“What are you—” The question died on her lips as she realized what Jason was attempting. Evanescence.
It was the one rule of this Fourth Final—it was a test of survival and endurance, and as such, no Evanescence was allowed. At least, not until they reached the Oceanic Great College.
If Jason Evanesced, it would mean the end of any plan she had to get back into the Between.
It would mean she’d never see Alex again.
In a massive outlay of effort, Allyra surged upward and snatched her hand from Jason’s grasp. He stilled and stared at her in silence. It was clear from his clenched jaw that he was more than a little angry, and Allyra admitted to herself that she felt just the slightest stirring of fear.
Jason took three deep breaths as he struggled to keep his fury in check. He let out the third breath in one long hiss with his stormy eyes trained on her.
“Have you lost your mind?” Jason said, his voice dangerously calm.
Allyra shook her head. “I’m not ready to give up.”
“Are you ready to die?” he shot back exasperatedly.
“I’m fine,” she said weakly, knowing that she was being far from convincing.
“Are we somehow in two separate realities?” he asked sarcastically. “You can barely breathe, you certainly can’t walk, and we’re still at least another ten kilometers away from the Oceanic College.”
Allyra took a deep breath, preparing to argue her case, but the air rattled in her chest, and she broke down in wracking cough. Each cough shuddered through her entire body, and panic broke through her consciousness as surely as blood rose in her throat. She fought desperately to catch her breath, but every gulp of freezing air only set off another round of coughing. As blood splattered onto the pristine snow, Allyra wondered vaguely if this was how she was destined to die—surrounded by nothing but white, a world away from her beloved Africa and everything she loved.
As her gasps became more and more panicked, Jason drew her in, holding her tightly against his chest. She clutched desperately at him as if he were her lifeline.
“Slowly,” he whispered gently, his breath tickling her ear. “Slowly—feel the rhythm of my breathing.”
With Jason’s voice murmuring in her ear, Allyra followed the rise and fall of his chest, and gradually, her frantic gasps slowed allowing her to finally catch her breath.
“Can I please Evanesce us now?”
Allyra pushed herself away from Jason and looked up at him. “I need to finish this,” she said hoarsely.
He stared at her silently, his forehead creased in a frown as if he was struggling to figure her out. “Why?”
“I made a promise…”
“Is it worth dying for?”
There was no sarcasm left in his voice, and she answered his question seriously. “Yes,” she said simply.
“If I help you to the end, will you tell me what promise you made that’s so important you’d be willing to lay down your life for it?”
She searched his face, seeing the stark honesty in his eyes, and she realized that, yes, she did trust him. Trust was a precious thing, and somehow, somewhere during The Five Finals, against all odds, as they battled for survival, she and Jason had managed to attain it.
“Yes,” she said again. “I promise.”
“Fine,” Jason said shortly, getting to his feet.
Allyra managed a wry smile. “That was easier than I expected.” She held out her hand to him. “Help me up.”
“Are you just going to fall over when I do?” he replied doubtfully.
“I can do this.”
Jason closed his hand over hers and pulled her up. For a moment, the two of them wobbled dangerously before rediscovering their balance.
Jason closed his eyes, and she felt a surge of power from him as he reached for his Gift, searching for the Wellspring that was their final destination. “I figure we’re at least ten kilometers away. What do you think?”
It hurt her to admit it, but she simply didn’t have the energy to use her Gift. She shook her head, and he seemed to understand.
“Well, ten kilometers is a good enough guess. Even if we take it slowly, we should be there in five hours, give or take a few minutes.” His voice was purposefully optimistic.
She nodded and leaned against him, and together, they took a hesitant step forward. Given the effort the first step required, Allyra quickly reconsidered her previous words. Maybe this was beyond her.
Jason seemed to feel her concern and reluctance. “One foot in front of the other,” he said softly. “We’ll finish this thing yet.”
It turned out that Jason’s estimate of ten kilometers was spot-on, but he’d massively underestimated the time it would take for them to cover the distance.
After five hours, they’d barely covered half the distance. In truth, she’d scarcely been able to walk, and after a few faltering steps, Jason had dumped all their equipment from the sled and instead deposited her on it. She’d been too weak to argue, and Jason had continued the trek alone, pulling her behind him. But even lying prone on the sled, Allyra was unable to escape the pain. Every breath sent air bubbling through her chest and agony tearing through every muscle, bone, and sinew.
The pale winter daylight quickly faded, briefly covering the frozen landscape in a grayish-blue hue before settling into inky blackness. Yet, there was no question of stopping to rest. Having dumped the tent along with all their food, Jason had no choice but to continue his painfully slow trek forward.
Jason had kept up a continuous flow of encouragement in the first hour, but as time passed, he too had faded into exhausted silence. Allyra’s vision tunneled, and she slipped in and out of consciousness. The cold continued to soak deeper and deeper into her bones, and Allyra began to lose
