Finally, we picked up the swords. My muscles already ached, despite the years I’d spent in the fields, and I struggled to keep my grip as I swung the sword through the air, following Cliff’s directions. But as my clothes grew sticky from sweat, clinging to my body, I let my thoughts wander, distracting myself both that and the throbbing of my hand. And I started to question why I was being taught to swing a sword in the first place.
Yes, I understood that some of us would enter Combatant and they were considered the warriors of Elemental, trained to protect it. But why learn to fight like this unless there was a need. And if there was a need, then what was it? What threat could there be against us?
A loud whistle sounded through the air. Flint.
At once everyone stopped, turning towards him. I placed the sword into Cliff’s outstretched hand, then used the sleeve of my shirt to wipe the gathered beads of moisture from my forehead.
“That’s all for today,” Flint called out. “Next physical combat practice, you will be partnered together for your fights. You’re dismissed.”
Chapter 12
An hour later, after showering and changing, I headed to the cafeteria for dinner. And was surprised to find only Cirrus sitting at our usual spot. Neither of the other two had arrived yet.
Cirrus had been gazing behind him, towards the other side of the large room, but turned back as he heard my chair scrape against the ground, tray clattering against the table.
“Hey, I need to tell you…,” he began, but his voice trailed off to nothing once his eyes landed on me. Immediately he shifted his gaze down. Annoyance crossed over his face.
“Cirrus,” I greeted him, after momentarily hesitating at his look of displeasure. “Is something wrong?”
He shook his head, but still didn’t lift his eyes to mine. “Nope.”
There was an awkward pause. “Okay.”
I picked up a knife and fork and began sawing into the very overcooked piece of roast beef before me. “So, where are the others?”
He just shrugged, his eyes still on his plate as he repeatedly jabbed the same piece of broccoli over and over.
What was going on with him? I was about to ask again if anything was wrong when Aurora slid into the seat across from me. “Hi!” she squeaked cheerfully. A second later, Finn sat down on my other side, shooting me a grin just before digging into the mile-high mound of mashed potatoes he’d piled on his plate.
Slowly a smile emerged on Cirrus’s face as Aurora leaned against his chest. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he seemed to relax a bit, the tension dissipating.
With Aurora and Finn present, the conversation flowed effortlessly. We chatted about the events of that afternoon and the knowledge that we would have to be using weapons in the challenges. We gossiped about the other trainees, particularly those from Fire Society and how they seemed to purposefully keep to themselves, avoiding the rest of us. Eventually the discussion shifted to our own Societies and what we missed most about home.
Aurora spoke tenderly about her younger sister and mom back in Air Society. Apparently, her father had been killed several years earlier. A work-related accident she said, choosing her words carefully. Something to do with the building a type of aircraft. But she didn’t elaborate further, rapidly changing to the description of her home there.
“It was so airy, everything open, ivory curtains blowing in the breeze, framing windows looking out over green hills that spread as far as the eye could see,” she said dreamily, cupping her chin in her hand. It was a vast difference from the tears that glistened in her eyes at the mere memory of her father.
“The hills are covered in tall grasses and wildflowers that dance in the wind. And,” she added, grinning, “there is the lake.”
“The lake?” asked Finn and Cirrus nodded.
“I’m sure it’s nothing like Water Society, but it is large and deep enough that in the summer months, when it grows warm enough, we’d spend any free moment we weren’t working by its cattail lined banks, swimming in the crystal water.”
Finn nodded and immediately Aurora reached across the table, poking him gently in the arm. “Your turn.”
Finn told about spending his days on an old wooden boat with his father and grandfather, bringing in hauls of fresh fish, crab, and lobster.
“We’d sail through the churning sea every day, waves sloshing into the side of the boat, rocking us back and forth.” His words began weaving a picture in our minds. “If I close my eyes, I can almost feel drops of icy water splashing me as I haul in the nets. Smell the brininess of it, taste it on my lips as the drops roll down my face. See the gulls flying through the cloudless skies overhead. And hear their shrieks, desperate to steal part of the catch for themselves.”
“Wow,” said Aurora softly as he finished, and Finn glanced towards her. “I wish I could see it for myself. Experience it the way you did.” Slowly he nodded, dark eyes softening at the wistfulness in her own.
Only then did I notice Cirrus had turned away from us again, his focus on the other side of the room.
“How about you Cirrus?” I asked, trying to get his attention. “What was it like for you in Air Society?”
I waited for a response, but there was none. He didn’t turn to face me, didn’t acknowledge me, Instead he just continued to stare in the same direction, toward where Rowan’s group sat.
“Cirrus? Cirrus, what is going on?!” Aurora finally shook his arm, trying to get his attention.
Startled, he twisted around, eyes locking on her. “Huh... what?”
“What is the matter with you?,” she demanded. “Sage just asked you a question. Why are you so distracted?”
At the mention of my name, Cirrus’s face took on the same look of distaste it had when I first sat down. But he quickly disguised it, lowering his head and rubbing his temple
“You know, I’m actually not feeling all that well,” he said in a low voice.
“What’s wrong?” her annoyance was quickly replaced by worry.
“Nothing really. Just a headache,” he murmured. “I’m just going to turn in early, okay? I’ll see you all in the morning.” He rose to his feet, about to leave, but after a moment’s hesitation he leaned down and brushed a light kiss across Aurora’s cheek.
“That’s too bad. Hope he feels better,” remarked Finn, glancing at Cirrus’s retreating figure, then tore off a large chunk of bread and mopped up the remaining gravy on his plate with it, not appearing all that concerned.
“Yes.” Aurora chewed on her lip. “So do I.” There was something else in her tone. Something more than just concern.
I glanced over, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes.
✽✽✽
The next morning Aurora seemed to revert to her happy self again. I tried to bring up Cirrus and ask if everything was okay, but she quickly replied that he was fine, not elaborating. And though I wanted to, there was no time to ask her anything else because as soon as we reached the classroom, Eden divided us into groups. Today we would be discussing what home Societies were like with one another.
I supposed Aurora, Finn, and I had gotten a jumpstart on that last night during dinner.
Making my way over to my assigned partners, I found myself with two trainees from Fire Society, two from Water Society, and one from Air Society. The two from Fire, both of whom were dressed entirely in black, whispered with one another quietly. Fiery, shoulder-length hair with thick maroon streaks cutting through it shielded the girls face from mine. The boy, on the other hand, had a shock of bright blonde hair slicked back along his head.
The two girls from Water Society sat next to each other. They tried to appear bored, but it was the anxious drumming of fingers, the nervous tapping of the toes of their shoes, that gave away their true feelings. I recognized them from the training sessions. Apparently they were friendly with Ivy.
The boy from Air, however, was the reed thin one who’d had been hanging around Rowan lately. His face was as narrow as his
frame, prominent cheekbones only accentuated by his closely cropped hair. Dark eyes flashed around at the rest of us.
Suddenly those eyes landed on mine. I nodded, smiling slightly. But instead of returning it, he quickly averted his gaze, looking off in the other direction again.
And to think I’d left all the stares and unease back in Earth Society. Oh, how wrong I was. Sighing, I sat down uncomfortably, waiting for Eden to give us more instructions.
A moment later she walked up to the front of the room and clapped her hands briskly several times until everyone quieted. A hush fell over the group.
“Okay,” she started, her gaze panning the room. “Now that you’ve been divided into groups, I want you all to spend the next hour discussing with each other what it was like growing up in your individual Societies. Be very specific. Include day to day routines, family life, dress, customs. I want everyone to have a good knowledge of the other Societies. Once again, this information will prove very useful to you come challenge time.”
She cleared her throat, then continued. “This is also a fantastic way to get to know one other. The groups you are in will switch with different classes so you’ll have an opportunity to meet and get to know your peers better.”
Peers. Not trainees. Again I was reminded of how different Eden seemed to be from the rest of the trainers here.
“That’s all I have to say for now. You may begin.”
Looking towards the other members of my group, I waited for someone to do as she’d instructed and start talking. But there was just silence. Everyone averted their eyes, shuffling their feet. The two from Fire Society started to whisper with one another again.
Taking a deep breath, I said in a quiet voice, “So…I guess we should go around and introduce ourselves. My name is Sage. I’m from Earth Society.”
I looked around expectantly. Nothing. Silence. Finally one of the girls from Water Society spoke up. “Well, I’m Raine,” she said hesitantly. “And this is Coral,” she indicated to the girl seated beside her. “We’ve both come here from Water Society.”
They looked nothing at all alike. Raine was tall and thin, with long straight hair, so icy blonde it was almost as white as her alabaster skin. She was so pale, all her features blended together except for two things. The shockingly bright blue-green eyes watching us and the matching colored streak running through her hair. Coral, on the other hand, was short and too large to be considered curvy. Her stubby fingers continued to play nervously with her muddy brown hair.
“What is it like in Water Society?” asked the boy from Air curiously, then quickly added, “I’m Lark by the way.” His black brows arched upward as he waited expectantly.
“Well, the design of our Society is centered around the water, of course. Our homes are built on a rocky, sandy shoreline that slopes down to the sea. They sort of form a huge arc, following along the water’s edge, leading down to where the piers extend out into the water. That’s where we moor the boats.”
Coral chimed in. “With the houses, it is tradition that portions of the walls and ceiling are formed from coils of rope braided around sea glass. It is said that by keeping a part of the sea in our walls, in our homes, it will provide for us endlessly.”
Sea glass and rope. So different from my home, but I could picture the beauty of it in my mind.
“And what did you do in Water Society? After school ended, I mean,” Lark asked again.
Raine looked surprised, but answered readily, seeming pleased by his interest.
“Well,” she said slowly, “I mainly worked on the boats with my father.”
“So, you were like Finn?” I broke in. “He told me he sailed with his family on the boats as well, bringing in hauls of fish and crabs.” But she shook her head.
“No, we didn’t sail in the boats. We worked on them. As in repairing and maintaining them. Others would prepare the hauls of seafood the fishermen brought in before they were shipped out. Or fix the nets and perform any other necessary jobs. There is also a filtering plant that turns the salt water into drinkable water that then gets distributed throughout the Societies. Some people worked there.”
“What about you Coral? Where did you work?” I asked, becoming more and more interested. Finally, after all my time in Earth Society, I was able to start picturing in my mind what the other Societies looked like, even if I couldn’t physically be there to see them.
“I worked mainly on the nets, like Raine mentioned.” Her fingers continued to twist her brown locks anxiously as she spoke. “Braiding and knotting the ropes together, repairing the tears. It was boring and monotonous work. Can’t say that I miss it.” And yet, she missed the motion of it, I realized. It wasn’t nerves but habit that had her fingers constantly moving, twisting, as if it was rope in her hands instead of her own hair.
I nodded, pondering her words. And realized that, in a way, I felt the same about the fields.
There was another brief pause, then Lark spoke up again.
“Well, I’m from Air and I do miss it there. The way we live…everything there is just so open and free. I feel trapped here. The darkness of the rooms. It’s so restricting. So…confining.” He shuddered at the mere thought of it.
Interesting. He described Air Society so very similar to the way Aurora had.
“In Air Society, there are rolling green hills surrounding us on all sides. The trees we have there are different as well. Not these scrubby pines. We have willows. Everywhere you look there are willow trees. And every time the wind blows through, their tendrils move and dance in the breeze.”
As interested as I was in what Lark was telling us, I couldn’t help but notice that as he spoke, his eyes never once turned towards me. He would gaze around, looking at the others. But it was if he purposefully avoided even glancing in my direction.
“All the houses are painted brightest white. And not just outside, but the interior as well,” he continued. “They feel so open, with all of the windows and soaring ceilings. Sometimes it feels like you aren’t even inside.”
The concept of a house created like that was just so foreign to me. But I could imagine it. A white house perched on a high green hill. Curtains blowing through the open windows. Running barefoot in the grass. The pristine lake in the distance. It sounded blissful.
“What did you do for work there?” Coral questioned Lark, bringing me back from my daydream.
“I worked with the wind turbines.”
Wind turbines? I had never heard of such a thing. And from the expressions on everyone else’s faces, neither had they. Picking up on this, Lark tried to explain further.
“They are like huge poles with wheels connected to their tops. They harness the energy from the wind and that energy is then sent to all the Societies to power everything. Mostly I worked in the assembly of new turbines, but every so often there would be repairs to make on the existing ones. There were other things done there as well, but I wasn’t involved in them.”
“What kind of things?” asked the boy from Fire Society, his voice low and gravelly. The rest of us looked at him in surprise. It was the first time he’d spoken a word to the group. “I’m Cinder,” he added reluctantly.
“Well…uh…. we raised sheep and collected their wool to spin yarn from,” Lark replied. And…well…there is one other thing my Society creates.”
I found myself leaning forward, eager to hear more.
“They’ve been producing this type of aircraft. For the past several years,” he lowered his voice, looking around cautiously. From the expression on his face, this was not something normally discussed.
“An aircraft? That’s it?” the girl from Fire Society replied, shaking her head dismissively, fiery locks flying back and forth. Leaning back, she folded her arms across her chest. “Aircrafts have existed forever. I see them fly over our Society, transporting products, all the time. That’s nothing new.” She paused, then rolled her eyes. “Cayenne.”
Lark just shook his head, droppi
ng his voice now to a whisper. “It’s not that, Cayenne.” He glanced around furtively. “I’m not sure if I’m even supposed to be saying this, but they’re creating new versions. Ones that are far superior to the old models. They can go further, faster, and they have a location display system included to pinpoint exactly where you are at all times. I never worked on one myself, but a friend does and he snuck me in once and showed me.”
“And there’s one other thing,” he continued hurriedly. “These planes they’re creating. Well, my friend told me they’re being designed with the capacity to drop items during flight.”
I frowned at that. “Drop what?” Coral asked, squinting in confusion. Half her hair was now tied into an elaborate braid and she was already at work on the other side.
“What is the one thing you’d want to be able to drop on your enemies?” Lark whispered, eyes growing bright as he leaned forward.
“A bomb.”
Cayenne’s voice was so low, I’d had to strain to hear her response. But the word sent shivers running through me.
I didn’t expect that. As Lark nodded, fear clenched my stomach. But what did it mean? Not only was Air Society building planes, but planes with the capacity to transport and launch bombs! That meant there must be some type of threat. There had to be. But what?
The silence was heavy as everyone contemplated this. I looked up and noticed Eden glancing our way, a furrow developing between her narrow brows as she studied the group of us. “So, who wants to go next?” Lark asked.
I noted the angle of his gaze. He’d seen Eden as well.
I waited to see if either Cayenne or Cinder would speak up to tell us about Fire Society. It was the one place I had yet to hear about. But neither said a thing.
Awakening Earth and Fire: Earth and Fire Trilogy Book 1 Page 10
