35. Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Five
Eli
Eli was so overwhelmed by his thoughts and the roaring crowd that he barely heard Benjamin shout for them to begin.
He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and, realizing the other suitors had started running, he darted forward to catch up.
After a few long strides, the ground began to slope downward, and he felt the tug of gravity bringing him closer to his goal.
He stumbled forward, maintaining his balance with pure determination. The sound of the roaring crowd faded until he only heard the clamoring of footsteps.
Right now, the four suitors were running down the hill together, but soon they’d split off, finding their own path to the bottom of the mountain.
There were many routes that one could take, and Eli had practiced running almost all of them.
One was a gentle slope but would take more time with its weaving path, and one followed the river but would require traversing a waterfall halfway there.
And there were a hundred other ways in which the flag could be reached.
After five minutes passed, Jae was the first to split from the group, sliding between a row of trees and disappearing from view.
The mountain turned steeper, and Eli had to slow his pace to keep from toppling over.
When it flattened again on a small landing, two paths emerged.
Roman took the left, while Eli and Trevor carried on to the right.
Eager to leave Trevor behind, Eli sped up, pumping his arms hard at his sides. Within seconds, he noticed Trevor was right next to him. He huffed in frustration and slowed down, thinking Trevor might run past. Instead, Trevor slowed to match his pace.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Eli demanded. He knew he shouldn’t let his irritation get the best of him. It was what Trevor wanted, and the last thing Eli wanted to do was give Trevor the impression that he was under Eli’s skin.
But he was. Eli was counting down the minutes until he could rid Trevor from his life for good.
When he would give up his conquest for Grace and the power she offered.
There was no guarantee the rebellion would be squashed entirely, but at least the traitors would have to come up with another plan to seize power.
So far, their physical attacks hadn’t been successful, and Trevor wouldn’t be successful either. Not if Eli could help it.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Trevor said, flashing his white teeth.
“Stop following me.”
Trevor huffed a laugh. “That’s quite the assumption. I’m just following the path, same as you.”
Eli rolled his eyes. He could split off at any moment, but that would mean enduring the weeds and thickets. Snakes and other wildlife inhabited the unkept areas of the mountain. He would’ve preferred to stick to the cleared path, but Trevor was making that option difficult.
A small opening appeared, wedged between two overgrown bushes.
It was a far cry from a true trail, but it was also the best chance Eli had at creating distance between himself and Trevor.
A ray of light broke through the treetops and illuminated the narrow path, almost like it was calling to Eli, assuring him that this was the way he was meant to go.
With a disgruntled look at Trevor, he turned sharply and abandoned his unwelcome companion.
“Really?” Trevor called after him, but Eli continued to trudge forward. “Terrible decision, my friend. I hope you enjoy the poison ivy and rattlesnakes!”
Without turning around, Eli lifted his hand and gave Trevor the middle finger over his shoulder. He heard a soft, sinister chuckle before Trevor’s footsteps faded into nothing.
Eli would face a hundred poisonous creatures if it meant getting away from the most venomous of them all.
Fortunately, he didn’t immediately run into any snakes or bears or coyotes.
He didn’t even run into a hungry vulture.
His ankles stayed covered by his long jeans, and he kept his arms close to his body to avoid the encroaching foliage.
Although he didn’t touch a single leaf or vine, his skin still itched at the thought of attracting an angry, red rash.
The mountain continued to carry him forward and downward. As easy as it was to descend, he knew it would be a strenuous hike back up.
His pace quickened as the thought of reaching the flag consumed him, driving him onward as though he were being chased. Suitors were allowed to steal the flag on the return trip, but he didn’t want to let it get to that point. No, the easiest way to win was to claim the flag first.
Sweat formed near his hairline and dripped down his neck, but he didn’t falter.
The peace of the forest was disturbed by his heavy breathing and the snapping twigs beneath his feet.
This overgrown path would ultimately merge with another, wider path, but he wasn’t certain how much farther he had to go.
He raced against time and only stumbled when he heard a piercing yell. The noise died out as quickly as it came and he paused, straining as he tried to determine what direction it had come from. And who, or what, it was.
Eli peered through the gaps between trees, searching for a sign of life, but the forest remained still. Even the leaves stopped swaying in the wind.
Then the shouting started again, more clearly than before.
Eli bolted off the path he’d been following and tore through the bramble and unruly tree branches that sliced at his cheeks and snagged on his clothing.
Another cry rang out just as Eli stumbled across a body lying on the ground, torso twisted so one arm was reaching for his ankle while the other propped him up. Though he faced the opposite direction, Eli only had to see the messy blond bun to know it was Roman. And his ankle…
His ankle was a mangled, bloody wreck caught between a metal hunting trap. Roman groaned in pain as Eli fell to his knees beside him.
“How did this happen?” Eli asked, inspecting the trap to figure out a way to release it.
Roman spoke through gritted teeth. “I didn’t see it. It was covered in leaves.”
Obviously he hadn’t seen it. No one would voluntarily step on a hunting trap.
But why was it even here? The metal wasn’t brand new, nothing was in this world, but it didn’t look weathered either.
It had to have been placed intentionally.
And if that was the case, why was it placed on a trail for a human, or suitor, to come across, rather than the woods where an animal would be caught?
“Hold still,” Eli said, pulling the levers on each side of the trap to loosen the tension. The trap’s teeth slowly relinquished their hold on Roman’s ankle and blood gushed from the wound.
Roman hissed and pulled the pack off his back, throwing open the flap and retrieving a small roll of bandages. Eli offered to help, but Roman was stubborn, wrapping his ankle himself before tying it in a knot.
“Can you stand on it?” Eli asked as he rose from his knees and extended a hand to Roman.
“I think so.” With a small grunt, Roman rose to his feet and only winced for a second before steeling himself. “Thanks.”
Eli watched as Roman took a step forward, limping on his wounded leg. He took another step, breathing heavily, and then another.
“You’re in no position to carry on. You should go back or wait until someone else can come to help.”
“I can walk just fine,” he spat, though Eli could tell his frustration lay with his injury, not Eli.
To come this far and be taken out before the final round was halfway through?
Eli understood his irritation. It was exactly why Eli wouldn’t be staying to help him any further.
It wasn’t a life-threatening injury. Roman could sit and wait until the race was finished or crawl back to the top if he felt so inclined.
Roman went to take another step but stumbled and only stopped himself from falling by grabbing onto the nearest tree trunk. “Fuck,” he muttered. Then he turned to lean his back against the tree, tilting his head back and squeezing his eyes closed. “Fuuuck.”
“I can send someone to fetch you once I finish,” Eli said, beginning to move again. He’d lost several vital minutes by stopping to help Roman and couldn’t afford to lose any more.
“Thanks,” Roman mumbled in a rather ungrateful tone. Again, Eli chalked it up to anger at the situation. There wasn’t anything else Eli could do for him.
As he headed down the path, Roman called out to him once more. “Hey, Eli?”
“Yes?”
“Make sure you beat that motherfucker.”
Eli’s brows lifted in surprise. He didn’t know much about Roman other than his mother worked in the cafeteria and his father had died several years ago.
Occasionally, he helped his mother in the kitchens when she needed an extra hand or filled in when someone else was too ill to work their shift.
Before this conversation, Eli guessed the two of them had exchanged less than ten words.
But that sentence alone was enough for Eli to judge his character.
He was a good man. One who was loyal to Grace and her family.
One who knew exactly what was at stake if Trevor were to win.
They were on the same side of this fight.
Eli nodded and spoke with conviction. “I will.”
After more reassurance that Roman would be okay without him, Eli finally left his newfound comrade behind.
Running off to save Roman hadn’t just cost him time; it had also turned him around.
This wasn’t the path he’d meant to travel, but he kept moving downward, waiting for a landmark to give him a hint as to where he was.
He found that hint in the worst of ways—a waterfall plunging off a cliff and down nearly three stories into the river below.
On one hand, he was closer than he’d realized to the point where the flag had been placed. On the other, the cliff extended for as long as his eyes could see, and the fastest way to his goal would be a steep climb down the side of the craggy rock.
Of all the paths that led to the flag, he would’ve chosen this one last. Roman had to be a madman to choose this route, or perhaps he hadn’t realized that the only way down from here was to climb down slippery rock.
Eli took a tentative peek over the edge, swallowing hard when he caught of glimpse of the flat land below. It seemed so far away, and one wrong step would have him tumbling to his death.
He studied the path forged into the mountainside.
It was clear that once upon a time, someone had chiseled into the stone and created small steps to make the climb easier.
Those steps were only two inches wide at best and while at one point they may have been sharp and sturdy, now they were eroded and smoothed over by wind and water.
It would be hard to get a good grip on them.
But he looked around him, at the stretch of earth that dropped off into the blue sky, and knew there was no other way.
First, he double checked his shoelaces, ensuring they wouldn’t come undone during his descent. Then he crouched down to the ground and slowly eased his lower half down the mountain, feeling for those tiny steps and holding onto the cliff for dear life.
Carefully, he moved one limb at a time. Reaching to grab a piece of rock jutting out at an angle, lowering his leg to find a new foothold.
His arms began to burn within seconds from the amount of strength it took to hold on.
He shifted to place more weight on his feet and give his hands a break, fighting the urge to look down. It would only make him dizzy if he did.
His muscles felt as though they were on fire, but he continued to move slowly and carefully, double and triple checking each step and grip before he moved on to the next. His forearms began to cramp and his legs trembled, but he was only halfway down the cliff by his estimate.
Curiosity got the best of him, and he quickly glanced down to see how far he was from the bottom. A burst of air flew from his lungs, part disbelief and part relief to know that he was approximately twice his height away from the ground.
Impatience surged through his body, and he moved faster, desperate to reach solid ground and shake out his weary muscles.
But his lack of attention cost him, and his foot slipped.
His body collided with the rock and the impact loosened his grip, sending him tumbling backward.
He reached toward the sky, grasping but finding nothing but empty air.
Fear was an emotion Eli knew intimately. The past year of his life had been one horrific event after another. But the fear of plummeting to his death was like nothing he’d ever felt before.
Time moved slowly and too quickly at the same time. It was enough to replay his life’s most significant moments but too fast to catch his breath before his back slammed into the ground.
Eli grunted, lying still for a moment and blinking up at the bright blue sky. He was alive. He’d only fallen a few feet, and he was alive.
A shocked chuckle escaped his lips, and his body shook. Then he groaned from the pain coursing through his back. He slowly sat up. Everything was sore, but nothing was broken.
Thank fucking god.
He pulled himself off the ground and stretched out his arms and legs, still burning from the climb. Then he put his hands on his hips and stretched his back too, wincing at the twinge of pain. It would likely bruise, but he’d felt worse in the past, far worse.
Forcing his feet and pained muscles to move, Eli continued to follow the stream’s path.
The ground here had leveled out, making it easier to push forward despite his fall.
The water beside him transitioned from raging rapids to a peaceful flow that glistened under the sun.
The current moved quickly, however, and he used it to set his pace.
It couldn’t be much longer now.
As if his thoughts had conjured it into existence, he glimpsed a small, red triangular piece of fabric waving in the light breeze. Attached to a wooden rod, the flag had been planted in the middle of a dried-out tree stump.
Eli released a sigh of relief and started running, slowly at first but then quickening to a sprint. The flag grew larger as he approached and he noticed the smaller details, like the frayed edges and the way some parts were more faded than others, like a muted rose color.
His lips curved into a smile. He was so close to having it all—to having Grace.
He reached out his hand and seconds before his fingers grazed the tattered fabric, something moved to his left. He didn’t waste time turning toward the figure and instead focused on grabbing the flag and pulling it from the stump.
The feel of the fabric against his palm was like touching heaven. It sent him soaring, his body filled with indescribable bliss, while also keeping him grounded, taking in the significance of this moment.
His moment of revelry was short-lived, because less than a second later, greedy fingers clawed at his arms and hands, desperate to rip the flag out of his clutch.