Page 50 of Infala: The Bonding Games
“Come on,” he urged. “We need to catch up. The checkpoint will be close.”
Sure enough, they’d only moved ahead for a few minutes, their new footwear helping them scale the ice with relative ease, when they saw movement to their right.
“Hey, I was thinking. Why put those vines there at all? I mean, if the checkpoint isn’t there, then why?”
He looked around, ensuring no one was watching. Satisfied, he nodded subtly to a plain section of icy rocks against the far wall.
“Do not point, but that is the exit,” he said quietly. “Hidden in plain sight, but not easy to reach.”
“Holy shit! We know the way out!”
“Yes. But we must first retrieve the keys. And even if we had them all, this is far too harsh an environment to wait without proper cold weather gear. Undoubtedly chosen for precisely that reason. No one can camp out and wait for the gong announcing its opening. They would perish during the night.”
“Oh. Damn.”
“Don’t be upset. The others will find it, no doubt, but they will face the same restrictions. Not even the elites can find a way around that. No warm clothing. No shelters. We are monitored at all times and their cheating would be seen. Now, where are they?”
“They’ve moved off to the slope,” Ziana said, pointing to the elites as they came back into view. “They’re heading up to that green area over there about halfway up between the frozen part and where the lava is coming from.”
“They are careless,” Dorrin said with a grin. “They telegraph their moves. The next key is in that smaller cavern toward the left of the elevated plain they are heading to. And the third will be near the lava flow.”
“How can you be so sure? They’re not heading that way.”
“Their bodies may not be, but watch their gazes. See how they keep looking that way? They are telling us their next move without even realizing it.”
Ziana watched the pair as they walked, paying special attention to the way they angled their heads. Even at a distance, she could see where they were looking clear as day.
Son of a bitch. He’s right.
Dorrin put his hand on her chest, stopping her in her tracks. His touch was hot on her cool skin, and she felt her nipples tighten at the sensation, sending other feelings rippling through her body.
“What?” she asked.
“We are close. The checkpoint is just ahead.”
“You’re sure?”
“Look at the footprints.”
Sure enough, the faint outlines of boots were just barely visible in the ice. Snow would have been easy to spot, but this surface required a bit more attention.
“I can see them. But they look like they moved all over the place.”
“That’s the problem. They knew the checkpoint was here, but even the elites had to make their approach from the correct direction lest they activate a trap. And now we must do the same.”
“So what do we do?”
“We sit a moment and wait. We observe. We take in the details of the area without preconceptions or assumptions.Sometimes all it takes to see what is right in front of you is to stop looking.”
“You should put that on a mug.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Never mind. How long do you think?—”
“There,” he said quietly. “I see the path. Stay close.”
She squinted her eyes but had no idea how he’d made out the correct direction so quickly. Sure, she’d had it explained that the runes could enhance someone’s senses, including vision, but this? It seemed almost like a superpower the way he did it.
