Chapter Eight - Respite

  Vecht remained completely still, watching the two fighters ahead. They had stopped, positioning themselves in preparation for an ambush. A calculated move. The sword-and-shield fighter stood squared, bracing for an impact that hadn’t come yet, while the curved-sword fighter hovered just behind him, tension in his stance.

  “They think Lucan is walking into them,” Alura murmured, her bowstring already pulled taut.

  Vecht’s grip tightened on his sword. “Then let’s make sure the trap fails.”

  He had no doubt that Lucan knew what was happening. Lucan had survived too much today to make a mistake now.

  The real question was—what was Lucan planning?

  Then, he saw him.

  Lucan strode forward through the trees, moving slower than usual, his posture loose and relaxed. His short sword remained undrawn at his hip, his expression unreadable.

  Playing dumb.

  Classic Lucan.

  The two waiting fighters tensed slightly.

  Then the shield fighter lunged.

  Vecht broke from cover instantly, Alura right behind him.

  The instant the shield fighter committed to his attack, Vecht was there.

  He struck from the side, his sword slicing in a clean arc toward the fighter’s ribs. The student caught the movement at the last second and turned his shield to intercept, but Vecht had momentum. The impact sent a jarring force through the shield fighter’s frame, forcing him off balance.

  Alura was already in motion.

  She loosed an arrow. The shot struck just above the fighter’s knee, the resonance energy locking the limb.

  The shield fighter gritted his teeth, dropping onto one knee, unable to move his lower body.

  That was all Vecht needed.

  He surged forward, his sword flashing downward. The shield fighter barely raised his weapon in time—but Vecht wasn’t aiming for his sword.

  With a sharp pivot, Vecht slammed his foot into the fighter’s chest.

  The force sent him toppling onto his back, his shield slipping from his grip. He gasped, winded, the resonance energy still locking his muscles.

  Alura stepped in, placing a boot against his shoulder, bowstring pulled back, another arrow aimed at his throat.

  “Stay down,” she ordered flatly.

  Lucan barely acknowledged Vecht and Alura’s fight. He had his own problem.

  The curved-sword fighter lunged toward him, his blade flashing in a fast, precise arc.

  Lucan’s own short sword came up in an instant, meeting the strike with a sharp clash of steel. The impact reverberated through his arms, the heavier weight of his stolen blade throwing off his usual rhythm.

  The curved-sword fighter was fast—but not reckless. His movements were measured, testing Lucan’s defense, probing for a weakness.

  Lucan wasn’t in peak form. But he was still fast.

  He dodged the next swing, stepping inside the student’s guard. His dagger shot forward in a sharp thrust.

  The student barely twisted in time, but the blade still grazed his ribs. The resonance crystal flared.

  Lucan grinned.

  The curved-sword fighter snarled and retaliated with a vicious slash.

  Lucan ducked under it, feeling the blade cut through air just above his head. He twisted low, then shot upward, driving his short sword into the fighter’s shoulder.

  The resonance crystal pulsed violently, locking the fighter’s arm.

  The student gasped, stumbling, his grip failing. His curved sword dropped from his hand, landing in the dirt with a dull clatter.

  Lucan exhaled, flipping his dagger in his hand before resting the tip lightly against the fighter’s neck. “You lose.”

  The student glared at him, but didn’t move.

  Lucan smirked and stepped back. He turned to Vecht and Alura, running a hand through his damp hair.

  “Took you two long enough,” he muttered.

  Vecht raised an eyebrow. “You got slower.”

  Lucan shrugged. “Yeah, almost drowning and getting pummeled by rocks tends to slow a guy down.”

  The forest was eerily still, save for the steady rise and fall of their breathing. The fight had been swift, brutal, and over in seconds. Vecht wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling the slight tremor in his arms from exertion.

  Alura crouched beside the shield fighter’s unconscious form, rummaging through his belt pouch. A moment later, she pulled out a single relic.

  She frowned. “That’s it?”

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  Lucan exhaled sharply, hands on his hips. “Are you kidding me? We’re this far into the exam and that’s all they had?”

  Alura did the math in her head. “That puts us at eleven, nearly back to where we were.”

  Lucan rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck. “Yeah, nearly. If we still had the four Dain took, we’d be sitting at fifteen. Which is exactly why we need to find him.”

  Vecht sighed, rubbing at his ribs. “Lucan—”

  “No,” Lucan cut in, voice edged with frustration. “We let him walk away once. We do it again, and we’re just handing him the win.”

  Alura crossed her arms. “It doesn’t guarantee us first place either. We press a fight when we’re this worn down, and we could lose everything.”

  Lucan rebutted the statement. “So what? We just let him keep our relics and pretend we’re fine with it?”

  Alura’s jaw tightened. “I didn’t say that. But look at us. Vecht took a solid hit from Dain in the last fight. You nearly drowned. We’ve been moving non-stop just trying to find each other again. Do you really think we can take Dain at our worst?”

  Lucan clenched his fists. “So what’s the plan? We just suck it up and accept that we might not get first place?”

  Vecht leaned against a tree, arms crossed. “I hate it too. But what’s worse? Not getting first place? Or failing the exam entirely?”

  Lucan fell silent.

  Alura sighed. “Look, I want our relics back too. But if we go after Dain, and we’re not at our best, we risk him wiping us out completely. It’s not just about pride. It’s about making sure we’re still in this.”

  Lucan exhaled sharply, tension still simmering beneath his skin. “Damn it.”

  Alura gave a small nod. “Yeah. I know.”

  Lucan turned his gaze back toward the forest, his fingers twitching near the hilt of his stolen dagger.

  Vecht’s expression was unreadable, but his tone was calm. “We’re not just letting this go. But we have to be smart about it.”

  Lucan scowled but nodded slowly.

  Alura rolled her shoulders, tension still in her stance. “If we see Dain again, we’ll be ready. But we’re not throwing ourselves at him blind.”

  Lucan smirked, his usual cockiness returning. “Fine. But if we do find him, I’m calling dibs.”

  Vecht shook his head. “We’ll see about that, but I think for the time being we should find somewhere to rest and find something to eat. Judging by the sun, there’s probably roughly four, maybe five hours left in the exam.”

  Lucan wiped sweat from his brow, exhaling sharply. “I still don’t like it,” he muttered.

  Vecht adjusted his grip on his sword, glancing toward the sky. The sun was lower now, the golden light stretching their shadows across the forest floor. “Doesn’t matter if we like it. What matters is making it to the end of the exam.”

  Alura crossed her arms, her sharp gaze scanning their surroundings. “We’ve been pushing ourselves the whole day. We’re all beat to hell. If we don’t stop to recover, we’ll be walking into the next fight at half-strength.”

  Lucan grumbled but didn’t argue. He wasn’t stupid. He knew he was running on fumes. His body ached from head to toe, and his clothes were still damp from the river, the cold having settled into his bones. Vecht wasn’t much better—his ribs had taken a solid hit from Dain, and though he hid it well, Lucan could see the stiffness in his movements.

  Even Alura, who had taken fewer direct blows, had been constantly moving, shooting, and covering them. She wasn’t as outwardly exhausted, but Lucan knew her endurance had its limits too.

  “We need a place to rest,” Alura said. “Somewhere defensible, away from the river. We don’t know who else is still out here.”

  Vecht nodded. “And we need food. If we don’t eat something, we won’t last much longer.”

  Lucan sighed. “Fine. But we’re not stopping for long.”

  “Just long enough to make sure we don’t get taken out because we were too stubborn to rest,” Vecht countered.

  With that, they moved.

  They kept a steady pace, moving deeper into the forest where the trees grew denser. The thick canopy overhead cast long shadows, making it harder to see further ahead. Every now and then, distant echoes of combat reached them—other students making their last desperate moves before the exam ended.

  None of them spoke as they searched for a good spot. Their exhaustion weighed heavy on them, the silence stretching between them in mutual understanding. The ones left standing weren’t the reckless ones. The last stretch of the exam would be the most dangerous.

  Alura raised a hand, signaling for them to stop. “There.”

  Vecht and Lucan followed her gaze.

  A small ridge jutted out from a hillside, forming a natural alcove beneath the overhang. Thick brush and fallen logs surrounded it, providing decent cover, while a narrow gap between the trees created a choke point. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do.

  Lucan studied it, then shrugged. “Not bad.”

  “It’ll keep us hidden,” Alura agreed.

  They moved in, sweeping the area to make sure it was clear. No tracks, no disturbances—no signs of recent activity. Once they were satisfied, they settled in.

  Lucan slumped down against the ridge wall with a relieved groan, stretching his legs in front of him. “Finally.”

  Alura remained standing, her bow still in hand. “We should set up a watch rotation.”

  Vecht nodded. “I’ll take first. You two get some rest while you can.”

  Lucan raised an eyebrow. “Not gonna make me go first?”

  “You look like you’ll pass out the second you close your eyes,” Vecht said dryly.

  Lucan snorted but didn’t argue. He leaned his head back against the stone, letting his body sink into the temporary relief of not being on the move. His muscles ached, his limbs heavy. He knew they weren’t safe, not completely, but for the first time in hours, he let himself relax—just a little.

  Silence stretched between them, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. The rush of battle had faded, leaving them with nothing but their own thoughts.

  Lucan let out a slow breath. “You think we’ve got enough to pass?”

  Alura glanced at Vecht. “Eleven relics is solid. But we don’t know how many the top teams have.”

  Vecht’s expression was unreadable. “We’ve done well. But we’ve also lost a lot.”

  Lucan exhaled through his nose. “Yeah.”

  A pause.

  Alura finally spoke. “It’s frustrating, not knowing. If we had those extra relics, we’d feel more secure. But we can’t throw everything away on one fight.”

  Lucan frowned. “And if Dain already secured first place?”

  Vecht shrugged. “Then we deal with that when the exam ends.”

  Lucan scowled, but he knew they were right. Going after Dain was still an option. But right now, they had to focus on making it through the final stretch.

  Another beat of silence.

  Lucan shifted, glancing between the two of them. “You two ever wonder how this would’ve gone if we were on different teams?”

  Alura gave him a side glance. “You mean if we were fighting against each other?”

  Lucan smirked. “Yeah.”

  Vecht chuckled. “I’d have knocked you out on the first day.”

  Lucan retorted. “Bold talk from someone who got his ribs smashed.”

  Alura shook her head. “Honestly? We probably would’ve found a way to work together anyway.”

  Lucan leaned back, closing his eyes. “Yeah. Probably.”

  As the sun dipped lower, the golden light of the evening cast long shadows across the trees. They weren’t at nightfall yet, but the end of the exam loomed closer with each passing moment.

  They didn’t light a fire—too much risk of drawing attention. Instead, they ate quietly, sharing the last bits of food they had left.

  “We need to make a decision soon,” Alura murmured, glancing at the dimming sky.

  Vecht nodded. “When the sun is gone, it’s over. We’re running out of time.”

  Lucan loosened up his arms, ignoring the dull ache. “Then we’d better make these last few hours count.”

  Morning wouldn’t come before the exam ended.

  Whatever they were going to do, they had to do it now.

  Some time had passed, the golden hues of the setting sun casting long shadows across the trees. They had wasted enough time debating.

  “We’re going after him,” Vecht said, pushing himself up from where he had been resting.

  Lucan’s eyes lit up. “Finally.”

  Alura exhaled, adjusting her bow. “We move carefully. No rushing in, no reckless mistakes.”

  Vecht nodded. “If we see an opening, we take it. If not—” He met their gazes. “We walk away with what we have.”

  Lucan rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck. “Let’s make sure we don’t need that backup plan.”

  No more words were needed. They had their answer.

  They moved quickly but cautiously, tracking Dain’s trail through the thinning trees. The final remnants of daylight stretched across the forest floor, the cool evening air thick with anticipation.