AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Good thinking,” he smiled again. I found it odd that he smiled so much given our current circumstance. But I returned a tight smile of my own.
“I think I figured out the first part. It seemed somewhat obvious to me at least,” he continued.
“‘Where the land reaches the sky’, do you think it’s referring to the mountain?” I had thought of this while I was…suspended? Over the Woltawa Forest. It made sense, it was the highest point on the island.
“Exactly,” his deep voice confirmed. “We can rest at the river tonight and head toward the mountain at daybreak. That will at least give us time to figure out the rest along the way and hopefully have it solved by the time we get there.”
“Ifwe get there. I’m not so naive to think that we won’t have other encounters such as before, with fae or beast.”
Not all contestants died from rivals during the Trial. The creatures that lived here were known to hunt the invaders that appeared in their territories, and other terrors inhabited the island.
“Don’t think like that! You have to think positive,” Njall said cheerfully and I looked at him in astonishment.
“You’re awfully confident for a contestant,” I chuckled, his unusual optimism was infectious and I couldn’t help but smile widely. It reminded me of Malina a bit.
“And you know the other contestants well enough to make an accurate comparison?” he asked teasingly.
“No, I suppose not.” I shrugged.
It was a rare occurrence that contestants met with one another before the Trial. Even if they did, most kept their Trial mark hidden, the only indication that they were a contestant. Being Marked wasn’t something that most boasted about.
We came across a fallen tree, the trunk taller than my head, and we had to climb over it. Njall climbed to the top first, his muscles bulging with the effort, and I stared longer than I probably should have before he helped hoist me up. He jumped down to the other side and I followed. My joints ached with the impact. Healing slower took some getting used to.
“Any ideas on the second part?” he asked.
I debated for a moment if I should really be working with him. He could double-cross me and I was never quite a team-player. But this was a life-or-death situation. At least for the time being, it would benefit me just as much as it would him. It was worth the risk.
I looked at my arm and studied the riddle, analyzing each word.
I have no idea.
“No. I can’t think of ‘what light brings to life yet dies in darkness’ could be. Maybe plants? They need sunlight to live.”
I silently cursed the Gods. Why did it have to be a riddle? I hated riddles. Yes, I studied the ones from the past Trials, but that didn’t mean that I liked them.
“Could be. However, that could prove to be difficult if it is.” He swept his arm out in front of him as we started walking again. “Seeing as there’s no shortage of plants in theforest.”
“I wouldn’t exactly expect any of this to be easy. The Trial is meant to be difficult, testing us in more ways than one.” I huffed.
“Then I certainly hope you researched botany in that great library of yours.” He smiled sweetly down at me, and I returned the sentiment.
As the sun lowered in the sky, its warm light cast long shadows from the trees over the forest floor as we walked in and out of the rays. Njall’s breathing was loud in the quiet of the forest, and it was getting on my nerves. I wasn’t accustomed to traveling with someone, but at least the view was nice out of the corner of my eye.
We didn’t speak for most of the trek to the river, which didn’t take as long as expected. I heard the rushing water before I saw it, and the sound grew louder as we neared. The trees cleared and, as I looked down the river, I could see that the sun was beginning to set, a soft hue of orange and violet staining the sky. We came upon a part of the river that was rapidly moving, the sound almost deafening as we stood on the bank.
“We should rest here for the night. It might get cold, but I can make a fire,” Njall stated as he looked around the area.
My brow lifted. “You know that you can’t wield fire here, right?”
He chuckled, “Yes, Roav, I know. But I also know that you took matches from that male earlier.”
“Oh. Right.” I reached into my pocket and handed him the small box of matches.
“Good. I’ll collect some kindling, if you want to scout out the best place to bed down for the night.” His voice raised over the sound of the river as he backed away into the trees, still holding one of his swords while the other remained sheathed.
I gave him a quick nod and turned to survey the area. Having the river at our backs was an advantage in the event of something—or someone—approaching us in the night. But that still didn’t ease my worries.
I looked up, and grinned. I had found the best place to rest.
