The dagger plunged to the ground, impaling itself to the hilt.
Lexie stumbled across the meadow to stand with me.
“You were right,” she gasped.
Jaxon dove across the grass to tackle a guy who’d lunged for a weapon, knocking him out of a vine’s reach.
“Only food and water,” he bellowed. “Don’t touch anything else!”
Lexie raced over and yanked Jaxon back a second before a spiked vine smacked into the ground where he’d been standing. “Try not to get eaten.”
“No promises,” Jaxon panted, his eyes wide. “I think that one winked at me. Worst group dinner I’ve ever been to.”
Leave it to him to find sick humor in this mess.
I urged everyone backward. Lexie’s eyes blazed with horror, her fingers digging into Derren’s arm. Fara held her hand against her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Kerralyn’s journal dangled from her hand. I scooped her pencil off the ground and gave it to her, an inane thing to do with screams and cries of terror echoing around us, but I was too frightened to think of anything else.
“What do we do?” Jaxon whispered, the freckles across his nose standing out against his pale skin.
A man in his forties with a silver streak in his dark hair cried out as he leaped over one of the tables, snatching up a bow as he sailed past. A vine lashed down with the speed of a serpent, snatching him mid-air. His yelp cut short as the plant whipped him around in a dizzying blur before hurling him into a nearby tree. The thud of his body hitting echoed across the meadow.
“Fates help us,” Bryson whispered in a shaky voice.
A woman near the far table was stuffing tools into a pack. She clutched it to her chest, backing away with cautious steps. With a whoosh, a vine snapped out from below the table, coiling around her waist. She screamed as it lifted her into the air, her legs kicking wildly. The pack slipped from her grasp, falling to the grass, tools spilling across the ground. Her screams cut off as she disappeared into the canopy.
Bryson gripped my arm, his expression surprisingly calm.“We’re still alive,” he said under his breath, as if that alone was worth holding onto.
“This way,” I called out, and the rest of my group followed, ducking down behind a low stone ridge that bordered one side of the meadow. We huddled together, eight terrified recruits trying to make ourselves as small as possible.
“Only food and water,” I said, my voice quaking. “Nothing else. Not a weapon, not a tool, not a shiny bauble that catches your eye. Not one other thing. Got it?”
“They didn’t listen,” Lexie’s voice shook, her eyes tracking the continuing carnage beyond our hiding place. “They won’t stop.”
“Let the plants thin the herd,” Maddox growled, his jaw tight. “More bonding creatures for those of us smart enough to survive.”
Kerralyn clutched her journal to her chest like a shield. “The plants seem to respond to specific triggers. If we avoid them, then?—”
“We live.” On his knees, Bryson peered over the low wall, scanningthe meadow. “At least long enough to face whatever comes next.”
“Do you thinkthisis the trial?” Kerralyn asked, leaning out to peer around the end. “It’ll be over soon?”
“I don’t think so,” Derren said. “I don’t know much but whatever the trial is, it’s not over fast.”
“Maybe it’s true. We just have to survive this,” Fara said in a hopeful voice.
Jaxon grunted. “Then why do we need food and water? Sounds like this trial includes a journey.” He peered into the forest straight ahead.
Screams erupted from the meadow, as well as the thuds of running feet.
Three recruits rushed past us, not looking our way. Before they reached the forest, a path unfurled in front of them. They glanced at each other before taking it, the trees shifting back to mask them the instant they were gone.
“Empty-handed,” Maddox said, studying the thick vegetation that remained.
“One was holding a loaf of bread.” Kerralyn flipped open her journal and started writing. “Another held a flask.” Her gaze met mine. “Food and water seem to be fine.”
“Alright,” Maddox said. “Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to?—”
