Page 116 of The Heart Trials

Ivy doesn’t move right away. She stares at the tent where Talia vanished, arms tight across her chest like she’s trying to hold herself together, eyes glassy with some emotion she’s trying hard not to let spill. Then she exhales. “Alright, Axira. I’ll come with you.”

38

Caelus had us up before sunrise at first light, hiking nearly an entire day with very few stops. Everything aches. My feet feel less like feet and more like stones that have slipped beneath my skin. The sky above bleeds toward dusk, and my steps are increasingly unsteady. There’s been no sign of Kade. No sign of Rhythe. And I’m not dumb enough to believe we are actually lucky. They are out there somewhere, plotting. I can feel it.

Caelus leads us through the mountains now to more ridges we have to climb. I’m behind him and Ivy is behind me. Our boots crunch and the air thins with every breath. No one talks. My limbs are sore, and my mind is occupied with the growing cold and promise of a harder climb tomorrow.

We forage as we go. Ivy spots a clutch of frosty leaves that burn when I touch them. But she stuffs them in her pocket, saying if we can steam them, we can eat them. I find a few edible roots curled like knuckles beneath the dirt. Caelus moves ahead, his long strides smooth on the uneven ground, occasionally glancing back to check our pace. Every time his gaze lands on me it’s like a tug on a cord I didn’t know I wanted to be tethered to.

When we reach the top of the climb, the ground ends in a sharp jagged wall. It’s not the tallest we’ll face, but after an entire day of hiking, it looks brutal. Caelus scans the rock, assessing its angle, its handholds, the risk. “The stretch is short, but steep,” he says, tightening my harness before checking his own. “Axira, with me.”

“Ivy is going to be with you,” I say before I can stop myself, remembering I am getting on a ship when this is all said and done. I can’t rely on him forever. “You can guide her up safely.”

He pauses, looking over at me. There’s longing behind his eyes—curiosity, or maybe disappointment? But of the three of us, he is physically strongest right now since the filler hasn’t kicked in.

“I can manage,” Ivy says. “Heartfiller or not.”

“No, really. We should use your strength while you have it, Caelus. Besides, I’m already strapping in.”

“Axira—” Caelus says, but Ivy’s already started rigging her gear to his.

“It’s already in motion; let it go,” I say.

His jaw ticks, but the cinch in his shoulders is fear, not anger. I’m distancing myself. He can tell. His hands move with careful precision as he explains each knot and clasp to me. After all, I have to get on a ship.

When he’s finished, he asks, “What questions do you have?”

“None, I’m a quick study. Let’s go.”

I climb beside them on my own line. The wind picks up the higher we go, tugging at my hair, biting through my clothes. My fingers are already raw and we’ve barely started. Caelus’s stare pins me to the rock every several minutes, so sharp there’s no way I’m falling off.

“The ridge narrows near the top,” he calls over the wind a while later. “But there’s a foothold just below it—right there, see? Push off with your left, keep your right steady.” He waits for me to do it. I wedge my foot into the hold and hold every muscle in my body tight. Then I step up.

“Good,” he says, keeping a cautious eye on me while he guides Ivy. “Now if we can do that a dozen more times, we’ll be there.” He gazes up, a hand at his brow. “We need to move; the light is fading quickly.”

The climb is harder than it looks. The rock is crumbling in places, and my shoulders burn from the strain of holding myself steady. The valley yawns open beneath us, a dizzying drop that steals my breath when I look at it. I force myself to focus—one hand, one foot, one breath at a time.

Repeat.

One hand.

One foot.

One breath.

Again. And again. And again. My heart races, but I find a rhythm.

Then, I spot the ledge at the top.

One hand.

One foot—it slips.

Ivy screams. Panic flares white hot as my body lurches backward, weightless.

“Axira!” Caelus’s voice slices through the air. My cord jerks tight, snapping me back against the wall with a jolt that rattles my bones.

“I’m okay,” I call out, digging my nails into the stone, pressing my face hard against the rock. My breath is coming too fast, my heart hammering in my chest.