Page 84 of Trial of Thorns
I lay down on my belly, reaching an arm out to him. I’m close enough to reach him now. I could pull him up.
“I said, don’t touch me,” he hollers through gritted teeth. He swings his body, reaching for another stone with his left hand. He smacks my still hanging hand away as he pulls himself up through a roar of pain, finding one last foothold. He lifts himself over the final ledge, falling to his stomach on the flat pathway beside me.
I sit up, watching in awe as he stands without a glance in my direction, wipes his pants, and walks away with a significant limp but confidence in his gait.
Tyadin follows, pulling himself up, eyes examining my expression as I still watch Rev walk away, stomach squirming.
He places two fingers under my chin and pushes my mouth closed. I hadn’t even noticed it was hanging open.
He leans in and whispers, “You could at least pretend not to be totally turned on.”
I snarl at him, but he laughs and follows after Rev, now out of sight around the corner. “I’ll catch up in a few,” I call to Tyadin. Knowing I’d pushed Rev much, much farther than I should have—farther than he should have been able to go. So, I decide I should do something to make up for it. Rev is going to need a bit more help now that his injuries have regressed.
I’d seen the red flowers from below—it was one of the reasons I suggested this mountain to start with. Yes, it was a decent medium between easy and high and too obvious, but it also held some significantly powerful healing herbs near the summit.
So, let these stupid red flowers be my olive branch.
He’ll still hate me—I still hate me. But at least he’ll be in a little less pain while he does it.
Rev
Pain roars throughmy body with each step. My vision blinks in and out with inky blotches of black. I’m closer to blacking out than I’d like to admit. But my pain tolerance is high, my annoyance tolerance is low.
I won’t let her win this one. I’ll make it the rest of the way to the top without her seeing any more weakness from me.
My chest is on fire, my muscles trembling, but I force my mind to steady and push myself through every step.
Almost there. Almost there.
I can make it without her help.
I don’t need her. I won’t need her.
My focus is so tight on each step, I don’t even notice I’m at the top of the mountain until Tyadin places a hand on my shoulder to stop me. We’re on a flat ridge at the top of one of the highest summits in the area.
I blink, looking out at the amazing view—miles and miles of expansive forests beyond us. My knees wobble beneath me, and I crumble onto my butt beside a blue maple.
