I quickly take hold of the rope on my side, so it doesn’t all unravel, then get to work making a knot at the bottom. I tug, hard, watching the branch for any cracks or falling debris. Hoping it’s not rotten on the inside and can hold my weight. Once I’m mildly satisfied that I won’t plummet to my death, I start to haul myself up, climbing the rope. Again, I feel thankful for the training Lukas put me through, because if I didn’t keep up with using his wooden staves, the upper body muscles I gained through training with him would have failed me insurmountably.
By the time I reach the branch and manage to swing my leg over to haul myself up into a sitting position my hands are rubbed raw, rope burn stinging my flesh, and my arms are screaming in protest. But I’m still too low. Anyone could see me up here. I pull the rope off the ground, my aching hands tugging over and over until the knot that was on the ground is in my hands. I weave it over my torso, then stand on shaky legs and begin to climb the branches I can now reach.
Finally, I find myself high enough in the tree for the ground to look nauseatingly far away and decide to stop. My blood hums beneath my skin. Not just from the sheer height that I’m standing at, but also, because I start to hear muffled voices in the distance below.
They’re coming. Time’s up.
TWENTY-FOUR
They fan out below me like a wave of black shadows. Six of them, dressed head to toe in tactical gear, dispersing in different directions with slow, cautious steps. They don’t make a sound now. No chatter among them. They are one unit. Focused. Moving like predators beneath my feet, hunting their prey. Warriors, trained to seek and kill.
My heart races spotting Sebastian’s dark head of hair pass below, Lillian and Jed not too far from him. My nails dig into the trunk of the tree as I stand stock still against it, my feet balancing on the branch. How long can I stay here? How long will they search?
From my vantage point, I can make out a decent section of the forest floor, so I’m hoping as long as I can see who’s coming, I’ll be all right.
Minutes tick by. Painstakingly long minutes that turn into a half hour. My feet hurt and my back aches from standing so stiffly against the tree. The urge to sit down against the branch is devastating. But I keep telling myself that if I’m standing, it’ll be easier to manoeuvre from one branch to the other if I need to skirt around the tree trunk and hide.
A sudden cry of pain echoes through the quiet, making me jump. Up until now I’d been enjoying the soft rustle of leaves and branches swaying in the wind. The song of the birds arcing through the air from tree to tree.
My eyes squint to peer in the direction the yelp of pain came from. But I can’t see a thing. Whoever it was, they’ve lost. One down, eleven to go.
The next student is found only minutes later. This time it’s not the shouted battle cry that alerts me to his demise. It’s the thick smog of black smoke that rises in the distance. My breath gets stuck in my throat.
They’re using their elements!
Shit. I hadn’t even thought about that. If an air wielder were to spot me up here, they’d only need a strong enough gust of wind to knock me off my branch and send me careening to the ground. The thought has my stomach dropping. Students in the Malachite Unit who align with an element that isn’t fire are rare, but not unheard of. From memory there are at least two third -years who possess air magic. I also think there is a water wielder and an air wielder inmyyear. I pray to the Stars that none of them find me.
Playing it safe, I decide to unravel some of the rope from my body. Using one hand to peel it off and the other to keep me balanced, I reach up and loop it around the branch overhead. I make a secure knot and hope, if it came to that situation, I can hold onto the rope for dear life and not fall.
With that thought in mind, I suddenly hear voices. Grabbing hold of the rope, I lean forward, trying to pinpoint who is approaching.
‘She must have gone this way,’ I hear one of them say. Finally, I spot three first -years. Moira, Marcus and Isla. Moira and Marcus walk side by side, while Isla travels a bit behind them. Her blonde head whips back and forth as she scans the area.
It’s Moira’s voice I hear next; I don’t make out much of what she says because she’s whispering but I do recognise one word.
Nocthare.
I grimace. They’re searching for me. Why the hell aren’t they focusing on hiding? Is findingmemore important to them than passing this class? Or are they so arrogant they think they won’t get caught?
‘Are you sure she went this way?’ Isla pipes up, her voice loud enough to cause concern. The other two whip around, hissing at her to be quiet.
‘Yes,’ Marcus replies in a lower voice. ‘I saw her turn back at one point.’
Because I’m curious, I slowly release more of the rope to give myself some slack and climb around the other side of the tree. I lower myself by one branch and crouch to hear better as they stop, only a dozen feet from the base of my tree.
‘Smart bitch must have thought coming this way would trick the combat leaders.’ Moira sneers.
I’ll take that compliment, thank you.
‘Well, I don’t see her.’ Isla places her hands on her hips. ‘For all we know, she could be at the cliffs by now.’ Again, her voice is louder than the others. I frown. It’s almost as if … she’s trying to alert someone of their presence.
I don’t let it get to my head that maybe she’s trying to alert me. Possibly to give me some time to get away. Not that I can. I’m stuck up a damn tree and, unlike the other forest creatures, I can’t jump nor fly to the next one.
‘Will you tone it down, Peters!’ Marcus snaps. ‘Are you trying to get us caught? Fuck! I’m not letting Nocthare get away with saying that shit to me back in the Training Centre. She needs to know her place—’
Marcus suddenly yelps and he drops to the ground. Isla and Moira leap away from him as a second burst of flame careens toward them. The first one hit Marcus right in the chest.
‘Shit! Run!’ Moira yelps, springing into action and turning on her heel to speed off.
