we spend our final day in the whispers trying to get out. It was late afternoon when a Sight interrupted our routine of eating stringy rabbit together. The girl was young and timid, only managing to drop a folded piece of parchment onto a nearby stump before she vanished into the forest.
The note, to no surprise, was incredibly cryptic. It offered no details, only informing us that we are to meet at the edge of the Whispers at sunrise.
So, after climbing another Plague-forsaken pine tree to see which direction to head in, we set off trudging through the forest. And after several long hours of this, we’ve grown restless, to say the least.
I hear Paedyn swear, stumbling behind me. “These damn snakes!” I turn around in time to see her flip the dagger in her hand, holding it by its blade before effortlessly sending it flying into the head of a snake slithering by her feet. The hissing dies along with the rest of the creature before Paedyn casually tugs the blade out of its skull.
I turn back to the path of thick foliage in front of me, a smile tugging at my lips thanks to the girl behind me. Then I hear a muttered sentence followed by a string of curse words that only manages to make my grin grow. “I’m sorry, what was that, Gray?” I ask, not bothering to look over my shoulder.
“We are all only being forced into one area for a bloodbath,” she huffs, brushing past me.
“That sounds about right,” I say with a sigh.
The sky above us is quickly darkening, and under the cover of the trees, the light is even dimmer. She turns, and I see her open her mouth to likely make some smartass comment before clamping it shut when the sound of a twig snapping echoes around us.
We halt, eyes scanning the endless trees and plants surrounding us. Whatever it is sounded heavy and heading our way. Then, I hear a muffled voice grow louder as the owner of it grows closer.
“Please, there is no way you can Blink from here to the edge of the Whispers.”
“I most certainly could. It’s just dark now, so I can’t. Oh, and there are too many trees blocking my view. But if it weren’t for that, I totally could.”
“Sure. Use that as your excuse.”
“I think you’re just jealous.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
I hear the echo of laughter, and the sound of scuffling feet no doubt the result of playful shoving. The power of the two opponents nearby seeps into my bones, but I don’t need to know their abilities to know who they are.
Paedyn hesitantly follows behind when I head in their direction. I push through the trees and plants, my pulse quickening in anticipation. Shoving aside a branch, I spot the two figures walking towards us.
Andy sticks out her foot and catches Jax’s ankle, nearly sending him sprawling to the ground. Their quiet laughter is abruptly cut off when they see me and halt in their tracks.
“Well don’t look too excited to see me,” I say dryly, taking a step towards them.
“Kai?” Jax is squinting through the growing darkness, but his eyes light up with recognition. He’s before me in a few of his long strides, and I catch his head in the crook of my arm to scruff up his short hair despite his protests.
Andy walks up with a smile. “Good to see you’re alive.”
“Yeah, that’s great,” Jax agrees, rubbing his head. “But I could do without your usual greeting.”
“So, how was your stay in the Whispers—” Andy stops short, her eyes sliding to something over my shoulder.
Paedyn steps beside me, offering a hesitant smile. She doesn’t trust them, and I don’t blame her. But it’s clear that she trusts me, or else she would’ve run rather than follow me out here. I suppress a smile at the thought as I say, “We have had quite the eventful stay in the Whispers.”
Andy offers Paedyn a smile and a nod of her head while Jax grins sheepishly. My gaze flicks to the darkening sky, and I sigh. “We better keep walking if we want to make it to the edge by dawn.” We turn and begin heading through the thick foliage, fumbling slightly in the dark. “So, tell us what happened to you two.”
Andy laughs bitterly. “A better question would be what didn’t happen to us.”
“We found each other on the third day,” Jax cuts in, “but before that, I was lying pretty low since my ability doesn’t do so well in crowded terrain like this. I saw Blair once but Blinked high into a tree before she could spot me and rip my arm off to get my leather.”
“And Plagues knows she would, too,” Andy mutters under her breath while Paedyn hums in agreement.
Jax continues with a shrug. “But other than her, I didn’t see anyone else when I was on my own. My biggest competition was just surviving in the forest alone.”
“And what about you, Andy?” Paedyn asks curiously.
“Well, unlike Jax here, I was lucky enough to encounter two opponents on my own.” She almost rolls her eyes in annoyance. “I came across Blair, and the fight was…intense. But unfortunately, the bitch got my band. And then,” she draws out the words, “the day before I found Jax, Hera paid me a visit. I woke up in the middle of the night to an invisible knife trying to saw the leather from my arm. I eventually got her band, but it wasn’t easy considering that I couldn’t see her half the time.”
“Then Andy found me, and we’ve been together since.” I hear the easy smile in Jax’s voice. “Braxton found us, but after we—well, mostly Andy—took him down, we found that he didn’t have a leather on him.” Jax’s eyes widen, and he blurts, “Oh, and he was covered in all these nasty burns. It was gross.”
I clear my throat. “Yeah, that’s thanks to me.”
Andy laughs. “That’s not surprising at all.”
“Oh! We also fell into a pit of snakes,” Jax cuts in with a shudder. “Those things were worse than the Trial itself.”
A snort escapes Andy. “Yeah, I’m surprised every contestant in the Whispers didn’t hear Jax screaming like a little girl.”
At that, Jax simply shrugs, not bothering to deny it. “And then we found Ace. With the both of us, it wasn’t too difficult to take him down and steal his leather.” Jax scratches his head, considering something. “Especially because he was limping so badly.”
I can see the flash of Paedyn’s grin even in the darkness beginning to swallow us. “And that is thanks to me.”
Paedyn and I quickly fill the two of them in on what we endured this past week, though she carefully avoids the more intimate details of our time together.
“So, Sadie is dead?” Andy asks, the question sounding more like a statement.
“Yes,” I say simply. “She is.”
We talk for a long while as we continue heading towards the edge of the forest. Inevitably, we eventually fall silent, the only sound coming from the birds above us and the crunch of leaves and twigs beneath us.
I see the opening just as the sky begins to lighten. Freedom yawns hundreds of yards away as the trees start to thin, and the edge of the Whispers draws nearer. Our pace quickens, all of us itching to be rid of this place while the sun races us, heading for the horizon as we head towards freedom.
A mass of bodies comes into view between the trees. Less than a mile past the edge of the forest, hundreds of people are gathered within the wide field, waiting patiently to watch the show.
An audience.
We are all silent as we finally step to the edge of the tree line. The sun has slowed its pace, too lazy to rise. So the Trial isn’t over just yet. I look towards the sea of people, all pointing in our direction. Though their powers are just out of my reach, I do feel the weight of Sights all around us, preparing to document the finale.
Movement flickers in my peripheral. We all swivel towards it, Paedyn’s bow already drawn and aimed at the figure stepping out of the trees and into the open field on the other side.
Tangled, lilac hair blows across Blair’s face as her lips twist into a sneer, taking us in. Her cold gaze is pinned on Paedyn as she says, “Don’t you know that alliances ruin all the fun?”
Paedyn sighs. “I would say I’m happy to see you’re still alive, but apparently I’m a horrible liar, so why try.”
My mouth twitches into a smile at her words when Braxton steps out through the trees. His eyes flick between us, looking determined and desperate to get a band before the Trial ends.
So his solution is to start charging at Blair.
I tear my eyes away from him when I hear a branch crunch behind us. I turn, staring at nothing but the crisp air. And then Jax doubles over from the impact of an unexpected and unseen punch. “Ouch,” he wheezes.
Hera has arrived.
Andy transforms into her wolf form, sniffing the air to find Hera before suddenly charging in what can only be her direction.
I whip my head around, searching.
There’s only one Elite left.
And then I see him. He’s the farthest from us, standing with his arms crossed over his chest, observing the chaos that is unfolding before him with a smug smirk. Ace’s eyes lock with mine. His grin grows.
Found my target.
The scene around me is a blur of blood and bodies. Paedyn and Andy are fighting off Braxton and Blair while Jax and Hera disappear and dance around each other, landing solid blows before vanishing.
That leaves Ace entirely to me.
I barely bat an eye at the violence surrounding me as I take on Hera’s power and disappear into the chaos. I only shed the Veil ability when I’m right before him so he can see my face when I send a fist into his nose with a sickening crunch. He staggers back, clutching the broken bone as his eyes fly to mine.
And then I suddenly see nothing at all. A thick, stone wall encases me, and yet, something pierces my side. The sharp pain only sharpens my senses, reminding me that this is only an illusion, though the pain in my side is anything but. I step through the wall, and it vanishes in a wisp of smoke, revealing Ace clutching a spear in his bloody hand.
The same spear that nearly killed Paedyn.
I Blink behind him, having taken on Jax’s ability, and drive my knee into his back. Then I’m Blinking around him, hitting him hard without hesitation. I’m playing with him. I could easily finish this fight quickly, but I won’t deny that I’m a monster who wants to have a little fun with him first.
After sending a blow to his jaw, he suddenly multiplies before my very eyes. Dozens of Ace’s surround me, all moving and mixing up with one another, leaving me to guess where the real one ran off to.
I filter through the powers at my disposal, the ones dancing beneath my skin from those surrounding me. Blair’s Tele power surges in my veins, begging to be used.
That could be fun.
Now I just need to find the real—
Pain laces up my leg when the tip of his spear dives into it. I grit my teeth and turn towards him. “There you are.” I smile as I lift him off the ground with nothing more than my mind.
He gasps, choking as I crush his windpipe, his feet dangling a good two feet off the ground. His mouth is moving, making odd noises as he tries to get air into his screaming lungs.
I’m still smiling. “What was that? I can’t quite hear you.” His duplicates vanish into smoke beside me, and the cries of fighting around us fade as I focus on him. Focus on his life that I hold in my hands, my mind.
But the cry of pain I hear next doesn’t belong to him.
I know that voice. I’ve heard that sound and silently hoped I never would again. My head whips to the crumpled body lying so close to me, silver hair sticking to her fevered face and the tears rolling over her faint freckles. Blood gushes from a jagged tear beneath her ribs, and a strangled sob escapes her.
“Kai…help me.” Paedyn’s whisper is so quiet, a single breath away from death. Blood covers her hands, her hair, her body—staining her a revolting red. “Kai, it hurts!” She screams the words in agony, her body wracking with sobs and spasms of pain.
I hadn’t realized my hold on Ace had slipped, hadn’t realized I’d let him drop to the ground until he was on top of me, knocking the breath from my lungs. The tip of his spear is digging into my throat, his legs pinning down my arms. And then that smug smile is back, as though he wasn’t just gasping for air a moment ago.
“And here I was, thinking you were the strong one. The prince who didn’t let his emotions get in the way.” He smiles as the pointed tip of the spear pierces my skin, drawing hot blood. “But look at you,” a condescending laugh, “caring for her has made you weak.”
He’s about to drag the blade across my throat—
“Kai!”
Jax’s voice startles the both of us, and I turn my head to the side just in time to see him toss a single arrow towards me. It’s all I need. I catch it by the shaft, and in one swift motion, plunge it deep into the closest, open spot of Ace’s flesh while pushing the spear’s rod away from me.
He screams when the arrow sinks into the soft flesh of his shoulder. His hold on me loosens, and I throw him off before staggering to my feet, the slice on my neck leaking blood. I spin to find Ace suddenly behind me, to my right, my left. I’m surrounded once again.
“Over here,” one of the Ace’s calls, and I spin, grabbing my forgotten throwing star from my pocket. Ace’s duplicates are vanishing and reappearing as I aimlessly search for the real one. “Behind you,” he mocks, and I whip around, anger boiling my blood. “You know what I’m going to do after I kill you?” one of them asks as another whispers loudly, “I’m going to do the same to Paedyn.” Then another Ace chimes in, “Such a shame, too. I’m going to miss looking at her.”
I’m going to kill him. Now. No more games. No more toying. I’m ending this.
Suddenly, the multiple Aces vanish, leaving only one remaining.
And I don’t hesitate before raising my throwing star to send it sailing through the air at his heart.
I see his eyes widen when the blade sinks into the center of his chest, embedding deep into his flesh. He stumbles back, gasping as he stares down at the fatal wound. A twisted smile finds its way to my lips.
I’m going to enjoy watching him die.
I take my time walking over, watching as he drops to his knees. I’m standing over him now, staring down into his shiny eyes, glistening with tears.
My smile falters.
Those aren’t his eyes.
No, the eyes looking up at me are warm and large, the deep brown of melted chocolate. Sweet, like the boy those eyes belong to.
I drop to my knees.
For the first time in years, I feel true, terrible terror.
The illusion blows away in the soft breeze, sending tendrils of smoke into the morning sky.
Leaving behind a bloody boy.
My bloody brother.
Jax.
