I push the thought aside and keep running. As planned, Gryphon slams into the base of the wall ready to hoist us up, but not without exchanging shoves with Ragnar first.
“Go back to your stage, Teller.” Sabra shoves my shoulder before charging on. I lose my footing and fall. My head slams hard onto the ice-coated earth. The edges of my vision darken.
Get up!Atlys commands.Now!
Boots charge around me, kicking up mud and snow. I’m going to get trampled if I don’t move! I push myself upward and run, ignoring the scrapes on my hands and hoping that my head isn’t seriously injured.
At the base of the wall, two teams are already almost over: the Humans and the Jord. Both Forest and River teams are struggling with tactics of how to climb the sloping wall. I watch as Leaf easily scales the wall to the top, followed by Kauri, a third-stone string bean of a cadet, leaving Artemis at the bottom, who can barely make it halfway. Leaf holds Kauri’s legs to try to reach Artemis, but he cannot make it high enough to catch her hands.
Ramona and the River team seem to be trying the same approach and not doing any better. I’m already panting when I reach Gryphon and Selene.
Gryphon stands wide with his back pressed against the base of the sloped wooden ramp. His boots slip on the hard packed iceas Selene scales up his body and onto his shoulders, then leans against the wall, extended hands waiting.
“Come on!” Selene yells from above.
Despite the chaos of this task, Gryphon is smiling, lip bloodied from his brawl with Ragnar. I step into his cupped hands and he lifts me to Selene, who offers me the same step. I climb, ascending until I’m standing on her shoulders.
I make the mistake of looking down and almost lose my balance. One small misstep and I’ll fall, not only hurting myself but also the chances of the Terraguard team winning. We need three people working together to climb this wall. Turning back to the wall, I pull myself over, then offer my hand to Selene. My bicep strains as I pull on her arms while she scales the wall, the snowfall making it harder for her to place each foothold.
“Hurry!” I grit out, pain ripping through my shoulder, the joint dangerously close to popping out. The relief is instant as she collapses onto the platform. Sweat freezes on my brow before it has a chance to drip.
“Move back!” Gryphon bellows as he jogs away from the base of the wall, then turns back and runs at full speed. Like a rushing bull, he charges at the wall, his momentum so fast he catches the edge of the upper lip with one hand and pulls himself over the ledge with ease.
“By the Goddess, Gryphon. No need to show off.” Selene rolls her eyes. “Grab me those planks, big guy.”
Ahead of us, two parallel ropes stretch across a wide trench. They are heavy and thick and coated with a light layer of snow from the relentless sky above. I try not to focus on the distance to the pit below. The chances of surviving the perilous drop are slim. My stomach flutters and my throat sticks as I swallow.
“Akemi, focus!” Selene is already working her way onto the ropes, setting the one of the three planks down perpendicularly before kneeling.
I follow her pattern with my plank, setting it down and kneeling. The breeze picks up, and my knees begin to tremble.
Remain outside yourself, aware, but connected to your mind’s eye. Do not let your fear overtake you.Atlys’s voice fills my head.
Gryphon joins from behind, his weight bending and pulling at the ropes. It takes all my concentration not to panic at the way my plank slid slightly in his direction.
Selene is focused and sharp. I always assumed she was more of a bookworm, but here, her years of training and strong lineage of Watchers is coming out in her commanding tone. “Gryph, get on with Akemi and pass me your plank.”
We only have three planks to work with, so Gryphon listens. His body arcs over mine like a turtle shell, then he hands the plank to Selene. She sets it down in front of her and slowly crawls ahead. I follow, then Gryphon joins me on my old plank, covering me once again. We follow this process again and again, making our way to the halfway point.
Screams erupt to my right, slicing through the wind. I whip my head toward the River team. Ramona and Leo are scrambling, wild-eyed, their focus locked on Lacerta dangling from the rope by one hand.
Her strawberry-blonde hair whips around her face in the screaming wind. Snow lashes her freckled cheeks, already flushed and raw. Her eyes, wide and wild with fear, lock onto her brother’s.
“LACERTA!” Leo’s voice cracks as he shouts her name, desperation scraping his throat raw.
Ramona inches forward behind him, trying to shift her plank closer. Every movement sends a ripple through the rope, and Lacerta jerks with each one, her body swinging helplessly over the abyss.
“HOLD ON! WE’RE COMING!” Leo pleads. His voice is no longer a command—it’s a cry, a promise he’s terrified he can’t keep.
Lacerta’s fingers slip, then catch. Her knuckles are white, trembling. She glances toward Gryphon just for a second, and then back at Leo. Something in her face changes. The terror falls away. What’s left is quiet. Acceptance.
“No,” Leo breathes, shaking his head. “No, no, no. Don’t you dare—”
Her hand slips.
She falls.
Her scream is brief, swallowed by the wind.
