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The Iron Trial Holly Black 20300K 2023-09-01

So that brought a rush of air that sprayed dirt into his eyes He choked and staggered to his feet

"Help!" he heard a weak voice call "Please, help one; there was only starlight and ht to illule of roots and bushes "Who’s there?" he said

He heard what sounded like a hiccuping sob "Call?"

Call started to blunder toward the voice, pushing through the undergrowth

Fro his name He kicked aside some rocks and half slid down a small incline He found hiround, lined with thorny bushes A huddled figure lay at the opposite side

"Drew?" Call called out

The slight boy struggled to turn around Call could see that one of his feet was jaopher hole It isted at an ugly, painful-looking angle

Frolanced back and realized they were floating over fro He could barely see the others from where he was, and he wasn’t sure they could see him at all

"Call?" The tears shining on Drew’s face were bright in the ht Call scooted closer

"Are you stuck?" he asked

"Of -- of course," Drehispered "I try to run away, and this is as far as I get It’s h-hu only a thin T-shirt and jeans Call couldn’t believe he’d planned to run away froisteriu teeth "Help et it What’s wrong? Where are you going to go?"

"I don’t know" Drew’s face twisted "You have no idea what Master Leured out that sometimes when I’m under a lot of stress, I do better Like a lot better I know it’s weird, but it’s always been the way I a day than I ever do in norured out that he couldme under stress all the time I barely … barely ever sleep He only letsto be He keeps scaringup illusions of monsters and eleet better I want to be a better e, but I just …" He looked away and sed, his throat bobbing up and down "I can’t"

Call looked at him more closely It was true that Drew didn’t look like the boy Call had isterium He was thinner A lot thinner You could see how his jeans hung loose, secured by a belt that was pulled all the way through to the last hole His nails were bitten down and there were dark shadows under his eyes

"Okay," Call said "But you’re not going to be able to run anywhere on this" He leaned forward and put his hand on Drew’s ankle It felt hot to the touch

Drew yelped "That hurts!"

Call eyed the ankle where it poked out below the hem of Drew’s jeans It looked swollen and dark "I think you ht have broken a bone"

"Y-you do?" Drew sounded panicked

Call reached down inside hi on Earth wants to bind He felt it give way under his touch, ic could spill in, the ater rose to fill up a hole scraped in the sand of a beach

Call drew theit flow into Drew Drew gave a gasp

Call pulled away "Sorry --"