Page 112 of The Heart Trials

Behind me, I hear a stifled sob, and someone else mutters a curse under their breath. Everyone knows what this means. Many of us—most of us—won’t make it through this.

I stand there unable to move, eyes drawn to the craggy mountain peaks. The sun spills molten light over the cliffs, setting the frost-glazed stones ablaze with color—crimson, amber, and pale rose. The air is crisp, scented with pine and cold earth. Its beauty stills and sickens me. These peaks that shimmer like jewels will be our graves in a few days.

Dreth calls a huddle of the other Mercyenforcers, and Dorian breaks the silence among the contestants, whispering to me. “We’re going to climb tethered together so I can bear most of her weight,” he says. “Mae’ll never make it by herself. We’ll be stronger together.”

“Wind speeds up through narrow passes and over ridges,” Caelus tells him. “Avoid them. Valleys, sheltered areas will have calmer winds. If the wind changes suddenly, move. It is not safe.”

“Got it,” Dorian says.

Mae smiles a real smile that hugs her eyes—rare and too fragile for a place like this.

“And don’t store those weapons they gave you,” I say. “Be prepared to use them.”

“You visit Stonebound often?” I ask Caelus once Mae and Dorian have moved on to rummage through their bag.

“I know this island like I know the beauty mark on your face and the one on your neck. I study the things that matter.”

I’m not sure what to say. So I don’t say anything at all.

“You’re agile, you’ll be fine,” he continues. “We are stronger together. You have to trust me, watch your footing, things like that.”

“You’re not worried?”

“I can’t afford to be. I need to take that magic from my father. And I promised you a ship.”

My heart twinges. Right. I am leaving here soon.

Caelus touches my chin, making me face him. “The deeper our connection grows, the stronger we are, remember?”

I swallow, forcing down the sudden, rising panic, the image of Serafina on the back of my eyelids. Our connection can’t grow too deeply. That would consume me whole, complicating things. Our kiss made that clear. I have to leave here, leave him, leave this power that I feel when I’m with him.

He cannot have my heart. There’s a little girl in Dockers Row and an orphanage who I’m realizing it belongs to. Caelus and I are strong allies. The best here. That’s all I can give him.

I hope it’s enough to keep us alive.

37

I’m tired. So very tired.

Sun bleeds over the jagged horizon as we wait for Dreth to release us to begin the trial. Below, past the cliff’s edge, is a plummeting haze of nothingness. The ground is imperceptible.

Three more sunrises.

Find the antidote. Reach the ground with Caelus.

Only I’m not on any Heartfillers. But he is. He needs that antidote before he falls to his death and I die stranded out here. First, we’ll reach the summit. Then, we’ll climb down.

“When they say go, run. We need to get as far as we can to the other side of this peak,” Caelus says. “Shorter climb on that side.”

“What about Rhythe?” I ask between my teeth. We can’t play this game like there is no one after us. We have to deal with Rhythe or we won’t have a chance to make it to the end. The Benevolent wants Caelus dead in this trial! And we know Rhythe and Kade are plotting.

“We focus on the antidote.”

I don’t agree. We should disrupt his alliance, peel off whoever we can. That will help us figure out what he’s planning and how to stay alive.

One of the Mercyenforcers raises a hand. The air is sharp enough to cut. Contestants stand in a semicircle on the rocky cliff edge. Beside me, Mae breathes clouds in the frigid air, her hand clasped tightly on Dorian. Talia grips her hand axe, and Jace has their survival bag strapped on his back. Their eyes are locked together, waiting for the horn. The others are too far for me to make out the fear on their faces.

A heartbeat.