But there was something else. I hadn’t missed the fact that Misty had said that she and Raven were friends. Were?
✽✽✽
To say Coal looked surprised when I got back to his side was an understatement. “So… do you want to explain what that was about?”
“I recognized that blonde girl over there, Misty.”
“Hmm. Any particular reason you went over to talk to her? Because from here it didn’t appear to be the most pleasant of conversations.”
I hesitated a moment, then tilted my head up to look at him. “Do you remember that first full day we were here? The day when we had our first training session, when we met Flint?”
“Of course.”
“Do you remember that girl that had been questioning him? Raven?”
He nodded, a grim expression slowly crossing his face. “I do.”
“Well, I don’t know how many other trainees have realized it, but she hasn’t been around since that day they took her away to see River. I haven’t seen her once. Not in any of our training sessions or the cafeteria or anywhere else. I thought maybe Misty might have known what happened. I remember her tugging on Raven’s sleeve, trying to stop her.” I broke off, dark thoughts circling in my mind.
“What aren’t you saying?” Coal asked, his expression now growing suspicious. “What are you thinking?”
I bit my lip, hesitating for a moment. “It was the way she talked about Raven, Coal. Almost detached. As if they’d never been friends in the first place. And…it makes me think she’s purposely doing that. So she’s not associated with what Raven did. Just like Rowan…,” my voice trailed off. He gave me a slow nod, though I didn’t miss the way his knuckles grew white against his tightly clenched fists.
“What do you think happened?” I finally asked.
“To Raven?”
“Yes.”
“I have a suspicion. I don’t know anything for sure. But remember how you said what happened to your friends, Juniper and Shale? How the guards took them away?
“Yes,” I murmured hesitantly.
“It happened to several in our Society, too. Those who broke one of the countless laws. Who committed some type of infraction. Nothing serious, but similar to what you mentioned. Stealing food, that type of thing.”
“So you think…”
His eyes grew dark as his given name. “It wouldn’t surprise me if they took her away to wherever it is they bring the rest of them.”
I sucked in a breath, shocked at his words. A pit grew in my stomach and instantly I knew he was right. They’d removed her as they did the others. But the real question, the question that kept me up at night, the question that had torn at me for four years, was where did they take them?
Chapter 30
The next few days somehow managed to pass both incredibly slow and ridiculously fast at the same time. The stealth challenge came and went. This time, instead of half the maze, we had to make it through the entire thing avoiding detection. And though my memory of it was now a blurred mashup of darting past laser beams, scaling rock walls, and narrowly avoiding trap doors, what did remain clear was the moment I emerged and looked up to see a smile present on River’s face. An actual smile. Along with Eden’s beaming face next to him. Flint continued to scowl, but I’d ignored him.
And even clearer was the memory of River’s next words. “Congratulations. Fastest time so far. Good job!”
I grinned to myself, replaying the moment in my mind as I made my way to the cafeteria for lunch, and nearly ran into Coal.
“Sorry,” I stuttered, stumbling back a step while he reached out to steady me at the same time.
“You okay?”
I nodded, flushing.
One side of his mouth quirked up. “What had you so deep in thought just now?” Ugh, he’d seen me grinning.
“Nothing.”
He raised a brow at my lie, but I just shook my head. I refused to let him know I’d been gloating over my own performance. Let him think it was anything else.
I continued towards the cafeteria and he moved in step beside me. “I was wondering, after you get lunch, would you meet me in the field, by the pond? I want to talk to you about something.”
“Sure, but you could just tell me now,” I said slowly.
His face grew serious. “No, I think it better be in private.”
I glanced at him questioningly, but he said nothing more. “Okay,” I nodded.
“How about if we meet there in about an hour?”
“Okay…,” I said slowly, still confused.
“I’ll see you then.” Without another word, he turned, heading away. I watched his retreating and couldn’t help but stare for a moment. Stare at the broad shoulders resting above his muscled back, taut underneath the fitted black shirt he wore. At his chestnut hair, loose today, the longest pieces just grazing the bottom of his neck. At his dark cobalt eyes…
I heard my own sharp intake of breath as I quickly realized he’d stopped, twisting back to stare at me with those blue eyes. His lips twisted into a smirk as his gaze rested on me and I felt my own cheeks heat as he touched the chain around his neck, fingers resting on the carved symbol that I knew hung just below his shirt line. I gritted my teeth as he twisted away, not missing the intentional saunter now in his step.
Flustered that I’d been caught staring at him, I stalked into the cafeteria, letting loose a slow breath as I searched for Aurora and Finn. It didn’t take long to find them. They sat at our usual table, finishing their meals. As I made my way over, I caught a glance of Rowan. He sat with what had become his standard group of friends. As usual. And not surprising was the other person now sitting with them. Cirrus.
Quickly grabbing a tray, I sat down next to Finn. Though both his and Aurora’s plates only had a few bits of food remaining, they were still deep in conversation.
“So, how did it go?” was the first thing out of Aurora’s mouth as I took my seat.
“Pretty good,” I replied, picking up a fried potato slice and starting to munch on it. “No deductions, so that’s a plus. How did the both of you do?”
“Well, I did okay, until a motion detector caught me about three quarters of the way through. But Finn here made it all the way through undetected, just like you.” She grinned, elbowing him lightly.
“That’s great.” I paused then, debating whether I should ask. “Do you know how...umm...,” I indicated my head towards where Cirrus sat. “How he did?”
Immediately, the smile on Aurora’s face vanished. Clearly nothing had changed. “He went just before me. And when he came out he was smiling, and his new friends were patting him on the back.” I didn’t miss the iciness in her voice at ‘new friends’. “So, I guess that means he did well. Not that he’s willing to talk to me about it anymore.”
That took me by surprise. “I thought it was just me who’s the problem.”
“Not anymore,” she replied, shaking her head. “He said if I kept talking with you, then I wouldn’t be able to get into Regent with him. I told him that it didn’t matter. That I wouldn’t desert my friends. And neither should he.” She paused and sighed. “You should have seen the look on his face, Sage. He looked repulsed by me. Disgusted. He just turned and walked off without another word. That was days ago and he hasn’t spoken to me since.”
I gaped at her in shock. I knew Cirrus refused to have anything to do with me, but I’d had no idea he stopped talking to Aurora. They were involved in each other lives since they were born, both when it was friendship and when it was more. And now that had all come to a sudden stop. Because of me.
I turned to Finn, his dark eyes lacking their usual joy. “What about you?” I asked apprehensively.
My heart sank as he shook his head, anger lacing his words. “He doesn’t speak to me anymore, either. And I don’t speak to him.”
“I…I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” My eyes began to prickle as I stared at the both of them, at the pain they couldn’t entirely
mask. “This is my fault. Maybe I should just leave. Maybe if I do, he’ll come back around. Speak to you guys again.”
“No!”
Stunned by the forcefulness of her response, I twisted back to Aurora, her eyes now steeled as she stared at me, grasping my hand in her own, clutching onto it. “No, Sage. You did nothing wrong. None of this is your fault. Cirrus made his choice and if he doesn’t want to be around us, so be it. I won’t let his foolish actions affect our friendship.” Her words were crisp, final. Words that would accept no dispute. Finn nodded in agreement.
“Okay.” I picked up my sandwich, quickly sliding out the superfluous tomato slice, then carefully took a bite consisting of rye bread, moist turkey, and crisp lettuce, all the while trying to listen as Aurora started rambling about how she really didn’t think the motion detector should have caught her, and how she was sure there’d been enough space between her and its beam before she darted ahead, but I couldn’t really concentrate on her words. To be honest, I wasn’t sure she was either.
A half hour later I said goodbye to the both of them before running to my room to grab a coat. Despite it, as soon as I stepped outside, the frigid air hit, its icy fingers ruthlessly wrapping their way around me. Shivering, I pulled my hair loose from Coal’s leather clasp. Tugging the masses of curls around my neck to shield it from the wind, I hugged the gray wool coat closer and trudged through the field, making my way down to the pond.
I scanned the clearing for Coal, but he hadn’t arrived yet. Taking a seat on the wooden bench, I couldn’t help the way my stomach clenched uncomfortably or how my mouth had suddenly gone dry, nervously pondering what he didn’t feel he could tell me earlier. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, drinking in the fresh scent of the surrounding pines, letting it calm my now racing thoughts.
Hearing footsteps approach, I twisted around, my eyes locking on Coal as he made his way towards me through the trees. Moving a couple of low hanging branches out of the way, he stepped through and into the clearing. Somehow, at just the sight of him I felt myself relax. I rose to my feet, beginning to smile.
But it faltered as I heard a rustle behind him.
A rustle as branches were once again moved out of the way.
A rustle as another figure moved out of the dense foliage. And into the clearing.
He straightened, eyes locked on mine, and instantly I stiffened, retreating several steps back from him.
From Ember.
Chapter 31
Though Coal had spoken of him before and told me he wasn’t like the others from Fire Society, that they’d grown up together, were raised together, I couldn’t help the wave of suspicion that swept over me. Watching him warily, I searched my mind, trying to remember if I’d ever seen him glaring at me like the others, but I couldn’t place his eyes. A soft hazel color, they had a kindness in them that I hadn’t really seen from anyone else in Fire Society. Besides Coal, of course.
Slowly, they both moved closer to where I waited. I studied Ember as he approached. Though he was several inches shorter than Coal, he still towered over me. A cap of dark blonde hair, cut short, covered his head while the light stubble of a beard encompassed the bottom half of his face.
“Sage,” Coal said slowly, and I could feel his gaze on mine though I didn’t take my eyes off his companion. “I want you to meet Ember.”
I remained where I was, keeping the bench between us as I stared at him. Unsure of what to do, Ember glanced over at Coal. He received a small nod in response, so slight it was almost imperceptible.
Stepping forward, Ember closed the distance between us, slowly moving around to my side of the bench. Extending a hand, he gazed down at me. Now closer up, I saw a trace amount of freckles dotting his nose and cheeks. A grin tugged at his mouth and the beginning of dimples formed. And now, in addition to kindness in those hazel eyes, I saw an innocence there. And, despite the shock I’d initially felt at seeing him, I smiled back.
Slipping my hand into his, I couldn’t help my wince as he shook mine, clearly not aware of his own strength. Releasing my hand immediately, he quickly apologized, color flushing his cheeks. A soft chuckle. Coal.
Eventually I broke the awkward silence. “It’s nice to meet you, Ember.”
That prior grin spread across his face once more. “You too, Sage. It’s nice to meet you in person finally.”
“It is. And…the reason you couldn’t meet me in person before? The reason we had to meet here, away from all the other trainees?” I left the question hanging.
He glanced towards Coal, growing uncomfortable. “It’s…well….the other trainees from Fire Society probably wouldn’t be too happy about it.”
“What does that mean?” I asked shortly, though not meaning to be rude.
A warm hand came to rest on my arm and I turned, seeing Coal had come to my other side. “It means that I don’t want the others to know about it. You know that Ember and I are both different from them, but no one else does. And until absolutely necessary, I don’t want them finding out. They are angry enough about our friendship already, especially after I accused Singe of hurting you. I don’t want them growing suspicious of Ember as well.”
I sat down on the bench, trying to digest that. Meanwhile, a confused Ember turned to Coal.
“What do you mean hurt her? What did Singe do?”
Coal glanced over at me, asking with his eyes if I was willing to talk about it. Nodding, I turned towards Ember. “He…he hit me. I was walking down the hallway and he slammed into me, hard enough to knock me down. But it was afterwards that was the worst. He didn’t stop, didn’t apologize. He just looked at me with this deathly cold stare. And then left. It…it wasn’t an accident.”
Ember’s gaze moved between me and Coal, clearly unsure what to think. Noticing, I shifted my coat, tugging the neckline of my thin shirt off my shoulder. Ember stared wide-eyed at the large brownish gray bruise there, the edges beginning to yellow. A hard look of realization came over him. Coal glanced over as well. “It’s healing now. It was worse before,” he murmured.
“Singe did that?” Ember croaked, disbelief coloring his tone.
I nodded slowly, watching as he dropped down onto the bench next to me, cupping his head in his hands. “So it is happening. I noticed it during the training sessions and the practice challenges, but didn’t want to believe it.”
“What’s happening?”
Keeping his gaze down, he answered me. “I was practicing combat with Ash the other day. There was something dark in his eyes. He wouldn’t stop, even when I conceded. And I’ve seen it in the others, too. I know they’re desperate to get into Combatant, but I didn’t think they would start…,” his voice faltered, and he just motioned towards my shoulder.
“What is their limit then? How far will they go?” Ember murmured to no one in particular, then finally looked up, focusing his gaze on Coal. “It’s Blaze, you know. He’s the one pushing the rest of them.”
Coal jerked his head in acknowledgement as I shivered, my mind replaying every single thing I’d seen Blaze do, everything I’d heard him say, since I’d arrived here.
But what still stumped me was what the point of it all was. Just to get into a particular Division?
“Ember, why are they so desperate to get into Combatant?”
He let out a slow sigh, leveling his hazel eyes with my own. “It’s because of the way they raised us in Fire Society. They trained us to be warriors. And to end up as anything else would be a disappointment to both ourselves and our families.”
“But…you feel differently?”
“Well,” he started, pausing for a moment as he searched for the best way to say it. “I want to get into Combatant also. But I’m not willing to change myself, become someone who is willing to harm others, in order to do so.”
I pursed my lips, taking in what he was telling me. And realized how similar it was to what Aurora and Finn told me such a short time ago.
And realized I believed him.
/>
✽✽✽
“So, the only way we can communicate is in secret, like this?” I asked, trying to understand the boundaries. We’d already been talking for over an hour.
Coal shot a glance at Ember. “For now. They know I’m training with you. So, it won’t affect anything between us. They won’t question me. But that doesn’t apply to Ember.”
“But what would happen? What else could they do?”
“You remember what happened with Serafina and Rowan,” he said darkly. It wasn’t a question but I still nodded slowly. “Of course,” I murmured, the message behind his words clear.
“I don’t want that to happen to Ember. I can only protect him so much.”
I nodded, but questions still circulated. Why would the trainees from Fire Society potentially harm Ember for associating with me, but wouldn’t do anything to Coal?
Ember, who’d been sitting quietly next to us for the last few minutes, suddenly jumped to his feet. “I have to get back. The others might become suspicious if they don’t see me around for a while. I don’t want anyone to start talking.” He twisted back to face me. “I’m glad to have met you for real now Sage,” he said, those dimples appearing once again as his lips turned upward.
“Me too, Ember.”
He nodded quickly, then gave Coal a pat on the shoulder before disappearing back into the dense pines.
I felt Coal shift uncomfortably next to me and I glanced over. “I’m sorry I didn’t say why I wanted to meet you here earlier,” he said quietly. “I just didn’t want anyone to hear that Ember was going to be with us.”
I just nodded and we sat there in silence, watching the wind blow against the pond, causing the water to lap softly against the edge.
“Coal.” My voice sounded loud and obtrusive in the peaceful silence. “Both you and Ember are from Fire Society. Why do the other members accept you hanging around with me, but not Ember? Why do you have to protect him from them?”
He shrugged, as if he didn’t know the answer, and gazed away. “I…I’m not sure.”
Awakening Earth and Fire: Earth and Fire Trilogy Book 1 Page 28
