Tin Thoughts (The Downfall Saga Book 2) Page 26

  “The vermin return,” said Ravyn.

  “You’ll be giving us hugs in a minute.”

  “I’ll give you a kiss on the lips if you can figure it out.”

  “Get ready to pucker up.”

  The two of them walked over to the bucket in the middle of the room. They stood with their backs to Ravyn, so she couldn’t see what they were doing. Donovan slowly poured his water into the bucket. Water started spilling out a small hole near the bottom of the bucket which they hadn’t noticed before. Kort tried to plug it with his finger as Donovan continued filling. When the bucket was half full of water, writing became visible on the silver sphere in the bottom of the bucket.

  “There’s writing down there,” said Kort.

  “You’re full of it,” said Ravyn. “Why don’t you tell us what it says?”

  “Retrace your steps ... to the hollow in the tree.”

  “Quit playing around,” said Ravyn.

  “See for yourself.”

  “Let’s give them some privacy,” said Donovan to Brighid.

  “You really figured it out?” asked Brighid.

  Donovan tilted his head towards the bucket, and she got up to see for herself.

  “You’re going to be eating your words, Ravyn,” said Brighid.

  “That’s not the only thing that’ll be in her mouth,” said Kort.

  “You’re a pig,” said Brighid.

  Ravyn got up and slowly walked over to the bucket. She took a long look inside before looking over at Kort.

  “I owe you two an apology.”

  “That’s not the only thing you owe me,” said Kort.

  “Be happy with what you get. Now how did you figure it out?”

  “You’d be surprised with what we can accomplish with the proper motivation.”

  “Time to go,” said Ravyn, shaking her head in disgust.

  She led them out of the cave and they climbed back out of the ravine.

  “Everybody, look for a hollow tree,” said Ravyn.

  “Maybe we can help,” came a voice.

  The second elven team, the same group who stole the amruth nest from them, was standing at the top of the ravine, dressed in cloaks of various shades of green and brown which blended into the forest around them.

  “This will be the second time that you help us solve a task,” said a second elf. “Let me thank you in advance.” He gave them a mocking bow.

  “So where’s this hollow tree?” asked the first elf.

  “Back at camp,” said Donovan without hesitation.

  “Why would you tell everyone to look for a tree that’s miles away? Everybody spread out, it’s around here somewhere.”

  Everyone spread out in a panic and scurried around checking trees. Donovan waited until they had moved off a ways before searching the two large trees at the mouth of the ravine. They were the most distinctive trees in the area and he had a hunch. He found nothing in the first tree but saw a small hollow in the trunk of the second, just above his head, but large enough for him to reach his hand into.

  He held his breath as he blindly reached into the dark hole. His hand brushed against the rough bark, and he touched something sticky before he felt the clue. He pulled out the rolled up piece of paper and tucked it into his pocket, before heading over to pretend to search another tree.

  He searched the trees between himself and Ravyn, until he was searching the same tree as her.

  “I’ve got the clue,” he whispered.

  “What’s it say,” she whispered.

  “I don’t want them to know we found it.”

  “Right. We need to quietly spread the word and start drifting away from them.”

  Donovan drifted towards Kort, while Ravyn headed towards Brighid.

  “I found it!” came a yell from by the ravine.

  “Everyone come here!” yelled Donovan.

  He pulled out the clue and untied the string wrapped around it. The clue told them to head back to the safe area, and had a reminder that the last team to arrive would not participate in the final task.

  “We have to get back to camp!” yelled Donovan.

  Chapter 28

  Caddaric paced around the top of the hill, searching for any sign of movement.

  The dwarven team was already celebrating their victory when he returned with Finian. Tuff was gracious enough to take a few moments from his celebration to heal his arm. Tuff proved to be adept at healing, and his arm already felt as good as new. He was exhausted, but refused to rest until the entire team had returned.

  Eva and her team had arrived an hour after he had, and he’d been pacing ever since. No one had seen the second elven team since the task had started. Eva had told him that they lived their entire lives in the city, and she didn’t think that they had ever navigated through the wilderness before. He’d thanked her for letting their teams work together before she headed off to celebrate with her team.

  Fifteen minutes had passed with no sign of anyone approaching.

  Another half hour went by.

  Eva had told him that the rest of his team were right behind them, with only two more clues to find. Where were they?

  “Have a seat,” said Osmont, walking up behind him. “You’ll need your rest if you make it past this task.”

  “I can’t. Not while they’re still out there.”

  “Caring for your team is admirable, but a leader needs to know his limits.”

  “It’s so embarrassing that I had to abandon them.”

  “Injuries happen, no matter how much you prepare. Be happy that you made a full recovery and will be ready to help them when it really counts.”

  “I should be out there with them.”

  “Don’t be selfish. You would be a liability out there with your broken arm, falling in and out of consciousness as they carried you around.”

  “Why did it have to happen to me? I’ll never forgive myself if we have to watch everyone else compete tomorrow.”

  “You should wait until you find out what the task entails before saying that.”

  “Why? What’s the final task?”

  “We’ll all find out once everybody’s back, but Tuff has been telling stories about previous years. Prepare yourself for something that is simple and straightforward, but more dangerous than all of the previous tasks combined. A dozen years ago the teams had to travel across a patch of ocean to a small island, and not a single person survived the trip.”

  “Save the stories for the others. No one would create a task which no one could finish. Besides, the dwarves wouldn’t have an advantage on the water.”

  “You’re smarter than you look, but that’s not saying much. Few students recognize that the dwarves like to give their team a leg up. If it wasn’t for the strife in Strom, the elves would have sent their usual team which would struggle to navigate through the wilderness. Surely your father has told you all about what’s happening in Strom.”

  “Actually, no. With Worrell at the Cleft, he’s been focusing his attention on David.”

  “Your time will come when you’re ready. I assume you’re familiar with the nomadic tribes who raise their animals. Well, they finally demanded a say in Strom’s government.”

  “They’d never allow that. Even small concessions could shift power out of the cities.”

  “Some changes are inevitable.”

  They silently watched for either team to approach the hill. Growing up in Kendra, Caddaric was unfamiliar with many of the sounds coming from the trees at the base of the hill. He searched for the source of each sound, silently praying that he’d see Ravyn step out of the trees.

  Osmont sat there silently, with his knees pulled up to his chest, and his chin resting on his knees. Caddaric glanced over occasionally to see if he’d fallen asleep.

  “It’ll be nice sleeping in a comfortable bed again,” said Caddaric, breaking the silence. “Exams start in less than two weeks, and then back home for the summer.” He scanned the tree line, giving Os
mont an opportunity to break the silence, which he declined.

  “What are you up to after this?” asked Caddaric. “Back to Haven, I suppose.”

  “I’ll be sticking around here for a bit. I have to examine a few things on this island after the competition. Don’t worry though, I’ll be observing the teams, along with the rest of the professors, during the third task. Don’t expect us to directly interfere, but we’ll get involved if things get desperate.”

  “This may come across as rude, but what exactly is it that you do at Haven?”

  Osmont pointed at a section of trees below them, but didn’t answer.

  Caddaric couldn’t figure out what he’d seen, but a moment later a figure emerged from the trees. He held his breath, until he saw Brighid climbing up the hill. Kort followed shortly after, Ravyn slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

  He sprang to his feet, and ran down to the edge of the safe area. Donovan had finally emerged from the trees, he had fashioned a walking stick out of a sapling, and was limping his way up the hill.

  Kort was gulping for air when he crossed the line, and Caddaric helped him set Ravyn down on the grass.

  “Are you okay? What happened?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “She twisted her knee when she stepped in a hole,” said Kort. “Nothing serious.”

  “Both of you can quit fussing over me. Kort’s overreacting.”

  “You’d never forgive yourself if we let your stubbornness cost us the challenge,” said Kort.

  She shot Kort a smile. “I do appreciate everything that you’ve done. I should have believed you when you said that you were focusing on your classes this year.”

  Osmont pushed his way between Caddaric and Ravyn, and knelt at her side.

  “Just the knee?”

  She nodded.

  He placed his hands on her knee, and his face took on a distant look.

  He stood up, and walked over to give Donovan a hand, who had just crossed the line.

  “Where are you hurt?” he asked.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Don’t be stubborn.”

  Osmont pushed his cloak aside and examined a puncture wound on Donovan’s calf.

  “That’s a—”

  “I said that I am fine.”

  Donovan wrenched his leg out of Osmont’s grasp, and hobbled towards their tents.

  “Congratulations,” said Eban from behind them, “You finished third, and will be the final team competing tomorrow. Send your captain to my tent to receive instructions for the final task.”

  Eban turned around and walked back up the hill.

  ***

  “This is not acceptable,” said Osmont. “I’m going to tell the judges to call it off.”

  “You can’t do that!” said Ravyn, rising to her feet. “Not after all that we’ve been through.”

  “It’s not your decision to make,” said Caddaric, calmly sitting on the floor of the pavilion.

  “You’re all fools,” snapped Osmont. “You care more about glory than your own lives.”

  “Why don’t you enlighten us?” asked Caddaric.

  “I could talk all night and you’d still be a bunch of ignorant children come morning.”

  Caddaric smoothly came to his feet and walked over to Osmont by the entrance to the pavilion.

  “You can start by telling us about the manticores that we’re going to encounter?”

  “They’re too dangerous for the likes of you. I wouldn’t want to face one myself without a couple of War Wizards watching my back.”

  “That tells us nothing,” said Caddaric.

  “They’re big and powerful. Fast running in a straight line, but have poor peripheral vision. They can bite. They can fly. They can sting. It’s too much for a group of students.”

  “The instructions only said that the trophy is in their nest,” said Ravyn. “Maybe we can wait until they all leave, or try to lure them away.”

  “It won’t work,” said Osmont. “The females hunt while the male guards the nest.”

  “Besides,” said Caddaric, “we have two other teams to contend with. Even if we lure them away, we still have to get to the nest first.”

  “Let’s deal with one thing at a time,” said Ravyn. “We’ll get more accomplished if we discuss this calmly, and rationally.”

  She sat down between Donovan and Brighid. She pointed her hand at an empty spot on the ground, inviting Osmont and Caddaric to join them.

  “I need to talk to the judges,” said Osmont. “This is not an appropriate task.” He looked over at Ravyn. “I am going to clarify the instructions with them.”

  Osmont slipped out of the tent and they listened as his footsteps faded into the distance.

  “Where does this leave us?” asked Donovan.

  “A half hour behind the first team,” said Ravyn, checking each point off on her fingers as she made it. “Facing a creature that’s too dangerous for us, and the person who is supposed to be helping us come up with a plan just left.”

  “Ideally we want to get their first,” said Donovan. “It’s pointless to come up with an elaborate plan for the manticores if the other teams have either already won, or riled them up before we arrive.”

  “I have an idea to make up some time,” said Ravyn. She took out a map of the island and spread it out on the floor where everyone could see it. “The quickest route to their nest is here.” She traced a path across the island which skirted around a narrow bay. “If we swim across the bay instead of walking all the way around it, we should be able to save a lot of time, maybe even enough to catch up to the team from Kern.”

  “I’m not swimming across that,” said Finian.

  “Me neither,” said Brighid.

  Caddaric studied both of their faces, and saw their tense jaws and the determination in their eyes.

  “We won’t ask anyone to do anything that they’re not comfortable with,” said Caddaric. “Those who won’t swim, can travel along the shoreline and try to catch up with us later.”

  Ravyn gave him a nod before continuing.

  “Donovan, Kort, which way are you going?”

  “I’ll be by your side,” said Kort.

  “Nothing will stop me from getting into the action, even if that means getting a little wet,” said Donovan.

  “Thank you. We’ll swim across the bay, before making our way along the river to the bottom of the plateaus. From there, we follow the map of the caves that they gave us, which will bring us out here.” She pointed to a spot on the map a couple of miles past the manticores’ nest. “Then we travel back to here, find a spot to climb down to the lower plateau, and get the trophy from the nest.”

  “If that’s decided, then it’s time for bed,” said Donovan.

  “Not even close,” said Ravyn. “We have many more details to work out before morning.”

  “Quiet,” said Caddaric.

  “Don’t you tell me to be quiet,” said Ravyn.

  “I thought I heard something.”

  They all quieted down and could hear a set of footsteps approaching.

  “That was quick,” said Caddaric. “They must have shut him up immediately.”

  “He couldn’t make it there and back this fast,” said Donovan.

  They waited in silence. Caddaric watched as Ravyn’s hand inched closer to her dagger, and Kort leaned forward in case he had to spring to his feet in a hurry.

  “Knock, knock,” said Aplite.

  Caddaric went over the entrance and moved the tent flap aside for her.

  “Come in.”

  Aplite looked like she had taken a beating during the competition. A fresh scar ran across the bridge of her flattened nose, and she had bandages wrapped around both of her arms.

  “I apologize for interrupting, but I’ll make this quick. I want to wish everybody good luck for tomorrow. You’ve shown yourselves to be worthy competitors which will make our victory that much greater tomorrow.”

  “It�
�s not over yet,” said Ravyn icily.

  “What she meant to say, is that you and your team have done exceptionally well in the first two tasks, but anything can happen tomorrow,” said Caddaric.

  “Quite right,” said a subdued Aplite. “I wanted to personally say goodbye to all of you before the task.”

  “We’ll see each other after the task,” said Kort. “We’ll be sailing home together. You can say your goodbyes then.”

  “I wish it was that simple, but it isn’t. I don’t want to make this any more difficult than it needs to be.”

  Aplite kept a neutral expression on her face, but Caddaric saw tears starting to form in her eyes.

  He walked over and shook her hand. “May the best team win.”

  Aplite gave him a nod, but didn’t answer.

  The rest of the team walked over to shake her hand and have a quick word. Kort walked over last, and gave her a long hug, after which Aplite fled the tent without another word.

  “What was that about?” asked Kort.

  He was met by many confused expressions and the shaking of heads.

  “Let’s not let them distract us,” said Ravyn. “What are we missing?”

  “The advantage,” whispered Caddaric.

  “What?” she asked.

  “The tasks have all been setup to benefit what the dwarves are good at, but I can’t figure out how this one benefits them.”

  “We’re going to be spending time underground navigating our way through many tunnels,” said Donovan.

  “It would be better for them if we weren’t given such a detailed map of the tunnels,” said Caddaric. “It’s almost too easy to get to the manticores’ nest. You’d think that it was setup to guarantee that the team in the lead will arrive their first.”

  “Which means?” asked Ravyn.

  “No,” said Kort, dread evident in his voice. “She can’t. She wouldn’t. We have to stop her.”

  “What are you saying?” asked Caddaric.

  “She’s going to sacrifice herself to allow the rest of her team to get the trophy.”

  ***

  “I ... didn’t think ... we were ... going to make it,” panted Kort, stumbling out of the water and flopping down onto the beach.

  Caddaric staggered out of the water and dropped down beside him.

  Caddaric watched as Donovan helped Ravyn to her feet and supported her as they made their way to shore. He gently lowered her to ground, but he just stood there, looking down at them. He wasn’t even breathing heavy.