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I considered walking away, refusing to climb, protesting Dom’s involvement. But that wasn’t what a Blade would do, even if it was what I wanted to do. A Blade would power through any situation and override any fear. A Blade would never run from a fight, even if the fight was in their own house. As I stood in front of the tower, my pulse spiking and my throat tight, I’d never felt less like a Drexian worthy of being a Blade.
“You’ll need one of these.” Dom slapped a cold steel carabiner in my hand as he wound his way through the group. He didn’t glare at me or growl, and I wondered if I’d been imagining the animosity from him. Then I remembered his threat. I hadn’t imagined that.
Zenen shuffled toward me so that Dom could get by, knocking into my hand and sending my carabiner to the ground. He handed me his as he bent and scooped up mine. “Sorry, brother.”
“No worries,” I told him, catching sight of the Blade pendant lying on top of his black shirt and glinting in the faint light. “Do you want to go ahead of me?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Might as well. My cousin told me that doing this was worse than his trials.”
Not comforting. “I do not know any Drexian who has done it. If they have, they have not told me about it.”
“Maybe it’s time to reassess these requirements, especially with the humans in our schools.”
Thinking of Jess going up the side of the tower sent a chill down my spine. Taking her to the underground tunnels so we could be alone in the dark was one thing, this was something very different.
“Ready, Blades?” Kort asked, swiveling to face our group. He’d become our de facto leader, which suited me fine. He turned back around, coiled a smaller length of rope around his waist, hooked it into the rope on the wall, and started climbing.
I accepted the length of rope for my waist and tied it around me, as I watched Blade after Blade plant their feet on the wall and start to scale the stone. Their progress wasn’t fast, but each one steadily moved up the wall. When Kort reached the top he hooked a second rope to the wall and rappelled down, passing the climbers still working their way up.
When his boots hit the ground, he glanced at me. “What are you still doing here?”
I’d been so consumed with watching the other Blades go up the wall, I’d forgotten that I was last.
“Unless your injury—”
“I am fine,” I cut him off before he could offer me an escape I could not take. Not if I wished any of my Blade brothers to respect me.
I gritted my teeth and strode forward, clipping myself to the rope and twisting the tail over my hand so I could pull it through as I moved up. When there was enough resistance, I put my feet on the wall and began my climb.
One foot in front of the other, I said to myself as I scaled the slick stone. One Blade passed me as they rappelled down and then another. I tipped my head back to see that there was only Dom, who’d almost reached the top, and Zenen remaining.
My leg muscles twitched from the tension, but there was no pain, and as I climbed higher, I breathed in the cool night air and found my rhythm. Slide up the carabiner, pull the rope tight, move my feet. Slide, pull, move. Slide, pull, move.
I paused and stole another glance overhead. Dom had started his descent, which meant there were only two Blades left climbing. Only two to reach the top.
As I slid my carabiner up, the rope jerked. I grabbed it with both hands, tipping my head back to see Zenen pinwheel his arms in the air in an attempt to reach the rope as he fell backward. He didn’t scream as his feet left the tower, but gasps from below broke the quiet.
I released one hand from the rope and lunged for him as he plummeted past me, but he was going too fast and was too heavy. My hand tore part of his shirt from his body as he hurtled to the ground, and I squeezed my eyes shut so I wouldn’t see him hit.
When I opened my eyes again, I could see nothing, but my Blade brothers huddled around his body at the base of the tower. Even from my height, I could see that his shirt was ripped. I looked at my fist, opening it to see that I had a swath of black fabric and a silver chain with the Blade pendant shining up at me.
My head swam, and I fought the urge to double over. I needed to get off the tower before I became another of its victims. I looked down again, but this time it was Dom who drew my attention. He hung not far from the ground and glared at me with fury—and shock.
Chapter
Thirty-Nine
Jess
Ileaned my head in one hand and tried not to slump forward into my breakfast. By the time I’d been able to rid my brain of both worry for Torq and thoughts of Vyk working to find Sasha, it had been late, and I was paying for my scant hours of sleep now. The deep Drexian voices reverberating through the cadet dining hall made my temples throb and the clattering and clanging of flatware didn’t help either.
“You look like death.” Even though Morgan’s pronouncement was grim, her tone was perky.
I squinted to look at her. “Thanks. I feel like it too.”
“Are you sick?”
I gave a single shake of my head so I wouldn’t make the ache worse. “I couldn’t get to sleep last night.”
