Silver Winds

Chapter 30

Astra ran in front of her comrades as they left the Kinerell together. Around her, the other Munrskipans were running at top speed, and some of them sent their fastest runners ahead. Astra decided this was a good idea.

"Everyone at their own pace!" she shouted. Volos and Nikolaus sped up, barreling their way through the snow. Jun leapt through it like a deer, and passed the other two boys. Astra ran as fast as she could, but there was no way she would be on par with the bigger boys. Soon, she, Drago, and Rune were at the back of the pack.

"Take it easy, brother," Rune commanded Drago. "You're not healed yet."

"Ithzar," Drago cursed. "I wish I was strong again."

"We all do," Rune consoled him, patting him on the back. He gestured to the bandage he wore around his neck. "But we just have to wait."

Astra said nothing, instead focusing on keeping the pain in her ribs at bay. When she breathed, spikes shot through her. She cursed when an unpleasant feeling grew in her gut. She never wanted to feel this again. Perhaps she could learn to be more cautious when attacking someone.Her breath turned to frost the moment it left her mouth, and Astra growled as she pushed forward. She would push through this, she promised herself. If she couldn't, then she had no business being a Vinr.

The game that had been explained to them was simple: they were to be out of the cabin area within the next hour. If they and their items remained in their cabins, then the items would be confiscated and the people would be disqualified from the game.

Astra dodged around a tree. She was almost to the clearing.They were to survive in the woods for as long as possible, without help from people inside of Mistport. When a team decided they could no longer continue the game, they were to report to the Kinerell, where Pengill would be staying for the coming weeks. Whoever survived for the longest was the winner.

Astra jumped over the charred embers of the firepit in one bound, and ran up to cabin five. Members of her Munrskipan were carrying packs of things on their backs and chests in their hands. They skipped down the stairs and ran to the far end of the clearing. Volos stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked at Astra. "Where are we bringing this, Vinr?"

Kay, who was part way across the open expanse of camp, stopped also and stared. Then others began to do the same.Nervousness overcame Astra. She hadn't thought that far ahead, only to get the things out of the clearing. She cracked her knuckles to buy a few precious moments of time.

". . . I don't know," she finally admitted. "Let's just get it out of the clearing for now. All of it."

Volos' eyes lowered, and he nodded. He began jogging out to where the others were. Astra sighed and entered the cabin.Most of everything was gone, save for her bag of clothing and the last weapons chest. Astra slung the bag over her shoulder and attempted to lift the chest. The pain that seemed to split her in two cut deep, and she howled and fell backwards. Her rear end hit against the floorboards, and she clutched her ribs. Then her gaze trailed downwards, and she gasped.

"Ithzar, no," she whispered. Blood was seeping into the cloth covering her lower region and upper thighs. She finally knew what the pain in her abdomen she had been feeling that morning was.

"Astor? Are you all right?" Rune asked as he entered the cabin. Astra closed her legs instinctively and looked back at him. She covered the bloodied clothing with her hand and grimaced.

"I can't quite get the chest. It's a bit heavy," she murmured. "Would you and Drago mind getting it? I need to do something really quick."

"Oh . . . okay," Rune replied, giving her a skeptical look. He signaled Drago and the pair of them got the chest and left the cabin.As soon as they were gone, Astra removed her pants from her body. She pulled off her soiled undergarment and folded them up inside one another, then replaced them both, along with an extra pair of underwear to soak up the blood. She shoved the soiled garments into the bottom of her bag, and covered them with other clothing.