Silence of Stars

by Holly J. Wood

  Slade flirted shamelessly with Nadia, all the while keeping one eye on Gideon and Skye. Cypris sulked at Skye’s presence. The only sane people in this Orb were Isabel and Rusty. I sat between them and listened as Rusty discussed Botany with Isabel. He glanced my way several times during their conversation. I turned my focus outside, watching other Orbs pass as I hid several yawns.

  When we finally touched down at the Academy, I was the first one to exit. I speed-walked ahead of the others, but Skye caught up to me, taking my arm.

  “I told you not to say anything,” she hissed.

  My face twisted. “He was waiting in my room when I came home. He tracked my cuff and knew where I’d been.”

  She folded her arms. “He told me if I take you flying again the dance is off. He’s totally mad.” Her face crumpled and I was afraid she was going to cry.

  I put my hand on her shoulder. “He feels responsible for me. I told him it was my fault, so he’s angrier with me than you.”

  “I doubt that.” She tossed her hair, her eyes narrowing. “How long was he in your room?”

  “Only long enough to chew me out.” I shook my head, bugged by the accusation in her eyes. “We should just be grateful he’s not going to report us.”

  “Report what?” Slade appeared from out of nowhere.

  My stomach sank as I turned to face him. He had his arm slung over Nadia’s shoulder.

  Skye gave him a dazzling smile. “Report us if we’re late for class. One more tardy and I’m scrubbing the Flight Deck for a week.”

  “Right.” He glanced between us before planting a kiss on Nadia’s cheek that was obviously for Skye’s benefit, but Skye didn’t even notice. Her eyes were on Gideon who’d finally reached us. She gave him a coy smile before tossing her hair and gesturing to Isabel. “Come on. We’d better hurry so we’re not late.”

  Isabel nodded and walked with her toward the Academy. I watched Slade’s eyes following after Skye and felt sorry for Nadia. She smiled happily; totally oblivious to the fact she was getting played. Maybe I could find a way to talk to her later.

  Rusty caught up with us. “Where’s the fire, turbo?” he asked me with a shoulder bump.

  I shrugged. “Just anxious to get to class.”

  He grinned. “Me too. Combat should be awesome.”

  “You and Harris can go ahead. We’ll catch up,” Gideon said, avoiding my gaze as he spoke to me.

  I gave him an annoyed look. He had a right to be made at me for what happened last night, but when would he give up on this stupid forced pairing-off?

  “You go ahead too, North,” Slade said, nuzzling Nadia’s ear. “I want a few uninterrupted moments with your sister.”

  Nadia’s face flushed pink as she gave him a smile.

  Gideon’s eyes flickered. “Nadia, come with me.”

  She shot him a glare that could have turned the waterfall into ice. “You’re not my boss.”

  Gideon pointed at Slade. “You have no idea what kind of guy he is. I may not be your boss, but I am your big brother, and I’m telling you this ends now.”

  Slade dropped his arm from Nadia’s shoulder and stepped forward, shoving his finger into Gideon’s chest. “Keep your nose out of our business, North.”

  Gideon clenched his jaw. “I’m not going to stand by and watch while you use my sister. I’m warning you to leave her alone.”

  “Gideon!” Nadia stood with her hands on her hips. “Stop this, right now. I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”

  He held up his hands. “You’re right. But you should at least make an informed decision. Did you know Slade asked Skye to the dance before he asked you?”

  My stomach twisted.

  Nadia stepped back, shaking her head slowly. “That’s not true.” She turned to Slade. “Is it?”

  Slade’s dark eyes were murderous as he looked at Gideon and then me. He knew he couldn’t lie his way out of this one. He turned to Nadia, giving her a charming sideways smile. “There’s no one else I’d rather be with, babe. You know that.” He reached for Nadia’s hands but she drew back, her eyes filling with tears.

  “Don’t touch me,” she spat. “It’s her—it’s always been her!” She ran toward the Academy. Gideon moved to go after her, but Slade grabbed his sleeve.

  “You keep taking everything I want: top of class, Skye, and now Nadia. Well I’ve got news for you,” he shoved Gideon back. “You keep taking, and one day I’m gonna take back. And when I do, you’ll be in so much pain you’ll wish you’d never met me.”

  Gideon righted himself, locking eyes with Slade as he rose to his full height. I held my breath.

  The bell rang. I looked around and noticed that we were alone.

  Rusty cleared his throat. “I think that bell means we’re late. Which way to Combat?”

  Slade finally looked away from Gideon but his eyes were still hard. “Follow me.”

  I blew out a breath as Slade and Rusty walked toward the Academy.

  Gideon fell in step beside me and shook his head. “I shouldn’t have told Nadia. I just wanted to protect her.”

  My shoulders relaxed. At least he was talking to me again. “I don’t blame you. I wanted to tell her myself. Slade is such a jerk, but for some reason she couldn’t see it.”

  “Sometimes love makes us blind.”

  I glanced at him but he was staring straight ahead.

  “Rusty is the right choice for you. You just can’t see it yet,” he said.

  I clenched my teeth to keep from screaming. It was a good thing we were going to a combat class, because I had the sudden urge to hit something.

  >

  “I think I’m ready to go back to the Botany kids,” Rusty said out of the corner of his mouth.

  I raised an eyebrow in agreement. The Gymnasium was full of Recruits decked out in battle gear. The instructor, Sergeant Winters, had a buzz haircut and a neck as thick as a tree trunk. He looked like he could karate-chop a boulder in half without breaking a sweat.

  He paced in front of the room. “Recruits, yesterday we discussed the different forms of combat, and now it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for. You are here because you have a background in martial arts, or some other form of self-defense training. During the course of these three weeks, we’re going to take what you know, and build on that with hands-on combat practice.”

  A rumble of assent came from the Recruits. When I scanned the group, I had to admit they looked like a pretty rough crowd. Rusty and I would have our work cut out for us if we wanted to buddy-up to them.

  Sergeant Winters gestured our way. “Your Team Captains are here to observe, so try not to hurt them.”

  The group laughed as Rusty held his hands up in surrender, but I stepped forward.

  “If it’s alright, Sergeant, I’ve had training in self-defense. I’d like some hands-on practice myself.”

  The class roared in approval and I smiled.

  I may have fudged just a little about self-defense training—unless you counted the two karate classes I’d taken when I was nine—but I was desperate. A little combat practice was just the thing I needed to get rid of my pent up frustration. I avoided Gideon’s stare as the Sergeant sized me up. He gave a curt nod.

  “You can work with Farim. He’s our strongest Recruit and will give you some good practice.” He motioned to a Recruit and my eyes bulged. The guy was all muscle and looked like he came from deep Africa. If “intimidating” had a look, it would be Farim.

  He walked toward us.

  “It’s not too late to reconsider,” Rusty whispered.

  I glanced out the corner of my eye and saw Gideon looking amused. He even had the audacity to smirk. I gave him a dirty look and straightened my posture.

  “Farim, this is Captain—?” the Sergeant turned.

  “Taylor,” I supplied.

  He nodded. “Taylor. You will help her practice self-defense and give her any tips to build
on her training.” Sergeant Winters took a step closer to Farim, lowering his voice. “Go easy. Lieutenant Hardcastle will have my hide if I let one of her Team Captains get hurt.”

  I bristled and raised my chin. Sure, I was half Farim’s size—and height. But I did have a few tricks up my sleeve.

  Farim gave a small nod. “Are you ready to begin?” His obsidian eyes held a gentleness I hadn’t expected.

  I released the breath I’d been holding. “Yes.” I set down my journal and quill. I would take notes after class. I double-checked my lenses to make sure they were recording and then followed Farim to a clear space on the mats.

  The other recruits paired off to practice. Rusty, Slade and Gideon followed Farim and me. They stood several feet off, all of them looking amused now. I put a hand on my hip and glared at Rusty. “Don’t you have some mingling to do?”

  “I’ll get to it in a minute,” he said, folding his arms and leaning against the wall with a broad smile.

  “I thought you wanted to try out the armor function on your suit,” I challenged.

  His eyes lit up. “Oh yeah!” He turned to Slade. “How do I get that to work?”

  Slade rolled his eyes and grabbed Rusty’s wrist, tapping something on his cuff.

  Gideon stepped toward me. “I know you have an extensive background in self-defense.” He met my eyes and his lip twitched. “But you should activate your armor too . . . just in case.” He tapped my cuff a few times and the material of my tunic and leggings hardened.

  I ignored his teasing and touched my sleeve, feeling the hard shell-like covering. “Awesome!”

  Gideon winked. “I’ll teach you how to activate it after you’ve been through your rounds.”

  “Great.” I looked away, not ready to be done feeling frustrated. I would harness my anger and use it during practice. I turned and gave Farim my full attention.

  “Where do we start?” I asked.

  “I will attack you, and you will show me what you would do to defend yourself,” he said solemnly.

  I nodded and moved into a slight crouch as I waited for him to attack, mentally scanning my list of advantages: I was smaller and hopefully quicker. I blew at an errant strand of hair across my forehead. Aaand that was pretty much it.

  Farim lowered his head and lunged forward, his arms sweeping wide. I dropped and spun out of the way. He twisted and sprang for me on the ground. I moved my foot out of his reach just in time, jumping to my feet to create more distance.

  “You are fast.” He smiled, his white teeth a beautiful contrast to his ebony skin. “That is good. But you cannot always outrun your enemy.” Before I knew what was happening, he lunged for my leg and pulled me to the mat, pinning my wrists by my head. I twisted and squirmed, attempting to kick him but I couldn’t get leverage. I was a fly beating against a window.

  “What options do you have now?” Farim asked, his deep voice calm.

  I turned and bit his hand, hard. He gasped in surprise and I used the moment to my advantage, spinning away as he loosened his grip. I caught Gideon’s eye and he nodded in approval. The moment distracted me and suddenly Farim’s beefy arms were wrapped around me from behind.

  “Never turn your back on your enemy,” he said.

  I struggled to free my arms enough to elbow him in the gut, but I might as well have been wrapped in a strait jacket. I stomped on the instep of his foot, but his shoe took the impact. He grunted and held me tighter.

  “Do you give up?” he asked.

  His head was too high for me to head-but. I made one last wild attempt to struggle before letting my head sag. I nodded and he released his hold. I turned and saw the disappointment in Gideon’s eyes before I looked away.

  I brushed the hair out of my face. “Again.”

  Farim frowned. “You must rest first.”

  “I’m fine.” I rolled out my shoulders, taking the center of the mat.

  Farim raised an eyebrow and hesitated.

  “Let me take your place this turn, Farim,” Gideon said, stepping forward.

  I glared at him. “This isn’t your assignment.”

  Farim gestured for Gideon to take his place and then looked at me with dark, soulful eyes. “You can learn much from your Guardian. They have more knowledge of combat than we have on Earth.”

  I shrugged. Gideon stood where Farim had been, his blue eyes brooding. My pulse picked up in pace. He looked like a panther ready to strike. Without warning he lunged forward, anticipating my evasive sidestep and grabbing me around the waist. I used my free hand to cover my other hand, putting more force behind the blow as I elbowed him hard in the ribs.

  He let out a small grunt. “Pretty good. But your goal is to disable your attacker. This move would have been better.” He took my arm and draped it across his shoulder. I didn’t wait for him to show me what to do next. I twisted in his arms, wrapping my other arm over his shoulder until our faces were almost touching. Gideon’s breath caught and his eyes flashed in surprise. I smiled coyly, and then dropped and swept one leg under both of his. He fell on his back with a grunt.

  “You mean like that?” I asked.

  Slade laughed from the edge of the mat.

  I frowned and turned to where Gideon was struggling to his feet, hoping I hadn’t embarrassed him. “I’m sorry.”

  He shook his head and straightened. “That’s exactly what you should have done. I’m impressed.” His blue eyes glowed with admiration, but something in his expression told me he’d gone easy on me.

  Sergeant Winters hooted. “Congratulations, Captain. You’ve just beaten the best combat fighter I’ve ever trained. That’s quite an accomplishment.”

  Slade grimaced and stepped onto the mat. “North may have been the best during training, Sergeant, but he’s clearly gone soft. Let’s see how he does against a serious opponent.”

  Gideon shook his head and met Slade’s eyes. “This class is about them, not us.”

  Sergeant Winters raised his thick eyebrows. “On the contrary! I think the Recruits would love to see two of our top Freedom Fighters in a combat demonstration.” He smiled at the answering cheers and turned to Slade and Gideon. “What do you say, boys?”

  Gideon shook his head as the cheers grew louder. Slade clearly enjoyed the attention. He took a bow and strode to the mats in the center of the gym floor before turning to face Gideon.

  “Come on, North. You afraid of getting beaten in front of a crowd?” His teeth gleamed as white as his hair as he sneered.

  Gideon folded his arms. “More like I don’t want to humiliate you in front of a new group of Recruits.” He studied Slade a moment longer, his eyes flicking to me before he shook his head again and walked out to meet Slade on the mats.

  The Recruits and Guardians went wild. Rusty applauded next to me as he leaned over. “This ought to be good. Are you recording?”

  I nodded. The yellow tint of my lenses assured me I was documenting, though I couldn’t bring myself to applaud. I’d seen Gideon in action. I hoped Slade knew what he was getting himself into.

  They circled each other, first one direction then another as Slade continued to toss out insults. Gideon remained silent; focused. Slade struck out first, his fist missing contact with Gideon’s chin as Gideon ducked out of the way.

  Slade’s face twisted in fury and he struck again with his other arm. The movement was lightning fast, but Gideon was faster. He grabbed Slade’s arm and twisted it behind his back, holding him in a headlock. Slade snarled and twisted like a cat until he was free. He danced back and forth a few times, shaking out his shoulders before circling again.

  Gideon remained perfectly calm as he countered a round-house kick and an uppercut. I bit my thumbnail as Slade grew increasingly angry at his failed attempts. Gideon was making him look like a fool without even trying.

  “You’ve been practicing, North,” Slade spat, wiping a lock of hair from his forehead.

  “I thought I’d gone
soft,” Gideon answered, evading another punch to the face.

  “He’s holding back,” Sergeant Winters said beside me.

  I turned, surprised to see him standing so close. He glanced at me sideways and then gestured to the mats. “In all my years of teaching I’ve never known anyone who can fight like Cadet North. He’s a natural, like his father was.”

  I tilted my head, eager to hear more about Gideon’s dad. “I heard he was a General.”

  Winters grunted. “I had the honor of serving under him. Best man I ever knew. And the toughest.” He shook his head. “If you ask me, the whole Lilthe race should be obliterated for what they did to him.”

  Bile rose up in my throat at the memory of last night. I swallowed it down and shifted. Here was more proof that the Lilthe deserved to die, so why did I feel so awful?

  The crowd erupted as Gideon blocked a punch and caught Slade in the gut, making him double over.

  I bit my lip. “How long will they fight?”

  “Until one of them hits the mat.” Winters shrugged, admiration for Gideon evident in his eyes. “It won’t take long. North is trying not to embarrass him, so he’s letting it go a few rounds.” He shook his head. “I tried to convince him to become a Combat instructor but he wasn’t interested. Said he didn’t have much taste for violence. Not surprising, I suppose, considering what happened to his dad.”

  Rusty let out a low whistle and the crowd erupted as Slade took a side-kick to the ribs. He dropped to his knees, clutching his middle.

  “Time!” the Sergeant yelled, but Gideon was already offering to help Slade up.

  “I don’t need your help,” Slade hissed, pure venom in his dark eyes.

  Gideon shook his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for things to get so rough.”

  “And I don’t need your pity!”

  The room fell silent. I was embarrassed for Slade, especially since this was all being recorded. The gym was full of tension as everyone watched the exchange.

  Gideon shook his head. He turned and started walking back to where we stood.