“Anything else, oh wise one?” Winston asked.
In a lightning fast move, Ethan had the tip of the sword pushed against Winston’s throat. Ethan tilted his head, fighting a smile. “Yes. Don’t ever engage in a fight you know you can’t win. Use magic, or run.”
Winston swallowed and the smallest trickle of blood glided down his pale throat. My eyes focused on it, as if drawn to the scarlet color like a moth to a flame.
It called to me, the blood lust. How I itched to see the Iniquitous slain at my feet.
Ethan pulled his sword back. “I want each of you to spar with me so I can see where you’re at and what we need to work on. You first.”
“Me?” Adelaide squeaked.
He nodded.
Winston and I moved away, sitting against the back wall.
Ethan circled Adelaide on the mat, and fear shone in her eyes.
“Adelaide, you’ve got this,” I called out to her.
Ethan lifted his sword, and it arced through the air.
She screamed and ran away.
Ethan choked out a chuckle. “Well, at least you realized you couldn’t win. We’ll start at the beginning with you. Winston.” He flicked his fingers, signaling Winston to stand and join him.
Adelaide scurried to my side and slid down the wall to sit on the floor.
“I’m so going to suck at this,” she grumbled.
“You’ll get it,” I assured her. “I’ll practice with you too. I’m not the best so I’ll be more on your level.”
“At least you know some things.” She sighed and pushed her hair out of her eyes. It fell right back down and she pulled it back, securing it with an elastic off her wrist.
“It’s easy to pick up. You’ll learn quick.”
“I hope you’re right.” She stretched her legs out. “I feel so unprepared.”
I knew what she meant. I felt that way too. I didn’t see how I’d ever be capable taking on one Iniquitous, let alone an army of them. But I had to get to that point, because I didn’t think anyone else would fight this battle. Maybe it was my purpose, why I was a Chosen One. I wondered how you finally knew your purpose or if it happened without you even realizing it.
That seemed anti-climactic and suckish.
The sound of clashing swords pulled me from my thoughts.
Winston was surprisingly proficient with a sword. I wasn’t expecting that, and I didn’t know why exactly.
Ethan jutted his sword toward Winston’s abdomen, and Winston jumped away, stealthy like a cat.
Nigel would approve.
The guys sparred for so long they were both drenched in sweat when they called it a draw.
“Your turn.” Ethan pointed his sword at me.
“Wish me luck,” I joked with Adelaide, but she didn’t even crack a smile.
I stretched my legs, stiff from sitting so long, and stood in front of Ethan.
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded.
In the blink of an eye he swung his sword in my direction. I blocked it easily, a smile on my face.
This felt good.
It felt normal.
Ethan chuckled and took a step back. “Nice.”
“Thanks.” I took a stab in his direction and his sword clashed with mine.
And so began our dance.
Ethan swung his sword toward my head.
Duck, a voice whispered faintly inside my mind.
I nearly froze from the sound of the voice but instead I listened, almost on instinct.
Theo? I questioned. The voice had been a weak gasp, it could’ve been anyone, but it was like my soul had finally awakened from where it had lay dormant for days.
Silence echoed inside my skull.
I wanted to find the voice, to know if it was real or my imagination, but I couldn’t lose focus.
Ethan and I fought hard, like he had with Winston.
We seemed to glide effortlessly along the floor, neither of us gaining the upper hand, until …
“You’re dead.” I held the tip of my sword to his heart.
He chuckled and dropped his sword to the ground. “Theodore’s taught you well.”
I hung my sword back on the wall where he’d gotten it from. “He tried.”
All the hours we’d put in, at the time I hated … well, maybe not hated, since I got one on one time with him, but it hadn’t been all rainbows and sunshine. It’d been hard. He put me through the wringer. I was glad for it now.
“That’s it for today. We’ll hit it hard tomorrow after breakfast.”
“What?” My face fell. “But …”
Ethan shook his head. “We already sparred for forty minutes, Mara. Your body needs to rest.”
“It was that long?” It hadn’t seemed longer than ten minutes. During the time when we’d been sparring I hadn’t been able to think about anything else. It’d been nice to have a reprieve from my constantly racing thoughts.
He stared at me for a moment, as if puzzling something out. “Yes,” he said, but it came out sounding more like a question.
I shook my head. “How am I ever going to be prepared if you quit after that?” Anger bubbled inside me—anger at Ethan for wanting to quit so soon, anger at Theo being gone, anger at the Iniquitous and Thaddeus and all they’d destroyed.
“Mara,” Adelaide said softly, trying to calm me down.
“Theo’s dead,” I reminded them like they didn’t already know. “And how many other enchanters died that night? Our friends? Our professors? You guys might be content with this but I’m not. I have to do something, and this isn’t enough. You’re not trying,” I seethed. I could feel my blood boiling and it wasn’t good. When my temper rose I couldn’t control my magic as well. The last thing I needed was it bursting forth and causing a problem. “We have to fight and we can’t do that if we’re not learning.”
Ethan held his ground. “I’m done for the day. Feel free to stay in here and work off your aggression.” His eyes flashed with irritation at me pushing him and I guess, in a way, calling him weak.
But he had to know I was right. We’d never get anywhere if this was all we did and stopped.
He picked up his sword from the floor, returned it, and strode from the room like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Adelaide and Winston stared at me, waiting for me to say something.
“Just go,” I finally whispered.
Adelaide hesitated and then left.
Winston took several careful steps toward me. “It’s okay to be angry, or sad, but don’t take it out on us. We’re your friends. We’re here for you.”
I clenched my teeth. “I saw him … I saw him murdered.” Tears began to stream down my cheeks. “Only days ago, might I add. I’m sorry if I’m not coping well.”
Winston raised his hands in surrender. “Sorry, you’re right. Forget I said anything.”
He too left, and I was finally alone.
I sunk to the floor on the squishy mat and lay down on my back.
I listened carefully to the buzzing of my mind, searching for the voice.
Theo? Is that you? Are you there?
Silence.
Theo, please, if that’s you say something. Do something. I’m begging you. Please.
Nothing.
I felt my throat grow thick and my heart constrict.
I must’ve imagined the voice it was my only explanation.
Staring up at the ceiling I crossed my hands over my chest as sadness consumed me. I was so desperate for my connection with Theo I was now hearing his voice in my head.
It was official—I was insane.
I sat up and glanced at the rock-climbing wall. The others might think what we did today was enough, but it wasn’t. Nothing would be. Even if we trained all day long every day, which wouldn’t be possible, we still wouldn’t be ready.
I didn’t think anything could actually prepare you for the Iniquitous.
They had nothing to lose, and we had everything to figh
t for.
Standing up, I headed over to the rock-climbing wall. There was chalk to help you hold on and I rubbed my hands into it.
I’d never done this before, but something urged me on.
To grow stronger, I needed more than sword play.
I needed to strengthen my whole body.
I inhaled a breath and let it out slowly, then grabbed onto the first formation.
The wall was high, at least for a home. It had to be twenty feet tall.
Hefting my body up the wall, I grunted as I worked. From the floor this had looked easy, but now it was clear to me it wasn’t easy at all. It took not only incredible upper body strength, but all-over strength as well.
My foot slid off one of the purchases and I scrambled to hold on, my belly pressing into the wall painfully as I winced. I found a place for my foot and took a breath before ascending again.
I was new at this, and weak, so it took me a while to climb all the way up and back down.
By the time my feet touched the floor I was exhausted.
My limbs were jittery, shaking from the effort it’d taken to lug my body up the wall. I was going to be sore tomorrow, which wouldn’t be good for training, but at the same time this was what I needed. I needed to get stronger and I couldn’t do it by sitting on my ass all day.
I collapsed onto the mats once more, lying on my back with my arms and legs spread like I was making a snow angel.
My lips quirked with remembrance of how Theo had never built a snowman. The ache returned to my chest. It went away for a little while at times, but it always came back.
It was unavoidable; like rain, or snow, it was one of those things that always happened eventually.
“You’re still in here?”
I sat up to find Winston standing in the doorway.
“Yeah, I wanted some time to myself to think.”
It was mostly true.
He nodded. “Jee and Ethan are out again. I thought you might like to know.”
“Thanks.”
He hesitated a moment longer and then shoved away from the door and disappeared.
I stood up and stretched my legs and then my arms above my head. I knew I couldn’t stay in here forever, and I desperately needed a shower.
I headed down the hall and stopped near the stairs, spying Adelaide and Winston watching TV.
It shouldn’t, but it aggravated me they were so blasé about everything.
Life went on, I supposed.
I should have been glad they were acting normal, that Adelaide wasn’t constantly crying or blaming me, but still I wanted ... I guessed, I wanted to know they hurt like I did. Being alone with my grief was a painful thought and a burden I didn’t want to bear.
That probably made me selfish.
I forced myself up the stairs and showered the grimy sweat from my body. When I stepped into our room after, I found two piles of clothes conjured for each of us. I’d had some clothes stuffed into my backpack, but not enough, so this was a welcome relief. I didn’t need to be worrying about what I was going to wear when there were more important things at hand.
I dressed and sat on the bed for a moment, soaking in the quiet.
My mind wandered back to Victor and his final words.
Who was Cleo?
I’d never heard the name before he’d spoken it. It meant absolutely nothing to me, but it had to be important for it to be the last thing he said.
I knew one person who might know who Cleo was, or could at least figure it out, and that was Jee.
But I still wasn’t sure I could trust him. He rubbed me the wrong way, but it could be because he was different. Different wasn’t a bad thing, but in my situation I had to watch my back.
I groaned and stood up, carrying my towel back to the bathroom to hang it on the door.
I couldn’t hide from everyone all day, but social interaction was the last thing I wanted to do.
Ethan and Jee hadn’t returned yet, at least from what I could see as I descended the steps, and Winston and Adelaide were still in front of the TV, but now they had snacks.
“What are you guys watching?” I asked, sitting beside Adelaide.
“Stephen Amell shirtless,” she replied, staring at the TV and absentmindedly eating popcorn.
Winston groaned. “It’s called Arrow, love.”
“Do I look like I care?” she intoned, not removing her gaze from the TV.
I watched as the guy did some sort of ladder thing with a pole. It looked difficult, but he didn’t seem to be hurting.
“I’m going to get a drink.” I popped up. Sitting still was becoming increasingly difficult. I needed to dispel this restless energy.
I hated being jittery and on edge all the time.
It had to be because Theo wasn’t there. Something about his presence calmed me. Maybe it was because he was my protector, or maybe it was just him.
My body sensed his absence, and it was none too happy about it.
I opened the refrigerator, searched the items, and closed it before opening it again and grabbing the orange juice bottle. I poured a glass and swished it around, watching the liquid like it was the most fascinating thing I’d ever seen.
“You’re supposed to drink that.”
I jumped at the sound of Jee’s voice and dropped the glass.
It shattered at my feet in a million small pieces, the sticky liquid coating my feet and toes, some splashing up onto the fabric of my stretchy leggings.
“You have got to stop scaring me,” I scolded him.
“Don’t move,” Ethan warned. “I’ll clean this up. I don’t want you to step in glass by accident.”
I didn’t want to listen to him, but I stood still anyway.
He grabbed a dustpan and brush, plus a rag, and went to work.
Jee leaned his elbow on the counter and his head on his hand, watching Ethan.
Winston and Adelaide peered over the back of the couch watching too.
“You okay over there?” Winston asked with a wry grin.
I gave him an okay gesture. “A-okay.”
Ethan got all the glass picked up and mopped up the orange juice the best he could.
I stepped back and winced. “Ow.”
“Shit did I miss a piece?” he asked.
I lifted my right foot and a small piece of glass stuck out of it. It was barely half an inch in size, but already blood oozed around it.
“I’m so sorry,” Ethan looked up at me panicked.
“It’s okay, just pull it out.”
He grabbed the glass and pulled it out carefully.
I winced at the sting.
“You okay?”
I nodded and hopped up onto the counter, sticking my foot into the sink so I could rinse off the juice and blood.
“Great, now she’s sticking her dirty foot in my sink,” Jee grumbled. “I hate house crashers.”
Ethan sighed. “I had no where else to bring them.”
Jee grinned in response. “I like to give you shit.”
I shook my head and cleaned my foot. I didn’t know how much longer I could stand being in this place—Jee was something else, but I wasn’t sure trying to make a go of it on my own would be the safest thing. Plus, I’d never forgive myself for leaving Adelaide behind.
“Stay up there until I know I’ve gotten everything,” Ethan warned me.
He disappeared down the hall and returned with a small vacuum.
There was the telltale crunch of small pieces getting sucked up into it.
“You know,” I intoned, looking at Jee, “this wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t snuck up on me.”
His lips lifted into the smallest smile. “Or maybe you should pay better attention to your surroundings.”
I couldn’t argue with him there. If Jee had been able to sneak up on me, who else might?
“I think you’re safe,” Ethan announced, and I hopped down.
“How’s the scouting going?”
He shru
gged. “So far so good. We haven’t sensed anyone and we found a good wooded area, away from the city and any people, that’ll be perfect for practicing. I want to give it a good couple of weeks though, maybe longer, of nothing worrisome before we venture out.”
My shoulders sagged.
“I know it sucks,” he added. “But better safe than sorry.”
I pressed my lips together and nodded. I wasn’t happy about it, but he was right. Theo had risked his life for me, for us, and I couldn’t throw that away by doing what I wanted. I needed to listen, and wait, instead of springing into action.
I started to leave the kitchen, and Ethan grabbed my arm to stop me.
“Do you want more juice?” he asked.
I shook my head. I didn’t know why I wanted it in the first place.
A distraction, maybe?
Wasn’t that what everything was these days?
Sweat glided down my face, dripping off my chin. My hair was plastered with dampness and my arms shook from holding a heavy sword for so long, not to mention fighting with it.
Ethan was a skilled swordsman.
He was fast, almost unrealistically fast. I didn’t know how I was able to match his moves so easily. It was like something inside me had taken over and I was along for the ride. His sword clashed against mine and the force reverberated up my arm, making my muscles quake.
I wanted to cry, to give in and beg him to end this, but my stubborn side refused to let me give up.
Ethan too was drenched in sweat and I could see he was tiring as well.
But the question was, could I outlast him?
Adelaide and Winston sat off to the side against the wall watching. I was barely aware of their presence. I couldn’t be, not when all my focus needed to be on this, the next strike, where I needed to move my feet and arms.
I kept wondering if I’d hear the voice again, Theo’s voice, but so far nothing.
It made me wonder if I’d only imagined it before, an illusion conjured by my mind.
The mind was funny like that. It liked to give you things, give you hope, and then snatch it away.
Theo was gone, but if I could hear his voice … it might be enough.
Ethan groaned and pushed harder. He was encroaching on my space, wanting to back me into a corner, get past my defense.
With a huff, I pushed back, our swords clashing.
The sound of metal against metal was music to my ears.
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