Biting my lip, I shook my head. Why did I keep noticing these things about him?
I rose to my feet next to him. Emotions swirled around inside of me and I realized I had to say something to him.
“Thank you, Coal,” I murmured quietly.
He didn’t reply right away, and I wasn’t even sure he heard what I said. But as I moved a couple steps towards the path leading back to the field, he spoke. “You have nothing to thank me for.”
“Yes, I do.”
Those dark blue eyes grew warm, and he gave me a small smile before heading back up the path. I glanced back to look at the pond one more time, taking in its crystal surface, pristine and untouched. An icy breeze ripped through the trees and swirled around, sending shivers through me. I turned again, my eyes searching for Coal, but he was gone, already disappearing into the shadowy tree trunks that loomed before me.
Suddenly another shiver ran through me, this one having nothing to do with the cold. What had I just agreed to?
✽✽✽
As soon as I made it back inside, I headed to the cafeteria. Though I dreaded any more looks of pity I would receive in regards to my embarrassingly poor performance earlier that day, I couldn’t continue to avoid everyone. Might as well get it over with. And my rumbling stomach wasn’t going to allow me to put it off for much longer.
Making my way through the dark, twisting corridors, a shiver running through each time I brushed against the cold, stone walls, I hesitated as the faint whispers of conversation from ahead reached my ears. Though still a ways in the distance, I could just make out two figures, huddled in a corner, deep in conversation. Slowly I moved closer. A head of sandy blonde hair appeared, along with familiar chestnut eyes.
Rowan.
The girl he was conversing with was a mystery though. She didn’t fit the physical description of anyone I’d met here so far. Though her back faced me, I could see she was tall, just about the same height as him. Her soft blonde hair was shiny, ending at her shoulders.
I continued by quickly, hoping to avoid notice, but chanced a glance over as I passed. My mouth dropped open
Serafina!
No wonder I didn’t recognize her. I hadn’t seen her up close since the Combat practice challenge after she’d run off.
I was surprised to see them talking with one another, especially after what had happened to the crown of gold that sprung from her head. But if the smile on her face was any indication, she’d forgiven Rowan.
And with how close they stood and how immersed they were in their own conversation, I wondered if something more was going on between them besides just forgiveness.
Chapter 21
I woke up the next morning, nervous energy already bubbling inside of me.
I could tell myself it was because the Intellect Practice Challenge would be starting in mere hours.
But if I was honest, the true cause of my anxiety, the real reason my stomach felt as if hundreds of butterflies had just emerged and started flapping around inside, was what would be happening later today.
Technically we had a free afternoon, but mine wouldn’t be.
Coal had decided today was the perfect day to start practicing.
The previous night, after dinner, which fortunately hadn’t been too painful with Aurora only asking if I was okay and then successfully steering the conversation in all other possible directions, he’d caught up with Aurora and I as we headed back to our rooms. She conveniently disappeared after giving me a knowing wink, which promptly sent me into a panic until I realized, with relief, Coal hadn’t seen it.
His words had been brief. I was to meet him in the main entry hall after lunch.
And now just the thought of it was sending jitters through me.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm my nerves and began readying myself for the day ahead. Dressing quickly, I tugged on the pair of black, shiny boots and dragged my fingers through my hair, untangling the woven meshwork my curls had somehow created as I slept. Tying back my dark strands, I leaned closer towards the mirror, studying my face.
My cheek was smooth and flawless.
It was almost magical how well my injuries had healed. I’d removed all the bandages several days earlier, as Coal had said to, and was shocked to see that all the medicated paste had dissolved into the wound. But what lay beneath was even more surprising. Only a thin line now marked my forearm where the blade of his sword had previously gouged into it. Barely visible. Just a tiny reminder of the vicious gash there previously.
The injury to my face was invisible.
And as I left my room, I wondered if I’d ever find out more about Coal and his family had come to have the knowledge of creating such a powerful tool as that medicated paste in their possession
✽✽✽
Several hours later, I walked out of Eden’s classroom, relief rushing through me. While the test she’d given us hadn’t been extremely difficult, it was challenging.
I also noticed that Rowan was the very first person to finish. Serafina wasn’t far behind.
At lunch, I tried to concentrate on the conversations going on at the table around me, but the thought of my afternoon plans kept creeping its way into my mind.
Half an hour later, most everyone had left, already taking full advantage of our free time. Finn was off with several others from Water Society while Aurora and Cirrus had disappeared as well. I swallowed thickly, rubbing my sweaty palms against my pants. Realizing I couldn’t put it off any longer, I stood up, leaving the cafeteria and slowly making my way to the front entry.
Nervous energy continued to ripple through me, my mouth suddenly dry. Swallowing thickly, I focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Why did I agree to this?
But truth be told, I needed this arrangement to work. I couldn’t fail again. And somehow, I knew my chances would be better with his help.
He was already there, leaning against the wall, arms casually crossed in front of his chest, waiting patiently. Somehow he managed to look menacing without even trying. Everyone who passed by quickened their step as they glanced towards him, hurriedly moving away. Instead, I was heading towards him. Why was I doing this?
Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to walk over, trying to hide any sign of unease from my face. And then he twisted, catching sight of me.
I froze as our faces locked onto one another’s. And though his height and stance were still intimidating, his eyes visibly brightened, lessening the fluttering in my stomach. Slowly I moved the rest of the way to him. For a moment both of us stood there, silent. Awkward. Uncomfortable. I didn’t miss the questioning glances of those who passed by us.
I was starting to debate the wisdom my decision to agree to train together at all, ready to flee back to my room, when he finally spoke. “I found a spot outside in the field that seems like a good place to start practicing. How does that sound?”
Nodding, I murmured, “That’s fine,” and then followed him outside. The weather was warm with it still being so close to midday, the sun high in the clear blue sky, not a single cloud casting its shadow across us. Still crisp, but comfortable enough to not require a coat. But we only had a few hours before the sun would begin to set. We walked together in silence for a time until he spoke again.
“I wanted to ask. How are your…injuries?”
Surprised he was mentioning it, I glanced down at the thin gauze still covering my arm. “Much better than I could have imagined, actually. Nearly gone.”
Walking on a bit further, we finally came to a stop. We were in a portion of the field surrounded by pines and slightly cut off from the view of the main Training facility, giving us a small amount of privacy.
“Do you mind if I look?”
Thrown off by his question, I glanced back toward Coal. His intense gaze was slightly unnerving.
“Look at what?” I asked, confused by his question.
He gestured at the bandage on my arm.
I hesitated. I just t
old him how they were healing so I didn’t really understand why he wanted to look at them. But he was the one who helped treat my wounds. Then again, he was the one responsible for my injuries in the first place. But was it truly his fault? My mind kept going back and forth, wrapping itself into a ball of contradictions, until finally I just looked at him and nodded. “Okay.”
I raised my arm and slowly peeled back the bandage as Coal bent to examine the thin single line that remained of the previous gory gash. Nodding, he glanced up at my cheek which I’d left uncovered. “They’re healing well,” he stated, one of his brows arching slightly in surprise. “Better that I expected, actually.”
I reattached the bandage as Coal kneeled on the ground, unwrapping the large cloth sack he’d been carrying, revealing several long spears and pointed knives. He walked a good twenty paces into the distance then and stopped in front of a staggeringly wide oak tree. He then pulled a piece of paper from is pocket, unfolded it, and attached…
A large paper target.
I bit my lip, staring down at the pile of weapons stacked at my feet. A chill ran through me as my eyes traced along their sharp surfaces, brutally gleaming, almost begging to spill blood. The mere fact they could take a life with one swift movement sent bile rising in my throat.
A low cough had me raising my eyes. Coal studied me quietly, a questioning look on his face, clearly trying to decipher the one on mine. But I just shook my head, then indicated towards the pile of weapons. “So, what’s the plan?”
“Well, I was thinking the best way to start would be for you to just try and hit the target.” He hitched a thumb towards the tree. “That way I can judge your accuracy and go from there.”
Nodding, I stooped and gripped one of the spears. Its wooden shaft was smooth against my palm. Aware that his eyes were watching my every movement, I brought my arm back slowly. Then, jolting forward, I launched the spear into the air, watching it fly.
But as it closed in on its destination, I could already tell the spear wouldn’t make impact where I intended. Dropping down and to the left, it embedded into the tree trunk, several inches below the outside border of the target. In all truthfulness though, I was relieved I had hit the tree at all.
I glanced back at Coal, wanting to judge his reaction, but his eyes were trained on the spot where my spear had landed. Eventually, he moved his gaze back towards me. But instead of giving any indication of what he thought, he just nodded, then said, “Okay. Try it again.”
And so I did. Over and over I threw the spears and knives, while he stood by, watching silently. But not a single one besides the first came even close to hitting the tree. In fact, as I continued to throw them, it seemed that the harder I tried, the worse I did, until finally the last one flew wildly through the air, actually managing to hit another tree several feet away. After that, Coal stopped me.
“Every time you throw one of the weapons, you are doing the same maneuver. It is clear what is going wrong.”
I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment. “Yes, I know what is wrong. It’s that I’m not good at any of this.”
He chose to ignore that and instead picked up another spear from the ground, moving to where I stood. I watched intently as he positioned his body, preparing to launch his weapon.
Watching Coal throw the spear was like watching a predator make a kill. Holding the long wooden shaft in his right hand, his arm stretched back behind his head in a perfect angle, he stared at the target with unwavering eyes. He bent his legs slightly, his left a step forward from his right, and even though they were covered in his dark leather pants and boots, I could tell his muscles were taut underneath.
He stayed in that position, not moving a fraction of an inch.
Just as I was about to open my mouth and ask if something was wrong, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, he catapulted forward, putting the strength of his entire body into the spear, propelling it towards the tree. It flew fast, whistling through the air, swift as the wind itself, until it lodged into the target.
Precisely in the bull’s eye.
I was speechless. The spear was a long and heavy weapon, and to hit anywhere within the target would have been impressive. I was secretly thrilled to have just gotten my initial throw to lodge into the tree. And although I hadn’t seen Coal practice spear throwing at any of our training sessions, I knew no one could become this good in such a short time. It took years.
Perhaps the rumors I’d heard about Fire Society were true after all.
“So, how long have you been training to do this?” I asked him casually as we went to retrieve the weapons. He looked surprised by my question.
“My entire life.”
My face scrunched in confusion. “How? I mean, who trained you to do that?”
“I learned the basics during my years in school. Then after school was over, we spent part of every day training in all forms of fighting. With every type of weapon imaginable.”
My mouth dropped open. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This meant that everyone in Fire Society was already trained to be a warrior. For years before coming here! How could I be expected to fight against them and win? Why was I even here? Why were any of us?
The shock must have shown on my face. “What’s wrong?” he asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“I don’t know.” I shook my head slowly, then let out a humorless laugh. “I mean, I didn’t realize I was here to compete against people who have basically spent their entire lives training in anticipation for these few weeks. How can I possibly compare to that when prior to two weeks ago, the only thing I ever held that could be considered a weapon was a shovel?”
Coal stopped in his tracks and turned towards me. “You mean, you never trained for this in Earth Society? You never learned about weaponry and the history of fighting and battle in school?”
I shook my head.
“Then what about after you turned fifteen? When school was finished? Didn’t you spend at least part of your days physically training?”
My silent denial had those cobalt eyes widening in disbelief. He shoved a hand roughly through his dark hair, pushing back several stray strands from his face. “I can’t believe this. When everyone first arrived and were in the arena together, I knew those of us from Fire Society must have been trained more. That much was obvious. But for the other Societies to have no training at all…” His voice trailed off.
“Well, I’m not certain about Water and Air, though it seems unlikely. But I can tell you there was definitely no training of that sort in Earth Society.”
“Then what did you do when school ended? It did end once you were fifteen, right?”
Was he even paying attention during the Intellect classroom sessions with Eden?
“Yes, it ended when I was fifteen. But as soon as it was over, I went to work in the fields. With everyone else.”
Silence. And then, “The fields?” he repeated in a stunned voice.
Amused at his surprise, I nodded. “Yes, the fields. To plant and harvest the crops. You know, you aren’t the only one with callused hands.
His eyes shifted down. Carefully taking one of my hands into his own, he flipped it over and gingerly rubbed his thumb against the roughened surfaces located at the base of each finger. Although I hadn’t been in the harvest fields for a little while now, the years of working had made the calluses so deep, I didn’t know if they would ever disappear completely. Looking up into his eyes, I saw a trace of sympathy in them.
Thinking back, I wasn’t surprised he didn’t know what the members of Earth Society did with the rest of their lives after schooling had concluded. There were only three of us here from Earth Society, the least densely populated Society, and he must not have had Rowan or Ivy in his group during the classroom discussion. We hadn’t started any other sessions about the individual Societies yet other than those group discussions. Besides that, there was also the fact that the majority of trainees from Fire Society seemed to keep to themselves.
I was noticing it more and more.
Only then did I realize he was still holding onto my hand. Taking it back slowly, I reached down and picked up another spear, then nodded towards the target. “I need to be able to throw like that. So, tell me, what am I doing wrong?”
He shook his head, trying to clear it of the images I knew were forming. It must have been unfathomable to him; a life consisting of long days filled with hard, back-breaking labor in the fields, providing the other Societies with the food they ate. I wondered if he ever questioned where his meals came from.
And yet, what right did I have to judge? Would my life have been any better if I spent day after day fighting against my friends with knives and swords, ending up bloodied and battered, just to repeat it all over again the next day? Month after month, year after year. Images flashed through my own head and I shuddered. Would it have been worse?
But I didn’t have time to dwell on it as he started barking off instructions to me. “First off, you need to ensure you face the target directly. Don’t angle your body. Since you are right-handed, place your left foot forward.”
I shifted myself, adjusting my position as he instructed.
“You need to find the balance point of the spear. It needs to be perfectly straight, not angled up or down. Right now, you are holding it too far away from the spear point. Open your hand so the spear is balanced in your palm.”
I did and immediately felt the weapon begin to slide off my hand, and jerked my other hand up, steadying it.
“Move your hand up until the spear can balance in the middle of your palm and remain perfectly parallel to the ground.”
Awakening Earth and Fire: Earth and Fire Trilogy Book 1 Page 18
