I blink, blurry trees swaying above me. My hand goes to my head, which pounds like a hammer striking iron. I shield my eyes and open them slowly, trying to adjust to the sharp light. Sitting up, I grab my knees to steady myself and keep from falling. I lift my tank top to check the bruise throbbing along my ribs.
How the hell did that happen?
I stand up and look around.
Shit, where is my dagger? I reach for my leg and as the point makes a cut, letting a blood drop fall, I finally take a shuddered breath, repeating my mantra out loud.
“You are safe.”
“You got this.”
“You will survive this and will be free after.”
My face feels sore, and I reach the place that hurts, just next to my eye. It is swollen and I am glad I don’t have a mirror to look in. My head bangs loudly and my stomach takes a turn. Ifeel out of balance as I wiggle on my legs. I look around to make something out of where I am. Around me are trees. And I mean a lot. It looks like I am dropped in the middle of a forest. The sun shines bright, but the grass around me is still damp so it must be early. What does he want us to do? As I try to think clearly, I reach for my bond with Braxton. I close my eyes and try to find the dark cloud hovering over my sun.
I can’t find it.
“Where are you, Brax?”I whimper. I wait a few minutes, but he doesn’t react. Even though it feels like he can handle me sometimes, he did ask if he could kill me. Well, not in those words maybe, but it was almost the same. I close my eyes again and try to hear something. I can hear a light stream of water. A river maybe? My feet drag me towards the sound. Streams of light shine through the branches that are covered in leaves. The ground is filled with grass and moss and it doesn’t look like a path that is being walked on a lot. Is it even a path? I am not sure. Besides the light streaks and the damp grass that tells me it is morning—this forest is dark. It won’t kill my mood, though. I have finally calmed down and feel light. I stroll deeper in the forest. Something isn’t budging as I walk. Something is stuck in my shoe.
I didn’t wear shoes to bed last night, did I? How come I wear those? I shove fingers into the side of my boots. Something hard is sticking in it. I take it out. I can see a reflection of myself in the metal cylinder as I roll it between my fingers.
I gasp, dropping it on the ground when I see the image of myself.
I look more death than alive.
I freeze for a few seconds before shaking myself out of it, picking up the little cylinder. It is as long as my pinkie and as thin as a small earring. It reflects like a mirror. It has a small ringon top, that makes it look like you can attach it to something. It has a little cap on top. It is finicky work, and I am lucky I have small hands. I can’t imagine how Braxton would get it off. His hands are huge. A blush rises on my cheeks as I think of the image of his enormous hands. I hold the cap firmly and I look inside the cylinder. A piece of paper is inside, rolled up very small so it could fit. I unfold it and the message on it makes it clear for me that the trials have definitely begun.
Race through Fosia’s forest and her shadowed trees,
find your bond with subtle ease.
Let your signet’s power shine,
and leave the rest to fall behind.
Climb the heights, the clock won’t wait,
grasp your chance, and seal your fate.
Show your pride, strike bold and true,
the path ahead belongs to you.
It appears that I am in Fosia forest. I have only read stories about this place. It is really as beautiful as the books describe. It has something magical over it, but also something scary. I have learned from historical books that there is a big mountain hiding behind this forest and that there appears to be a beautiful big waterfall somewhere. Stories described that there should be a lot of weeping willows. Right now, I only see the less special kind of trees. Birch, oaks, and pine trees. Some must reach over 20 feet. It feels a bit more like a scary movie than the fairytale they write books about. I start to walk again, still looking at the piece of paper in my hand. I take the ring on top of the cylinder and attach it to the belt on my leg that is meant for my dagger. I canfeel that Braxton is still far away, his cloud appearing in the back of my mind, but being still too far to reach.
There it is. A stuttering brook. My feet stop. I hear some bushes cracking further away. Has another candidate been dropped this close to me? A deer appears behind a bush, pinning his ears straight, looking at me.
