“Perhaps you should get some rest, Ever.” Kalan nods to me.
“Perhaps.” I stand. “Any more training tomorrow? Will I be back in the ring with a sword?” I offer a parting spar to my brother.
“I think you’ve had enough fighting for now, Ever.” The Usher’s words hold a ring to them, and I’m still unsure if he knows what I saw in his mind or not.
I set off for my tent, my heart thudding with a tempo my feet try to match. As I pull the fabric closed, I wonder if they’ll guard my tent tonight. There are so many parts of this that could go wrong, and I’m nervous to think about all the moves ahead of me, in case…
No. There is only one outcome I’m prepared to see tonight. And that is the four of us leaving.
Patience is what I need. I’ve had it all these weeks. I’ve done horrible, cruel things, and it can’t all be for nothing. This must work.
Shaking my head, I take a moment.
Faith.
Faith that Fenix won’t have his magic tonight. That he really does need me and won’t stop my heart the moment he realises what I’m doing. Faith that Kalan will get Ten and Crimson free.
After what feels like an age, and the nerves inside of me are wound so tightly that I’m surprised I’m not about to snap in two, I stand and listen to the world around me.
The camp is quiet. No movement. No noise.
With three deep, calming breaths, I think of my friends and why I need to do this.
I picture Ten, but slide into guilt for keeping him in the dark right now. We’ll have time to fix that when we’re all safe.That’sthe priority. We will find our way back to each other—when we’re free.
One more breath.
I plunge my hands into the dirt on the ground and think about the first time I connected with Raiden. It was inside, but the wood all around us grew into thorny branches inside the classroom.
I don’t need the wood to grow; I just need it to stop being the barricade around me, keeping me trapped. With my mind focused on that feeling with Raiden, with her energy and magic, I command the well in my chest to answer, for the water to flow and do as I intend.
The energy is there, a vibration through me, and I lean into it. Harder than ever before because I know I can do this.
My eyes close, and I picture the wooden stakes bent and twisted, with room to escape. And sure enough, the creaks and groans that start inside the tent tell me it’s working.
I open my eyes and see the stakes are split and open, no longer straight and regimented around my tent, but crooked and gnarled, with a wide gap between two posts.
Snatching my hands away from the soil, I dash for the material and tear at it, escaping into the pitch black.
It worked!
My rapid breaths are the only thing I can hear, the smell of smoke, still thick in the air. Everything is still. So still.
I’ve never seen the back of the tented area before. I can’t even make out the shape of Fenix’s accommodations. I take a step forward, my boot planting firmly into the leafy carpet, the noise almost deafening as I crunch and break the leaves on the ground.
I can’t stop. I press on, arcing around the outside of my abode, and giving Fenix’s a wide berth. As my eyes adjust to the night, shapes become clearer, the tall silhouette of trees, long-limbed and prowling in the dark.
I’m caught between wanting to rush to Ten and Crimson to ensure their safety and what I must do, which is to face my brother and ensure he doesn’t block our path.
The line of trees marking the edge of camp comes into shady focus, giving me a clearer sense of where I am.
Only the tree in the centre seems to move, but it’s not the trunk of a tree, but a man.
Fenix.
“I’m impressed. A little push, and look at you, using all kinds of Fifth magic to aid you.” His tone is mocking, as if he’s responsible for my escape. “I’m surprised you didn’t try to escape earlier.”
I didn’t think to use my power before. A sorry confession, but one I won’t forget again.
