by Anna Webb
“What are you suggesting?”
Chi shrugged. “I don’t know really. I just find it interesting, you know? I’ve read just about every historical account of Alexander Cairns. It’s obvious that he was extraordinary. Powerfully Gifted, brave, strong, charismatic—anything less and he wouldn’t have convinced every Elemental of the time to follow him. So, I can’t help but wonder if he knew something that no one else knew. Something that we still don’t know.”
Chi shrugged again and started tidying his piles of books. “Maybe I just like the idea that he had prior knowledge. That information and knowledge are the things that sets someone apart from the rest.” He grinned suddenly, his face suddenly young and boyish. “That’s the only way I’m going to get anywhere in this competition…”
Allyra watched as Chi picked out two books, and then dithered over a third one before finally deciding to take it with him too.
“I’m going to bed—see you in the morning,” he said.
Allyra nodded mechanically, and he walked out the door, leaving her alone, frozen in space with nothing but doubt and a flood of questions to keep her company.
* * *
Allyra jolted awake with a painful creak in her neck. She was still in the common room, sitting exactly where Chi had left her the night before. She must’ve dozed off after spending an unproductive night trying to figure out who Alex was and what his motives were.
She tried to convince herself that her original belief was true—the Alex she’d met in the Between was just some random Elemental who’d chosen, for his own unfathomable reasons, to give her the name of the Elemental High Master who had lived over a hundred and fifty years ago. Her knowledge of his name had come from a single source—Alex himself. She’d had no other confirmation that it was actually his name. Mandla had never spoken it, and it wasn’t like Alex left clothes lying around with labels proclaiming his name.
As much as she’d tried to convince herself that it was a sound explanation of the facts, her logical mind had refused to accept it. It was simply too much of a coincidence for two utterly identical people with the same name to be born a hundred and fifty years apart. And that was neglecting all other clues that pointed to Alex being the Elemental High Master of the Betrayal, such as the fact that he had the Dragons Living Weapons tattooed on his arm.
It was an awful feeling, like she was somehow being disloyal to her own memory of Alex, who had done nothing but save her life and consistently put her life before his. But at some point, she would have to accept the facts—Alex was the Elemental High Master who’d orchestrated the terrible events of the Betrayal. And now she was the only person to have concrete proof that he’d somehow escaped death as Chi had suggested. In fact, not only had he escaped death, but he’d somehow survived for more than a hundred and fifty years, lying in wait in the Between until she’d stumbled into his life. It was hard, if not impossible, to try to reconcile the Elemental High Master who’d betrayed everything the Elementals stood for with the man who’d been willing to give up everything to save her.
Her mind had worked itself into a tangle of knots trying to figure it all out, and ultimately, she’d admitted defeat. It was the unsolvable problem and would remain so until she had more information. Chi was right—information and knowledge would be her weapons, but until she had them, there was no point wasting more time and energy on it.
It didn’t change anything, not really. The Rising still wanted their information, Emma still needed saving, and it was still likely that a Revenant had somehow made its way through the protection of the Veil. The information she needed lay hidden within the Great Colleges, and The Five Finals would take her to all five, so all she had to do right now was survive.
Allyra glanced at her watch. Five a.m. She groaned. Never mind surviving The Five Finals, right now, she just wanted a shower and some fresh clothes. She got to her feet and was pleasantly surprised to find that her ankle was not throbbing nearly as much as it had been before. Her Gifted healing ability had obviously been hard at work.
She made her way back to her room and ground her teeth when she saw the white sock still on the handle. But this time she didn’t hesitate, throwing the door open violently, spoiling for a fight and fully prepared to kick out anyone sharing Jason’s bed.
But she was disappointed. There was no one to throw out and as she slammed the door closed, Jason turned and cracked open one eye lazily.
“Do you mind? I’m trying to sleep here,” he said, his voice husky and laden with sleep.
Allyra took the sock and threw it at him. “What the hell is this?”
“Looks like a sock to me.”
With significant difficulty, Allyra swallowed her anger. “Yes, I know,” she replied coldly. “What I want to know is what it was doing on the door handle.”
Jason glanced at the still made bed on her side of the room and smirked. “Well, it looks like it had the desired effect. I had an excellent night’s sleep without all your tossing and turning.” He sank back into his bed and turned away from her. “Now, if you don’t mind, I believe I still have time for another hour of sleep.”
Allyra fisted her hands and contemplated throttling him. She forced herself to take a deep breath, and eventually a small smile made its way onto her lips. A new idea had just crept into her mind, one that would make for better payback than strangling Jason while he slept. If she’d learned anything from growing up with the Thiessen siblings, it was that there was no diplomatic solution to a prank war. No time should ever be wasted in taking the decision to go to war even if it meant mutually assured destruction.
Allyra made her way into their shared bathroom, slamming the door behind her and turning the key. There was a shower, but she let out a low hum of pleasure at the sight of the massive free-standing copper bath.
Hot water rushed out the tap, steam pouring out with the slightest hint of sulfur that suggested a natural source for the hot water. She allowed it to run until the bath was almost filled to the top. With steam swirling a white mist around the room, she peeled her clothes off, dropping them in a pile on the floor. She sat down and slowly undid the bandage on her ankle. It had turned into a spectacular array of reds and purples, but the swelling was down, and she could manage to rotate it, albeit gingerly.
With a low groan of pleasure, Allyra sank into the bath, taking a deep breath and dunking her head into the water. She lounged in the bath until the water was little more than lukewarm and her fingers had taken on a particular prune-like quality.
Her watch now read 06:43, but Jason had started banging on the door twenty minutes ago. She grinned as he pounded on the door again.
“You have two minutes to get out or I’m going to knock this door down,” Jason said, his voice low and dangerous.
Sure that he would make good on his threat, Allyra got out of the bath, wrapped herself in a fluffy towel, and picked up her clothes. She opened the door and found Jason waiting, his face dangerously devoid of emotion but a hard glint shining in his dark indigo eyes.
“It’s all yours,” Allyra said blithely.
Without a word, he turned and stalked into the bathroom. The key turned in the lock, and Allyra raced to get dressed. Redoing the bandage on her ankle took a little longer than expected, and for the second morning in a row, she’d have to forego breakfast. But she was ready with ten minutes to spare until the seven o’clock start to the morning training session, while Jason was still locked in the bathroom, probably preening and checking that every hair was in place.
Taking out a small knife, Allyra deliberately sliced through every single one of Jason’s T-shirts. It was petty and definitely childish, but there was no time to come up with a more elegant reply to Jason’s prank. But it was also deliciously simple and had the added benefit of achieving her desired outcome—annoying Jason. He was always so organized and unflappable that she was convinced that being late would throw his entire orderly world into chaos. It was time to see if Jason was really as cal
m and composed as he liked everyone to believe.
By the time she got to the Training Room, Master Akerman was already waiting with the other Competitors from the Elemental College. He glanced down at his watch.
“I see you really like cutting it thin, Miss Warden,” he said. “I assure you, it’s not a desirable quality to have in The Five Finals. Do you think your partner is going to join us?”
Allyra smiled blithely. “I’m sure he is, Master Akerman. He was just getting dressed.”
Master Akerman looked past her and raised his eyebrows. Following his gaze, she turned and found Jason walking in—wearing nothing but a pair of black pants and an annoyingly bright smile. An over-exaggerated wolf whistle rang out from one of the other groups which earned them a flash of Jason’s megawatt smile. He continued to make his way through the room, indifferent to the many eyes landing on him.
There was no denying that he was beautifully made with broad shoulders and trim sculpted lines. Based on the appreciative looks on most female faces and not a few male ones—Jason would soon have a valid reason for hanging the sock on the door.
He stopped in front of her and raised one eyebrow with an arrogant smirk on his face. “If you wanted to see me topless, all you needed to do was ask. I would’ve been more than happy to oblige.”
Allyra had to acknowledge that her plan to upset him had fallen more than a little short, and she found herself unable to come up with a quick retort.
Master Akerman looked between them and rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, I’m sure this is all very amusing,” he said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “But I’m not here to waste my time on your ridiculous pranks. We have some training to do here!”
He glanced at his watch again. “You’ve wasted three minutes of my time—that earns you both thirty laps around the Training Room after this morning’s session.” His eyes found her injured ankle hidden under bandages and a boot she’d barely been able to force on. “And don’t think your injury is any excuse; if you’re well enough to play games, then you’re well enough to accept the consequences. Now, if you’re quite finished, let’s get down to some actual training.”
Master Akerman led them to the right edge of the Training Room where a long trench of water ran the length of the room. While it was long, it couldn’t have been more than two or three meters wide. The water was clear, but the dark bottom made it hard to discern just how deeply the trench was embedded.
Along the edge of the trench were evenly spaced piles of smooth and rounded rocks as well as ten wire baskets with straps attached to them.
Master Akerman gestured toward the baskets. “On,” he said bluntly.
Allyra picked up a basket and found that the straps were like backpack straps. She slung it over her shoulders and adjusted the straps so that the awkwardly shaped basket hung, mostly comfortably, on her back.
Once everyone had their baskets strapped on, Master Akerman spoke again. “Given Miss Warden’s injury, I thought swimming would be a good exercise this morning.” He glanced at Jason’s bare chest. “And turns out you’re suitably dressed for it,” he said sarcastically.
“Now allow me to explain. It’s quite simple—jump in and tread water. Then, we wait and see just how long you survive. The only other stipulation is that each pair faces each other.”
Allyra heard a snicker to her right, and she followed Master Akerman’s eyes to the sound. His eyes hardened as they landed on Owen Fan, an American Chinese, who was part of the Fourths from the Elemental College. She’d found out yesterday that he was the older brother of Lin, who’d competed in her Elemental Trials. While his sister hadn’t gotten far in the Trials, Owen had managed to win his. In many ways, Owen was like his sister, or his sister like him—they were both rich, good-looking, and ridiculously entitled.
“So, you think this is going to be simple, Mr. Fan?” Master Akerman drawled.
Owen Fan shrugged dismissively and nodded. Next to him, both François and Xolani also looked bored by the idea of the day’s task.
“Well, perhaps you’re right,” Master Akerman agreed, his voice dangerously silky. “You’re all strong and Gifted, so treading water for five hours should be well within your capabilities. But, I should just mention—I reserve the right to drop rocks into your baskets whenever I feel like it. If your head drops under water, then you’re out. Simple. Now, let’s see which of you is really the strongest.”
Some of the others jumped in exuberantly, but Allyra lowered herself in carefully, and even then, the icy-cold water brought a small gasp to her lips. The water felt like it was no more than a couple of degrees above freezing, and judging by the shock on most people’s faces, they’d all begun to realize just how tough it was going to be to stay in this water for five hours, never mind the rocks.
“What do we get if we survive the longest?” someone called out, their voice already shaky from the cold water.
Master Akerman rolled his eyes. “My grudging respect?” he replied sarcastically. “Why does a prize have to be necessary for you to do anything? Let me warn you now, if you don’t convince me that you’re giving this exercise one hundred percent, then I’m fully prepared to chuck you back in and hold you under myself just to see how long you can hold your breath for.”
* * *
The minutes ticked by, and the icy coldness started to sink through her flesh and penetrate her bones. Every couple of minutes she’d rub her fingers, alternating between each hand, trying to stave off the threatening numbness. She kept up a strong kicking motion, putting in more effort than was strictly necessary in order to keep warmth in her legs and feet. More than most, she was equipped for this task—she thanked Alex silently for the hours he’d made her spend treading icy, turquoise-colored water deep in a sink hole in the Between.
Master Akerman walked up and down the edge of the trench, dropping in rocks periodically with sadistic randomness.
After the first hour, Master Akerman had dropped five rocks into her basket, and it was taking significantly more effort to keep afloat. Awful as it was being weighed down by a basket of rocks in freezing cold water, it was having to look at Jason and his arrogant smirk for a whole hour that really grated on her nerves. Especially since Jason’s arrogance was well founded in this case, as Master Akerman had only dropped a single rock in his basket.
She heard Master Akerman’s footsteps draw closer again and braced herself for another rock, careful not to let the sudden increase in weight pull her under. As another rock splashed into the water and into her basket, she gritted her teeth and kicked harder. Jason’s smirk widened.
“This isn’t fair!” Owen Fan called out. “I have at least twice as many rock—”
Master Akerman cut off his complaint. “When did I ever say this was going to be fair?”
“I thought you wanted—”
Again, Owen was cut off as Master Akerman dropped another large rock into his basket.
“I don’t like whiners, Mr. Fan. I’m the teacher and you’re simply here to learn. Next person to open their mouth to question my methods gets an armful of rocks.”
“But—” Owen refused to give up his questioning, and Master Akerman was as good as his word, dumping an armful of rocks into Owen’s basket, which instantly pulled his head under water. As Owen reemerged, spluttering, Master Akerman shot him a pitying look.
“First one to drop out, Mr. Fan, what a shame.”
Owen scowled and made to get out of the water. Master Akerman used his foot to push him back into the trench. “No. Did I say you could get out?” Master Akerman asked. “You’re staying in there until time’s up.”
* * *
Another couple of hours and Allyra had to admit that she was really struggling. She guessed there were about fifteen rocks in her basket, but she couldn’t be sure since the cold had permeated into her mind making her thought process painfully slow.
She was only one of five still left treading water; the other five had dropped out but were still s
hivering in the water, holding on to the edge of the trench. Also left in the competition were the Fifths, François and Xolani, as well as Jason, though his arrogant smirk had disappeared, and there was a definite bluish tinge to his lips.
“There goes number six.” Master Akerman announced triumphantly, though Allyra didn’t bother trying to see who it was. She needed every shred of concentration that she could muster just to keep her head literally above water.
A few rocks later and they were down to three. Annoyingly, Jason was still treading water comfortably opposite her. He definitely had less rocks in his basket, but that fact failed to give her any comfort. The next rock dropped in her basket would surely be the end of her. The straps were digging painfully into her shoulders, the basket of rocks already threatening to pull her under.
Master Akerman moved toward her, and she kicked her legs harder, dredging up any spare trickle of energy she had left. Jason watched her and Allyra wished desperately that she could wipe the triumphant smirk off his face—he was obviously anticipating winning this round of their little competition.
Master Akerman dropped the rock, and it splashed into the water, showering her with a spray of fine, icy droplets an instant before dragging her under. As her head dipped below the surface, she felt the shock of the freezing water all over again and had to fight against the urge to gasp. She unstrapped the basket and allowed it to drop into the dark depths.
She was out, leaving only Jason and François still in it, a First and a Fifth. There was something almost wonderful about the symmetry of extremes. Both of them had a stubborn, mulish look on their faces, and Allyra prepared herself for a long wait before either of them gave in.
“Everyone out,” Master Akerman announced.
“But I haven’t won yet,” François protested with a sneer.
