Page 27 of The Stone Initiation
“Orix!”
Serath smashed into Orix who released me abruptly. My ass hit the ground, and pain shot up my tailbone.
Orix slammed into the rock face with Serath’s hands aroundhisneck. The elite leader’s teeth were bared in a mask of fury. “No!”
Orix grabbed his shoulders. “You’re a fool!”
The gargoyles tussled for a moment before shooting into the air.
What in the actual fuck?
“Can’t believe you beat us,” Sharniza said as she climbed onto the ledge in human form. She stood and slicked back her hair, squeezing out the water.
Touron joined us a moment later. “Nowthatwas a rush.” He shook his head dislodging droplets of water.
I stared numbly at him and his smile dropped. “Cameron?”
“Hey?” Sharniza snapped her fingers. “What’s wrong with you?”
I blinked up at her, finally piecing together what had almost just happened. “I think…I think an elite just tried to kill me.”
* * *
Sharniza scannedthe sky searching for the elites but there was no sign of them.
“Why would he want to kill you?” Touron asked.
“I dunno. When I see him again, maybe I’ll ask.”
He flinched, looking hurt by my sharp tone. “There’s no need to be mean.”
“I’m sorry. Look. I don’t know why. Maybe because I made it across. Maybe because they don’t want me at the academy, and now they have to let me in?” The numb shock was gone, and I was pissed.
Fuming.
In fact, I was surprised there wasn’t steam coming off my body. “If they think they can get rid of me that easily, they’re delusional. I did not just fight a river snake and pass this fucking challenge to get my windpipe crushed by an elitist bastard.”
“There was a river snake in there?” Touron asked, eyes wide.
“Fucking huge. I almost died, but I didn’t. I made it across, only for him to try and finish the job. No. Hell no.” I reached for my neck, still sore from the attack. “He would have succeeded too if Serath hadn’t intervened.”
“Calm down,” Sharniza said to me. “If what you say is true—”
“If? I think I know when someone is trying to kill me.”
“Okay, if they want you dead, then they’ll probably try again.”
“Gee, thanks for that.”
Her mouth turned down. “You say SerathstoppedOrix.”
Orix, my wannabe murderer. “Yeah, he was furious.”
“So Serathdoesn’twant you dead,” Touron said.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, casting my mind over the events of the last few minutes. The swim to get to the ledge, the thing in the water. “I saw two gargoyles on the ledge further down. Then something bumped my hip in the water, and I panicked. After that, the snake got me and I went under. I came up, and I think…I think maybe there were more of those things coming for me, but something flew into the water. I think one of the gargoyles…”
“You think one of them jumped in?” Sharniza chewed on her cheeks.
