38. Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Eli
Eli shoved against the body that had come out of nowhere. He should’ve known it wouldn’t be so easy to claim the flag as his own. At least two other competitors remained, and he still needed to make it back up the mountain.
Jae grunted as he attempted to pull the flag out of Eli’s hands. His elbow landed hard against Eli’s stomach. Eli folded in half but held tightly to the piece of fabric, refusing to let go of his key to ending up with Grace.
Eli reared his head back and collided with Jae’s face. The crunching noise sounded as though he’d hit Jae’s nose and possibly broken it. Jae groaned and his hold loosened just enough for Eli to break free.
Just as Eli had suspected, Jae was clutching his face. Blood trailed down his mouth and chin. He dropped his hand, wiping it against his pant leg.
Eli raised his hands. “Give it up, Jae. The flag is mine. Grace is mine. Even if you managed to rip the flag from my hands, she’d always be mine. She’ll never love you.”
Jae gritted his teeth. “You don’t get it. I’m not in this for love. To those of us who have lived in Berland since we were children, this is every man’s dream. Do you understand the respect and awe that comes with marrying Grace?”
“That’s all she is to you?” Eli asked incredulously. “A stepping stool to bolster your ego?”
“Not all of us can marry for love. My parents have never been proud of me, always setting the highest standards and expecting me to fail. But this—this would be my greatest achievement.”
Eli almost felt sorry for him. But as pitiful as Jae’s reasons were, it wasn’t enough for Eli to take it easy on him. “If you want this flag, you’re going to have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands.”
“That can be arranged,” Jae said. He sprang forward to tackle Eli, but Eli was too fast. He leaped to the side and Jae stumbled a few steps before catching his balance.
Jae charged forward again, swinging his fist at Eli’s head. He missed, hitting Eli’s shoulder instead as he dove out of the way.
“Are you going to fight back or run away like a coward?”
Truthfully, Eli would’ve preferred to run. He had nothing against Jae, except that they were fighting for the same woman. He didn’t want to hurt him.
Before Eli could respond, however, a third figure emerged from the trees, running toward them like a wild beast. Jae noticed a second too late, and it cost him dearly.
Trevor plowed through him, sending them both flying to the ground.
Trevor drew back his fist and struck Jae in the face again and again, alternating between his left and right.
Jae never had a chance to block or defend himself.
In a matter of seconds, his head lolled to one side, a bruise already forming over his right eye.
Eli stood slack-jawed as Trevor got to his feet, dragging his arms like his assault had left them feeling heavy and stiff. Then he turned to Eli. One look inside the endless black pits of his eyes and Eli knew he was out for blood.
“Looks like it’s just you and me,” he said.
Trevor didn’t give Eli much time to weigh his options before he was charging toward him. Eli spun on his heel, running as fast as his legs could carry him. His arms pumped at his sides, the flag still held tightly in one fist.
The trail began to slope upward, and Eli had to work even harder to put distance between him and Trevor. His shoes slipped against the loose dirt and crumpled leaves, but he didn’t let it slow him down.
Behind him, Trevor panted heavily. While he was undoubtedly stronger than Eli, Eli was faster and had more stamina. The third round was turning into a true race to the top, and Eli couldn’t let Trevor catch him.
Weaving between the trees, Eli darted up the most direct path while Trevor nipped at his heels. His chest burned, aching for a break, for a deep inhale to satiate his desperate lungs, but stopping wasn’t an option.
He heard what sounded like a branch snapping, followed by a loud, pained yell. Sparing a second to look over his shoulder, he was thrilled to find that Trevor had tripped and was now struggling to get back to his feet.
The sight gave Eli a renewed burst of energy, and he poured everything he had into the strenuous hike.
He ran and climbed, hopping over fallen tree trunks and dodging overgrown thickets.
When his legs finally demanded he slow down, he took another peek over his shoulder, unable to see Trevor at all.
He didn’t allow himself to fall into a false sense of security. Trevor could be anywhere, waiting to pop out and attack him. Or maybe Eli had lost him in a moment of pure luck. Either way, he wouldn’t take the chance to stop for a break.
Looking around, he tried to reorient himself. He’d been running carelessly in the direction he assumed would lead back to the starting point, but he hadn’t taken the time to carefully assess his route like he had on the way down.
He was close to the river and the waterfall that fed into it. He could hear the steady hum of water running over the cliff side and cutting through the rocky terrain nearby.
Pausing for a moment, he listened closely for the sound of Trevor’s footsteps, but heard nothing aside from the rushing water.
After hiking a few more minutes, Eli came across an old wooden sign.
The image was almost entirely unreadable, but it didn’t matter.
Eli recognized it as the sign that pointed toward the top of the waterfall.
If he took the path ahead, he wouldn’t need to climb up the cliff side.
His tired arms were grateful for the easier route.
Eli took the path at a jog, still expecting Trevor to pop out at any moment. He couldn’t have fallen that far behind. Despite his absence, Eli couldn’t shake the feeling that Trevor was playing games. That he was lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The thought gave him chills, and he sped into a run.
While this route was less strenuous on his arms, it took longer than if he’d chosen to climb the rocks.
This path serpentined up the mountain until it reached an old overlook next to the waterfall.
The overlook was abandoned now, but the trail had survived the passing of time, marked by smooth stones.
It didn’t take long for the waterfall to appear, and Eli breathed a sigh of relief. It wouldn’t take much longer to reach the top of the mountain from here.
Just as his shoulders began to relax, a whistling noise sounded behind him.
Eli spun around, eyes roaming the tree line where he’d just emerged. It was eerily quiet as he kept still and searched for his nemesis.
Another whistle sounded farther to his left, and Eli craned his neck to find the source.
“Scared to come out and face me, Trevor?” he yelled into the shadows.
He waited. And waited.
He waited for so long that he almost thought his mind was playing tricks on him. That the whistling was all in his mind. Perhaps he was dehydrated or had been in the sun too long.
But then the whistling started again, and this time, Trevor strolled out from the woods with his hands in his pockets.
Eli tucked the flag deep into his back pocket. He had a hunch he’d be needing both hands to deal with Trevor.
“Nice to see you again, Eli.”
“Wish I could say the same for you.”
Trevor took a step toward Eli, who immediately positioned his body in a defensive stance. Trevor paused for a moment, and then his lips curved into a smile. Always playing games.
He started to whistle again, and the sound grated on Eli’s ears.
“Whatever this is, let’s get it over with,” Eli snarled. “You can try to take this flag from my hands, but I’m telling you right now, it’s never going to happen.”
“I wouldn’t be so certain,” Trevor said, his arrogance as obnoxious as ever.
Rage surged from the soles of Eli’s feet to the tips of his fingers. He was gripped by an urge he’d never felt before, the desire to wrap his fingers around Trevor’s neck and squeeze until the smarmy smile fell from his face.
They stared each other down for several long seconds, and then, as if a barrier had been dropped between them, they charged forward at the same time.
Eli hit Trevor around his waist, pushing him back, while Trevor’s fists landed against Eli’s back and the side of his head. Everything blurred, and they tumbled to the ground. Eli wasn’t even sure which way was up. All he knew was anger and violence.
He was so sick of battling for Grace, for his happiness, against the forces that sought to overthrow his partner and soul mate. All of his emotions poured out through his fists, and he beat and clawed unrelentingly at his opponent.
Trevor fought equally hard. A knee collided with Eli’s rib, and it stole his breath. He responded by driving an elbow into Trevor’s eye, and the man let out a blood-curdling scream. There was a solid chance that Eli had just blinded him.
Trevor did his best to push Eli off, but he struggled with only one eye. He reached toward Eli’s face, doing his best to return the favor, but Eli held him off.
Moving as though he was possessed by the devil himself, Eli wrapped his hands around Trevor’s neck, squeezing until Trevor’s one good eye bulged. True terror took root, and for a moment Eli wondered if he had it in him…if it was possible for him to take this man’s life.
Then he thought about all the times he’d threatened Grace’s life, and he squeezed tighter, his thumbs digging into Trevor’s throat. Trevor made a choking noise and his body went limp.
Eli jumped up immediately. He wiped his palms on his pants as though that would rid him of the ghost of Trevor’s skin against his. Despite everything he tried, he could still feel Trevor struggling underneath his hands. Still felt the life leaving him.
It wasn’t the first time he’d killed someone; he’d done it while defending Andus too. But it never got any easier. He wasn’t built for taking lives.
He bent over with his hands on his knees, dry heaving with his eyes pinched closed.
He would have to go back to town and tell them what he’d done.
Would they believe it was self-defense? Could Grace protect him from Trevor’s father and his followers?
Or would it just give Eamon more ammunition to use against Grace?
Surely they’d call for him to be exiled, and then everything he’d done would’ve been for nothing.
The ground seemed to tilt underneath him, leaving him light-headed and dizzy. He tried his best to slow his breathing, and after a few deep inhales and controlled exhales, his head ceased its pounding.
Standing straight, he sucked in one more deep breath. He could handle this.
As he turned to find his path, a sudden movement caught his eye. On the ground, where Trevor should’ve been, was an empty spot.
Trevor was on his feet again…not dead.
Eli had little time to comprehend his mistake—Trevor had fooled him. He had been so caught up in his moral dilemma that he hadn’t thought to make sure Trevor was really dead. Instead, Trevor had pretended just long enough for Eli to release him.
And now he was charging toward Eli once more, one eye still swollen shut while the other was red and angry.
Eli ducked as Trevor swung a fist at his head, but the man tackled him with the force of a crazed animal.
The impact was so hard that Eli hit the ground and Trevor tumbled over the top of him.
His momentum carried him forward, and he rolled until his body disappeared over the side of the cliff.
His scream pierced the air, then faded until Eli couldn’t hear anything but the water as it fell into the river below.
Eli lay there for a long moment, breathing hard. Everything hurt, but he forced himself to crawl over to the cliff’s edge. Below, plumes of mist rose in the air, blurring the spot where the cascade ended. Farther out, the water rushed over a few uneven rocks before settling into a calm current.
Eli gripped the edge of the cliff. He waited, expecting Trevor to float into view at any moment. To swim to the shore and return for another round. But long moments passed, and Trevor was nowhere to be found.
Had he hit a rock on the way down? Was he caught under the rapids? Eli scanned the perimeter of the falls to make sure Trevor wasn’t still clinging on to the side somehow.
But he was alone in the middle of these mountains. No one to witness what had just happened or accuse him of murder. No one to back up his claims of self-defense, either.
Finally, Eli caught sight of Trevor—floating in the water face down. His body was limp as it moved downstream, and this time, Eli was certain. There was no way Trevor could’ve survived the fall or the lack of oxygen as the force of the water held him under.
Trevor was well and truly dead.