Oaken (The Underground Series Book 1)

by Melody Robinette

  Avery ran his hand nervously through his hair as he said, “I know. I’ve been a jerk. You tried to tell me.”

  “Yup.”

  “I guess this makes everything pretty clear. Do you think he’ll change his mind?”

  “Olympus?” Autumn asked and Avery nodded. Autumn had spent enough time with her grandfather to know that he was a very laid back man, but when it came to rules, he was exceptionally strict. “I don’t think so.”

  Avery frowned and said, “Well I suppose we can just…be friends.”

  “I’d like that,” Autumn said with a smile. “But no more calling me ‘princess’ and whatnot. I hate that.”

  “Yes, Your Highness,” he said. Autumn glared at him. “Kidding!”

  After a restless night and an early morning, Autumn moved slowly downstairs to the dining room. She sat at their table and poured herself a mug of honeysuckle cider. Her stomach was too uneasy to eat much of anything so she nibbled on a piece of dry toast. Luke soon joined her looking as nervous as she felt. He piled his plate with food, but instead of inhaling it as usual, he pushed it around his plate while studying the swirling wood-grain of the table.

  When Avery arrived a few minutes later, Luke began shoveling his cold food into his mouth, probably not wanting Avery to suspect that he was nervous, though Avery seemed to be just as anxious. He kept running his hand through his hair until it was sticking up every which way. As he moved to do it once more, Autumn absentmindedly grabbed his wrist.

  “If you do that one more time, your hair will be permanently stuck that way,” she said with a nervous laugh.

  He chuckled and flattened his hair back down. “Well, if you bite your nails any more you won’t have any left,” he said, pulling Autumn’s hand from her mouth. She hadn’t even realized she’d been doing it.

  Autumn was glad they were finally on the same page, which was that they both wanted the same thing—each other, and they both knew that it wasn’t an option. She couldn’t help but notice that the magnetic pull, a constant presence whenever she was near Avery, grew stronger each time they touched. It would go away, she hoped. Surely.

  Once Crystal showed up, announcing she was too nervous to eat, the four of them left for the campus dueling grounds. When they arrived, Autumn was relieved to see that they weren’t the only ones who had shown up early. At least 50 people were nervously pacing back and forth, sitting on the grass with their heads in their hands, or practicing their dueling techniques.

  Forrest, Jastin, and Charlotte came bounding up to the four of them.

  “I saw Atticus talking to a group of Warriors in the Powers Tree. Do you think they’re going to help judge?” Forrest said.

  “Probably,” Avery nodded, running his fingers through his hair for the thousandth time that morning.

  The dueling grounds filled steadily until almost all of the Warrior hopefuls were standing around, anxiously awaiting the start of the Test. Victor arrived a few minutes before 9:00 and came to stand silently beside Autumn.

  Atticus emerged from one of the Training Trees and breezed onto the field before them. “Good morning everyone,” he called to the now packed field, which had fallen silent at the first sight of him. A few elves muttered a greeting, but most just nodded in acknowledgment.

  Atticus smiled and continued, “We will begin the Warrior Test with archery. You will be given a bow and five arrows. Your task is to hit as many bulls-eyes as possible. We will be starting with the elves whose last names begin with the letters A-H. The rest of you will wait in one of the three Training Trees. Last names starting with I-P will be in the middle Training Tree and Q-Z will be in the final Training Tree. When it’s your group’s turn, a Warrior will come retrieve you.”

  At this time a tall, burly man accompanied by a petite, fragile looking woman walked onto the field, followed by ten elves dressed in a dark leather-like material. They were rather intimidating.

  “Who’re they?” Autumn whispered to Crystal.

  “Those are the Quinn Warriors. That’s what we will be if we become Initiates and live through the Warrior Trial.”

  “Oh. Wait, there’s a Warrior Trial too?”

  Crystal shushed her as the burly man, who Autumn assumed was Gregorius Dodge, and the woman, who must have been Alphreda Hopkins, settled themselves down in two high backed chairs behind a heavy wooden table. The judges’ table, which Autumn hadn’t noticed until just then, was situated to the side of the field. There were stands set up behind them where the rest of the Warriors would sit to observe the Test. A single archery range stood in the center of the field.

  Autumn wished Avery and Crystal good luck and walked with Luke, Victor, and the rest of the I-P group to the middle Training Tree, which was only a few yards from the dueling field. The Training Tree had two levels. The upper level had a small window, so everyone hurried to the top. Drake and Luke fought their way through to the window and called Jastin, Charlotte and Autumn over. Victor took a seat in the back of the room, not bothering to join them.

  “I wonder what those Quinns are doing with Dodge,” Luke said as he craned his neck to see out of the window. “Shouldn’t they be sitting in the stands with the rest of the Warriors?”

  “Maybe they’re going to do a demonstration or something. Like a passing of the torch sort of thing,” Charlotte said.

  “Maybe Dodge always has some Warriors with him in case he gets attacked,” Drake said.

  Autumn rolled her eyes.

  “Don’t be an idiot, McMurtry,” Jastin muttered.

  “Well, what’s your brilliant idea then? Why are they just standing there behind the judges?”

  “I think they’re just for show,” Jastin said. “To demonstrate to us what being a Quinn looks like and to intimidate us a bit. We are taking their places, after all.”

  “Only as Quinns,” Drake said. “They’re going to be Tetras anyway, which are the coolest level of Warrior in my opinion.”

  “Luckily no one cares about your opinion,” Jastin said, receiving a punch to the shoulder from Drake.

  “Maybe we have to fight them,” Autumn said.

  Jastin, Drake, and Luke went silent. Autumn took her eyes off of the field and turned her gaze on them. A look of terrified comprehension had dawned upon all of their faces.

  Drake cursed.

  “Makes sense,” Jastin said. “Who better to test our fighting skills than an actual Warrior?”

  “Look, they’re starting!” Charlotte exclaimed, pointing out the window.

  A large group of elves gathered around them, trying to see out the small window. Their Training Tree was situated a little to the left of the archery range so they could see the arrows that were being shot, but not the elves shooting them. Autumn wondered which ones were Avery’s. She watched as arrow after arrow soared through the air and hit or missed the bulls-eye. Few people hit five bulls-eyes in a row.

  Some of the elves grew tired of watching countless arrows fly through the air, so the crowd behind the window began to disperse. Soon it was just Luke, Jastin, Drake, Charlotte, and Autumn.

  “Not very good, are they?” Charlotte noted.

  Autumn stifled a laugh. “Not particularly,” she said, trying not to be too critical. However, she had to admit that her confidence had been boosted a bit by watching the arrows fly past the range, or land on the outermost ring. The last few times Autumn had visited the archery range, she had been able to hit the bulls-eye every time, thanks to Avery’s coaching.

  Just then, a Warrior appeared in the doorway and said, “Elves with last names beginning with I-P are up next. Please exit the Training Tree and make your way to the right side of the field.”

  He reminded Autumn of a worker on a theme park ride.

  Jastin, Drake, Luke, Charlotte, and Autumn followed suit behind the others who were hurrying out of the tree. Victor moved to stand beside her. Autumn’s nerves seemed to have doubled.

  The A-H group was nowhere to be seen, apparently already situa
ted in the first Training Tree. Another Warrior met the I-P group at the base of the field.

  “You are to wait here until your name is called. Once they call your name, you are to stand to the left of Boone over there.” He pointed over his shoulder at an enormous onyx-skinned Warrior who was standing next to a basket full of arrows. “Boone will hand you your five arrows. Once you finish, you are to exit the field and wait in the Training Tree until your next test.” He then left to join the rest of the Quinns, who were standing behind the judges’ table.

  “Tyler Ike,” Atticus called from the judges’ table.

  Tyler, a particularly scrawny boy, emerged from the group and ambled nervously up to Boone, who held five arrows in his oversized hands. The boy was so nervous his entire bow was shaking uncontrollably, and when he finally let go of the arrow, it shot several feet to the left of the bulls-eye. Sadly, his aim became progressively worse. The last arrow landed within a foot of the judges’ table. He walked off the field with his head hung low.

  Autumn’s confidence steadily grew as she watched each elf go before her. Apparently archery wasn’t many elves’ forte. This surprised her because in many of the legends she’d read as a child, elves were experts at archery. Autumn voiced this to Victor and he said, “Archery isn’t something all elves know how to do well. It’s a lost art. The Warriors and retired Warriors continue to push it on their children and grandchildren, which is why some of your friends enjoy going to the archery range.”

  Autumn assumed by friends he meant Avery, whose late father was once the Head of the Warriors.

  Jastin, Victor, and Charlotte had no reason to be nervous because each of them hit almost every bulls-eye. Victor seemed immensely relieved as he walked off the field. Autumn had actually been surprised that he did so well because she’d never once seen him shoot an arrow.

  Drake, on the other hand, only hit the bulls-eye once. The other four arrows were all over the place. A wave of curse words escaped his mouth as he tromped off the field.

  Then Atticus called, “Autumn Oaken.”

  She jumped slightly when Atticus called out her name. Luke gave her a nervous grimace, which she assumed was supposed to be a look of encouragement. She strode quickly onto the field, surprised she wasn’t more nervous. Before the Melodies concert, she’d been almost paralyzed with fear, but she had been unsure of herself then. Now she was confident. She had been to the archery range with Avery, Luke, and Crystal countless times and had perfected her technique. Luke had improved greatly and he’d even stopped breaking his arrows in half out of frustration.

  The Warrior named Boone nodded curtly at Autumn and handed her the first arrow. She tried her best to ignore the whispers of her peers behind her and the unblinking stares of the judges. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the string steadily back and released the arrow. It cut through the air like a bullet and landed with a thud in the middle of the bulls-eye. She let out the breath she’d been holding as Boone handed her another arrow. The remaining four arrows left her bow as smoothly as the first, coming to rest in almost exactly the same place each time.

  Autumn tried not to look too excited as she left the field. She wanted the judges to think that she had expected to make all five bulls-eyes. No big deal. When she entered the Training Tree, Victor jumped up from his seat looking anxious.

  “Well? How did you do?”

  Autumn’s face broke into a wide grin as she said, “Good.”

  “How good?”

  “Five bulls-eyes.”

  His face relaxed and he pulled her into a tight hug. “Good.”

  Luke walked in a few minutes later, frowning slightly.

  “How’d it go?” Autumn asked as he plopped down beside her.

  “I made four bulls-eyes and one on the outer ring. Someone freaking sneezed behind me just as I was letting go of the arrow!”

  “But that’s great!” Autumn said. “Four out of five is really good, and I’m sure they’ll take the sneeze into account.”

  He shook his head. “Not if more than ten people make five. They’re not going to pick me when I just made four.”

  “That’s not the only thing we’re being judged on,” Jastin said from behind them.

  “Easy for you to say,” Luke muttered, “You made all five.”

  Jastin shrugged and said, “I’d be more worried about the fighting test than anything. If you can’t fight, you have no business being a Warrior.”

  “Oh, trust me, he can fight,” Autumn grumbled. Charlotte laughed.

  Bobby Parker was the last of their group. When he entered the Training Tree, he announced that group Q-Z was beginning. A long table was set up at the back of the Training Tree full of sandwiches and drinks. Few people were eating even though it was lunchtime. Autumn nibbled on a piece of fruit just to have something to do.

  “How do you think Crystal and Avery did?” Luke asked her as he pulled off a piece of bread from his sandwich and rolled it into a sphere before popping it mechanically in his mouth.

  “I don’t know. They always do well when we practice,” Autumn said.

  Victor glanced sideways at her, but said nothing. Although she noticed him fidget a little as he always did when Avery’s name was mentioned.

  “They’re starting the next test!” a girl squealed from in front of the small window. Everyone in the tree went silent, listening intently to the single voice coming from the field. Autumn couldn’t hear a word Atticus was saying and looked around to see if anyone else could. Most everyone wore a look of intense concentration, but no one seemed to know which test was coming next.

  “It’s the fighting test!” the girl squeaked, her face pressed up against the window like a starfish on a fish tank.

  The tree filled with noise as people discussed the news with one another. Autumn began chewing her nails again. If she was right about having to fight the Warriors, then this was not going to be easy. Sure, she could fight her fellow classmates and succeed, but the current Quinns had been fighting Atrums and Shadows for five years.

  The girl who was pressed against the window gasped. She turned her head, her face white, and said, “We have to fight a Warrior.”

  Autumn hated being right sometimes.

  And the Warrior Is…

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  A long time passed before the I-P group was called out of their Training Tree to begin the next portion of the Test. When the Warrior finally came to retrieve them, they exited the tree and assembled at the base of the field. Atticus approached the group.

  “We will begin the fighting portion shortly. When I call your name, you will walk to the center of the field, as will one Quinn Warrior. When I blow this,” he held up a reed that resembled a miniature flute, “your task will be to free yourself completely from your Warrior’s hold within one minute. If you haven’t accomplished this within the allotted time, you will simply move on to the next task. In the second task, you will attack your opponent in any way possible until you bring them to the ground. Questions?”

  They stared at him, wide-eyed and silent. If anyone did have a question, they were either too scared to ask or afraid they might vomit if they opened their mouths. Drake seemed to be part of the latter group because his skin was a light shade of green and his mouth was squeezed shut.

  “Tyler Ike,” Atticus called once he’d re-joined the other judges.

  The small boy was shaking even more violently than before. Autumn saw Atticus murmur something to the group of Quinns. The smallest male Quinn, Jack, who still towered over Tyler, nodded and entered the field, stopping in front of the trembling boy.

  The reed let out a high-pitched whistle and the battle began. It was a bit sad watching Tyler struggle to release himself. He kicked and jumped, trying to get out of Jack’s hold, but by the time Atticus blew the whistle again, Tyler hadn’t so much as moved an inch out of the Warrior’s strong grip. The whistle blew again and Jack waited for Tyler to attack him. Tyler kicked and pushed and pulled and even bi
t, but Jack didn’t budge. Atticus’s whistle sounded again, and Tyler walked off the field looking exhausted and disheartened.

  Jastin managed to escape his Warrior’s hold and brought his opponent to the ground in less than a minute each round.

  Victor walked onto the field as confident and silent as before, managing to both release himself from his Warrior’s hold, and force him down in under thirty seconds each time. Luke and Drake looked impressed with this, though Drake was still a delicate shade of green.

  Charlotte was paired with a Warrior named Nyx, who looked pretty intimidating, but Charlotte was able to release herself from Nyx’s hold and slammed her violently to the ground even quicker.

  Drake turned chalk white when it was his turn and just barely released himself from his Warrior’s hold when the time was up, but was unable to bring his Warrior to the ground in the allotted time.

  After Thomas Norris left the field Atticus called out, “Autumn Oaken.”

  She gulped and stepped forward.

  “Good luck,” Luke whispered as she left his side.

  To Autumn’s disappointment, she was paired with Candi, the most menacing looking female Quinn. Quite a deceiving name this was because Candi didn’t look at all sweet, unless she was the kind of candy that was so sour it made people’s eyes water. She had yet to be defeated and was clearly aware of her intimidation as she sneered down at Autumn with a look that clearly said, “Yeah, like you can beat me.”

  Autumn flashed her a defiant look as she stood before her, waiting to be restrained. Candi wrapped her arms tightly across Autumn’s sternum and locked her hands into place. Autumn ran through a list of strategies in her mind and settled on one that hadn’t failed her yet.

  When the whistle sounded, she threw her head forcefully back onto Candi’s nose, hearing it crack. Candi let out a yelp, but didn’t release her hold. Autumn then stomped on her instep, causing Candi’s leg to buckle. She managed to release one of her arms and elbowed the Warrior hard in the ribs. Candi released Autumn’s other arm and she was free.