Fatefall - 28

Chapter 28 - Jett

Just as we’d hoped, Dusan and Drystan fled to the safety of the Fates.

“Why do we have to be the ones to do all the strenuous work?” Jett grumbled, his muscles aching. “Shouldn’t we both get a free pass because of our near death experiences?”

Sage’s voice was strained when he answered, “Technically, I didn’t almost die---it was faked---and your ‘near death experience’ can be blamed on your own stupidity and arrogance.”

Jett frowned. “First of all, ouch. And secondly, I think the fact that I nearly died in the first place should excuse me from this sort of labor.”

“Carrying Nakoa with us isn’t labor,” Sage said. “We don’t really have a choice…unless we want to risk losing the Tournament.” He gave Jett a meaningful look. “If you were in Nakoa’s situation, would you want us to leave you behind?”

“That’s different, because I’m a whole lot smaller than she is,” Jett said. 

“Yeah, but you’re a whole lot more annoying, so it cancels out,” Sage countered, grinning.

Jett rolled his eyes. “Just for that, I’m officially revoking your right to claim you experienced a near death experience.”

“I already admitted that I didn’t almost die!” Sage said. “Which only makes you more annoying than before, which means--”

“Can the two of you please stop flirting for five minutes?” Adrian interrupted from several paces ahead. He’d been short-tempered since his…argument with Poppy. Jett hoped that Adrian and Poppy would make up soon because the past few hours had been torture. He couldn’t stand much more of this tension.

“We weren’t flirting,” Sage called back, his cheeks a vivid pink. 

Adrian scoffed. “You keep telling yourself that.”

“Ignore him,” Jett said, just loud enough for Sage to hear. “I like it when you try to flirt with me. It reminds me of how superior my talents are compared to yours.” He winked and Sage’s flush deepened.

“I can be good at flirting,” Sage whispered, sounding offended.

“Oh, really?”

Sage gave a sly smile. “I learned from the best.”

It took Jett a moment to realize what he meant. “Oh, you little fox, you think you’re so clever--”

“They’re doing it again!” Poppy called to Adrian. “I bet you twenty marks that Sage’s pulse just doubled.”

“I bet you forty that it tripled,” Adrian challenged, spinning around.

Jett’s breath caught in his throat and he stumbled to a stop. This was the most interaction he’d seen between Adrian and Poppy since they’d fought and resigned themselves to opposite ends of the group. Walking between them had been awkward and Jett found himself hoping it was over. 

But then Adrian seemed to remember who he was talking to. His expression resumed one devoid of emotion and he turned to face forward again, clearing his throat. 

“If we’re going to find a checkpoint, we need to keep moving.” 

And they were off again, Poppy and Adrian somehow even more silent than before.

Jett shook his head with a sigh, angling his body so he could readjust his hold on the cloak they were using to drag Nakoa across the forest floor. This horrible tension was only serving to remind him of why nerves and relationships didn’t mix well.

“Hey, Sage, what’s your favorite flavor of cake?” Jett asked, keeping his voice low so he wouldn’t get yelled at.

“My…my favorite cake flavor?” Sage stuttered. “Why in the world would you need to know that?”

Jett froze, momentarily stunned that Sage didn’t know the tradition of excusios until he remembered that it was purely Aecherian. He’d yet to see a bakery in Xegalla that made the tiny pastries. “In Aecheral, whenever a, um, whenever two people have an argument, it’s customary to buy or bake an excusio if they wish to forgive each other. They generally exchange pastries within two days of the fight. The more you want to forgive someone, the more thought you put into it---make it a special flavor or add a certain topping. Now I realize it’s silly and I shouldn’t have brought it up--”

“Excusio,” Sage repeated, as though testing out the word. “It translates to apology cake.”

Jett nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed. He knew he shouldn’t be worried---Sage had seen him in much worse situations like being held hostage or nearly dying. So why did sharing this tiny piece of culture feel like the end of the world? 

He hadn’t even mentioned the fact that generally only people in relationships exchanged excusios. It wasn’t something meant for neighbors or strangers or siblings. Jett had witnessed the exchange only a handful of times between his parents. He decided not to mention that detail to Sage, unsure of what reaction it might garner.

“Well, what’s your favorite flavor of cake?” Sage asked, seeming genuinely curious.

Jett thought for a moment. Back in Aecheral, cake was reserved only for the most important of occasions since the ingredients were so rare---which was partially why the excusios were such a big deal. He’d only tasted cake a handful of times, but his favorite by far had been his cousin’s twenty-fifth birthday---the age that signified the shift from child to adult. Jett didn’t know what the cake was called, but it had been dark and chocolatey and then when it was cut into, liquid chocolate would pour from the inside. 

He doubted anyone in Xegalla would be able to recreate that slice of heaven, but he described it to Sage anyway. It left his stomach growling. 

Maybe talking about delicious cake was a horrible idea when he’d been living off of the bare minimum for survival.

“It sounds amazing,” Sage agreed. “I’d like to try it too, someday.”

“Really? Surely you have your own favorite flavor of cake that would put my basic chocolate to shame.”

Sage chuckled nervously. “You would laugh if I told you mine.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” Jett was surprised to find that he was telling the truth. But then he found himself wondering why he was surprised. He had no reason to mock Sage for something as simple as a flavor of cake.

“I’ve only had cake once in my entire life,” Sage confessed, his caramel eyes never leaving Jett’s. “My mother made it for me when I was just a kid because she was excited to see me manifest my Grace. It was white cake---it didn’t have much of a taste besides sugar, but I liked it because she was actually happy for me. About me.” He shrugged, voice trailing away. “I guess my favorite cake flavor would be vanilla then, so even more basic than yours.”

Jett’s skin crawled with guilt. “Fates, Sage, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that mentioning cake would bring up bad memories--

“They’re not bad memories,” Sage said. “They’re just…I don’t know. I don’t know why we’re even talking about it. It’s not important.”

“Still…”

“I think cake could be a good memory,” Sage insisted, his eyes still locked on Jett’s in a way that left his stomach fluttery. “Maybe we don’t buy excusios, but I think once this Trial is over, we should taste test all the bakeries in Xegalla.”

Jett smiled, though it still felt wrong. “All of the bakeries? That’ll cost a fortune, Sage.”

“Then lucky for us, I have a fortune to throw away,” Sage said. “Besides, how are we supposed to know which cake flavor is the best if we don’t try them all?”

“Deal,” Jett decided, already excited. He selfishly hoped that Sage would wear that amber scarf to their cake taste-testing spree. Maybe he would bring one of his jackets that matched Sage’s scarf, and they would spend all day tasting cakes, and then they’d walk along the beach on the way home. The night air would be chilly by then, and Jett could offer Sage his jacket, and then maybe they’d--

“What’s that up ahead?” 

Adrian’s voice cut through Jett’s thoughts like a knife. 

Jett followed Adrian’s outstretched finger, his gaze landing on a blotch of emerald green in the otherwise gray forest. 

“Is that a checkpoint?” Sage asked, incredulous.

“I bet it is,” Adrian said, sounding equally disbelieving. “It was probably supposed to blend in with the brush, but now that everything is dead…” He shot a look over his shoulder at Poppy, who was pointedly ignoring everyone. 

“What time is it?” Jett asked. The sun was beginning to rise, but there was no point in rushing to the checkpoint if it wasn’t quite yet morning---it would simply disappear. 

Adrian checked his watch, his face lighting up. “Fates, guys. It’s morning! Twelve minutes past when the checkpoints reset. We can stay here for all of today and tonight.” 

It took Jett a moment to grasp the meaning of Adrian’s words, but once he comprehending what all this meant, Adrian’s excitement was contagious. A whole day and night in the checkpoint. They could replenish their supplies, heal Nakoa, and rest up---assuming the Trial didn’t end in the next twenty-four hours. Fates, they had an actual shot at winning this thing.

“Let’s get moving before someone steals the checkpoint out from under us,” Poppy interjected, continuing forward. 

It was as though the sight of the checkpoint had restored their energy. 

Their pace seemed to quicken with every step and Jett no longer felt like he was on the verge of collapsing. Only Poppy pretended to be unaffected, but Jett suspected she was secretly happy too.

It felt like mere minutes before they reached the checkpoint, and by then the relief swarmed Jett was overwhelming. 

They were met at the entrance with two armed guards, who welcomed them in with open arms. Jett and his teammates let Adrian do most of the talking, though there wasn’t much to discuss.

The checkpoint consisted of several different sized tents, all crimson colored. One of the guards explained that there were two tents designated for their team to split for sleeping or just resting. There was a tent devoted to a team of three medics, who took Nakoa under their care almost immediately. Additionally, the checkpoint would allow them to restock their food, water, and other resources.

And it was safe.

Adrian returned Poppy’s Grace to her, and then went off to restock supplies. Jett didn’t keep track of Poppy’s whereabouts, but he guessed she was probably either sulking in her tent or assisting the medics in checking on Nakoa.

Which left Jett and Sage alone with the next twenty-four hours to rest and recharge.

Jett was exhausted and he could hardly remember the last time he’d had a full night of sleep. The events of the past few days were beginning to catch up with him. He’d nearly killed himself by overexerting his Grace, fought another team and then created an illusion to trick them, attempted to kill a False Fate, and then took on poison so deadly that it killed a dozen trees in less than a minute.

Needless to say, he wanted so badly to lay down on the cot in the resting tent and fall asleep. But when his head hit the pillow, sleep did not find him.

At first, he thought it was worry for his parents that kept him awake. How many weeks did he have left to get the money? Jett cursed himself for losing track of time so easily. He’d barely given any thought to his parents since the beginning of the second Trial because he’d been so preoccupied with…everything else.

But the longer he laid there, the more his mind drifted. Something was off, but he didn’t know what.

Was it too quiet? Jett was used to falling asleep to the bustling noise of the town streets, and he rarely slept during the day…

No, it wasn’t too quiet. It was too loud.

Sage’s labored breathing filled the tent and sent Jett’s pulse racing. He raked his mind, trying to recall if Sage had been injured. Maybe Poppy hadn’t completely healed him--

Jett rolled onto his other side to face Sage, surprised to find the other boy’s face only inches from his own. 

Sage’s eyes were closed, his mask slightly askew and golden eyelashes fluttering slightly. His fingers twitched restlessly as his mouth twisted into a crooked frown. He wasn’t visibly dying, so what was wrong?

A nightmare, Jett realized. Sage must’ve been dreaming. 

On instinct, Jett reached out and gently shook Sage’s shoulder. Sage stirred but didn’t wake. Jett shook him again, his heart wrenching as a soft whimper escaped from Sage’s lips. His lips.

Sage’s eyes fluttered open and he bolted upright, whole body trembling.

Jett didn’t know what to say. He pushed himself into a sitting position, watching with pity as Sage pulled his legs to his chest, curling up tight. Jett wrapped his arm awkwardly around Sage’s shoulder, unsure of what else to do.

They sat like that until Sage’s breathing finally slowed and he stopped shaking. His skin was clammy to the touch, but Jett didn’t mind. He felt his own exhaustion tugging at the back of his mind, a distant thought by now. 

“It was just a dream,” he found himself whispering, his other hand draping over Sage’s. Their fingers intertwined. “You’re awake now, Goldie. Whatever was scaring you, it’s gone now.”

“I wish that were true.” Sage’s voice was ragged, filled with pain. “But I’ve been praying for my father to forget about me for years now, and I doubt the Fates have chosen now to answer.”

“You were dreaming of your father?”

The question slipped out before Jett could stop it and he realized after the fact that it had been insensitive. 

Sage didn’t seem to mind, however, and he answered without hesitation. “If it’s not him, it’s my mother or the boys from the university or all the tutors who told me I was helpless.” He shrugged, but it felt to Jett like more of a shudder. 

“I’m sorry,” Jett murmured. It felt inadequate to express how sorry he was, even if it wasn’t his fault.

Another shrug. “They’re just nightmares.”

“Yeah, but what your parents did to you was real,” Jett argued. “Fates, Sage, your father tossed you out a window.”
“And I lived.”

“Normal parents don’t throw their kids out windows. Or constantly berate them because they don’t manifest a Grace. Or kidnap their friends and hold them hostage to force their compliance.”

“My family is nobility. We’re not normal.”

“That’s not an excuse.”

Sage was silent for a moment, as though he had no argument. He probably didn’t. There was no reason for any parent to treat their child the way Sage’s parents had treated him. Jett didn’t know the full story, but he had a vague idea of the horrors Sage had faced and he guessed it went a whole lot further than just the window situation.

“My father sent that other team after us,” Sage admitted at last.

Jett was puzzled for a moment. “The other team? You mean the one that stole our checkpoint?”

Sage nodded, curling his limbs into a tighter ball. “He hired them to ‘rescue’ me from the rest of you. I think he still has it in his head that he’ll force me to drop out of the competition and spare our family the scandal of my ‘condition’ being revealed.” The words were bitter, especially when he added, “My father didn’t even bother specifying that I should be left unharmed.”

Jett swallowed his fear. It mingled with the disgust that lurked in his gut. “That team…they didn’t do anything to you, right?”

Sage stiffened. “Not what you’re thinking, no. The whole poison thing was fake, and then they knocked me with the Grace of Life when you guys set the tents on fire. They tied me down and I burnt the ropes myself. So no, they didn’t do anything to me.”

Jett didn’t completely believe him. His mind kept flashing back to the visions of Sage pleading for help.

“Okay,” he said. “Okay.” He took a breath, steadying himself. They didn’t hurt him, he reminded himself. “So you were just dreaming of your father, that’s all?”

Sage nodded, his head sagging against Jett’s shoulder. “He came to our team’s apartment and he tried to kill all of you so he could take me back home. My mom was there too, and she used her Grace to drain your souls away if you didn’t move aside. But you wouldn’t let him, Jett. You stood against him and you wouldn’t let him take me. So he forced me to kill you instead, because I am weak and he will always be stronger.” The last words came out broken and cracking.

“Sage,” Jett whispered, his voice failing him.

“Your blood was on my hands and I couldn’t wash it off and then my parents were your parents and they were screaming at me because I’d killed you and--”

“It was just a dream,” Jett repeated, cutting Sage off because he’d started to shake again. “I’m still here.” He traced gentle circles over the back of Sage’s hand with his thumb, savoring the warmth between them. “I’m still here.”

Sage took a deep breath, nodding against Jett’s chest. “I’m sorry for waking you. And forcing you to listen to my sob story.”

“It was my choice,” Jett said honestly. “Are you still tired?”

Sage gave a soft chuckle and the sound sent Jett’s pulse skyrocketing. He knew Sage could sense it too, close as they were. “I don’t think I’m ever going to feel well-rested again.” He paused for a moment. “It might help the, uh, nightmares if you stayed with me. Y’know, if you held my hand?”

“You’re a horrible flirt,” Jett laughed.

“See, and just earlier you said you liked it.”

“I never said I changed my mind,” Jett pointed out, feeling ridiculous for making a joke of this.

“Good, because there’s a lot more where that came from.”

“I’ll believe it when I hear it.”

Jett could sense Sage’s smirk when he muttered something along the lines of, “I could show you right now, if you wanted.”

“Hmm, tempting as that is, I would like to catch up on some sleep, considering my near death experience and all.”

“Fine, fine, but just know my offer still stands whenever you’d like to take me up on it.”

Jett shook his head, amused. “For Fates sake, Goldie, just go to sleep.”

Jett must’ve fallen asleep pretty quickly after that because the next thing he knew, the tent was dark and Adrian was standing at the entrance, a smirk splayed across his lips as he took in Jett and Sage’s sleeping forms. 

“Is Nakoa awake?” Jett asked, keeping his voice low as not to disturb Sage. 

“Not yet, but the medics say that Poppy healed her almost entirely. I convinced Poppy to get some rest because of what she did…it shouldn’t be possible.” Adrian ran a hand through his hair, glancing down at Sage again. “I’m sorry, did you want the tent to yourselves?” He sounded genuinely concerned. 

Jett shook his head. Sage had practically curled up against his chest. Their fingers were still locked together and Sage’s head rested on Jett’s shoulder. “Sage was just having a little trouble falling asleep, that’s all.”
Adrian nodded, looking unconvinced. Jett almost suggested that Adrian go join Poppy in the neighboring tent but thought better of it. He wasn’t really in the mood to get beat up for not keeping his mouth shut. Adrian plopped down on the cot at the other side of the tent and Jett leaned back, Sage nestling closer.

He was almost asleep when Adrian spoke again. 

“I just don’t understand, Jett. How is it that you can’t hold an illusion for a night but Poppy can literally kill half a forest and not even break a sweat?” His voice was filled with confusion and maybe just a tiny bit of hurt.

Jett tried not to be insulted. “Maybe Poppy’s Grace is just a lot stronger than mine.” He’d never exactly been good at crafting illusions that didn’t involve his own appearance to begin with. He didn’t know Poppy’s parents well, but he knew they were wealthy enough to afford private tutors. Perhaps she just had a lot of practice. 

“See, but that’s the thing. When I took her Grace, it felt…different. I can’t really explain it, but her Grace feels wrong.” He heaved a sigh. “Even when I helped her get her Grace back after the first Trial, I thought something was off but I just assumed it was because I was doing something I’d never tried before. But now that I’ve manipulated her Grace twice, it only makes me more certain that something is wrong. You’ve known her for longer than I have, Jett. Any ideas?”

“I think you’re overanalyzing this,” Jett said. “You’re operating on mostly feelings, Adrian. Maybe you’re just seeing things that aren’t there.”

“She glows--”

“That could mean a lot of different things.”

He could sense Adrian’s glare in the dark. “She literally glows in the dark,” he revised. “And her Grace threw you backwards. That’s not natural, Jett.”

“Okay, so maybe her Grace is crazy strong,” Jett conceded. “Or maybe there’s something else at play. Whatever the case, it’s not our problem. We should just be glad she’s on our team and not against us.”

“How do we know she’s not against us?”

Jett groaned. “Listen, Adrian, it’s too late for these kinds of debates. Maybe everything will make more sense tomorrow morning.”

Silence. Jett wondered if somehow Adrian had managed to fall asleep, and he was about to close his eyes again when Adrian’s whispering voice filled the tent once more. “Do you think she killed Asher?”

Jett didn’t hesitate. “I don’t see how she could look you in the eyes if she’d murdered your brother.” Which wasn’t exactly a no, but Jett found it hard to believe that Poppy could kill a little boy and then lie to his brother’s face for a month about it.

Another minute of silence before, “Fates, Jett, how do I tell her I’m sorry?”

Jett felt a smile bloom on his face. “Have you ever considered cake?”

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait and the even longer chapter (so much for one quick chapter to close out Trial #2). Hope you enjoy just a bit of fun stuff after all that heavy murder and arguments and that kind of thing.