ALDER

by Melody Robinette

  “I assume, since you read my journal, that you know I did kill Avabelle. And you also know that I didn’t know what I was doing until after the fact. I spent years trying to fight my demons, but Vex and Vyra had been right. I did have an innate and inescapable darkness inside of me. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try to fight it. After Vyra killed our parents, though, I realized that I would soon have no one left in the world that would look at me like she did—without fear.

  “You cannot know the importance of that until you’ve lived a life full of people looking at you in sheer terror. You can never understand how that feels. Vyra knew I was more powerful than her. She knew that. But she didn’t care. She was self-righteous enough to think that she could manipulate me into letting her take over the Underground with my help. And I almost let her…until she killed my father. My real father. After what happened to Avabelle, I had begun working on healing and restoring bodies that still contained their souls behind Vyra’s back. So, after she killed Rion, I saw my chance to do something truly good for once in my life. I saved him.”

  Victor paused in his speech and Autumn jumped in, “Yeah, that’s great and everything, but what does that have to do with you loving me?”

  Victor pursed his lips, but simply continued on with his story. “It has everything to do with me loving you because, you see, I didn’t know I could love anyone after Avabelle…until I met you. I thought Avabelle was a fluke—that I just thought I loved her because she didn’t fear me. But then you came along and looked at me the same way she did. There was pity there, that’s true, but there was also compassion and understanding. You told me you knew that I was good. You saw the light in me, even when I couldn’t. After what I did to Avabelle I had convinced myself of my evilness. I had convinced myself that I could never truly love anyone without hurting them.”

  “Yes, but you did hurt me, Victor,” Autumn returned. “Or do you not remember? You left bruises on my neck for weeks after you nearly strangled me.”

  “But I fought back,” Victor said, leaning forward now to emphasize the importance of his statement. “I fought back, Autumn. My darkness took over for a moment, and I hate that, and I know how horrible it was, but you can’t understand how much power it took for me to fight back. I didn’t know what was happening, but I knew it wasn’t good and that I had to protect you. I couldn’t lose you too. So, I fought back. And, for the first time, I won.”

  “And the fact that you indirectly killed hundreds of people, or watched and did nothing as Vyra did? Including my grandfather!” Autumn was getting heated now, and it wasn’t because of the fire.

  “It was either the king or your brother, Autumn,” Victor said with the hint of a growl. “Luke was next on Vyra’s list. Had I not suggested we kill the king first, you would have lost the one person you care most about in the world. The trade-off was the death of the king.”

  “Why did there even have to be a trade-off?” Autumn shouted. “You could have killed Vyra before any of that happened. If you wanted to good so bad, then you would have stopped her sooner!”

  “She was my sister. My last blood relative.”

  “She was evil.”

  “If Luke turned out to be evil, would you still love him?” Victor challenged.

  Autumn’s eyes narrowed to thin slits. “Luke would never even think of doing what Vyra did.”

  “But if he did, would you be able to kill him that easily? Simply because he was evil?”

  She didn’t answer this question because she knew Luke could never do anything bad enough to make her not love him. So she moved past that and pointed out the obvious. “But you killed Vyra anyway, Victor. Why not just do it sooner?”

  “I may be an Ellock, Autumn, but I cannot see the future. I had no way of knowing I was going to do what I did. I still can’t believe I did it. That was the first murder I’ve committed in my right mind.”

  “You mean, the first murder you’ve directly committed. Your Shadows have killed many more on your orders, including two of my best friends.”

  “On Vyra’s orders, actually,” Victor clarified. “She ordered them to kill any and all elves that lived in the kingdom and died before I could force her to revoke this order.”

  “Can’t you just overrule it?”

  “What do you think I’ve been doing since the moment you arrived here?”

  “Ah, right, which brings me to the age-old question of ‘why in the hell did you bring me here anyway?’” Autumn said for the thousandth time, crossing her arms.

  “Is it not obvious?”

  “Because you love me, sure,” Autumn said mockingly, “but that can’t be the only reason.”

  Victor’s jaw tightened at the way in which Autumn had said he loved her. “That, and because you make me better. You make me good. I was the absolute best version of myself when I was with you all those months ago, before I ruined everything. I like who I am with you, and I like who I’m not. I feel that, as long as I have you near, I can be who you once thought I was, and all of the killing can stop. Because of you.”

  Autumn’s eyes widened, and the rigid straightness in her spine relaxed as she let out a staggered breath. “Oh.”

  Of all the things Victor had said, these words struck Autumn the greatest, the deepest, to her very core. Because, above all things, this she could actually understand. This was something with which she could empathize. This she could wrap her head around. And, for the first time since she arrived, she felt like she had some sort of purpose again.

  28

  Earth-Mover and Teleporter

  LUKE was so anxious his hands were shaking. It was the morning of the First Annual Warrior Test, and he felt nearly as nervous as he had when he'd been the one competing to become a Warrior. Well, maybe not that nervous. But there was still quite a lot riding on this. It was because of his new law that this was even happening, and if it went badly, it would almost surely prove his ineptness as a ruler.

  “Stop worrying,” Crystal said, kissing him lightly on the cheek. “It’s going to be great. You’ll see.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Luke grumbled.

  “Don’t be such a grump,” she sang, grasping his hand and pulling him from his throne, which he had taken to sitting in just to feel like he was doing something kingly. It didn’t really help that much, if at all.

  When Luke and Crystal arrived at the Training Grounds, they went to stand beside the rest of the Warriors and Casters that would be involved in the Test. The remainder of the Warriors sat, looking unnecessarily put out, in rows of raised seats behind them. It felt strange to Luke, being on the other side of things this time around. The number of elves competing this year was only about a third of last year’s turn out. Luke assumed this had to do with the fact that, after the numerous attacks and battles on their home turf, these young elves had seen just how much Warriors had to go through and what was expected of them. It was no longer just the “cool” thing to do. They could actually die.

  Most of the ones that were there, though, looked determined and ready, standing tall with their hands perched confidently on their hips and their chins in the air. They were going to have to be ready, because this was essentially both their Warrior Test and Trial, as Atticus had decided that they didn’t have time to set up a Warrior Trial. They would just have to train the two Initiates and then they’d be thrown into fighting, which was why they had to pick the best of the best today. Because of the small turnout, there would only be one group of elves to put through the Test, unlike the three massive groups Luke had competed against.

  Atticus stood from his seated position at the table next to the Head of Aspen Academy, Alphreda Hopkins, and the Head Warrior, Gregorius Dodge, both of whom looked rather disapproving of this whole event. Well, in Luke’s most humble opinion, they were just going to have to get the hell over it. Things were changing—with or without them.

  “Welcome to the first Annual Warrior Test, young elves,” Atticus began. “I hope y
ou understand and appreciate how extraordinary this occasion is and how fortunate you are to be among the first elves involved. As I am sure most of you are aware, our new leader, Luke Oaken, has changed the laws regarding how Warriors are to be chosen. Rather than reap ten Warriors every five years, we will now be choosing only two Warriors every year. You will also no longer be grouped as Quinns or Tetras or so on. You will simply be Warriors. Don’t worry, there will still be a Warrior Ball, initiating you and acknowledging retiring Warriors, though there will no longer be a Partner Dance. You are each other’s partners from this point on, and you must learn to work together whether you are ‘compatible’ or not.

  “Before now, we put too much importance on labels, and not enough on unification. As much as you can learn from the elder Warriors, they too can learn from you. As young elves, you have fresh ideas, new techniques, and open minds. Elders need to be reminded of what that was like sometimes.” As he said this, he glanced over at the other Warriors, who shuffled restlessly in their seats, not making eye contact with Atticus. “So, let’s begin, shall we? The first portion of the Test will be the archery component.”

  Luke and the rest of the established Warriors watched in slight awe as each young elf took their turn shooting the targets the Casters had enchanted to move about the training field. These young elves were good. Really good. Much better, Luke had to admit, than he had been during his Warrior Test. But, then, there had been many more elves who had been much less talented that were competing against him and boosting his ego. He had no clue who to consider for the Initiates because, in a crowd full of talent, no one really stood out. No one, that was, until Anna Smith and Tyler Tennant stepped forward.

  It wasn’t that they were particularly better than all of the others because nearly half of the group was able to hit the bulls-eye on each moving target without breaking a sweat. But these two elves were different in that they exuded the confidence necessary to become a Warrior. There was also knowledge there, though. And wisdom. As if they had lived a thousand lives before this one. This wasn’t just another game to show off their abilities. They wanted this, and they wanted it for a purpose. Energy radiated off of them, and when it was their turn, Luke felt the mood shift, the attention of the others focused on each of them.

  Anna was thin and lithe, the perfect stature for a Warrior. Her short cropped jet-black hair swept across her forehead with a streak of blue running through. Her mahogany eyes flitted over to the Warriors and a small, knowing smile lit her features before she annihilated every last moving target.

  When Anna left the field, she went off to sit on her own, awaiting the next round by—and Luke laughed at this—reading a book. He was strongly reminded of pre-Underground Autumn and felt his heart tug a little. Maybe that was why he saw something in this girl.

  Tyler Tennant was next to go. Luke hadn’t expected to see another elf who impressed him nearly as much as Anna. But, when Tyler walked onto the field, there was that same energy about him that hinted at an aged mind in a young body. He moved his golden brown hair off of his forehead with the back of his hand before setting up his bow. Each arrow cut through the air, fixing itself in the center of the bulls-eye as if the arrow and target were magnetically connected and there was nowhere else it could have possibly gone.

  Tyler’s face broke into a genuine smile, showing that he had the light-heartedness Warriors needed to get through the toughest of battles with the ability to laugh on the other side.

  “Oh, I like him,” Crystal said thoughtfully from beside Luke.

  “Yeah?” Luke said.

  Crystal nodded. “He reminds me of Forrest a little bit.”

  Luke looked back to Tyler, who was now with his friends doing some strange sort of dance that was definitely Forrest-like.

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Luke admitted with a chuckle.

  The remainder of the elves took their turns, but none of them had that thing that Luke had seen in Anna and Tyler. He tried to reserve his judgment until after the next round.

  “Well done, everyone,” Atticus called out to the group of young elves. “I can see a definite improvement in archery skills since last year. The next round will be two-fold. You will be assigned a Warrior to fight off without your Power, and then you will be given two more Warriors and a Caster to fight with your Power. This is your last chance to show us what you’re capable of. Impress us.”

  The watching competitors shuffled their feet nervously, some exchanging determined glances. Tyler said something out of the corner of his mouth to his friends, who burst into laughter. Anna continued reading her book in the shade of an old oak, seemingly unconcerned about the upcoming challenge.

  The talent was diverse and impressive. Luke was punched by one little girl in the jaw, tackled by a boy who was about five times wider than him, and pummeled by a kid who would put any Outsider quarterback to shame. He had hoped to be paired with Anna or Tyler, but they got Willow and Jack. Each putting up a notable fight and ultimately defeating their given Warriors.

  When the Powers portion came around, Atticus called for Luke and Ember to join Willow, along with the flashy Caster, Leon, on the field with Anna. Not sure what to expect from this badass book reader, Luke crouched into his fighting stance with anticipation. Atticus sounded the beginning of the round and Luke immediately felt the ground beneath his feet shudder and shoot upwards with him still on it. He fell to his knees and clutched at the soil, looking to his right to see a surprised Ember doing the same on another pillar of earth. They stopped moving upwards when they were nearly level with the tops of the surrounding trees.

  “What the hell was that?” Ember shouted.

  Luke laughed, more impressed than aggravated. “She can manipulate the earth!”

  “What, is she just keeping us up here until—” Ember was cut off mid-sentence as her column of earth shot downwards, eliciting a high-pitched squeal Luke was sure he’d never heard from the fiery redhead before, which made him like this Anna girl even more.

  When Luke’s pillar retreated into the ground, he had his Power ready before Anna could pounce, aiming a gust of wind at her, which she avoided by opening a hole in the field and falling downwards. Seconds later, Luke was being pulled to the ground from behind. Apparently, Anna had burrowed a hole and reappeared without him knowing. He wasn’t even mad. He was impressed.

  “Well done,” he said with a chuckle, high-fiving Anna, who gave him a small smirk before shaking the dirt from her hair and strolling off the field to her spot beneath the tree.

  “Wow,” Crystal said when Luke returned to stand beside her, covered in soil and grass.

  “I know!” he said with enthusiasm.

  Luke was so busy giving Crystal a play-by-play off what she had obviously just seen that he missed Tyler taking down Jack in less than ten seconds.

  “Holy petalsies,” Crystal whispered.

  “I know!” Luke said, still going on about Anna.

  “No, look,” she said, reaching up, grasping his chin, and turning his face to the field.

  Tyler was dusting himself off, and Jack was gaping up at him in disbelief.

  “Dammit, what did I just miss?”

  “Epicness,” Kyndel muttered from Luke’s other side.

  Atticus called for Crystal and Edric to enter the field then, along with Wyx. Luke could tell Crystal’s leg was bothering her from fighting on it all day, but she was pushing through it.

  “Crys, are you sure you wanna—” Luke began to protest but stopped when he received a piercing glare from her.

  “I’m fine, Luke.”

  He held his hands up in defense. “Okay. Just checking…”

  Tyler Tennant was already in his fighting stance and, strangely, he didn’t move as the three Warriors came charging at him and Wyx began brewing a spell in the air to throw his way. As the Warriors and heat wave of a spell came within inches of him, Tyler disappeared and reappeared several feet away.

  “Ah, man. He can teleport!”
Luke exclaimed to no one in particular. He had been quite a science fiction buff before traveling to the Underground, so this Power was obviously insanely cool, and he was more than just a little bit jealous.

  The three Warriors who had been assailing Tyler only moments before, crashed into each other, looking confused. Wyx’s spell soared uselessly over their heads. Tyler took this time to pounce on Jack and pin him to the ground, essentially getting him “out.” Wyx, Crystal, and Edric were onto him now, though, and stayed back to back, watching him blink in and out of existence. He reappeared right in front of Edric, causing the big blond to jump backward in surprise and knock Crystal to the ground, her false leg cracking under the weight.

  Tyler stopped all attempts at pinning Edric and immediately went to Crystal’s side.

  “I’m so sorry. Are you—?”

  “I’m fine,” Crystal snapped in annoyance, though Luke figured it was more from embarrassment than anger towards Tyler.

  Zane rushed onto the field to help Wyx repair Crystal’s leg, which took them less than a minute. Crystal was up and walking soon after, but Atticus asked her to sit out and called for Jastin to take her place. Positively fuming, Crystal came to stand beside Luke with pursed lips and crossed arms, her cheeks a flaming red.

  Jastin moved onto the field looking more like a zombie than Avery. Luke didn’t know which one of them was in more pain or which situation was worse. Both seemed almost unbearable. Plus, Avery had lost his own sister a few years previously. Luke couldn’t imagine how he would be able to handle losing Autumn and Crystal. He reached over then and grasped her hand tightly. She squeezed back, though she was still clearly pissed about having to sit out because of her leg.