I knew enough about the king’s twisted training, but Kai had never mentioned anything about his fear of heights. “What did the king do?”
“He...he made him climb the highest trees in the Whispers, over and over again until he was convinced Kai had gotten over his fear.”
“What?” My voice is as shaky as the legs carrying me up this mountain.
His own father forced him to relive his worst fear over and over again.
It seems that the torture Kai spoke of enduring was not all physical.
“I was little when Kai was going through most of his training to be the future Enforcer, but I’ll never forget the nights he would come home covered in blood and tears.” Jax looks down at his feet, suddenly more serious than I’ve ever seen him before. “I think he was afraid that I’d be scared of him, so he’d sneak back into his room every night. But I still caught glimpses of him, heard him hacking at his bedposts with a sword.”
We climb in silence for a moment, and I ignore my screaming thoughts just as I ignore the tightness in my throat and the pressure behind my eyes. Then a weary smile spreads across Jax’s lips as he says, “But I couldn’t ask for better brothers.”
“I’d hate to interrupt your cute conversation,” Ace drawls, “but am I the only one who feels that?”
I’m about to dismiss what is likely another attempt to trick me with an illusion when I start to feel it. A slight tremor runs through me, coming from the mountain. The small rocks are rattling around us, and I bend closer to the ground, clutching at anything to hold on to.
“Rockslide,” I breathe.
Dread floods me, followed quickly be determination.
I will not die today. Least of all, from rocks.
I swallow down my panic at the sound of heavy boulders tumbling towards us, crashing against one another as they race to crush us. “So,” Jax pants beside me, “what’s the plan?”
“Don’t die,” I say simply.
“How incredibly helpful,” Ace mutters, far too casually for our current situation.
The rumble of rocks grows louder as I watch the boulders come tumbling towards us. Dodging them is far easier said than done. The mountainside is steep, making it hard to jump around without fear of falling to our deaths. I’m grasping at plants and divots in the rocks beneath me as I scramble out of the way of the rolling boulders.
Jax is Blinking out of the path of falling rocks, flickering in and out of my vision. Ace is somewhere behind me, and if I’m lucky, a boulder has already sent him tumbling down the mountain.
I scramble to the right, barely saving my arm from being crushed. Then I jump to the left and—
Something collides with the side of my head.
Spots dance in my vision. I’m dizzy, dazed, only vaguely comprehending that my name is being shouted. I look up just in time to see that I’m about to be flattened by a boulder. I dive out of the way, landing hard as I claw at anything to grab hold of. And as quickly as it happened, the mountain seems to still beneath me as the rocks slowly stop their slide.
I struggle to my feet, blinking away the hot, heavy liquid that is threatening to spill into my eyes. I can feel the blood oozing down the side of my face, can feel the pounding pain of the wound there. I’m almost certain I have a concussion, just like I’m almost certain I’m going to puke.
“Jax? Are you alright?” I call, taking a step forward and reaching out to steady myself against the rocks. Yes, I think I’m going to be sick.
“I’m okay,” he calls, Blinking in front of me. We are both covered in scrapes and bruises already beginning to bloom across our skin.
“Thank you for asking, Paedyn. I am quite alright,” Ace says, his voice lacking any tone or tenderness.
I wipe the back of my hand over my eye, clearing it of the blood that is dripping from my wound. “How unfortunate.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Kai
Everything aches. My feet. My back. My body.
I’m achingly tired, achingly hungry, and achingly aware of how annoyed I am with myself because of it. I’ve endured torture, faced my worst fears, led armies into battle, and yet, climbing a mountain with a hangover may just be the death of me.
Andy clinging to my back isn’t helping either. It’s not her weight that’s the problem, especially since I’m borrowing Braxton’s strength. No, it’s the fact that she is so damn lanky that her long limps are hindering my climbing.
“It’s absurd how bony you are,” I mumble, earning a weak punch in the shoulder.
Good. At least she has the strength to hit me.
“When we make it out of here,” I continue casually, “I’ll make sticky buns myself to fatten you up.”
She grunts her approval of that idea, her voice weak. She is fading fast. Her skin is sickly pale, only emphasized by the moonlight, and her breathing is quick and shallow.
I know the difference between pain and poison, and this is certainly the latter.
So, I keep her awake, keep her occupied. My voice is low as I quietly talk to her, teasing her and reminiscing on old times. She mostly responds with breathy laughs or a nod of her head, but I’ll take anything over silence.
The moon is our only guide, casting pale light that does little to illuminate the mountain we have been climbing since the moment we woke up. The terrain is so steep now that Andy is clinging to me with her legs wrapped around my waist, freeing my hands to help me climb.
I feel her head slump against my shoulder, overcome by exhaustion and excruciating pain. “Hey,” I say softly, gently jostling her to keep her awake. “We’re almost there. Just a little longer.” I feel her nod wearily and try to pick up my pace.
I can see the flat plateau of the peak looming above us.
Nearly there.
I’m climbing, hands scraping at the stone and rocks slipping from beneath me. I’ve lost my footing, lost my hold more than once and almost sent us falling to an unfortunate death. But we are nearly there. This nightmare is nearly over. We’re nearly free.
I see the shadows of figures lined all around us. Awaiting us. The Sights watch as we scramble to the top, breathless and beaded with sweat, starving and exhausted.
Exhilarated.
We’ve done it.
I drag myself over the edge, Andy clinging to me fiercely. Only my dignity forces me to my feet, though fatigue threatens to cripple me.
“We did it,” Braxton exhales beside me as we all stand, stunned. The plateau is a large slab of uneven rock and dirt, stretching far wider than it appears from below. I look around, scanning my surroundings, spotting dozens of Sights dotting the peak.
Then my eyes sweep over a tall, wooden pole, buried into the ground at the far end of the peak. A green, battered flag hangs at its top, whipping in the wind.
What new game is this?
Movement stirs in the corner of my eye, and I squint in the dim light to focus on the figures climbing up the opposite side of the plateau, joining us. And despite the darkness, I know exactly who they are.
Jax. Ace. Paedyn.