Page 144 of Powerless


Font Size:

I see the shadows of figures lined all around us. Awaiting us. The Sights watch as we scramble to the top, breathless and beaded with sweat, starving and exhausted.

Exhilarated.

We’ve done it.

I drag myself over the edge, Andy clinging to me fiercely. Only my dignity forces me to my feet, though fatigue threatens to cripple me.

“We did it,” Braxton exhales beside me as we all stand, stunned. The plateau is a large slab of uneven rock and dirt, stretching far wider than it appears from below. I look around, scanning my surroundings, spotting dozens of Sights dotting the peak.

Then my eyes sweep over a tall, wooden pole, buried into the ground at the far end of the peak. A green, battered flag hangs at its top, whipping in the wind.

What new game is this?

Movement stirs in the corner of my eye, and I squint in the dim light to focus on the figures climbing up the opposite side of the plateau, joining us. And despite the darkness, I know exactly who they are.

Jax. Ace. Paedyn.

We all stare at each other, each group stunned and still.

A Sight steps forward, his voice clear as he reads a message off the tattered paper in his hand. “We are glad you learned to work as one, but oh, this Trial is not done. The rules of the game have changed a bit, so the first to capture the flag will win it.” He clears his throat before continuing, “There can only be one winner among you. The only question iswho?”

Silence.

Stillness.

His words sink in, seeping their way into my brain. I shouldn’t be surprised. This will make for great entertainment, watching us work together only to tear each other apart in the end.

Because it was too easy, despite how very difficult it was to reach the top of Plummet. And I should know by now that there is always a catch, always a price. My own father taught me that.

We all stare at each other, eyes shifting between our competition and the ragged flag that has suddenly become so vital to our victory.

And then we turn on one another.

Chaos.

ChapterForty-Three

Paedyn

Darkness and destructionare all I know. The two groups crash together, powers clashing, shouts cutting through the night. But when my eyes find his in the dim light, I don’t hesitate before my fist collides with his jaw.

Ace stumbles back, stunned by the force and fury I packed into the punch. I smile at the sight. I’ve been itching to do that all day.Every day.

The fight around us falls away. All I see is him and the red blurring my vision, the cause of both blood and rage morphing together.

I’m going to kill him.

My foot sinks into his stomach, forcing the air from his lungs before I throw a jab at his nose, feeling it crack with sickening delight. My body is my only weapon. I have no knives, no bow, no swords to hide behind. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I want to do this with my bare hands.

I’m almost impressed by how twisted and talented the king is at putting on a show. He knew that we went into this Trial hoping to get revenge and instead told us to work together. So our enemies became our teammates. But now, the king is giving us and the people what they want.

We are tearing each other apart.

Ace has finally caught his breath, panting as he smirks up at me, hands resting on his knees. “Oh, you’ve just been waiting to do that, haven’t you?”

“Ever since that coach ride to the castle, actually,” I say, remembering how I disliked him even then, even before he attempted to kill me. Twice.

“Well, I’ve never really liked you much either,” he spits as blood streams from his nose and drips down to his chin. I move, aiming to send a kick cracking into his temple, but I’m suddenly shrouded in darkness. It’s as though he’s thrown a heavy blanket over my head, smothering the light around me.