Page 58 of Lost and Stolen Gods
“Icoulddo with some help.”
His grin was disarming. “Wise choice. And in the interests of transparency, I heard your conversation with your drohi earlier.”
Ouch. “Which conversation?”
“The one that tells me you’ll need real help if you’re going to ascend.”
The cynical part of me wondered what price tag his help came with, but it also reminded me that beggars couldn’t be choosers. I needed any help I could get. I’d have to worry about the price when it presented itself.
I sighed. “Okay, so let’s get started.”
Ravi walkedme through the course, from the spots to avoid on the rotisserie log to the timing of the spikes and blades, then to the vines and where the snakes would most likely be, something which was changeable.I’d have to observe and find the patches of color that were lighter than the darker, richer, vines. There were spots in between those major aspects which he called confidence boosters, put there to make you let your guard down.
“Do not get complacent,” he said. “Always be alert because in the main gauntlet, these spots are where unexpected things will happen.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean things that you haven’t dealt with in the run before. Things that I cannot warn you about, and these…these are the true test.”
There were three of these spots. A steep rockface, a stretch of water, and a series of pedestals several meters off the ground, easily crossed if you leapt from one to the other, or so it seemed. The rockface was the midway point, after which came a series of ropes before the pedestals. The water stretch was right at the end, but on the dummy gauntlet the water was absent.
We worked on the first part of the gauntlet. It was late by the time we finished, and I was struggling to hold back my yawns.
“I’ll walk you back,” Ravi said. “If you want, we can test the gauntlet out tomorrow night. I know you’ll run it during the day, but some extra practice could be good.”
And with him here to help me, if I got hurt, it would be safe. “Thanks. That would be great.”
He walked me as far as the steps up the mountain,where we parted ways. Araz hadn’t returned to our room yet. I showered, changed into my sleep stuff, and crawled into bed feeling more positive than I had in days, because with Pashim and Ravi’s help, I might just be able to qualify for the labyrinth after all.
Chapter 21
EVERYONE HAS A STORY TO TELL
“Are you ready, Leela?” Padmini asked from beneath my platform.
Potentials worked the gauntlet on either side of me. Their yelps and screams as they fell or got knocked off echoed around me.
Araz stood a few meters away, arms crossed, face a clean slate showing no emotion as he watched the scene.
He’d been in the shower when I’d woken this morning but came out fully dressed, thank goodness, because I doubted that early morning Leela would have been able to handle all that arrogantly sexy skin.
He’d sat at breakfast with me, watching me eat so that I’d barely been able to manage a couple of mouthfuls of porridge, then he’d walked to training with us, silent and broody.
Pashim’s brows had shot up at the sight of him athand-to-hand training, and it had been hard to focus with him shadowing my every move. I’d have to work on not allowing his presence to distract me.
Like it was doing now.
Breathe, Leela. Focus on the course. Remember what Ravi taught you.
Where was the smooth spot on the log? I waited, thighs bunched, ready to dash across. There it was. I broke into a run as it rolled out of view, closer and closer, until it rolled back into view in time for me to leap over it and continue to the platform ahead. I landed safely and let out a whoop.
“Good work,” Padmini said. She glanced over her shoulder at Araz. “Don’t you think, Araz?”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Yes, it is, but you won’t have time to stop and cheer on the real gauntlet. Keep moving.”
The spikes were next, and I knew the timing to these. Wait, what had Ravi said? wait till the farthest spikes slipped down then count to five, if the first lot of spikes shoot up then count to five and run.
I waited for the end spikes to drop, but the first spikes remained down. The middle lot shot up instead. I was mid cycle, it seemed. Long seconds passed as the spikes did their thing and finally the last lot slipped down again. This had to be it. I waited, thighs bunching for the spikes right in front of me to shoot up.
