I felt his stare. He knew. Knew that I was lying. Knew we hadn’t reviewed the section at all. I couldn’t look at him, couldn’t face him. Instead, I pulled my knees up towards my chest, wrapping my arms around them as I clasped my hands together tightly.
The silence seemed endless. Until…the pages of the book began to rustle again.
“What does the weekly allotment of supplies consist of for each member of the Societies?”
Breathing a sigh of relief, I easily answered the question, looking up finally to see him begin searching for another. The chain he always wore hung from his neck, the carving attached obscured by his shirt as usual. Always hidden. Why did he always keep it from view?
Subconsciously, I rubbed my hand along my ankle, feeling the slight bulge beneath my pant leg where my ring rested.
Where I kept it. Always hidden from view.
Chapter 28
Two days later and my shoulder felt almost back to normal, even though the bruise coloring it was vivid as ever.
Well enough that Aurora and I were sparring with one another.
“CLASH!”
Tremors reverberated up my arms as the tip of her sword crashed into mine, and I strained, shoving it off as she let out a frustrated cry, both of us breathing heavily. I pushed a dark strand of hair off my sticky face, then glanced over in time to see Aurora dart to the right, barely shielding her blow in time with my shield.
“Had enough?” she asked, a teasing grin on her face.
“Not in the slightest,” I huffed, locking my eyes on her matching green ones, then shot her a smirk.
Finn sat nearby in the grass, shaking his head at us. He’d just finished sparring with me while Aurora watched. They’d become surprisingly good in the few times we’d practiced. To the point that her quick moves and his unrelenting strength were keeping me on my toes far more than I’d have expected.
We dealt each other several more blows before Finn finally called out, making us pause. “Listen you two. It’s nearly dinner. I don’t know about both of you, but after this work out, I am starving. Literally!”
“Finn!” Aurora spat, shaking her head, mocking smile playing at the edges of her mouth. “When are you ever not starving? Besides, didn’t you just eat an apple?”
He instantly chucked the core still in his hand into the nearby woods, then held up both palms towards us. “I think not.”
Aurora and I both burst out laughing. He sat there in the bright sunlight, his sweaty shirt removed and draped around his neck, today being unseasonably warm compared to the last couple of weeks. His dark torso lay exposed, every muscled plane of it, stretching all the way from his taut shoulders down to his firm abdomen. Not an ounce of fat, not a ripple of it, despite eating enough to feed an army.
I knew he hadn’t missed the incredulous look on my face when he’d peeled off his shirt and smiled back smugly. Nor had I missed the way Aurora’s ivory skin had somehow seemed to go even paler, if that was even possible, as she stared at him for a long moment before quickly averting her eyes. Cheeks set aflame, she studiously avoided glancing back at him for the next five minutes until she fully regained her composure.
Finn hadn’t seemed to miss that either.
“Okay, fine,” Aurora relented, dropping her sword. “We’ll head in. I’m tired anyways.”
A short laugh echoed in the distance and we turned, following the noise. Instantly my stomach turned to stone. Rowan, along with several of his new friends, were heading back inside. Quickly I scanned their faces. Serafina and Lark were with him of course, but Cirrus seemed to be absent for once. Swallowing thickly, I shifted my eyes towards Rowan, shocked to find his gaze on me. Quickly I turned back to Aurora and Finn, for once looking away before he did.
They both stayed silent for a moment. Aurora moved to my side and took my hand, gently folding it into her own.
“You okay?” Finn asked quietly, all traces of laughter now gone from his face, dark eyes focused intensely on me.
I nodded slowly, then turned to gaze at the retreating backs of Rowan and his new friends. “I have to be. I don’t have a choice.”
✽✽✽
“Are we done yet?” I gasped, clutching at the stitch in my side. Coal stood there, casually leaning against a nearby tree, not winded at all from the exertion. Meanwhile, I was crouched over, beet-faced and panting. Irritation coursed through me.
He bit his lip, suppressing a grin. “One more time.”
“Fine,” I groaned. “Once more. Then we’re done.”
I swiped at the sheen of sweat covering my forehead, then moved into a crouching position. He stepped forward, bending down as well.
“Ready and... go!”
Shooting forward, I faked left, then brought my right leg up, intending to knee him in the stomach. But just before I made contact, he grabbed ahold of my foot and twisted it around, flipping me over onto the grass. His hand shot out, attempting to grab my arm and pull me up, but I was too quick. I kicked my foot back and this time managed to connect with his abdomen. He groaned and staggered back several steps. I pushed myself up from the ground and darted towards him, but he recovered too quickly. Twisting me around, I suddenly found myself backed against a nearby tree, its bark roughly scraping against my spine.
“Now I have you trapped. How are you going to get out of this?” His words sliced coldly into me despite the heat I felt from his hands as they slowly closed around my neck.
They stopped a hair’s breadth away, the very tips of his fingers barely grazing my skin. I stared up at him. And though I knew it was Coal, though I knew he wasn’t really going to choke me, all my mind could see was a dark figure towering over me, muscular arms rendering me immobile. Panic surged through me, my body beginning to tremble. My breaths grew ragged. I felt trapped. I was trapped. And I needed to escape. Now!
Coal was already backing several steps away, his hands held up in a show of surrender. “Sage, it’s okay. Relax, breathe. I’m not going to hurt you. You’re okay.”
I inhaled, my breaths still unsteady, then looked back up into his face. The sudden fear I’d felt must have been evident on mine. Concern filled his dark blue eyes, the edges tightening.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, surprised at the shakiness in my voice. “I was…I just got frightened.”
A look of guilt passed over his face and immediately I regretted my words.
“No, I don’t mean I’m frightened of you,” I hurriedly amended, shaking my head. “I’m not. Not anymore. It just surprised me was all.” I rubbed my dirty palms against my pants, pushing back a stray strand of limp hair, tucking it into my messy bun. “I think we should try it again.”
Now it was he who started shaking his head. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. We should stop now.”
“Coal. Listen, I promise I’m okay. Do it again so I can try to break out of your grasp this time.”
“You’re sure?” He studied my face carefully, searching for any sign of hesitation. When I nodded, backing myself against the tree once more, he still lingered. After several seconds he apparently chose to believe me, closing the distance between us and slowly placing his hands around my neck as they’d been only moments prior.
I tried to turn my head, but it was impossible. His body was too far away for my knee to make contact. And my arms were too short to reach out to his chest and push him back. But at least I could move my arms. The wheels in my head began to churn.
Just as Coal’s mouth slowly opened, probably about to give me a suggestion on what to do, I made my move. Lifting my right arm, I bent it at the elbow. Mustering as much force as I could, I slammed it into his outstretched forearm one, two, three times. Taken by surprise, he loosened his grip, staggering back a step. Seizing the opportunity, I thrust both hands towards his chest and shoved. Hard.
Coal stumbled backwards, nearly falling, but managed to steady himself. But it wasn’t surprise that colored his face. Not annoyance either.
It was something like…pride.
He was proud of me.
“If you don’t think you’re ready for the challenges after that, then I don’t know what else I can do,” he said, blue eyes beaming.
Jokingly, I did a quick curtsy, then laughed. Looking at how far I’d come since arriving here, I was proud of myself as well.
✽✽✽
As we trudged our way back, the field grass crunching beneath our feet, I glanced over at Coal, realizing exactly how much had changed in the brief time I’d been here. What I’d said earlier had been the truth. I was no longer frightened of him. My trust of him had completely overpowered it, leaving no room for any residual nervousness. Instead of seeing him as a cold, ferocious fighter, I knew the warmth and kindness in him now.
“What’s up?” He’d caught me staring.
“Nothing,” I murmured slowly, but he just smiled, a brow arching slightly as if he didn’t completely believe that. Letting out a breath, I moved my eyes down, focusing on the metal chain hanging from his neck.
Though the carving was once again hidden from view, I could just barely make out it’s raised impression beneath the black fitted shirt he wore, about the size of a small coin.
“Wait a minute.”
He paused mid-step, twisting to look at me.
Slowly raising my hand, I tentatively reached out towards him. For just a moment he watched, studying me, confusion in his eyes as he tried to ascertain what I was doing. But a second later, as my thumb and index finger lightly touched upon the chain and began to lift it, his hand suddenly gripped my wrist, freezing me in place.
A beat of silence passed as we stared at one another, my hand remaining pinned against his chest. “What is this?” I finally asked, my voice quiet. “Why do you always hide it?”
His eyes raked against me, penetrating so deep it felt like he was trying to comb through my very thoughts. But I didn’t break my gaze, didn’t lower it from the intensity of his own. A moment later his grip on my wrist loosened and I let go of the chain, lowering my hand to my side.
Coal glanced around, looking to see if anyone was within ear shot. A small group of girls, Raine and Coral included, sat at the opposite side of the hilly field, engrossed in their own conversation and completely oblivious to us. But by the way Coal’s gaze locked onto them, apparently that was still too close.
“Come with me,” he muttered under his breath. The next thing I knew, he’d twisted around, heading back down the slope, towards several trees at the edge of the field.
“What…what’s going on?”
He didn’t reply. Didn’t look back. Just continued to walk ahead of me as I followed him, all the way down to the pond.
Only once we’d passed through the last low hanging branches and reached the water’s edge did some of the tension in him seem to ease off. He paced for a moment, still looking uncomfortable. “We can talk here,” he started slowly. “I’ll tell you what it means. Why I wear it. But Sage, you can’t repeat what I am about to tell you. It would put my entire family in danger,” he said earnestly. I could see from the sharp gleam of his eyes alone how serious he was.
“I promise you, I won’t repeat it,” I said, starting to grow nervous. “But Coal, what is going on?”
“The symbol on my chain. Those herbs I gave you. My entire life in Fire Society. It all goes together.”
My mouth went dry. There was much more to this than I’d initially anticipated.
“My mother always said I would be different from the others I grew up with. That Fire Society had been training its children for so long as warriors, that they no longer recognized that there are things just as important as pure brutality. More important even. I was different because my mother instilled in me the importance of respect, of forgiveness, of equality. Instilled it in me the same way it had been instilled in her.”
With that, Coal finally lifted the metal chain, revealing the symbol hanging from it. I leaned closer, my eyes taking in the small talisman. Thin metal bands wrapped around one another forming an almost cloverleaf shape, though each curve ended in a point.
“It’s an ancient symbol. One that supposedly represents healing. My mother gave this to me just before I left for the Training. Apparently, it’s been passed down through our family for generations.” He paused for a moment, then added, “Along with the knowledge of healing.”
He turned away then and gazed into the distance at the ponds shimmering water. The fading sun glinted off his face and he rolled the metal symbol between his fingers, exhaling slowly.
“The story goes like this. Many years ago, there was a group of healers who resided in Fire Society. A group that over time had amassed a vast knowledge of creating pastes and poultices, teas and tinctures, all from specific herbs with medicinal properties.” He took one look at my face and the question forming there. “You’re wondering how this was allowed, right?”
I nodded, thinking of the barren vegetable patch adjacent to my family home. We weren’t even allowed to grow that. And yet Coal had these herbs. They had to be grown somehow. But that would at least be easier to hide than an entire group of people calling themselves Healers.
“According to my mother, the government wasn’t nearly as controlling back then. They allowed it because at the time, there weren’t medicinal clinics as there are now. It was the only option people had when they became ill. The medicines the Healers created were even brought to the other Societies for use. But…as time went on, the government, well, I guess Regent really, grew more and more powerful. And bit by bit, they started imposing more and more of that control.”
He paused and looked in the direction of the white globes of Regent.
“You know about the walls that separate the Societies?”
“Of course.”
“Well, according to the legend my mother told me, they didn’t always exist.”
My mouth dropped open and I gaped as he continued. “Power. That was what changed everything. The need for power. The story goes that as Regent grew more powerful, it was decided that each Society should be separated from one another. That way, supposedly, no Society would become stronger, or be able to overtake another. And so, the walls were erected. Permanently dividing them.”
I stood there, stunned. To imagine a time when the walls didn’t exist. When the Societies were connected, with no barriers between them. It was nearly unfathomable.
“The Healers knew that was just the beginning. That as time continued to pass, Regent’s power would grow and their freedom would diminish. And then, the first medical clinic was built in Fire Society, confirming their worries.”
I frowned at him. “But even if Regent built clinics, wouldn’t they still need the Healers’ knowledge on how to make the herbs, the medicines?”
He shook his head. “They already had it. The Healers had been supplying the rest of the Societies with them for as long as can be remembered. It didn’t take much for them to decipher the formulas. And what they couldn’t decipher, they were willing to do without if it meant no member of Elemental held any sway, any power against Regent.”
“So…”
“So…they left.”
“Before the walls were erected?”
“No. It was after.”
I stared at him, nearly speechless. “But…how could they possibly get out then?” I sputtered.
He grimaced. “There was only one way left to leave. Walls now surrounded their Society on two sides, cutting off their borders with Water Society and Earth Society. Then of course there was the one that bordered with Regent itself. The only other boundary in Fire Society, one that leads directly into the mountains, was now barred by thick fencing, one with constant electric current running the length of it. The only open section had five gate towers bordering it. Towers constantly occupied by guards. So, the Healers developed a plan.”
I clung to his every word, entranced by this legend.
“They began to serve tea to the guardsmen at
nightfall, when the rest of the Society was already asleep. They would walk the long path leading to the gate towers every night. They said it would help them remain awake, that the brew contained vital herbs for their health. Initially, their intent was questioned, but after several nights of bringing the tea to the guards, the Healers gained the trust they needed. The guards actually began to look forward to their nightly drink.”
“The Healers set the night when they would escape. They told only those who’d been apprenticing with them, learning the art of healing, the plan and invited them to go. The guards had been receiving tea for almost a month and were no longer suspicious.”
Pausing, Coal took a step back and leaned against the bench, closing his eyes momentarily as if trying to recall every detail of the story he’d been told. “That night, the lead healer brewed the tea. But instead of the usual herbs, ones that brought about clarity and alertness, she used a combination that would cause the drinker to succumb to a deep sleep within minutes of consuming the beverage. They gathered their supplies together in secret, then served the concoction. As predicted, the guards fell asleep at their posts moments later. The Healers and their apprentices, a group of nearly thirty women, men, and children, snuck quietly past them through the gate and left Fire Society and Elemental forever, heading into the mountains.”
I nodded, vivid images playing through my head. But there was something I didn’t understand. “How can you possibly know about this, though? If they all left, who would have passed down the legends? Who would have passed down the knowledge of healing that you learned from your mother?”
“I know because not everyone left.”
I gaped at him.
He nodded slowly. “At the last minute, my ancestor decided she couldn’t leave. She was an apprentice with the Healers but didn’t want to leave her family. She was still very young.”
“When it was discovered what had happened the next morning, those in power were livid, as you can imagine. The guards normally at the gate towers disappeared and were replaced by others. Additional guards were brought in as well. Guards who had no mercy. They burned the herb gardens. They ransacked the houses, looking for any remaining dried plants or medications made from them. To conceal anything was to automatically become a traitor as well. And yet, while the guards took everything physical they could, destroyed it all, they couldn’t take the knowledge my ancestor possessed. She remembered the lessons the Healers taught her and passed those very lessons down to her children, who passed them on to theirs. My grandmother was the granddaughter of that healer apprentice. In secret, she began to grow and use the herbs again. She taught my mother, who taught me and is now teaching my sister the art.”
Awakening Earth and Fire: Earth and Fire Trilogy Book 1 Page 25
