Page 28 of Spirit Trials
“I will.” And then he’s gone. I thought maybe he would ride with us over to the starting place, so he could see me off; but I guess not. I refuse to be sad. I can’t believe he got me this bow. I smile and finger one of the arrows. Hector walks past, and I stop him. “Look at what Rysden got me.”
“Go practice with it before we have to leave, but don’t lose any arrows.”
“I won’t. Call me when you’re ready to leave.” I close the door behind me and head out. It’s chilly, but my outfit is warm enough for now. I practically skip over to the woods, anxious to try out my new bow. I pick a mark on a tree and give it a try. I’m a little off, so I reset and try again. It only takes me a few more arrows to find my groove. I am amazed at how smooth it is, and how much easier it is to shoot. I’m practically giddy as I shoot arrow after arrow before I hear Lox yelling for me. I make quick work of gathering all my arrows before heading back to the castle where Lox, Jamik, and Hector are all waiting.
“Ready?” Lox asks. “You have everything in your sack?”
“Yes, thanks.” They’ve all spent more than enough time going over what I need to take with me. Each of them, including Rysden, kept giving me things all this week “for my sack.” Knives, throwing stars, waterskins, a small contraption that helps purify water, bandages, salves, healing herbs, and more. I packed and repacked a hundred times, insisting I needed to beable to walk more than I needed all these things. But they were all adamant. Even Jamik checked my bag at one point.
“Let’s go then.” Lox sounds uncharacteristically quiet. Even his eyes don’t look quite as bright as they usually do.
Throwing my bag over my shoulder next to my quiver of arrows, I smile at him. “I’m ready.”
Chapter 16
At the door, Hector stops me. “You make it back here.”
I frown. “You’re not going with?”
“No. I don’t want to watch.” With that he turns and walks away. I stare after him for a moment, debating.
I decide to just go for it and run after him. “Hector.” When he turns around, I step tentatively toward him and wrap my arms around him. “Thank you for everything.” I don’t wait for him to hug me back; it’s over and done in less than a second. He looks down, and for some reason I think he’s emotional, which is crazy. Without a word, he walks away. I watch him go for a moment before turning around and walking out the front door. Jamik and Lox are waiting for me outside. Neither of them say a word as we mount the horses Jamik readied for us. Lox takes the lead, and I follow him with Jamik taking up the rear as we ride to the entrance to the city. When we get outside the city walls, we let the horses run towards the woods in the distance. I take them in, in the early morning light. They stretch further than I can see. I repeatedly remind myself:I know the woods. That’s where I’m most comfortable: I’ll be fine.
After riding parallel with the trees for a while, we come upon the group that’s already gathered. Lox pulls his horse to a stop, and I follow suit. “We’ll leave the horses here and walk,” he tells me without looking at me.
“Okay.” I tighten the straps on my bag, double check the four knives I have strapped to my thighs and check my quiver and then grab ahold of my bow. I glance over my shoulder and realize Jamik isn’t following. “Aren’t you coming with?”
Jamik shakes his head. “I’m staying with the horses.”
“Oh.” I walk the short distance separating us. “Thanks, Jamik, for training me and helping me.”
His dark eyes that look so much like his older brother’s meet mine. “You don’t need to thank me.” He sounds so much like Rysden, I hide my smile.
“I do, and I will.”
He glances at the woods and then back at me. “Win and then come back and teach me how to do it.”
A slow smile fills my face. “Sounds like a plan.” He will be competing in his own spirit trials in about two years; he told me yesterday. I turn around and see Rysden talking to Lox. I have no idea where he came from. I walk over to the two of them, and they stop talking when I get close.
“This is where I leave you,” Lox says, still not smiling.
I give him what I hope is a confident smile. “Okay. Thanks, Lox. For everything.”
“Come here.” He reaches out and grabs me and wraps me in a warm hug. My eyes close tight because I’m pretty sure it’s the warmest hug I’ve ever received. When he pulls back, he’s back to his smiling self. “Now, go show them how it’s done.” I can’t keep my own smile off my face.
Rysden is scowling when I turn back around. He walks away without a word, and I hurry to catch up. “You have all your knives?” he asks in a low voice when I reach his side. I nod. “And your throwing stars?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t get too close in hand-to-hand. You’ll never be strong enough with somebody who has already had their spirit animal emerge. And don’t forget you can’t kill a spirit animal.” I nod again.The only way to get rid of a spirit animal is to kill its owner, something I don’t plan on doing.“Don’t try to outrun a spirit wolf or jaguar unless you have some distance, or you’re dead. And don’t—”
“Climb,” I fill in for him. “I remember.”
“Spirit animals can sustain injuries just like corporal jags and wolves,” he reminds me.
I nod. “Got it.”
“What areas give you maximum impact injury?”
