“Pull it out,” he snarls through gritted teeth. His entire body trembles. “Hurry.”
“But—”
“Do it!”
My sweaty fingers surround the slim piece of wood. As the East Wind exhales, the muscles of his back slacken, and I yank the arrow free.
“Fuck!”
It takes some awkward maneuvering to draw the arrowhead close enough to inspect through the rain. Surprisingly, a green, rather than yellow, substance coats the tip. It smells of cherries.
“Larkshin,” I whisper.
“Another—” He bites back a hiss of pain. “Poison?”
I release the arrow, watch it tumble onto the rocks far below. “Yes.” Better than Ashes to Ashes, at least. “It is a poison of paralysis. It will begin with y-your legs and quickly work its way through your system until it reaches your heart. You have maybe an hour before collapse, if that.”
The East Wind grunts, having braced himself against a short overhang. His fingers dig into the wet stone, and small pebbles shake loose around his boots. I wipe strands of hair from my dripping face, squinting into the distance. “Two people have reached the beach.”
He mutters a few choice words before descending another step. I tighten my legs around his waist and try not to think of how intimate our position is.
As he searches for a foothold, a splash of pink catches my eye through the gray deluge.
“Wait.” I grip Eurus’ shoulder. He flinches, and I yank my hand back, having forgotten about his wound. “Sorry. There’s a sandflowerto your right that can help slow the p-poison. If you can get me close enough, I might be able to reach it.”
Eurus shuffles horizontally across the rock, nearer to the weeds. He stops, and a full-body shudder grips him. “I can’t go any farther. My legs are beginning to turn numb.”
“I’ll be quick.” Leveraging myself upright, I anchor one hand to his unwounded shoulder, the other reaching as far as I’m able, until my shoulder joint burns from the strain.
“Bird.”
Another inch of reach, and my fingertips brush the petals. Eurus attempts to lean closer, but the trembling in his arms worsens. “Almost… there,” I whisper.
“I can’t hold on for much longer.”
I’m pulling the stem from the crevice when fire tears through my upper arm. I scream, wrenching backward and slamming into Eurus’ chest.
He grunts and lists sideways. One of his feet slips. We drop. I yelp, but he catches himself, gripping the rock for all he’s worth. “You’re hit.”
An arrow bulges from my bicep. I stare blankly. The sweet perfume of cherries tickles the back of my throat. “It’s only Larkshin. I’ll be fine.” For now. “Let’s just focus on r-reaching the beach.”
Miraculously, the East Wind maintains his strength for the remainder of the descent. As soon as we touch down, my knees give out.
I turn to find Eurus having collapsed, his cloak completely soaked through. “Chew,” I demand, ripping the roots from the weed and thrusting them into his hand. While he swallows, I consume the roots as well before snapping off the arrow shaft jutting from my upper arm. If we make it through this trial alive—and I sincerely hope that we do—then I will need a healer to remove the head.
Another crack of thunder rolls across the landscape. At least on solid ground, we are shielded by the cliffs, arrows falling like a silver rain from above.
Only a handful of contestants still cling to the rockface. Some attempt to crawl toward the shoreline, their legs already paralyzed.A few battle the ferocious sea current, cutting through the waves to reach the small island where the boats are docked. One of those competitors is Arin, I realize. Upon reaching the dock, his teammate jumps into the boat, and they’re off, rowing for all they’re worth toward the door.
Five vessels remain.
“We’ll have to swim,” Eurus says, pushing upright. His legs wobble, but he remains on his feet.
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. I peel it free, swallow the wad of saliva that follows. “I’ll w-wait on the beach while you get the boat.”
“You can hold on to my wings,” Eurus cuts in. Without giving me a chance to respond, he jogs toward the shoreline.
I dart after him, shouting, “I’m not getting in the w-water! You’ll have to come back for me. I’ll wait here.”
