Chapter Twelve
“Our contestants will face even tougher challenges in the arena they are about to enter into.” Sephy could hear Eragon's voice all around her as she entered the entering station. This time she had a bag over her shoulders, equipped with weapons along with food and a small sleeping bag. She was also accompied by the other contestants, their mutters of the previous night's events filled the air around her until they heard Eragon's voice. The air was then filled with quiet whispers of temporary loyalties.
“They've bought what they can with their money,” Eragon continued. Sephy had bought a cross bow with arrows that are flammable. She also bought rope and a sharpened knife. To add to her small collection, she had bought a handful of partially posionous herbs; they wouldn't kill anybody, but would make them sick. At her belt, she had a sword in a sheath.
“Tonight, they enter into darkness. Whoever makes it to the end of the lengthly journey ahead of them before first sun strikes the ground the morning after this, will be making it out alive.” Sephy's eyes closed as she took a deep breath.
“You ready for this?” Gage appeared at her side, Alec on his. She didn't open her eyes for a moment.
“Is there a second option?” She asked him.
“You could always quit.” Gage whispered to her. She looked up at him in the darkness. “Eragon will give you a path out.” Gage said to her as if he thought she would actually take it.
“I'm winning this....I have to. It will make everything right...” Sephy trailed off, her eyes blurring a little, without blinking.
“They will all be entering arena number two together!” Eragon told the crowds. Sephy noticed how Gage was un-armed. She looked him up and down.
“Is that your way of showing off?” She asked him. He looked down on himself and then at Sephy.
“No, I just couldn't afford any of the stuff they were selling. Besides, there will be something out there.” Sephy shook her head and began untieing the sheath from around her waist. She was now wearing full length trousers and a t-shirt with a jacket around her shoulders. She had a feeling that this arena wouldn't be as warm as the last.
She handed the sword to Gage but he didn't go to take it.
“Take it.” She ordered. “I want to know that whoever has my back will have a weapon.” Gage took the sheath and sword from Sephy and tied it around his waist.
“Does that mean that we are on the same side again?” Sephy thought about it for a second and then nodded.
“Yes, we are.” Gage tilted his head to the side and smiled down at Sephy. She wondered what was running through his mind as he smiled down at her. “Eragon knows I had something to do with the office.” She told him, breaking the silence. Gage straightened up and narrowed his eyes.
“Proof?” Sephy shook her head in response.
“None yet.”
“He'll be furious after this round.” Gage noted.
“Why so?” Sephy asked him.
“Well he doesn't want us to be seen together....he won't be happy when I don't let you out of my sight.” She wasn't sure if she should feel offended that Gage thought she needed him, or else pleased. While she wondered, she heard Eragon's voice again.
“Let's wish our contestants luck!” The crowds and stands went wild. It was a live show, Sephy knew. Well, the crowds would be behind them five minutes so that Eragon's team could edit out things they didn't want to show on live tv. Sephy knew there are usually typically more than one live show per Tournament; they were always a crowd favourite.
“I hope you've got something useful in that bag.” Jensen said to Sephy as he flanked her. “It'll be a blood bath out here!” He exclaimed. Sephy looked at him and at Gage.
“We weren't the only ones who wanted to find out them plans. Luckily, Jensen here knows a few people and they know how to read Eragon.” Gage whispered to her. Before she could get a chance to say anything, Alec began muttering plans to them.
“I'll take the front and Jensen, the side. Chale will have the back end covered and Gage...you make sure she doesn't get herself killed.” Alec told them all. Sephy raised her eyebrows.
“What is that supposed to mean? I should have something to do. Let me in on this!” Sephy demanded. Alec looked to Gage and he looked down at Sephy.
“We've had more time to study the plans. We know the mapping of the arena.” Gage said to her.
“But-”
“We had to make sure Eragon wouldn't be suspicious. Now, we need to do this quickly. There are only five boats.” Sephy didn't understand any of it. She was only barely able to take in and wrap her head around the fact that somebody was actually able to read Eragon's crazy language.
When the platform they all stood on began to move, Sephy could see each of the men take their pre-planned places. She felt Gage's hand tightly on her hand, gripping her to him as if she were a little child in a crowd of people, just waiting to be picked up by a stranger. But in this scenario, there was less chance of making it out alive.
She could see nothing but darkness when the platform began to slow to a stop as it reached the surface. Nothing but darkness was to be seen and nothing but rain and thunder was to be heard. She could barely make out the outline of Gage's face beside her. She could see shadows but couldn't make out what any of them were. The smell in the air reminded her of a beach; salty.
“Put these on.” Gage shouted to her and shoved a pair of glasses into her hands. She fumbled for a second as all of the contestants waited for the glass casing around them to descend. When she had the glasses on her, everything lit up green; she quickly realised what Gage had handed her, night vision goggles. She could see through the darkness and the rain around her. Chale, Gage, Jensen and Alec all wore identical pairs but none of the other contestants seemed to have any or even noticed theirs.
She spotted several faces she wished she could forget in the crowd of men. Swithin and Neon side by side again. But this time they were joined by another. Brutus. Sephy nudged Gage and he looked to where she pointed. She didn't hear what he said over the thunder and rain and Sephy didn't get a chance to ask Gage what he said. She felt him pull her along with him as he started into a run. She could see Alec, meters ahead, pushing his way forward.
As lightening struck, Sephy got a glimpse of what they were running towards; five boats lay tied up at a post. They were threading on the water that surrounded the little island all of the contestants were stranded on. Sephy wasn't the only one to notice the boats. She saw all of the other contestants beginning to realise where they were to go. She struggled to keep up with Gage as he pulled her onwards. She heard the yells of men crying out in pain in the near distance.
“Contestants-” Eragon's voice was unaudiable over the loud storms around them.
“-have all died.” She heard again, a few seconds later. When her hand was pulled back, she yelped in reaction. Gage stopped and turned to look at her. She felt somebody tug her other hand and pull her towards them. Sephy staggered and fell to the ground, both Gage and the other man letting her go. She dropped her glasses and quickly glided her hands over the ground and picked them back up. When they were securly back on her, she looked up to see Gage and contestant Zain fighting. She had never spoken or paid much attention to the dark skinned Zain, before. He was as tall and looked to be as string as Gage.
She watched as Zain blocked a punch from Gage and then as Gage staggered back after recieveing a kick to the leg. She knew he wouldn't be able to feel it, but it didn't stop the worry in her mind.
She stood and shouted as loud as she could at Alec, who was far ahead. Chale and Jensen were both occupied with other contestants. All around her, people were fighting in the rain.She felt somebody take a hold her her shoulder and spin her around. The back of his hand colided with her cheek and she grabbed his arm and bent it back. She kicked him away from her and sent him flying onto the ground.
She watched Gage as he served a kick to Zain's chest and then fell on the ground. Zain stood and charged at Gage and Sephy started towards them, but her plan was quickly ended when she was grabbed from around the waist.
“Persephone, you need to get to the boat!!” Alec shouted. She shook her head.
“I have to help!” She screamed over the thunder and rain, her clothes soaked and her hair in wet strands over her face. She swung her bag from her shoulder and opened it, swiftly taking the crossbow from it.
“Cover me!” She told Alec. She saw him push back a contestant. She was glad she had the night vision goggles on; otherwise she would have not been able to see where she was pointing the arrows. The flammable ones would be no good in the rain, so Sephy took a sharpened one from her bag and set it up.
Gage and Zain both moved fast; Gage had the upper hand with the night vision goggles, though. She couldn't get a clear shot at Zain. Dropping the crossbow, Sephy ran to where Gage and Zain fought, reaching for the knife she had. She rapidly ran the blade into the back of Zain's thigh and then pulled it back out. She watched as he yelled in pain and fell to the ground. Gage looked at him in confusement until he saw Sephy. He raised his eyebrows but didn't waste any time. He took her arm with his hand again and ran towards the boats.
“Where's Chale?” Alec shouted to Gage. Sephy looked over her shoulder and saw that Chale was dodging arrows aimed at him. When he reached the boat, he jumped in beside Sephy, out of breath.
“Cut the rope! We need something to cut the rope!” Alec shouted, frantically. Sephy looked down at her blood covered knife and immediatly gave it to Alec. They could see contestants still fighting on the small island; only one other boat had been taken.
“Contestant Zain-” Again, Eragon's voice was cut off, but they didn't need for him to finish his sentence to know what he was going to say. Sephy gulped, but didn't feel remorse. Alec and Gage began to push the boat out onto the water. Gage pushed Alec onto the deck of it while he pushed it out futher. She noticed now that only she and Chale were left with their night vision goggles, the rest had been lost on the battlefield, just like her crossbow.
She spotted a potential threat heading their way. She wasn't sure who it was, but she knew that unless she done something, he would impale his axe into Gage's head. Sephy took the knife from Alec's hands and flung it at the man. She got her knife into his neck when she had been aiming for his forehead; it still done the same job though. She saw Gage look behind him when the man crashed into the water, sending splashes onto him.
Sephy could feel her heart in her throat, ready to explode out of her. She stook her hand out to Gage to help pull him in with Alec while Chale and Jensen began to row. She knew Alec done most of the work of pulling Gage in, but she liked to think she helped a little.
“What are they?!” She screamed when she saw shadows in the water.
“Bloody sore!!” Alec shouted back, examining his arm where there were multible bite marks up and down his forearm where the clothes had been torn. Sephy looked at Gage in is soaked clothes. She could see blood trailing down his hands and dripping onto the deck of the boat. But she didn't have enough time to ask him anything before he pressed her onto the ground just as arrows flew in their direction; she wondered how he could see without the goggles.
“Are you okay?” He asked her, his hand on her cheek, his eyes narrowed. They were both lying face down on the deck of the boat. She only nodded, unable to speak with the adrenaline rushing through her veins; it was as if the adrenaline and fear was taking over her entire body and mind.
“Mind if I borrow these?” He didn't wait for an answer before he gently, but quickly, removed the glasses from Sephy's face and put them on his own. She watched as Gage reached into the water until his elbow was submerged under it and then as he was pulling his arm out with a trident in his hands. She could barely make out the shapes of everything around her; the rain was getting heavier and the thunder louder. Gage fell back on his knees and joined the other three men in rowing.
Sephy lay, panting on her back, looking into the sky with rain drops falling down on her face, unable to force herself to sit up or do anything productive that would help the others. She listened as Eragon listed off nine names and she wondered if she would have been in that group of contestants if she hadn't teamed up with Gage and Alec.
It wasn't long before the boat hit land and Gage and the others were dismounting the boat. He could barely see the ghost of another boat, not far behind them. He reached across and took hold of Sephy's arm once again. The ground they stood on was moist and their feet sunk into it.
“What now?” Chale shouted. Gage turned and looked around him.
“We follow the shoreline until we reach a lagoon. After that we travel through the trees!” Alec's words were barely audiable, Gage only understood his shouts because he already knew the plans. When he looked at Sephy through the green vision, she looked clueless, but ready to fight. Her hair was in wet strands, her bag on her back.
“Follow me!” He bent down and said in her ear. When he pulled away, she nodded. He looked to Alec and then to the rest of them. “Let's go!” They all started into a run; it was a race they were going to win. He made sure that his grip was firm around Sephy's hand, his fingers intersecting hers. He didn't refuse when she struggled to get her fingers loose from his. He complied and made sure that she was close by.
They ran until they couldn't run anymore; their backs were soaked and their chests heaving from exhaustion; they hadn't slept since the Ball, and those who had were probably worse off then the people on their second wind. Gage felt like he should be collapsing into his bed for days at that moment, if he were at home, that was. They were by the lagoon, surrounded by trees. Gage wondered if Eragon just really liked trees or else if they would have some use to them.
“Come on, we have to keep going!” Jensen coaxed. Gage saw Sephy shake her head; the wind was worse than ever but the rain was dying off.
“We need to take a break! If we don't eat, get some sleep and dry our clothes, we'll die of hypothermia, nevermind competitors getting us!” Sephy got out after a few seconds. Jensen shook his head.
“If we want to make it out alive we need to keep going.” Jensen himself was out of breath, gasping for air. Out of everyone in their little team, Jensen was the least fit.
“I think we should keep going, too!” Chale added. Gage looked between Alec and Sephy, Alec now sat on a rock, his water in his hands.
“Up to you, Gage.” Alec told him. Gage weighed his options out; if they continued onwards, they could end up dying of exhaustion or hypothermia, like Sephy said. And on the other hand, they could sleep and get some rest and by doing so, risk being ambushed or lose time and not be able to make it to the end before time runs out.
“How far is it to the end?” He asked Jensen. He saw Jensen clench his jaw a few times before he answered him.
“This route, thirty five miles, give her take a couple. It will take us at least a day's travel to make it there, if we don't run into difficulty.” His eyes flickered over to Sephy and Gage narrowed his own.
“If we stay here for three hours to rest, will we be able to make it?” Gage asked him. He was reluctant to answer the question. “Jensen, will we be able to make it?” Jensen sighed and shrugged his shoulders.
“If we move quickly.” Gage nodded and turned to Sephy.
“What do you think?” She met his gaze.
“I think that I'd rather live rushing then die from hypothermia.” Gage nodded and looked at the rest of them.
“Let's start a fire. We need to make a shelter too.” They all went about collecting firewood and things they could get to use as shelter. Gage went over to where he saw loose leaves hanging from a tree. They would be large enough to almost cover someone. He pulled a silky leaf down from the tree and threw it to one side. He done this until he had eleven leaves stacked. They would use some for sheltering.
Gage noticed how his arm was still bleeding. He pulled his long sleeve up to his elbow and saw bite marks dug into his skin. The blood flowed more freely when he squeezed his arm.
“You should probably do something about that; the Knights can smell the blood.” Sephy told him. He hadn't even heard her walk behind him, although with the noise from the rain, it was unlikely for any of them to hear anything sneaking up on them.
“I'll be fine.” He told Sephy. They looked at eachother for a moment before Gage bent and picked up the leaves. He turned and went to join the others. They began to silently build a roof by weaving the leaves and then holding them up with the wood. The shelter only lifted off of the ground by just over a metre in height, but it would keep those sleeping, dry. A fire was quickly lit and all of them sat around it, still silent.
“We should get out of the wet clothes and rest them over the fire.” Chale said while staring aimlessly into the burning woods.
“That would be a good idea.” Jensen second. Gage looked up at the men and at Sephy. Alec, Chale and Jensen immediatly began to strip off their clothes. Sephy however, hesitated when she was surrounded by three half naked men. He smiled to himself. She stood and pulled her heavyly soaked jacket from her shoulders. She dropped it to the ground before pulling her t-shirt over her head. Gage looked away when the scar on her stomach was on display.
“What, never seen a girl before?” She teased Gage. He laughed and shook his head.
“I'm actually feeling a little bit woozy, if I'm honest.” When he looked at Sephy, she raised her eyebrows. “Does it still hurt?” He asked her. She glanced down at her stomach and shrugged her shoulers.
“A little.” He bit down on his back teeth. Nothing else was said until all of their clothes were hanging over the fire from branchs of the trees, except for their underwear. Sephy had put on a clean shirt that she had packed with her in her bag.
“I'll take guard.” Gage said after a few minutes. He could see how tired the rest of them were, regardless of how much Alec and the others protested. “It makes sense for the most energetic to take point.” He waved their suggestions away like he was waving smoke away.
“At least let us swap over in an hours time.” Alec neogotiated. Gage nodded to him, knowing that his friend would be out for the entire three hours rest.
“Go get some rest.” Gage told him and watched as the four of them climbed under the sheltering leaves. He saw Sephy pull out a sleeping bag from her back pack. Jensen and Alec done the same from theirs. He also noticed how Sephy was the only one who offered to share hers with Chale. Chale declined, though.
While sitting at the fire alone, Gage took a twig and began snapping it in half and the quarters before throwing it on top of the low fire they had built. He could feel it getting colder as the night deepened and the dampness set in. The rain had stopped, but the wind was still wild, carrying sounds from the forest behind them to their ears. Gage thought he could hear wolves howling or owls cooing. But it could have been his imagination.
The cold air kept him awake and as soon as his clothes were dry enough, he slipped them back on.
“You're still awake?” He looked over his shoulder to find Persephone standing in the entry way of the little shelter. The gap between Alec and Chale was soon filled by Alec's sprawled arms.
“Of course.” Gage replied, his voice a whisper. She approached him with her sleeping bag. When she extended it to him, he accepted it.
“Figured you'd need this more than we would.” Gage took the sleeping bag in both of his hands and walked over to take his seat by the fire. He patted the seat beside him and waited until Sephy joined him. He pulled the sleeping bag around so that it wrapped them both up.
“Thank you.” Gage whispered. Sephy only nodded. “Why aren't you asleep?” He asked her, prodding the fire with another twig. He felt her shoulders rub against his when she shrugged.
“No matter how tired I am, I just can't seem to get any sleep in here.” She took another twig and set the tip of it on fire. She took it and used her tumb and wedding finger to extingush the flame after she examined it. “It's funny how you always sleep better in your own bed.” She whispered.
“I never had the same bed long enough to call it my own.” Gage noted simply. He felt Sepy's eyes on him for a moment before she faced the flames again. He wasn't looking for sympaty, he only said the truth.
“How come you and Joshua moved around so much?” At this question, Gage paused. He folded his legs and looked up at the sky. There were a million little stars in the clear abyss above them, but not enough to match the amount of reasons he had for moving, so as if plucking the biggest star from the sky, he picked one reason that could be used to summarise them all.
“I guess none of them ever felt right.” He replied at last.
“And Vistic is the one that feels right to you?” Sephy wondered.
“I wish it didn't. I mean if it didn't I wouldn't be here, would I?” He gestured to the space around him. “If we hadn't gotten comfortable, we would have moved and Joshua never would have met...his girlfriend.” He finished. He waited another few minutes before speaking again.
“So how come you don't have a boyfriend? There a plenty of men in Vistic that would love to date you.” Sephy laughed a little. “What?” Gage asked.
“I don't believe in it.” She answered, smiling. Gage looked at her quizzically.
“You don't believe in what?” He wondered.
“Dating...” She shrugged.
“You don't believe in love?” He asked her. Sephy shook her head.
“I said dating. But..no. Love either. Well it's not that I don't believe in it. I just find that it weakens a person. I think of it as the worse of two evils. Hate being the lesser. It's much easier to get over hatred than love.” She told him
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you couage.” Gage replied. “Wise words from Lao Tzu.” He added. Gage looked down at her with a smile.
“Ever heard of 'cut me with a kiss'?” She asked him now. He shook his head while looking into her eyes. “A woman scorned leaves a man bleeding from her anger. Just to get revenge, they hurt the person they once 'loved'. How can being that vunreble make someone stronger or smart, even?”
“Love is never smart.” Gage told her.
“Exactly my point.”
“People that do not believe in love, are just afraid of it, and it is those people that find it the fastest and usually fall into it alone.” Gage threw another snapped twig onto the fire.
“I do promise to use wisdom above imagination, above forgiveness, above mercy and heroism. And above all...Love.” Sephy recited from what sounded like a knight's oath. “Why waste so much emotions...time, on a hanful of moments and memories that will inevitably cause pain?”
“It doesn't have to end in pain.” Gage noted. “Love is the inspiration people find when they need help. It's the light to break up the darkness. Sure, there's no garuntee that it will be easy, nothing ever is. But...when you lose that control you have over yourself and it is in the hands of someone else...it's worth it.Just the feeling... and when that person tells you that you can do anything...be anything, you believe them.” Sephy was looking aimlessly into the fire, but looked up at Gage as he finished. “And when they kiss you...her kiss is like a lullaby...” Gage trailed off. Gage watched Sephy as she stared into the fire. He wondered what it would be like to believe in love the way she did.
“It has been said by many that love is only your imagination, but said by plenty that love is of the heart and soul.” Sephy said after a moment of being watched by Gage.
“Which one do you believe?” He asked her, now. She thought for a long moment.
“The one I believe in...I can't fully choose as I have only felt the lesser of the two deamons...hate.” She told him, truthfully. He could hear the faint buzzing noise of the cameras, recording their conversation. It had been their for the last twenty minutes.
“Gage Welker, I truly do hope that one day you find love and embrace it as the way you describe it.” Gage felt Sephy's head rest on his shoulder. He was tempted to wrap his arm around her, but he didn't.
“Have you ever been in love, Persephone?” Gage asked after a long while. He thought that she might have fallen asleep on his shoulder, but then she stirred to look at him.
“No. I haven't.” Gage nodded.
“Have you?” Gage shook his head. The stars in the sky shone down on them and for a moment, Gage was sad. He was sad that neither him nor Sephy would be able to find love with another unless they won. He was also sad at the thought of Sephy never allowing herself to open up to it.
He felt her snuggle closer to him for warmth, and now, he pulled his arm up and put it around her. He knew the cameras were still there. But he didn't care.
“What about Damian?” Gage asked Sephy. She snorted.
“Damian is harmless.”
“Conceited and insensitive, but harmless.” Gage said. Sephy laughed again.
“He's only conceited and insensitive some of the time. Other times he just doesn't speak.” Now the two of them began to laugh together.
“What do we do tomorrow?” Sephy whispered when the laughter had subsided. Gage sighed and felt Sephy sit up straight again.
“Use the trees.” Gage told her.
“Walking through the trees will be dangerous.” Sephy noted.
“We won't be on the ground, though.” Sephy looked at him with a raised brow. She closed her eyes when she realised the plan.
“We are travelling over the tree tops, aren't we?” Gage nodded and smiled at her.
The next morning, Sephy woke up next to Alec and Chale. She didn't remember getting back under the shelter. It was still dark, the sun only beginning to rise. Her leg and neck hurt from the fight the night before. None of them said anything as they demolished the sheltering structure they had built and put out the fire after getting dressed. She was greeted by more rain and after her hair had finally dried while she slept, it was again being soaked. She pulled the wavy hair back and tied it into a french plait.
She rolled her sleeping bag up and stuffed it into her bag unstratigically and zipped it up. Nobody had spoken until they were all ready for action once again. Unfortunatly, they had gone without food, but they had eaten so much at the Ball that they weren't hungry yet.
“The tree tops are going to be wet, but they will be a lot safer than the ground. Eragon had tapped the ground with bear traps that will cut through the bone in your leg. There is going to be posionous plants on the jungle floor and definatly Knights lurking. So, basically, stay in the trees.” Jensen told them all. Sephy looked around her. None of the men were un scathed, but none of them looked unprepared.
“There are going to be poisioned flowers and leaves in the trees. Take these,” Chale handed each of them a little bottle of some sort of potion. “If you get a reaction to something, drink this. It will boost your immune system. But make sure you drink it as soon as you can. The weaker the infection, the stronger the potion.” Sephy held the little bottle in her hand. It held maybe a mouthfull worth of liquid; if even.
Moments later, Sephy was pulling herself up onto a branch of a tree. She stayed close to the bark of the trunk as she scaled it. Her hands shook as she climbed higher and higher. The others were all behind her, waiting for her to make the first move. She had always hated heights, no matter what distance from the ground it was.
The leaves were slippery under her touch and it took longer than she would have expected to get to the top. She told herself not to look down, but like everybody, she did. She gasped when she saw the nine meter drop. Her fingers froze around the branch she held onto, her body refusing to allow her to go any higher.
“Are you going to move?” Chale asked her, the next person down. She looked at him with a blank expression and then at the ground again.
“What's the hold up?” Alec shouted from the bottom of the line. Chale looked to Sephy again, a quizical look in his eyes. Sephy turned and used whatever courage she had left in her to continue. She pulled herself up the wet branchs until they got too thin to go any futher. She squeezed her way into a V shaped crevice and waited until all of them were level with her.
“Okay so we want to stay on the same path as eachother. But we need to move quickly so we can't all stay in the same trees. We'll be too slow.” Jensen said to them. Sephy looked to him.
“I think I would prefer to take my chances on the ground. Bear traps or no bear traps. I can move faster and I am used to looking out for those sort of things.” Sephy suggested, feeling the beads of fear touching her brow.
“What? No, we have this all worked out.” Jensen told her. She felt Alec watching her now. “So what we can do is-”
“You're afraid of heights.” Alec interupted Jensen. Sephy looked up from the hard ground and at Alec. The sun was bouncing off of him, creating a golden silhouette around his entire frame.
“What gave it away?” Sephy asked sarcastically, letting go of a branch quickly to wipe her forehead, before grabbing onto it again. She felt everybody look at her now, and when she glanced at Gage, his eyes were narrowed.
“Right, let's come up with something else.” He said, authority in his voice.
“You have to be kidding me. We spent all night coming up with this plan, and we are just going to toss it aside because of one little detail?” Jensen argued.
“Yes, that's exactly what we are going to do. We can't go through with it if one of us-” Sephy put her hand on Gage's shoulder.
“He's right. We can't change the plan. I'll just...get over it.” Sephy told Gage, knowing well that seventeen years of a phobia is unlikely to disappear after a dash over the tree tops.
“It's sorted then.” Jensen clapped his hands together. Sephy looked at Gage and he shook his head. “Now, what we need to do it split up, but be close to eachother and not lose sight.” Sephy still held Gage's gaze as Jensen and the others discussed the plan.
“We can use sounds. Like what birds do. We can call out every five minutes.” Chale suggested and they all agreed.
“Bird calls it is then.” Alec said.
“Okay, Alec you take the far left, Gage the far right. Sephy middle and Chale and I on either sides.” Sephy looked at Jensen now.
“Why do I have to be in the middle?” She looked past his shoulder to spy on the tree situated in the middle of a bunch. It was just as high as the one they were planted on now.
“Well it just makes sense with the..eh..situation.” He answered, clearing his voice. “You'll be protected from all sides.” He finished.
“Protected?” Sephy asked, annoyed now.
“He means incase you fall. Don't get your back up.” Gage told her. She saw a quick glance between Chale and Alec. One of wonder and cnfusment, but neither said anything. He didn't wait for her to reply before talking to Jensen. “I want to be on the inside, or else Alec. The two of us are faster.”
“On land maybe.” Jensen retorted.
“The trees aswel. We can jump across to get her before she...falls.” Sephy knew from the way they spoke with tense tones that this had all been premeditated and wasn't just based on Sephy's fear of heights.
“What's going on wi-”
“Do you hear that?” Alec asked them, climbing out to the end of a branch and swinging down with one arm. Sephy's heart began to race just watching Alec being so careless on the branches. He used his other arm to hoist himself up onto his knees between two branches. He looked over his shoulder and signaled for the others to look.
“I'm good here.” Sephy whispered when Chale looked to her. She held her breath for them all as she watched them risk being out on the branches. Gage stood on one and used a thin branch above him to lean out the furthest and gaze down at the ground. She could just imagine the branch snapping and Gage falling to his death.
“You've got to be kidding!” Gage exclaimed, peering down.
“What is it?” Chale asked him; him nor Jensen could see down through the tree's leaves.
“Brutus. He has a...Knight on a...lead..” Gage said. Sephy knew that the rain could be messing up her hearing with it's volume, but she was sure he had said that Brutus had a Knight on a lead.
“Foul play Ruler.” Alec muttered as he climbed back to the trunk of the tree. “He's on Brutus's side, for crying out loud!” Alec said, a little too loudly. Gage swore and quickly retreated. “Too loud?” Alec whispered, cursing himself.
“Too loud.” Gage repeated calmly. Sephy looked around at Alec who swore profusly for a few moments. She didn't know why he was so upset.
“Can they climb?” Chale asked Gage.
“The beast can, not sure about the Knight though.” Sephy saw a hint of a smile at Gage's lips. “We should get the hell out of here, though.” Gage rushed out. Sephy jumped when she heard a growling noise coming from beneath her; through all of the leaves, Sephy could see Brutus standing at the base of the tree and a Black Knight climbing it, foam falling from it's snout.
“You've got to be kidding me!” The words slipped out of Sephy's mouth. An arrow was shot at the Knight by Chale, but it missed by a fraction.
“They're blind. They rely on smell.” Jensen chipped in.
“How can they smell us in the rain?” Sephy asked, her voice sounding a little frantic; she thought she was doing well considering her insides were turning to mush.
“They have ears.” Chale said simply. Sephy looked down at the beast and at Brutus. He was covered in armour from head to toe. From where she was perched, he looked tiny, but up close she was sure he'd be two or three times the size of her.
The Knight beagn to gain speed up the tree. Chale shot another arrow its way, this time clipping the ear of the beast. The smell of it was worse than the sight of the Knight, though. It smelt of rotten food, wet dog and rotting corpse with a bit of stale fesies.
None of them needed an invitation to begin moving. Sephy caught her breath as Alec made the swift jump across from one branch and landing elogently onto another across from them.
“You next.” Gage said to Sephy, guiding her to the edge. She shook her head and looked down at the Knight. She knew there wouldn't be time for all of them to make it across in time.
“I-” She began to say.
“Get out of the way then and let me go. I'm not going to die waiting on you to jump across the bloody thing.” Jensen spat at her. She looked at him with narrowed eyes and wondered if it was just the prssure getting to him or if these were his true colors.
“She is going first.” Gage put his hand on Jensen's chest and held him back. Jensen put his hand to his forehead and sighed.
“Then get her to jump. Unless she goes now we'll all be dead meat.” Jensen argued. Sephy knew he was right, but it didn't stop her hands from shaking.
“Chale, jump across.” Gage ordered, not taking his eyes off of Jensen for a second. Sephy saw Chale hesitate while he looked between the three of them. He nodded quickly at Sephy and then jumped to the other side, meeting Alec. The distance between the two trees was just over two metres; Sephy wouldn't be able to make that jump if she was catapulted across, she thought to herself.
Jensen sighed loudly and they all turned to look down at the Knight who was only feet away from them, growling and spewing saliva from his tainted mouth.
“Persephone, you need to jump.” Gage said to her now. Sephy shook her head.
“I can't.” Sephy finalised.
“You can! It's easier than you think.” Gage took his hand down from Jensen's chest and Sephy saw Jensen sit forward a little; Gage's hand pushed him against the tree again.
“Welker!” Alec called from the other side. Gage didn't drop his gaze from hers, though.
“Sephy-”
“I can't do it Gage.” She repeated.
“You can. I know you can.” Sephy took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She nodded while opening them again.
“Okay.” Her voice shook and cracked. She watched as Gage looked over at Alec who lifted his hands up in question and Gage nodded. Chale shot an arrow at the Knight and it whimpered and fell down a meter.
“Just...don't look down.” Gage advised as Sephy crawled out to the ledge of the branch. She stood and got ready to leap across the gap, Alec and Chale waiting for her on the other side. She took a quick glance over her shoulder but then screamed as her foot slipped from the branch in that split second. Falling through the air felt surreal to Sephy. She felt every last scrape the branches dug into her.
As soon as she could, she held on tightly to a branch, a few meters from the ground. It took her a few moments to realise that her reflexs had kicked in and her body wasn't impaled into the ground. She pulled herself up onto the tree branch and looked around her.
She could see Gage up the top of the tree and as Chale crossed over to the next. She saw the Knight being shot with another arrow, but it didn't stop it, only angered it. Sephy could see Gage looking for a way down. She wasn't sure if any of them had seen her climb back into the tree or not.
“You won't get away this time!” Brutus' voice shot down her spine like the terrantial rain. She spun around as fast as she could on a tree and saw Brutus holding a small knife. He didn't waste time with a monolouge before he plunged for Sephy. She dodged it and immediatly jumped down from the tree, forgetting how high it actually was, and collapsed. Her legs shot angry pains up and down them in annoyance. She tried to stand, but she couldn't get up in time to defend herself against Brutus' hard kick to the stomach. She cried out in pain as her previous wound joined in on a chorus of pain shooting around her body.
Within seconds, Brutus disappeared from her view, though. She looked to see Gage pushing him to the ground and then hurridly scurrying back to her. Her eyes were wide when his wet face knelt down beside her, leaning over her.
“Are you okay?” He asked her in a rushed voice. She nodded her head and Gage stood up. He ran out of her vision to retrieve his weapon.
“GAGE!!” She screamed when she saw Brutus approach her with a long spear. He positioned himself to throw it at her. Just as the spear left his hands and went flying through the air, Sephy saw an arrow pierce the incovered part of Brutus' arm; the pit. He roared in pain as Sephy watched the spear spirl towards her. Just in time, she rolled out of the way, but Brutus was still running towards her, pulling the arrow from his skin. He took a bow from behind his back and pulled the arrow into place. She wouldn't be able to dodge an arrow, it would be too quickly strung and shot.
When Gage landed on top of her, she didn't gasp or scream. She wasn't in any pain like she thought she would be. In her peripheral vision, she saw Brutus fall to the ground after the Kinght fell on top of him, dead. But she didn't pay any attention to it, knowing that Alec had probably taken Chale's bow and hit the Knight head on with his perfect aim. Sephy only focused on the warm liquid that was flowing onto her stomach even though she was not wounded. She put her hand down to Gage's side and lifted it away, red blood was quickly washed away with the rain. Shocked, she looked up at him, his wet blonde curls falling down onto her cheek.
“Gage...” It was all she could say. He leaned back, holding his side, but didn't move away from Sephy.
“Are you okay?” He asked her. Sephy raised her eyebrows, speechless. Where his flesh should be, an arrow went through him. She saw his face go pale, and even though he couldn't feel pain, his organs and the rest of him insides could. At the sight of Sephy's shocked expression, Gage looked down at himself and grinned.
“Well...that's unfortunate.” Was all he said.