Page 17 of Warrior of the Wild
He’s shaking with laughter. Cold. Fierce. Laughter.
When he catches his breath, he says to me, “Your life is over, Rat.”
CHAPTER
4
The horn blows, signaling the end of the trial. Pulleys yank up sections of the maze, and older warriors enter to deal with the rest of the ziken. Cheers ring through the amphitheater as families congratulate the victors. My father and sisters part the crowds, racing down to me.
Foolishly, I hide my left arm behind my back, as if that will stop the venom coursing through my veins.
Torrin walks over to Havard and claps him on the back. He whispers something to him, and the two laugh and turn in my direction.
There are words I should say. Things I should do. Emotions I should feel. My body wants to fight. My mind wants to run. I’m frozen like that. Just staring at Torrin with Havard, trying tounderstand what it means. Trying to understand what is going to happen to me.
Then the venom hits.
I collapse.
My muscles flare with pain, pinching and tightening, roiling. My arms and legs spasm as the venom works its way through my bloodstream. Uncomfortable screeching fills my ears as the armor at my back rubs against the rocky ground. My head darts every which way as my neck twitches.
A flash of blue sky.
Rocky soil in my mouth.
Torrin’s brown eyes.
“Rasmira’s been bitten!” he shouts for all to hear.
The cheers and stomps go quiet as I become a spectacle for all to see.
A sickening sensation spreads through me. Something that has nothing to do with the venom.
Humiliation.
I’ve been such a fool.
Torrin is an excellent actor. My aggressors have always openly hated me. It never once occurred to me that someone could hate me under a facade of friendship.
As I lie here, helpless to control my own body, a series of unseen moments flashes before my eyes: Torrin and Havard planning this move from the beginning, Torrin inwardly blanching every time he had to touch me, Havard’s secret smiles every time he saw me under Torrin’s spell, Torrin and Havard laughing over my gullibility.
The truth is so clear now.
Torrin put up with me for six whole weeks, pretending to be my friend, pretending to want to be more than my friend, all so that on this day I would let him get close enough to me to sabotage my test.
And to think, I thought I would finally have my first kiss today.
Bile heats the back of my throat. I vomit all over myself, start to choke on it as I’m still facing toward the sky, unable to roll on my side because the venom still controls my limbs.
Until someone is there, turning me.
“Get back!” Irrenia yells. “What’s wrong with all of you?”
She helps me to my side, places my head in her lap so I can’t injure myself as we wait the venom out.
Where is my father?
“It’s all right,” Irrenia says, stroking my hair. “It’ll be over in just a few seconds.”
