C H A P T E R T H I R T Y- S I X
uddenly, Cal was crashing back down toward them, hitting several branches and bushes on theS way down.
Dozens of huge black birds burst from the canopy, flapping and squawking loudly. There were so many of them for a moment they blocked out the light streaming through.
Thea felt another magical pull, forcing her attention skyward.
But Cal was falling. It seemed endless as he bounced between trees, his shouts muffled by the impact.
He hit the ground with a thud. His eyes were screwed shut in pain. In one hand he clutched his totem, but the other hand was streaked with blood, a thrashing brown viper latched to the skin between his thumb and forefinger.
The possible call of another totem forgotten, Thea skidded to her knees beside her friend, her heart racing. Prising the snake’s jaw from him without a moment’s hesitation, Thea flung it over the side off the cliff. ‘Got me,’ Cal wheezed, writhing in agony. ‘There were three of them.’ Sure enough, it wasn’t just the one bite on his hand. Thea turned his arm over, finding two more puncture wounds already swelling. ‘Fuck,’ she said. ‘Kipp, give me my satchel and that canteen of water.’ ‘I’m guessing it was venomous?’ Cal panted through gritted teeth. ‘Fraid so,’ Thea replied, recognising the brown scales from an experiment Farissa had coordinated a few years ago. ‘But stay calm.’ ‘Easy for you to say,’ Cal bit out.
Kipp was at Thea’s side, handing her the things she’d asked for. ‘Should I suck the venom out?’ Cal gave a moan of pain. ‘You’re not sucking anything of mine, Kristopher —’ Thea’s hands worked quickly to unscrew the top of the canteen. ‘That’s a myth,’ she said, trying to keep the fear from her voice. ‘Keep your arm low, Cal. It slows the venom going to your heart.’ ‘Comforting.’ Sweat beaded on his brow.
Thea washed the wounds with water and then rummaged in the satchel Wren had packed for her.
There had to be something in there. Salve for burns. Bandages. Dried iruseed – might need that later, she thought, forcing herself to think logically. Soot root powder. Lavender tincture for pain — ‘Yes!’ she half-shouted, ripping a tiny vial of brown liquid from one of the inner pockets and pulling the cork from the top with her teeth. Wren thought of everything. ‘This will stop the poison.’
She thrust a small stick at Cal. ‘Bite down on this,’ she told him, placing it between his teeth. ‘Kipp, hold him down.’ His eyes went wide and Kipp grimaced as he placed his hands on their friend’s shoulders, murmuring apologies.
Thea didn’t waste another moment, she poured the liquid on each of the bites.
Cal thrashed beneath Kipp’s hold, his screams muted around the stick in his mouth. ‘Anti-venom,’ she told him, trying to soothe him as the waves of pain took hold and he convulsed beneath their grip. ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry,’ she said.
When she was done, she took the clean linen strips from the satchel and wrapped each of his wounds tightly.
Cal lay at Kipp’s knees, drenched in sweat, panting, a slight green sheen to his skin.
Kipp helped him into a sitting position. ‘Will he be alright?’ he asked her.
Thea wiped her friend’s brow and put the canteen of water to his lips, forcing him to drink. ‘I think so. Thanks to Wren,’ she said, patting the satchel at her side. ‘And you,’ Cal wheezed. ‘You can thank me later.’ She turned her back to them so she could gather herself. That was twice now she’d nearly lost him.
But when she faced him again, Cal was grinning weakly. ‘Two down…’ He held up his totem.
Thea’s heart sank, remembering the tug she’d felt towards the flock of birds as they’d broken through the canopy. ‘About that…’ she said quietly. ‘I think there was one with those birds.’
Cal stared at her. ‘What?’ ‘I felt it, just before you fell.’ Cal nudged Kipp to help him to his feet. ‘So we’d best get moving. Let’s get you a totem.’ He was unsteady at first, but as they gathered their weapons, he seemed to find his footing.
They were a little slower now, but they made their way to the edge of the island just the same.
Only to stop abruptly.
The gap between their island and the next was far bigger than even the first had been. What awaited them was a horizontal ladder made of thin, rusted chains bridging the two land masses together, the waves churning and foaming against the sharp rocks beneath.
Thea rubbed her temples as she surveyed the obstacle. ‘We have to pull ourselves across below.
Or climb over the top…’ she murmured. The back of her neck prickled again and she turned back, scanning the fringe of the jungle they’d just left. There was no one in sight. Turning back to the bridge of bars, she made up her mind. ‘We've all trained, we've got the strength… Don’t we?’ Cal nodded. ‘I’ll manage.’ They strapped their weapons to their bodies securely and, not for the first time, Thea wondered where the rest of the shieldbearers had ended up. She pushed the thought from her head as she squared her shoulders to face the next obstacle. She could see no mechanism or tricks in place… but her skin still prickled, something behind them pulling at her attention. There was nothing there. ‘You two first,’ she said.
Cal opted to climb above the bars so he didn’t have to bear the full weight of his body on his injured arm. Meanwhile, Kipp swung from bar to bar below, like some kind of jungle animal.
In the distance, just beyond them, Thea’s heart soared. The flock of black birds circled above the island. She could feel the totem pulsing among them. She just had to get across this ladder of chains… Thea opted for Kipp’s method and fit her hands to the metal bars, checking one last time that her sword, shield and satchel were firmly strapped in place. Then she started across. She marvelled at
how strong she’d grown over the months, supporting her whole body weight with ease as she swung herself from one linked chain to the next. Before she knew it, she was halfway across, ignoring the roar of the waves below and reaching for — That was when the first arrow whistled through the air.
The tip grazed her upper arm and she nearly let go from the shock, a startled yelp escaping her. ‘Thea!’ Kipp shouted from the other side, his voice pitched with panic.
Another arrow whirred close to her dangling legs and she cursed loudly, flinging herself to the next bar. She could see Cal nocking an arrow to his own bow in her defence.
As arrows shot across the chasm, Thea put one hand in front of the other, using all her upper body strength, desperate to get across without a dozen holes through her body. ‘Cal!’ she yelled, suddenly thinking of the cursed winged creature who held her totem somewhere nearby. ‘I’m going to need some of those arrows to shoot the bird down!’ ‘But –’ ‘Don’t you dare use another one!’ she commanded.
She was two-thirds across, she could make it, she could — Another arrow kissed her side, pain searing as it grazed her skin, only just missing her middle.
Swearing and sweating, Thea hung by one hand and reached for her satchel, her teeth clenched with the effort. Fumbling blindly inside the bag, her fingers closed around the jar she wanted and, still hanging on for dear life, she threw it back at her attackers with all her might.
Thick smoke exploded as the glass shattered on the surrounding stones. Shouts of alarm and cries of pain echoed down the chasm. ‘I get some credit for that one, Wren,’ she muttered to herself as she swung across the final bars to safety.
Cal and Kipp surged for her, pulling her into a near-smothering embrace.
Cal was shaking his head in disbelief. ‘What in the name of all the gods was that?’ ‘Soot root powder,’ she replied. ‘I’ve been harvesting those roots since I could hold a trowel.
Nice to see the product in action for a change.’ She lifted her shirt to examine the damage. A decent gash ran parallel to the scar Seb had given her. Though it wasn’t as deep as the stab wound had been, it burned something fierce. ‘Are you alright?’ Kipp asked, catching her grimace and trying to peer over her shoulder at the wound. ‘Just a scratch,’ she assured him, tucking her shirt back into the waist of her pants and scanning the terrain ahead for the birds. ‘There!’ she shouted, surging forward, her pain and her attackers forgotten as the flock circled nearby. The pulse of power called to her again. ‘It’s close,’ Cal murmured. ‘I can feel it humming.’ Ahead, the huge black birds gathered on the rocks, some flitting back to the sky.
Thea held up her fist to signal the others to halt, crouching behind a thorny bush for cover.
Then she saw it. The totem, glinting in a pair of claws amidst a blur of feathers, skybound. ‘Cal, your bow,’ she said, holding out her hand.
‘Do you want me to shoot?’ he offered.
Thea hesitated. ‘It would be my honour, Thea. You saved my life. Twice now. Let me do this for you,’ he urged her, hand on heart.
There was no denying that Cal was the better archer, his skills were next to none with a bow, she’d seen him defy the odds, seen him make countless impossible shots, but…
Althea Nine Lives was not without her own abilities, and she knew that to own that totem with pride, she had to win it herself. ‘Thank you,’ she told Cal. ‘But I can make it.’ Nodding, he handed her the bow.
Hardly taking her eyes from her target, the glint of metal still glimmering in the sun above, Thea gripped the weapon, fitting an arrow to the bowstring and taking aim.
She centred herself.
One shot, that was all she’d have.
You could have Cal do it, the little voice said at the back of her mind, but she pushed it aside and drew her arm back.
Another voice filled her head then. ‘You need to give it more power than that…’ Wilder whispered in the shell of her ear.
Thea did, her arms, her shoulders, her back straining as she drew the arrow further back, her gaze narrowing in on that single black bird who held her totem. ‘Now.’ She whispered the word as Hawthorne had said it to her, and she released the bowstring.
The arrow sliced through the air, a perfect line.
A shriek sounded.
Then, the bird was falling from the sky.
It hit the ground with a thud a few yards away and Thea ran to it.
Dropping to her knees, she extricated the totem from the dead bird’s claws, holding it between her fingers, unable to quite believe she’d finally done it. ‘That was some shot,’ Cal said from behind her.
Thea looked up at her two friends, both now wearing their totems on their arms. ‘We did it…’ she whispered.
Both young men knelt beside her, arms wrapping around her. ‘We did,’ Kipp said, grinning.
They stayed there for a moment, as though they needed a minute to let the reality sink in. Thea felt emotion thick in her throat and she scolded herself, now was not the time for tears. ‘We’re all okay,’ Kipp was muttering. ‘We’ve all got totems…’ At last, they broke apart. ‘Good,’ Thea laughed, strapping her warrior totem to her arm. ‘Now let’s get the fuck back to Thezmarr.’ The trio gathered themselves and went to the edge of the isle to survey their options. They had travelled several islands out and the distance between them and the Bloodwoods on the other side was now considerable. ‘How do we want to do this?’ Thea yearned to be back on Thezmarrian soil, longed for their victory to be solidified before the Guild Master.
Kipp grimaced as he peered over the ledge. ‘Well, we could go down and find a way across the rocks below…? It’s low tide now, the waves aren’t hitting as hard.’ Thea didn’t overly like the sound of that. Low tide or not, the seas beyond were unpredictable, they’d seen as much themselves only a few nights before. ‘You don’t want to risk it?’ Kipp guessed. ‘Not if we can help it,’ Thea admitted. ‘You didn’t see how quickly the storm changed the other night. We were lucky it retreated, but it could just as easily send a storm in to shatter us upon the rocks. Plus, I’m worried about time, it might take too long.’ ‘What about Thea’s idea from before?’ Cal said suddenly, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make
something on the other side.
Thea blinked. ‘Which was…?’ ‘I could shoot a rope across and get back that way. This time there’s not a waiting mob who might cut us down. Anyone over there has already made it, they already have their totems and they’re likely already drunk in the Great Hall.’ ‘I… I’m not sure I’ve got the upper body strength to climb across another obstacle.’ Thea admitted. The gash in her side was throbbing, as was the cut where the first arrow had nicked her and her arms were aching from the bow and previous climb. ‘Nor I,’ Cal replied, motioning to his bandaged viper bites. ‘But we won’t have to,’ Kipp said, his eyes brightening.
Thea could see his brilliant mind piecing the parts of his strategy together. ‘This particular island is higher than Thezmarr. If you shoot the rope to that ledge down there…’ Kipp pointed. ‘Then we can use our belts as hooks across the line and our weight to pull us down and across. Should take less than a minute each…?’ Cal seized Kipp around the neck and kissed the top of his head. ‘You’re a wonder, Kristopher,’ he declared. ‘I’m taken,’ Kipp said pointedly, wrenching himself from his friend’s grasp.
Between the three of them, their high spirits were utterly infectious. Unable to stop the wide grin spreading across her face, Thea turned to Cal. ‘Well, if you’d do the honours.’ Cal gave a mock bow. ‘It would be my pleasure.’ Heat radiated from Thea’s chest. She felt light as a feather, as though she could drift off into the air. They had done it, they had truly done it; they were Guardians of Thezmarr.
Kipp tied one end of the length of rope to one of the sturdier trees nearby and Thea checked his knot several times while Cal secured the other end to his arrow. ‘You saw the ledge I meant?’ Kipp asked. ‘You think that’s better than a tree in the Bloodwoods?’ Kipp nodded enthusiastically. ‘Those trees on the outskirts are Carraway Barks. It’s incredibly soft wood and its outer layers peel away and disintegrate. I’d be concerned it might not hold our weight. Plus, the ledge there, it’ll make the downward momentum easier. It’s a simple climb from there to the top. See?’ ‘I do indeed,’ Cal said, nocking his arrow to his bow.
Thea had to marvel at the strength that rippled through her friend as he drew the string back with
keen precision.
He let the arrow fly.
The three of them watched as it soared across the void between island and mainland.
The rope trailed after it and went suddenly taut.
Cal heaved on it, testing its hold. It hardly moved. He turned to them and grinned. ‘Who’s first?’ ‘You’re sure it’s strong enough?’ Thea ventured, giving the cable a hearty wrench herself. It felt solidly in place. ‘Well,’ Kipp said, puffing his chest out. ‘I’ll take one for the team and go first. So long as you promise to tell Milla about this.’ ‘Does that mean you’ll actually introduce us to her next time?’ Thea laughed.
Kipp checked his weapons and shield were secure and double checked the totem strapped to his arm before facing her. ‘No promises, Althea. Time is of the essence when the opportunity presents itself.’
Her friend undid his belt, and looping it over the rope, gave them a salute. ‘See you on the other side.’ Then he was soaring across the gorge, a shout of glee echoing in his wake.
There was a stunned silence before Cal shook his head. ‘Do you ever wonder if he’s a touch mad?’ he asked Thea, staring after Kipp, who was growing
smaller in the distance. ‘Only every so often…’ Cal laughed, then, seeing Kipp was safely across and already climbing to the top, he motioned to Thea. ‘Ladies first.’ With trembling fingers, Thea unbuckled her belt, abstractly hoping her pants didn’t fall down halfway across the chasm and fitted it to the rope, yanking down to once again test her weight.
With a final glance at the totem that now gleamed at her right bicep, she launched herself from the cliff.
The icy wind shocked her as it tangled in her braid and whipped her skin, but as Thea soared over the rocks and sea below, her eyes streamed with joy. Gripping her belt with all her might, she let out a wild laugh at the absurdity of it all.
She could hardly believe it. This was freedom. This was victory.
The ledge came into clear view and she braced herself to slow before she crashed into the cliff face. Her boots skidded across the stone and she dug her heels in, bringing herself to an abrupt stop.
She’d made it.
Looking back across to the Chained Islands, she could make out Cal’s figure. She gave him a wave with both hands before threading her belt back through the waist of her pants and starting up to the top of the cliff. It only took a few manoeuvres and then she was scrambling over the edge, Kipp’s firm hands hauling her up.
Together, they watched as Cal followed in their wake, soaring across the rope as well. Shortly after, he joined them on Thezmarrian soil and as the sun began to dip, the three of them looked out to what they had conquered; the Chained Islands, the initiation test… Ceremony or not, they were all Guardians of the guild now, protectors of the midrealms — A shout sounded from below.
They had their weapons drawn in an instant, Cal with his bow and arrow, Kipp and Thea with their swords.
They inched towards the edge of the cliff, to see none other than Sebastos Barlowe on the ledge
beneath.
Cal aimed his arrow at his face.
Seb visibly paled, looking around wildly for somewhere to take cover.
There was nowhere. He was exposed and at their mercy.
Thea glanced at Cal’s face and the rage that simmered there. ‘Cal…’ she said quietly.
She didn’t recognise the voice her friend used, dark and full of hatred. ‘Give me one reason why I shouldn't shoot this through the bastard’s eye.’ ‘Maybe you should,’ Kipp said, sword still raised. ‘He deserves it.’ Seb panted hard and fast, his hands were raised in surrender, his eyes squeezed shut. ‘Please…’ It came out a whisper. ‘If you don’t kill him, I will,’ Kipp growled.
Thea threw herself between her friends and the ledge. ‘Don’t,’ she heard herself say.
Cal baulked. ‘You know what he did, Thea… You saw us, what he —’ ‘I know,’ she said, her whole body wrought with tension as she held out her hands to implore them both. ‘He hurt me, too. But this isn’t you…’ ‘Suits me just fine,’ Cal replied, fury still surging in his gaze, his hands trembling around his bow. ‘No, it doesn’t,’ Thea told him, sheathing her sword. ‘This isn’t you, and you both know it.’ A beat of silence followed.
And then Kipp gave a heavy sigh. ‘She’s right, Cal…’ Below, Seb was still frozen in place, his wide eyes now watching them, suddenly calculating. ‘Cal…’ Thea said gently, reaching for him.
With a rage-filled roar, Cal shifted his bow and shot his arrow clean through Seb’s shoulder.
Falling to his knees, Seb screamed, the sound echoing off the cliffs as blood seeped from the wound. ‘You deserved a fate far more gruesome than that.’ Cal swore viciously and stormed off.
Kipp gave Thea a pained look and went after him.
But Thea lingered at the edge of the Thezmarrian cliff and crouched there, taking in the sight of Seb, who was clutching his bleeding shoulder, whimpering in pain. ‘Do not mistake our mercy for weakness,’ she told him, her voice cold. ‘When we beat you, everyone will be there to see you fall,’ she promised. ‘And that’s two life debts you now owe me.’ With that, she walked into the Bloodwoods to find her friends.
As the trees closed in around her, an icy shiver washed down her spine. It was enough to make her draw her sword again. ‘Cal?’ she called out. ‘Kipp?’ They couldn’t have gotten far.
She trekked deeper into the forest, sure she would hear their voices up ahead at any moment. ‘Cal? Kipp?’ she shouted again, her voice a little higher this time. ‘It’s not funny —’ No sooner than the words had left her lips, black shadows swept in and suddenly it was almost pitch-black.
A strange, guttural hiss pierced the silence and Thea leapt back, recognising the sound as the one that stalked her nightmares and the scent of burnt hair filled her nostrils.
She felt movement nearby, the hiss close enough to vibrate against her skin. Shaking, Thea inched
forward.
Blood sprayed.
Her blood.
