I tasted blood in my mouth.

I looked up to see something wooden headed towards my face again. I ducked, barely missing the strike and nearly losing my balance—which wouldn’t have been good, considering the cliff’s edge was mere feet behind me.

I only realized who my attacker was when a feminine voice hissed, “You miserable, whoring thief. What are you doing here? Trying to sabotage the trials?”

Daisha.

I could just make out her profile in the darkness. She was holding a nasty looking club in her left hand.

I spit out blood and before I could even answer she continued. “It doesn’t matter. You’ll die either way. It’s a disgrace they ever let lower city scum like you even train at The Tower.”

This time I was able to block her strike with my blade, the impact jarring up my arm as I did. My previous injuries pulled painfully, protesting any movement. She yelled before her next swing, the sound slightly manic and unhinged.

As we traded blows, I tried to be mindful of the cliff behind me. There was little room to maneuver, and she had me trapped.

“So, you’re going to kill me, is that it?” I gritted out, pushing back against her weapon. “Rake told me that killing other riders during the trials was frowned upon.” Not to mention dishonorable. Especially with our numbers dwindling.

“Accidents happen,” she grunted, pulling back, unable to get the upper hand. “And Rake ,” she said the name with scorn, obviously hating the familiarity I showed, “will be none the wiser. There’s no way you could have won the trials anyway. I’m saving you the trouble.”

“Yeah, you’re a real saint,” I muttered, wondering how I hadn’t seen how insane this woman was.

We were both breathing hard, and frankly, I was proud of the fact that I was holding my own against her, especially in my wounded state.

“You know, you really should—” Her words cut off, and I saw the glint of her eyes as they fell to the flowers at my waist. I had tucked them into my belt for safe keeping.

A sneer broke across her face. “Where did you get those?”

“From a harpy,” I answered honestly, all the while trying to slowly shift my position so I wasn’t pinned against the drop-off.

Unfortunately, she realized what I was doing and raised her club. She really had drawn the short end of the stick with her weapon. “Give them to me,” she ordered.

I scoffed. “Go find your own.”

Without warning, she struck. I was tensed for it but still only just managed to block her hit. I wasn’t prepared for her to drop her weapon altogether and tackle me to the ground, though.

My sword flew from my hand as my back hit the ground. The air was knocked from my lungs, and I tried to gasp in a breath. My head was hanging over the edge of the cliff, my braid dangling loose beneath me as we fought and struggled, wrestling to overpower the other.

I took an elbow to the face and saw stars. I was also pretty sure I had a few broken ribs from the sharp pain I felt in my chest. She’d definitely reopened my healing claw wound as well. Ignoring the pain, I bit her hand when she tried to scratch my cheek and kneed her so hard in the stomach that her grip on me loosened momentarily.

The flowers had fallen loose in the struggle, and now lay beside me. Daisha saw them at the same time I did, and we both reached for them.

She got there first, but with a hard shove, I was able to push her the rest of the way off me. The moonlight glinted off my sword where it lay not too far away. I scrambled to my feet and lunged for it. Bending forward, I just got my hand around the hilt when Daisha delivered a punishing kick to my gut. I dropped to the ground on my hands and knees, gasping and still clutching the sword. I tried to force myself to blink through the pain, now positive I had broken ribs.

I had to get those flowers back, or I wouldn’t be able to free Skye.

She reared back to kick me again, and I swung out blindly with the sword. It hit something, and I heard her curse.

“You bitch!” she snarled. This time I wasn’t able to block her before her foot connected with the side of my head. My vision went white, and my ears rang. The fiery pain was oddly delayed, but when it registered, I was only partially aware of falling to my side.

She was speaking, but her voice was muffled, as if I were underwater. She kicked me again, but I barely felt it over the pain in my skull. My body rolled and the grassy, rocky ground beneath me gave way.

I was suddenly weightless.

The fog of pain cleared as I realized I was falling, the mountain air and darkness enveloping me in a suspended moment in time. I was reminded of the last time I fell through the air and Skye coming to my rescue, but I knew that wouldn’t happen this time. Skye was locked behind an impenetrable barrier and out of my reach.

I sent a desperate call out to her anyway, which also served as a farewell. There would be no coming back from this. I knew that. No healing from this fall.

Then I hit something hard and felt my body break.