cascade | kotlc

20. The Dividing

--- Biana POV ---

"Biana was right, these masks do smell funky," Keefe said as the six friends leaped to Exilium.

They were in the middle of nowhere. The crystal on their beads dissolved as soon as they arrived on the slope of a misty mountain.

Biana sighed. This was going to be a challenge.

She fumbled with her mask as Sophie leaned over the edge carefully. "No sign of the plague here."

"So... um, where's the school?" Biana asked. "Do you think we leaped to the wrong place?" Butterflies started dancing in her stomach. While she did enjoy the scenery, the emptiness was making her freak out.

"How would we be lost?" Dex asked. "We used their beads."

Biana cursed, turning around, searching for footprints in the thick snow. There was no trace of anybody being here, ever, at all.

"We could all jump off these cliffs," Fitz said. "Teleport as close as we can get to Alluveterre."

"It's probably not wise to bring that up," June warned him, snuggling against him for warmth. "We should always assume everyone here is watching us. There could be traps."
Biana shivered. "They wouldn't do that, would they?"
"We could go to Foxfire," Keefe jumped in. "Run through the halls screaming, 'YOU CAN'T GET RID OF US THAT EASILY!'"

"I like that plan," Dex said.

"Me too," Biana agreed. It would be nice to see Foxfire again. A tree creaked in the distance and she flinched.

Sophie put an arm around her. "Don't worry. We're not going to get lost here." The gold flecks in her eyes glittered, like embers in a fire. She really wished someone could light a fire.

The path curved, leading to a rocky clearing so thick with mist and snow they couldn't see the ground. An enormous arch of jagged black metal loomed over the entrance, woven from iron thistles.

June gulped. "Well, I think we found it."

The giant X in the center of an arch was shaped almost like a shuriken. Biana tried to not think about that.

Dex tensed. "There's something wrong about this. Check the ground."

She bent down, clearing away some dust and snow. The mist faded, and she caught sight of something rough.

June pulled out Glistensteel. "This feels like an ambush, almost. Is this supposed to be a test?"

"I think this is rope," Biana breathed. "I wonder why."

Sophie stepped forward. "Keep a low profile, and if we find something we-"

The rest of her instructions disappeared in a scream.

A thick rope had tightened around Sophie's ankle, yanking her off the ground and leaving her dangling upside down from the arch. Biana felt the rope under her shoot up, wrapping around her wrist and pulling her up. June was the only one that reacted quick enough to dodge the trap. In fact, it seemed like she had torn the rope outentirely. A loop of rope was tangled to her leg, frayed and ripped at the edges. She stared at all of her friends, who were all now hanging in midair.

"Um," she said nervously. "Am I supposed to-"

"Welcome to your Dividing!" a raspy female voice shouted from somewhere in the fog. "Ah- oh- this is a first. Someone has escaped the trap."

The mist parted and a figure in a red hooded cloak stepped forward, followed by a figure in a blue cloak and another in royal purple.

June stepped back, holding out her sword. "Is this normal? What is happening?"