Page 87 of Taking Jenny
“Yes.”
He was quiet for the rest of the drive, until we pulled up to a small half-fenced clearing. It was well-lit, so my eyes needed amoment to focus on all the shining metal objects on the fence. Dozens of weapons gleamed beneath the lights, everything Discord had tested me on. All of which I’d failed.
Frost turned to me and said, “Whatever weapons you take with you, your hunters will be afforded the same. They cannot take anything you do not take. Please make your selections.”
“And I can take anything that’s out here, right?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
I climbed out of the vehicle and walked along the fence, trying not to imagine what each one of these weapons would feel like as they cut into me. Swords, axes, some kind of swingy metal ball thing with spikes, other dangerous items like metal bats wrapped in what looked like barbed wire.
The leather bag of throwing knives was enticing. Some kind of projectile seemed like a good idea, if I had any clue how to use them effectively. The hunters probably knew how to use them, but the bag…
I dumped the knives out and held the leather bag up to the bright light. Nothing came through.Might be able to hold water.The long strap was for a Ladrian, so I put it on like a crossbody bag. Down the line, I found the one thing I felt comfortable with—a staff. It was the length of a broomstick, wooden, light enough to carry, but hard enough to hurt with proper force.
I rejoined Frost by the open part of the fence. There was a purple ribbon on the ground and beyond it, the path led up the mountain. I swallowed hard, trying to tamp down my anxiety and fears of the unknown, which wasn’t an easy feat.
“I guess I’m ready,” I said, attempting to sound braver than I felt.
“A bag and a staff?” His tone was incredulous.
I pursed my lips. “I’m not going to make it easy for them.” If I’d chosen any of those other lethal weapons, they would have had the same advantage.
“Why the staff?” he asked curiously.
I shrugged, a bitter smile on my lips. “I’ve been sweeping floors at my job on Earth for the past four years and this is like a broomstick, which I’m familiar with. I’m pretty sure none of the assholes hunting me can say the same thing. Can’t imagine them cleaning anything. Hell, I doubt they wipe their own asses.”
He laughed abruptly. “I did not expect a sense of humor from the avatar.”
“That’s all I’ve got left, Frost,” I said, staring at the rough terrain ahead of me. “I can either laugh or cry. Crying will get me killed, but if I’m laughing when I go down? At least I’ll die with a shred of dignity.”
The amusement I’d just seen in his eyes shifted, and he grew serious. “This is a fight to the death, avatar. The seven hunters will kill you, or you will kill them. There are animals on the hunting ground who could do their job for them, so watch for them, too. Three sirens will ring out. You may not hear all of them. The first siren will sound at the beginning of the trial, another when the hunters join in, and finally, the third will ring out when it is finished. You are afforded a twelve-hour head start, after which point, they will be hunting you. The hunting ground is sixty-five kilometers long, up the mountain path. There will be supply drops, as well as traps, along the way. If you can make it to the finish line at the end of the hunting ground before the hunters can catch you, then you win.”
“And if I kill them all first?”
“You’ll still need to cross the finish line for the trial to end.”
I nodded and glanced up the mountain. I had been on a few hikes in South Carolina, but none where someone was trying to kill me, and none this steep and fraught with danger and unknown perils.
I inhaled a deep breath to clear my mind. “My name is Jenny Hollinger, by the way. NotAvatar. I just wanted you to know that. The avatars are people, Frost.”
“I know that better than most,” he said softly.
I met his gaze. “Has anyone but the princess won Illiapol?”
“A few. But they had gifts. Silence Bateen is rumored to have stolen the voices of her hunters, so they could not coordinate their attack on her. That was how she won. Do you have any gifts like that?”
“No gifts. I’m pretty much a regular human.”Sort of, but I didn’t count seeing ghosts as a “gift” and certainly not one I could use out on this course.
“Then I have one for you.”
He dug into his pocket and produced a silver bracelet. A charm hung from it—a locket in the shape of small box. “I know you did not volunteer for this, Jenny Hollinger, but I am grateful to you for doing it. The Ruler had his eye on my daughter for the avatar. I was going to give this to her. Inside the small box on this bracelet is a pill with enough poison to kill ten Ladrian men in seconds.” He swallowed hard. “It would have killed her in a heartbeat. Quick and painless.”
He handed the bracelet to me and I took it, confused. “What—”
“Do not open that locket until you are ready to die,” he said, and I realized that he was giving me the chance to escape torture, should the worst case scenario arise. “The pill dissolves instantly in liquid, so you must be careful.”
I glanced around warily. “I think Justice has every place around here wired. I’m sure he’s listening to us right now. Please, I don’t want you to get in trouble, Frost. Take it back.”
