I blinked and then swore as I noticed another company of students emerging from a hidden alcove at the bottom of the trail. They must have found a way to go around the overpass. There were about twelve or so in Darren’s group, and this new hoard easily accounted for thirty. Add Ella’s large group of sixty, and that left a shortage of tokens.
Somewhere behind us were bound to be fifteen or so stragglers, but it was not enough. Alex and I needed to get ahead of the first-years in Ella’s group. Not all of them, but at least ten to be safe. I couldn’t be too certain of the numbers ahead.
“We are in trouble.”
I pointed to a steep slope to our left. “We’ll never catch up if we take the same route as everyone else.” We were certain to catch up if we avoided the switchback and used the drop to cut straight down the mountainside instead.
“You can’t be serious.” Alex stared at the ledge. “That’s easily two hundred feet of granite!”
I shook my head, vehemently. “I used to climb rocks all the time in Demsh’aa. You know that.” I began to lower myself into the first foothold.
“I can’t follow you, Ry.” My brother had a crippling fear of heights.
“Don’t worry,” I told him. “We only need one of us to reach that chest in time.” I braced myself against the cliff’s face. “We can meet back at the first river crossing on return. If either of us gets a token, we can grab an extra for the other.”
For the next thirty minutes I scaled the side of the cliff as if it were no more than a large boulder back home.
My hands were cracked and bleeding from the constant friction of rapid flesh against the sharp edges of rock, but I didn’t have time for a slow climb. I had no way of measuring my progress against the rest of the class—the stone wall blocked my view of the trail—and I could only hope I had made the right choice.
In what seemed like forever, I finally reached its base. Sprinting over the scattered brush, I raced in the direction of a babbling stream.
No more than a quarter mile out I could see a crowd of first-years rushing back. Flashes of red and orange—telltale copper coins the size of my palm—glittered from tightly clenched fists.
I shoved my way past the group, not caring to apologize as I made my way toward the chest. I ran the two minutes it took to reach its wooden coffer and snagged two medallions. There was still a large handful left.
“Well, well, the lowborn is a thief.”
My elation broke as I came face-to-face with Priscilla. She had been missing from Darren’s party earlier, I realized dimly. Judging from the gathering of others behind her, Priscilla must have been leading the large mass from the switchbacks.
I quickly closed my hand around the two coins I had taken. I started to push past but Priscilla shoved me forward.
“There’s enough for both of us!” I hissed, not wanting to draw attention. People would not take kindly to the fact that I had taken more than my share.
Priscilla grabbed my wrist, and I jerked it away.
“She grabbed two!” Priscilla shrieked.
Angry faces filled my vision.
“It’s for my brother!”
“Does anyone think it is fair that she is trying to sabotage us?” Priscilla demanded.
“No—I wasn’t…” I paled, nervously inching backward, only to find myself surrounded by the hoard. Where was Ella? Alex? Any of my friends from the study group?
Anxiously I scanned the crowd, but I could find no friendly faces. My friends had either already grabbed a token or were too far away to be of any help.
“Give us your tokens, Ryiah.”
I glowered at Priscilla, angry that she was playing the part of the people’s savior even though we both knew it was her furthest intention. Her only loyalty was to the prince. She was just using the students here in her personal vendetta against me. Our last encounter was coming back to slap me in the face.
I should never have baited her.
Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Ruth and Jordan at the edge of the mob, but they both sadly shook their heads. There were too many others for them to come to my aid.
The last thing anyone wanted to do was find themselves in the same position I was.
I had no way out. If it had just been Priscilla I would have tried to escape. She was more powerful than me, but I might have stood a chance were it one-on-one.
Twenty-on-one was a whole other story.
I’m sorry Alex. I tossed my brother’s token to Priscilla.
“I said both coins.”
“But I—”
“You should have thought about that before you got greedy!” The dark-haired beauty scanned the crowd, smiling maliciously. “Does everyone agree Ryiah should pay the price for her crime?”
A unison of nods.
“This is ridiculous!” I argued. “I have earned my—”
“You steal, you suffer the consequences. Give us the other coin, Ryiah.”
Glaring, I hurled the second copper at her.
“Now, does anyone want to help me make sure she doesn’t get her hands on anymore?”
Several hands shot up, and I froze.
“Wait,” I argued, “I gave you what you wanted—”