by Nyssa Renay
“No, no, no! No!” I shouted as it felt like the walls were slowly crushing me, making it nearly impossible to breathe. I could taste dirt in my mouth, and when I looked up, I saw a rockslide filling the open space above my head, burying me alive, even though I knew for certain it was only an illusion and there was absolutely nothing there.
My sense of reality was starting to break down; my mind was becoming more of a danger to me than the obstacle itself. My thoughts raced as I searched for a way out and tried to find the words to free myself. “Frazianto…fraziarto…uh…dammit!” I couldn’t focus. I was about to give up and call for help, but then I heard the phrase call out from my subconscious. “Frazistatcha averello!” I growled, twisting, and pressing the palms of my hands against the stone wall in front of me. The wall started to vibrate, and within a few seconds, it retreated just enough that I could expand my chest and breathe again, but I couldn’t stop to enjoy the satisfaction of having saved myself from imminent danger. I scrambled frantically to get out of the tunnel and into the open air.
As I stumbled out of the tunnel, I was relieved to be surrounded by open space once again, but a bright flash of thunder and lightning startled me. I lost my footing and fell into a deep, dark pool of scalding hot water that quickly swallowed me up.
I flailed my legs, trying to find a foothold, but there was nothing there. I struggled to reach the surface, gasping for air whenever my head popped above the water. The undertow in the boiling wave pool pulled me farther and farther under the surface.
When I opened my mouth, hot water rushed in to drown my screams for help. The crushing sensation was back in my chest as my lungs clung to what little air was left in them. Flashes of lightning from above the surface illuminated the water around me. I could see hundreds of decaying skeletons drifting along the current that held me in its death grip. Their jaws were open wide in menacing smiles that mimicked Biklish’s laughter, and their dark, hollow eye sockets stared at me, watching and waiting to see if I would fail as they had.
“Farlosta ga’nata!” I cried out, feeling the last traces of air leave my lungs. My words were muffled in the water, but I had spoken just in time. The tide shifted, quickly pushing me up through the water. My head broke the surface of the boiling sea, and I breathed in deeply, gasping to refill my lungs. With every flash of lightning that followed, my paranoia kept me looking around for more skeletons, whose sadistic smiles still haunted my mind. The boundary between reality and insanity was starting to blur.
I swam toward the edge of the water, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make any headway. The undertow was too strong, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could last. I wanted to give up, but as the next wave barreled toward me, the right words screamed out from my subconscious. “Julor’e quarento!” I shouted. The waves parted, creating a gap for me to swim through.
Wave after wave, incantation after incantation, it was a constant struggle to separate the waves and avoid the deadly undertow. By the time I finally reached the water’s edge, I was physically and mentally drained from trying to fend off the constant onslaught of increased fear from Biklish. I wanted to signal to Shepherd Batopho that I couldn’t make it any farther, but when I looked up, there was no one there. No shepherd, no classmates; even Biklish’s laughter had silenced in my head. It felt as if everyone I’d ever known had left me there to die—alone.
“Hello?” I yelled, hoping for anyone to answer me, but only the sound of my own voice echoed in reply. I felt the waves of despair wash over me, making everything, including my own existence, seem meaningless.
But then, I heard a voice I’d not heard in years from the dimness before me.
It was my mother.
-53-
Vigil…Vigil, where are you? my mother called out in my mind.
I’m here, Mom! I answered, struggling to my feet.
Vigil? Where are you? I can’t see you. Her voice was panicked.
I’m right here! I replied, waiting for her to call to me again, but there was only silence. “Mom?” I asked aloud, but still no reply.
Then I saw a soft blue glow in the shadows before me. As I approached the light, I saw it was coming from beneath two towering stone doors, which I knew led into the last section of the Trial.
Vigil. I’m here, her voice said from the other side of the doors. I had no choice. I had to find her. I gathered up all my courage and pushed through the heavy set of doors.
As I stepped into the room, my eyes met the pale blue glow emanating from the hundreds of long, electrified blackbrass coils hanging from the ceiling. I knew the academy used the same technology to power these coils as they had the dorm floors, and whenever I reached this part of the course, I was reminded of the brutally painful electrocution I’d experienced the night of the prince’s royal dinner.
Mom? Where are you?
I’m here. Her voice came from the far end of the room near the exit. Help me, Vigil.
What’s wrong?
Help me, Vigil…I’m here. Her voice was fading, and I had no idea why.
Mom, I’m coming! Hang on! I wailed, rushing forward.
The objective of the final section of the Trial was to navigate through the room without being electrified by the coils. It was an easy enough concept, given the height of the coils from the floor, but what appeared to be large tiles in the floor were actually columns that shot up at different intervals with violent speed. To reach the end of the exercise, a potential had to rely upon his or her ability to strategize by studying the patterns of movement in the floor to predict when and where to move safely. But in that moment, I’d completely forgotten about the obstacles between me and my mother and triggered one of the columns, sending myself hurtling up into the electrified coils.
I howled in pain as the excruciating jolt coursed through my body. The platform lowered and I quickly rolled off the tile and landed back on the floor, frantically retreating to a safe spot near the beginning of the exercise.
Vigil? my mother’s voice strained from the darkened distance.
I’m coming! Hang on, Mom! I leapt to my feet, rapidly analyzing the patterns in the floor before me, searching for the quickest and safest path possible. But the moment I reached the third tile, I felt Biklish’s induced waves of panic, anxiety, and terror come upon me so fast and so sharp that for a split second, I swore the coils were actually snakes hissing and lashing out at me. I dodged the first attack by darting to the side, but I didn’t move quick enough to avoid the second. The searing pain drilled into my chest as the electrified snake latched onto my chest.
Another snake lashed at me; then another. As more serpents continued their assault on me, I looked up in horror to see they were all attached to an enormous Curabitor built into ceiling. My heart leapt into my throat as I saw the machine that killed my sister and led to my mother’s murder. I couldn’t think straight; I was terrified. My vision blurred, my chest clenched, and my nervous system was on fire. I slapped the side of my head, trying to snap myself out what I knew had to be a hallucination, but the nightmare had taken full control of my mind.
The choice is made…the mother has made her decision. Illimit’s voice rang deafeningly in my head. Then, my soul was ripped apart. I heard my sister scream like she did when the machine attacked her.
“No! This isn’t happening!” I thrashed around in confusion, trying to free myself from the Curabitor’s clutches. Instead, I tangled myself in even more of the electrified snakes. The full surge of machine’s power coursed through my body, and everything went black. I thought I was dead.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my living room on Telshakra.
Vigil. It was my mother’s voice, coming from the shadows behind me.
I quickly turned around. Momma? I’m here…I made it. Where are you?
I’m here, Vigil, she replied, her voice cold and stern.
Slowly, a figure stepped into the light. Her eyes were completel
y gone, leaving gaping black sockets that cried tears of blood. Her body was clotted with thick dried blood from the savage wound where the royal guard had slit her throat.
Vigil! My mother’s expression changed to one of disappointment. See what you’ve done!
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” I cried out, but my mother didn’t seem to care.
Look at what you’ve done! She wailed, leaning forward, and pointing a bloodied, bony finger at me.
“No, Momma! It wasn’t my fault. You have to believe me, please!” I cried, slowly backing away from her.
Look at what you’ve done! She howled again in my mind.
Then, I saw a smaller shape emerge from behind her legs. It was a tiny skeleton with bits of charred flesh clinging to its scorched bones.
I died, Vigil, Linna said hauntingly as she moved into the light. You killed me, Vigil.
“No! No, it was the machine, Linna! I swear! It wasn’t me!”
Momma chose me to live, not you, Vigil, Linna snarled. I died because of you!
Suddenly, her blackened corpse rushed toward me. I tried to get away, but I couldn’t move. Within seconds, she was upon me, her bony fingers clawing deep into my leg.
Feel my pain! my mother shouted.
Feel our pain! Linna echoed, laughing as she wrapped both icy hands around my right leg; one above my knee and one below. With an unholy force, she snapped my knee, breaking my leg. I cried out in horror, screaming and writhing in agony as the lights in the ceiling came back on at full strength.
My nightmare was over. Linna was gone. There was no more darkness, no more chaos, and no more fear. There was only the blinding pain from the broken leg I’d suffered after falling twenty feet off one of the higher columns as I tried to escape.
“Damn you, Biklish. You know not to use that much!” Batopho growled.
“But I didn’t—” He was shoved aside as Shepherd Batopho and the rest of the class ran down onto the course to help me.
When the shepherd reached me, he quickly set my leg straight and cast a block of ice around my knee to immobilize it.
“Sorry, sir. I’ll do better next time,” I offered through the pain.
Batopho grimaced. “It wasn’t your fault, Vigil. You did great. Let’s just get you to the medical ward.”
“I’ll take him!” Abellie said without hesitation, and I suddenly realized why. She wanted to talk about her sister. With the chaos and stress I’d encountered during the course, I’d forgotten all about Eeliyah.
Shepherd Batopho pointed at Abellie. “Take him there, but don’t hang around all day. I want you back here immediately. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” she replied, helping me up onto my good leg, letting me lean on her for support.
As I hobbled out of the Trial, I looked up to see Biklish mouth, “I’m sorry,” from the top of the platform. After all we’d been through, I knew he hadn’t done it on purpose, but he would surely be reprimanded for his mistake. I knew exactly what that felt like, so I offered a quick nod as Abellie helped me off the course.
-54-
By the time we reached the medical ward, I was so exhausted that I insisted we take a quick break before going inside.
“Hang on a sec,” I panted. “I need to sit down.”
“Don’t be such a baby, Vigil. It’s not that bad,” Abellie teased with a smile, letting me drop onto a bench just outside the front door.
Several stretchers were being carried into the medical ward by royal guards and shepherds.
“Vigil?” she asked nervously, her expression turning to one of uneasiness as she looked at the stretchers. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” I forced myself to my feet and wrapped my arm around her shoulder for support.
“Do you think this is why Eeliyah got pulled out of the chow hall at lunch earlier?” she asked, helping me walk toward the front doors.
“Probably,” I assumed as we rushed inside to find out more.
The moment we walked inside, I nearly vomited at the sight of the carnage spread out before me. There were dozens of people sprawled on the lobby floor, some injured and some missing extremities. Judging from their armor, most of them were royal guards, but there were a few shepherds.
“Eeliyah!” Abellie screamed in panic. She dropped me on a nearby bench and ran off, calling for her sister.
“Abellie, wait!” I screamed as she disappeared into the fray. The shepherds and royal guards clamored to get help for their fallen comrades from the panicked Brio interns who clearly had no idea how to handle a large crisis. “What the hell is going on?” I grumbled aloud.
“War, son…a war that’s lasted for centuries…and I prey to Ein you’re ready for it,” a hoarse older voice said. On the cot to my right was a charred and bloodied husk of a man staring back at me with intense orange eyes that were more catlike than human. I did a double take, but his eyes were back to the solid black irises that were typical of the shepherds.
“War? What war?” I asked, uneasily.
“I see some things never change.” The dying shepherd coughed up a mouthful of blood as he spoke. He craned his neck to get a better look at me, and I could tell he was in terrible pain. “Looks like they’re still keeping you kids in the dark here. I’m sorry, son…but they’ve attacked Telshakra again.”
I was paralyzed by his words. It had been such a dark time after the attack that brought the blood croup, and the planet spent years reeling from the aftereffects. To hear there had been another attack upon my home made me feel both numb and angry. I was speechless.
A few more royal guards rushed in and dropped a stretcher with a mangled corpse down right in front of me. I was horrified. His clothing had been burned away and much of his skin was charred nearly to the bone. As his head slowly lolled toward me, I felt my stomach drop at the sight of his familiar face.
“Ownie?” I gasped, tears welling in my eyes. Suddenly, my whole life came crashing down. Ownie was dead.
“Train, son!” The dying shepherd’s voice called out once again through the pooling blood in his throat. “Train as hard as you can! Make the most of your time here…or else…you won’t last long out there! Mark my words, son…those things…will…kill…you…” his voice trailed off as he succumbed to his injuries.
“Vigil!” Eeliyah’s voice rang in my ears as I stared down at Ownie, the one true friend and mentor I’d had while growing up at the academy.
“Ownie?” It was all I could say. I couldn’t believe he was dead.
“I’m sorry, Vigil,” Eeliyah offered. She looked tired. Her long red hair was plastered to her neck with sweat. “I know he was your friend, but I don’t have a lot of time. You guys need to leave.”
“What about his leg?” Abellie argued.
“Fine,” Eeliyah grumbled, leaning down and grabbing my leg. “Diesara e’colifano. Diesara e’colifeno. Diesara e’colifaxtra.” She spoke so quickly that I could barely make out where each word began and ended.
My entire leg felt hot and prickly, and I became dizzy and nauseous. It was agonizing to feel my muscles reposition and my bones meld themselves back into proper alignment. As soon as my leg was healed, the majority of the pain subsided, leaving me with only a dull ache and some stiffness, which I knew would fade in time.
Eeliyah took a deep, exhausted breath and sighed. “There, you’re all set. I’m sorry, but I need to get back to work.” She turned to walk away, but Abellie grabbed her by the arm.
“Eeliyah, why won’t you tell me what’s going on?” Abellie pleaded.
“Because I can’t, okay?” Tears slowly trickled done her cheeks.
Suddenly, the speakers mounted to the wall above our heads sprang to life. “Attention in the academy…all potentials report to the coliseum immediately! I say again…all potentials report to the coliseum immediately!”
“You need to go,” Eeliyah said coldly, wrenching out of her sister’s grasp. “I�
�m sure they’ll explain everything to you at the coliseum.”
“But—” Abellie called out. Her sister had already disappeared through the chaos of the medical ward without another word.
“Let her go,” I growled. “It’s obvious they’ve ordered her not to say anything.”
“About what?”
In that moment, everything became clear to me. Scullery’s comments about how I’d be better off staying at the academy to take over for him when he retired. Diabelle’s constant mention of the dangers that could arise during a Call to Death; even the very reason no potential or shepherd was allowed to see their families again. I realized we weren’t being trained to serve Ein and His children in some noble, religious calling. Instead, we were being bred to fight in a war that none of us even knew existed.
“Don’t you get it?” I snarled, getting back to my feet. “They lied to us!”
“Who?” Abellie asked as a look of confusion and anxiety spread across her face.
“The shepherds! Shepherd Diabelle…Shepherd Phlogis…all of them!”
“Vigil, you’re not making any sense. What are you talking about?”
“They’ve been lying to us this whole time about why we’re actually here!”
She shrugged. “Which is?”
“We’re only here to train to fight in some stupid war. Where do you think all these people are coming from? According to that guy…” I grumbled, pointing down to the shepherd who’d died right in front of me, “…this war has been going on for centuries, and now Telshakra’s been attacked again. He told me I need to train as hard as I could to have a better chance of surviving when I get out there. It makes perfect sense now! Why else do you think we’ve been running the Trial so much lately? What purpose, other than helping us learn to fight and defend ourselves, do you ever see us using any of those spells for?”
“If that’s true, why didn’t they just tell us?”
