Page 59 of Bonded to the Fallen Shadow King

Heartbeat pounding in my ears, I grabbed the leather straps at my sides and braced one of my shoulders against the column I’d chosen, then swung my discs around opposite sides of the pillar in a fast arc. The metal clanged as the two discs twisted together on the other side of the column and locked into place through the tension of the leather. I jerked the straps tight and used them for leverage to haul myself upward, like a makeshift tree-climbing belt.

The leather had enough length for me to lean back and brace my feet against the column as well. The column’s surface scratched at my wrists and forearms, and the scaly stone grated against my feet as I climbed.

A horrible thought occurred to me.How the hell do I avoid the mouths?

The discs couldn't be removed until the trial was over or I completed it, so hopefully that meant the mouths couldn't bite through the leather straps. If I could avoid sticking my foot in one, maybe I’d be okay.

I inched toward the nearest mouth, its lips peeling back to reveal the fishhook-like line of curved teeth. My breath hitched. Those teeth didn’t just bite—they caught. If I yanked away, they’d shred me. "Hold on, Deallan!"

The discs creaked as I leaned my weight into the climb and searched for traction with my feet. The mouth was now a foot away and moving toward me again, grinding against the stone as it opened wider, hungry.

How the fuck were they moving? It had to be some sort of freaky-ass fae magic.

Above me, Deallan screamed, driving me to climb faster.

My hearing tunneled as a wetsnaprang through the tower.

Deallan’s entire hand was crushed between those horrible teeth. Blood sprayed her column, splattering in a violent arc.

I was still a few feet short of reaching her, but I lunged upward, discs scraping the stone as I shifted my weight. I braced one foot as best I could and tried to reach out to her with the other. "Grab my foot, Deallan!"

Deallan lost her grip on the column and pitched backward. She hovered in midair, one arm handless, blood trailing behind her like a ribbon. Then she fell straight down, grabbing for my foot but missing.

Her scream cut off as she splashed into the pit.

The water erupted, thick with sludge and rot, and creatures surged over her. Leeches wriggled like black ribbons around her limbs. Crabs climbed her torso, snapping and tearing. The water churned, red blooming through the mist as her body thrashed once—then stopped.

I clung to my column, bile rising in my throat, the slick of sweat and blood on my palms threatening my grip. My leg pulsed with every heartbeat, pain growing stronger with each second. Tears ran down my cheeks, and I had to force myself to look away.

Another person I’d failed.

A mouth groaned open beside me. I shifted higher, muscles shaking, the discs slipping slightly. The leather bit into my fingers, but I adjusted the tension and kept moving.

One mistake, and I’d join her.

I climbed, shifting the straps higher inch by inch. Strain crept into my limbs like rot, causing each movement to hurt worse than the last. The discs groaned under my weight, and the stone raked against my skin, leaving raw red marks behind.

Ceana clung to her column, frozen. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Her gaze remained locked on the pit below, where Deallan had fallen to her death.

A lump formed in my throat. “Keep moving!”

Her fingers barely twitched. I couldn’t reach her from here. If she didn’t snap out of it soon, she was going to die.

“Briar,” Kaylen called. Her voice was barely audible from above. “You shouldn’t keep going. The crabs and leeches will attack again soon, and Rhielle is helpless over there. You need to protect her. Do you want one of your friends to die when you could save her?”

A hard knot formed in my stomach. Kaylen was right. I shouldn’t have left Rhielle.

“Feck off, bitch!” Rhielle’s face reddened with anger. “Briar, if you come get me and let Kaylen finish first, I’ll kill you myself!”

That lit something in my blood. She was right. Kaylen was manipulating me, and worse, I was letting her.

My wolf surged. Hot. Focused. Wild.

I bared my teeth and moved the discs up the other side of the column again, aiming to position the leather strap across one of the gnashing mouths. It gaped, already twisting toward me. I jerked the strap tight and pressed my leg against the anchored discs, climbing with every scrap of force I had left.

The mouth chomped, gnawed, and gagged on the leather, its teeth clacking uselessly against the strap. It couldn’t hook on. Couldn’t pull me in.

My heart started beating again, and I kept going.

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