Chapter 16 Isi #2
The six remaining survivors of our group appeared at the top of the hill, their clothing torn and their eyes wild with terror.
They stopped short when they saw the torn ground between us.
“What happened?” Bryson asked, starting down the slope with a thick stick in his hand, the others tumbling along behind him.
I opened my mouth and closed it again. How could I explain what I’d seen?
“Isi?” Lexie grabbed my arm, her dark eyes filled with worry. “Are you hurt?”
I shook my head, still unable to spit anything out.
Jaxon crouched beside one of the gouges. “What in all the fates happened here?”
“Two creatures fought.” I swallowed and dragged up my voice. “I hid while they battled. I think one of them killed Fara.”
Derren looked me over, his face wreathed with concern. “Did they hurt you?”
“No, they were busy with each other. I hid and didn’t move. I was afraid they’d see me and attack.”
“Wise.” Bryson studied the marks on the ground. “This place is probably full of them.”
A shudder ripped through me. “I think you’re right.”
Maddox peered into the dense jungle. “The question is whether they’re still around.”
Nothing moved in the green depths. For now, they appeared to be gone.
“We need to go back to the cave,” Bryson said, straightening, scanning the area with flinty eyes. “We’ll retrieve our supplies and can shelter there for the night before continuing in the morning.”
Where had the day gone? Only now did I realize the sun hovered a finger’s breadth above the horizon. We were still trapped in a nightmare without a shred of protection outside of rocks and sticks.
“The cave’s that way.” Derren pointed uphill. “I have a good sense of direction.”
We followed. And followed. And followed him in what felt like circles for so long that the sun was barely scraping orange across the sky by the time we stopped.
“This isn’t right,” Lexie muttered, echoing my thoughts.
The jungle gave way to scrubby trees and thick grass, and my heart soared. We’d come to the open area and the cliffs soon, and we could hide in the same cave. Regroup in the morning.
But then the jungle thickened again.
“We’re lost,” Kerralyn said, her shoulders dropping. “I don’t think we’re going in the right direction.”
“Sorry.” Derren raked his fingers through his hair. “I could’ve sworn it was this way.” He looked around. “I…don’t know where the cliffs are.”
“It’s alright.” I patted his arm. “We’ll climb trees and sleep there. I’ll scout the best ones for cover and safe holds.”
“How high?” Bryson asked, and I knew what he was thinking. How big were the creatures that killed Fara?
“Higher than a dragon can reach,” I said.
He gave me a curt nod before studying the trees around us.
“Our packs,” Lexie whispered, her face pale. “All our food, our water. Everything we gathered from the tables is gone.”
I cursed under my breath, but a plan formed fast. Packs or not, we had the jungle, the trees, and each other.
I began quickly assessing what we could improvise—sticks to dig for roots, vines for tying together bundles of whatever we could forage, large leaves for makeshift water carriers.
Nothing could stop us if we stayed smart and moved carefully.
“I have mine.” Kerralyn tapped the straps cupping her shoulders, her voice much too sunny for this dire situation. “I grabbed lots of stuff from the table. I’ll share.”
“This can’t be happening,” Jaxon barked out, spinning and spinning the leather bracelet around his wrist. “Geography doesn’t change.”
“It does here,” Bryson said dryly. He pointed. “This tree will do. There are lots of thick branches up high.”
“We just…need to climb,” Kerralyn said. “From my readings, I’ve learned that the best way to—”
“Fates, don’t you ever shut up?” Maddox exploded, his voice raw enough to skin bark from a tree.
Jaxon stepped between them, facing his brother, his voice deadly. “You need to fucking shut up.”
“Stop being mean,” I snapped. “We’ve lost our stuff but chewing on each other won’t help. We’ll make this work. In the morning, we’ll find food. Water. And we’ll ration what Kerralyn has in her pack.”
Maddox sneered. “You’re a fuckin’ crappy leader.” Spittle flew, each word a weapon. “I’m going to enjoy watching you fail. Then we’ll see who has the true guts in this group.”
I strode around him and over to the tree, looking up, trying not to show how daunted I felt inside. “The handholds are rather high up.”
“You’re right,” Bryson said with a sigh. “We’ll find another tree.” He scanned the forest. “Soon.”
A shriek echoed around us, punctuating his words.
Shivers wracked my frame.
We were being hunted by that thing. We had been from the moment we’d entered this cursed jungle. I sensed the creature was just the beginning, a test to see how we’d react when faced with immediate death.
Now came the real trial. Not the quick violence of predators, but the slow grind of attrition. Hunger. Thirst. The gradual erosion of hope as this place took everything from us piece by piece.
How long would it take before the Rite decided to stop playing and devoured us whole?
I tightened my grip on the stick, squaring my shoulders.
It could try. It would fail. Because I was going to make sure we survived.