Chapter 9 #2
“You can do this, Ryn,” Gia whispered at my side, her hand brushing mine. Her words were soft but steady, anchoring me in place. I nodded, though my heart thundered against my ribs and nerves burned like fire in my veins.
That was the trifecta. No wards. No safety.
Just you, the mountain, and the certainty that one wrong move meant your name on stone.
A shiver crawled down my spine. Would I be next?
Would my father get the box of my belongings, books, daggers, the little trinkets I’d carried from home, while my name was carved into cold granite?
My chest tightened, panic clawing at the edges of my resolve.
But then, faint and unbidden, my grandmother’s voice rose in my memory: You’re a Yarrows. You carry your mother’s compassion, but also your father’s strength. You may fall, but you always get back up.
I straightened my shoulders, drawing in a long breath.
I will survive; I told myself fiercely. Even if this place tries to break me.
Boots crunched over gravel. Professor Firebeard strode toward us, his heavy cloak flaring behind him, his flame-red beard looking as if it might combust at any moment.
His presence drew all focus, his voice carrying with grim weight as he stopped in front of our ranks.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Aiden.
He stood slightly apart from the other unit leaders, his arms crossed, jade eyes surveying us as if he foresaw already who would fail and who might endure.
The shadows clung to him like a second skin that seemed to move when he did.
When his gaze swept to me, it lingered a fraction too long before shifting past. My stomach tightened.
To him, I was a weakness, another cadet destined to fall, but I’d prove him wrong. I had to.
“All right, first-years,” Firebeard began, his voice booming over the distant screams and the hollow thuds of bodies hitting the ground “This is it. The moment you’ve trained for.
There are no safety nets. Everything in there is moving exactly as it should.
So, watch your footing. Don’t look down. And run like hell.”
He gestured toward the towering archway of the maze. It looked taller than I remembered. More alive. The stone pulsed faintly, carved scripture glowing in an ancient tongue, but the meaning was unmistakable:
One step too slow. One thought too soft. And the Rite takes you.
The words pressed against my chest like both a promise and a curse.
I glanced back toward the unit leaders, and that’s when I saw him.
Commander Dagon stood just beyond the line, posture rigid, eyes sharp.
His gaze met mine. For a heartbeat, the surrounding chaos faded, and he gave me a single, confident nod.
It steadied me more than I had expected.
Growing up, he’d always been there, watching from the sidelines, praising me when I got back up after sparring with Aiden.
When I refused to stay down. That nod felt familiar.
Like proof I was doing something right. I smiled softly before I could stop myself.
For a fleeting moment, I wished it was my father standing there instead.
I tore my gaze away and scanned the others. Brandon, the Ares unit leader, caught Clive’s eye and gave him a thumbs-up. Clive was pale and terrified but managed to return it.
“You’ve got this, Clive,” I whispered, offering him a small, knowing smile. He nodded, though I noticed the fear written all over his face. Similar to mine.
“Alright. Jackson, you’re up first,” Firebeard announced.
Jackson turned, flashed us a smirk, then bolted into the maze.
His silhouette disappeared quickly into the winding, tall hedges.
One by one, others were called. The line thinned.
Clive went in next, and I sent a silent prayer to the Gods we would all make it.
“See you up there, Ryn. You too, Gia,” Ryan said as he passed, his grin wide and too confident. “Oh, and Luna, try not to slow me down.” He winked at her, and she rolled her eyes and flipped him off. Which only made his grin wider.
Gia squeezed my hand tightly, her gaze full of fierce fire. She stepped forward when her name was called and disappeared through the archway. Then… it was my turn. Alright, Rynlee. Focus. We’re going to survive this.
I dashed into the maze, the ground blanketed in a thick fog, swallowing the leaf markers that were meant to guide us.
Still, I trusted my instincts, each curve and path aligning as if I’d trained for this moment all my life.
The first moving block appeared ahead, massive, groaning, and slick with moss. I timed the rhythm and leapt.
One.
Two.
Three jumps later, I landed on solid ground and sprinted toward the third tier.
I paused just long enough to glance over my shoulder; Sofia had made it out of the maze and was heading up.
You’ve got this, I thought, breathing deep and running again.
The platforms ahead swayed in the mountain wind.
I leapt from one to the next, the strain building in my thighs and arms. I reached for a rope and was about to swing upwards when a scream split the air behind me.
I froze.
Sofia was slipping, her hands clawing at the cliff’s edge.
She was dangling, barely holding on. Without hesitation, I turned and sprinted back.
“Sofia! Grab my hand!” I yelled, kneeling and reaching for her.
Her fingers brushed mine, faintly, and then…
she slipped. Her scream echoed through the mountains, and she was gone.
My heart stopped. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. She was just there.
“MOVE, RYN!” Alaric’s voice roared from somewhere above, snapping me out of the trance.
I forced myself to turn away, choking down the panic.
Keep going. Keep moving. Tears burned in my eyes, but I pushed forward.
I leapt to the next platform, then the following one.
My hands found the rope, and I began to climb.
When another scream came from above me. Luna. I peered up in time to see her fall.
“No, no, not again!” I threw myself against the cliff, using momentum and leg strength to sprint sideways across the rock wall.
Just as she dropped past me, I lunged and caught her wrist. Pain exploded through my shoulder as our bodies slammed against the mountainside.
My ribs throbbed. My arms screamed. But I held on.
“Ryn?” Luna gasped, stunned. “Why did you—?”
“Let’s talk about this when we both survive,” I gritted out, voice shaking from discomfort and effort.
She nodded quickly, eyes wide, and found the rope beneath us.
We ascended in painful, ragged silence, reaching the fourth tier in time to dodge the first boulder that thundered down the slope.
We ducked into an alcove as the second rolled past, the vibrations rattling my teeth.
“You, okay?” Luna asked, touching my uninjured shoulder gently. I nodded, though my other arm felt like it was on fire. My breath came fast. Vision slightly blurred.
“You go first,” I said.
She hesitated, then nodded. “See you at the top.” She ran. I watched as Luna sprinted up the incline, her balance near-perfect despite the sharp angle. Relief flooded me when she reached the summit safely. Only then did I turn back to the slope, chest heaving.
Okay, Rynlee. Think.
Jumping and running weren’t cutting it. And with my injured shoulder, they never would.
I swallowed, forcing my breathing to steady.
Use your fucking head. I squeezed my eyes shut when Alaric’s voice cut through the chaos in my mind.
Maybe you just need a boost? A boost. My hand slid to my thigh, fingers brushing the hilt of my dagger.
The idea sparked before I had the chance to kill it.
Stupid? Maybe. Reckless? Absolutely. But it was the only shot I had.
I yanked the dagger free, flipped it in my grip, and hurled it at the rock face.
The blade struck with a sharp crack, vibrating violently before biting deep into the stone.
My pulse spiked. Before doubt settled in, I drew another dagger from the holster at my back and sent it higher.
The hilt caught just enough to glint in the shifting light.
Two steps. Maybe that was all I needed. I ran.
The incline fought me instantly, muscles screaming as I launched upward.
I planted my foot on the first dagger’s hilt, shoved off, and lunged for the second. They held. Barely, but it was enough. I flung myself up the ledge, my good arm catching it as my body slammed sideways into the stone. Pain detonated through my injured shoulder, white-hot and blinding.
“Come on,” I hissed through clenched teeth.
My legs scrabbled uselessly until one knee hooked over the edge.
With a final, desperate surge, I hauled myself up, just as the fourth boulder thundered past, shattering against the cliff where I had been standing seconds before.
For a moment, I was only able to lie there, lungs burning, sweat stinging my eyes.
But I’d made it. Against all odds, I survived.
I lifted my head and scanned the narrow clearing at the summit.
Alaric stood a short distance away, shoulders dropping as if he’d been holding his breath.
He started toward me, then another scream ripped through the air below, dragging my gaze back to the cliff.
My chest heaved as the reality settled in.
My body trembled, adrenaline and pain crashing together.
When his strong hands hooked beneath my arms.
“Thank the gods you made it,” Alaric exclaimed, hauling me up like I weighed nothing.
I wheezed a laugh as he drew me into a tight hug, my ribs screaming in protest. For once, I didn’t care.
I was smiling. I noticed the others were already gone, vanished into the fog. The next step waited for me, too.
“I made it,” I said breathlessly. “All thanks to you.”