We circled and circled each other. I didn’t know what to do. Should I make the first move?
Suddenly, unexpectedly, he lunged forward. I leaped to the side and he swept past, stumbling as he twisted back around.
And charged towards me again.
I didn’t expect it. I didn’t have time to dart of the way.
His hand clasped onto my upper arm and he swung me around, flinging me through the air. My back slammed against the wall. My legs went limp and I sagged, barely staying upright.
Breathe. You need to breathe. My mind was lucid enough, but my body refused to listen to the command and I struggled, desperately trying to open my lungs and fill them with air. I coughed, gasped, and then, finally, inhaled, sending oxygen right to my slowly fading brain.
But one sweet fill was all I got. Because the next moment hands slammed up around my neck. Pinning me against the wall.
His knuckles crushed into my skin, closing off my windpipe. I gasped for air, but this time there was none to have. Panic set in and I kicked my feet desperately, but it was no use. He was too far away. My vision grew hazy, the pair of sunglasses staring at me slowly beginning to swim back and forth.
My mind felt fuzzy. My limited supply of oxygen dwindled. If I couldn’t escape before he caused me to pass out, I’d fail the challenge.
I hung there, entrapped by him, struggling helplessly. And then it hit me. I’d been in this position before. When practicing with Coal. Instantly I knew what to do.
Using up the last bit of energy I had, I flung up my arms. Twisting my body, I jammed my elbow into his wrists. Shocked from the suddenness of the movement more so than the pain, he stumbled back. And that’s when I took my chance and shoved myself into him, fists slamming off his torso.
He fell back, skull knocking against the floor hard enough to send those sunglasses skittering across the ground. And he…didn’t move.
I’d knocked him unconscious.
✽✽✽
A moment later the whistle sounded for a final time.
“Sage.”
I looked up into the stands to see River peering down, watching me intensely.
“Yes?” I gasped, still trying to catch my breath.
“Congratulations. You won.” He paused for a moment, glancing over at Flint, whose scowl from before had only deepened, then turned back to me. And if I wasn’t very much mistaken, grinned. “Good job. You may leave now.”
Nodding, I turned to go, but glanced back at Wade one last time. He’d regained consciousness but was still in a seated position. With his glasses now gone, he watched me with beady, black eyes, peering over his hawk-like nose with all the intensity and fury of a predator who’d just missed catching his prey.
And who wasn’t planning on going hungry a second time.
Ignoring him, I turned and made my way through the exit.
Four weeks ago, I would have panicked and lost against him within seconds.
Not anymore.
✽✽✽
Coal stood waiting for me as I exited. Indicating his head, he led me towards the main entry hall, away from the crowd of trainees nervously pacing and tapping their feet, each awaiting their own turn. “Raine!” I heard Flint’s voice echo in the distance as we rounded a corner.
“So….?” he asked, eyebrows raised expectantly.
“So…it went well.”
“I expected nothing less.”
“You have too much faith in me.”
“You don’t have enough in yourself.” His expression grew somber. “I’m serious Sage. You don’t see yourself the way others do. You don’t realize how powerful you are.”
I grew silent at his words, at the way he was staring at me, and let out a low breath, thinking back to the fight. And how I’d managed to knock Wade unconscious, though he’d nearly done the same to me. “He had me. For a moment he had me by the throat.”
At the words, Coal’s entire body went rigid, but I shook my head. “And the only reason I was able to break free was because of our training together. It was how I knew what to do and didn’t just continue to panic. So, thank you,” I said gratefully.
He reached out to take my hand, gently squeezing it in his own. But just as he did, several trainees from Fire Society, including Blaze, Ash, and Singe, passed by. Their stares went from Coal to our linked hands to me, their faces growing cold with barely suppressed rage.
Coal felt me stiffen and followed my gaze. But the moment he locked eyes on the others, they shifted theirs away, moving off. All…but Blaze. He stood there watching Coal, both in a staring contest that neither was willing to back down from.
Completely confused by all of it, I grabbed Coal’s arm, tugging firmly until he dropped his gaze. “Come on,” I muttered, and walked out through the door. He reluctantly followed.
“What was that?” I hissed when we were outside. “What just happened?”
“Nothing,” he muttered, purposely avoiding eye contact with me.
“No, it’s not nothing! I want to know why that keeps happening. Why I am the only one here who keeps receiving these hateful looks. Tell me what is going on.”
“I already explained to you why they are like that. It’s how they were raised,” he said, twisting away from me now.
I shook my head, grabbing onto him once more, my fingers pressing against his skin. “No, you explained that you earned their respect and that you needed to protect Ember. You haven’t explained why they’re treating me like this.”
His blue eyes shifted to mine and I could see him internally debate. A moment later he sighed, running his fingers through his dark hair hard enough I was surprised he didn’t yank out a fistful. Pressing a hand against the small of my back, he led me down further into the field. No one else was around.
I broke the silence first. “How long have you known?”
“I had suspicions from the beginning, but only knew for certain once I confronted Singe. It was right after I saw how he hurt you.” A muscle in his jaw flexed. “He fessed up to what was going on with them pretty quickly.”
“All right. So, will you enlighten me?”
He let out a slow breath. “Sage, they think you will be in Regent.”
“They think I will be in Regent,” I echoed incredulously, repeating the words. “And…and that wouldn’t normally be a problem. Except,” I continued, the puzzle pieces finally fitting together, “Except that they have noticed we’ve been around each other. And they think that you’ll end up like Serafina. How she left them, left their group, to be with Rowan. And therefore Regent.”
“Only it’s worse,” he said darkly.
I licked my lips, slowly nodding as a gust of wind blew past us. “Yes, it is worse. Because you’re their ‘leader’. And now they think you are going to desert them. To be with me.”
He nodded slowly.
“So…let me see if I understand this. Rowan and Cirrus and the rest of their group won’t be around me because of my past, fearing that if they associated with me, they won’t get into Regent. And now those trainees from Fire Society don’t want you around me because they do think I will end up in Regent and prevent you from getting into Combatant.” I let out a laugh of disbelief. “I would like to know how everyone else knows where I will end up when I don’t even know myself!”
Coal stayed silent, arms crossed against his chest, watching me.
I sighed. “So, they’re not going to stop, are they?”
“No, they won’t,” he confirmed and though I already knew the answer, my heart still sank. “Not until the rankings are decided and I’m placed in Combatant.”
The thought of him going into Combatant and me into one of the other Divisions hit me, sudden and hard. I would never see him again. And I couldn’t imagine that.
“What if they’re right?” I whispered anxiously. “What if I don’t end up in Combatant?”
Shaking his head, he gave my elbow a light nudge. “I don’t think we have to worry about that,�
� he replied easily. “They haven’t seen the way you fight. I have.”
✽✽✽
Later that day, after grabbing a quick snack in the cafeteria, I wandered down to the field and came across Aurora and Finn. And watched as they practiced throwing knives at a target on a large oak. Stepping closer towards them, my eyes widened as I watched every single blade hit the paper target, the majority hitting the very center.
I’d known they were good during the times we’d practiced together but hadn’t realized until this very moment just how good.
“Sage!” Aurora called out waving hello before she tossed another knife, lodging it right in the bullseye.
“Aurora,” I sputtered, motioning to the embedded blade, still quivering slightly. “That was incredible. How did you get so good?”
“You,” came the single word answer.
“Me?” I repeated, confused. “What do you mean?”
She twisted to face me. “The advice you got from Coal certainly helped. But really, it was just knowing about all the extra training you and Coal have been doing. And it finally hit me that just practicing during the regularly scheduled training sessions and occasionally with you was never going to be enough. So, on the days you’ve been with Coal, Finn and I’ve practiced for several hours with each other.” Picking up another blade in her palm, she whipped it through the air at the target. Again, it struck the very center, mere millimeters from the other knives already there. A smile spread across her face. “And now you’ve seen the results.”
“I definitely have,” I murmured, still astonished, though a guilty feeling tugged at me. “But you could have joined us. Coal and me, I mean. I should have thought to mention it before. We could have practiced together.”
Aurora just shook her head, moving to the side so Finn could step up to throw. “It was better this way. This way we could surprise you. Plus, I didn’t want to interrupt the two of you.” She said those last words with a knowing look on her face, the double meaning behind them obvious, though I chose to ignore it. Instead, I gave her a withering glare before I turned to watch Finn toss his knife, staring as it sailed through the air at an impossible speed. “Mind if I join you? Though now I’m not entirely sure I’ll be able to keep up.”
“Get over here,” Finn laughed, picking up an extra blade and holding it out to me. Smiling, I took it and launched it through the air.
A moment later Aurora placed her hand against her forehead, shielding her eyes from the sun as she gazed off into the distance. “Look who’s coming,” she said slyly, her mouth twisting into a smirk.
I turned to see Coal making his way towards us.
“He just can’t stand to be away from you, can he?” she grinned devilishly.
“Stop,” I hissed, not wanting her to go any further. Already my cheeks began to burn.
Approaching, Coal moved slowly, as if unsure he would be welcome. That wouldn’t be a problem with Aurora, though.
“Hi Coal,” she chirped, giving him a wide grin. I closed my eyes, not even wanting to think about what next words to pop out of her mouth would be. But to her credit, she didn’t say anything else, instead just picking up another knife and whipping it towards the target.
It lodged in the exact center. A perfect throw. Again.
Though she stayed turned away from us, I knew a smile of satisfaction was working its way across her face.
I glanced towards Coal, smiling myself at the way his eyes widened in surprise.
“Aurora. Finn.” He nodded his head, acknowledging them both, but was he visibly still in awe. “That was…well, just…wow.”
“Thank you,” Aurora said, turning around now, her bright strawberry-blonde braid whipping through the air. “You deserve most of the credit for it, of course.”
“I…what?” He frowned now, confused.
I leaned over. “They decided to start training more after I told them some of the tips you shared with me about sword fighting. Knife throwing. That sort of thing.”
He nodded, gazing back at the two of them. “Well, I’m glad it helped. Honestly, with throws like that, I would be shocked if the two of you weren’t chosen for Combatant.”
There was an awkward pause. A moment later Aurora twisted away from us, but not quickly enough to hide the sudden sadness that now shown in her eyes.
And I knew why. Finn did too, if his expression meant anything.
“Yeah, thanks again,” murmured Finn as he turned back to Aurora. He leaned over, trying to whisper something in her ear, but she just shook her head, remaining silent as she held her hand out for another knife.
Confusion again tore across Coal’s face and he opened his mouth, but before he could ask, I grabbed his arm, quickly shaking my head. “Thanks for letting me join in. See you later,” I called to Finn and Aurora, then tugged Coal away.
“Sure thing,” Finn replied slowly, giving us a quick wave, though the forced smile didn’t reach his eyes. Aurora nodded, her back remaining towards us.
✽✽✽
Quickly leading Coal away from them, I didn’t turn to face him until we’d gotten far enough away to be out of earshot.
“Sage. Sage, wait a minute,” he said finally, resisting my forward motion. “What happened? What did I say?”
Reluctantly I turned around, releasing his arm. “It was about them getting into Combatant,” I answered quietly.
His brows scrunched together in bewilderment. “But…it’s the truth. With those kinds of throws…the accuracy alone…they will both be in Combatant. There is no question about it. If that isn’t what they want, then why else would they continue practicing?”
“They do want that, in a way. But there’s something you don’t know about.” I paused, trying to determine the best way to explain it. “Do you know who Cirrus is?”
“No.”
“He was Aurora’s boyfriend before they came here. But even before they became involved, they were best friends. For their whole lives.”
“Okay,” he murmured slowly, obviously not understanding where I was going with this.
“You know how Rowan changed since we arrived here? How he won’t be around me anymore?”
Coal nodded, his eyes hardening.
“Well, Cirrus joined Rowan’s group.” I looked at him knowingly. “The ones who are determined to enter Regent.”
A look of grim understanding dawned. “And I just told Aurora and Finn that they are practically guaranteed to go into Combatant. Basically, saying that after the next few days, she will never see him again.”
A nod from me and Coal started to pace, his leather boots squishing the wet grass into a muddy mess. “I can’t believe this. Should I apologize to them? To her?”
“No. Nothing is going to change how she’s feeling. She’ll barely speak to me about it.” Pausing, I looked at the concern etched on his face and reached out to take his hand, grasping his fingers against my own. “Coal, you didn’t say anything wrong. The words just brought all the feelings she’s been fighting against to the surface again. I know it’s hard for her, but she keeps it all bottled up inside. Contained.”
A sharp nod, though the grim look didn’t disappear from his face. “I still feel terrible. But I understand what you’re saying.” He paused, then stared at me intently, dark blue eyes darkening. “You realize no matter how this plays out, it’s not going to have a happy ending for Aurora and Cirrus.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek, tightening my grasp on his hand. “I know.”
AURORA
“Aurora.”
I stared resolutely forward, my eyes locked on the target, determined to ignore the way my throat had seemed to close-up. Ignore how my cheeks now burned and my chest seemed tight.
“Aurora,” Finn said again quietly. “They’re gone now.”
I launched my blade. This time though, instead of landing dead center like before, it wedged itself into the grass several feet away. I swiped at my blurry eyes, annoyed that the sudden water
in them had disrupted my throw.
“Aurora, look at me.” Finn’s voice was sharper now, and he’d moved closer. Slowly I twisted to face him, trying all the while to hide any sign of the pain that had coursed through me at Coal’s mention of us being chosen for Combatant. But judging from the way his eyes tightened as they locked onto me, I did a poor job.
“It’s fine. I’m fine,” I lied, using my usually cheerful tone, but it was off, forced.
“No, you’re not,” Finn said in a gentle tone. His dark walnut eyes continued to watch me closely, the concern in them evident. “And neither am I. But it’s his choice.”
“I know that,” I murmured slowly. And despite Cirrus explaining to me why he’d done it, despite him urging me to understand and join him, I couldn’t. I knew what friendship meant. He no longer did.
“Do you want to practice more?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Honestly Finn, I think I just need to be alone for a little while. Do you mind?”
For the briefest moment, a flash of hurt crossed his face. Suddenly a burst of wind blew past us, whipping my braid across my face, the icy air chafing at my nose, chapping my lips. By the time I’d brushed my hair back into place, Finn was rubbing his hands together to warm them, his ever-present smile firmly back in place. “Okay,” he replied, nodding. “I’ll see you later I expect.”
Giving his arm a light squeeze, I picked up my black wool coat from where I’d laid it a few feet away, shrugging into it as I moved off, wandering through the grassy field with no real destination. All my thoughts consisted of Cirrus and how that potential life I’d envisioned for us before coming here had all but vanished. Images from my past along with my previously planned future danced in my head as I fiddled with the end of my braid, loosening the tie and releasing the strands. Oddly enough, one of my first thoughts was of my mother. And how disappointed she’d be we’d ended things. More than myself, it was she who always pushed me towards him, imagining the happy family we would have together. I laughed bitterly. What use was it anyways? Imagining, dreaming? In my case, it just seemed to lead to more pain.
Awakening Earth and Fire: Earth and Fire Trilogy Book 1 Page 30
