Page 35 of Spirit Trials
“But wouldn’t you be hunted down?”
She gives me an evil smile. “They’d have to find me first.”
“Harper, don’t talk like that,” Kinsley says in a hushed voice.
“What? Is it better to be hunted where we live?” Harper shoots back. Anger continues to build inside me at the king. I think of what Rysden says about him, how he would kill him if he could. But he can't because of his mom. I keep asking questions, because silence will make me remember what it is I’m trying not to think about—Sariah's meaningless death. “Have either of you ever seen the Wolf Queen?”
“No,” Harper says. “I heard she lost her mind, and the doctors just keep her sedated. I mean, married to the king? I get it.”
“I heard that she disobeyed the king once, and he left her permanently scarred,” Kinsley says in a hushed voice.
I wonder what if any of that is true. “Why do you want to know?” Harper asks.
“I was just curious.” I’m realizing there’s so much I don’t know, and that just makes me more angry at the king, which doesn’t do anything to help me right now. Well, except make me more determined to survive and win while I’m at it. Of course, that feels a little out of reach after the violence we just experienced. After walking a little while, lost in thought, I remind myself that I need to pull it together and be vigilant. “We’re going to need to work on shelter for the night.” Neither of them argues with me. “Let’s keep an eye out for something that will work for us.” After a while, we come upon an area that I think will work. The girls agree, and we get to work clearing out the area. “Do we risk building a fire?” I ask.
“Not unless you want to draw everybody right to us all night,” Harper says.
I don’t respond to her snark, and we manage to clear out a small area. It’s tight, but we’ll all be able to fit. We were able to keep some of the brush overhead, so if it rains, we will besomewhat protected. “It looks really nice,” Kinsley says. I drop my bag inside the shelter.
“I’ll go find us something to eat.”
“And cook it how?” Harper asks.
Right. No fire. “I’ll see what else I can find.” I head off with my bow in hand and my knives strapped to my thighs. I berate myself for not thinking with a clear head to get my fourth knife back from Sariah. A pang hits my stomach, and I take a deep breath to calm my stomach. I push away thoughts of Sariah and focus on finding something we can eat. I have dried meat in my bag that we can eat sparingly. When I find some edible berries, I grab as many as I can carry and bring them back. “I found some berries for us,” I call out when I’m almost back.
“Oh, good. I love berries.”
I freeze at the unfamiliar voice. I quietly put the berries down and nock an arrow as I approach the area where I left the girls. My heart is pounding, and I refuse to think about what might have happened to Harper and Kinsley. “You can show yourself,” the voice says, laughing.
I step into view. I instantly seek out Harper and Kinsley and breathe a sigh of relief when I realize they’re okay. “Thank you for setting up this area so nicely for us,” a guy says with a cocky smile. I watch as a girl and another guy join him, and my heart starts racing. Three on three; the odds weren’t great, especially since I don't know if either Harper or Kinsley can hold their own in a fight. I chance a glance at them. Harper looks angry and ready to fight, but Kinsley looks like she might pass out any minute. I make the call.
“Have it,” I tell them. “Just let us leave in peace, and you can have it.”
“Farrah,” Harper hisses at me. I don’t look at her, but I’m not going to fight. It’s not worth our lives; we’ll just find another shelter.
“Thanks, you’re so kind,” one of the guys says in a mocking voice.
I take a step forward, and all three of them tense up. “What are you doing?” the girl snaps at me.
“I’m just getting my bag.”
“Oh, you mean this one?” One of the guys holds up my bag, and my stomach drops.
“I need that,” I say with an ounce of command in my voice.
“What’s it worth to you? The lives of one of your friends?” he asks.
I instantly back down. “No. It’s fine. Keep it.” A quick glance shows me that they already confiscated Kinsley and Harper’s sacks.
He smiles coldly. “Thank you so much.”
I take a step back. My bow is currently pointed at the ground, but I can have it raised in less than a second. “Kinsley and Harper, let’s go.” I wait until they’re beside me. “Go,” I nod over my shoulder. Only when they’re behind me do I take another step back and then another. The guys don’t move, and I keep walking backwards until they are no longer visible. I take a shaky breath and turn around and nearly jump out of my skin because Harper is in my face.
“I don’t take orders from you,” she says through gritted teeth.
“Okay,” I say simply. I watch as the fight drains out of her. She suddenly looks as exhausted as I feel. “Let’s see if we can find a new area,” I say wearily.
“We had a great area back there, but you gave it to those jerks.” Harper’s angry, and I get it. I know she blames me, but I don’t care. I wasn’t going to lose a life—mine or one of theirs over shelter. My stomach turns when I remember I lost my pack, and I try not to let it bother me. I also try not to think of all the things in that bag that are gone that we’re going to need. Bandages, salves, dried fruit, nuts, the water purifier. I swallowhard and grit my teeth, so I don’t cry. I refuse to cry over a bag. I’m also afraid if I start, I won’t be able to stop. We walk for a while, putting distance between us and our old shelter. As if the day hasn’t been hard enough, it begins to rain. It gets harder and harder to walk because everything turns to mud. We finally find something that will work for the night. It’s not great, but it will have to do. The only good thing about the rain is that it will slow everybody else down as well, so hopefully we won’t be bothered for the night.
