Liora flinched but she was quick to hide the self-doubt.
Cai muttered, “Evil bastard.”
My sentiments exactly. I broke free from Liora to turn and flip them a filthy gesture. It felt good for all of one second, then their sneers and cruel smiles made me feel like losing my breakfast. I’d pay for that later.
We came to rest near to the obstacle field, and Cai let off steam by griping about Tysion. He was struck silent as the bell tolled. A jolt in my stomach caused my necklace to warm. Get ready, whispered Auntie.
The five instructors landed in the meadow, not ten feet from us. My heart leaped seeing Wilder, but his gaze never met mine. They wore the usual black and silver uniform; something about that comforted me.
“Recruits, forward! I don’t feel like shouting for the human herd,” Dimitri barked.
Ugh.
Once we were standing in a close-knit semi-circle, Wilder said, “Find the rest of your pack and join them—now.”
Recruits moved and traded places. My eyes traveled to Frazer as if pulled by an invisible thread. It helped that his inky hair and lack of wings stood out from a crowd. I whispered to Cai and Liora, “See you on the other side.” We exchanged tight smiles and went our separate ways.
Coming to rest beside Frazer, he gave me a brief up and down scan before going back to ignoring my existence. I wasn’t sure why his blatant dismissal bothered me. Surprisingly, Adrianna came to us and even deigned to give me a little nod of acknowledgement. Next, I searched for the horrible trio that made up the rest of our pack—the Bats. They came into view as the crowd thinned and merged into groups. The three fae met us with curled lips and stony masks.
Irritation clawed my insides. “We should go to them,” I told Frazer and Adrianna. “We’ll be waiting forever, otherwise.”
Adrianna frowned but nodded in agreement, and Frazer just blinked. Gods, why did I get the dysfunctional pack? Leading the way over to the fae, I positioned myself next to Dustin, leaving a sizable gap between us.
Thankfully they didn’t get time to insult me because Wilder bellowed out, “You’ll be starting on the obstacle course with your pack, but you don’t have to end it with them. Just remember, this isn’t a race to see how many laps you can do.”
Dimitri cut in smoothly, “So, don’t bother trying to impress us.”
“I think what Dimitri means to say is pace yourself,” Goldwyn called out with an impish smile. She gestured to the obstacle course behind her and put in, “There won’t be any breaks until one of you has left. Once that happens, we’ll be moving on to the next phase of the trial.”
Next phase. There was more than one? My legs weakened.
“Mikael, d’you want to start?” Wilder asked.
Silently, Mikael ushered his six recruits to one of the fifteen-foot ladders.
“All the fae, remember to pick up your weighted bags before the start of the course,” Wilder shouted into the crowd. “You’ll find them at the foot of the first obstacle.”
Goldwyn let out a laugh. “I’m sure they haven’t forgotten, poor bastards.”
Dimitri glared at her. “Goldwyn’s White Tigers can go second.”
Goldwyn threw him a taunting smile.
My anxiety intensified as I watched Cai and Liora line up with their pack. The Ghost Cats led by Cecile were next, and then Dimitri’s Boars. Our group came last, filing in behind the other packs in front of the ladder. I positioned myself next to Wilder, not daring to look at him.
“Recruits,” Mikael barked from next to the ladder, “if one of you wishes to quit, go directly to your instructor.” He turned to his own pack. “Snakes—you will begin in one, two, three!”
I couldn’t bear to watch. The other packs were called forward one by one, until finally it was our turn.
Wilder addressed our group. “I want you three to go first.” He pointed to Tysion, Cole, and Dustin and continued. “The rest of you, wait for them to clear the first few rungs. Understood?”
I nodded distantly.
“You three—go.” Wilder jerked his chin at the ladder.
Tysion and his two minions moved off. After they’d cleared four planks, Adrianna and Frazer grew impatient and went to pick up their weighted bags.
That was my cue. My pulse now galloping through my veins, I marched over to the ladder. Adrianna was already climbing, but I hesitated. It was only for a moment, but it was enough to notice Frazer mirroring my movements.
I blinked, puzzled. What did he have to worry about?
I put my foot on the bottom plank and reached for the rung above. Compared to the four fae above me who now neared the top, I was painfully slow. Yet Frazer stayed beside me. I’d no idea why; he was more than capable of outpacing me.
Apart from a heart-stopping moment when I reached the top and had to transfer to the other side, I didn’t have any issues. Thank the gods, I didn’t mind heights that much.
My feet soon touched solid earth. I breathed a little easier and moved off—I didn’t bother running.
The next obstacle loomed large. The wall. There was no rope; I’d need to jump and pull myself over, which was an action that required upper body strength. Something my thin arms refused to offer.
I tried anyway, clinging on for a moment, but it was no good. My arms shook, and my hands were slick with sweat. I dropped back down, and suddenly Auntie was there, in my head. Legs are stronger than arms—use them.
That means, what?
She tsked loudly. You’ve got long legs. As soon as they’re within reach of the top, bring your knees up and hook one over. Pull yourself up that way.
Frazer was now moving over the top, and yet to my eyes he still seemed to be going slow for a fae. Must be a strategy, I reasoned.
Not stopping to think, I did a running jump and my freakishly long legs got me over the wall. I dropped down to the other side; Frazer was still nearby, walking at a snail’s pace. The next obstacle was another ladder. I made short work of it this time, but what awaited me next filled me with dread.
The course made a loop and on the other side, the fire wall. Breathing shallow, I walked forward slowly.
You’re going to do this fast, d’you hear me?
I swallowed the lump rising in my throat.
Pull your jacket up to cover your mouth and take the fire wall at a run.
The flames weren’t high, but they covered a good stretch of the ground in front of me. Five feet, maybe more.
I did as Auntie suggested and braced myself.
Go now!
Run, run, run. Jump.
I slammed up against a wall of heat; acrid smoke stung my nostrils. I landed and kept running a few steps, adrenaline spiking my blood. Once I’d come to my senses, I stopped. I wasn’t on fire and neither was Frazer, who’d gone a second before me. Breathing a little easier, I came to the tightrope that stretched over a deep trench of mud and water. Of course, Frazer had practically skipped over the rutting thing. Staring at the water, part of me wanted to bypass the drama and just swim across.
It’ll be cold, Auntie warned.
I kneeled, dipped a hand in and hissed through my teeth. Near freezing. Damn. I blew out a heavy sigh and straightened. “Screw it,” I muttered to myself and walked onto the tightrope.
There were a few gut-wrenching wobbles, but I didn’t fall in. A minor miracle.
Ah, the next obstacle: two taut lines of rope suspended between two platforms. The design made it plain that one must cross from one stage to the other, all the while dangling from a rope, suspended over a drop. My arms drained of strength just looking at it.
I climbed a spiraling staircase to reach the top of an enclosed landing platform. Frazer was there, idling. What the rutting hell was he doing?
He’s waiting for you.
I blinked. What?
Auntie was silent. Was he going to try to take me out of the running? I kept a careful distance and gave him a sidelong glance. He was just standing, staring straight ahead.
A riddle and a headache.