I dropped to the back, letting my pack overtake me. Frazer went in front of me but stayed within easy reach.
After a few minutes, the constant knee-jarring rhythm caused a spider-webbing of pain to wrack my legs. A muscle cramped in my back. Thirst had become a problem—I’d have sold my soul for a drop of water. Then there was the warm liquid filling my boots.
I was white-knuckling it, barely holding it together. Every muscle pushed beyond normal limits and with no end in sight. Frazer tugged on the thread connecting us, but it wasn’t enough. I felt myself slow. Stumbling along, rather than jogging.
Don’t give up, Auntie encouraged.
A familiar flare at my neck had a trickle of strength flowing into my tight muscles, soothing away enough soreness to keep me going. My vision cleared a little, and my head lifted a fraction higher.
I can’t keep doing that, warned Auntie.
I wanted to interrogate her, to ask why and how, but there was no energy left in me. No curiosity. So instead, I projected, Thanks, but y’know one day I’ll need you to explain what you’re doing, and who you are.
I’m using magic.
My mood darkened. That much was obvious now, and she knew it.
A picture of an old woman in an armchair swam into view. She had a lined face, long, long white hair, and she smiled as if pleased with what my imagination had conjured. As for the rest, one day I will tell you. But not today, my love.
What about my connection with Frazer? Are you going to tell me how you’re helping us communicate? Or, hell, I’d settle for why. The necklace is meant to protect me. How does talking to him do that?
Silence. Ugh. Fine.
I banished the image and used the momentary respite from exhaustion to speed up and flank Frazer. How are you coping?
Probably not much better than you, he huffed.
Really?
They gave us the weights for a reason, remember?
Interesting. I’d presumed their endurance and strength reached godlike levels, but that couldn’t be true.
Our pace slackened. “All right,” Wilder yelled into the wind, “we’re about to cross the Cutlass River. If you refuse, it’ll count as a voluntarily drop out.”
It looked fast-flowing; I prayed it wasn’t deep as well. Wilder came to rest beside a muddy riverbank. I shuddered to a halt.
“If you slip, let the current take you and don’t fight. If you want to avoid crossing again, aim for the opposite shore. Walk until you reach the track.” Wilder pointed to a spot directly across from where we stood. “Cole, you can go first.”
Wilder jerked his chin at the river. A command. To his credit, the male didn’t hesitate.
“Dustin, you next.”
The slender male used speed to his advantage. Tysion was next, with Adrianna and Frazer following in his footsteps. Standing alone with Wilder, I itched to say something, to spar with him verbally as we’d done in our sessions. But right now he wasn’t the same fae. That vein of cold kindness and the hint of dark humor was gone. In its place was the hard mask of the Warrior.
Ask if you can drink the river water, said Auntie.
I could’ve sworn she sounded … playful.
Screw it. “Can we drink from the river?”
He didn’t look at me. “I won’t stop you.”
Frazer and Adrianna, who were halfway across the Cutlass, immediately bent over and cupped water into their hands. I cracked a smile.
Wilder caught my eye. “Your turn.”
I waded in. At least my morning regime had done one good thing: cold water no longer cut through me the way it had on that first day. A quarter of the way across, the river up to my hips, I stopped to suck down handfuls of water. Thirst sated, I splashed the sweat from my face.
I straightened to find Wilder standing next to me. He wouldn’t look at me, but neither was he moving. Adrianna and Frazer were already on the other side of the bank, walking into the forest. There was no one else in sight now as the humped riverbank shielded us from view. My body instantly heated. Damn. I dipped my head and moved on, stepping carefully.
Wilder muttered, “You’re doing well.”
Startled, I blurted out, “I’ve nearly collapsed a hundred times.”
“But you haven’t,” he said stoically. “And you won’t. Just don’t slow after you complete the first circuit.”
In a small voice, I said, “I don’t think I can keep this pace up for hours.”
Wilder continued wading slowly, whispering from the corner of his mouth. “That’s how recruits fail. They use our absence as an excuse to slow, and the second that happens, their adrenaline dies. In the past, we’ve had recruits stop and fall asleep. It only takes a moment. You need someone to keep an eye on you. Frazer’s been sticking close to you—use him.”
He didn’t wait for a reply. Wilder pushed on ahead. Climbing onto the pebbled shore, he jogged down the winding path. I did my best to keep up, but upon hitting dry land again my soaked leggings and water-filled boots caused my discomfort to escalate. I pushed out a heavy sigh, imagining my exhaustion going with it, and followed the vein of a forest trail that forced unwelcome memories of home. The path to John and Viola’s was very much the same. As was the one to my mother’s coffin, and the one to the boneyard where my father rested. Not next to my mother, Elain had made sure of that. Now I’d never stand before them again. I’d never see John and Viola again. The wave of grief rolled in and swamped me.
Don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop.
You stop, you fail.
Wilder had disappeared along the twisting road, but it was a glimpse of Frazer limping along that saved me. Are you okay?
I could feel the exhaustion echo down the bond as I reached him. A stupid question, then.
Surviving, he projected. Just waiting for you to catch up.
I felt like snorting in disbelief, but instead I relayed Wilder’s words.
There was a flicker of amusement, but also something else—something strained. What crappy advice. I think I’d prefer to just mangle Tysion so this nightmare can end now.
A rasping chuckle floated out of me.
Frazer picked up the pace anyway, and I stayed by his side. We ran into Adrianna first, and without a word we fell into formation. Wilder came next and eventually the whole pack was reunited and moving along the path together. Noticing that the stiff and slow movements of the fae reflected my own, I felt a vicious stab of satisfaction. The extra weight really had evened out the odds.
Of course, as the path grew steeper, I was suffering just as much as anyone. The water sloshing around in my boots and the damp clothes rubbing against my skin saturated my thoughts. A constant irritant.
Finally, we came to a stone plateau—a viewing platform—where the trees thinned, grass grew underfoot, and the camp laid itself at our feet. Wilder stopped and turned to face us. “I’m leaving you now.”
“Thought that was at the end … Master,” Cole grunted.
“Technically, yes,” Wilder said stonily. “But this is the last leg of the loop. It’s all downhill from here until Kasi, and it’s easier when recruits run it at their own pace. It’ll get your blood pumping, and the exhilaration should help you push through to the second circuit.”
“How do we know when someone quits, Master?” Tysion drawled.
“They’ll tell you when you near the camp and you’re about to start a new circuit,” Wilder replied. “Now, we’re doing this staggered, so who wants to go first?”
“I’ll do it,” Adrianna piped up.
Wilder nodded. “Good. You’re free to go.”
She set off at a sprint; something told me it was for Wilder’s benefit. I tried not to think ugly thoughts and failed. Dustin was next and the others followed one by one until it was just Frazer and me. Then, as he disappeared around a bend in the forest, I felt him tug on the bond as if to get my attention.
I won’t go fast. Let me know when you get close.