Page 31 of Villainous Fate

“Uh, yeah. Sure,” I respond, trying to shake off the feeling of insecurity I’ve spent the last week fighting against.

I’m an Alpha. I deserve to be here as much as they do.

He takes the paper, reading over it with a crease between his brow as I struggle to figure out the first riddle.

Something you give someone but also keep?

Sounds like a shitty gift if you ask me. Taking back a gift you gave. My fingers fiddle with my pack, removing my water again to busy my hands. My eyes look back at him, and I notice his lips are pursed in a thin line.

He’s struggling with these, too.

My confidence creeps back in, and I straighten my spine, reveling in the fact that I wasn’t the only one who didn’t understand these riddles. The feeling leaves me just as quickly as it comes, though, because if he doesn’t know and I don’t know, how will we win the advantage?

“I think I know two and five, but I’m struggling with the other three,” he states, lifting his gaze to me. “Any idea on those?” he asks.

Shit. No. None.

“Still trying to work them. Puzzles and Riddles really aren't my thing.” I admit, clenching my jaw at the weakness it shows.

He nods, attempting to hand the paper back to me before responding.

“We’ll figure it out, Cap. According to the map, we have another few miles to go. Let’s move along, and we can talk through the lines as we go. Sound good?” he offers, a hint of a smile lifting on one side of his face. It’s almost…friendly.

“Yeah, sounds like a plan. I’ll take point so you can focus on the riddles,” I answer, not taking the paper back from him and stepping past him back on the line we were walking.

“Ok… let's start with number three…” he begins as we begin moving toward our destination. “Fragile as glass, but also strong as steel…”

Chapter 19

Deacon

Rattlingofftheriddlesline by line added some insight. Puzzles were always fun for me, though I never thought this would be a determining factor in my Alpha ranking. I got riddle two without any trouble. Seven. I’d seen it before. Riddle five seemed obvious enough. Fate. The others were tougher to untangle.

We talked about some of the key lines in three. Fragile but strong, so it’s probably not an actual item. Earned with care, maybe a ranking or title. But it was the line about being broken by betrayal that got us to trust.

Number three is done.

My first guess, for one, was love, but you don’t keep love, at least not in my experience. So, that felt like it should be something else. A secret, maybe? Would they be the ones who have to keep it?

“Could one be a promise?” Stone's voice interrupts my thoughts, and I look back at the question. Something you keep after you give it away.

A promise. Genius.

“Yeah, I think it could.” My eyes flip up in time to see him stand a little straighter, a half smile lifting his mouth. Mine mimics the action. “So we have a promise, seven, trust, and fate so far.”

He steps over a downed tree trunk that’s easily three feet wide and continues glancing at the map pieces as he goes.

I return my attention to the next clue while keeping an eye on the route to ensure we don’t end up turned around.

“Looks like we have about two miles to go. Think we should figure this last one out before we continue any further?” he asks, turning back to face me. “We wouldn’t want anyone at camp overhearing our options.”

He has a point, and I look up to the sky, trying to determine what time it is or how long we’ve been at this. Based on the shadows beginning to form and the greying sky, I’d guess it is around five o’clock. The sun must have just fallen behind the mountain, and its rays will slowly disappear altogether.

We have about forty-five minutes of light left.

We need to hurry.

“Yeah, let’s pull a little farther off the trail if we are going to talk this out in one place,” I offer, nodding my head before following him to a more secluded area.

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