Following his instructions, I slid it up slowly, continually adjusting, until finally, it balanced evenly, just as he’d said. He gave me a nod of approval. “That’s where you should hold it each time.”
He moved to my side. In such close proximity, I again became acutely aware of how tall he truly was. He towered over me by half a foot at least and I was no shrimp.
“You’re also not holding the spear tightly enough. You need to have a firm grasp.” Lifting a hand, he placed it over the one I clutched around the wooden shaft and squeezed. I had no choice but to tighten my grip or otherwise have my fingers crushed under his forceful grasp.
Lifting my right arm behind my head, he pushed down gently so it now bent slightly at the elbow.
“There. That’s the way you need to keep your arm angled when throwing the spear. And as you launch it towards the target, pivot yourself. Move with the spear. Pretend it is a part of your body, right up until you release it. You move the direction the spear is moving.”
His words were beginning to make sense. The spear felt much less like a foreign object now and I was beginning to grow more comfortable holding it.
“Practice just swinging your body forward, but don’t let it go yet. Just repeat the movements.”
Over and over, I moved my body as if about to launch the spear into the air. After what seemed like an endless amount of repetitions, he nodded approvingly, apparently satisfied with whatever progress I made.
“Okay, you’re ready. Throw it.”
I paused for a moment, surprised there weren’t any more instructions beforehand, and glanced up. He stood there, clearly waiting for me to send it sailing through the air. His arms were crossed in front of his chest again, cobalt eyes staring back at me and he didn’t move. A cold chill washed over me and I lowered my eyes, trying to shake the feeling. I wasn’t fearful of him anymore. At least, I didn’t think I was. But the moments when he looked at me like that. With that unreadable stare.
They brought me back to that sword fight.
Brought me back to the moment I felt I was staring into the blue eyes of a cold-blooded killer.
I knew the fear I felt on the inside was showing on my face. His stance changed immediately, and Coal dropped his arms, concern now growing apparent in those blue eyes. “Sage? Are you okay?”
And just like that, the fear, the nervousness, dissipated.
Taking a slow breath, I nodded silently, regaining my focus. Gripping the spear tightly in my hand, I followed his instructions and launched it forward, watching it glide soundlessly through the air.
And was shocked to see it continue on the path I intended, lodging into the tree, at the bordering edge of the target. While it wasn’t nearly as precise as his had been, the difference was clear.
I turned back to face him, unable to contain my excitement. Maybe I would be able to get through this after all. A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. Reaching down and picking up another spear, he passed it to me. “Good job. Do it again."
✽✽✽
“So, tell me,” I began after letting another spear fly, again landing near the target. “What was it like growing up in Fire Society?”
Coal froze, gazing at me warily. We’d been practicing for a couple hours now and up to this point, he hadn’t really spoken since giving me the initial instructions. He would either nod his head in approval or give me a quick suggestion on what happened when the spear or knife landed a little off from where I intended it to go. He’d already learned a little about what went on in my Society and I knew he wasn’t going to broach the subject again. So, I decided to direct the conversation. I’d learned a miniscule amount about Fire Society in the group discussion from Cayenne, and was desperate to know more. Especially his thoughts of his home.
Tension hung in the air, and I wondered if he would be willing to answer my question.
He paused for a moment, contemplating as he picked up a sturdy knife, twisting the hilt between his fingers. “It’s hard to describe exactly what it feels like in Fire Society,” he said in a quiet voice. “Fighting, wielding weapons against one another, is a natural thing. Everyone learned, both the boys and girls. Like I said before, in addition to the regular reading and writing, school days were filled with memorizing things like how weapons were made, proper techniques for wielding them, and strategies to defeat your opponent.”
Frowning slightly, he continued. “After school finished, we fought nearly every day. With every weapon possible. And as you’d imagine, it led to countless injuries. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine the number of scars I’d have if it wasn’t for my mother and her…well, you know.”
I nodded, watching as he sent the knife sailing into the target, thinking about the scars I would have had as well and how grateful I was to this woman. A woman I wished I would be able to meet and thank in person.
But that was impossible.
“From such an early age, it was ingrained in us that fighting was an expected part of life. It was something we had to do. There was no other choice. Not even if you wished there to be.” He sighed and turned away. “I think that is enough practice for today.” He moved away to begin gathering the weapons.
I had the distinct feeling there was something else, something more, but knew enough not to push him.
While Coal wrapped the knives and spears we’d used back into the tight cloth bundle, strapping it together with a piece of rope, I walked over to the large oak in the distance, reaching up to remove the target he’d hung there. Only then did I realize how much my arm already ached. The way he taught me to throw the spear today forced me to use different muscles, and I was already starting to feel the strain.
Slinging the rope bound bundle over his shoulder, Coal led the way back through the field, following the few remaining trainees heading inside as the last rays of sunlight slowly disappeared. There were so many more questions I wanted to ask him about Fire Society. The same went for the questions about Earth Society I suspected were churning in his brain.
Maybe later we would share more about our previous lives. But for now they would remain unanswered, neither of us ready to divulge anything else.
✽✽✽
“Tell me more!” exclaimed Aurora.
I sighed internally. Ever since I came back from practicing with Coal, she’d spent all of dinner peppering me with questions about how it went.
“Aurora, I’ve told you everything already,” I said exasperatedly.
She shook her head, green eyes flashing as she narrowed them at me. “No, you just told us facts. You met him. You threw spears at a target. He showed you how to throw more accurately. You hit the target. You came back.” She tilted her head at me and I couldn’t tell if it was real or mock frustration on her face. “I need details about what it was like being around him!”
“Aurora, what does it matter?” laughed Finn, shaking his head. “She trained with Coal for a couple of hours. What I want to know is what he taught you. Because I could really use whatever advice he has.”
I nearly jumped at this slight change of topic, silently thanking Finn. “It actually came down to the angle of my body and how I was holding the spear. But there was a noticeable difference by the end of the session. And,” I added, moving my stiff arm up and down, “The muscles in my arms and legs are burning. They literally feel as if they’re on fire. I haven’t felt like this in any of the prior training sessions we’ve had.”
“What was the problem with how you were holding the spear?” asked Finn, propping his elbows on the table as he leaned forward.
“I wasn’t gripping it tightly enough. I was also not holding it close enough to the spear point, which caused my angle to be off when I threw it.”
Finn nodded studiously, taking in the new information. From the aggravated look on her face, Aurora was clearly put off by my deliberate change in topic and sent me an expression that said she’d find out more eventually. I sighed, but couldn’t help the small smile that twitche
d at the corners of my lips.
Suddenly, I realized that there was something missing from our little group. Or someone, I should say.
During the entire dinner Cirrus had been quiet, not engaging in the conversation at all. Glancing at him discretely, I was stunned to see a look of aversion cross over his face as my eyes met his. His arms crossed in front of his chest, back instantly going rigid, his expression hard. I leaned back, surprised by his reaction. “Cirrus, are you okay?” I asked.
Silence fell as the other two glanced towards him. “I’m fine,” he gritted out finally, sounding anything but. Aurora leaned over, moving to place her hand on his, but before she could he shot up suddenly, grabbing his half-eaten tray and strode off.
Aurora fell silent as she watched him leave, the normally ever-present smile disappearing from her face. Not knowing what to say, I glanced at Finn, but from the surprised look on his own face, it was clear he didn’t have any answers. I had to do something. Say something. But what?
“So Aurora…” I began, searching my mind rapidly for something, anything. “I was thinking, why don’t…we should…umm…,” I looked towards Finn again, but he just shrugged his shoulders uncertainly. Clearly, he wasn’t going to be any help. “We should…train together!” I suddenly burst out.
“Wha…what?” she asked in an unsteady voice, the hurt still fresh on her face.
I’d said it to distract her, but as soon as the words passed through my lips, I realized just what a wonderful idea it was. “Coal has given me all of this advice. I can share it with the both of you. If the tips can help me, why shouldn’t they help all of us? What do you say?”
I waited, holding my breath in anticipation as she took one last painful glance at Cirrus’ retreating back. But as she twisted to face me, that pained expression transformed, growing hard, her jaw tightening in determination and she slowly nodded. “You know what? That would be great. Thanks, Sage. You in Finn?”
Immediately Finn nodded, his tight dark curls shaking with the movement. “You bet I am.”
I gazed between the two of them. Two people I could call my friends. It had been so long since I’d had that. A genuine smile spread across my face and I grinned at her. “Okay then.”
Chapter 22
“I’m going to pack it in.”
Aurora yawned and rubbed her bleary eyes, slowly rising to her feet. We’d been in the small library adjacent to the classroom for the last several hours and it was getting late. I nodded at her, propping my own head up with an arm. At least studying had sort of distracted her from Cirrus’ unexpected departure from dinner, but I could tell the thought of it still weighed heavily on her.
“You coming?” she asked
“No, I’m going to study for a bit longer.”
She nodded briefly. “Okay. See you in the morning.” She headed out, then called back, “Don’t stay up too late, or you’ll regret it in the morning.”
She was right. It was getting late, but I really wanted to get a little more done before turning in. My eyes slowly scanned the lines of text, trying to absorb as much as I could about the process of building the wind turbines in Air Society that were responsible for such a large amount of the power we utilized. But I’d only gotten through another two pages when I heard footsteps approach.
Twisting around, I tried to make out who it was, but the shelves, crowded to the brim with heavy texts and leather-bound tomes, blocked my view. Craning my neck, I just managed to make out a blonde ponytail and large bulging bicep.
It could only belong to one person.
The guy from Fire Society. The one who fought against Coal during that Combat practice session.
“What do you guys want? Why did you bring me here?” a frustrated feminine voice pierced through the air. My attention perked as I recognized it. Serafina.
“We want to know why you’re spending so much time with Rowan?” growled a low, angry masculine voice. It had to have been one of the other guys from Fire Society, but I didn’t know who. I crouched low in my seat, afraid that I’d be discovered.
“I’m not spending so much time with him,” she spit out angrily. “We just talk sometimes. And besides, it’s my business who I spend my time with. Not yours!”
The male with the blonde ponytail cut in. “Rowan will never get into Combatant. He’s not strong enough. And from what I’ve heard, he’s wanting to get into Regent. So, I’ll ask again. Why are you wasting your time around him?”
Regent? Why would Rowan want to get into Regent, I wondered.
“You don’t know what will happen, Blaze. He won the Combat practice challenge,” Serafina argued.
“Yes, against you. Because you let yourself get distracted. And look what happened.” There was a tense silence. “You know that if you stay around him, and keep losing like you already have, you won’t get into Combatant, Serafina. You’ll be a failure to Fire Society.”
His words must have cut deep if the long pause meant anything. “If that’s the case, then maybe I don’t want to be in Combatant,” she finally replied in coldly. A moment later angry footsteps sounded, slowly fading away. I took the opportunity to peer closer, getting a glimpse at the boy called Ash. He stood nearly as tall as Blaze, but was more slender. Hair the color of midnight was cropped closely to his head, his gray eyes a shade that matched his name well.
“This is worse than I imagined, Ash,” Blaze remarked. “I thought she was just spending time with him, maybe liked him. Can’t imagine why, though.” They both let out a brief chuckle and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck bristle. No matter how Rowan acted towards me, I still felt defensive of him.
“Seriously, though,” the one called Ash started again after a few moments. “I was sure she would want to be in Combatant.”
“I know. Maybe she just needs a little more reminding.”
The two of them moved off and I was left alone again, questions circling in my mind. What did any of it mean? And how exactly did they plan to remind Serafina?
✽✽✽
That night I laid in bed, twisting the quilt between restless fingers, replaying the day’s events over in my mind.
I couldn’t get the encounter between Serafina and the two other guys named Blaze and Ash out of my mind. The way they cornered her and made those threats. Though none of it made sense to me, they sounded serious. Serious enough to do something dangerous.
Closing my eyes, I drew the quilt up to my neck, trying to shut out that conversation. But as I put those thoughts out of my mind, others crept in. Like training with Coal.
What surprised me most was that l didn’t really feel intimidated when training with him earlier that day. After making the agreement to practice with one another, I had constantly worried about that decision. The idea that I was going to practice using weapons with the same person who sliced through me with a sword was near insanity.
But…he was also the guy who helped bandage me up afterwards. And who, at the pond, noticed when I was at my lowest of lows and helped me through that as well.
And so I fell asleep that night, realizing clearly now that for those reasons, I wanted to get to know him better.
✽✽✽
The next morning arrived. Which meant so had the stealth practice challenge.
Entering the arena, I saw that it had been changed once again. Now the only thing visible to us was a large black wall, at least fifteen feet high. Whispers turned to loud chatter as everyone wondered what was about to happen.
“Ahem,” River cleared his throat loudly as he strode in, walking with his usual confident strut. The dark circles beneath his eyes told a different story however. Flagging him on either side were Eden and Flint. While Eden’s face was drawn, her eyes tight, Flint’s was full of anticipation, and perhaps a barely contained grin.
He seemed to be the only one of the three who enjoyed watching us struggle.
River moved to the front of our group, pausing as the last whispers ceased. “Today is the ste
alth practice challenge. And in front of you is your task.” He motioned at the dark wall and we all stared at him blankly. “Behind that wall is a maze. A maze of obstacles, all arranged to test you. The object is to get to the center of the maze. You must reach it and press the switch there, illuminating the light before your opponent does.”
Opponent? What did he mean? By the look on everyone else’s faces, they were as confused as I was. I shot a glance towards Coal and he gave me a shrug, whispering something to another Fire Society trainee, a boy with short blonde hair who stood next to him, the same one I’d seem him talking to previously.
River continued, his voice cutting through my thoughts. “I’m sure you are wondering what I mean by opponent. Well, just as in the practice combat challenge, you will be competing against one of your fellow trainees in this challenge. Both of you will start at opposite sides of the maze. Once the whistle sounds, you will make your way through. Note, though, that points will be deducted for every detection device you trip and every obstacle you fail to get through successfully.”
“Know also that I don’t care if you make it all the way through without setting anything off. Because that is not the only component to stealth. You need to be quick and you need to get through fast while remaining undetected. Because the longer you take, the more likely it is you will be caught. And so that is why we are having you race against another trainee in this particular challenge.”
Now I was growing nervous. I was fine with the stealth obstacles when I was taking my time, concentrating. But to avoid detection, all while trying to get through as quickly as possible, in addition to beating another individuals’ time, was something else entirely.
“Does everyone understand the rules?” River asked. He looked around briefly, his eyes hard as we all nodded silently. “Fine. Go take your seats.” Walking up the stairs, I followed right behind Aurora until we finally reached a pair of empty chairs next to one another. Turning around to sit, I glanced back down into the arena. And stared in amazement.
Awakening Earth and Fire: Earth and Fire Trilogy Book 1 Page 19