Chapter 32
Chapter thirty-two
We all hiked toward the castle walls together sometime in the middle of the night. The goal was to make it to the edge of the forest right before dawn, but leaving in the dark of night through a blustery storm made it a dangerous endeavor.
I was feeling much better after all the rest I’d received, but my body was still far from well. Atlas ordered me to cling to his arm as we trudged through the snow, the icy wind lashing my cheeks as I fought to keep my eyes open.
Avalyn and Cedric led the way. Avalyn’s magical strength allowed her to plow a path through the snow that we could all step through, and Cedric’s knowledge of the area was even more precise than Atlas’s.
I felt like such an anchor, weighing everyone down as they tried not to move too fast for me in my weakened state.
“There are some sturdy redwood trees up ahead that would provide shelter if we need to take a break,” Avalyn called back, her voice almost lost to the wind. “Shall we rest?”
I looked up at the sky to see that the stars were finally starting to fade and the tiniest cusp of dawn was blaring through the dark. Everyone looked straight at me, all of them clearly tired but not nearly worn enough to warrant a long break when we were so close.
My ankles felt like they could snap in two at any moment, and my head had started aching again after the exposure to the cold. The redwood trees beckoned me to lie underneath their branches and give me even a moment of reprieve from the shards of snow scraping past my cheeks.
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m fine to keep going if everyone else is.”
Atlas squeezed my arm, as if calling my bluff. “Are you sure?”
“I’m not planning to abandon you and race to the end if that’s your fear,” Avalyn said, her long dark hair whipping in the wind like a proud flag as she gave me a look that I truly felt I could trust. “You offered us shelter when we were in need. I won’t pass up the chance to settle my debts.”
I pressed a frigid hand to my heart, my fingers curling up like dead spider legs as the cold stiffened them beyond further movement. She’d really do that for me?
“Thank you,” I said, my breath puffing a small cloud from my lips. “But I still insist that we carry on. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can take shelter in a warm castle with real food.”
My stomach growled at that proposition, and Cedric and Avalyn shared a look that seemed to agree as well.
I had been too sick to stomach anything but melted snow, but I hadn’t seen anyone else eat anything over the last two days either.
The storm was too brutal for animals to be out, and any edible plants were long buried.
The others looked strong, but their strength was fading just as fast.
“Very well.” Avalyn nodded. “Let’s make haste, then.”
She wasn’t kidding about making haste; her speed increased as she took on the snow like it was an enemy with its sword drawn.
Atlas became more of a crutch as I fought my legs to keep up, but he never struggled to take on any more of my weight.
His warmth was the only thing that kept me going at this point.
Every time I thought the exhaustion would win and my eyes would start to flutter shut, the memory of our kiss would resurface and a hot flush would perk me back up again.
I pressed my lips together, savoring the memory as my heart pushed blood even faster through my core. Those moments in the cave felt like a dream, but the arm I was hanging on kept reminding me that it was real.
Atlas doesn’t hate me…and I think I don’t hate him back.
Dawn struck right as we reached the edge of the road we’d been initially dropped off from.
Newfound hope filled me as the painted sky lit our path to the finish line.
The snow was still blowing, but the scraps of sunlight warmed my cheeks enough to keep the ice from clinging to my skin.
The road was much easier to walk on than the deep piles of snow, giving my ankles some much-needed support as we hurried through the final leg of our challenge.
Never in my life did I think I’d be excited to approach the castle gates of Aemastia, but when the bridge finally came into view, I nearly broke into a joyous sprint.
A line of guards waited by the front of the gates, no doubt preparing to document the competitors as they returned.
I didn’t see the king this time, but considering the weather and the endless hours he might be waiting for our return, I could understand why he’d rather stay in the comfort of his palace.
All while his sons froze out in the elements.
“I think we’re the first ones,” Cedric said as we approached the start of the bridge. “I don’t see anyone else by the gates yet.”
“Not quite,” Atlas interrupted, pointing a finger toward one of the shorter figures standing in the middle with a long black cloak. “Sybil’s here.”
He was right. I could barely see her under the heavy cloak, but there she was.
Even from a distance, I could tell she looked terrible.
Her usually perfect posture was slouched, and I could hear the smallest echo of a cough being carried by the wind.
I wasn’t happy to see that she’d beaten us, but deep down, I was relieved that the storm hadn’t claimed her life.
Cedric lifted his boot to take his first step onto the bridge, but before his heel could make contact, Avalyn snagged him by the collar and yanked him back.
“W-what?” Cedric gasped, half choked by her pull.
“We’ll take third place,” Avalyn told him, her deep stare nothing but serious.
“What?” I stepped away from the bridge. “Are you sure? We wouldn’t have made it here had you not led the way.”
“And I would have died had you not shared your fire and saved me from Sybil’s blade,” she said assuredly. “Now go; third place will protect me from death and save me from winning. Shape the crown you want to wear, Diaspro.”
I bit my lip, forbidding myself from getting emotional just like Damon had always taught me. I turned to Atlas, my wordless nod conveying all I needed it to as he took the first step onto the bridge.
We crossed over together, the guards meeting us at the gate with a lackluster congratulations and fresh cloaks placed in our arms. Avalyn and Cedric crossed directly after, all of us burrowing inside our toasty cloaks and taking a seat against the gate posts.
Sybil, stubborn as ever, remained standing. Her coughs permeated the air and made me wish they would bring us inside while we waited for the rest of the competitors.
Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long for four more figures to appear over the horizon, and my heart leapt for joy as I recognized the small frames of Mara and Beckham trailing behind Lochlan and Brisa.
She made it!
I jumped to my feet, eagerly waiting for Mara to cross over the bridge so I could wrap her in a warm cloak myself. However, the whole group stopped at the edge of the bridge, and after a moment of debate, only Lochlan and Brisa crossed over.
“Fourth place,” Brisa scoffed, her voice a little raspier than normal as she approached the gates. “I knew those Ivalonians would slow us down. This is why I told you we should have left her behind!”
“You’re no faster with those sniffles,” Lochlan hissed, his chin tucked all the way into his coat’s collar as he shielded half his face from the snow.
“As if you could move any faster than a frozen snail!” Brisa snapped back, stepping up to the gates with a firm fold of her arms.
Once they were awarded their cloaks, Mara and Beckham finally took their turn to cross the bridge, no longer being scared back by Brisa and Lochlan. My heart soared when I saw their smiling, rosy cheeks. They looked about as tired and worn as everyone else, but they were both still in one piece.
“Thank goodness you made it!” I threw my arms over Mara, nearly strangling her while Beckham snuck away to claim one of the cloaks. “What happened out there? How did you end up teaming with Lochlan and Brisa of all people?”
Mara’s smile tensed, her eyes darting to the guards before taking my hands. It seemed like a sweet gesture at first, but then I realized she had slipped something into my palm.
A paper?
“My carriage driver gave me this,” she whispered in my ear, faking another hug. “There was a pouch of herbs with it.”
She pulled away, her smile still wide as I carefully snuck a glimpse at the note. I held my breath to keep from gasping as I recognized the ink before I even read the words, the shimmery letters turning the edges of the paper purple.
Take when ill. Use wisely. — G
“I was never sick, so when we found Brisa, I traded them to her in exchange for sharing their fire and shelter.” Mara took the note back, carefully slipping it into her pocket as she cast one more glance at the guards.
They were too distracted dealing with Brisa’s complaints, who was apparently feeling well enough to rattle them all off at record speed.
She’d only received one dose of the poison, but even so, she seemed leagues better than Sybil and me.
“I told them I was carrying it on me even before the first half of the event, so they don’t know I had help. ”
That ink. That initial. The note may have been short, but the message was clear. The Guardian had received my letter and was willing to protect Mara from the sidelines.
“That’s incredible.” I pressed my arms to her shoulders, my relief almost overwhelming as I dared to imagine her walking away from the competition alive. Had I really done it? Could I save everyone and still claim the crown?
Brisa sneezed aggressively, drawing everyone’s attention as she grumbled about wanting a cup of tea.
The remedy clearly hadn’t healed all her symptoms, but her energy seemed to be in perfect health.
I couldn’t help but wonder if the medicinal herbs were created in a rush to suit the poison.
How long did it take a letter to travel from Ivalon to Aemastia these days?