Chapter 28
Chapter twenty-eight
Rynna’s ears perked up, her pulse quickening as she stood on guard outside the cave.
“I don’t believe you!” Taren’s voice echoed from within, followed by a thud as his fist struck the rock wall.
Her body tensed as she slipped quietly from the shadows outside and stepped into the cave’s dim interior.
Rynna’s gaze darted to where Taren and Renji sat, their heads bent close, voices hushed as firelight danced from a small lantern.
Renji sat back, though his eyes gleamed in the dim light like a serpent coiled and waiting to strike.
Meanwhile, Bran had slumped against the cave wall, his head bobbing as he drifted into sleep, a thin line of drool dangling from his mouth.
“Everything all right in here?” She looked for any sign of trouble.
Taren glanced up, his expression a mask of forced calm, though his knuckles were white where he clenched his fists against his lap.
“It’s fine.” A muscle in his jaw ticked.
“If you say so.” Rynna’s eyes found Renji. He sat back, arms folded, but the flash in his eyes betrayed something else that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
Something about his whole demeanor set her on edge. Keeping her movements casual, she turned toward Bran, crouching beside him before giving him a firm shake. “Hey, the sun’s down. Time to get moving.”
Rynna’s hand rested on the hilt of one of her swords, the worn leather grip familiar under her fingers. She adjusted the folds of her cloak, pulling the fabric tighter against the biting night air. “We won’t win by hiding out in here all night.”
Bran shot awake with a snort, immediately alert. “Yeah! Let’s go!” He scrambled to his feet, brushing the red dust from his pants and bouncing on the balls of his feet. “What’s the plan?”
Rynna stood, crossing her arms. Usually, Taren would have already taken charge of the situation by now, but his silence stretched on. Rynna suppressed a frown. She needed to get them out of this cave and away from Renji.
“How about Scout Formation Eagle?” she suggested, nudging Taren with her foot until he reluctantly stood. “We’ll use the point of the formation to bait out other groups.”
“Oh, and I get to be the bait!” Bran practically jumped up and down.
“Exactly.” She didn’t need to look at Bran to see his entire body practically vibrating with energy.
Taren let out a long exhale. “Of course, you’re the bait.”
“I am the best bait.” Bran grinned smugly.
“That you are, my friend.” Rynna smiled.
And he was. Beyond his loudness and the impression that he’d make an easy target, Bran could take more hits and keep swinging better than anyone else in the unit. The kid never gave up.
“All right, let's move,” she said, turning to leave.
“No goodbye?” Renji’s voice echoed from the cave, a bitter edge laced beneath the mock cheerfulness.
Rynna didn’t bother looking back; her stride never faltered.
“I see,” he muttered darkly, the quiet rage beneath his words unmistakable as Taren and Bran caught up with her.
“Bye, Renji!” Bran called, waving back, missing the potential danger. “Good luck! Find us if you’re ever in Ember Reach!”
“Let’s go.” Taren grabbed him by the elbow.
“Oh, I will!” Renji called after them, his voice ringing with barely concealed fury. “And Taren,” he added, his tone chilling, “think about what I said.”
Taren’s face tightened with anger, but he kept walking, his jaw clenched as he ignored the Tide Reach Hollow-born behind them.
Putting distance between themselves and the cave, the silence stretched out under the pale light of the desert moon.
The chill night air contrasted sharply with the day’s searing heat, and the desert had transformed into a hauntingly beautiful landscape.
Shadows stretched long over the sands, and the distant dunes shimmered silver in the moonlight.
They regrouped near a jagged rock formation once they were far enough from the cave.
Bran crossed his arms, frowning. “Hey, why were you both such assholes to Renji? He seemed like a nice guy.”
“He wasn’t a nice guy, Bran,” Taren spat. “And one day, your idiocy is going to get you killed.”
“Harsh.” Rynna’s eyes widened.
Taren’s jabs at Bran hadn’t stung with any force for over a year.
“Whatever.” Bran rubbed his arm where Taren had grabbed him earlier. He scanned the horizon. “What direction? East?”
Rynna shrugged, her focus on Taren. “Sure. It’s as good as any. Don’t get too far from us and stay alert.”
Bran took off with a burst of energy, his figure quickly disappearing into the desert, and Taren moved to take his position beside Rynna.
“You okay?” She stopped him with a light touch on his arm. “What did he say to you?”
“Nothing.” Taren grimaced.
“Come on.”
Taren clenched his fists before he finally relented. “Just something about why my parents were executed.”
Rynna’s brow furrowed. “Oh shit. How would he even know about your parents?”
“Exactly. It’s bullshit.”
“All right, we’ll talk about it after this stupid tournament. For now, push it from your mind.”
Taren pursed his lips but gave a reluctant nod. “Yeah. Okay.” He looked out beyond them. “You take the left. I’ll take the right.”
“Deal.” Rynna gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before they both took off after Bran, moving swiftly through the night.
And as they sprinted across the shifting sands, the quiet of the night was broken only by the sound of their steady footfalls.
Their first encounter came swiftly. A team from Gale Reach, three Hollow-born moving through the shadows, ambushed them from behind a large outcropping of rock. Bran expertly drew their attention, being a big, loud idiot, and they went straight for him.
But he was ready. With a wide grin plastered across his face, he dove headfirst into the fight, dodging a barrage of throwing knives and countering with a powerful strike that knocked one of the Hollow-born flat on his back.
Rynna and Taren flanked the others, quickly disarming them and securing their placards.
Bran held the discs aloft. “Three down!”
“Don’t get cocky,” Rynna warned, though she couldn’t help the small smile tugging at her lips.
The second encounter proved to be more challenging.
A team from Pulse Reach had spotted them first, launching a coordinated attack with elemental blasts that forced them to dive for cover.
Rynna and Taren quickly regrouped, circling around to catch the attackers off guard while Bran charged straight at them.
“Five in total!” Bran cheered. “We’re killing it!”
Rynna laughed, the tightness in her shoulders easing as they moved further through the terrain. The night was quiet, and Renji felt like a distant memory. He had to be far behind them by now if he even bothered to leave the cave at all.
“Yeah, we’re doing all right.” For the first time that night, she allowed herself to relax.
Then, cutting through the stillness, a distant scream echoed across the desert, raw and full of fear.
“That didn’t sound like a battle scream.” Bran gripped his knives tighter. His eyes darted to Rynna. “It sounded more like...like what happened at the canyon.”
Rynna ground her teeth, the memory of the giant snake flashing through her mind.
“Do you think the beast is back?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” She didn’t want her team anywhere near that monster again. “But if it is, we should avoid it.”
Bran shook his head. “No. If someone’s in trouble like that, we have to help.”
“We only survived the last encounter by luck,” Taren interjected. “Who knows why it didn’t attack us.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Bran stomped his foot. “It’s the right thing to do. I’ll go alone if I have to.”
Pulling down her sashira, Rynna ran a hand through her hair. There was no reasoning with him when he got like this. “Fine.”
“Rynna—” Taren began, but then he stopped, considering Bran’s words. “Fine. You’re right, Bran. Somebody’s got to do the right thing around here.”
“Okayyy.” Rynna raised her eyebrows, surprised by his change of heart. “Glad we’re all on the same page.”
She lifted her fist. “But we go in together. Eyes open. Blades at the ready.”
Bran immediately raised his fist to meet hers. “Eyes open.”
“Blades at the ready,” Taren echoed, pressing his fist against theirs.
United, they turned and began running.
As they approached the source of the scream, a wave of nausea washed over Rynna. The desert sand was littered with grotesque remains, limbs scattered like broken branches, and large patches of crimson soaking the earth. The coppery stench of blood filled the air, thick and suffocating.
At the center of the carnage stood Renji, his jaw hanging at an unnatural angle as he worked it back into place with a sickening crack.
His eyes gleamed with dark, unsettling hunger, and as he extended an abnormally long, forked tongue, he licked the blood from his face and fingers, savoring every drop.
“Delicious,” he moaned. “I feel so much better now.”
Beside him, another man gripped a young Hollow-born by the hair. The boy, probably barely old enough to compete, struggled in the man's grasp. His Ember Reach medallion was soaked in blood, and his face was twisted in terror.
“Take him with the others,” Renji commanded. “He seems healthy enough. He may even survive the procedure.”
“Renji?” Bran gasped, the sound catching in his throat.
Taren and Rynna quickly yanked him down behind a nearby boulder, their bodies pressed to the ground as they struggled to contain their panic.
“What in the elemental fuck was that?” Taren panted. “Was he…was he eating them?”
Air sawed ragged through their lungs as the reality of what they had just witnessed sank in.
“Oh hello, Ember Reach friends!” Renji’s voice called out, a sickening cheerfulness in his tone. “I’m so glad you caught me. Again.”
“Shit!” Rynna pressed her back hard against the boulder. Was he the snake? A shape-shifter? She hadn’t thought there were shape-shifters like that in this world.
“What do we do?” Taren whispered, crowding in beside her.