Page 65 of Golden Star

The flicker of warmth I’d felt toward him vanishes, replaced by the familiar surge of anger I feel every time he says something harsh and arrogant.

Which is admittedly most of the time.

“If you think I’ll give you the pleasure of watching me suffer, you’ll be waiting a long time,” I tell him.

“Survive if you can,” he replies. “But the trials are designed to leave you broken. Mentally, and physically, as you’ll discover if your body snaps at the bottom of that ravine.”

“Then you’ll be disappointed when I don’t break.” I lean forward, trying to see the man who recounted the story about his mother while saving my life.

There’s nothing.

He’s still the same smug, manipulative prick.

One who would apparently prefer me to die where he can see it instead of in the depths of a frozen lake.

Sapphire

We sitaround the fire for about an hour to warm up.

The knights stand in a circle around us, ensuring we don’t make a run for it. Riven doesn’t say another word to me.

Zoey doesn’t talk, either. I think she’s in shock after everything we’ve been through. Especially after thinking I drowned in a lake and left her alone in this crazy realm where she’s weak and vulnerable simply for being human.

“Let’s go,” Riven eventually commands his knights. “The ravine awaits.”

They lead us through the forest, the air thick with the chill of ice magic, and the trees around us shimmering with frost. The path twists and turns, leading us deeper into the woods, until we reach a cliff that drops into a deep, jagged ravine.

A long wooden bridge, slick with an icy layer of snow, stretches what must be at least one hundred feet across to the other side.

Riven, who now has the key, uses it to open the bridge’s gate.

“You three,” Riven commands, looking to three of his knights. “Go. We’ll stay here to make sure they don’t run back.”

The knights stride onto the bridge, their boots gliding over the surface with practiced ease. The one ordered to stay behind is the one Riven was telling the story about his mother to back at the lake.

Riven remains by the gate. He’s leaning against the post, with Ghost beside him, his silver eyes locked on mine as if daring me to show fear.

I don’t give him the satisfaction.

The three knights easily reach the other side, and Riven gestures for Zoey and me to follow.

“Your turn,” he says, cold and mocking, stepping to the side to allow us space to begin. “Try not to fall. It’d be a shame to end this so soon—when we still have the hunt ahead of us.”

I grit my teeth, a breeze blowing through my hair.

I won’t die here.

Neither will Zoey.

“It’s icy,” she says, already examining the start of thebridge.“Reallyicy. We’re not going to be able to walk across it without slipping.”

“Yes—that’s what it seems like,” I agree, my heart rising into my throat as I gaze across the rickety bridge to the other side of the ravine.

“I’ve walked across ice before,” she says, talking quickly as she gathers her thoughts. “I was skiing with my family, and one of the days was so icy, it was impossible to walk through town without slipping everywhere. We had to attach external cleat things to our boots. They gave us extra grip on the ice.”

“And how’s that supposed to help us now?” I ask. “We weren’t exactly given survival bags with cleat attachments in them as a parting gift.”

“Which is why we need to improvise,” she says. “I can carve notches into the bottom of our boots, like treads. Then you can use your magic to freeze water into those grooves—something that’s not smooth, but sharp. Like icicles.”

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