The Energy Crusades

by Valerie Noble

  "Hello," I muttered.

  "Hello, Kaia," he said in his deep voice. "I'm going to take you to the Healing Rooms, okay? I'm going to heal your face." I whipped my head toward Ajax, feeling panicked at the thought of him leaving me alone with a stranger.

  "I'm coming with you," Ajax assured me, and though his tone was matter of fact, his eyes had softened and I thought I detected a bit of kindness in them. I was relieved because I was exhausted, and didn't think I could take anything other than kindness after our grueling day. What I longed to do was strip off my dirty suit, take a shower, and crawl into bed.

  We dropped our packs on the cart and followed Malik through the exit and back outside. I guessed correctly when I thought it would be dark back at the campus. There were no Students milling about at the late hour, and we followed Malik quietly across the wide lawn separating the Weapons and Healing Rooms. My legs felt heavy as I trudged after the two them through the large glass doors of the Healing Rooms. The smell of lavender engulfed us while a sense of calm permeated the air.

  We entered into a wide open space lined with beds along the walls, each separated by a curtain. Most were empty, so not too many Students were hurt or ill at this time. In between the rows of beds, an expanse of space made traversing the room easy, but also allowed the beds more privacy. The walls were a soft cream color and quiet music played in the background, providing a peaceful, hushed atmosphere. My shoulders relaxed as the tension melted away.

  Malik led us to the back of the room and directed us to sit together on the last bed, right in front of the healing lab. He left us and went into the lab for some supplies. I sat as far from Ajax as possible and didn't look at him. We said nothing to each other while we waited for Malik, who emerged from the lab with a steel cart containing what looked like several healing herbs. He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes at us, curiosity plain on his face.

  "Is something wrong?" Malik asked, shifting his head back and forth between the two of us. I didn't answer him. After several seconds of silence, Ajax did.

  "No, nothing's wrong."

  Malik turned his full attention to me. He waited, eyes boring into me, until I answered him.

  "Nothing's wrong," I confirmed, somewhat confused by the question. They already knew each other, and I was sure Malik realized Ajax disliked me.

  "Everything is fine, Malik. We've just had a long day together. We fell asleep and we're a little late getting back." Ajax was firmer with his answer, as if closing off the subject for further questioning. Fine by me.

  Malik focused on my face for several moments. While he studied me, I studied him. Underneath his strong exterior sadness was noticeable in his dark eyes. His neck revealed the triangle of the Unviables.

  "This cut isn't bad, Ajax. You told me her face looked sliced in half." Malik kept his eyes on the cut.

  "It was sliced in half," Ajax answered in a whisper. Malik jerked his head toward him, and then back to me.

  "His shoulder had a deep gouge," I informed Malik, in an attempt to get his focus off of me. "And also his head. Neither wound is as bad as it was."

  Malik shifted his attention to Ajax momentarily. I watched as their eyes met and an unspoken question passed between them.

  Then, quietly, Malik asked, "Kaia, did your face heal on its own?"

  My hand fluttered to the cut, feeling the spot where my face felt like it had been ripped in two. The tear was definitely much smaller than I'd originally thought, but was I wrong about the size of the wound, or was it closing on its own? I said nothing and let the silence stretch on, worried Malik thought I was a self-healer, like a Descender.

  "No more so than Ajax's shoulder did." I tried to answer casually but could hear the defensive tone of my voice.

  Malik folded his arms across his chest and tilted his head to the side as he regarded me. "Do you want to talk?"

  "I don't know you, Malik." I could feel my pulse quicken with anxiety over what he might question me about.

  "Well, how about we get to know each other?" Malik went back into the lab and came out with a chair, raised to match the height of the healing bed. He sat down and continued to look at me. I looked over at Ajax, who met my gaze but showed no emotion.

  "You two already know each other," I pointed out.

  "So do the two of you," Malik was quick to reply.

  "Not really," I answered. Ajax said nothing.

  "That's not what Ajax says."

  Malik's reply got a reaction from Ajax. "Watch it," he warned.

  What had Ajax been saying about me? It couldn't be good. "So you already know about me then, Malik. The two of you have discussed me. What more can I tell you?" It was difficult not to let the bitterness creep into my voice. I was most certainly the outsider in the room.

  "What do you want to know about me?" he asked, to my surprise. I only had to think about it for a few seconds. I could ask a lot of questions.

  "Where are you from?"

  "I'm from the Cassiopeia Grid, the capitol. My parents are Trackers."

  Trackers were specialized Crusaders who were able to track people, animals, objects, or anything else they'd been sent to find. Like Athletes, Trackers required advanced senses and rigorous training, and had high energy payouts because tracking often involved elevated levels of danger or difficulty.

  "Do you have any siblings?"

  "Not anymore."

  His grief enveloped me and we remained silent for a few moments before I continued. "How did Professor Baal find you?"

  "She didn't. I came here on my own, like Balor, to try out for her team. My parents wanted me to stay in the Cassiopeia Grid, but I wanted to train with the Professor."

  I wasn't aware he and Balor had tried out rather than been selected, and it was an interesting bit of information.

  "When did you get here?" I knew he'd been at the University a while and wondered if he was acquainted with Tiergan.

  "Last year. I came late though, in the winter, and had a lot of catching up to do. I trained with your brother and Cadmus. And Ajax too, of course." He grinned. "Is it my turn to ask questions now?"

  I said nothing but he asked anyway.

  "How about those wounds, Kaia? Did they start to heal on their own?"

  "Did Ajax's?"

  "I think so, yes," he answered, undeterred. "But it's not fair for you to answer a question with a question." He was full of surprises, the admission about Ajax's self-healing another one.

  "Maybe," I admitted about my own injury.

  "Have you noticed it before?"

  "Yes." I whispered the word, not sure why I chose to trust him. Trust them. My suspicions about being self-healing were easy to push aside at the Athlete Academy. Any healing I needed, Coach Renier performed himself.

  "And your eyes are an unusual color. Anything else?"

  "What is going on here?" Professor Baal startled the three of us with her silent approach. I jumped from my seat and bowed to her quickly. "Look at me, Kaia," she laid her hands on my shoulders and I raised my head to meet her eyes while her intense stare scrutinized every centimeter of my face. Next, she focused on Malik, raising an eyebrow in irritation.

  "I was just about to heal her, Professor," he bowed his head deeply, raising it only when she touched his shoulder.

  "Do not linger about it then," she told him brusquely. "Heal her face and send her on her way. Did you mean to draw attention to this Athlete being held up in the Healing Rooms?"

  "The campus is deserted, Mother," Ajax defended his friend. "No one even knows we're here."

  She turned to her son with the same stern look she held for Malik. "Do not tell me 'no one knows'. Do not ever think to stray against my orders, Ajax Baal. I instructed you to get healed and get to bed, not to linger here questioning what you see in each other. You sent the Teachers a message stating you both had minor wounds. With all of his advanced healing instruction, Malik should have had you both healed and on your way in ten minutes. Is your training not going well, Ma
lik? Shall I heal her myself?"

  "No, Professor. There is no problem. I was simply enjoying their company. They were sharing stories from their childhood." The lie rolled off his tongue easily and he seemed unruffled by her scolding.

  Did Ajax tell him the two of us had been childhood friends or did someone else? I burned with curiosity and reached my mind toward Malik's, hoping to get a sense of what he was feeling and how much he knew about me. His mind, however, was closed. He exuded only a sense of calm, but stole a quick glance at me, as if he felt my intrusion. Curious, very curious. I hadn't asked him enough questions.

  "Get on with it then. Both of you know better than to question her."

  "Question me about what?" I wanted to know.

  Professor Baal looked at me. Her blue eyes reflected the black of her hair, casting shadows in them and making it impossible to read her expression. "About anything," she answered. "All of you must obey me first and ask questions later." She took my chin in one hand and with her other she traced over the cut, then briefly examined the wound on my arm, which now looked no bigger than a scratch. Satisfied, she stepped away and said nothing for several moments, then gestured to Malik to continue, and left us as swiftly as she had approached.

  Malik stepped in front of me and examined my face. He held up a mirror so I could view the cut myself. There was a deep gouge on my left cheek, just below my eye. My insides recoiled at the sight of the large gash. The rock must have flown across my face in a slicing motion, and even if the cut closed up some, it still looked scary. I handed back the mirror and Malik placed a hand under my chin and gently raised my head. His warm hands felt a little rough on my skin.

  He reached back to the cart, and found a needle and thread, the thread nearly invisible in his hands. My insides roiled at the idea of the needle going into my face.

  "Here we go, Kaia. Just relax, I'll be gentle." I closed my eyes and tilted my head up, acutely aware of the smell of lavender and the feeling of Malik's breath on my face. He began to hum along with the music in the background, and my stomach started to relax. As the sound enveloped me, the tension in my body evaporated while my thoughts became happy and serene. Malik worked with a deft hand, drawing the needle in and out of my face. I drifted away from the present, feeling as if I was under a spell, floating with the sound of his voice. "All finished," he whispered while he dabbed a perfecting cream over the dissolved stitches. I opened my eyes. Our faces were almost touching. He held mine as he studied his handiwork, and with our proximity I noticed a small scar across his left eyebrow. It was the only flaw I could find on his chiseled features.

  "See?" he said, "No more ugly." He handed me a mirror and flashed a perfect smile. Sure enough, there wasn't a blemish in sight, just the spray of freckles across my nose and cheeks. I handed back the mirror.

  "Thank you," I dipped my head, showing my respect.

  "Let me see," Ajax spoke up. His soft tone kept his words from being a command. I pivoted my head in his direction.

  "Tell her how pretty she looks," Malik prompted Ajax, a bit of mischief in his tone. I choked back a laugh. No way would Ajax say such a thing. Malik must have known how Ajax felt about my presence at the University and his resentment of me.

  "Am I free to go?" I asked, before Ajax could say anything. I started to get up, not waiting for an answer, but Ajax stopped me.

  "You need to wait for me," Ajax replied, and Malik put his hand on my shoulder and gently coaxed me back down, then folded his arms across his chest while Ajax removed his shirt. Malik proceeded to heal his shoulder without further comment. He didn't hum as he had with me, but simply worked quickly and efficiently until Ajax's shoulder was flawless once again. Ajax's skin was luminescent against the starkness of his black hair. I liked the way it looked and had to force my attention away so I wouldn't focus on the broadness of his shoulders and the muscles defining his back. When Ajax was near, he stirred up all sorts of feelings inside of me, many of which I did not understand.

  "How did you get your scar?" I traced a finger across my eyebrow as I asked the question, refocusing my attention from Ajax to Malik. It was odd the scar was allowed to remain when it could have been easily healed.

  "No questions," Ajax spoke up. "We need to get out of here." He was right. I didn't want to anger our Professor any further. We helped Malik tidy up and he dismissed the two of us into the crisp night air. It was late and I was tired.

  We walked silently across campus to the dorms and up to our rooms. I didn't bother to say anything to him, or to wait at my bedroom door and hope he would say something to me. Without a backward glance, I stepped inside and let the door fall closed between us. Once on the other side, I leaned against the door and tried to reign in all of my emotions. Ajax remained where I left him; I could feel his presence through the barrier. Neither of us moved for what seemed like a long time and I started to fall asleep as I slumped against the door. I thought briefly of laying down right there and sleeping on the floor next to him, the door in between us, just to feel what it was like to sleep again, as I had when he was next to me after the footpath. Instead, I tore myself away and did all the things I needed to do to before crawling into bed and into another sleepless night.

  Chapter Nine

  Trouble

  I woke up the next morning bleary-eyed and unsure if I'd even slept two hours straight. My sleep was fitful, as usual, and the white-haired woman hovered in my dreams, more substantial than a shadow, but elusive nonetheless. Outside my window, the sun had risen over the campus, but only just.

  "There's a message for us on the monitor," Tory tiptoed to my side of the room. It was unusual for me to be in bed later than her, but I'd barely fallen asleep before dawn struck. The glow from the monitor illuminated the room and I nodded for her to pull up the message.

  "Greetings Students of University, Orion Grid," the voice of President Ross filled the room. He was the head of the University, a human, and a highly accomplished Astro-Physicist. "I trust you are all settled in at the University by this time. You've been working hard, studying, and training for your Crusades. As a reward for all of this hard work, the University will host a Social in your honor on the evening of the next full moon."

  His voice continued on, but I stopped listening, my blood going cold in my veins. A Social? As a reward for hard work? The thought of yet another luxury for the Students burned as I began to wonder, where were the privileges for Athletes? My mind immediately flew to Atticus, wondering if he had heard this message yet. There'd never been any Social given at an Athlete Academy, and I wanted to throw something at the monitor to silence the voice promising food, music, and relaxation for these Students, but Tory's face was aglow with anticipation of the event. It was sweet news to her, and I didn't have the heart to dampen her cheery thoughts. Instead I shut myself in the bathroom, determined to hide my anger while I readied for my day.

  It wasn't as easy to shut myself off from the rest of the Students. I couldn't avoid the happy chatter trailing me all around the campus, especially from my fellow Crusaders. The University was abuzz with the news, and the Students babbled excitedly wherever I went. Only Ajax, my resentful yet constant companion, did not join in the merriment. He ran with me, ate breakfast with me, played tennis with me, led me through some complicated mazes along with Caden, and stuck by my side throughout the day, never mentioning the Social. Perhaps he sensed my feelings on the subject, or perhaps he just wanted to hide his own. I couldn't be sure, but it was nice having someone as glum as he to temper the joy of the other Students. For once, Ajax's bad mood was like a breath of fresh air, and most welcome on such a day. Atticus, on the one day I actually sought out his company, was nowhere to be found.

  It wasn't until the evening, as I sat miserable in the cafeteria with Ajax, Tory, Caden, and Balor, picking at my food and growing angrier by the minute, when Atticus showed his face. I'd had enough of all the talk and I was rather put out by Atticus's absence just when I wanted someone to share in my
misery. I felt his approach before I saw him, a hush falling over the cafeteria as he sauntered to our table. There was no light in his eyes; instead they were flat with rage and sadder than I'd expected. We stared at each other, understanding passing between us.

  "I need to speak with you," his voice was quiet but tense, his jaw clenched tightly as he waited.

  "Whatever you have to say to her, you can say it here," Ajax informed him. His voice carried throughout the hushed cafeteria.

  "Is that what you want?" Atticus' eyes never left my face. "Would you like me to say what I have to say right here? Shout it out perhaps? In front of these Students whom you regard so highly?" He said the word 'Students' with disdain, not bothering to disguise it, even for my sake.

  It wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to be away from the Students too, away from their eyes and their happy feelings. Atticus and I were alone in this, alone in feeling an injustice over the upcoming Social, and I didn't think my fellow Crusaders could understand.

  "No," I started to stand, but Ajax put his hand on my arm as a sort of restraint. I would have shaken him off had his touch not sent waves of calm and understanding through my body. His touch was soothing, familiar, and I hesitated a moment. "Let me go," I pleaded, and he removed his hand but his eyes turned a deep gray. A bit of his own anger leaked from his skin, but he reeled it in as quickly as he let it slip and made no further move to stop me. I stood, and followed Atticus. His feelings were not nearly as tightly bound as Ajax's and anger spilled from him freely.

  "Calm down," I begged, as he dragged me through the cafeteria, but he would not be calmed. The Students kept silent and watched us curiously as we passed.

  Finally, Atticus reached his limit. "What are you staring at?" he screamed, at a table full of staring Students. He let his fury explode, reaching out an arm and sweeping all of their dishes to the floor. They crashed noisily around us, spraying food and liquid on all close by, including ourselves. Atticus stepped deftly around the mess, and we made our way outside leaving behind a wake of shocked silence.