“Take a seat,” ordered Scorch before slamming the door shut behind him, leaving the group of us alone in this isolated space. Disjointed murmurs of confusion filled the air.
Moving forward, I chose a chair and sat, waiting anxiously for what would happen next. Was this some sort of orientation, explaining what would be expected of us here? Perhaps the beginning of a more formal tour, before assigning us our various roles? I clutched the cold edges of my seat, my thoughts running rampant of what those roles could possibly entail.
The sound of the door snapping open once again drew my attention back. A man and woman entered, Scorch following closely behind. The first man took a couple steps forward, then cleared his throat.
“Welcome everyone. I’m glad to make your acquaintance. My name is Clay Greenwood and I am the leader of Combatant.”
Odd. Leader of Combatant. I had been thinking the letter I’d seen engraved in the floor represented the leader here. But there was no V in Clay Greenwood’s name. Maybe there was someone else, someone in an even higher position than him. A shudder ran through me and I decided maybe I didn’t want to know who or what V represented.
I studied Clay Greenwood, taking in his appearance. He was balding and trying to hide it, the remaining strands of hair carefully arranged across his head. His full beard had just a few tinges of gray peeking through. But what really stood out were his clear eyes and rosy, windswept cheeks. Looking down, though, my eyes fell upon gnarled, spotted hands. I wondered how old he was, the youthfulness of his face contradicting with his aging body.
Clay cleared his throat again. “You’ve already met Scorch Sentras, the Division Representative. I would like to introduce Bay Winterton, secondary leader of Combatant.”
The woman, tall and slim, stepped forward at his gesture, smoothing her gray pleated skirt and nodding. Her chestnut hair was pulled back elegantly into a simple twist and secured at the nape of her neck with an ornate clip. She looked poised and refined, similar to Clay. It was something I hadn’t expected to see in the leaders of Combatant, at least not when judging by Scorch’s appearance.
“It is very nice to meet you all,” she announced in a crisp voice, her dark red lips pulling into a smile, one that didn’t begin to touch the iciness of her eyes. Clay glanced at her and she nodded curtly before stepping back.
“I’m sure you are wondering why you are here,” he continued. “Over time, we’ve learned that it is crucial to ensure all individuals about to become permanent members of Combatant are dedicated to our Division. And to show that dedication, we require a certain task of completion by all individuals before their acceptance here.”
What was he talking about? We had just gone through the Training. We were chosen to enter Combatant. We performed well enough in our challenges to be here. What other task would they now require of us?
“Tomorrow, you will embark on that task, entering into the Zone. And by doing so, secure your positions here. Bay, if you will,” he nodded towards her.
Bay stepped forward, her patent black heels clicking against the floor.
“I’m sure all of you are wondering what the Zone is,” she began smoothly. “The Zone is an area of isolation. It is a broken place, remnants from a city that time has destroyed and forgotten. Those Society members of Elemental who have committed grievous crimes are sent to the Zone. They are murderers, killers, individuals with evil in their blood and nothing more. They are relocated there for the safety of all citizens.”
“However, over time, the number of those currently residing in the Zone have increased. Increased to numbers that are considered unsafe. With so many of these people together in one place, there is the possibility they could band together. They could cause an uprising. A rebellion, a resistance. This can not happen. And for that reason, they must be destroyed.”
She looked around, exposing bright white teeth as she smiled at the thought. “This is where you come in. Combatant has put in place a system where all new members are sent into the Zone. You will be armed with weapons. And during the time you are there, you will destroy any Rogues you come across.”
Destroy. Destroy Rogues…
That’s when it hit me. They wanted us to destroy…people. Kill people.
I felt the color leach from my face, an uncontrollable tremble coursing through me. Aurora’s eyes went wide with horror while Finn’s mouth hung open, gaping at Bay. I glanced towards Coal. He sat stone faced, though his hands clenched tightly against his sides.
Clay stepped forward once more, Bay pursing her crimson lips as he nudged her back. “As members of Combatant, we are the protectors of the Societies. And it is our job to control the Rogues. But one word of caution before you are dismissed. As Ms. Winterton already mentioned, these Rogues are people who have committed past crimes. Grave crimes. Do not trust them. Do not trust when they say they are innocent. Do not trust when they say they won’t hurt you. To do so will be put yourself and the members of your group at risk. And you may not make it back.”
He smiled then, a smile that turned my blood cold. “You’ll do well to remember these warnings. Do so, you’ll return and be welcomed back as permanent members of Combatant.”
With one last nod, he wrapped a gnarled hand around Bay’s slim hips, guiding her to the door. I don’t think a soul in that room, besides Clay, missed the look of barely suppressed disgust on her face, but she allowed him to lead her out, leaving us alone with Scorch.
The silence was deafening. Icy fear clenched my heart. How could they want us to do this? How could they expect this of us?
And yet, the worst fear of all: What choice did I have?
None.
My mind numb, I rose and followed Scorch and the rest of the trainees, leaving that sterile white room, feeling as though whatever small part that remained of my innocence was left there as well.
Everything became a blur, my thoughts of what was to come a continual haunting presence. I was suddenly surrounded by chatter. We’d entered the dining room. I didn’t even remember walking here. The confusion and din were overwhelming. My legs moved of their own accord, following the others to a table in the corner.
We ate our meals. I don’t know what I ate. I couldn’t taste anything.
The bile rising in my throat made sure of that.
But as I sat there, trying to swallow my food and ignore the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, I felt eyes on me again. That odd prickle sensation again. Chancing a glance up, I looked towards Blaze. His lip curled slightly, beady eyes narrowing sharply. Cocking his head, allowed those eyes to rove over me, lingering. The sneer grew.
My face grew warm. He wasn’t going to stop. The others had, but he wouldn’t. And I hated the power he seemed to hold over me, the flush of embarrassment creeping along my face. His eyes lit up dangerously at my discomfort. Gritting my teeth together, I forced my eyes back down to my plate, staring but not seeing the food there.
A light pressure came to rest against my thigh. Coal. His hand was warm, giving me a reassuring squeeze. I placed my hand over his, trying to concentrate on the heat of his flesh, the firmness of his grip. To hold on to it. To forget about Blaze. To focus on anything besides what horrors tomorrow would bring.
An hour later, after eating dinner in near silence, Scorch escorted us down another dark hallway, finally coming to a stop between two dark metal doors.
“For now, you are in shared dormitories. They are split, one for the males, the other for the females. You will only be moved into your permanent, individual rooms after you’ve proven yourselves tomorrow in the Zone.” A brief nod and he left.
The small amount of food I’d managed to force down during dinner felt like a rock now in my stomach.
As the others began entering the separate rooms, I looked towards Coal once more. “See you in the morning, I guess,” I said, unable to keep the quaver of fear out of my voice. But as I turned to leave, firm fingers wrapped around my arm, gently twisting me back.
�
��Sage,” he whispered. “Come here for a second.” Taking my hand, he pulled me back a few feet and around the corner, checking no one was in sight before leaning in towards me.
“Sage,” he said again, but paused, raking a hand through his loose locks and rumpling them. His voice was tense.
“What? What is it?” I asked, somehow managing to grow even more anxious.
“Listen, I don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow. But I have a feeling they aren’t going to allow us to remain together, at each other’s side. They want us to ‘perform’ individually. If that does happen, we’ll need to stay near each other for as long as possible. I’ll signal you somehow when we need to separate, but I’ll stay close enough to get to you if you need me. Okay?”
I nodded, listening to his words, then leaned in closer to him. “I don’t know how I can do this Coal,” I said hoarsely, feeling my eyes begin to burn. “I don’t know that I can ‘destroy’ someone, even if they did horrible things.”
“Don’t worry about that,” he replied, bending his head to whisper in my ear. “As long as you defend yourself against any Rogues, that’s all that will matter to them. Walk around like you’re searching for them, but you don’t have to actively seek them out.”
There was a moment’s pause as we stood there, wrapped against one another, neither of us speaking. I leaned my face against his firm chest, taking in a shuddering breath, inhaling the scent of leather and pine.
“Tell Aurora what I told you about staying together. I’ll tell Finn so they can keep an eye on each other,” he murmured, his breath warm against my ear.
A little tug pulled at my heart. He thought about my friends. Cared enough to ensure they’d be okay.
I nodded, taking an unsteady breath. Backing up slightly, I glanced around, gazing down the dark hall leading away from us. Footsteps were approaching. “I’ve got to go,” I whispered, moving back towards the door.
He squeezed my hand once more before we both disappeared into our rooms for the night.
✽✽✽
Two hours later, I laid in bed, staring into the impenetrable darkness, forcing myself to stay awake. I had tried to talk to Aurora earlier as Coal suggested but didn’t have a chance to get her alone. Eventually, though, the other trainees curled up in their beds, whispered murmurs slowly fading into silence. As soon as I was certain everyone had entered a deep slumber, I crawled out from beneath my blankets and crept over to her bed.
“Aurora,” I whispered. She stirred slightly but didn’t wake.
“Aurora,” I whispered again, this time shaking her arm lightly.
“Wha…What?” she asked sleepily, disoriented.
“Shh, it’s me,” I murmured, trying to keep her quiet.
“Sage,” she said softly, starting to sit up, blinking rapidly. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Nothing is wrong,” I whispered. “I just need to tell you something. Something important.”
“What is it?” Her eyes squinted in concern.
“I talked with Coal earlier. He thinks that more likely than not, tomorrow, when they take us to the Zone, they’re going to separate us.”
Aurora’s breath caught, her green eyes growing wide with fear, but I pressed on.
“Coal said that we should try to stay together as long as possible before separating. But once we do, to keep track of each other. In case something happens and one of us needs help. He suggested that you and Finn do the same.”
She closed her eyes and nodded slowly, digesting my words. But a second later they shot open.
“But Sage, how can I possibly tell Finn we need to do that? There’s no way I’ll be able to get him alone before we leave tomorrow for the Zone. Everyone will be watching us.”
“Coal will talk with him. Tell him the plan.”
Aurora relaxed a little at this, breaths slowing as she brushed back several loose strands of hair that had fallen in front of her face. “O…Okay,” she said quietly.
I began to rise but she stopped me.
“Sage. Are you nervous about tomorrow?”
A beat of silence passed. “Yes, I am.”
“We made the right decision, training hard enough and performing well enough to come here. It wasn’t a mistake, was it?”
I took in a deep breath. She’d just verbalized the dark thought I’d been starting to have.
“I hope not.”
Chapter 38
A loud thump that rattled the bed had me darting up. I gazed around blearily, only to see Bay Winterton gliding through our quarters as two other Combatant members, neither of whom I recognized, tossed bundles of clothing on everyone’s beds.
“Get dressed. You have five minutes to do so and get downstairs. If you linger, you won’t be getting a morning meal. And,” she added, pursing her red lips as she cast her gaze over the group of us straggling out of our beds, “With the task set before you today, I’d advise you eat something. You’ll need it.”
And with that, which, by her expression, felt like anything but friendly advice and more like a barely concealed threat, she sauntered out. I peered at the outfit. Black fitted leather, but it was reinforced along the chest and abdomen as well as the upper legs and wrists with metal plating, several weapon holsters seamlessly woven in. I didn’t miss how similar it was to the outfits Coal and the others from Fire Society wore.
An hour later, after forcing down as much breakfast as I could muster, I followed Scorch and the others out through the main atrium of Combatant, down the brick pathway and through the walled barrier.
And back onto the silver train once again.
We jetted forward, this time traveling above ground. Pressing my face to the glass, I watched as the black towers of Combatant disappeared into the distance. We sailed across flat plains of tall yellow grass, eventually crossing a narrow gorge, the deep river rushing wildly below us, before finally drawing near a deep forest.
I shifted uncomfortably on the metal seat, the knife in its sheath pressing into my leg while my sword bent uncomfortably by my side. The further we traveled, the more distance the train put between itself and Combatant, the more I began wondering whether I’d even make it back there in one piece.
A sudden gasp from behind had me leaning towards the window again as everyone now stared at the buildings that had suddenly appeared in the distance, looming closer with each passing second. It soon became obvious the effects time had upon it.
A crumbling abandoned city. One now filled with Rogues. People I would be hunting.
My stomach lurched at the sudden squeal of breaks, the train jolting to a stop. A hush spread over the group of us. Scorch rose to his feet, the puckered skin of his scar standing out prominently on his face in the bright light.
“Listen up. Once you exit, you will be on your own. No teaming up, no working together. You must separate and fight individually. Rogues are scattered throughout the entire area. Do not listen to their lies. If you corner one, they will lie to you. They will try to tear down the defenses you’ve been taught, try to make you trust them. Don’t or you will pay the price. They may have crafted makeshift weapons. They may try to kill you. You need to fight them, destroy them. Is this understood?”
Everyone nodded quietly. Coal had been right. We were going to have to separate.
“You will be here for most of the day, until the sun begins to set. This old city is large and there are many places for them to hide. Some have evaded detection for a long time. They know this area and they know how to use that to their advantage. Don’t let them. You will meet back at the entrance just before sun set.” He paused, glancing around one more time.
As his eyes passed over us, they landed on me. I expected him to continue his arc of gaze, but his dark irises stayed focused on me. Instinctively, I moved back several inches in my seat, fidgeting uncomfortably. After several more seconds of his penetrating stare, he finally turned and exited the train car. What was that about?
Glancing at Coal in th
e seat across from me, I could tell from his furrowed brows he’d noticed it as well. Rising to my feet and moving forward, I repeated to myself over and over that these people were criminals. They had committed horrible, unspeakable acts. Ones I couldn’t even imagine. Couldn’t even fathom. I was in Combatant now and it was my job to stop them.
I tried to tell myself that.
✽✽✽
Blinking in the bright sunlight, I stared ahead.
We stood in the middle of a broken cobblestone path. Others branched off it, most in even greater disarray, all of them weaving their way into the old abandoned city that rose before us. Buildings, at least a hundred of them, of various heights and shapes spread outwards. They were so different from anything I’d ever seen. The white marble walls were streaked with dust and dirt and had large chunks missing. Windows of turquoise glass were shattered, only fragments remaining. Spires and domes were more green then copper, ridges of black mildew caked into their crevices. Years of weathering and neglect had desecrated what had likely once been a beautiful city. A gust of wind blew past, lifting up the white dust that seemed to coat the entire place and pelted us with it. While there was little grass and few trees in the city itself, further in the distance I could make out a dark forest leading away. It continued up into even more densely wooded hills, with no end in sight.
Surrounding the entrance to the city was an electric wired fence. Scorch gave a nod to another Combatant member who kneeled towards a small box half buried in the ground, opening it. A moment later, the buzzing sound of electricity faded to nothing, the barrier now harmless.
“You’d best get moving,” Scorch snapped, and I realized with a shock most of the others had already started forward. Taking a shaky step, I began to walk towards the crumbling city, Coal at my side. Along with Finn and Aurora, we moved together, letting others turn down branching pathways each time we passed them. What was this place? And why had it been abandoned, only to become a holding site for Rogues?
Awakening Earth and Fire: Earth and Fire Trilogy Book 1 Page 34