One more obstacle. Can’t stop now.
I forced myself to my feet, my legs weak. Small rocks slipped from beneath my boots and rolled down the steep slope to the ground below as I stood, trying to regain my bearings. God, I was exhausted, my heart racing.
So close. I was so fucking close I could almost taste it as I lifted my gaze to the next obstacle. My boot slipped on the rock as I pushed myself up, the exhaustion wearing me down, and my hands shot out as I narrowly caught myself against the steep, slick, stony path up the mountain, my knees trembling, my body exhausted. I panted, my throat dry, icy air burning my lungs.
“You’ve got this, Cas!” Vincent called out from below.
“Don’t give up; you’re almost there!” Sasha shouted, cheering me on as she, Zach, and Liam watched amidst the small crowd of recruits, waiting for their turn to complete the course.
I came to a stop at the top of the path, and my eyes fell on the gap a few feet ahead of me: the last obstacle I needed to clear to complete the course. It was symbolic of the gaps between rooftops we would have to clear while on patrol. It was easily six feet, and my heart plummeted as I fought the urge to let my gaze fall to the thirty-foot drop if I missed. It wouldn’t be a free fall, but the roll down the mountainside would be painful, to say the least. I’d watched the recruit before me crash into the ledge when he misjudged the distance and rolled down the mountainside. He’d broken a few ribs and was being seen by the medic stationed at The Outpost.
“You’re holding up the line,” Aiden called from below, his arms folded across his broad chest as he watched with a bored expression. I ignored him, not sure why he was so impatient—it wasn’t as if he was running the course.
“Don’t be such a dick!” Sasha said, elbowing him, to which he gave her warning glare.
“Ignore him, Cas. You’ve got this!” Damien shouted from across the gap, his worried eyes locked on me. A smile curved my lips at how, despite his worry, he let me do this on my own. He never held me back despite my limitations, always pushed me forward. I loved that about him, appreciated it more than I could put into words.
Icy air burned my lungs as I paused for a breath, bracing myself against my knees.
You can do this. Just don’t fucking look down!
I readied myself as I stood at the very edge of the run. With maybe four or five feet of path before me, there wasn’t much room to get a good running start, but immortals didn’t need as much of a start as a human would. They were designed for this—stronger, faster. All of them came into recruitment training stronger than I was, even after the weeks of training I’d endured. It was infuriating.
Can you handle a second fall?The voice slithered across my thoughts.
“And here I was thinking I’d finally get some peace and quiet,” I muttered, trying not to let fear take root.
“Don’t second guess it!” Damien said from the other side, and I didn’t miss the look of fear in his eyes. “Hesitation gets you killed in the field!”
He was right. I couldn’t hesitate, couldn’t second guess. I was done second guessing myself. No more delaying. I drew a deep breath and leapt into a run, pebbles and rocks crunching and slipping beneath my boots as I sprinted for the gap. It seemed to stretch, growing impossibly wider than I could possibly jump as I drew closer, and my heart fell into the pit of my stomach.
I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t do this. Shit, I was going to fall.
“Don’t stop!” Damien shouted, taking a step forward, his eyes widening.
My heart stuttered, my boot hitting the stone path one final time before I pushed through the fear and leapt. Wind rushed around me, and I gasped as I went airborne, my arms stretching out, as if I could somehow propel myself forward.
Shit. Shit!
Air burst from my lungs as I slammed into the ledge, narrowly avoiding my ribs crashing into the edge. I grunted as I scrambled to get ahold of something, anything, but my fingers only slipped on the solid stone, smaller rocks breaking free of the path and failing me. No matter what I did, my fingers slipped, the rocks slick from the morning dew. Fuck, why did we do this when everything was fucking wet? A gasp burst from my lips as I slid farther, unable to find anything solid. I was going to fall. Oh God, I was going to fall.
No. No. No!
My arms folded over the edge, my teeth gritting together as I managed to get a grip. A cacophony of shouts erupted below me as the other recruits cheered me on.
Damien took a step forward but held himself in place, his jaw clenching as he watched. He couldn’t help; Iwouldn’tlet him help. I’d made that clear before we started this course: I would complete it on my own, and only when I failed could he intervene.
My boots scraped across the stone as I fought to pull myself up, and Damien drew a sharp breath as my grip slipped once more, but I narrowly caught myself. I grunted as I found a space in the rock to wedge my toe into, and I climbed up and over the ledge before collapsing onto my back as I drew in deep breaths.
Damien and Zephyr rushed to my side, sliding to their knees as they checked me over.
“I did it,” I panted, a smug grin tugging at my lips, my chest heaving. “I...” I drew another deep gasp. “I did it.”
“You fucking did it,” Damien said, pride lighting his eyes as he held out his hand to help me up.
“I thought we’d be rushing you to the medic,again,” Zephyr admitted as we walked through the forest after our lunch break. “I think I stopped breathing when you almost fell from that ledge.”
I huffed a laugh. “It wasn’t like I would’ve died.”
