by Heather Karn
It took me a second to respond since I hadn’t been expecting the question and we were entering rush hour traffic. Swallowing, I tried to make my answer more real instead of something I copied out of a textbook, like I had during my Interview. Like Raven had said, I was too much of an encyclopedia, and there was no way I wanted to prove that yet again.
“The easiest description is that Others are the anomalies. They aren’t the usual and more popular categories of Shifters, Magic Users, or Blood Drinkers. Their numbers are fewer than one thousand per species, generally anyway. No one knows how they came into being, but they exist.”
“Excellent,” Avery chuckled. “Give me some examples.”
Taking a deep breath, I held it as I recalled the chapter in our textbook last year. “Invisible people, mind controllers, people who move objects with their mind instead of magic, teleporters, and as we saw yesterday, Stalkers.”
“Show off,” Lee muttered, and I thought I caught a glimpse of a grin cross Raven’s face, though I knew better than to turn to him to find out if it was real or if I was seeing things.
“We’re here,” Raven announced as we pulled up to a gated entrance. A guard in a booth stepped out to meet us, so I rolled my window down. He started by peering into the vehicle, caught sight of Raven, and without looking at any credentials, opened the gate to let us pass.
“Well, that was easy,” Lee murmured, watching the guard station fall behind.
This time, it was Avery’s turn to chuckle. “They know Raven, especially that guard. We came from an undercover op one time last year and didn’t have our creds. Raven made him pee himself, quite literally. Now every time he sees Raven coming, he doesn’t even ask questions, just opens the gate, no questions asked.”
Yeah, I could believe that story.
Raven had me park the massive vehicle at the rear of a large parking lot, and we followed him inside. Most people were too busy going about their business to notice us walking the halls, but some stared at me and Lee like we were fresh meat. Their smiles died when they caught sight of our companions, and the glares heading in their direction from our trainers. No one would be messing with us. That was a blessing. No pranks or rude comments would be passed our way anytime soon.
Everyone was dressed in the same black, sleeveless uniforms as Raven and Avery. I wasn’t sure the style would look good on me even if I was wearing a uniform shirt made to fit me, but it wasn’t like I had a choice. Plus, every woman we passed was muscular, and the shirt showed that off. They had to be shifters of some kind. I didn’t have many muscles to speak of, and those I did have weren’t nearly that large. Pushing those thoughts away, I focused as we all stepped into an elevator with another man. He smelled of bear, which was odd because I’d never smelled a shifter before, but after the last few days, I didn’t question anything. Maybe it was his close proximity and my growing ability to tell shifters apart by human body structure and other species hints.
“I heard you two were assigned your first trainees,” the bear chuckled, his coffee brown eyes taking in Lee and I. “Actually, I heard you volunteered for the girl, Raven, which surprised everyone since apparently she can’t fight. Or that’s what rumor says.” The man’s humor was short lived as Raven arched an eyebrow at him.
“Then I guess you didn’t hear that Koda killed a ghoul her first night as a trainee. It was a solo kill. No one was there to help her.”
Was that pride I heard in his voice? It certainly didn’t show on his face since he scowled, but there was a hint of it in his tone, I was sure of it. My heart lifted when the bear stared first at me, then at Raven, and then back at me, his mouth hanging open slightly.
“Nope, I didn’t hear that,” he breathed. “A ghoul? Really?”
“Yes. Now, I think this is your stop.”
The elevator dinged, and the doors opened before the bear shifter nodded and evacuated the area. With him gone, Avery moved over to give the rest of us some space. Of course the only occupant of the elevator had been a bear. They were massive in either form. The three men with me weren’t small either.
An irritating tingle started in my throat, but I was distracted when Lee nudged my side with his elbow. “At this rate you’re going to be famous.”
“I’d settle for being able to fight with more than dumb luck.”
He shrugged. “I saw you fight. That just wasn’t luck.”
“No, it was a baby ghoul. An adult would probably have killed me.”
“It would have,” Raven drawled as the doors opened on our floor. “But that’s why you’re training.”
He led the way out of the elevator. Any sense of pride I thought he had in me lay in a crumpled heap behind us. I’d likely imagined it in the first place. Would I ever understand what he truly thought of my skills?
Within minutes, the four of us were standing in a large office waiting for the warlock on the other side of a large desk to hang up the phone. He motioned to Raven with a finger that he’d be right off and promptly finished the conversation. When he stood, I was surprised to find he was taller than Raven by a few inches, which also included me since we were nearly matched in height. Lee was a few inches shorter than I was and the warlock appeared to dwarf him.
“It’s good to see you, Captain.” He rounded the desk to shake hands with Raven. “I thought I might be seeing you if the rumors were correct, and it looks like they are.”
“Which rumor?” Raven asked the man, his voice dry. I wasn’t the only one already annoyed with the rumor mill circulating stories about us. Okay, some were true, but I still didn’t like being talked about by these superior Elite.
“Not the one that says your trainee can’t fight. I heard what happened with the ghoul, so I don’t believe that for a minute. No, it’s the one that says you actually have a trainee. You and Avery both.”
Avery chuckled, sliding into a chair near the far wall. “I think the general thought it was time we stopped avoiding the trainees. How many were there this year, anyway? I never did hear the number.”
“Five.” The warlock crossed back to his desk and pressed a button on his phone. “Ginger, I need the two boxes I gave you this morning brought to my office, please.”
No one responded to his request, but he didn’t seem upset by the matter.
“I’m being rude,” he announced, walking back around the desk to stick his hand out to me. “I’m Lieutenant Blockney. I’m over the new recruit division. If you ever need anything, I’m the one to come to.”
“Koda,” I responded, shaking his hand. The warmth of his grasp surprised me, and the tingle in my throat grew until I sputtered a cough, turning away so that I wouldn’t cough all over him. When I pulled myself together, I apologized. “I’m so sorry. There’s this tickle in my throat I can’t seem to get rid of.”
“It’s no trouble,” Lieutenant Blockney chuckled, striding to some wall shelving with cabinets below. He slid aside the door to one of the cabinets to reveal a mini fridge that he opened. A water bottle appeared in his hand as he removed it from the fridge and returned to me, handing it over. “This might help.”
“Thank you.”
I wasted no time removing the cap and guzzling half the bottle to stop the itch, but the water provided little relief. The itch remained, but it was muted. I could live with that, and hopefully not cough all over another officer.
The door to the office swung open and a short, brunette human walked inside carrying two large boxes with lids on them. They were the kind of boxes always shown in the old cop movies that held crime scene files. One had my name on it, and the other had Lee’s name. She set them down on the desk and waved a quick goodbye.
“Well, here you are.” Blockney motioned us to move toward the boxes, so we did.
I opened the lid of my box and my eyebrows shot up. The inside was packed to the brim. On top sat a cell phone, still in its original packaging. Below that were several vacuum storage bags of clothing with the air sucked out of them. A few bags
stated shirt and the others, pants. At the bottom sat a laptop with various accessories.
“This is for us?” Lee asked, still looking through his box.
“Yes, and these.”
Blockney held out two cards, one for each of us. I took mine and immediately read the card’s title: Elite-Trainee. On the card was this year’s college ID photo with all of my information, which could have easily come from my records and driver’s license. It was almost a bit freaky how much these people could find out about me without me telling them. As if to prove it, Blockney motioned toward the clothes bags.
“We retrieved your sizes from the college. These are the same size as your college uniform,” he told us, referring to the shirt and pants students were required to wear whenever a government leader or someone else important showed up to campus to speak with us. The uniform was made by the school and was meant to fit perfectly. Mine had, which meant this uniform would as well, I hoped.
“You okay?” Avery snickered, moving to stand beside Lee, shoving him in the shoulder.
Lee was staring into his box, tapping his new ID card on the box’s brim. “I think so. This all sorta became real all at once.”
“Because the ghoul and yesterday’s mission weren’t real enough?”
“Obviously not.”
I snorted. “It was for some of us.”
“Is this all they need?” Raven asked, coming to stand beside me to look over my shoulder into the box. “What about boots?”
Blockney grunted. “Yes, I did forget those.” He punched the same button on his phone he had earlier. “Ginger, bring the boots in as well, please.”
The little woman reappeared a few minutes later, two boxes of combat boots in hand. She handed the boxes to Avery, who was closest to her, and scooted back out. Avery didn’t bother setting the boxes down, but held them as we repacked the original boxes.
“That should be all they need,” the lieutenant told Raven as I guzzled a little more water, trying to be inconspicuous. The way Raven watched me told me I’d failed.
“Thank you, Lieutenant.” Raven held out his hand, and the older warlock shook it.
Lee and I grabbed our respective boxes and headed out of the office, following Avery. Raven brought up the rear, but before we made it to the elevator, he tugged on my arm, pulling me aside into a secluded nook. His eyebrows drew low as he watched me, searching my face.
“Are you all right? Feeling okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. My throat’s just a bit scratchy. I’m probably coming down with a cold or something, or the air in here is too dry.”
Raven nodded, but didn’t respond. Instead, he led me back down the hall where we met up with Avery and Lee as the elevator doors opened. To my relief, it was empty. It remained that way for four floors before we halted and the doors opened. Happy I was against the back wall and couldn’t embarrass myself by stepping backward, I fought not to swallow hard. General Davis took one look at the elevator’s occupants and grinned. It wasn’t a friendly smile, more like he’d caught his prey in a trap.
“Just who I was looking for. I heard you were here to see Lieutenant Blockney, so I was on my way up to find you. You saved me the trouble. Captain Cartana, I’d like a word if you have a moment.”
“I do.” The elevator began chiming that the doors were being blocked, but Raven and the general ignored its demands. “Avery, will you take them to the training level and work out until I’m finished? Then we’ll look at weapons we can pick up for them. I want to be there to help Koda choose hers.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Raven stepped from the elevator, leaving Lee and I with Avery. He grinned and sighed, sounding far too delighted than I thought he should. He punched a different floor level, and we began our descent once again.
“Children, have you ever fought a snow leopard before?” Avery’s eyes twinkled, and this time I allowed myself to swallow hard. I didn’t see this training ending well for me. My body already started to hurt from anticipated wounds.
Lee grimaced, not liking the idea any more than I did apparently. The elevator stopped at two other floors before we reached our destination. Cool air puffed in my face when the doors opened, allowing us to exit into a wide hallway with bright fluorescent lights that reflected off the highly polished glassy walls. They were opaque with a bluish tint. I wasn’t sure what they were made out of, but I could already tell Raven didn’t like this place. Yes, there were no windows that I could see, but the hallway was so bright it was almost brighter down here than it was on a sunny day at noon, only the lighting was artificial.
We followed Avery out of the elevator and down the hall, all of us still carrying the boxes we’d been given upstairs. At the end of the long hallway, Avery turned left, continuing to pass door after closed door. Yelling voices, harsh laughter, and various weapon clashing echoed off the hard walls and grew louder the further we walked until we found the one open door. Every sound I’d heard came from within.
Stopping short, I forced myself not to pivot on my heel and run back the way we’d come. At least fifty Elite occupied the massive room. Rows of mats took up the far right side and half of those were being used by teams of two to three people all in various stages and styles of combat. The far side of the room housed a unique style of obstacle course that I was sure was another way to torture me. To the left was a large open doorway into a weight room, and more clanking echoed out of there. Beyond that door were large areas that were taped off on the floor that stretched from the left wall all the way to the center of the room, and they weren’t narrow. In three of the four areas, shifters, humans, and magic users sparred, their intensity and fighting style more severe than those using the mats.
“Please tell me you’re kidding,” I whispered between clenched teeth as Avery continued through the full room to the last taped off section. Not wanting to be left behind, I scurried to catch up to the two men.
Our progress wasn’t unnoticed. Several spars stalled for a few seconds before the participants refocused, and I hoped that would be the last bit of attention we received. If my previous spars were any indication, we’d be the center of attention soon. My pathetic skills always drew in a few good laughs and those who thought their tips would help me.
Avery set the boxes he carried against the wall and motioned for us to set ours beside his. While we did, he walked away. When we turned around, a pile of clothes sat outside the taped circle, and a large feline was stalking toward us. I’d never known anyone to strip so fast, but considering Avery needed his clothes after a fight, he’d likely had enough practice.
A loud gulp beside me was a relief. I wasn’t the only one whose heart was pounding and preparing for impending doom. Every muscle in my body was stiff and my brain was lacking coherent thought. That intensified when Avery crouched, ready to leap.
Chapter 14
There was no warning when Avery launched himself at us. My body refused to move. Thankfully, my brother loved me, tough love anyway. He ducked, swiping my legs out from underneath me in the same swift move. I hit the floor hard, but the impact sent my brain into overdrive.
Rolling to my feet, I backed away, nearly tripping over my feet. Someone grabbed my shoulder and I squeaked, but they didn’t attack. The hand held me in place before a baritone voice spoke in my ear and a finger pointed to the line drawn on the ground in front of me.
“Stay within the lines. It’s part of the sparring. You step out, you lose. First time?”
I gave a quick nod and took a steadying breath, surveying my surroundings. Lee’s full attention was on Avery, who took a swipe at my brother’s legs. He skidded back while the cat shifted his gaze to me. My heartrate spiked when the hand on my shoulder released me to nudge me toward the taped line.
“Get in there and show him who’s boss.”
“He is,” I croaked to the man behind me, who barked a laugh.
“You stay in there and give him all you’ve got. My team and I will keep you insi
de the line.”
Team? There wasn’t time to check for his team because Avery’s attention was still on me and he was stalking again. The man behind me pushed me back inside the line, and I fought the panic surging inside me. I hated being stalked. If there was anything I hated more than being humiliated in a fight, it was someone closing in on me, especially when I felt trapped. In this taped off square, I was trapped. Was it possible to feel claustrophobic in an open room?
Avery’s eyes narrowed and his head tilted, studying me. His ears pressed back, and when he sat, I wasn’t sure whether to run screaming or relax a little. When he laid down, my stomach squeezed.
“Are you going to attack me?” I asked him, and he shook his head. “You sure?”
In response, he laid his head down and stared at me like he was bored. That was answer enough for me. The man who’d told me about the line rule, cleared his throat, and since I wasn’t in anymore danger, I peered over my shoulder at him.
Unlike the bear shifter in the elevator, I smelled nothing animal about him, but he was as large as a shifter. Okay, not a shifter, but something about him wasn’t quite human, and I sensed no magic in him. Not that I’d ever sensed magic before. I gave myself a mental shake and nodded at him.
“Thank you,” I told him, and he grinned, his light green eyes sparkling.
“Any time. You all right?”
“Yup. I’m good.” I turned my attention to Lee, who was shaking his head at me. “Okay, so I panicked.”
“Yeah, you panicked all right. Listen, whatever you did in your head to work through the fear when you fought the ghoul, channel that and get your head in the game.” He motioned to Avery. “An enemy isn’t just going to lay down and let you regroup because you panic.”
“You don’t think I know that?” I challenged. My cheeks, ears, and even my neck burned with frustration and embarrassment. If the unknown man’s team really was standing nearby, there was no way I was checking now to see how many people were privy to my mistakes. “We both know I shouldn’t have made it this far, even with my encyclopedia brain. Why don’t we move past that so Avery can finish wiping the floor with me and I can go lick my wounds and pride somewhere private.”
