Total pages in book: 214
Estimated words: 195876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 979(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 653(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 195876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 979(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 653(@300wpm)
The trees are all bare by now, providing soft footing under our feet. The air carries a cold bite as winter starts taking hold.
"Where are we going?" I finally ask after several minutes of companionable silence.
"The quarry." He pushes a low-hanging branch aside for me. "It's the most likely location for this year's Crucible."
"How can you be sure?"
"I'm not. But I've been making trips outside the walls since we arrived. Staff has been coming out this way occasionally. I've followed their tracks, but I haven't caught any of them in the act yet."
The casual admission shocks me. Most students wouldn't dare sneak out once, and Raith has been doing it regularly? Following the tracks of instructors and gathering information? I'm suddenly struck by how much more well-suited he is for this whole experience than I am—how of all people, I feel like the worst to be gifted with the burden and blessing of being unbound.
"You are worthy, angry human," Typhon notes. "Unrelated topic... if we find wild game, I humbly request to eat it."
"Fine. But don't make it suffer."
I sense Typhon take off, flying high overhead as he begins his hunt.
We follow a narrow game trail that winds through ancient trees, their massive trunks covered in emerald moss.
"You really think we have a chance in the Crucible? Every day, it seems like our odds get worse." I ask, voicing the fear that's been growing since my disastrous water channeling exam.
Raith stops so suddenly I nearly collide with him. When he turns, his expression is unexpectedly earnest.
"I wouldn't be training you if I didn't." His voice lacks its usual edge. "You're stronger than you think, Nessa. Stronger than any of them think."
"I failed a basic water channeling exercise yesterday," I remind him.
"Water channeling isn't everything." He resumes walking, slower now. "The Crucible is likely going to test more than just affinity strength. It will tests survival instinct, adaptability, clear thinking under pressure." His gaze slides to me. "You excel at all of those."
The unexpected praise warms me. "You've been watching me that closely?"
"I watch everyone," he says, but there's a softness in his tone that contradicts his words. “You’re just… more pleasant to watch than the rest.”
A giddy, girlish smile threatens to split my face, but I try to contain it as much as I can.
We walk in silence for a while, the forest growing denser around us. Sunlight filters through the bare canopy in dappled patterns, dancing across the forest floor with each breeze.
"You never talk about yourself," I say, breaking the quiet. "Not really."
"What's there to talk about?" His voice is carefully neutral.
"Your family, where you grew up, how you came to Confluence..." I study his profile. "You know practically everything about me, but you're still a mystery."
He's quiet for so long I think he won't answer. When he finally speaks, his voice is low, almost distant.
"I had two siblings. An older sister and the brother I told you about." Past tense. The loss evident in those simple words. "My brother, Gareth, was the youngest. Serious kid, always had his nose in a book." A ghost of a smile crosses his face. "He wanted to be a scholar, not a warrior."
"Were you close?" I navigate around a fallen log, noting how Raith automatically extends his hand to steady me, then lets go the moment I'm secure.
"As close as brothers can be when one is destined to lead and the other to follow." Something dark flickers in his eyes. "I tried to protect him. Failed."
Uttering the words seems to physically pain him, and part of me is sorry for asking. I can see it in the tight line of his jaw, the way his fingers briefly clench at his side. "Destined to lead?" I ask carefully.
His jaw ticks. "This is why I try not to talk about myself. Too easy to say things I shouldn’t. I'm going to ask you not to press the issue, Nessa. Forget I said it."
I start to smile, but then realize he's serious. The earnestness in his expression and... fear there wipes the amusement from my face. I nod instead. "Okay..."
He looks relieved. "Good."
"What happened to Gareth? To your siblings?"
He's quiet for a moment, clearly picking through the truth and deciding which scraps he can share. "Fire." His hand rises unconsciously to the scarred side of his face. "Betrayal."
I choose my next words carefully, hyper aware that the wrong question or statement could have his armor back up in the blink of an eye. "Is that why you're here? Did the person who betrayed you and your family come here? Or..."
"Have you told your friends about being unbound, yet?" he counters.
I flinch. The question feels like a punch of guilt. Unexpected and unpleasant. "I haven't..."
"Because you care about them. Because the knowledge could put them in danger."