House of Darken (Secret Keepers #1)(80)
There was another thick branch just below mine. I lowered myself down onto it, shuffling along again, before finding another lower one. I continued on this way, slowly, steadily, body fatigued but not letting me down yet.
When I was on the lowest branch before ground level, I slowly swung myself down. My lack of athletic ability was definitely going to be an issue here, but I was determined to survive. The skills needed would just have to be learned on the run. When my legs were dangling, my one good arm taking most of my weight as I lowered myself, my strength gave out and I tumbled the last few feet to the ground, landing with a solid thud.
There was a brief pause, like the land was confused about what had just happened, and then everything went to shit. The ground started to violently rock and buck like an angry bull trying to throw its rider off. I was tossed into a nearby tree, pain slashing my cheek and arm.
My body slid down to stop on a large bushy shrub and the land calmed. My heart was racing as I tried to figure out what had just happened, and how to prevent it from happening again. Deciding that the longer I sat still the worse it was going to get, I rolled off the plant and dropped almost gracefully to my feet.
The land bucked again, pitching me forward into the bushes. As soon as my feet left the ground, everything calmed. Shit. Ass. Shit. I’d figured out what made this level of the justices so dangerous. The moment you stepped foot on the land, it tried its best to get rid of you.
I needed to get back into the trees immediately. Of course I was now a good six feet from the closest tree. A tree which did not have a single branch I could reach.
Except … if I was vaulted headfirst at it? As plans go, it was up there with the stupidest, but I couldn’t think of any other way. Taking a deep breath, I jumped as far as I could, landing below the tree. Bending my knees as I dropped, I prepared myself for the bucking. The ground shot me up into the air, and then I was flying, shifting to try to reach the branch I’d been aiming for, and somehow I managed to grab on. My good arm shook as I used it to keep me steady while I hooked a leg over the bough and pulled myself up and across to rest on it.
The limb creaked; I felt it strain, too small to support my weight. I needed to move. Dragging myself toward the main trunk, a relieved breath left me as I ended up on a sturdier bough. Everything ached as I tried not to cry. This was no time for tears – even though it was starting to become painfully obvious that I was not going to survive this. Unless a miracle fell in my lap, there was almost zero possibility. I was tired, losing blood – the black cloth hid it, but I could feel how heavy and saturated it was getting. And this was only the first level.
Freaking Imperials. Hopefully Lexen would get Qenita to gut them the next time he saw them. “You better avenge me,” I shouted, half delirious.
“You got it, gorgeous.”
The low, deep voice should have startled me from the tree, but I was half passed out and only managed a gasp. My lashes fluttered as I tried to focus on the blurry person crouched in the tree across from me, a large shadow dressed all in black. The brief glimpse of face underneath his low cap was familiar, but I couldn’t figure out how I knew him.
“I’m going to help you, Emma. But you have to trust me.”
That voice too … it was so familiar. And his eyes … sad eyes.
I cried out, losing all thought as he lifted me up. Somehow he was able to hold me and step gracefully along the low branch. Everything after that was pretty blurry, walking through trees, jumping across bushy shrubs, until finally I couldn’t hold on to consciousness any longer.
Heat woke me. My head was pounding as I struggled up from my hard resting place. Well, this was becoming a far too familiar sensation. Unlike last time in the egg, I immediately remembered everything that had just happened.
Swinging my head around, a few droplets of sweat flung off me. Was I in a sauna? At minimum I expected to see a roaring fire right at my side; it was that warm here. But there was nothing in the cave-like room. My skin felt tight as I lifted my right hand – the left was uselessly attached to my injured arm – to rub at the pounding in my temples, trying to relieve some of the pain there. Sharp agony burst behind my eyes, and before I could even move, my stomach roiled and I dry heaved over and over, nothing able to come out as I had not eaten or drank anything since I was taken.
Vomiting plus headache was a terrible combination, and I did briefly wonder if I was going to die in this cave.
Speaking of, how in all of this underworld did I get into a cave? I’d been in the trees. I definitely remembered some coral-trees, and a land that did not appreciate being walked on. The shadowy man … he must have brought me here. Examining my surroundings – basic cave – I looked down to see that the wound in my arm had been rebandaged with a white stretchy-looking material. I still wore my tattered black dress, but there was more gauze along my arms and legs. The stupid heels were also gone, which would hopefully help me to stay upright.
I jumped to my feet – wincing at the increased pain in my head – as a broad-shouldered figure stepped into sight.
“Nice to see you’re awake, badass. I was getting a little worried there.”
I narrowed my eyes, face scrunching tightly as confusion hit me. “Daniel?”
The rasp of his name echoed for a beat. “What … why are you helping me?” I was genuinely confused, trying to catch my brain up on what was going on.