Seeker’s World

by K A Riley

  “I doubt that. I don’t like anyone.”

  “You like Liv, don’t you? Back home.”

  “Well, yeah. But she’s everything I’m not. She’s my better half. I don’t need more halves.”

  Callum laughed. “Well then, you should look for allies here. You’ll need them when the time comes. One day, you may find yourself relying on one of the Zerkers to save your life, or they may rely on you for the same.”

  The thought of it was overwhelming. Callum had rescued me, once from the odd woman in the park, once from the Waerg in the alley. But I’d never thought of myself as anyone’s savior, and the idea of it seemed insane. But I nodded, nonetheless.

  “All right,” I said, stealing the now peeled and sectioned orange from his hand and popping a piece in my mouth. “I’ll go crash out with my new buddies. I may as well get some rest before I get my ass kicked tomorrow.”

  “That’s the spirit,” Callum replied with a reassuring smile, taking a step closer even as I backed away. He reached out playfully and grabbed my left hand, pulling it to his lips. When he kissed it, I felt my center of gravity drop, my knees going soft, threatening to let me crash to the ground. I was falling all over again for the boy with the bright eyes.

  “When all this is over,” he said, holding me in place, “when everything is as it should be…when you’ve been selected…”

  “Yes?”

  “We’ll see.” His smile told me he was as full of hope for us as I was, but neither of us was willing to say it out loud.

  “We’ll see,” I said with a reciprocal grin.

  With that, I turned and raced to the nearest door, yanking it open and stepping through.

  The Dorm

  The door I’d come through disappeared without a trace into the wall behind me, and as I looked for it, suddenly I understood why it was impossible to find the Grove. If not for the fact that I’d just been there, I wouldn’t believe it actually existed.

  Distracted by my bittersweet visit with Callum, I started wandering. I must have looked lost, because as I was making my way along a main floor hallway, a girl approached me, chin down, and addressed me. I knew before she spoke that she was a Seeker, by her silver jacket with a small embroidered sword on its left sleeve. I recognized her as the mousy girl who’d shrunken into her seat during the Assembly.

  “You’re Vega, right?” she asked, her voice meek and timid.

  “I am,” I replied, trying my best not to sound cold as I spoke. “And you are?”

  “Margaret, but most people call me Meg.”

  “Meg.” I held my hand out and she took it with a grin that told me she was grateful to discover I wasn’t going to bite her head off.

  “Have you been here long?” I asked.

  “Only a few days,” she said. “I turned seventeen ages ago, but they only came for me recently.” She shot me a look that told me there were multiple thoughts churning through her mind at once.

  “Oh,” I replied. “I assumed you’d all been here for months, training and whatnot.”

  “No. I mean, the rest of us Candidates have been here for a while, but we haven’t done much training. I guess because they knew you’d be coming along…Do you want me to take you to the dorm?”

  “That would be nice, actually.”

  Meg lifted her chin, her smile broadening, and she immediately seemed to acquire a skip in her step.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” she said as she led me down the hall toward a large black door I hadn’t seen before. “People have been talking about you, but the way they talked, I assumed you were…” She slammed her mouth shut. It seemed she’d been on the verge of saying something potentially offensive.

  “It’s okay,” I said with a chuckle. “I can take it.”

  “Well, I just figured you’d be some kind of monster. The way Olly was talking…” Once again, she stopped herself. It seemed Meg had a habit of divulging information that shouldn’t be divulged.

  “Olly?” I asked.

  “You know. Oleana, the girl with the red hair. She comes from a long line of Seekers. Then again, I suppose we all do.” Meg let out a sigh. “She’s super-talented. She’ll probably win this whole thing and get selected, then marry Callum Drake and live happily ever after.”

  “Wait—marry Callum?” I asked, my jaw tensing. “Does she have a thing for him?”

  Meg let out a laugh. “Every girl in this place does. I mean, did you see him up there on the stage? He’s so handsome. When he showed up in my town, looking for me, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I’d never seen a boy like him.”

  “He came to your town, too?” I supposed I shouldn’t be surprised to hear it. He’d probably spent time with all the Seeker Candidates, sizing them up and watching over them as they turned seventeen. Still, the thought of it filled me with an envy I didn’t particularly enjoy.

  “He is handsome,” I said through gritted teeth. “Well, I’m sure he and Oleana will be very happy together.”

  “I know, right? They’d have such cute kids.” Meg let out a funny little laugh and led me over to a staircase at the end of the hall. As I suppressed the urge to gag, we climbed up to a narrow hallway with several doors on each side. “Anyhow, I’m so glad you’re nice and not a monster. I really was worried.”

  “Glad to put your mind at ease.”

  “We’re in twelve,” she said, pointing ahead. “It’s not just Seekers in our dorm room, either. There are some others in there—Zerkers and Casters.”

  “I’d heard.”

  Just as we got to our door, I took Meg’s arm gently and stopped her. “Do me a favor, would you?” I asked.

  “Sure, anything!”

  “Don’t tell anyone I’m not a monster.”

  Her eyes went wide before she narrowed them and gave me a knowing look and a broad grin. “Gotcha,” she said. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

  “Thanks.”

  The dorm room turned out to be remarkably modern and clean. Ten beds lined the two opposite walls, boys on one side, girls on the other. Light fixtures hovered above every bed, rising and lowering depending on the height of the student who used them. The beds themselves were modern-looking brushed nickel, with white linens and storage compartments underneath their frames. The floor was black, polished wood. One bank of windows looked out over the sea. On the other side of the room, a second row of windows looked down onto the courtyard far below where we’d be having our first weapons training session in the morning.

  A few students were already sitting on their beds, either chatting or reading. The Zerkers in the room seemed to form a small clique, keeping to themselves in a far corner. The Seeker Candidates were more solitary, each occupying his or her own private island.

  “Bathroom’s at the other end,” Meg told me as I stood by the door, looking confused as always. “You’ll find a locker in there with all your gear.”

  “Thanks,” I said, noting the white door at the far end of the long room. Getting to it would mean walking by all the other students, and the last thing I wanted was to draw attention to myself. But I didn’t exactly have a choice.

  I strode through the space, eyes focused on the door, which shimmied open on my approach. Inside I found what amounted to a large locker room, on the other side of which was a shower room, then a row of bathroom stalls.

  Like the dorm, the bathroom was sleek and modern with a black granite floor and marble sinks. Everything was automated. When I so much as hinted that I needed water, the nearest tap turned on. When it came out hot, I said, “Cold,” and the tap obeyed, offering a spring-like outpouring of fresh, frigid water, which I gratefully splashed on my face before dabbing myself dry with a plush, lavender-scented hand towel.

  Next, I found the large locker with my name on it, written in delicate, scrolling script. Inside were my various outfits and a glowing screen that flashed images of toothbrushes, shampoo, deodorant, and any other necessity I could possibly want. I tapped the ima
ge of a silver toothbrush, and next thing I knew, I was holding one in my hand, my name engraved in its handle.

  “This place is nuts,” I said under my breath.

  If it hadn’t been for the fact that I fully expected to die a horrible and violent death in the near future, this would have felt like the most luxurious holiday I’d ever taken. The dorm was like one of those fancy hotels I’d seen in movies but had never been to in real life. I half-expected some snooty concierge to burst in and threaten to call security if I didn’t leave immediately.

  Among the clothing inside the locker was a set of silver satin pajamas, which I put on after taking a long, hot shower. As I looked at myself in the mirror, the Academy’s sigil reflecting prominently on the breast pocket, I felt for the first time like I had a place here. I didn’t know where the burst of confidence came from. Maybe it was the hot, cleansing shower I’d just had. Or maybe it was the need to get some answers—about my grandmother, about this world, and about myself. Either way, I told myself to forget about feelings of insecurity and self-doubt. I would do everything I could to come out on top, without worrying about making friends or securing enemies.

  I was here to help the Otherwhere. To fight those who had killed my parents. To make the world a better place.

  Surely, I could stand a little pain along the way.

  I was relieved to see Niala walk into the dorm soon after I’d left the bathroom, gesturing me over to a bed at the far end of the room.

  “Stay close to me. We’ll be bed-neighbors,” she said, nodding down the way toward the other Seeker Candidates, some of whom had arrived since I’d headed into the bathroom. When I turned to look, I could see that Oleana was sitting on the edge of a bed some distance away, staring out a window toward the sea far below.

  I stared at her for a moment, ashamed to remember my earlier bout of jealousy. She was beautiful. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Callum was interested in her. But the fact was that I was the one he’d invited to the Grove. He’d chosen me to spend time with, not her. And for once in my life, I should recognize that maybe I was just a little bit special.

  Rourke, who had turned into a small orange tabby cat, leapt up onto Niala’s bed as I spoke and curled up like a cinnamon roll.

  “So, how are you feeling, anyhow?” Niala asked, perching on the edge of her bed and leaning toward me as I got ready to tuck myself in for the night.

  “About?”

  She gave the other side of the room a side-eyed look and nod before pulling her gaze back to mine. “The competition. How do they look to you?”

  I looked over, assessing the group. On the boys’ side of the room was a young man who was built like Callum but thinner, his limbs longer and more fragile-looking. He had strange eyes that seemed more caramel-colored than brown, and his skin was fish-belly pale. Another of the boys spent the entire time jotting something down in a notebook, which he tucked protectively under his pillow before yanking it out again to take more notes.

  “I mean, I couldn’t beat any of the guys at arm-wrestling,” I said, eyeing the girls on our side of the room. “As for the ladies…” None of them had animal companions like Niala did, but a couple looked intimidating. One of them was taller than most of the boys, with a sweep of short, black hair and a face permanently set in an expression of rage. She didn’t speak to anyone, instead spending her time assessing all of us for weaknesses. At least, that was what it felt like.

  “That’s Freya,” Niala whispered. “She’s a Pathic.”

  “I…don’t know what that is,” I replied.

  “She moves things with her mind. I’ve seen her do it, even when she’s not supposed to be using magic. Word has it she’s not happy you’re here.”

  “Great. Join the club, Freya,” I moaned, my mind veering to thoughts of what Callum had said about wanting me to be selected in the end. How could that possibly happen? Every single person in this room was more powerful than I was. Every one of them, even the most unassuming-looking among them, could kick my butt to the moon and back. Even sweet little Meg was probably going to turn out to shoot bone-slicing laser beams with her fingertips or something.

  “Don’t worry,” said Niala. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

  “Uh-huh,” I said, falling back onto my bed and pressing my head into my pillow. I covered my face with my forearms, wondering how I was ever going to make it through the next few days.

  Training Day

  At some ungodly pre-dawn hour the following morning, we were woken by a woman in a long gray robe who stood silhouetted in the doorway with two fingers in her mouth and whistled loud enough to shatter windows a mile away.

  I shot bolt upright in bed, kicking and thrashing in my sheets, my heart threatening to explode as my mind struggled to remember why the heck I wasn’t in my comfortable bedroom at home in Fairhaven.

  Niala was perched on the side of her bed, already dressed and stretching her arms overhead while Rourke, who had transformed into his ferret form, let out an adorable but slightly terrifying sharp-toothed yawn next to her.

  “Holy crap!” I hissed when the human alarm clock had left. “Does she wake us up like that every morning?”

  “She sure does,” Niala said, rising to her feet. “Now get your gear on. Remember, this morning is combat training.”

  I reached over and yanked my phone out of my satchel before reminding myself that it wouldn’t tell me what time it was. I almost didn’t want to know. I’d always been a morning person, as long as “morning” started at eleven A.M. or so.

  I pulled myself to my feet and walked sleepily over to the locker room to grab the outfit the supply women had provided to me the previous day. When I had my gear in hand, I showered and changed as quickly as I could. Niala, who was still waiting when I came back out, accompanied me to the Great Hall, where we ate a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. I savored it, all too aware I could die within hours in some horrible stabbing incident.

  For the first time since my arrival at the Academy it hit me how much I missed Will. The comfort of his presence, his smile, his constant reassurance. I could have used some of him right now.

  Feeling like a mountain-climber without a lifeline, I found myself looking around for Callum, hoping to spot him in the Great Hall before heading out to the courtyard. His smile was almost as reassuring as my brother’s, after all…even if his presence had an entirely different effect on me.

  As we ate, a series of floating projections appeared in the air above the tables. The repeated image of Merriwether’s smiling face looked out over the Great Hall for a moment before he announced, “You have precisely ten minutes to finish your meal before you need to head to the courtyard. Be there and be alert. You will be working with actual weapons, which have sharp blades, in case you’re unfamiliar with the large family of knives, swords, and other potential maiming devices. Enjoy your first official day of training. But be careful, all of you.”

  With that, the projection disappeared.

  Breakfast helped wake me up a little, but most of the job was performed by the slowly-building adrenaline fueling my body. I couldn’t help wondering what we’d actually be doing this morning. Fighting one another? Shooting at moving targets? Generally making idiots of ourselves?

  “It’ll be fine,” Niala assured me.

  “I’m that readable, huh?”

  “You’re tense. All the Seekers are.”

  I looked around, noting all the students in silver. She was right; every single one of them—even Oleana—looked like their bodies had turned into trembling stone.

  “Glad I’m not the only one,” I said. “Misery does love company.”

  I shoved the last of my food into my mouth and cleared my plate away.

  “Come on,” Niala said, following me to the door. “I’ll show you the way.”

  I hurried to keep up with her, annoyed on the one hand with her speed and confidence but happy and thankful on the other hand that at least I had a guide in th
is odd and intimidating place.

  The courtyard was expansive, gray, and somewhat grim. High stone walls thrust upwards on each side, punctuated by small windows here and there. It took me a moment to realize that the only students involved in our particular training session where the ones from our dorm room.

  “Where’s everyone else from breakfast?” I asked Niala.

  “Probably gone back to their dorms. Most of us train year-round, so taking a beginner class isn’t exactly needed.”

  “So why are you and the others here?” I nodded toward the students who weren’t Seeker Candidates.

  “We volunteered.”

  “That was nice of you.”

  “Don’t get too excited. Some of the volunteers probably want to hurt you. This is their way to get easy access.”

  “Well, that’s great news.”

  As Niala let out a laugh, Rourke transformed into his large black panther form. I eyed the cat, who let out low, luxurious purrs as she stroked his head.

  “I like to be a little intimidating for the morning sessions,” Niala confessed. “If we’re going to fight, I don’t want anyone getting any ideas that I’m a pushover.”

  “You definitely don’t look like a pushover. I hope I don’t have to spar with you two. I’m not sure this flimsy leather armor’s going to be enough to keep his teeth from sinking into me.”

  “If you ever do have to fight us, I’ll ask Rourke to change into a chipmunk,” Niala replied with a wink.

  “Gee, thanks. But he’ll probably still find a way to nibble a hole in me.”

  “Chin up. I think this morning is just about learning to use the weaponry. You need basic skills before the real fighting begins.”

  She nodded over to a long rack set up along the courtyard’s far wall, where someone had placed a series of weapons, including the bow and arrows I’d selected the previous day. “Come on, grab your gear. Let’s see what you’re made of, Vega Sloane.”