Page 80 of The Bleak Beginning

“You brought me to a cliff?” I ask, peering down at the steep drop below.

Sylvester shrugs. “I’m just glad you were able to walk here.”

I turn away from him and his rude comment and take in the view around me, ignoring his presence, just like I had during most of our hike. He followed closely behind the entire way, giving me directions on where to go next, but other than that I refused to give him the satisfaction of asking him questions.

The steep cliff juts out into the dark sky, its edges sharp and jagged. Far below, heavy waves crash against the rocks, their white foam illuminated by the moon.

Directly across from us, another cliff looms, its jagged edges mirroring the one we stood on, a tantalizing gap of water separating the two as if they were reaching for each other, but were forced apart. Close, but never touching.

“Why are we here?” I inquire. “What significance does this place hold in Altair’s history?”

Sylvester’s eyes glint in the moonlight as he turns to face me. “This is where it all began. The very first Altair Games ended here, a long time ago.”

I can’t help but feel a flicker of curiosity, despite my irritation at being forced to come here.

“What do you mean?”

He steps closer to the edge, his gaze fixed on the churning waters below. “The four original families, the Oliveris, Ashbournes, Whitlocks, and…Prescotts, sought a way to solidifytheir status and showcase their success to the surrounding population. They established Altair University as a means of proving their wealth and prestige. They sent their children to attend as soon as it was completed in order to demonstrate to both other students and future generations that they were not to be disrespected.”

I swallow, listening intently as Sylvester continues to share the history of Altair. Of my family’s lineage.

“However, after a few years, the founding parents decided to push their children even further by creating an annual game. By this time, all four students were in their third year of university. They gave the teachers higher wages as an incentive to design a challenging set of games for the students in their grade level to compete in.”

“And this cliff?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper as I gaze out at the turbulent water.

Sylvester’s expression darkens. “This was the site of the final challenge to determine their worth. To win.”

“Let me guess,” I said mockingly. “They had to jump?”

Sylvester’s lips curl into a humorless smile. “Not quite. They had to cross.”

I look at the gap between the cliffs, my eyes widening. “That’s impossible. It’s at least thirty feet across!”

“Thirty-eight, to be exact,” he corrects.

A sudden chill pierces my bones, and it has nothing to do with the cool night air. “So the games were essentially created to stroke the egos of rich families?”

Sylvester nods grimly. “In essence, yes.”

“That entire thing sounds incredibly dangerous.” Not to mention negligent on the parents’ part.

“It was.” Sylvester nods grimly. “The currents here are treacherous, the rocks below sharp and unforgiving this far out. But the four were blinded by their ambition, their desire to provethemselves superior to the other students and win for the sake of their family names.”

I turn to face him fully, a sick feeling growing in the pit of my stomach. “What happened?”

“They won, of course. They beat their peers.”

Sylvester’s words hang in the air, heavy with unspoken implications. I stare at him, waiting for more, but he remains silent, his eyes fixed on the churning waters below.

“That’s it?” I press, frustration creeping into my voice. “They won? That’s all you have to say?”

He turns to me, his expression unreadable in the dim moonlight. “What more do you want to know, Alex? They competed, they crossed this impossible gap, and they won. They proved their superiority, just as their parents wanted.”

I shake my head, unable to accept such a simple explanation. “But how? How did they cross?”

He turns to face me fully, his expression grave. “Did you know the first Altair Games lasted an entire month? All of the students, including the founding family’s children, were put through increasingly difficult and dangerous challenges. Physical trials, mental puzzles, tests of endurance—each designed to push them to their limits.”

“And now?” I ask.

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