by Viola Grace
“Naw. I should be fine.” Kabyl hoped. She ate from the tray that Elioth had prepped for her. “What are we doing this afternoon?”
Echo smiled. “Hand-to-hand combat.”
Kabyl chuckled and finished her food, getting up to deal with her tray and get a second.
She would be happy when she and her dragon were sharing the body equally, but that wasn’t going to happen until her dragon could spend more time in the outside world. Fortunately, that was two days away.
When they were in appropriate workout wear, they faced off against their normal sparring partners. Elioth smiled at her, and they waited for the signal to start.
“Switch partners. No one should be facing someone they have fought before.” The instructor was grim.
They split up reluctantly, and Kabyl found herself stranded without a partner. None of the others looked interested in taking her on.
“Mathers. You are with Ambermarle. Now!”
He nodded, and she stepped into place to face him. His face was grim. When they were given the command to begin, he didn’t rush her. They slowly circled each other, watching the way they moved, and then, he rushed in.
She sidestepped but took the hit. A thump to the back of his neck sent him sprawling.
He got up and came at her again. She caught him by the arm and flipped him. Her dragon had made her stronger, and this little dance was waking it up.
“Ambermarle. No beast strength.”
She nodded and went on the attack using leverage and a flurry of kicks around his knees. Mathers grunted as she kicked him, and he called out, “She’s using her beast!”
The instructor came over and shook his head. “She’s just faster and better trained than you are. Stop being a wuss. Fight back or give up.”
He got up and faced her again. “Where did you learn this?”
He struck, and she blocked, punching into his abdomen. She muttered, “My dad. Home is a rough place to survive in.”
They fought for a few more minutes, and then, the instructor called out, “Subdue!”
She kicked out at his shins, and when he fell, she flipped him to his stomach and pulled his arms up in a painful hold.
The instructor strolled by, but he forced her to keep the hold up for a minute before he nodded. “Release.”
She let him go, and she rolled to a corner of the mat. Sparring with Elioth was easier. She didn’t have to worry about hurting him. He gave as good as he got. Elves were pretty tough. Shifters were definitely more delicate. She shook her head and reflected that just a few weeks ago, she would have been the weakest person in the room, dependent on her fighting skills and plain intellect. If she was honest, it was a lot simpler with a dragon on her side.
The instructor shouted, “Ambermarle!”
She scrambled to her feet and stood straight. “Yes, Instructor!”
“Why did you feel it necessary to unleash your beast?” He was next to her, and his breath cruised past her cheek.
“It wasn’t unleashing her. I was just using the strength that she has given me over and above my normal human strength.”
“Really? No beast here is strong enough to put out the energy waves you were emitting passively.”
She looked at him and relaxed. Letting her beast seep into her muscles and bones.
“What are you doing, Ambermarle?”
“I am relaxing. I have been holding my beast separate from my human self, as that is the state I am more familiar with. I am not realizing that it has been a tactical error, so I am showing you what you should be seeing.”
The class was looking at each other as the instructor figured it out.
“How strong are you naturally?”
She stepped forward, picked him up, and held his surprised self over her head for a moment with one hand. She then set him back on his feet.
The class chuckled.
“Right. Well, in that case, well done for keeping yourself from injuring the other cadets.” He straightened his uniform.
She stood straight and nodded sharply.
“How did you come by such effective techniques?”
“My town needed light law enforcement when my father was on assignment, so he trained me to take down a suspect, to do minimal injury, and to keep them able to speak.”
The instructor made a note. “What kind of suspects?”
“Poachers, miners, trappers, and drunks. All shifters and all angry.”
“You did that as a human?”
“Yes. Technique always won over brute force. That and a truncheon.”
His face actually cracked a smile at that. “Right. So, you are good for combat in all stages of aggression. I am assuming that you faced weapons?
“Long guns. They are the most ubiquitous weapon up there.”
“Yet, you faced them human.”
She shrugged. “A job has to get done. I was trained to do it.”
Someone in the class quipped, “How, by dogsled?”
Kabyl smiled slowly. “For over half the year, yes.”
It shut up the person who was trying to snub her means of embarrassing her about her origin. She was actually looking forward to the final assignment. Anyone could use any means to win. They would also be in teams, and training in a team was going to be great.
An hour later, Kabyl was wearing a bra outside of her clothing and a hip wrap that was playing the part of a skirt. Both of the items had been coated and would leave markings on anyone who touched her breasts or below the waistline.
The class took turns, knocking her flat and cuffing her. She met the instructor’s gaze, and she knew why. She wasn’t going to be knocked down like this, but it was a good thing to know.
Some of the guys looked at their blue-stained hands. They grinned at each other.
The instructor had them all line up, and Kabyl stood up on her own. She stood next to Elioth with her hands behind her back.
“Well done, Ambermarle. You can free yourself now.”
At the end of the row, Echo said, “I have the key—”
Kabyl was pissed. She snapped the cuffs and removed the top and wrap carefully.
“Right. Anyone who has blue hands, one hundred push-ups. Now. That kind of casual groping can get you fired, fined, and sued. In that order. Doesn’t matter if it is a high society lady or a hooker. Avoid contact with sensitive areas.”
While he was talking, Kabyl frosted the cuffs and smashed them together to free herself completely.
The instructor looked at the shards of metal on the ground, slowly shedding vapour. “I suppose that is one way to do it.”
Kabyl shrugged.
Elioth smiled.
Eight of the men were doing push-ups, and when they were done, they staggered to their feet, and the instructor picked up the marked clothing. “Hoskins! Your turn.”
“Sir?”
“Suit up. Everybody is getting a chance to be the apprehended.” The instructor had an evil grin. “You didn’t think it would just be Ambermarle, did you? Everybody needs to know what it feels like to have a knee in their back with the cuffs on.”
The instructor must have seen the surprise in the faces of the men and Echo. “Oh, yes. Everyone is going to be down on the ground. And Ambermarle gets to take you down first, Hoskins.”
Kabyl shook off the cold of her outraged dragon and went to stand in front of Hoskins as he finished his dressing. She moved swiftly, knocking him down on the mat and flipping him, cuffing him quickly. “You are under arrest.”
She stepped back, the instructor nodded, and she unlocked her cuffs with her key, moving away from him and clearing the space for the next cadet to work with him.
Over and over, he hit the floor, and it was strange to watch it happen. It was much different than when she had been forced to be passive and accept the rough handling.
Hoskins started to twitch around the fifth takedown. By the tenth, he was cursing, and the final group had to fight him to the ground.
; Hoskins was breathing hard by the time they were finished, and he was furious.
The instructor smiled and said, “Elioth, you are up next.”
Elioth nodded, and he stepped toward the mat and put on the clothing. He managed to make it look natural and not odd at all. Hoskins went first, and he used excessive force. He slammed Elioth to the ground and wrenched his arms up behind his back.
“Hoskins! Fifty push-ups. Now.” The instructor uncuffed Elioth.
Echo was next, and the groping that had happened with Kabyl was a thing of the past. Then, it was just one man after another until the instructor called a halt.
“Sit.”
They all sat on the mats, with various smears of the charcoal or ink on their skin. It was impossible not to wear something as they had all had to put on the stupid gear.
“Now, what I am about to say, I really hope that it sinks in. You are about to be put in positions of authority over communities. Some of the folks will give up easily and enter custody, others are going to fight. You never know which one it will be. The person who was passive the first time might believe there is nothing to lose when you get to number seven. So, act with respect, do not make it personal, and keep your wits about you.”
Kabyl nodded, and it reinforced what she was dealing with. Her beast was furious. The dragon was roaring and thrashing around. She didn’t like being handled without permission.
Two more days, just two more days, and she could let her dragon out. She was hoping that everything was going to go smoothly in the next two days. Her dragon was becoming a major headache.
Chapter Five
When the figures in dark uniforms with the senate crest came toward her, she exhaled in relief. They were coming from the office, and the commander was with them.
“Ambermarle! Change into your dress gear and go!”
Kabyl sent Elioth a thumbs-up and headed to the barracks.
It took her a few minutes to get into her shifting formal gear. She pulled her hair into a bun and walked out again.
The men were talking calmly with the commander, and she stepped up. “Ready.”
They frowned. “You are Kabyl Ambermarle?”
“I am.” She extended her hand, and when one of the dragons took it, she let her frost creep out.
His eyes went wide, and he nodded. “Right. Can you come with us, please? The court requires your testimony.”
“Sure.” She stepped forward, and she nodded to the commander as they passed.
The cadets doing burpees near the barracks might have stared, but they kept working. Elioth knew where she was going and why, but if no one asked him, he wouldn’t say anything.
She got into the transport with the two dragons, and they were transported into town. There was silence between them.
When they got out of the vehicle and walked into the forest, one of the men asked, “Can you shift in those clothes?”
“I can.”
“Peacekeeper Cadets don’t get their uniforms until the final day. How did you come by it?”
Kabyl shrugged. “It was a gift from a friend.”
“What kind of friend? The court needs to know if you are compromised,” the other man asked in a dark tone.
“The diamond dragon.”
The men paused in unison, and then, they smiled and nodded. “That is fine.”
Their path continued until they could no longer be seen by casual observers. They stepped into an open space, and the first man transformed into a beast of solid and faceted smoke.
“Now you, Miss Ambermarle.”
She nodded and stepped forward, shifting into her frost dragon form and then leaping skyward. She made a slow circle while the other dragon shifted, took a few steps, and launched. Together, they turned toward the southeast, and their wings moved them at an increasingly fast pace through the sky.
Kabyl’s beast was delighted. For the first time in weeks, she was able to use her speed and power to the fullest. It was so much fun that she barrel-rolled the first five hundred kilometers. After that, she settled down and kept pace with the two dragons who knew where she was supposed to be going.
They flew for hours at a fast pace. Thanks to Trin’s tips, she was able to do a minimal amount of flapping to keep up with the two beasts running escort.
She was a little tired when the scent of a lot of people, all together, was getting closer. The city had a number of tall structures, and there were occasional dragons flying past them. She focused on her escort, and they dropped down, circling a low building and landing in the yard out front, turning into their human selves and looking up at her.
She tried to slow herself but was still going too fast when she landed, so her human self tumbled to a halt and then stood up as gracefully as she could, brushing grass off her clothing.
“Okay, so, where are we?”
“The Law Courts building of the capital.”
She nodded. “What do we do now?”
“We hand you off as a witness, and then, we go and get some rest. They are going to keep you here, and you are scheduled to testify tomorrow.”
She frowned. “How long is this going to take?”
“It depends on the defense.”
“Shit.” Kabyl frowned. Her stomach roared. “Where can I get food?”
The men frowned. “They will feed you when you go to holding. Come this way.”
She sighed and followed them as they led her to the court building. She wanted to eat, and she only had about ten more minutes before her beast would take charge.
Kabyl was a little twitchy at the exposure to the polished stone, and the bustle of living beings was dizzying. She followed the dragons inside, and they simply handed her over to the clerk.
“This is the witness, Kabyl Ambermarle. Will you accept custody?”
The officer looked up with a bored expression. “I do. Sign here.”
She thought he was talking to her, but he was speaking with the dragons. They signed off on her custody, and there was a buzzing sound from the gate next to the officer.
“Well? Step through.”
She blinked, and she figured out how to push the gate, and one of its arms rotated and stopped her from being able to back up.
The officer looked at her with a bland expression. “Follow the blue stripe, and they will get you a place to sleep.”
“What about food?” She was getting close to being desperate.
“There are vending machines in the hall.”
Her heart sank. She didn’t have cash on her. “I don’t have money with me.”
He shrugged. “Not my problem. Blue stripe.”
She nodded and walked down the hall, patting her legs. She smiled. She pulled out her com unit and made a call.
“Brommin, hello, this is Kabyl. I have been put into storage at the law building, but I don’t have funds on me, and I am very hungry, it was a long flight.”
“Kabyl? You are in the capital?”
“I am. I am here for the night, apparently.”
“Find a place to relax. We will be there in a few minutes.”
Kabyl felt a sense of relief ripple through her. She had friends. They were coming. They wouldn’t let her go hungry.
She looked longingly at the machines and waited for someone to help her find a place to rest, but no one showed up.
She walked up to the glass, and she stroked her finger over the image of the sandwiches. Her stomach gurgled again, but there was suddenly a shift in the air around her.
Eltrinia smiled and held out her hand. Kabyl walked to her and took the hand, closing her eyes as the world spun, and she was suddenly standing in a small teashop. Trin was behind the counter, filling two trays, and another woman was smiling and preparing carafes of hot chocolate.
“Thanks, sis.” Trin smiled.
“My pleasure. I am getting better at transporting using the mental image of people. It’s coming along.” Eltrinia nodded. “Now, I have to get home to lead a tour. Call me
if you need anything else. Nice to see you again, Kabyl.” Eltrinia bowed, and as she straightened, she disappeared.
Trin snorted. “It is a cute trick. She has been working on her dramatic effect.”
Kabyl wanted to speak, but she was fixated by the towers of food that Trin was bringing out.
The moment that Trin gave the nod, Kabyl began to devour the first pretty tower of sandwiches. The food seemed to disappear the moment that she swallowed it, but Kabyl kept eating.
Trin sat across from her and poured the hot chocolate. That disappeared just as quickly.
The woman behind the counter watched with wide eyes. “Were you like this, Trin?”
“No, Niida, but I wasn’t stressed like Kabyl has been either.”
Kabyl ignored them and moved on to the second tower of food. She could taste the food now. There were some with cucumber, some with meats, and others with mixes of the two. It was very tasty, all in soft, fluffy bread.
When she finished the first carafe of hot chocolate, the woman—Niida—prepared a third one and started on another tower of food.
Kabyl was finally able to slow down and breathe.
“So, they didn’t feed you on the journey? Did you get too cold?”
Kabyl looked at Trin and laughed. “I never get too cold. No, I was just exhausted. That is the longest flight I have engaged in, and since I have not been able to shift for the last four weeks, my dragon was a little too energetic.”
Trin smiled, and there was something rather brittle about her. “They didn’t let you ride? They flew with you. I see. Just a moment.”
She got up and left the store; the small bell tinkled when she stepped away.
Niida came around, her cascade of red hair over one shoulder, the tray of food held by the handle that went through the tiers of plates. “Ah, someone is about to get their ass chewed.”
Kabyl sipped at the hot chocolate and nibbled at the first tier of the current tower. “Why?”
“You are one of the new dragons, right?”
Kabyl nodded. “I activated under duress.”
“Ah. Ouch. Did you know that Trin activated because another dragoness smacked her in the face? Eltrinia was hit by lightning and dropped in the ocean, the magic user was outed when she didn’t know she even had a dragon, so it seems that stress is building power.”