43. Ahmina
AHMINA
Ahmina, Rory, and Kit had been walking for hours and still hadn’t come across a single creature. Water leaked into Ahmina’s boots and her socks were drenched, squishing with every step. “I think we should head back. We’re almost out of time.”
The three of them sat down on a fallen log to rest. Ahmina thought about taking off her boots to drain the water, but it seemed pointless.
Mist clung to her hair, making the curly strands that had fallen from her braids stick to her neck.
But worse than discomfort, the weather shrouded the landscape in fog, making the entire journey feel eerie.
This was it.
Her last chance to prove herself. If she failed this assessment, she would be ordered to leave the Academy by morning.
Her teeth ached from tension in her jaw, and she rubbed the side of her cheek as she watched Kit and Rory beside her.
Ahmina had been so focused on her own shortcomings, she had barely noticed how close Rory had become with her Combat partner from day one.
Was she really that horrible of a friend?
Had she been so blind, so self-centered, she missed her best friend falling in love?
Kit was a large man with a tough exterior.
Like all Slayers, he had a formidable, unshakable level of confidence.
But next to Rory, he looked childlike, giggling freely at whatever crass joke she had made.
Of course they could sit and laugh; their entire future didn’t hang on this assessment alone.
Rory had been given a pass on the first assessment.
Technically, she walked back and completed the assignment.
While Ahmina received a failing grade because she returned unconscious.
And while Rory was determined to do well on this assessment, it wasn’t critical.
Ahmina sighed. She was happy for Rory; she deserved to be happy.
She checked her watch again, counting down the minutes to when they had to return—until this would all be over and she would have to accept her fate.
It was then, as she watched the tiny hand tick, that she felt the shadows descend from the tress.
At first, she couldn’t make out what she was seeing, the fog a thick disguise.
But as they drew closer, the shadows took shape.
Slyfoxes.
All three of them were already on their feet, weapons ready.
Ahmina glanced at Rory. Her smile was quickly replaced with narrowed eyes and a set jaw.
Kit mirrored Rory, assessing the situation as the pack surrounded them, leaving no opening for escape.
The three of them pivoted, their backs to each other.
“Lying Slyfoxes,” she yelled over their yipping and yowling. “They show up and disappear again, faster than human eyes can follow.” Before she finished her sentence, the foxes had already moved, popping up in the trees above them.
“They came out of nowhere,” Rory said, her eyes darting.
“It’s all you, girls,” Kit said confidently. “My orders are to prevent you from dying; otherwise, your kills are on you.”
A few of the foxes had materialized on the ground again, their dark rusted fur damp from the rain. They ran, taunting them as they wove through the bushes, their bristling copper tails slapping the leaves as they went.
“What’s their magical ability? Illusion, right?” Rory asked, as she attempted to slash her dagger at one of them. It disappeared, resurfacing above them in the canopy.
“Yeah! They create illusions to confuse you,” Ahmina said, her breath ragged.
Was it just in her mind, or were the foxes multiplying?
Rory’s attempts at wounding them were fruitless, and they flew from the trees to the ground repeatedly.
Every time Ahmina spotted one, it disappeared, and another fox showed up in its place within seconds. It was starting to make her dizzy.
“Kill them!” Rory yelled over the foxes' cries. “At least one!”
“I know!”
Ahmina tossed her chakram at one, its razor edge splitting bark, but the fox was gone in the blink of an eye. Behind her, Rory had the same amount of luck. The Slyfoxes closed in on them.
Out of nowhere, Lennox appeared from the trees.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he said before letting out a loud, odd whistle. The whole thing felt surreal, and Ahmina started to question if she was imagining it. Slyfoxes make you see things that aren’t real.
“Rory! What do you see!?” She needed to know if they were seeing the same thing.
“Lennox sounding like an absolute idiot!” she yelled back over the chirping and howling of the foxes. Good—it wasn’t just her. Shrinking back from Lennox’s whistle, the foxes scattered, leaving as fast as they came.
“You’re welcome.” Lennox winked at Ahmina before jogging ahead of them into the forest. Ahmina noticed the way his shirt stuck to his skin in the rain, and how his wild hair dripped down onto his face.
She had to stop fighting battles with him in the rain; it lit a desire within her that she was desperate to put out.
“We need to get back,” Kit said. “I’m sorry, Ahmina.”
Time was up. She failed.
“What about Lennox?” she asked, pulling her chakram out from the tree, her hand shaking.
“Mina,” Rory said, her voice soft as she touched her shoulder.
“Lennox can take care of himself,” Kit said, completely unconcerned that Lennox was running around a deadly-creature-filled forest alone.
“But,” Ahmina argued. “We need to find him.”
“Lennox is probably already back at the hatch. It’s over.”
“What if he’s not? We should look for him. Just for a few minutes?” Her eyes welled with tears. Lennox would be fine. She knew it. They all knew it. But admitting as much meant admitting defeat. If she just had one more opportunity…
“Maybe we can talk to Adeyemi, get you an extension,” Rory said softly.
“No.” She shook her head, refusing to accept the inevitable.
“It will be worse if you’re late,” Kit reasoned.
“Come on.” Rory linked her arm through Ahmina’s and guided her along. At some point, when Ahmina stopped crying and became numb again, they separated, and Ahmina followed them absent-mindedly the rest of the way.
As they approached the outpost, Ahmina’s chest tightened. It had been her last chance to prove she belonged here. A noose around her neck, and it was time for her to step off the platform and face her sentence.
“Psst.” A whisper caught her attention, and she turned to see two green eyes peering out from behind a tree.
“Loveleena?” she called, squinting.
“Shut up and get over here,” Loveleena whispered.
Ahmina crept over, glancing behind her to make sure Rory and Kit hadn’t noticed. They continued forward, deep in conversation.
“What are you doing?” she asked, confused as to why Loveleena was camped out behind a tree.
The answer was a dead Slyfox that hung by its tail in Loveleena’s hand.
A second fox lay at her feet, its pink tongue lolling from the side of its mouth, flecks of dirt clinging to the tip where it touched the ground.
“This is for you. Say you killed it.” She shoved the creature in Ahmina’s face, forcing her to cradle it in her arms. The creature was heavier than she expected, and she heaved it up to get a better grip.
“Why are you giving me this?”
Loveleena scowled. “Oh don’t be all dramatic about it now. You asked for this. I better get my potion.” She picked up the second Slyfox by its tail and stormed off, boots sloshing as she went.
Ahmina followed her, not wanting to be left alone in the forest with a bloodied, furry Slyfox in her arms.