Sloane raised one hand to shield her eyes as they adjusted to the light and took a slow step into the open space. She’d never seen anything like it; even the castellum with all its beauty couldn’t compare. There was an unearthly blue glow to the cavern, with cyan coloured crystals that glittered and glowed from where they grew on the roof, walls and floor. Pockets of white light shone from large, orb-like crystals that were clustered in the centre of the cavern, and soft hues of amethyst gleamed from gems that were scattered across the floor.
‘It’s beautiful,’ she gasped at Emha, who nodded in agreement. Beautiful didn’t seem like a good enough description though. Magical, stunning and astounding would probably be more fitting.
‘This is one of my favourite places. But you haven’t even seen the best bit yet!’
Sloane raised one eyebrow at the girl. This place was incredible; she couldn’t imagine Emha could show her something even more impressive. Emha grabbed her hand and led her as they darted through the maze of tall crystals that jutted from the ground and hung low from the ceiling.
When they made it around one particularly large crystal, Sloane finally saw what Emha was talking about. She instantly recognised the balls of light that danced in the air ahead of them.
‘There’s a rift down here?’ Sloane asked, hardly containing her excitement.
‘Yes, come closer so you can see through to the other side…’
Sloane approached the rift, still clutching Emha’s hand tightly. Was this her way home? Had she finally found her way back to the World of the Woods?
As she neared, she quickly realised the world she wanted to see didn’t stand just on the other side of the rift. Instead, through the dancing balls of light, she could see the stars and a planet in the far distance. The rift opened into outer space.
Sloane sighed and tried not to appear disappointed. The rift was beautiful and Emha seemed so excited to be sharing it with her. Unfortunately for Sloane, she’d spent months looking at similar views from the Explorer. When she was so desperate to find her way back to Aeris, anything less was disappointing.
‘Are there other rifts like this?’ Sloane asked.
‘So many,’ Emha replied. ‘Not all of them go somewhere useful, but this one is my favourite. We could never go through it like the ones that lead to other worlds, but it’s incredible to just look through and pretend that we’re one of the stars up in the sky.’
‘You’re right, it is beautiful.’ Sloane went back to staring into space. It made her miss Rowena so much. She wondered whether her sister was also staring out into space at that very moment. Rowe loved looking out at the stars from the Explorer. She saw beauty in everything and was especially captivated by the twinkling stars of space.
‘Where are the other rifts?’ Sloane asked, attempting not to come off sounding too desperate.
Emha considered her question. ‘Really, they’re everywhere. There’s no way to predict where you might find one.’
‘Are there any others near the village?’
‘A few, but they’re not nearly as cool as this one.’ Emha returned to stare through the shimmering pocket of air to the stars that lay just beyond.
‘Have you been through the one to the World of the Woods?’ Sloane asked. Her voice was casual, but her heart beat faster as she waited for Emha’s response.
Emha looked down at her feet and shrugged. ‘No, I haven’t been to that one.’
Sloane frowned as she watched the girl. Was she lying? Her response seemed nervous. ‘Do you know where it is?’ she prompted.
Emha shrugged again and started chewing on her lower lip. ‘No, not really.’
The girl’s happy disposition had suddenly become more subdued, and Sloane felt certain Emha wasn’t telling her everything she knew. She couldn’t bring herself to try and force the location from the girl though. Maybe she knew where it was, or maybe she was just nervous about helping Sloane find it. She wouldn’t be surprised if Rhyn had warned the Unfaih about the danger of Sloane returning to Aeris.
‘Oh well,’ Sloane said. ‘I’m sure there are other rifts you can show me.’
Emha smiled up at her and nodded eagerly. ‘So many.’
‘But, we’ll have to look for them another day. We should probably head back to the village.’ Sloane stepped away from the rift and gazed back around the cave. She didn’t want to leave, but she also didn’t want Emha’s absence to be noticed. Another dressing down from Rhyn was the last thing she felt like today.
‘Yeah, I suppose.’ Emha sounded just as disappointed. Sloane glanced at the girl and was once again troubled by the thought of how lonely she must be, growing up in a world of adults, most of whom were ancient.
‘Are there other kids your age in the village?’ she asked.
Emha shook her head. ‘No, it’s just me. The next closest in age to me is Rhyn.’
Sloane screwed her face up at the thought. ‘That must be horrible.’ Sloane was so close to her sister; she couldn’t imagine growing up as an isolated child, let alone when the kid closest to you in age was Rhyn. He was probably too busy playing warrior as a child to actually be any fun anyway. The thought made her pause. Had she really been any different?
‘It’s not so bad,’ Emha said, her eyes dropping to the floor. ‘Besides, now I have you here.’ A grin shone from her face, and her eyes lit back up as she looked at Sloane. She felt a wave of guilt in her stomach—she wouldn’t be there for long.
‘You’ll have to think of something awesome for our next adventure. Maybe one of the other rifts?’ Sloane suggested. Emha may not know the location of the rift she wanted, but Sloane found she liked the girl and actually wanted to spend more time with her.
Emha’s face lit up. ‘I’ll have a think. I’m sure we can find something even I haven’t done before.’
‘Sounds like a plan.’
The two of them retraced their steps through the cave and had just reached the top of the stairs, when Sloane saw Rhyn approaching the cliff edge. His eyes were blazing as they latched onto hers, and her stomach dropped in reaction. She’d clearly done something to annoy him again, and she suspected it had everything to do with the young girl at her side.
‘What are you doing?’ Rhyn asked, pulling her aside so that Emha couldn’t overhear.
‘Enjoying some fresh air,’ Sloane retorted.
‘Why don’t you go and find some fresh air a little further away from the one person I told you, you couldn’t speak to. What were you thinking?’ He glanced over at Emha, who waited patiently for them both to finish. ‘She’s the only young one at the moment. She’s the most precious person in the village and you think you can steal her away. Why do you even insist on talking to her? What are you trying to do? Fill her head with bad ideas?’
Sloane crossed her arms over her chest. ‘You finished?’
He shrugged, and her eyes narrowed in on him. 'Maybe if you gave me something to do, I wouldn't have all this free time to cause so much “trouble.”’
'What would you have me do? You are of no use to our people.'
Sloane scoffed. 'I'm a brilliant fighter, and you know it. Let me train with you.'
Rhyn looked sceptical. 'Emha is probably better with a sword than you are.'
His words stung, but she refused to let them get to her. She decided to try a different tact. ‘I saved your life the other night. You would have been Braky food if I hadn’t sunk that shot.’
Rhyn’s eyes darkened and he scowled at her so passionately, she wanted to laugh—or cry. He could be pretty damn scary when he was trying. ‘I would have been fine,’ he enunciated each word through his teeth.
‘No. You wouldn’t have. You owe me.’
His shoulders dropped and his scowl grew impossibly darker. Sloane got the feeling her words were carrying weight with him. Maybe he had some kind of honour code? She decided to let that sit with him, so she turned to Emha. 'Where to next?' she asked.
Emha opened her mouth to respond, but
was interrupted by Rhyn. 'Fine!' he said. 'You can join our training. But I can guarantee you won't enjoy it. And if I see you slacking, even once, you're finished.'
Sloane grinned, but let the smile drop before she turned to him. 'When can I start?'
‘Be at the front gate of the castellum at first light tomorrow. Don't be late.' He grabbed Emha by the hand, turned and began to march her back to the village. The girl gave her a small wave over her shoulder as Rhyn tugged her along, and Sloane smiled in farewell. They’d see each other soon, she felt sure of it.
Sloane could see how angry she'd made Rhyn by the tight set of his shoulders and by how quickly he rushed to get away from her. She loved that she’d irritated him, and the sight of him storming off into the distance pretty much made her day.
She couldn't believe she'd managed to convince him to let her fight. It had been months since she'd been able to train properly, and she missed it. But, excited as she was to work up a sweat, the training was only a small part of the reason for her request. What she really wanted was access to the castellum. She felt certain it held the key to her escape. She was going to find the rift back to Aeris, and she only wished she could see the look on Rhyn's face when he realised he'd let her get away.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Sloane barely slept that night. She was excited to train, but also worried about sleeping in and missing first light. She was so concerned, that she'd only just fallen asleep when she had to wake up again. For a brief moment she considered going back to sleep, but she quickly moved past that and dragged herself from the bed.
It was still dark outside, and when she walked out of the hut she swore. Heavy snowflakes were falling from the sky. They were coming in so thick and fast that, after only a moment, her hide cloak was covered in wet flakes and icicles clung to her hair and eyelashes. To make things worse, the pathway ahead was completely covered in fresh snow.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ she grumbled, as she trudged through the calf-high snow. Her feet sunk deeper with each step, and her legs felt heavier as she sloshed her way through the snow. It reminded her of wading through water, but even that seemed easy compared to this.
Her boots barely made a sound as she padded through the fresh snow and thankfully they kept her feet dry. Her cloak seemed to be getting wet as the snow melted on it, but it did not seep through, and she was warm and cosy within. Sloane felt a sudden wave of gratitude towards Orelle, who had given it to her to wear.
The valley was shrouded in a layer of fog, and Sloane made her way down the track carefully. The thought of becoming lost in this weather terrified her. She hated being cold and could not bear to think of being stranded in the snow. If the snowdrifts that lined the valley path weren’t so high, Sloane was certain she would have quickly lost the trail.
It took her longer than she expected to reach the goat track that led to the castellum. By the time she reached it, she had decided she hated snow. The track was also covered in a fresh layer of snow but, due to the protection the cliff face provided, it was more of a dusting than it had been in the valley.
It was still dark as she made her way along the path, but by the time she reached the stairs, Sloane could feel dawn arriving and it was becoming easier to see. This only panicked her; she still had the stairs to go, and she’d have to take them at a run if she wanted to reach the castellum by first light.
She raced up the staircase and nearly twisted her ankle two steps in on a patch of ice she couldn’t see beneath the snow. She recovered, only to slip and fall onto her hands and knees several steps later. Her pants were covered in snow, and she could feel it absorbing into the material as it melted. Her hands were in worse shape. They actually burnt with the cold, and she could feel them losing sensation. She ignored her now soaking wet pants, dug her freezing cold hands into her cloak pockets and forged onwards.
There was no time to stop at the top of the stairs either. Light was coming on fast and she’d have to run hard to reach the castellum in time. This was going to be a challenge, as the fresh snow was even deeper up on top of the ridge, than it had been in the valley. Sloane pushed her body hard as she raced across the plateau, and she wanted to drop into an exhausted heap when she finally arrived at the front gate. Instead, she stood tall and walked up to the entrance.
She looked an absolute wreck, with snow clinging to every inch of her body, and she hoped she wouldn’t have to see Rhyn too much this morning. She never wanted him to see her looking weak, and she currently looked like a very sorry excuse for a human. In fact, she was so dishevelled she wasn’t certain she even looked human anymore.
The tall wooden gate was shut, and Sloane couldn’t see anyone manning the wall. It was completely silent, which caused her to worry. Had she missed the training? She looked over to where the suns were supposed to rise, but it was too overcast and foggy to tell whether or not they were still dipped below the horizon. She was convinced she had made it on time though.
She heard movement behind her and turned to see the gates opening. Rhyn slowly waltzed out. He looked completely fresh and at ease as he made his way towards her. He’d probably only rolled out of bed five minutes before, and Sloane hated him for it.
She peered over his shoulder, expecting to see other warriors getting ready to train, but there was no one else there.
‘Did you decide to play in the snow all night?’ he asked, smirking as he took in her appearance.
She drew her chin up and openly ignored him. ‘Where is everyone?’ she asked.
‘I may demand a lot of them, but I would never expect my warriors to get out of bed this early for group training. They’ll assemble in a few hours.’
‘So why am I here now then?’
‘You are not good enough to train with my men.’
Sloane opened her mouth to argue, but he put his hand up to stop her.
‘I don’t want to hear it. You may be good for a human, but you’re not good enough to train with the Unfaih. You would not challenge them. You need to improve before you’ll be allowed to train with them.’
He turned and began to walk back through the entrance, and Sloane slowly followed behind him, grumbling all the while about the dagger she managed to put between the Braky’s eyes.
They made their way to a courtyard, which was bordered by stables. One of the doors was open, and Sloane could see horses inside.
‘You have horses?’ she asked, trying to catch another look at them.
‘Yes, they’re one of the few things we brought across from Earth before the rift was closed.’
‘What else did you bring?’
Rhyn sighed and turned to her. ‘Did you come here to train or to ask questions?’
Sloane crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to dignify him with an answer. She wondered if he was always difficult with her on purpose, or if it was just another glowing part of his personality.
She followed him across the courtyard to another detached building. Rhyn opened the door to it, and Sloane was almost blinded by the glint of metal shining from all the weapons hanging on the walls. She nodded at a collection of swords as Rhyn approached them. ‘Are we going to use those?’ she asked.
‘Yes. You need to work on seeing your opponent’s moves before they make them, before they even think them. Your style is too adrenaline based and reactive. You respond to what’s coming at you, rather than predicting it.’
He pulled a sword from the wall and threw it to her. She easily caught it in the air and gave it a swing to gage the weight and balance of the weapon.
‘Is this one of the ones you use on the Brakys?’ she asked. It was more reflective and blue than the metals back on Earth. It was like the sword had been infused with the icy colours of the world she was immersed in.
Rhyn nodded and turned to lift another sword from the wall, before leading Sloane back out to the courtyard. He placed his sword up against the wall of the weapons store and began to take his shirt off.
‘What
are you doing?’ Sloane panicked. ‘Are you crazy? It’s sub-zero temperatures out here.’
He laughed, picked his sword back up and turned to her. Sloane’s face froze as she looked at his chest. ‘I’m not cold, and if you’re going to learn to predict your opponent’s movements better, you need to see my body. Most people will telegraph their movements; you need to look closer and observe the body mechanics that happen before each attack.’
‘I learnt this years ago,’ she responded.
He raised an eyebrow at her. ‘Well, obviously you had a bad teacher.’
Sloane’s eyes darkened, and she raised her sword ready to defend whatever he threw at her.
‘Sloane?’ he said.
‘Yeah.’
‘You’re going to have to look at my body, if we’re going to start.’
‘Right.’ She looked at his chest and found herself wanting to look anywhere but. She felt ridiculous. She’d spent years at the Academy surrounded by boys who took every opportunity to train shirtless, and it had never bothered her one bit. She couldn’t understand why she was affected now.
Maybe it was because Rhyn wasn’t a boy. He was clearly a man, and she didn’t want to feel attracted to him. He was supposed to be the enemy, but the more time she spent with him, the more that title didn’t seem to fit. She could feel a scowl furrowing her brow and realised she was glaring at his abs like they were a Braky about to attack.
‘Now, I don’t want you to watch my sword, only my body,’ Rhyn continued. ‘Most of my movements will stem from my shoulders.’
He moved slowly at first, holding back the lightning quick reflexes Sloane was all too familiar with. She managed to defend the first few blows easily. It almost felt like he was making a joke out of her. She’d spent years training with different weapons, and swords were one of her favourites. He’d only briefly seen her with one, and that had hardly been a fight, so she felt he’d made a poor assumption about her skill level.
In Ice We Burn (The Liftsal Guardians Book 1) Page 17