Chapter 55
Acompetitor takes off and scrambles over the jagged rocks of the slight incline. A woman inside a cage slams her hands against the metal bars, screaming something inaudible over the roaring crowd. She falls to her knees and cups her face with her hands.
The man freezes, and the ground sinks beneath his right foot.
He throws out his arms and stares down, his eyes widening. The crowd silences, and the air thickens with anticipation. He lifts his foot, and an arrow shoots from an opening along the mountainside, toward him.
It pierces his chest.
Before his body hits the ground, the metal arm holding the cage releases, and the woman plummets to the water, screaming until a splash silences her.
The breath rushes from my lungs. Sand streams through the middle of the hourglass. Too fast.
“It’s laced with traps,” Kressa whispers.
I sink into a crouch and survey the arena. With the rugged landscape, there’s no way to predict where the traps are.
Standing, I angle my body away from her. “We only have thirty minutes.”
A strong gust of wind blasts us, tossing up loose rocks and gravel.
I throw a hand over the hat as we’re shoved deeper into the arena.
The other pirate—Mahone—trips over his feet and slams to the ground.
It sinks beneath him, and he scrambles, but a spear shoots from the rocks and skewers him to the spot.
A cage drops.
Bile rises in the back of my throat.
The wind disappears, and the heavy clouds floating above dump a sheet of rain, obscuring my sight and slickening the rocks under my feet. Over my shoulder, the stands are completely dry.
Caelus wants us all dead.
A cannon fires, vibrating the ground. Five minutes have already passed, and I haven’t budged. I’m no closer to saving Thea. My pulse races faster than the sand draining through the hourglass.
Through the rain, movement catches my eye, and the cages swing farther from the edge. Thea drops to the floor of her enclosure, gripping the bars.
“They go farther out every five minutes,” I breathe. “By the time we get there, it’ll be nearly impossible to reach.”
Kressa risks a step. “Then what are we waiting for?”
She tests the ground with the edge of her boot, and when it doesn’t give way, she puts her full weight on it. I hold my breath and study the mountain walls. No arrows shoot out, and no spears fly from the ground.
Her lips press into a thin line. “Any day now, pirate.”
I follow her lead, testing each step before advancing another. The cannon fires—twice this time. Ten minutes. The cages slide out again, swinging precariously over the drop. A third of the time has passed, and the cages are still small in the distance.
“We won’t make it going this slow,” I say.
She nods, staring at her brother, sitting calmly in his cage while the others tremble. After a decade in confinement, I suppose this death is a merciful one.
A gasp comes from nearby, and no more than a dozen feet away, Eric freezes on all fours with his hand sunken into the ground. His eyes widen, and he mouths an apology toward the cages. A young girl—no older than ten—presses her face against the bars.
“Wait!” I scream.
Scrambling over the rocky terrain, I disregard where my feet fall and throw myself to his side.
His tear-stained eyes meet mine, and his brows furrow. “You’re not Harriet.”
“If you say anything,” I hiss, fixing the hat over my eyes, “I will kill you before the trap does.”
He swallows and nods.
I lift a small boulder and brace it against my body, testing its weight. “This might hurt, but you can’t move.”
Slowly, I lower it onto his hand. He winces, but doesn’t pull away as his fingers are crushed beneath it.
“I’m going to lift the edge, and when I do, slide out your hand.”
He nods. I heave the very edge of the stone, and his mangled fingertips clear the space. Blood drips onto the ground. I release the rock and hold my breath, but no arrows fly toward us.
“Thank you,” he whispers.
“I didn’t do it for you.” I nod toward the cages, rain spilling over the brim of my hat. “I did it for her.”
He rubs at his mangled hand. “Consider me in your debt.”
Ice climbs up the incline behind us, and the rain morphs into hail. It pelts against my shoulders and chest, hard enough to leave welts.
Caelus’s voice rumbles. “Cheating will not be tolerated.”
Lightning spears the top of the neighboring peak over and over in blasts of blinding white, until a layer of rock becomes loose.
The ground shakes, and boulders bounce down the mountainside.
A rock the size of my torso sails through the air, and I dive out of its way, throwing my hands over my face as the earth shudders and debris burrows into my skin.
Jumping to my feet, I throw Eric ahead of me. “Run!”
I search for Kressa, but falling stones and hail block any visibility. A scream rips through the air, followed by a splash, and my stomach clenches. I slip on ice and fall to my knees, rocks digging into my palms, but force myself upright.
The cannon blasts, and the cages swing out, groaning on their hinges. I’ve lost track of time. I narrow my eyes and make out Thea’s cage. And beside her—Elias. A breath rushes out of my lungs. Kressa is okay.
The rockslide eases, and boulders settle into a heap, covering half the arena. The hail halts and silence falls.
“Get down!” Kressa screams.
I drop, and an arrow skims my hat. It sinks into the side of the competitor beside me, and he falls the same moment a cage does.
Three remain.
A hand appears in front of me, the lines running her palm so familiar it aches. I refuse it and straighten, angling my head away.
“Thanks,” I murmur.
She turns toward the cages, prodding each step with her boot. The fabric of her shirt is torn at the shoulder, exposing a wide, bleeding gash. I reach out, but close my hand into a fist before my fingers brush her. Harriet wouldn’t do that.
The cannon blasts.
Kressa quickens her pace. “We only have fifteen minutes.”
Eric reaches his cage and leans over the edge, pulling it closer and turning the handle. The young girl jumps out and wraps him in a hug, sobbing into his shoulder. A path appears along the edge of the arena—a safe route back.
I test each step until I stop feet in front of Thea’s enclosure. Our gazes meet, and the blood drains from her face.
“You’re not—” Her voice levels off in a tremor, knuckles blanched around the cage bars.
Bringing my finger to my mouth, I whisper, “I couldn’t get to Gemma in time.”
A dozen feet away, Elias turns his head, and his eerie gaze pierces me like he’s solving a puzzle. I angle away and shake off his stare as I toe the edge of the cliff. I lean out, reaching for the bars of the cage, but the cannon blasts, and the cage swings out of reach.
Thea yelps, clinging the bars.
My heart catches in my throat. “It’s okay. I’ll get you.”
Her chest shudders, but she nods. I retrace my steps and wait for the cage to stop swinging.
“Keep still,” I order.
I take off at a sprint, feet pounding against the rocky mountaintop. My hat, heavy from rain, weighs my head down. I reach the edge and jump. My arms windmill as the safety of ground disappears beneath me, and I slam into the cage. It lurches, and I wrap my fingers around the rungs.
There’s nothing below but the raging, open ocean.
I shoot Thea a wild smile. “To the ends of the earth?”
She doesn’t laugh. “Get me out of this fucking cage.”
I hone my focus on the bars instead of the thrashing waves and make my way to the door. A gust of wind rattles the metal, and I reach out, twisting the handle. The door bursts open.
She hesitates.
“Go,” I pant. “I’m right behind you.”
With a nod, she steps to the back of the cage and pins her focus on the plateau. She breaks into a run, and I hold my breath as she jumps from the edge.
Her dress catches the wind and billows out behind her, slowing her down, but her feet meet the edge of the cliff, and she stumbles forward to safety.
I release a breath and climb into the cage, navigating to the back. The cage steadies itself and I turn, ready to make the leap.
But I halt, and bile rises in my throat.
At the edge of the mountain, Kressa stands frozen, her right foot sunken into the earth.