Mantle of the Gods

It was taking me longer to rest.

We’d been using me as bait for the last four hours. I still had yet to be caught. Technically anyway. I had tripped just before reaching the trail on the last one and it had wrapped around me in the middle of camp. That one had gone down faster since I’d been able to grab its head and hold it for Justia to decapitate.

“Slowing down?” Aelin elbowed me. "Need me to tag in?”

“I’m good.” I collapsed against the stack of stakes.

Since the snakes would be able to slither through and over the fence that we’d make, there hadn’t been much of a reason to finish building a fence. But that meant that there wasn’t much for the others to do while I was running around.

“How many is that?” I took the slice of pear that Ether offered me. The slice or two of fruit, while I rested, was nice, but I was going to need some actual water soon.

Aelin started counting on her fingers, got frustrated, and dumped the crystals out of the bag.

“I think we should plan on making camp on the other side of the bridge.” I pointed across the river. We had gone far enough through the grassland that I was able to run around the camp in the wide circle that I was running and not cross the trail again. I’d gotten the distance down to where I knew how far down the trail to run before making the circle would attract a snake so I wouldn’t have to double back or cross the trail again.

Ether and Justia nodded in agreement, but Edward was smart enough to realize what that meant.

“I am not..!”

Justia coughed.

“Going to complain about moving all of these stakes!” The blonde Noble’s shoulders sagged.

“I think now that we’ve got an idea about how to do these, we might want to move our stuff over there and take a water break.” I would have said food break, but we’d been eating little bits of fruit after every fight.

Justia looked at me but must have realized that I needed a break and we had to do something to keep Aelin from trying to run out there.

I wobbled as I stood, my legs beginning to take a break.

“Are you okay?” Ether grabbed my arm to steady me.

I leaned on her just a little. I may have overestimated just how tired I was. I’d only slept about five hours in the last two nights and my body was really starting to feel it.

“I think I just need to get a drink." I nodded up the trail. "I think I’ll start heading that way if you will be okay with packing this up without me.”

“Forty-three!” Aelin announced, cutting off any replies. “What?” She looked at us. "You asked how many we’ve fought.”

That was a little better than one every six minutes. Actually, it was probably closer to one every six minutes.

“We’re on track to getting the hundred we need today. I think we can take an hour or two to move our stuff to a safer place before we start back up again.”

Aelin looked at Justia, who nodded.

“Go ahead and take Ether with you.” The Healer started packing up fruit back in my jumpsuit. “We don’t need anyone to be by themselves.” She looked over at me. "Especially not you, since you look like you could fall over at any time. Aelin and I will be more than enough to pack these up.”

Ether and I both did a double-take. I had half expected that she would insist on going with me. Considering I had skinned my arm, there was justification to bandage it. I might have thought she’d send Aelin, but definitely not Ether.

“Take this.” Justia reached over and grabbed the roll of bandage from the side pocket of the bag. "Get that thing wrapped up.”

I missed the projectile, but Ether caught it.

“Let’s go.” I started walking up the road with the red-eyed Tank under my shoulder when I realized why Justia had been so willing if not eager to send the two of us off together. She wanted me to talk to her.

I started to feel like I was being led to my execution as I walked up the trail with Ether under my arm. I started rehearsing what I was going to say. When I had told Ether that we’d talk tonight, I’d assumed that we’d do so while on watch, which meant that Justia would be there to participate in the conversation. I’d been hoping to let the Healer do most of the talking as far as coming up with an explanation. I had a feeling that if I had shared that plan with said Healer, I’d have a blonde on my arm instead, but now I was on my own.