“We’re going to be swallowed in it!” I shouted back to her, a branch slapping against my thigh as I veered to the right. I swore as I stumbled, but kept on, not letting it slow me down further.
We both took deep breaths as the mist nipped at our heels, readying for whatever was about to come. With an almighty roar, the mist rolled over us, shrouding my vision in white and grey.
“Tista!” I yelled, my panic increasing with the lack of visibility.
“Still here!” she replied, her voice shaking a bit. I reached over to where her voice came from, finding her hand and interlocking our fingers.
“Hold on, and don’t let go,” I instructed her. Something about the fear in her voice made me determined to get her out of here.
The noise seemed to still for a moment, leaving us in a disturbing silence, like the eye of a storm. And then in a rush, the sound came back. Not just rushing wind, but a screeching sound that had me covering an ear with my free hand, hoping to dim the noise even the slightest bit.
“Jacinth!” Amatista called, her voice and hand both shaking equally.
“Keep running! We just need to outrun this and we’ll be fine!” I replied firmly, but not unkindly.
Only it was then it began, like it saw my determination as a dare. The Forest of Discontent had earned its name, I thought ruefully, as branches and vines began snaking up from the ground, hitting my limbs with loud thwaps, digging into my skin with their thorns, and leaving trails of blood running down from the punctures.
I tried to keep running, but was yanked back by Amatista as she stopped moving. I turned to yell at her, only for her scream to ring out instead.
“Jacinth! It has me!” she cried, and dread pulsed through me.
“What do you mean?” I asked frantically, unable to see what was happening through the heavy fog.
“The vines wrapped around my ankles and won’t let go.” she replied shakily, and the tears breaking through her usually composed demeanor were all too obvious.
Before I could do anything, she was yanked away, my hand slipping from hers with the force of it. Her cry of fear told me everything I needed to know: the forest was trying to take her. I moved to help when a vine caught aroundmyankle. I unsheathed my dagger quickly and sliced the damn thing. It let out an unnatural screech but backed off, and I shivered in repulsion.
What the fuck kind of forest was this?
I rushed to catch up to Amatista, closing my eyes and focusing so I could listen closely. I could hear the telltale sound of her being slowly dragged across the forest floor. I ran forward, but I couldn’t see more than the slightest impression of her shape through the heavy mist that blanketed the ground like thick morning fog. I brought my dagger down hard on the vines and branches digging into her, ripping them away from her. After a few minutes of working away at them, she was finally released from the forest’s claws.
Her blood soaked my hands by the time I was done. While it wouldn’t kill her, I’d feel much better if we got her to a healer sooner rather than later. I knew potions weren’t permitted in the competition to prevent anyone from having an unfair advantage, but I resented that it now meant limping our way out with bloody wounds riddling our bodies.
Blood now coated my face, my legs, my arms, and even my back. Amatista had it even worse. We needed to get out of here before the damn forest nicked something important and we bled out, capturing us permanently. Erodite knows I refused to die at the whims of a damn insubstantial mist or a rogue branch.
Chapter Nineteen
Jacinth
We forced ourselves to start running once more despite the pain of our wounds. We were nearly completely blind within the thick swirling mist, but I noticed the constant sound of Amatista’s panting was beginning to lag further and further behind me.
I slowed a bit, searching vainly through the fog for any hope of seeing her and checking she was okay, but it was in vain.
“Tista,” I called into the void, noticing the breathless quality to my own voice, the strain clear after hours of activity.
“Yes?” she responded, her own weariness obvious as she struggled to respond.
“Are you alright?” I asked, before realizing how silly that question actually was. “Are you going to be able to make it?” I corrected myself.
She sighed heavily, her side brushing against mine as she fell slightly to the side. I propped her up, and I could practically feel the relief pouring off her as it took the pressure off her injured ankle.
“I have to,” she replied belatedly. “This would be a pathetic way to go.”
I barked a laugh in agreement, and we hobbled forward. It thankfully wasn’t long before the mist began to slowly dissipate, beams of light penetrating it from a sun that we both knew didn’t shine in this forest.
It gave us the motivation to keep going. We had to be close if light was breaking through. As we tumbled forward, tripping over tree roots, my vision finally cleared and revealed a dirt path lined with tall trees, with the bright, beautiful sun shining directly in from the end of the path. Completely visible, along with the buildings just beyond the forest.
I didn’t care that it was the poorer side of the city we’d arrived in. I was used to living in much worse areas. I hated to admit it, but Azurill actually managed Diamond quite well, ensuring the residents of Theiapolis, in particular, were well taken care of—no matter their status.
