by Jen Pretty
It was high time to find someone willing to help me out, and I knew exactly who to go to.
Chapter eight
“Listen. You don’t have to spar with me. Just show me how to hold a sword and maybe swing one. That’s it. Reg didn’t say you couldn’t show me what you do. He only said not to spar with me,” I smiled at my logic. It was totally true.
“And I already told you, no way in hell. Reg will kill me if I go against his orders and he doesn’t want you trying to take down vamps,” Armond scolded before taking another swig of his beer and turning back to the football game on TV.
I sighed. "I guess I'll just teach myself then. How hard can it be to swing a sword? I'm sure I won't lop anything off." I waited, hoping he would change his mind but when he didn't say anything, I figured it was hopeless and headed to the gym to burn off some energy.
Two more days went by. I spent most of them in the gym. I couldn't sit still during the day. I tried checking out the courtyard garden that I had seen out my window, but it was too quiet there. The guys seemed content to watch TV or work out in the gym in their downtime. I watched them when they were sparring or fighting, but I started to feel worse and worse. Nightmares tortured me at night, sometimes 2 or 3 times a night I would wake up screaming. So, I went back to extreme coffee drinking to stay awake as long as possible.
On the third day, I woke up screaming I skipped breakfast and headed to the gym early to try and beat some of my demons.
The gym was empty, so I went ahead with my warm up.
I started slowly on the punching bag in the corner with light punches and kicks. Once I felt loose, I let go and really started in. I had never felt comfortable kicking or punching people which is why I never boxed professionally. My old boxing coach had tried and tried to get me in a ring, but I just couldn't do it. I suppose I was a bit of a pacifist, but I didn't feel like a pacifist anymore. I felt like I wanted to tear the world down. Maybe this was a new phase of my grieving, or perhaps it was the hunter's influence, but I felt strong and ruthless and violent and angry. I kept pounding the punching bag, imagining every kick and punch and knee and elbow was a fight with a vamp.
As I finally started to slow, I realized I had an audience. "I've spoken to the elders, and you can learn to fight with a sword and a dagger on the condition you listen to me when we are in a fight, and you don't take any risks. This will be just for self-defense, and you won't go in armed until I say you are ready. Armond will help you starting tomorrow morning after breakfast," Reg said before turning on his heel and marching away.
"Thank you," I called, but he was already gone. This was going to be great. I finished my cool down and headed to my room and my shower.
It was not great. It sucked. My shoulders and arms were dying. I'd spent the last hour holding one of Armond's swords over my head. Just keeping it there while Armond chatted with one of the other hunters on the other side of the gym. If it dipped too much, he would yell "sword up, princess" from across the room loud enough to get the attention of all the hunters before he returned to his chat.
I hated that guy so much. He knew I wanted to learn to kill vamps not hold a sword for hours. This was the worst ever.
Another hour later I started dropping the sword. That's when Armond came back took it from my hands and told me he would see me the next morning. That was it. I had just held a sword for two fucking hours.
I stomped back to my room. My arms were like jelly. I could barely open my door; my hands were so sore and seized up from gripping the sword so tightly. I had a scalding shower and changed into regular clothes before heading to the kitchen to hang with my favourite old cook lady and mooch cookies to make me feel better. She had cookies and coffee for me, but my hands shook so hard when I lifted the mug I was afraid I would burn myself. She handed me a straw. "They teaching you to fight? New hunters always use straws," She laughed lightly and turned back to her sink of dishes. Well, at least I wasn't the first one she had seen with arms like noodles.
I refused to give up, and since I was at least holding a sword, I decided to stick it out. By the end of the week, I was up to 4 hours a day holding that thing above my head mostly because I was stubborn. Armond had taken to wrestling the sword from me before I got to the point of dropping it. Also, I think he was getting bored watching me hold the thing.
We went on two raids the next week, but they were small houses with only a dozen or so vamps each, and I wasn't allowed to bring a sword. When I complained, Reg said I would get one when I was ready with a stern look I knew meant he wasn't going to budge.
At the end of the second week of just holding a sword, I showed up at the gym, but Armond wasn't there. I started stretching and warming up, but he still didn't arrive. I decided to do some kickboxing and wait for him. An hour later he finally showed up.
“Hey princess, I have a present for you,” he said smiling and handing me a wooden sword. A literal wooden sword.
“Uhmmm thanks?” I said sarcastically.
“This is a training sword. I had to go to the city to get it, but this will be what you will learn with, so you don’t accidentally hurt yourself or someone else who might be passing by.” He indicated some other hunters in the room.
“Ok” it was a bit ridiculous but whatever. Sword training. Bring it!
"Good. Let's start with your stance." Armond stood in a position that was very close to a fighting stance. So, I copied him. This was easy as I had learned to copy body position thanks to my training.
“Good. Now, to start, let’s practice one swing.” He brought the sword up and slashed it down across his body from left to right.
I copied but was a bit wobbly and awkward.
“Again,” he said curtly.
So, I did it again. And again, and again, until my forearm burned. Finally, my hand spasmed and I dropped the wooden sword. He picked it up before I could grab it. "That's enough for today, see you tomorrow," he winked and left.
I had blisters on my hands that were bleeding, but I didn't dare mention it to anyone. I didn't want to stop learning to use a sword and blisters would heal quickly on their own.
A hot bath, change of clothes and painkillers made me feel good enough to head to the kitchen for lunch. I got a tray of food -Soup and sandwich today- and sat down at a nearly empty table. It was past lunchtime so, most hunters were off doing hunter type things, which was just as well because handling a spoon for my soup was interesting. I had struggled through half the bowl when I realized someone was watching me. I looked up, and it was the creepy guy who had told me to lose my fear or whatever on one of my first days here. Where the fuck had he even been all this time? I didn't know everyone's names, but I recognized all the usual hunters by now. Except for this guy. He smiled at me before walking out of the room. What the fuck. Weirdo.
A few minutes later I had gone back to my soup when suddenly Reg was beside me. He grabbed my hand and flipped it over making me drop my spoon on the floor. “What the hell?” I demanded.
"Why didn't you tell Armond you were injured?" he asked harshly. His eyes were cold and direct.
"Because I'm not injured. Jesus. Back off, Reg." I said yanking my hand back, but his hold was too tight, and I just whimpered in pain as he pressed on my blisters.
"Do you know how dangerous it is to have untreated injuries? What if the house was attacked and you needed to use these hands to get out? Every second counts in an attack. This is unacceptable. If you wish to continue training, you will inform your trainer of every injury immediately. Do I make myself clear, timekeeper?" his face suggested I should just agree with him, but I was feeling bitchy about his treatment of me. He never used my name and always ordered me around. So, I might have overreacted.
"Fuck you. I will do what I please with my own hands, and if you don't like it, you can fight this war without me. My name is Lex! Not timekeeper. Now fuck off and let me finish my lunch," I screamed at him.
He sat there for another moment before rising, tur
ning and walking out. I was now apparently too worked up to eat the rest of my goddam delicious soup, so I took my tray to the kitchen, thanked kitchen lady and then stormed out of the house and into the forest surrounding it. I found myself a big ass tree and started kicking the shit out of it. I shouldn't have punched it with bare hands, but I was so frustrated by this whole situation and how alone I felt without Luke, that I just didn't care. Eventually, I wore myself out and slumped to the ground. Fucking hell. I sure showed him. My hands were pulp, and my soft topped sneakers were bloody too. Apparently, they weren't meant to kick trees. Mentally berating myself for being an idiot and hurting myself for no reason, I just lay back under the trees and cried for a bit. That seemed like the best option at the time.
I woke up suddenly. I didn't have a nightmare, so I looked around for Luke, but I was still in the freaking forest, so I climbed to my feet and started to limp my way back to the house. I heard a twig snap behind me and spun around smashing into a hard chest. I looked up into Armond worried face. What was he so concerned about?
He didn't smile. He just held onto my arms for a moment staring at my face like he was trying to make a decision or figure me out. Then he just turned me around and started dragging me by one arm back towards the house. His fingers were digging into my arm, and I tried to free myself, but he just held on tighter and kept walking. His legs were longer than mine, and my feet were bloody and bruised, so I was stumbling through the woods. Finally, I yelled "stop. Armond. Fucking slow down and let go of me!" he didn't even glance back he just kept going. I decided I didn't care anymore. The next time I tripped, and I just let myself fall. He stopped and turned around. Picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder and kept going.
Ugh. This was more embarrassing than being dragged. Not like it mattered anymore. I was tired. Tired of feeling not good enough. Tired of having so much weight on my shoulders. I just wanted to go back to my boring life where there were no more bloody vamps or arrogant hunters, and nobody expected things of me.
Armond pulled out his phone and pressed a button "I've got her. I'm taking her to Homeland for a couple of days," he said into the phone. I assumed whoever he spoke to agreed, because he closed his phone. When we got back to the house he didn't go up into the house, he just went straight down into the garage, put me in the back seat of an SUV, closed the door and started the vehicle. Five other hunters I didn't know piled into another car, and we hit the road.
I dozed in the back seat most of the way. Grabbed a coffee when we stopped for gas and made myself drink it. I couldn't handle a nightmare right now. My brain was fried, and my nerves were shot.
We made it to the old drive in and parked. Armond pulled me out of the backseat gently and picked me up, carrying me like a child. I was nearly asleep again, so I didn't complain. Not that I would have. I felt depleted like I was too empty to care about anything. Armond walked through the door to Homeland and deposited me into another SUV on the other side before he got in and drove off again. I fell asleep but when the car stopped another pair of arms picked me up. Victors grey eyes looked down at me. I tried to muster a smile for him, but I couldn't. He carried me into the little cottage and Margot immediately started fussing over me. She brought a bowl of warm water and rinsed my hands and feet gently. I kept my eyes closed, but I could feel Luke getting closer. The tension I didn't even know I was carrying started to leave my body. Muscles were relaxing. Until he was there, in the room with me and I finally slept.
It was so hot. Like the middle of summer in the Sahara Desert. I tried to move away from the fire, but I was trapped. I opened my eyes and realized it wasn't a blaze, it was Armond, and he was in my bed, snoring.
“What the hell?” I exclaimed loudly.
Armond opened his eyes and quickly sat up pulling a knife out from somewhere and then scanned the room apparently looking for vampires.
“What are you doing?” I asked him. But he just rubbed his eyes then tucked the knife back to wherever it had come from.
"There weren't enough beds, and I was exhausted," He muttered before laying back down and closing his eyes again.
I looked around the room and found Luke passed out on a mattress on the floor. I smiled and jumped from the bed landing beside him and wrapping my arm around him. "Thank God you're here," I said as he startled awake and then sighed and wrapped me in a hug.
“What have you been doing to yourself?” he asked with concern on his face.
“Nothing. Learning to fight vamps. Slowing time and watching hunters kill vamps. That’s pretty much all of it,” I said feeling peaceful on the tiny cot with my only family.
"You are too thin, and when you came, you had seriously messed up your hands and feet. We had to call a healer to help you," He insisted still sounding concerned. "We need to talk about something," He sighed before looking at Armond. I looked over my shoulder at Armond as he nodded at Luke.
I sat up. “What is it? Are you Ok?”
He smiled a little then, and it felt like sunshine on my face. "Lex, usually timekeepers’ bond with a hunter to keep themselves centred when they have to stay away from family for too long. Honestly, fae can bond with any other fae. We do that, so we don't go a little crazy and do scary things like try to kill an old growth tree with our bare hands….and feet." He looked down at his hands now. I think waiting for me to absorb this information.
"Are you saying I actually went crazy because I was away from you? I mean I felt crazy, but I feel fine now." He was the only person who made me feel like my life wasn't entirely out of control.
He cleared his throat, “This isn’t the first time you have made poor decisions and hurt yourself because you were away from family. That is exactly what happened to you before you were admitted to the hospital. You were self-destructing which is what happens if fae are cut off from their families for too long, which is why we can bond outside of our family. I bonded to Evan, so I could stay with him and train. It's not a hard thing to do, and once we are all up, we can discuss this in more detail, ok?" he frowned for a second before continuing "the elders think you should bond with Armond, that’s why he’s still here.”
Armond had been silent through all this. I looked back at him, but he was just sitting on the bed watching me. There was no way I was bonding or anything else with Armond. I didn’t care what those elders had to say about it. I had Luke. He was my family.
"No," I said before getting up and rummaging through my drawers and closet to find something to wear. I grabbed some clothes and made my way to the bathroom. Locking the door and turning on the shower. I started thinking about how much had changed for me in the last month.
With Luke nearby, I felt complete again. I was strong and could face the unknown future. I felt brave, and I wanted to fix the world, so Luke could come back to earth, and I could show him my condo and my favourite club and introduce him to V. I remembered how I felt when I was in that forest kicking that tree. I was alone and out of control. If that was because I had no family, I probably should go through with this bonding thing with Armond, so I didn't jump off the deep end. Luke was right about my dangerous and erratic behaviour in the six months since I lost my family. I was out of control.
When I was done with my shower, I dried my hair and got dressed slowly to delay facing the inevitable. Having no family on earth was too dangerous for my mental health, and if I was going to go back there and kick vamp ass, I needed to be stable.
I couldn't put it off any longer, so I left the bathroom and headed to the kitchen. I was hoping to find Luke there but instead found Margot with a big knowing smile on her face.
"I knew you would come around to the idea," she said, "I saw how happy you will be once you bond with Armond.”
I snorted “I don’t know how happy I will be with him but maybe I won’t intentionally damage myself if I go through with this stupid bonding thing.”
“You will be happy.” She patted my shoulder as she set a plate of food down “You know, Victor and I
bonded many years ago” she giggled at my shocked face “My skills were needed just like yours, but I’m no fighter. The elders decided Victor and I had compatible magics so had us bonded. We have always been happy. We bicker like brother and sister but always happy.”
This information helped me settle in my decision. I didn't want to be unhappy anymore. I was happy with Luke and miserable on earth, so this was a reasonable solution. I just hope it didn't cause more problems than it solved.
“I’ve heard a lot of talk of these elders. Who are they?” I asked. I really hadn’t asked many questions since meeting Victor. Maybe it’s time to figure out my place in the fae world.
“The elders are the oldest of the fae. They are all a millennium or more of age and have seen the worlds change as you can only imagine. They each have a magic that is invaluable to us. One is a seer like me though he is much more powerful. The elders help all fae and make hard decisions when necessary. They know you will be important to the future of all fae, so they have been monitoring your progress since Victor brought you home and they will ensure you learn and grow to reach your full potential. They watch over all of us like parents watch over children I suppose. They even encouraged Evan to let you find your magic on your own.”
“Actually, it was Armond who found my magic, and he wasn't very nice about it," I reminded her.
“But not until you had poor Luke running at you with a knife. That was never going to work. Luke is too kind and gentle. But you were ready to find your magic,” She said and walked back to the kitchen.
I suppose I was ready. I had never had someone treat me like that before though, and it seemed harsh, but perhaps Armond was helping me the only way that would have helped.
Victor walked in then and smiled at me before walking to the kitchen and speaking quietly with Margot. I saw them smiling at each other comfortably like old friends. I hadn't asked how long ago they had bonded, but they are both significantly more stable than I am.
