Page 58 of Once the Skies Fade

She tucked the medallion into her pocket and pulled out another, this one a black vial attached to a gold chain.

“A dozen pendants similar to this one have also been hidden somewhere in the woods. While these are worth no points, they provide immunity from the forest’s dangers, but not from one another.”

A couple of the Arenysen males—Aric and Fritz, I believed—turned to sneer at me over their shoulders. Apparently Isa had been right about my being a target. I winked, and as expected, they looked at each other, bewilderment plain on their faces. I returned my attention to Isa.

“You must remain in the forest until sundown. And yes, we do have guards stationed around the perimeter to enforce this rule; anyone who steps out of the wood’s bounds—including to arrive back here early—will be deemed in violation of their oath and promptly executed.”

Beside me, young Beck gulped loudly, and had I not shared his apprehension, I might have laughed.

“To keep things as fair as possible, you will each be supplied with a pair of daggers and a compass. Any personal weapons you have on you must be turned in. These will be returned to you upon completion of the trial. The sun will be rising shortly. Please step forward to receive your weapons and entry point assignment.”

At this, a valet from the castle staff stepped forward from behind the general and lifted the crate in his arms so the generalcould select the weapons as each of us approached. My stomach flipped and twisted like a fish struggling to return to water. Isa hadn’t described the specific dangers the forest itself posed. Did everyone here know of its enchantment? Did they know what to expect? Did any of us?

Not my problem.

Get in. Get the medallion. Get out.

That’s all you need to do.

Positioned at various locations along the castle’s entry road, we all stared into the forest’s darkness, periodically checking the horizon opposite the castle’s entrance for the first sign of the sun. The Arenysen general, mounted on a black horse, paced up and down the line, ready to give the call to begin at any moment. Standing halfway down on the north side of the road, I waited between Oryn and Graham, who stood fifty yards on either side of me, to my right and left, respectively.

Remembering Calla’s warning, I had sheathed both of my daggers at my belt. Graham appeared to be the only other one to have done the same, which was to be expected, I supposed. As advisor to the crown, he would certainly know the ins and outs of this forest and its enchantment. I anxiously tapped the handle of one of mine, waving my other hand discretely to catch Oryn’s attention. Gesturing to my stowed weapon, I hoped he’d understand my advice, but his face twisted in confusion. He was still holding one of his weapons in his hand when the first slice of sunlight kissed the horizon.

“It begins!” Isa bellowed, easing her horse into a trot as she passed down the line of competitors.

I held my breath as I stepped forward, as if that might keep the woods from noticing my intrusion. The dense tree limbs immediately blocked out what little sunlight there was, blanketing me in an eerie darkness that tugged at the hairs on my neck and trailed icy whispers up my spine. As I moved deeper into the forest, I could hear the vines begin to crawl along the earth, following me.

A scream rent the still air, startling me, but it was somewhere in the distance, on the other side of the forest. I winced when it was abruptly cut short, not letting myself wonder who had just died. Watching both the ground for obstacles—and murderous plant life—and the branches for signs of the pendants, I made my way painfully slowly through the trees, but at least I kept moving. At this time of year, we would have a good thirteen hours before we could return to the castle. I tried not to think about how difficult it would be to stay in motion for that long—and even then, there was no guarantee that strategy would work the whole time.

Still, it was the best plan I had until I could find one of those vials.

The thick foliage made it nearly impossible to hear anything beyond my own heartbeat. No insects chirped. No birds cried out. There was nothing but the soft thud of my boots against the leaves and dirt.

A flash of movement to my right yanked my attention around, and my hand flew instinctively to my weapon, but I didn’t draw it.

I stalked forward, my eyes surveying my surroundings, watching for another sign of whatever prowled nearby.

Lengthening my breaths to quiet them, I listened.

There. Something to my right. A low growl rumbled.

Tightening my grip around my dagger’s handle, I ducked under low branches and crept slowly toward the sound.

A dull thumping sound hit my ears, and I froze for the briefest of moments to listen closer.

That wasn’t some beast growling, but someone groaning, struggling.

Shoving aside the fronds of a large fern, I darted around a large tree and stopped short.

A pair of feet hovered half a meter above the ground, heels hitting a massive tree’s trunk as the male struggled to free himself, but his movements were slowing. Glancing higher, I caught Oryn’s frantic gaze and blanched face. Thorned vines, twisted together like the strands of a barbed rope, wound around his neck and squeezed tighter with each attempt he made to free himself. His bloodied hands—now empty—clawed at the vines as he grunted from the exertion, but he was quickly losing the strength to keep his arms lifted.

I pulled my dagger and with a flick of my wrist sent it flying toward the vine. The blade sliced through a couple of the strands, leaving only one. His body fell a few centimeters, but he never reached the ground, as three more vines shot down from the branches above to take the place of those I’d severed.

I needed to get up there and cut him free.

“Stay awake,” I ordered, but Oryn’s eyes were already fluttering closed, his movements growing weaker and weaker.

A thick branch jutted out from the tree directly above Oryn, and I darted forward, retrieving my dagger from where it had fallen into the leaves on my way. Placing my blade carefully between my teeth, I scrambled up the tree as fast as I could, cursing with every slip of my foot and every piece of bark that broke away under my grip.

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