Page 141 of Powerless

She takes a step, her face scrunching in pain. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Bullshit,” I mutter before crouching down in front of her. “Come on. Get on my back.” I throw her a small smile over my shoulder. “Just like old times.”

She laughs hoarsely. “Seriously, I’m fine—”

“Well, clearly you’re not,” Blair’s agitated voice cuts in. “So get on his damn back so we can get a move on.” She starts climbing upwards, muttering something that sounds like, “Plagues, I hate teamwork.”

“I could try to transform into a small animal so I’m easier to carry?” Andy sounds doubtful. “But I’m not sure I could hold that state for long...”

“Save your energy. Come on. Up you go.” I help her onto my back, gripping the back of her knees as she grips my shoulders. She’s tall and lanky, her weight barely bothersome.

For now.

And then we are climbing again.

ChapterForty-One

Paedyn

There isa rock in my shoe. The same one that’s been there for the past half hour, but my hands are too busy keeping me from falling to my death to do anything about it.

We’ve been climbing for hours. There are far fewer trees now, giving way to steep slopes covered in slippery plants. My hands are grasping at large boulders as I catch my breath, turning my eyes toward our destination.

The peak.

Despite our constant climbing, it still looms far above us. Jax is beside me, panting just as hard as I am. “I think we’re out of shape,” I say breathlessly.

He flashes a smile before rasping, “You think?”

I huff out a laugh while forcing my feet to move again. My legs are shaky, strained from climbing nonstop for hours with no food and no water to aid us. I hold out a hand to Jax, helping him over a particularly steep patch of rock, returning a favor he has done for me multiple times.

“How cute.”

Jax and I stiffen at the sound of that voice, considering that the owner of it tried to kill the both of us. I bite my tongue, forcing myself to stamp down the flare of anger igniting inside of me and ignore him instead.

Ace sighs dramatically as he continues to climb nearby. “Well, this is awkward. The three of us being paired together to be ateam.”

It’s not awkward—it’s intentional.

Everything the king does is deliberate. Twisted. And this Trial is no exception. The fights, the teams, and the tension between contestants are all calculated.

“What? Are you just going to ignore me until we reach the top?” Ace croons from behind.

I’m thankful that Jax happens to be the other Elite I’m paired with, so I don’t have to fight the urge to kill both of my teammates. Though, that may be a bad thing considering that I likely trust Jax too much. But I ignore the thought just like the boy behind me and continue carefully climbing.

“At least—” Ace’s words die on his tongue before he cries out, “Paedyn! Look out!”

I turn to face him and instead spot the giant snake slithering around my ankles. A strangled scream tears from my throat before I can stop it, and I stumble. My ankle catches on a rock, and I trip, falling backward—

The last thing I see before I’m about to fall down the mountain and likely to my death, is the snake scattering into shadows when my foot connects with it.

Illusion.

But it’s too late. My body is falling and I’m going to tumble down the slope with no way to stop myself.

What a pathetic way to die—

Hands are suddenly at my back, pushing and pulling me to my feet before I can collide with the rocks and roll down the mountain.

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