Page 210 of On Wings of Blood

I clutched her shoulders to brace her as she landed and she gasped.

I shook my head. Despite our history, I had to admire her tenacity. Visha was tough as nails. Behind her, the platform she had just been standing on was descending once more.

Visha was shaking her head. “You don’t look so great, Pendragon. What the hell did you do to yourself?”

I pushed my hair off my face. “I must have been drugged. We all were, weren’t we?”

“Some of us more than others from the look of it.” She eyed me up and down, then shook her head. “That fucking bitch Regan. She must have paid someone off. No wonder it took you so long to come out. Evander wanted us to move on and in another minute we would have.”

I glanced across at where the tall pale young man stood. I didn’t really blame him. He just wanted to survive.

“What you’re doing right now–helping me. Isn’t that cheating? Won’t you both get into trouble?”

“Funny, now that’s what Evander said,” Visha replied. “You worried about us, Pendragon? How sweet. So you’d rather I didn’t cheat to save your life?” She shrugged. “I mean, it’s a little late now. Shall we get moving?”

I gripped her hand and together we leaned forward. The next platform rose up.

We jumped for it.

“Steady,” Visha shouted as I lurched forward abruptly, dizziness clouding my vision. “Get it together, Pendragon.” She swore under her breath, but didn’t let go of me.

“I’m sorry,” I gasped as I staggered upright.

She swore again, muttering something about Regan, then glanced across the gorge at where Evander was watching us. He’d started pacing, his hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers.

“You’d better get ready to catch her,” she shouted across the gap. “You hear me, Evander?”

The pale blond-haired boy nodded tersely and stepped a little closer to the edge of the cliff.

“We’re running out of time,” Visha said tightly. “Let’s go.”

She yanked me forward and I took the next jump with her, stumbling only slightly.

We slammed onto the next platform. I fell to my knees.

“Are you going to let her get away with this?” Visha asked, looking down at me and shaking her head.

“Who? Regan?” I said breathlessly. “What choice do I have?”

“Blake must be so pissed,” she muttered. She grabbed my hand. “Get ready. Last one.”

We leaned forward together and the next platform rose up in front of us.

I focused hard, trying to clear the fog from my head.

We jumped onto the final platform. Evander leaned forward, his hands extended.

“Come on,” he said gruffly, nodding to me. “Take my hand.”

I grabbed onto him gratefully and Visha and I stepped across the crevice onto solid ground.

Behind us the pillars remained in their ascended position for a few moments longer. Then they began to shake and rumble. Within a few seconds, they had crumbled into the gorge below.

I sank down onto the damp earth, taking deep breaths.

“Well, that’s that,” Visha said, looking down at the gorge.

“So cheating is allowed? Or tolerated?” I glanced at her and Evander. They both seemed fine. Not shaky on their feet. I knew the effects of whatever drug I’d been given would eventually wear off. But if Visha hadn’t been there, I would have been screwed. What had Professor Wispwood thought? Had she tried to wake me to no avail? Then I had an awful thought. What if she’d been the one who’d administered it? Could facultydothat? “You won’t be punished for helping me?”

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