You’ve been distracted, so you haven’t been watching. As you stumble past the staggered rock formations, you get a clear view of the empty plateau. And even as you strain your eyes, there’s no sign of Bravos. You blink, trying to clear that impossible vision, but he’s still not there when the dust and sunlight settle.

So you call out his name. Again and again, ignoring the sudden clench in the pit of your stomach. You shout your voice raw, stumbling through the scorch and ignoring the truth:

Bravos is gone.

Chapter 28: Wormwood

I claw my way back into the waking world. My breath comes heavy and it feels like something’s been sitting on my chest all night. I stare at the approaching light, the rock formations, and none of it makes any sense. I was doing my first mixture….

The Longhand. I scramble to my feet and go light-headed. Weak-limbed, I stagger right into the nearest outcropping. Pain lances through my hip, then connects to the pulse at my temple, and all I can do is let out a groan. It’s like I’m still getting hit by the blow.

“Dammit.”

At the end of the first day’s ride, I had let myself dream for just a second. I thought that maybe I really could win the Races outright. Now I have a knot on my head that’s the size of an apple. I rub at it and wince. Still light-headed, I stumble over to my ashes. Morning light’s coming on quickly, reaching its claws across the valley, and I realize I’m way too late to do anything. The Longhand scattered flakes of green through my ashes. I lower my head, wincing with the pain, and take a whiff. The smell is one that I know well.

“Wormwood,” I say to no one. “That jackass used wormwood.”

I stand, noticing the bloodstains for the first time. That’s strange. They streak the entrance to the recess in dark and faded pools. I have a wicked bruise, but there are no signs of blood. My mind starts playing detective, but I know I don’t have the time for mysteries.

Furious, I turn back to my things. They’re piled in the opposite corner and I’ve got about twenty seconds to prepare for the rebirth that the Longhand saddled me with. I start sorting through my gear as the dust swirls.