Page 129 of Kingdom of Shadows and Wings

The first strike fizzles out too quickly. So does the second. By the third attempt, panic has set in. This time, the sparks ignite into a blaze. The shrieking is so terrible that I clap my palms over my ears. After a brief reprieve, I push more magic into the branches. A pungent odor of woodsmoke mixed with char envelops us. We dodge the crispy, blackened bits that rain down from overhead. I flick one Olive couldn’t avoid off her shoulder. The trees finally admit defeat and retreat, freeing up enough space for us to leave.

Abel dusts his pants off and grins. “Well, that was a real hoot. Remind me to never go hiking or fishing or honestly, do anything outdoorsy ever again. Crocheting and finger painting. Those are my new hobbies.”

When I climb into the saddle, fatigue sinks into my bones. I want nothing more than to hole up with Zephyr somewhere and take a long nap. “Are we done yet?”

“You wish.”

As the rest of my team mounts, Olive starts giggling again.

Nick groans. “Do I want to know what you’re laughing about now?”

Olive gasps her reply. “D-death by asshole t-tree. Th-there’s no t-telling what a p-pissed off tree will do.”

She loses her shit, collapsing onto Nova’s neck as she sobs with laughter. Abel joins in next. My lips start twitching, and next thing I know, I’m giggling too.

Nick’s the last man standing, but even he can’t keep a straight face. “You guys have all lost it.”

We take to the air, thankful for the transient palate cleanser. I only hope we can find the humor in the rest of the day’s challenges.

The next map leads us to a snowman-shaped boulder located at the bottom of a tree-lined ravine. Soaring in, we manage to skirt the magical cyclone by using our flying skills alone. Abel makes short work of grabbing the next map, and we take to the air in no time.

We find and claim our box with surprisingly little trouble beyond dodging a stray weapon here and there and a fire trap that Olive, Nick, and Abel combined their elements to overcome.

The trouble strikes during the home stretch, as we close in on what we believe is the finish line.

Chapter Forty-Six

The attack comes out of nowhere. One moment, we’re laughing at one of Abel’s stupid jokes as we skim over the treetops just outside campus with the arena in sight. The next, three alicorns burst from the trees carrying Elijah, Mark, and Milton on their backs. Elijah sits atop his dark mount and nocks an arrow.

Nick screams. “Evade!” The command alerts our flight unit of an impending enemy attack and instructs us to take any measure necessary to avoid a direct hit.

I steer Zephyr into a steep dive between two tall trees, my adrenaline pumping. Elijah is hard on our tail. Straightening out, we zigzag through the forest. There’s not much room to work with, but flying in a straight line is just asking to get hit. Wind slaps my cheeks, and despite the fact that I loathe the idea of Elijah winning by marking us with dye with every fiber in my body, exhilaration tingles my skin. Hard to believe after my rocky start, but I love flying. The freedom, the thrill. All of it.

A sudden stinging pain in my back makes me gasp. At first, I think Elijah hit me, but no. This stinging pain runs beside both shoulder blades.

The temporary distraction gives Elijah his chance. Only instinct and a faint whooshing help me avoid the arrow. I yank Zephyr into a sharp turn, banking left and diving at the same time. I glance over my shoulder and watch the arrow embed itself in a tree trunk.

Ice crawls across my skin. The arrowembeddedwhen it should have struck and fallen to the ground. That’s no blunted, trial-issued weapon.

The fucker is cheating and using real arrows.

Closer to the ground, the foliage becomes denser. Zephyr’s wings clip the branches, jerking me in the saddle.

A fiery burn explodes along my left bicep. One glance confirms that an arrow sticks out of my sleeve. It’s lodged in my arm, but I don’t think it’s very deep. More of a graze considering the arrowhead feels like it’s hanging on by the skin of its teeth. Bracing myself, I take a risk and yank it out. My arm hurts like hells but I don’t feel my muscle tear, thank goodness.

Okay. Now I’m pissed.

From somewhere up above, I hear a pained cry. My stomach plummets. Olive.

Nick yells. “Return to formation!”

I keep zigzagging to avoid another hit, giving Zephyr his head now that he knows what I want and ducking my own to avoid branches. I know Nick’s command means regroup as soon as possible, but I won’t lead Elijah up so he can attack another member of my team. My mind races as I consider and discard options. I could hit Elijah with fire, but I don’t have eyes in the back of my head, and that could get out of hand. As much as I hate him, I’m not quite ready to char him to a crisp.

My arrows are useless. Unlike him, I played by the rules.

That leaves only one possibility. Something I’ve never tried and don’t even know for sure I can do.

Zephyr and I make a hard right just as something whizzes past my left ear. I catch a glimpse of a small silver object disappearing into the forest. My pulse quickens. That scum-sucking cheat has throwing stars too.

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