Page 85 of A Sky of Storms
Metal clashed with rock as we fought blow for blow. They were skilled, but not enough to better me. I was the strongest of all in the Crimson Steppes and I wasn’t about to let some upstarts from wherever the fuck these two came from try and best me. I sent my rage into each punch and quickly gained ground, pushing them back from the chest and deeper into the dead marsh. The blackened trees grew thicker and more plentiful around us, the smell of rot making me gag. It was just the three of us now, having left the fighting and scrambling for coins far behind.
The monsters’ growls and shrieks grew louder and I knew they would make their dive any minute. Once they’d devoured those near the chest, they’d come for anyone else in this place. I needed to finish these two off and get the hell out of this crater. I swung at one of their faces with my giant rock fist only to stumble, pain shooting up my leg. I turned to see the third Potential had scurried back to the fight and stuck a sword into the back of my calf.
Fucking coward couldn’t even face me. He wasn’t fit to rule Terrulia.
I roared a sound that could rival the monsters flying overhead and lunged for him, ignoring the blade that was wedged in the crevice of my rocky skin like that famous sword from the kid’s story. Motherfucker had found a way. If I wasn’t so pissed, I’d have given him props for creativity. As it was, my fury was in charge and I shoved him to the ground, pummelling his face into the mud. Blood splattered and bone cracked as he became unrecognisable beneath my fists. One down, two to go, then Victoria would get what’s coming for her.
I panted as the anger died down and stood slowly, pulling the sword from my leg. I slammed the blade into the mud then searched for the other two Potentials. They were nowhere in sight, having scurried away like frightened little mice. Typical.
Thunder clapped and I looked to the sky as rain began pouring. I was running out of time and fighting internally with my options. Would I let them go or finish what I’d started? They needed to pay for what they’d done to Flynn. I owed my friend that much, but I had to finish this test, end the trial, and move on through to the end.
I shifted out of my rock skin and ran a hand over my face, wiping the rain from my eyes. What if they ran back to Victoria and made it out? Worse, what if they helped Victoria kill Fallon and the others?
Fuck. I shouldn’t care if the Augers had some feud. I shouldn’t care if the merman and nudist made it out. I shouldn’t care about any of those things. This was a competition and the only person fit to make it past the final trial was me. Everyone would either fail or die eventually.
Was helping them and Flynn’s vengeance worth losing this trial and everything I’d worked my whole life for?
Since I’d first started walking, my parents had been moulding me into the person I was today. The person who would bring glory and prosperity to the Crimson Steppes. I was not only made to be the ruler of Terrulia, I was shaped to be the saviour of my people. Would I throw it all away to avenge my friend and help my competition?
“Shit!” I shouted at the sky, the sound rumbling in my chest. Lightning flashed and thunder followed as if in answer. I clenched my fists at my side and took off through the trees. I’d made my decision and I fucking hoped it wouldn’t bite me in my rocky ass.
Itwaschaos.Ablood bath of epic proportions. Potentials fought each other viciously as blood sprayed in every direction of the crater we’d found ourselves in. The red beacon surging into the sky was still glimmering, as if it was proud of the destruction surrounding it.
The smug fucking thing.
We’d left one hellhole and walked into another and this time I didn’t know what we were up against. All I knew was that our lives depended on getting the gold and getting out of the kill zone.
Zane and I stumbled forward, half dragging Noah through the mud and blood as we tried to avoid the attention of other Potentials to make our way towards the chest at the centre of the arena. It had taken us all night to get from Victoria’s garrison to the beacon and I was already tired from hauling Noah’s near dead weight through the marsh.
Saving him had cost us dearly, but there was no way in hell I could have left him behind. My eyes landed on the chest and a burst of panic coiled in my stomach. It was nearly empty now and every second it took for us to slowly manoeuvre through the throng of bodies was one step closer to costing us our lives.
There was no choice but to head into the thick of the battle. Once we’d got our gold, we could get the fuck out of there. At the far end of the crater, Celeste and the other Masters watched behind some kind of forcefield, their faces revealing nothing. Those assholes got to sit back and watch Potentials killing each other like it was a freaking sports match. All they needed were hotdogs and beers for the big game.
I didn’t have to guess that the forcefield they stood behind was the gate mentioned in the note and our only way out was with the gold. Wisely, they’d spelled it to keep everything else out, including the bats flapping around and feasting.
One of the bats swooped towards us and I ducked as Zane thrust his sword into its chest, killing it on impact. The creature slumped to the ground and we continued our painfully slow progress.
I almost sighed in relief as I spotted Kayden barrelling towards us. I never thought I’d be so happy to see the cocky bastard, and yet, a little piece of me was thankful to see he was safe. His jumpsuit was soaked with blood and mud, and blood was crusted in his hair and on his cheeks. Not his blood though, I noted.
“Grab coins!” he shouted, sprinting towards us. “And watch out for the thing above!”
A giant dragon in the sky roared ferociously right on cue, swooping down to clutch a woman in its talons and rip her body apart. I grimaced as a shower of slimy pieces rained down on us. Nope. Mm-mm. I would not fucking think about what just landed in my hair. I swallowed down bile and yelped as a Potential with crazy eyes came at me, forcing me to drop Noah’s arm to defend myself.
His eyes gleamed with bloodlust as he threw an axe at me and I narrowly dodged it, watching as it sailed past my nose and took out some other poor fucker. Nah, I wasn’t going to stand for that. Dropping to a crouch and slipping my knife from my boot, I rose and tossed my blade back, mirroring the guy’s movement. Mine hit my mark right in his chest.
Blood dribbled from his lips as he fell to his knees, and I sprinted over to retrieve my weapon before hurrying back to Noah’s side to lift him up again, noticing Kayden squaring off with a bunch of Potentials behind us. And beyond them … Victoria.
Her eyes were cold fury, blazing with anger and hatred as she looked at me, stalking towards us like a big cat. This was it. The moment of reckoning. I turned my head towards the gate, getting a glimpse of the chest through several people’s legs.
“Zane!” I cried, pointing towards it. “The chest is dead ahead. Take Noah, get your coins and go.”
His green eyes swam with uncertainty as he looked between Victoria and me. I got the feeling he realised this shit was between me and my sister, but I knew he didn’t want to leave me.
“Fallon…”
My heart skipped a beat. He never called me by my name and somehow the depth of his fear for me shone brighter than ever from that one word. I shook my head. “I’ll be fine. Noah needs you.”
He nodded, hefting Noah’s weight as I stepped back. “If you die, Starfish, I’m going to kill you.”
