𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬

18: A New Game

Thrown into a world with little information, the children were left to fend for themselves. Trey, the third strongest in the Order, offered no explanations, leaving them to their own devices. As swiftly as he had appeared, he vanished, causing a wave of frustration and fear among the children. They murmured and complained about the absurdity of their situation, but Aziz was not among them. As soon as he was sure Trey had disappeared, he headed into the forest, separating himself from the others. Mal could sense three other assassins in the area, though none were as powerful as Trey.

The presence of such a high-ranking member of the Order signalled the importance of this event. Whatever was about to happen, it was no small matter. Aziz was determined to stay ahead of the others, to figure out what this "test" was before anyone else. He moved silently, slipping into the shadows of the trees. But before he could fully disappear, a voice called out to him.

"Aziz!"

It was Nessa. Her voice was clear, authoritative, cutting through the din of the other children. He paused, annoyed. So much for slipping away quietly. He had underestimated her. There was something about this girl—something sharp, perceptive. Were all noble kids this talented? He glanced at Roof, quickly dismissing that thought. Clearly not.

"Where are you going?" Nessa asked, catching up to him. Her big green eyes looked up at him, full of a concern that Aziz found grating. She was undeniably pretty, her presence drawing half the group behind her, all of them curious about the strange, tall boy with the wild black hair who had made their de facto leader chase after him.

"Will you not join us? Going alone is dangerous," she urged. "We're not in the tunnels anymore. It would be much safer if we stick together. We can figure out what these people want, and if I can contact my family, it might be enough to get us out of here."

"I'm better alone," Aziz replied flatly, turning away from her.

Gasps rippled through the onlookers. Refusing Nessa? Unthinkable.

"No one's better alone in this," she pressed, her voice pleading as the crowd behind her murmured their agreement. Look at her, Aziz thought. She's already gained a few supporters overnight.

Without warning, Aziz appeared in front of her, his movement so quick that a few onlookers rubbed their eyes, wondering how he had covered the distance in the blink of an eye. Now only inches from Nessa, he leaned in, his long hair falling like a curtain to shield his lips from prying eyes. For the first time, Nessa looked nervous, not used to being put on the spot by a commoner.

"I can always be myself when I'm on my own," Aziz whispered, his lips barely brushing her ear. A few boys in the crowd clenched their fists, infuriated by the sight. Roof, scowling, noticed the exchange and began making his way over, his own group of followers rallying behind him.

"You, of all people, want to be alone. I daresay more than me," Aziz added, his voice low and cutting. Then, without waiting for a response, he pivoted on his heel and walked away, leaving Nessa to stare after him as he disappeared into the darkness of the forest. There was no time to waste. Survival was his top priority. Roof arrived too late, demanding to know what had happened, but Nessa gave no reply, her eyes fixed on the fading figure of the one boy who seemed to see right through her.

☨

The forest was a marvel, an ecosystem somehow sustained deep beneath the earth. Real trees reached up to a cavernous ceiling, small fires flickering among the trunks and casting shadows that cloaked much of the area in perpetual night. This was Aziz's domain. The dark, shadowy expanse suited him perfectly, but he didn't make his home here. The door to the pit remained open, and while others busied themselves building shelters on the forest floor, Aziz retreated to the familiarity of the pit to sleep.

Three days passed as he watched the camps that had sprung up in the forest. Nessa's group, now calling themselves the Queen's Hand, had claimed the western side. Roof and his followers, the King's Guard, held the east. In the north was a boy Aziz hadn't noticed at first, someone who had quietly gained a sizable following. He called himself Raven, and his group, the Iron Hearts, remained neutral, avoiding the growing tension between the other two factions.

Aziz paid little attention to the politics of the forest, but it was clear that conflict was brewing. The King's Guard, overzealous in their hunting, had nearly wiped out the local wildlife, making food scarce. Disputes over hunting grounds became frequent, with fights breaking out between the Queen's Hand and the King's Guard. Raven and his Iron Hearts stayed out of the fray, focusing on survival rather than conquest.

A few more days passed, and the situation escalated. Aziz watched from the treetops as a hunter from the Queen's Hand and one from the King's Guard argued over the carcass of a wild pig, both claiming to have made the killing shot. It was only a matter of time, thought Aziz, as he watched one of Roof's followers pick up a stone.

The scent of blood was in the air, a smell Aziz recognized from his time in the temple among the writhing mass of black-deaths. Violence was coming. The tension in the forest had reached a breaking point. All it needed was a spark, and that spark was about to be struck.