The Rise of Winter by Alex Lyttle

Author:Alex Lyttle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Central Avenue Publishing
Published: 2019-07-17T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 33

IT HAD BEEN TWO WEEKS, AND AS VULPEERA PREDICTED, MY BODY had changed. I sat high in a tree, overlooking the forest. The branch beneath my feet was damp with morning dew as I plotted my route. I had to make a split-second decision—time was wasting—trees or ground?

The forest floor was covered in thick vines, no doubt placed by Pteron. With my enhanced eyesight, I could make out sharp thorns on the vines.

Looked like it would have to be the trees.

I leapt from the branch toward the nearest tree. It was a long way off—at least ten feet—but my jumping distance had improved as I’d learned to engage more of my muscles. I soared through the air, tucking my arms by my sides to reduce the drag, grabbing the next branch as I fell. I swung myself around and used my momentum to launch myself toward the next tree.

I continued flinging myself from tree to tree, making excellent time through the course Vulpeera had set, when a rock came hurtling toward my head. It came from behind; I saw it as a glint of movement in my mind’s eye and shifted my body in midair to avoid it. But the disruption set me off course for the next branch, and suddenly I was falling. My heart rate spiked, but I forced myself not to panic. “Panic is pointless,” Pteron had said.

I looked down and spotted a branch approaching within arm’s reach. I managed to grab it with the tips of my fingers and swung myself up and around, landing on top in a crouched position.

Darn it, Pteron, I thought. That rock was going to cost me a lot of time. Why did he always have to make things more difficult?

At least my Aminoculus was improving. Outlines of objects were grainy but perceptible in my mind’s eye, although they were less clear when I was in motion. A few short weeks before, I would have gotten plunked in the back of the head.

I took off again. The next tree was thin and weak, so I spun my body and pressed my feet against the trunk. It bowed beneath my weight and snapped back, sending me flying in a new direction. I catapulted until I came to a larger trunk with no bend or branches. With no time to think (gravity is impatient), I wrapped my legs around the trunk and slid down it like a fire pole.

I landed hard but was happy to find no thorny vines below.

There wasn’t a second to think before something shot through the trees toward me. I ducked as Pteron narrowly missed my head with a stick. I knew he would be back shortly for another pass, so I took off running.

Up ahead I saw a clearing—the finish line—but there was a thick wall of vines blocking my way.

Almost there.

I cartwheeled to avoid Pteron’s next pass and slid beneath a third. He was doing everything possible to slow me down.

When I was ten steps away

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