Page 27 of Spirit Rites
“How long?” I ask.
He meets my eyes. “Twenty-four hours.” I feel the air dissipate from my lungs. “Or less.”
Chapter 13
I stare at Kaldar and try to keep my panic at bay. If I don’t, I am going to curl into a ball on the ground and never get back up. “Well, then I guess we need to find a cure.” I force my words to sound confident, but the fact is, I’m anything but. I have no idea what kind of plants out here could help. I bite my lip and wish Farrah were here; she would know.Think, Kinsley. Think!
“Maybe in the meantime, we should keep going. Maybe we’ll get lucky and finish whatever challenges lie ahead and be able to finish this thing.”
Kaldar’s words give me hope. “Okay. Let’s keep moving.”
Neither of us say anything as we walk. Both of us are lost in our own thoughts. I keep an eye on every plant we pass, hoping to catch sight of something that looks like what Farrah used on Harper during the trial. But leaves are not my forte, and I worry that I’ll get the wrong ones and make things worse for Kaldar. I keep an eye on him as we travel. I don’t notice anything for the first few hours, but as we get into the afternoon, I notice that he’s sweating more than he was before. The sun is also at its peak, but he seems to be reacting now. I scowl at the world around us and wish that our next trial would just appear, so we could get it over and done with. Kaldar’s words from this morning give me hope. What if we really were only one trial away from finishing? The ground beneath me suddenly gives way, and I find myself slipping. I cry out in pain as my arm bangs against something hard. When I stop sliding, I close my eyes and try to breathe through the pain.
“Are you okay?” Kaldar grunts out from next to me.
I finally open my eyes and see he didn’t fare very well either. “Yes. Are you?”
“I’ll live.” I glance up behind us and wince. There’s no way we’re getting back up there. It’s too steep, and neither of us is in peak physical shape right now. Something growls, and the hairs on the back of my head stand up. Kaldar stands up and pulls his sword from his sheath. I notice that his hand is shaking slightly. I stand up and catch my breath as the world spins a moment. I step forward and put my hand on his arm and push it down. His eyes shoot to mine, and I shake my head. “Let’s not fight it; let’s just keep moving. Neither of us is in the best shape to fight a wild animal right now.” The fact that he doesn’t argue with me tells me worlds about how he’s really doing. We start forward, away from the animal but come to a stop a few feet later. In front of us is a raging river. I look behind us and see the bushes rustle. Whatever it is, it’s big; and it’s coming for us. We either have to fight it, or we have to take our chances in the water. I’m not sure what the better chance of survival is. But when an animal as big as an emberstag with a mouthful of jagged teeth bursts out of the underbrush and roars at us, my mind is made up. I push Kaldar forward. He’s already thinking the same thing. We run towards the water. “I’ll help you,” he shouts as we plunge into the water.
I suck in a breath as the icy water covers my legs and reaches my waist. I’m dreading what comes next, but there’s no other options. I try to untie Kaldar’s shirt, so I can free my arm; but I can’t get it. “Leave it,” Kaldar shouts over the noise of the rushing water and the roar of the animal behind us.
“I need my arm to swim,” I yell back.
“I’ll get you across.” He steps towards me and reaches out for me. Sensing his intent, I pull back.
“You can’t. You’re weak from the poison. You—” A wave knocks into us, and I’m thrown forward. I barely get my feetunder me before I’m swept off my feet again. This time, it’s not by a wave; it’s by Kaldar. He pulls me into his arms.
“Wrap your legs around my waist,” he shouts at me. He gives me no time because he’s striding forward. “Hang on!” I don’t have a chance to protest because he’s already preparing to move. I lock my legs around his waist and wrap my good arm around his neck. It’s difficult to hang on because my injured arm is trapped between us, but I don’t have an option. The water comes at us, and I take a deep breath. And then we’re moving through the water. He told me that jaguars were strong swimmers. Even though he’s not connected to his jaguar, he’s a powerful swimmer. His strong arms cut through the water and propel us forward. In minutes, we’re on the other side. He hits solid ground and stands and walks forward.
He sets me down carefully and steps back. We’re both soaked to the bone, but we’re alive. “Thank you. You’re a really good swimmer.”
He shrugs. “All our people are.” I grimace, and he catches it. “You’re not?”
“No, not at all.”
He nods but doesn’t look at all bothered. “Okay.”
We make our way over the stones and up to dry land. I look back over my shoulder at the water. “I can’t believe you just swam that, carrying me as well.” When he doesn’t say anything, I turn back around. “Kaldar?”
He takes a step forward and stumbles. I rush forward, bracing him. “Hey, look at me.”
He shakes his head. “Sorry.”
“Come on.” I take his arm and lead him further away from the water. “Sit for a minute and recover.” He sits and puts his head between his legs. I squat next to him and try not to panic.
“I’m fine,” he says quietly.
I don’t bother saying anything in return, but he’s anything but fine. I stand to my feet. “I’m going to find an spot where we can build a fire and eat something.”
He lifts his head. “I’ll go with you; just give me a minute.”
“No, you’re going to stay here and recover. I’ll—”
He reaches out and snags my wrist, and my words stall in my chest. His eyes meet mine. “I’m going with you.”
I don’t look away. “Okay.”
“Just give me a minute, and we’ll keep moving.”
