“What’s wrong?”
Lilly had let out a loud sigh and told Lyla everything that had happened. Lyla was terrified and told her she should always carry her weapons belt, even though she had not taken hers that morning either, and she needed to be more careful.
“I was actually having a nice time until the end, but I don’t think I’m upset because of what happened, even though it completely caught me off guard. I think I’m upset because of how I left things,” said Lilly.
“You mean with Charles?”
“Yes, I was so out of it that I didn’t even thank him for what he had done for me, I just rushed home.”
“Are you starting to like him?” Lyla smiled.
“No, but it just seems selfish, doesn’t it? No one has ever done anything like that for me before, except you, and I just left him there without an ounce of appreciation.”
“Lil, you’re hurting because that is the type of person we grew up to be. We don’t take things for granted, and we appreciate everything no matter how big or small. You will get the chance to return the favor.”
“How?” said Lilly. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Well, the tournament is tomorrow and I’m sure he will be there. Just tell him then.”
“I can do that,” Lilly smiled. “I’m sorry, I’m being so selfish, I haven’t even asked about your day. How was your day with Thomas?”
Lyla’s face fell and she shrugged her shoulders.
“It was okay, but it wasn’t what I expected it to be. I thought he was going to tell me how he felt about me, but maybe he doesn’t feel for me at all.”
Lyla did not tell her where the secret place was, but she told her they went somewhere special and to the enormous library on the square. It was all too perfect, but there was no spark of interest to see from him. It was like they were just friends having a conversation, and all she wanted was a sign, no matter how small or insignificant.
“Am I crazy for falling for someone I’ve only just met?” Lyla asked.
“I know you want to believe what you feel is real, but how can you know for sure? You hardly know him.”
“I think I should just leave it be for now. Maybe I should just keep my distance and focus on other things, like training, and apparently saving the world.”
“I’m not telling you what to do,” said Lilly. “But I think that is a good idea. It will be good for you.”
Lyla sighed. She wanted nothing more than to be with Thomas, but her sister was right. This would be good for her. She had to stay focused for the tournament, and she didn’t need him clouding her thoughts and distracting her, or she would get herself killed. Tomorrow she would keep her distance, no matter how challenging that might be.
Chapter 10
The next morning started out with its usual routine. Lyla and Lilly went downstairs and had their morning coffee, followed by a delicious breakfast. Thankfully, Thomas was nowhere to be seen. Where was he anyway? Was he with Morgan?
No, she couldn’t think about him. She wouldn’t think about him. It was already proving to be a difficult task, but she was confident that she could do it with the right mindset.
“Aren’t you coming with us?” Lilly asked.
William had given them both a set of Armorian weapons to use for the day, which wasn’t necessary since they were not fighting Demorites, but they didn’t want to give anyone any reason to say they had cheated in the end by using different blades, if anyone would even do such a thing. Lyla couldn’t imagine anyone saying anything. Everyone had been so nice to them and seemed to really like them, except Morgan. It was possible she would say anything to undermine Lyla.
“I will meet you there later. I will be leading the expedition, so there is no reason for me to enter in the tournament.”
“How did you manage something like that?” said Lyla.
“The Armorians know me very well and trust me with a lot of things that go on around here. When something happens, I am usually one of the first to know. Now, go on. You will all meet at the courtyard, and from there you will be escorted to the area where the tournament will take place.”
After they had changed, they met outside by the horses. Lilly already had a saddle on Eris and was mounting her as Lyla walked out of the house.
“Could you be any slower?” she teased.
Lilly was wearing all black, as was Lyla. Today, they would be able to really prove their skills, not only to everyone else, but to themselves as well. This would prove that all the hours they had spent training when they were younger were well worth the effort. Lyla was looking forward to this day. Her skills were the one thing she could count on from herself that would never fail. She wanted to make sure her weapons belt was perfectly placed, which was why she had taken so long. In her mind, if it wasn’t set right it could mean the difference between winning the tournament and losing it.
Lyla mounted her horse, ignoring her sister’s question. They rode in silence most of the way. Lyla was thinking to herself, and Lilly must have been as well. Most likely thinking about what the tournament would really be like. Lyla found herself looking deep into the forest as the horses trotted along the trail.
She saw a shadowy figure lurking behind a tree and stopped her horse. Lilly looked back, pulling the reins so Eris would halt.
“Why did you stop?” she asked.
“I saw the dark shadow in the forest again. I can’t be imagining it this time.”
Lyla pulled herself off her horse and slowly walked into the forest with her knife in hand. Lilly wasn’t sure if she should pursue her––maybe it was one of the men that attacked her the day before––but she decided to follow her sister. At least this time, she had a weapon and Lyla was with her.
They approached the tree that Lyla had seen the shadowy figure standing behind. She gestured for Lilly to approach from one side while she came from the other. Lyla silently counted to three before they ran around the tree.
Lyla was stunned and Lilly was relieved. Nothing was there. Lyla didn’t know what to think. She couldn’t be imagining these things.
“You’re never wrong twice,” Lilly said. “Maybe that potion got the best of you. It’s most likely still in your system and is causing these hallucinations.”
“I am not hallucinating,” she barked back. “I can’t be!” She started walking back to her horse very angry and confused. This didn’t make any sense. Surely Arthur would have told her of any side effects that did not have to do with her nightmares. Wouldn’t he?
Lilly ran after her, grabbed her shoulder, and spun her around.
“Now you listen to me” she said firmly. “We do not get angry with each other. I know you are upset, but whatever this is, we will work it out together. It’s you and me against the world, right?”
Lyla wrapped her arms around her sister and started crying. Everything that had happened, everything that she was holding in, she let out and Lilly comforted her. Lyla hardly ever let anyone see her softer side except Lilly, and even then, it was not very often. Lilly reassured Lyla that she was there for her whenever she needed to talk or a shoulder to cry on. Lyla knew that, but it was nice to hear her sister say it. She dried her tears and they moved on.
Letting out her emotions actually made Lyla’s day seem a little brighter. When they arrived at the town square they tied their horses behind the buildings so they could graze on the grass.
They both walked along the dirt path until it connected to the concrete paths in front of the buildings. They walked along the shops until they arrived in the center of the square by the gateway. Giselle was waiting beside the gateway and waved them over as soon as she saw them. They were glad she was there to greet them because they could walk to the area together. Spending the day together would be a good sister-bonding moment for all of them.
Giselle, along with many other Armorians, were wearing gray and white clothing. It was mostly all leather, except for the three buckles that were lined down the abdomen. It a
lso had crisscross-patterned ties up the sides, and a matching weapons belt that hung around the waist.
“Like it?” asked Giselle, who’d noticed Lyla examining her attire. “It is the Armorian battle gear. We will need to get the two of you some very soon.”
Lyla and Lilly nodded in agreement.
By the time everyone had arrived, there were at least one hundred people surrounding the gateway. If Thomas was in the crowd, Lyla couldn’t see him, but she wasn’t looking around for him either. An older man got their attention as he stood on a bench and waved his arms around so everyone would be silent.
“All right, everyone. It seems like all who are participating in the tournament have arrived. I will be escorting you to the area where the tournament will be held, so if you will all follow me in an orderly fashion we will all be on our way.”
The man stepped down from the bench, and everyone started to follow him. They took a path that led into the forest, and they were heading south. Lyla and Lilly had never gone this way before, so they were anxious as to what they might encounter, even though they were only anticipating more wooded areas.
They came to an area that was surrounded by houses on both sides of the path. They were much like the houses they had seen on their way to Arthur’s house, but they seemed to have a lot of charm and character. Another wooded area was up ahead. Lyla was starting to wonder how far this was. Why didn’t they ride their horses? They would have made the trip in half the time.
After they passed the wooded area that was similar to the rest in Armoria, they came to a large, open field. Lyla’s heart leaped. This was a real training area, and it reminded her of the training arena they had back at the cottage. Targets were set up in multiple areas and weapons were hanging on racks all around.
“These are the plains that connect to the river by Dresden, are they not?” Lilly asked Giselle.
“Oh, no,” she said. She pointed out toward a tree line way out in the distance. “Way past the tree line on the other side are the plains that connect to Dresden, but it’s a very large forest and a long stretch of plains, so it would take a few days even traveling by horse to get there. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I’m more curious than worried,” she said as if Giselle had just implied that she was scared of the Demorites. She wasn’t scared. She had encountered them many times before.
They walked toward the center of the field, passing multiple targets on the way. The grass crunched beneath their feet and was a golden brown due to the lack of water. Lyla had just noticed a man waiting for them past the heads of the people in front of her. He was in a dark blue suit and was yelling into the crowd trying to get everyone’s attention. He was short with gray hair and was a heavy-set man.
“Who is that man and why is he wearing a suit?” Lyla said as she leaned closer to Giselle. Lilly leaned close as well because she was also curious.
“That is Monroe Feeble,” said Giselle. “He is the head councilman of Armoria. He likes to wear suits to show everyone how successful he is even though no one cares. He’s not as bad as his daughter, but he’s pretty close.”
“His daughter?” Lilly said.
“Yeah, Morgan is his daughter. I’m sure you have had the pleasure of meeting her.”
“Pleasure?” said Lyla. “More like a nightmare that I can’t wake up from.”
“I was only being sarcastic. No one really likes her.”
“I wonder why?” said Lyla. “Could it be because she is a complete snob?”
Lilly laughed to herself. “That along with many other reasons.”
When Monroe finally got everyone’s attention and the chattering subsided, he began to speak.
“Welcome, everyone, to the tournament we have set up for you. I am very happy to see all of your faces here today.” Everyone began cheering and applauding in excitement. “Those of you who come out of the tournament as our top competitors will scout the outer border of Dresden to see if they are planning on advancing into Armoria. Although it was over twenty years ago that they invaded earth, we believe they are planning something even greater, something that will affect us immensely.” Whispers were growing louder throughout the crowd. “Now, if you will all welcome William Langston who will explain the stages of the tournament to you.”
Lyla and Lilly were astounded to see William as he walked to the place where Monroe had been standing previously. He had said he was leading the winning group on their venture, but had said nothing of what the tournament would entail. Maybe he did not have the authority to tell anyone about it.
“Good morning, everyone. The first stage of the tournament will require you to shoot a bow and arrow, allowing you to show us how skilled you are with this particular weapon. As you can see, all around you there are targets set in several different places. There will be designated people at each area to record how well you have done, and at the end, we will be eliminating those who have not quite met our standards. At that time, we would like you to remove yourselves from the premises so we can continue on without any added distractions. If you have any questions find Monroe or myself. Let the games begin.”
The crowd dispersed as people went their separate ways to different areas of the field. Four different areas were set up to allow the process to go faster. Lyla, Lilly, and Giselle went to the shooting area on the opposite side of the field. There was already a line before them when they arrived so they stood and waited, watching the results of the people before them.
Three targets were lined up next to each other, allowing three people to go at once, but they still only had one person go at a time. Lyla concluded that it was easier to record their progress this way. It didn’t take long until Lyla, Lilly, and Giselle were lined up together in front of their targets. They were old fashioned hay bales propped up on a stand with painted circles on the face of them.
The girls waited for the woman who was writing down the progress from the last three contestants. When she concluded the results, she had an assistant remove the arrows from the targets. Giselle was the first to shoot, one arrow flying after the other. Her arrows were perfectly centered in the bullseye, circled around one another. The lady wrote down her information and nodded at Lilly for her to shoot. Lilly’s second arrow had penetrated the first in the exact same position, splitting the arrow in two. Lyla could hear excited whispers all around her as her sister took her last shot and placed her last arrow just above the previous two. Lyla smiled at Lilly as she turned around with her head held high.
“Wow, you did really well,” said Lyla. “Although, I knew you would.”
“I’m sure you will do even better.”
“Great job, Lil.” William had come up behind them at some point watching their progress. He stood back and watched Lyla as she prepared herself to shoot.
Lyla took her stance in front of her target and pulled back the bow with the arrow in place. Her first arrow landed right in the center of the target, followed by the second that split it in half, just as Lilly’s had done. She pulled back her third arrow, her breathing was steady and she knew she could hit it in the exact same place. She was about to release her arrow when something caught her eye. Thomas was walking by with Charles, and when he caught her eye he winked at her.
Lyla’s arrow released and landed on the next ring. She heard people behind her gasp. Lyla stood staring at her target. What had she done? How could she let Thomas distract her like that? She would not be able to move onto the next round after such a performance.
She turned around and looked from Lilly to Giselle to William, who all looked completely shocked. Without saying a word, she walked away and shoved past Thomas who was walking toward her.
“Ow,” he said rubbing his shoulder. “What did I do?”
“Just get out of the way,” Lilly said, running after her sister. When she caught up to her, she was out of breath. Lyla was walking so fast it was hard to keep up with her.
“Lyla, where are you going?”
&nb
sp; “I might as well just leave now. There’s no way I will advance after something like that.”
“You don’t know that. Your first two shots were perfect. Will you stop for a second, please?”
Lyla stopped and turned to her sister. She was angry and disappointed in herself. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. She just wanted to be alone.
“What happened, Ly?” Lilly asked.
“It was there. I had the shot perfectly lined up, and then I saw Thomas and I got distracted. I blew it and it is all because of him. You’re right, Lil. I was foolish to think I could love someone, but I can’t. I can’t afford to be distracted like that again.”
Lilly pressed her hands to Lyla’s shoulders.
“Lyla, I don’t want you to give up on love because of me. I know I have beaten down the idea, and I don’t know if it is something for me, but it is definitely for you. You deserve to have something like what you feel for him.”
“Not if in the end, it costs me my life.”
Lyla walked away, and this time Lilly didn’t follow. She walked back toward the target area where William and Giselle were, but before she made it, she ran into Charles.
“Oh, Charles, um, hi.”
“Lilly, I just wanted to say that I am sorry for what happened yesterday. I did not intend for anything like that to happen, and if you were hurt then...”
“But I wasn’t,” said Lilly. “And that is all thanks to you. I’m sorry I walked away like that without thanking you for what you did for me. That was very brave of you.” She gave him a slight smile and he unexpectedly hugged her.
“So, I’ll see you around?” Charles asked.
“I wouldn’t make a habit of it if I were you.” She smiled at him once more and walked away.
After all the competitors were finished with the first stage of the tournament, they gathered in the center of the field where they had met just a few hours prior. Lyla had found Lilly in the crowd of people. She hadn’t seen her since the conversation they’d had before. Lilly said nothing and slipped her hand into Lyla’s, holding it tightly to let her know she was there and that everything would work itself out.
Aftermath_The Armorian Chronicles Page 10
