by Anna Webb
She made to get up, but Jason stopped her, holding her down firmly. They stared at each other, gray eyes meeting indigo in a contest of wills, neither willing to give in.
“I didn’t risk my life only to give up now,” Allyra said heatedly. “As much as he annoyed me, I think I prefer the old Jason. He was willing to do anything to win. Do you think you could find him for me?”
Jason took a deep breath as if to calm himself. “You’re hurt…”
“And so is Xolani. We’re still in this thing.”
“Is he dead?”
“I don’t know,” Allyra said softly. “I could still feel him breathing when we ran. And François…”
She hesitated and Jason took up her line of thought. “He wasn’t just François anymore, he’s let a Revenant take hold of him. And not just any Revenant, that was an Ancient.”
Jason shook his head. “I know you want to win this, but if they have the power of an Ancient…”
“That might be true if we were just facing François, but they both have to finish to win. And there was no Revenant in Xolani, and I dealt him a serious wound. It’s going to take some time to recover from it, and this storm is going to affect them as much as it’s affecting us.”
“They’re Tethered, Allyra. Whatever monster is in François is in Xolani too.”
“I’m not ready to give up,” Allyra said stubbornly.
“Is this about Alex Cairns?” Jason said, his voice raised. “Are you really willing to die just for a chance to get back to him?”
Allyra stiffened at the sudden change in subject.
“This has nothing to do with Alex Cairns,” she replied shortly, aware as the words rolled off her tongue that it was a lie.
Jason watched her silently, disbelief clear in his dark eyes. “Fine,” he said eventually. “But it still doesn’t change the fact that you’re bleeding from a wound you received more than six months ago. Are we really going to debate this?”
“Yes! Because I can do this! If your leg is too sore to continue…”
“This isn’t about me!” Jason shouted back.
“Well, it sure isn’t about me, so what the hell are we arguing about?”
Jason stared at her, his eyes unblinking, and shook his head slowly. “You’re the most unreasonable, stubborn, irrational person I’ve ever met.”
Knowing she’d won, a smile spread across her lips. “So, are we going or what?”
He rolled his eyes. “When we make it to the end. If we make it to the end, and you’ve lost toes to frostbite and my ear has fallen off, and it’s all for nothing because François and Xolani have gotten there before us, I’m going to say I told you so.”
“First, we are going to make it to the end. Both of us are way too stubborn not to. Second, it’s not going to be for nothing because we’re going to win. And finally, most importantly, losing an ear might teach you true humility. You’re way too pretty for your own good. And if that’s all this trek through the snow achieves, it’ll be enough for me,” Allyra said with a smile before fighting back another painful cough.
“You think I’m pretty…”
“That’s all you got from that speech?”
Chapter 32 – Allyra
The trek through the snow was brutal. It was the ultimate test of endurance, one which neither Allyra nor Jason was particularly well equipped for in their present state of health. Allyra could see he was trying to hide it, but Jason was definitely walking with a distinct limp. She might’ve drawn the Revenant poison from his body, but not enough time had passed for the deep wound to his leg to heal properly.
They fought through the newly deposited carpet of snow, backtracking to find their equipment. Once they did, Jason insisted on putting up the tent and getting a full night’s rest before starting their trek once more toward the Oceanic Great College. He rummaged through their supplies until he found their basic medical kit. Extracting a clean roll of linen bandages, he bound it around her ribs, over her old scar.
After the night’s rest, they equipped themselves once more and restarted their painful progress. Despite all her previous protests, the fact was, she was fading. The Revenant poison was still coursing through her veins, and it had made her old scar less a scar and more a barely healed wound. With every breath she took, more blood seeped from it, slowly soaking through the bandage. But it was the unseen damage that really slowed her down—the blood not seeping out of her but rather into her. With every kilometer they covered, her breathing became more labored, and soon she stopped trying to hide the blood she coughed up. It was, after all, next to impossible trying to mask crimson blood on a carpet of pure white snow.
Three days passed in a haze of pain. The landscape seemed unchanging, and no matter how much time passed, and how much effort she put in, the endless white snow made it seem as if they’d covered no distance at all. The thick snow was like quicksand, sucking her slowly into its cold embrace. It seemed to get deeper with every step, demanding more and more effort, deliberately bleeding away her energy.
It was only a matter of time before one of them fell. Allyra was pulling up her leg for yet another step, working desperately against the draw of the wet snow, when her energy finally failed her and she literally tripped over herself. It was only as she fell that she realized how heavily she’d been leaning on Jason, pulling him down with her as they collapsed in a messy tangle of limbs.
For a minute, Allyra lay in the snow with her eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of perfect stillness. The thick carpet of snow felt like the perfect place to rest her exhausted body.
It was only when she felt the surge of Jason’s Gift that Allyra finally roused herself.
“What are you—” The question died on her lips as she realized what Jason was attempting. Evanescence.
It was the one rule of this Fourth Final—it was a test of survival and endurance, and as such, no Evanescence was allowed. At least, not until they reached the Oceanic Great College.
If Jason Evanesced, it would mean the end of any plan she had to get back into the Between.
It would mean she’d never see Alex again.
In a massive outlay of effort, Allyra surged upward and snatched her hand from Jason’s grasp. He stilled and stared at her in silence. It was clear from his clenched jaw that he was more than a little angry, and Allyra admitted to herself that she felt just the slightest stirring of fear.
Jason took three deep breaths as he struggled to keep his fury in check. He let out the third breath in one long hiss with his stormy eyes trained on her.
“Have you lost your mind?” Jason said, his voice dangerously calm.
Allyra shook her head. “I’m not ready to give up.”
“Are you ready to die?” he shot back exasperatedly.
“I’m fine,” she said weakly, knowing that she was being far from convincing.
“Are we somehow in two separate realities?” he asked sarcastically. “You can barely breathe, you certainly can’t walk, and we’re still at least another ten kilometers away from the Oceanic College.”
Allyra took a deep breath, preparing to argue her case, but the air rattled in her chest, and she broke down in wracking cough. Each cough shuddered through her entire body, and panic broke through her consciousness as surely as blood rose in her throat. She fought desperately to catch her breath, but every gulp of freezing air only set off another round of coughing. As blood splattered onto the pristine snow, Allyra wondered vaguely if this was how she was destined to die—surrounded by nothing but white, a world away from her beloved Africa and everything she loved.
As her gasps became more and more panicked, Jason drew her in, holding her tightly against his chest. She clutched desperately at him as if he were her lifeline.
“Slowly,” he whispered gently, his breath tickling her ear. “Slowly—feel the rhythm of my breathing.”
With Jason’s voice murmuring in her ear, Allyra followed the rise and fall of his chest, and gradually, her frantic
gasps slowed allowing her to finally catch her breath.
“Can I please Evanesce us now?”
Allyra pushed herself away from Jason and looked up at him. “I need to finish this,” she said hoarsely.
He stared at her silently, his forehead creased in a frown as if he was struggling to figure her out. “Why?”
“I made a promise…”
“Is it worth dying for?”
There was no sarcasm left in his voice, and she answered his question seriously. “Yes,” she said simply.
“If I help you to the end, will you tell me what promise you made that’s so important you’d be willing to lay down your life for it?”
She searched his face, seeing the stark honesty in his eyes, and she realized that, yes, she did trust him. Trust was a precious thing, and somehow, somewhere during The Five Finals, against all odds, as they battled for survival, she and Jason had managed to attain it.
“Yes,” she said again. “I promise.”
“Fine,” Jason said shortly, getting to his feet.
Allyra managed a wry smile. “That was easier than I expected.” She held out her hand to him. “Help me up.”
“Are you just going to fall over when I do?” he replied doubtfully.
“I can do this.”
Jason closed his hand over hers and pulled her up. For a moment, the two of them wobbled dangerously before rediscovering their balance.
Jason closed his eyes, and she felt a surge of power from him as he reached for his Gift, searching for the Wellspring that was their final destination. “I figure we’re at least ten kilometers away. What do you think?”
It hurt her to admit it, but she simply didn’t have the energy to use her Gift. She shook her head, and he seemed to understand.
“Well, ten kilometers is a good enough guess. Even if we take it slowly, we should be there in five hours, give or take a few minutes.” His voice was purposefully optimistic.
She nodded and leaned against him, and together, they took a hesitant step forward. Given the effort the first step required, Allyra quickly reconsidered her previous words. Maybe this was beyond her.
Jason seemed to feel her concern and reluctance. “One foot in front of the other,” he said softly. “We’ll finish this thing yet.”
It turned out that Jason’s estimate of ten kilometers was spot-on, but he’d massively underestimated the time it would take for them to cover the distance.
After five hours, they’d barely covered half the distance. In truth, she’d scarcely been able to walk, and after a few faltering steps, Jason had dumped all their equipment from the sled and instead deposited her on it. She’d been too weak to argue, and Jason had continued the trek alone, pulling her behind him. But even lying prone on the sled, Allyra was unable to escape the pain. Every breath sent air bubbling through her chest and agony tearing through every muscle, bone, and sinew.
The pale winter daylight quickly faded, briefly covering the frozen landscape in a grayish-blue hue before settling into inky blackness. Yet, there was no question of stopping to rest. Having dumped the tent along with all their food, Jason had no choice but to continue his painfully slow trek forward.
Jason had kept up a continuous flow of encouragement in the first hour, but as time passed, he too had faded into exhausted silence. Allyra’s vision tunneled, and she slipped in and out of consciousness. The cold continued to soak deeper and deeper into her bones, and Allyra began to lose her hold on reality. Her mind could no longer separate the present from the past, and she flitted between now and another time when she’d battled to cling to life through the freezing cold.
She was back in the Walking Forest.
Death was all around her, moving and swaying in perfect synchronicity. A well-trained army moving in for the kill. Alex’s arm was slung around her, his heat bleeding into her. He was steady as she faltered, lending her strength.
It comforted her to know that he was strong. He was alive.
Allyra was jolted back into the present by a voice in her ear.
“I see it.”
“Are we nearly out?” Allyra whispered back. She thought she could see the light through the silver trees. She remembered vaguely that she shouldn’t lunge for it though her mind failed to grasp how she knew.
“Out of what?”
“The forest,” she replied, confused.
A laugh barked into her ear. “What forest? I can’t remember the last time I saw a tree.”
Allyra looked around her and realized he was right.
There were no trees, no sign of the deadly Walking Forest. She wasn’t in the Between.
Her mind fumbled for something to hold on to. She turned and looked at the person standing next to her. She blinked, trying to clear snow from her eyes. The face looking back at her was familiar, as were the dark indigo eyes. “Jason?”
His face was pale, and there was a bluish hue around his lips, showing that he was far from immune to the intense cold. White snowflakes dusted the dark eyelashes around the indigo eyes as they bored deeper into her. “Allyra?”
She fought to remember where she was.
The Five Finals.
Jason.
They were so close to finishing.
She nodded. “Sorry. Mind wandering,” she replied hoarsely.
Jason didn’t look convinced. “I’m going to ask you some questions as a sanity check. How old are you? When is your birthday?”
She swatted at him halfheartedly.
His lips lifted in a half-smile. “The less you answer, the more I’m convinced that you’ve finally lost your mind.”
She ignored him. The Wellsprings of the Oceanic College were visible now, and all they had to do to complete the Fourth Final was Evanesce from the Oceanic College to the Elemental College.
Evanesce.
She wasn’t sure she had the strength.
She knew she didn’t have the strength.
As if reading her mind, Jason tightened his grip on her hand. “I can do it. I’ll Evanesce us back. Just hold on to me.”
His words offered her strength. But it was what he didn’t say that truly warmed her. He was going to Evanesce them both. He believed and trusted his knowledge of her—enough to break her down and build her anew.
With his left hand holding onto her tightly, Jason reached out with his right. He dipped it into the Fire burning in the Inferno Wellspring, and the flames slowly reached out, climbing up his arm and down his shoulder until it covered his whole body. And through his hand, the flickering flame flowed like liquid lava over her hand and through her body. Soon she was consumed by the Fire, its warmth comforting, its energy offering her strength.
The Fire burned brighter. Soon she was nothing more than flame and heat and passion. The familiar siren’s call caressed her mind, screaming for her to burn, to scorch like wildfire, to let go.
For a moment she wanted to answer its call, to give in and let go. To allow the Fire to burn away her pain. But she resisted and fought to remember what it was she was fighting for.
Alex.
Her father.
Emma.
Pierre.
Chi.
She found her way back as Jason rebuilt her body from flame and fire. He knew her as surely as she knew herself. Air flooded back into her lungs, bubbling and forcing her to break down into a gurgling cough. But the roar of the crowd cheering their return consumed the sound of it. Like a single voice, they screamed her name and Jason’s in a perfect drumbeat rhythm.
She looked up and saw Marcus stepping up and shaking Jason’s hand, looking more animated than she’d ever seen him before. Marcus continued to congratulate his protégé, pulling Jason into a hug. Without Jason to steady her, Allyra wobbled and started to stumble.
Jason lunged toward her, but High Master Perez was quicker. The Oceanic High Master caught her, strong despite her small stature.
“Call the medical team,” High Master Perez called out.
The last
thing Allyra saw was the blur of the crowd behind Jason as he hovered over her, worry marring his handsome face. She faded into the darkness, content with the knowledge that they’d completed the Fourth Final and she was a step closer to achieving her goal.
Chapter 33 – Jamie
Jamie tore down the corridor toward the medical wing of the Elemental College. He skidded around another corner, the rubber soles of his shoes squeaking on the tiled floor. Nearly coming to grief by colliding with a nurse carrying a tray loaded with a variety of medical paraphernalia, Jamie made a valiant effort at leaping to the side and just managed to avoid crashing into the nurse, colliding with the wall instead.
The nurse turned and gave him a hard look, apparently unimpressed by his efforts. Her severe, schoolmistress look was enough to make him feel instantly chastised and no more than ten years old. He threw out an obligatory apology before taking off again toward a pair of pale wooden doors at the end of the corridor.
The doors opened toward him just as he closed in on them, and this time, there was no avoiding the collision. He just had enough time to turn his head to protect his face before crashing into the person coming through the doors. The collision was hard enough to knock the wind out of Jamie, but both parties managed to stay on their feet.
Breathless, Jamie turned to apologize and was surprised to find the High Master of the Terra College looking back at him, a bemused smile on his face. And Jamie was relieved to see that Mike seemed to be no worse for wear—the last thing he needed was to do any permanent damage to the one High Master of the Council he actually liked.
“Jamie!” Mike said quickly, before Jamie could get his apology out. “Where are you going in such a rush?”
As he completed his question, Mike seemed to realize exactly where Jamie had been heading and shook his head with a small smile gracing his lips. “Stupid question, of course, you’re heading to Allyra.”
Jamie nodded. “I’m sorry.”
Mike waved the apology away. “No harm, no foul,” he said, “but you can slow down. I’ve just given her something to help her sleep.”
