Page 140 of The Incendiary

I winced at the throbbing ache in my chest. Now wasn’t the time for sweet nostalgia, and he would agree.

“We need to bring him back alive!” Eli called over his shoulder. “We’ll have to find a way to stop him without killing him.” I tried to see over him, but I was too small. For the first time this entire trip, I kicked myself for not sitting in front.

“Get us close!” I shouted over the pounding of hooves and the whipping wind. “I’ll leap onto his horse and bring him down.”

“Are you insane?” Eli shouted.

“Do you have a better idea?” I shouted back.

“I’ll do it.”

“You’re injured,” I reminded him, sliding backward on the saddle. “You can’t do this with a wounded arm.”

“Fera, if you die, I swear to the gods I will⁠—”

“Do you trust me or not?” I gripped his shoulders and lifted one knee, then repositioned myself into a half squat on the saddle. I didn’t want him to finish his thought. Part of me hoped he cared. The other part of me didn’t want to know.

“Fucking hell.” His mutter was barely audible. “Fine!”

“If I succeed, do I get an automatic pass on the third test?”

“Ha!” he laughed. “You wish!”

When I giggled in response, I told myself it was my body’s attempt to fend off the nerves.

Finch rode a smaller brown mare with less speed and stamina than the white stallion.

“Finch!” Eli roared as we gained on him. “Stop, or we’ll make you!”

We didn’t slow down. Finch hadn’t heeded the warning. At least all my training earlier this year was paying off. A few times, I thought I was about to fall, but my boot on the saddle and my grip on Eli steadied me as we surged on through the field.

“Are you sure about this?” shouted Eli. We trailed a full horse’s length behind Finch. Another thirty seconds and we’d be close enough to touch.

“I’m sure,” I lied. Hitting the ground under the weight of Draven Finch’s body was going to hurt like hell. No broken bones would be a blessing. No bruises would be a miracle.

Eli pushed the stallion into one last burst of speed. We crawled up beside Finch, our horses nearly touching now. I lifted my other boot to the saddle and, with one powerful push, leapt off with Finch as my target.

I was flying and free, then my body hit Finch’s like a bird to a stone wall and the air tore from my lungs. I wrapped my arms around his neck and legs around his torso, holding on for dear life as he grunted and thrashed.

“Fucking crazy⁠—”

“Shut up!” I snapped, wrapping my arm around his neck. “Let go of the reins, Finch!”

“What are you going to do if I don’t?” Finch laughed maniacally. “Kill me?”

My blade was unsheathed and pressed into his cheek within seconds. “Maybe I will.”

“Fera!” Eli’s warning caused Finch to startle just enough to give me a gap. My forearm strained against his neck as my feet found leverage on the saddle. I pushed with all the strength I possessed. Finch’s grip on the reins came free, and we fell backward.

I tossed the knife so we wouldn’t land on it, twisted enough to avoid landing beneath him, and let my body go limp. When we hit the ground, I was struck by an all-consuming wave of pain. Groaning, I rolled a few feet before sliding to a stop and watching the brown horse flee in my periphery.

The impact sent pain radiating into my stomach, but I thanked the Selvaren for the fresh, soft grass that cushioned our fall, because nothing had cracked. Still, I knew that the next time I stood naked before a mirror, the bruises on my back and legs would be more colorful than a shrine to the gods.

I rose to all fours, then I dizzily stood up, rolling my landing shoulder to ensure it wasn’t dislocated. Eli jumped down from the halted white stallion and had Finch face down on the ground, knee to his back, before I could wipe the dirt and grass off my front.

“You brought that bitch?” Finch spat and bucked beneath his captor, but it was no use.

“Stay down, Finch!” Eli tied Finch’s hands behind his back with rope. Finch winced when he pulled it brutally tight. “You knew better than to run.”