Page 88 of Wild Bond

My stomach flipped. “What do you mean our dragons? Is Skye in danger?”

He shook his head, glancing around. I got the feeling he was anxious to move on. “No, no of course not. The other dragon riders would never allow that.”

“Then what?” I urged.

“It’s part of the trial,” he explained. “Each of us is given a weapon at random,” he gestured to his bow and my short sword, “and a feather to find the flowers. Then we have to get to our dragons and use the flowers to free them, then make it through The Rift and come out the other side before sunrise.”

“Free our dragons from what?” I demanded. “And what is The Rift?”

He sighed. “The Rift is a narrow pass through the Black Caves. It’s a part of the mountain that is incredibly difficult to fly through. If you’re able to come out on the far side with your dragon, before sunrise, you will have completed the trial. You’ll see what I mean about the dragons . . . that is . . . if you’re going to compete?”

The question hung in the air. I hadn’t even considered the idea and couldn’t imagine actually competing. I wasn’t prepared for this. I didn’t have enough training. And if I’d been placed here to die in the trials for some reason, participating would only make it easier on my abductors.

“I don’t think so,” was all I said.

Con nodded. “Probably best. Just find a safe place to wait out the night, and I’ll send someone for you in the morning. We can get it all sorted out then. I’m sure the council will want to hear about what happened to you.”

I was sure they would. Rake was going to be furious. Part of me wondered if one of them might have even had something to do with it.

“I better get going,” Con motioned behind him. “I don’t plan on failing this time, and time is short.”

I didn’t want him to go, but I also knew I couldn’t accompany him. I would just be in the way. And I wouldn’t keep him. I knew how much this meant to him. “Good luck,” I finally said.

“Stay safe,” he replied. I watched him as he disappeared into the trees.

I stood there for several minutes after he left. Thinking.

I knew there would be no shame in simply surviving the night and letting myself be rescued in the morning, as Con had suggested. I could attempt the trials in three years like I’d planned. No one would blame me for waiting things out.

But . . .

Could I really just cower in a tree all night and not even try? Iwasalready here. Regardless of who entered me or for what reason, I was here, in the dragon rider trials, and I had an opportunity.

My entire life things had happened to me that were out of my control. Whether it was my mother’s death and being thrown out on the street, homeless and alone, Safan finding me and using me for his own gain while making my life a living nightmare, or being thrown in prison for helping Lessa with no hope of escape.

And now this.

Each time I had been left to pick up the pieces and try and make something of a bad situation, to learn how to survive in a new reality, and I had. I had survived and now I was here. Why should this be any different? Why not attempt to compete? Why not try?

A fresh wave of adrenaline, excitement, and fear coursed through me at the realization that I was going to go through with this. I was going to compete in the trials.

I cursed aloud as the harpy once again slashed me with her claws—this time in my thigh—before using her long wings to narrowly dodge the swinging steel of my blade. The creature—a large batlike thing just slightly smaller than me, with a warped feminine humanlike form and long teeth and claws—cawed loudly as she flew higher.

Glancing down, I saw through my torn leathers that my thigh was bleeding profusely, along with my arm and a spot on my neck. All that in addition to the partially healed wound at my side, courtesy of the hounds.

Realms, I hurt all over!I thought, as I eyed the little white flowers lying about a dozen feet away where I had dropped them.

Once I had made my decision to take part in the trials, I went back and retrieved my feather. Then I spent another hour wandering the mountainside until it began to glow again. When it grew brighter in a particular direction, I was much more cautious on my approach, knowing these flowers would most likely be guarded as well. And I was right. I spotted the harpy where she was perched in a tree directly above a patch of Lethara’s Tears. I had managed to distract the creature by hiding my glowing phoenix feather in the woods about fifty yards away. When the harpy flew to investigate, I had darted for the flowers, moving as silently as I could. I had just plucked the flowers from the ground and turned to disappear back into the woods when the harpy attacked me.

I wasn’t sure how long I had been fighting the creature, but I was exhausted. I didn’t have Con or his bow to help me this time, and my injuries were such that I didn’t think I could continue much longer without passing out from blood loss.

As the harpy came at me again, I decided to go for her wings. Like dragons, I imagined they were one of her only weak spots. If she was wounded and couldn’t fly, then I would stand a much better chance of getting away.

As she dove at me, I ducked out of the way of her extended claws, spun to the side, and brought my sword down on her outstretched wing. The blade nearly sliced clean through the tendon at her shoulder. The harpy’s shriek was deafening as she crashed to the forest floor. I didn’t waste any time and dashed for the flowers, despite my body’s screaming protests. I snatched them up without breaking my stride and ran as fast as I could, in my current state, into the trees. The harpy’s cries of pain and outrage followed me for what felt like miles as I ran.

When I finally felt like I could go no further and was safe from pursuit, I collapsed onto the ground underneath a large tree. My entire body felt like it was on fire, but there wasn’t much I could do for my injuries besides resting and allowing them to begin to heal. As I caught my breath, I tried to distract myself from the pain by studying the flowers more closely.

They were tiny, no longer than my pinkie finger, with little bell flower petals that drooped downward from a thin green stem. They were all clustered together, sharing the same set of roots. Clasping them gently in my hand, I hoped they would be enough. It had to be only a few hours before dawn now, and I no longer had my phoenix feather to help me find more.

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