Chapter 12
I t didn’t take long to use the rope to tie the two tree trunks together. It was large enough for Bax to kneel on. But I wouldn’t be riding the thing. I’d be pulling it across the river using what was left of the rope. I kicked off my shoes and handed them to Bax.
“Do not lose those.”
He looked at me strangely, as if he wasn’t sure if this whole thing was some kind of trick or not. I didn’t have time for his insecurities and doubts. We had maybe an hour and a half left to get to extraction.
I hauled the makeshift raft to the riverbank and shoved it partially into the water. “Get on.”
He hesitated. “You’re sure you can do this?”
“Have I swum across a river lugging a makeshift raft behind me before? No. But I’m confident I can do it. You just need to stay onboard, okay?”
He swallowed hard and nodded. “Okay.”
Two minutes later and I was submerged and swimming for the other side of the river. Thankfully, the current wasn’t too strong, and I was able to move quickly because damn, the water was icy.
“You keep an eye out for any critters in the water.”
“It’s clear so far,” Bax said. “We’re good.” He sounded strained, but that was to be expected if he was afraid of water.
I picked up the pace, alert to potential threats.
My dip in the rushing river a couple of weeks ago played on my mind.
There’d been creatures in the water. I’d almost drowned.
But today we reached the other side without incident.
Bax quickly crawled off the raft, eager to be away from the water’s edge.
My lastonflex was soaked, my skin icy, but by the time I’d reached for my shoes, I was dry. “What the fuck?” I patted my clothes. “Don’t tell me, another awesome feature?”
Bax merely nodded, his expression wary and conflicted.
He’d exposed his weakness to me, which was probably a huge no-no in the goyle world, and considering he was Dayn’s bitch, I was also the last person he’d want to share it with. “Look, it’s no big deal. I’m not going to tell anyone, okay? That’s not who I am. We’re a team, right?”
A little of the unease melted off his face. “Right.”
I didn’t have time to pacify him any further; we had an extraction point to get to.
I took a moment to study the map again, then headed into the woodland onto a trail that should lead us to the mountains.
Bax followed.
Silence reigned for several minutes before Bax broke it. “This hardly seems like survival training. Aside from the river, which…They couldn’t know about my aversion, and there was nothing dangerous in the water, so…”
“I don’t know. We still have an hour left to get to extraction. A lot can happen in that time, so stay sharp.”
The steady symphony of woodland sounds told me that all was well.
The buzz was a base marker, and if it stopped, then I’d know something was wrong.
Smell was another thing for me. Danger didn’t have a specific scent, but the particles in the air seemed to become charged when there was a threat nearby.
Years of hunting had primed me to pick up on these things, and the assessment was constantly running in background mode. “So tell me about you. You got any siblings?”
He was silent for so long I was beginning to think he wasn’t going to respond, but then he spoke, his voice low and gruff.
“A sister. She’s an omega. She’ll be coming here next year.”
The ground was getting softer, almost mushy, and the air was beginning to get humid. The trees gave way to large, leafy bushes that had an almost tropical vibe. “What is this place?”
“One of the academy training grounds. They’ve got several,” Bax said.
“And they really just abandon cadets here?”
“Yes.” He looked away.
“What is it? What are you not telling me?”
“You didn’t have to help me back there, you know,” he growled.
“No. I didn’t have to.”
I didn’t get why this goyle would ally himself with Dayn, of all people. It couldn’t just be about family name and status, surely, because if that was the case, then Bax would be sucking up to Curi, Sharniza, or even me. So why was he so tied up with Dayn?
There was only one way to find out. “Why do you hang out with Dayn?”
He pressed his lips together. “That’s none of your business.”
“I didn’t say it was. I’m just curious, because you don’t seem like an asshole.”
He made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. “You shouldn’t go around saying things like that.”
“I’m not afraid of him.”
“Yes, you can afford not to be.”
“What’s that supposed to—”
The world around us was suddenly silent.
Beside me, tension rippled off Bax. He felt it too. Danger. But we continued to walk, to act unaware even though we were no longer alone.
There was something in the woods to our left. Something stalking us. I caught a shift of shadows in my periphery, and ice gripped my spine and pooled low in my belly.
Whatever was out there was lethal, deadly, and sentient.
I wasn’t sure how I knew that, but the conviction blared in my mind. As long as it thought we were unaware of its presence, it might hold off attacking.
But it would attack.
We’d have to fight it, and the farther we went, the softer the ground got, to the point where it was almost muddy. This terrain would make it harder to stay upright in a tussle.
“Bax, the ground’s getting too soft.”
“I know.”
The path widened up ahead. We couldn’t be far from exiting the forestland. The map showed rocky terrain leading into the mountains.
“It has to be now,” Bax said.
He was right. We couldn’t risk taking the fight deeper into mushy ground.
We both came to halt.
The tension in the air spiked.
“Where is it?” Bax said.
I could feel the presence pressing in on us—close, watching, assessing.
“We know you’re there.” Silence, pregnant with expectation, followed.
The hairs on my arms stood to attention, fear clawing at my insides, chased closely by rage because whatever was out there was powerful, and we had no weapons except a penknife, tucked in the pack, and our fists.
Why would the academy do this to us? Why throw us into this situation so unprepared? There was no way we would have gone on a mission unarmed.
The shadows beyond the tree line moved, sliding back and forth. The mass was huge.
“Fuck…” Bax fell into a crouch.
I caught the flash of red eyes and the low rumble of a growl. It was toying with us. Scaring us.
Rage burned away my fear, and I took a step forward. “I’m not afraid of you. You want a bite of me, then come try to take it.” My body vibrated with tension, muscles bunched, ready for action.
The shadow stopped moving, and the low rumble rolled over us again…not a growl but something that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle, and then the shadow vanished.
Long seconds passed, and the sounds of nature filled the air once more.
“What the fuck?” Bax said.
It was gone. “Let’s get the fuck out of here before it comes back.”