Chapter 35 #2
With his other hand, Ian draws his sword, pointing the blade directly at the section of jungle forest. “How ’bout you take one for the team, hey Jericho? Be a good little sacrifice and go find out what’s hiding in those trees, will you?”
“A s-sacrifice?” Jericho stutters, shaking with fear as he turns his gaze from the amphitheater stands and focuses on the trees dressed in thick vines.
“Well yeah, if you’re going to die, you may as well be useful to us,” Ian drawls, not even pretending that Jericho might survive.
Satine snickers, drawing her sword as well. “You heard him. Off you go.” She gestures to the same trees as Ian.
When Jericho still doesn’t move, Ian glares at him and spits on the sand. “Now,” he demands, his expression hard.
Instinctively, I take a step forward. “Don’t—” I start to say without thinking, but Kenzie grabs my arm.
“You try and save him, and they’ll kill you in an instant,” she hisses at me.
“Listen to your friend, treasure. Now isn’t the time to be heroic,” Galen drawls. “You’ll witness much more death before this is over.”
I hate hearing that. And I hate the idea that Jericho will die simply because he’s not as strong as Ian and the others. At least, not in the way that counts in this arena. Biting my tongue, I watch tensely as Jericho walks on shaky legs toward the tall trees.
“At least now we’ll see what’s lurkin’ in there,” Raith comments, chuckling.
I hold my breath as Jericho moves closer to the jungle.
He’s almost at the first layer of trees when the ground begins to shake.
I crane my neck, trying to see past the students who are standing in front of me, and I get a better view just as Jericho screams in terror.
A dark patch appears on the back of Jericho’s trousers, and I don’t see what grabs him.
One moment Jericho is standing on the sand, and the next, something has sucked him into the darkness between the trees.
“What the hell was that?” Kenzie whispers in horror from beside me.
A ripple of fear travels through the students, and even Ian and Ed look a little unsettled. That is, until Ian starts laughing, and the others join in. The crowd in the stands goes wild, like seeing the first taste of blood on the sands has sent them into a frenzy.
My stomach roils. “It happened too fast,” I tell my mates, forcing myself to think of the different zenali creatures the guys captured and what they’ve told me about them. This could have been a number of those beasts.
“It’s a nasken,” Raith says.
“How do you know that?” I ask.
“It has three curved, red talons on each foot,” Raith rumbles.
“It was fast, but not quick enough for me to miss that. It’ll be hard to kill but not impossible if you work together with a few other students.
The creature has a frill that lifts around its neck when it attacks, and there’s a weak spot right behind the frill where its leathery skin isn’t quite as thick. Drive a blade in there and it’ll fall.”
The warmth drains from my face, because the idea of having to do that sounds terrible, but I guess I should be glad to know the creature has any weakness at all. If nothing else, it helps me to clamp down on the fear that had been starting to eat away at me.
Many of the students still look stunned when Queen Krosia rises to her feet, lifting from her throne and stretching her arms wide.
“Warriors of Kiru,” she says, her voice carrying around the amphitheater as she addresses the crowd.
“It is with great excitement that I gather you here tonight to witness the graduation games. But first, let us recite the prophecy that started it all.” She places her palm against her chest, and around the amphitheater, the warriors rise from their seats, copying the gesture.
The originals do the same, standing behind the queen, and the students lift their hands, pressing them to their chests as well. As one, we chant the words:
Where the black sky weeps and shadows reign
A darkness stirs, born of pain
They must rise, shadowed blades
Take the oath, decide our fates
Where the land bleeds, and the skies fall
Forests of ash, before the final call
Stand as one, our forgotten, lost warriors
For without you…
There will be no times at all.
When the last word is spoken, the warriors break into applause.
“Now, we must determine who is worthy of immortality and a place within the shadow army,” the queen calls out with a gleeful tone.
“Over the following days, our students will face a series of tests, whereby they will have the opportunity to showcase their skills and abilities. No competitors are permitted to say the words Korsinus Aleia and unenroll now that the games have commenced. And by the time the final challenge comes, we will have determined who is strong enough to join our fight against the Xalgrith.”
When she mentions the Xalgrith, the crowd’s cheers turn to angry shouts, and I take the time to actually study a few of the faces in the stands.
The warriors look hard and rugged. Shadows curl around them in agitation, making it look like the stands are filled with hissing black snakes, and the soldiers all have a wild, untamed look in their eyes.
“They sound so…angry,” I say to my mates.
“That’s the result of spending endless years fighting against an unbeatable foe, and watching your comrades die in front of you,” Thane answers bitterly. “There are some things even shadow magic cannot heal.”
I nod slowly, knowing he’s talking more about mental pain than physical.
“Our first challenge is simple,” Queen Krosia says, her lips stretched into a smile as she turns her attention to the students.
“Survive the night in the arena. But to complete this challenge, you must do it without the aid of your bonded animali.” She pauses like she’s finished speaking, but then she adds, “Oh, and to survive, I suggest you find shelter. The weather is about to turn, and it’s advisable that you’re not caught in the storm. ”
We lift our gazes to the sky, confused as the weather looks fine, but when Thane curses and lifts to his feet, dread rolls through me as I understand the queen’s meaning.
Oh, crap. “Please tell me she’s not talking about what I think she is,” I whisper to my mates as Thane moves past the queen who’s seated again, and he stops at the front of the ceremonial box.
My mate’s face is hard, but a flicker of fear passes over his expression as he stares down at me, his gaze burning against my skin.
Raith curses in my ear.
“Unfortunately, I suspect this is exactly what you’re thinking,” Galen replies to my question.
“Run, sunshine,” Raith rumbles, and there’s a desperate edge to his voice. “You need to get to one of the oases to escape the rain.”
I think of how Thane had reluctantly told me about his power nights ago. Acid rain… Isn’t that what he’d said? Oh, crap. My gaze scans the three forests. “But which one do I go for?” I ask them.
Galen is the one to answer me. “Knowing the queen, each oases will have at least one zenali creature lurking between the trees. You’ll just have to pick your poison.”
“But stay away from the taseral,” Raith reminds me.
I let out a shuddering breath. Okay, that leaves the jungle or the pine forest.
“Come on,” I say to Kenzie. “We need to get to one of the forests. If we don’t, we’re dead.”