Confidence or bravado, Kara didn’t know. Cass grinned at him, reaching for her own ladder. But not before she threw Kara an assessing look over her shoulder. Kara didn’t know what to make of it – she’d never even spoken to this woman.
The Fatàn judge stepped forward. “Delegates, you now face the Air Trial. Your task is simple: reach the final platform as a full team. Nomagic. No shortcuts. For each person who falls or fails to reach the end, your team will lose one point–”
Kara and Sienna shared a dark look at that.
Not everyone has to make it?
But the judge was still talking, so Kara forced herself to focus.
“–if any of your team use magic, your whole team will be disqualified. As with the other trials, the first team to finish will be awarded a maximum of four points.”
The judge paused and stared over at their team; at Sebastian in particular. He didn’t notice, focused on the rope ladder in front of him, but it made Kara uneasy.
“You may begin.”
No one moved for a heartbeat.
Then Sebastian began his climb with ease.
How hard can it be?
Kara gripped the rope and climbed up after him. The ladder shook a little under both their weight but held. She looked down and could see Sienna frozen at the base. Without her magic to calm herself, her hands were shaking.
“You can do this, Sienna!” Kara called. “Stay with me!”
A faint tremor on the ladder told her that Sienna had started the climb. Sebastian was already halfway to the top, with only Cass keeping pace with him. Kara looked across the rest of the teams – their progress was as slow as hers. But within a few minutes, the whole team were up on the first platform – shaky but determined. Oryen in particular had struggled with the climb, Gregor had hoisted him unceremoniously up the last section. The wind was stronger up here, making the ropes ahead creak ominously.
Don’t look down.
The first section was narrow beams swaying dangerously on ropes. Gaps stretched between every one – forcing them to step from beam to beam with perfect balance.
“Single file,” Gregor said. “We move one at a time. No rushing.”
Jax gave a low whistle. “This is not built for size twelve boots.”
Morra went first, calm and collected, but slowly. She lost her footing only once, but recovered quickly. The crowd below cheered.
“She’s got it,” Oryen said, gaze locked on her progress.
Sebastian went next, keeping his weight low and movements controlled. Kara followed. But Henry’s team had nearly completed their first section. Her team had to pick up the pace if they wanted to win.Kara tried to focus on the beams in front of her and not how far she would fall if she misjudged.
“Keep your eyes up, Kara. Eyes on me,” Sebastian called.
Her head jerked towards him, but the movement made her slip. Her foot skidded sideways into nothingness and she fell to her knees, gripping the beam tightly. The crowd groaned down below as she struggled to regain her balance.
Not helpful.
“Keep going, Kara,” Sebastian called, but he sounded different. Anxious.
She made it to the platform, legs shaking, and Sebastian offered his hand. She didn’t strictly need it, but found herself taking it anyway. His hand was warm, but there was no surge of magic this time.
“Thanks,” she managed.
“Good recovery,” he said, releasing her immediately, turning to watch Sienna – frightened but determined.
The rest of their team made quick progress. Oryen light on his feet, Gregor stony-faced. Kara allowed herself a single breath of relief. One section down. They turned to the next obstacle. Several platforms hung at intervals between this pillar and the next, suspended by ropes, swaying precariously. The only way forward was to leap between them, with nothing below but empty air. Off to the side, she caught Oryen eyeing the gusts of wind with obvious frustration, his fingers twitching. He was clearly wishing he could summon his magic – bend the air as he did to send messages in Caldris – to carry himself across with ease.
Kara eyed Sienna’s ashen face and imagined her father’s expression if they came last. Her stomach clenched unpleasantly.
