~ As Team 6 made their way cautiously through the woods, Jaden's bruised leg settled into a dull, throbbing ache and his head began to hurt to match it. Ahead of him, Andrew slipped easily through the black trees, making very little noise, but Jaden couldn't escape the feeling of being watched. Every time he managed to calm his mind, a rustle of leaves or the soft crack of a twig would immediately return him to a heightened state of alarm. Shadows seemed to take form and move around him and he was unpleasantly reminded of lying in his darkened room as a small child. Trying to sleep, but unable to close his eyes on the malicious faces staring out at him from the wood paneling.
A soft breeze blew through the forest, bringing with it the faint scent of far off rain. Jaden noticed that the underbrush was growing steadily thicker and the huge deciduous trees were giving way to slightly smaller pines and scrub. As the darkness started to go gray and birds woke, relief began to slip over Jaden. They had lived through the night. It was going to be alright. The sun broke over an unseen horizon and the treetops overhead were painted golden in the morning air.
"Hey guys. Do you want to take a break for a few minutes for some food?" asked Takyle. "More importantly: Do you think it would be safe to?"
"Yeah, I think it'd be ok," said Jaden. He was in a decidedly more optimistic mood now that it was light out. If he hadn't been sore all over he might have even been able to convince himself, with considerable effort and a good bit of repression, that last night was a horrible dream.
"Let's just stay on our toes," suggested Andrew, setting his pack on the ground and kneeling next to it. "What do you two want to eat?"
"We have a choice?" asked Jaden incredulously.
"Well... Sorta. Powder or cake of powder... That's a choice. Technically."
Takyle sat down and leaned back against a tree, taking a long drink from her canteen.
"Hit me with a Cake o' Powder, Andy." She took another drink. "You know, I think the tasks are getting harder. I mean, sure the first ones were difficult, but not quite so life threatening." She fell silent for a moment, staring into the distance. "My parents didn't want me to do this."
"No kidding," said Andrew with a laugh. "Your parents didn't want you to take time off school and spend your money to be part of a race that you could quite easily be maimed or killed in? How very illogical of them." Takyle shot a quick look at him.
"Don't tell me that you're taking their side in this. Because you don't have much room to talk. You're in the race with me."
"Yes well, you're paying me. And I stand a chance to win more money than I've ever seen before. That's not bad motivation. And, you know, I like winning and international acclaim. At least, I know I like the first one. I'm not sure about the acclaim; I've never had a chance to find that out."
As his teammates continued their conversation, Jaden studied the surrounding forest. It was definitely thinning out, and the ground had been steadily sloping upwards for some time now, rather than rolling as it had before in the foothills. They were getting close. He could feel it.
Jaden finished the remains of his protein bar and stood. He noticed that before Andrew joined him, he swallowed two of the capsules that the medic had given him. He saw Jaden watching him and raised an eyebrow.
"Remind me to change this bandage tonight, will ya bud?"
"Yeah, sure... Are you... In much pain?"
"Not as much as I would have expected," said Andrew, and started off. Jaden shook his head and glanced at Takyle before following. She met his eye. They both knew Andrew. That was not an answer to the question.
After another hour of hiking they broke through a line of trees and were suddenly out of the forest. Jaden stopped in his tracks.
Just ahead of them was a sheer vertical granite wall. Apparently they had reached the mountain. Andrew stared up at it.
"Well, shit," he remarked calmly. Jaden silently nodded in agreement, tilting his head back to gaze, open-mouthed, straight up the towering rock face in front of them. The sun in the sky overhead glared down on them, washing out Jaden's sight and effectively hiding whether or not the granite cliff had an end.
It was several seconds before Takyle broke the silence.
"Ok well, break out your climbing harnesses, guys." ~
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