Prologue

Will you die today? Maybe tomorrow?

The question wove through Jak's mind, deep and slow, like he was hearing it from under a deep pool of water. Will you die today? The echo of the words the man had yelled seconds ago made a trickle of fear move down Jak's spine, but everything was…dreamy, not…real. He couldn't see. He could hardly hear. His head felt foggy and…strange.

Am I dreaming?

Was he trapped inside a nightmare? Would Baka shake him awake any minute, telling him to keep it quiet with her sharp voice and soft eyes? The last thing he remembered was falling asleep in his own bed and then… this.

He wrapped his arms around himself, his teeth making clicking sounds as they chattered together.

No, not a dream. Dreams are never this cold.

All of a sudden, something was pulled from his face, and he let out a short yell as he realized something had been covering his head. He blinked into the darkness, starlight catching his gaze, flecks of light in a dark-blue sky. The circle moon shined yellow, big and round and bright.

He turned his head around, his breath coming from his lips in clouds of white. Snow. Snow everywhere. Trees. And—he cried out, tripping back from the edge of what he now saw was a cliff right in front of him. His backside hit the snow, his bare hands sinking into the freezing powder almost up to his elbows.

His heartbeat went fast, the fog in his head moving away as fear raced through his body.

"Get up."

Jak's head turned, and he stared at a tall man behind him, his face hidden in the shadows of his hooded coat. "Get up," he repeated, only now it was a low growl. Jak pulled himself to his feet as fast as he could, catching movement to his left. Now that his eyes could see in the darkness, he noticed that there were three other boys standing at the edge of the cliff, only a few steps from each other. Two dark-haired boys, one small with eyes too big for his face, filled with confusion and fear, one tall and skinny, and a blond boy, who was shaking even worse than Jak was.

Why? Who? What is this? Where's Baka?

"Will you die today?" the man repeated from behind them. "Maybe tomorrow? Next week? Many years from now a lauded warrior? Celebrated? " Jak didn't know all those words, didn't know what the man was talking about, and when he started to turn his head, the man stopped him with a mean-sounding "face forward." His shivering got more , he was so scared, and he could barely stand up, his thoughts rolling all over each other, but slowly, too slowly. He couldn't think. Why is my head all funny?

"You will die. Or you will survive. But that is up to you. It will all depend on your will to live." The man suddenly placed his gloved hands on the side of the blond's head and leaned in close, the darkest of the shadows. "Do you have a will to survive? To fight for your life? Tooth and nail? Heart and soul?"

The blond nodded his head in a jerky way. "Y-yes," he said, but tears were sliding down his cheeks, and a sob came after the word. Jak's hands fisted. He was scared, so scared, but he wanted to do something. Make this stop. He looked at the big-eyed boy next to him, and that boy was staring at Jak's clenched fists. He looked up, meeting Jak's eyes for a second before looking away.

The bad man let go of the crying blond's face. "Good." Jak heard snow crunching under the man's feet as he stepped farther back behind them. "Now, in a minute, I'll tell you what is happening. After that, the only rule is to survive." He paused. "Survive or die."

What does he mean? What's going to happen? A sudden cloud of white filled the air in front of Jak's face as he let out a fear-filled breath. The blond sobbed again, and the dark-haired boy with the big eyes tilted on his feet, his hand going into the pocket of his coat. Jak looked away quickly, so he wouldn't bring the man's eyes to whatever the small boy to his left was reaching for.

He felt a tap on his hand, and the boy slipped something hard and cold into his palm. Jak took it, dropping it into his pocket fast. His heart was thumping so hard it felt like it might jump right from his chest, but that feeling of being underwater stayed. His mind grabbed for something to hold his thoughts still.

I can't think. I can't think. Why can't I think? His baka had told him he was a "smart monkey too big for little britches," and she had said it with a frown on her face but in the way that made him think she was happy with him anyway. But he didn't feel smart now. He felt…scared out of his mind.

Jak gave a quick look over the cliff and saw that even though it wasn't a straight drop, it was far down to the bottom. Really, really far down. He didn't know how to describe it in numbers, but he was smart enough to know that if he jumped to get away, he would die. The only rule is to survive. Or die.

Why? Why why why? This can't be real. This can't be real.

A cracking sound exploded around them, making Jak cry out in shock and terror. But before he could question where the noise was coming from, he felt a gust of cold air, and then the ground started to move. Slide. The snow went out from under his feet, and he slid forward, grabbing at the empty air for something to hold on to. But there was nothing.

He heard the bad man yell something, and then he yelled too, along with the screams of the other boys as they all slid over the edge in an explosion of white powder.

His thoughts were still slow. Everything was slow…but then he was awake suddenly. He could hear every fast beat of his heart. He could feel the stinging of the wind as it hit his face, and he could smell something green that he couldn't name any better than that.

Someone grabbed his hand. The small boy next to him. Their eyes met for one quick second, the dark-haired boy's gaze filled with the same fear that must be in his own. With a grunt of strength, he turned his body as the world dropped out from under them, putting his hand on the other boy's wrist and holding on tight so they were falling together.

They whirled and tumbled and hit something solid—a piece of ground—with a loud grunt and a short scream. Pain exploded through Jak's body. He felt the other boy's hold loosen, so he gripped harder, and they kept going down, down, still holding on to each other.

Tumble, roll, fall, hit. Pain.

So fast. They were flying so fast. He couldn't catch hold of anything, his empty hand reaching, grabbing, slipping.

Smack. They both yelled as they landed on a small ledge, immediately flipping off, their empty hands shooting out and catching hold of the edge.

Do you have a will to survive?

Yes!

We can do this. We can do this.

They stared, tears streaking down the smaller boy's cheeks, their breath coming out in sharp pants. The other two boys raced past them, their screams echoing into the dark nothingness below.

Jak's lungs hurt with every breath, and his body screamed in pain. Terror grabbed him. All his feelings were suddenly real. He felt real, not underwater anymore, not half-asleep, and it was an awful, terrifying wake-up.

Still gripping the other boy's hand, he raised them both, grabbing the side of the ledge so they were each holding on with both hands. In a quick glance, he saw that the ledge was too small for two boys, but there was a skinny tree root next to it that looked like it might lead to stronger ground. A chance. A small, small chance.

From the low light of the moon, Jak saw that the boy's large eyes were starting to close, blood streamed from his nose, his face was bruised and bloody, and his head was rolling on his neck like he might fall asleep. His arms were shaking, his fingertips dark with holding on. Oh God.

Don't use the Lord's name in vain. Where you hear that expression? That fat, stinky mailman?

His baka's voice in his head gave him a small burst of strength, and he gripped tighter, knowing he could pull himself up if he tried. The ledge, though, was only big enough for one. The boy's half-closed eyes met his, his mouth opening a little, blood trailing.

He was about to let go.

If Jak was going to pull himself up on the ledge and slither along the root like a snake, the way he did in the backyard at home where he was king of the forest—the woods area that he played in most of the day because his baka believed that children shouldn't be bothering, always bothering —he'd have to do it now. Or…he could save the other boy and take his own chances with the fall.

These thoughts streaked through his brain quickly, and all at once, his body got a message he didn't know he'd sent as he moved his hands over and grabbed the other boy around his waist just as his hands slipped and he cried out.

"Climb up me," he grunted, using the last of his strength to keep them both from falling. "Now!" he ordered. With a sharp cry, the boy, much lighter than Jak, grabbed at the ledge again, putting a foot on Jak's shoulder as Jak removed one hand and used it to push the boy up onto that tiny piece of solid ground.

Jak's other hand slipped. "Live!" Jak shouted, demanding it with the last breath in his lungs as he rushed toward the unknown below.