Page 112 of A Trial of the Heart

That was where I made my gravest error yet.

My balance wavered for less than a second, but that was all it took for the strength of the winds to slam into me with a forceful jolt. My foot slipped from underneath me, my hip colliding hard with the ice, and I slid over the edge. I reached out and clutched onto the pointed top, one hand on either side while I dangled helplessly over the deathly drop.

“Skylar!” Daxton roared below in sheer panic.

“I’ve got it,” I bellowed back toward the ground. “Don’t you dare come up here!”

“Then pull your ass back up and get on the course. And… don’t fucking fall,” he commanded, his stern voice echoing off the rocks along the cliffs.

You will not fall. You will not die today, I told myself.

Bending my arms, I swung my legs in place, gaining momentum to hook my foot and then my knee around the beam, interlocking my ankles to get a firm hold. Releasing one side of the bent peak, I wrapped my hands loosely on the other side, carefully sliding down the rest of the walkway toward the safety of the platform beneath the ladder.

Not wanting to waste the adrenaline rush, I jumped up to grab the bars, steadily climbing the angled ladder. My hands were freezing against the bite of the cold metal, but my grip refused to loosen. The musclesin my arms ached as I swung myself forward to the next bar and then the next. I refused to acknowledge my aching fatigue as I passed the halfway mark. I was so close to the end… Approximately another twenty feet and I would be safe. The winds howled as the cheers from below encouraged me to push forward. With one final surge of my remaining strength, I grabbed the last bar with both hands and swung myself through the open air down onto the stone. I landed on my feet, rolling forward into a somersault before springing up and climbing to the fourth obstacle.

I dared a glance down at my hands to see openings at the base of my fingers from the friction of the obstacle on my skin. The bleeding wounds would sting, but the pain would be well worth the reward. I clenched my fists tightly, willing the bleeding to stop. I knew if I wrapped my hands, I would lose my grip on the metal rings in the next task.

Foolishly, I looked down the sheer drop that separated the opposing sides as I approached the edge of the stairs. Fear caused cadets to fall here but not me. Without overthinking my plan, I stepped back, bracing myself with one deep breath, and jumped out over the drop. I gritted my teeth against the sting of the ring on my hands. Kicking my feet forward, I swung my legs back and forth until I had enough momentum to let go. After flying through the air, I landed on the other side and, most importantly, safely.

One more left, I told myself with a cunning grin.

I was now hundreds of feet off the ground, almost at the tallest point of the Ice Gauntlet with one final obstacle to conquer—the vertical wall. I gave myself as much room as I could, placing my back to the stone cliff face and crouching low. I had already passedthis test along the spine of the Nox Mountain… I could do this.

I used the mountain to my advantage, giving me an extra push forward and pumping my arms as fast as possible to turn my horizontal momentum into vertical. Every muscle in my body burned with fatigue. The speed required to complete each task tested my endurance and pushed me to new limits.

Don’t stop. Keep your feet moving until you can feel the edge with your fingers. Whatever you do, just don’t stop moving your feet until you have your grip.Daxton’s advice proved to be exactly right.

My feet kept moving, and even when I didn’t think I could move anymore, I forced myself not to stop. Stretching out my hand, my fingers danced along the edge of the wall and immediately latched on, with my other hand following suit. With my grip firm, I pulled myself half up, swinging my legs up to help me the rest of the way. I groaned as I rolled over the top, bending onto my knees, trying to catch my breath.

“I thought shifters were supposed to be faster than that,” Daxton’s voice caught me by surprise.

“I thought the Ice Gauntlet was warded so that no magic could be wielded inside the course,” I fired back over my shoulder.

“The outer steps and the surrounding area are not warded,” he said, his eyes shining with pride—the same look from when I first volunteered to be champion of the trials.

“I did it.” I breathed heavily with a wide grin as I stood up and ran into Daxton’s outstretched arms. He brushed his hand over my shoulder, and when I looked down, I saw the outline of a silver mountain peak appear on my black training clothes. “If I can do this,” I panted, “then…”

“There never was a doubt,” Daxton answered, knowing exactly what I meant.

I was readyfor the second trial.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Earning this silver mountain peak on my left shoulder might seem pointless to the outside world, but in my realm, it meant everything. This was my personal test to determine if I could defeat the second trial.

Idris and Adohan admitted they were exhausted from researching, and Idris threatened that if they didn’t get a break from the library and study duty just for one evening, we would all regret it. The look on Adohan’s face when Idris made her threat was priceless.

“Don’t you dare utter a sound,” Idris threatened. “This is … happening. I’ll sit on you if I must and not in the way that led us to this treasure growing in my belly.”

Sheer terror shone on her mate’s face as his fiery, very pregnant mate glowered at him with a dark, menacing stare.

Gunnar was happy to oblige Idris’s demands, with Zola surprisingly following his lead. I swear the Shadow Jumper never did anything I expected her to do, only adding to her shrouded facade of mystery. Castor was due back any day from his scouting mission on the Southern Sea Cliffs, and without his intel to help, all we could do waswait.

I wandered down the hallway to the sitting area that now doubled as the research station for our group. I managed to carry two bottles of wine in one hand, with a third tucked under my other arm. A corkscrew was stashed away in my pocket, and, of course, a snack of cheese and bread.

We were celebrating. And yes, I was ultimately forced into it by Gunnar’s persistence, but in the end, it didn’t take much.

“Come on. We have to celebrate! Ashifterpassed the Gauntlet!” Gunnar exclaimed. “I still can’t believe a shifter was able to do it, but yet, it happened.” I smacked him in the back of the head for that remark.

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