Chapter 11
W illowman waited at the main gates, greeting Farnell with a nod before turning his attention on us.
“Each pair grab a pack.” Farnell indicated several backpacks lined up on the side of the gravel path.
Bax moved fast and picked a pack, shooting me a quick glance as he did so.
“Mason and Lambert, you’re up first,” Farnell said.
Willowman clicked his fingers, and a scroll appeared in his hands. He handed it to Curi. “The extraction point is clearly marked, and you have a compass in your pack. You have two hours to get to the exit point or you’ll be stranded.”
I leaned in to speak to Shar. “They’d leave us out there?”
“You sound surprised,” Farnell said. Shit, he had sharp ears.
“The cadet exams are in less than three weeks, and I will weed out any weak links before then. Navigation and survival are essential skills for a guardian. This is a cakewalk. You have partners, after all, but next time you’ll be going solo, and the time after that…
Well, not all of you will make it back, and I’m okay with that.
” His eyes narrowed. “Being a guardian is about more than having the right name or the right bloodline. It’s about fortitude, strength, and skill. Those aren’t always genetic.”
Ouch. Looked like he had zero confidence in my ability to make it to elite. I’d just have to prove him wrong. There was no way I’d be left stranded even if I missed the extraction point. They needed me for elite. But the same couldn’t be said for my partner, and I wouldn’t be the reason he failed.
Farnell turned his attention to Shar. “Aziza, you’re up.
” Willowman produced another scroll out of thin air, then another until each pairing had one, then he asked us to line up.
“Your scrolls are keys, and today, the gate will act as a port. Each pairing must be touching the scroll as they pass through and be transported to the designated location. Remember, you have two hours from entrance to get to your extraction point.”
“Don’t we need to open the gates?” Dayn asked.
“No.”
Curi and Palia went first, holding the scroll between them. There was a flash of blue light as they neared the iron bars, then they were gone. Shar and Waxen went next, followed by Ginia and Saffe, and then it was my turn. Bax held out the scroll, and I grasped one end.
I’d been through a warping and traveled by orb and felt sick both times. What was this going to—
Light seared my vision, and when it ebbed, the gates were gone, and we were on a nature trail bordered by woodland. The sun above was tinged orange, signaling late afternoon, and a sniff of the air told me there was water nearby.
Bax’s expression was tight. He was clearly not a fan of partnering with me, but like hell would I let his personal feelings ruin our chances of passing this test.
“We’re on a clock here, and there’s no time for bullshit.”
He blinked sharply then nodded, relinquishing the map to me.
I unfurled it, studying the carefully drawn lay of the land.
Trees, rivers, mountains. A red dot for extraction and a blue one for drop-off.
“I need the compass.” Bax rummaged in the pack and found it for me.
“We’ve got to head northeast. Looks pretty straightforward.
But there’s a river to cross. No way around it without missing our extraction window. ”
Bax reached for the map. “Let me see that.” He studied it for several long seconds. “We could head west to this bridge over here.” He pointed at the bridge, which was at least a mile and a half in the wrong direction.
“We have two hours to get to the extraction point. If we head for the bridge, we won’t make it.”
“There has to be some other way.”
He studied the map with stubborn intensity as if he expected the line on the map to shift and reveal an alternate route.
“What is your problem?”
He shoved the map at me. “There’ll be another way.” He stomped off.
He had a problem with rivers? Or maybe water.
Wait…Couldn’t he swim? Was that it? Sunset was a couple of hours away, about the time we’d make it to extraction, and no doubt Farnell had timed it as such to stop the goyles shifting and simply flying to their destination, but if Bax couldn’t swim, we had a huge problem.
The woods were filled with the sounds of nature, the atmosphere peaceful and tranquil, but Bax radiated anxiety like a furnace.
Ten minutes passed in silence, and nothing eventful happened. I checked the compass, the map, and the terrain. We were headed in the right direction, and there hadn’t been any obstacles so far.
Was this deliberate? Had Willowman given us an easy path? Did Serath have something to do with this? No. He wouldn’t do that. He wanted me to pass the elite trial, knew that I needed the training. He wouldn’t interfere in the process.
The sound of running water washed over the chirp and chitter of the woodland wildlife.
Bax slowed his pace, but I picked mine up, walking around him to take the lead to the wide river, the water moving fast as if in a hurry to get to its destination. Beyond was more woodland, and beyond that were blue and gray mountains, their tops tinged orange by a late afternoon sun.
The mountains were our destination. We’d find our extraction point there.
Bax walked off along the riverbank, searching for a way across.
He wouldn’t find one. “The only way across is to swim, Bax.”
His shoulders bunched and then drooped. “I can’t,” he growled finally. “I can’t go in there.”
I knew it. “You can’t swim.”
He turned to face me, and the pallor of his skin told a different story. This wasn’t about not having the skill. This was about fear. He was afraid of the water.
His lip curled. “If you say a word, I’ll hurt you bad.”
I arched my brow and crossed my arms. “You’ll have to get out of this place to do that, Bax.”
He looked at the water, his eyes darkening, breath coming faster. “I’ll wait for sunset.”
“It’ll be too late. Extraction is fifteen minutes before sunset.”
He dropped his chin to his chest. “I’ll wait. Just go.”
I knew enough about fear to know it couldn’t be conquered in a few minutes and enough about goyles to know he’d probably fought with this weakness for as long as he’d been afflicted. There was no point trying to talk him into getting into the river, but I couldn’t leave without him either.
There had to be something we could do. Some other way across. My gaze fell on the trees on the edge of the woods. These trees had slender trunks.
I held out my hand. “Let me see the pack.”
Bax looked confused but handed it to me.
There was a bottle of water, some energy bars, a penknife. and some rope. Not thick rope but the slender, strong kind you could use for rappelling.
“You think you can pull up that tree?” I pointed at the smallest one.
Bax’s frown deepened. “What? Why?”
“Can you do it or not?”
“Yes, but—”
“Get to it. You’ll need two at least.”
“What are you going to do?”
“ We’re going to make you a raft.”