Chapter 10
Maxime was leaning against a tree across from my cabin. As I stepped into the early morning, I felt the elegant shadows stretch across my face from the sun’s light. “How do you get up so early?” I said softly, afraid to wake anyone else.
He grinned. “You’ll get used to it. Come, I want to show you something.” He took my hand delicately, making my emotions rush, and signaled to be silent as we headed deeper into the forest.
We stopped in the middle of nowhere, and he let go of my hand. He whistled a soft tune that triggered a memory of Lyli, but I suppressed it as a magnificent, black horse trotted up to us. Her toned muscles reflected her strength as she stood with her head up high with dignity. I had never seen such a beautiful creature before. Horses were rare at Tamizeh, but even this one would have stood out with pride and beauty.
Maxime stroked between her deep, black eyes. “This is Storm. She’s yours. Most people at The Shadows have a horse. We don’t have stables. They roam free around the camp, always within hearing range. They don’t need to be fed, and they respond to simple tunes. We rarely use saddles, but we have some if you would like. Just whistle when you need her and she’ll come. Keep in mind that she may not always be near, but she’s fast and very attentive. She’s very well tamed and careful, but fierce. She doesn’t like snow and loves to be ridden. She’s one of the fastest here. What do you think?” Maxime spoke with the excitement of a nine-year-old child on Christmas morning.
“I don’t know what to say! She’s magnificent. How . . . what . . . thank you!” I stroked her soft nostrils. I couldn’t find the right words to express my gratitude.
“Okay, now get on. That’s not even the surprise,” he said with a radiant smile.
I didn’t know what to expect. I had just been given an amazing horse and was told that it wasn’t the surprise. I grabbed Storm’s mane with one hand, then pushed up and pulled myself onto her, throwing my right leg across her large back. I sat upright and looked at Maxime.
“You do know how to ride, right?” Maxime asked. I nodded. “Do you want a saddle?”
“I’m all right,” I said, bursting with joy and excitement.
He whistled a similar tune and we waited, looking around, eager for his horse to arrive.We heard movement in the bushes and then a majestic, white horse stepped out of the forest.
“This is Mist,” Maxime said as he ran his hand through his steed’s thick mane. Then he mounted her and exclaimed, “Let’s go!”
I followed him on Storm, her strong legs carrying me through the forest. Maxime looked back every couple of minutes to make sure I was still behind him. I smiled as the sun’s rays chased us.
Maxime came to a halt on top of a hill. As I looked down, I was in utter amazement, witnessing the most unbelievable spectacle, like a dream. The sun gently stretched its rays across a lake beneath us. The water shimmered in the light, and the dark night became a golden sky. The sun slowly lit every tree, one by one, as if giving life to every organism for a brand new day. The obscure night was swept away, and the shining day rose from nothingness. I was breathless as my eyes widened, attempting to capture every piece of the painting, to hold onto the glimpses as memories.
“Nothing like Tamizeh, right?” Maxime’s tender voice danced in the wind.
“Nothing like it. There is some greenery there, even a few parks, but it’s mostly buildings and technology scattered everywhere. Here, it’s . . . peaceful.” I let my thoughts flow without realizing I was freely speaking about my community. I quickly felt ashamed of being a part of such a terrible society and quieted down. I wanted to be a part of The Shadows, where people admired differences and nature instead of destroying it.
“We should start heading back now or we’ll be late,” interrupted Maxime. My eyes were still glued to the beauty of the scene, and I nodded without blinking, dumbfounded.
We quickly rode down the hill and back to a clearing. As we walked back, Maxime asked what I had thought of the sunrise.
“It was amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve never shown it to anyone else for a couple of reasons. Having lived here their whole lives, I’m sure everyone has seen it before. I also don’t think they would appreciate it as much. I have to say, it’s nice to have someone to share it with. Every time David has seen it on our way back from Maria, he’s ignored it as if it were nothing.”
There was this moment of awkwardness, as if he had said something personal and wasn’t sure if he regretted it. I had never shared anything with anyone before, so spending time with Maxime was like having an older brother to talk to and learn from. I liked being around Maxime. We seemed to connect.
“Would you like to move up to the more advanced classes?” Maxime asked.
“Sure, but what do I have to do?” I questioned.
“Nothing much. Follow me,” Maxime stated.
He took me to the clearing where we’d trained before the sun was up. David was already there, holding a staff in his right hand. He was scowling, and it was obvious that I wasn’t welcomed.
“You have to be kidding!” exclaimed David as he rolled his eyes.
“Don’t be too confident,” responded Maxime with a grin as he picked up a staff that had been leaning against a tree. He threw it to me, and I caught it with my left hand. My stomach plummeted as I realized that I was supposed to fight David. Not only was I afraid to really hurt him, but I was also scared of losing control and not knowing what to do or how to really defend myself.
“The rules are simple: stop when one’s down, when there is dangerous play, when one is injured, or when I simply tell you to,” explained Maxime.
“What if I hurt her?” David laughed.
“Don’t underestimate her,” replied Maxime as he winked at me with encouragement. I couldn’t back down now.
David quickly lunged and hit my stomach with the tip of his staff. I backed up, and he hit my left arm, followed by my right. He raised his staff and brought it down hard and fast. I blocked with my staff, keeping it from striking my head. He jabbed my chest with the back of his stick. I lost my breath and balance, but caught myself on a tree. David didn’t wait a moment and came darting toward me. I ducked, and his staff hit the tree right above my head. He lost his balance, so I caught his arm to stop his fall. He tried to hit the left side of my face, but I caught his staff with mine. He then attempted to strike my head again, but I swept my staff upward, hitting his chin and sending him flying. I put the end of my staff against his neck to indicate that I had won. He dropped his stick and put his hands up, surrendering. I took a few steps back and tried to help him up, but he avoided me.
“Great job, Alex!” congratulated Maxime. “You passed,” he said with a huge smile.
David rubbed a small line of blood dripping from his swollen bottom lip.
“I’m so sorry. Are you all right?” I tried to apologize, but he didn’t say anything. He grabbed his staff and stormed off. I turned to Maxime to explain that I hadn’t meant to hurt him, that I truly felt bad for having drawn blood, that I hadn’t realized what I had done until after it had left a mark.
“He’s fine. He just can’t stand losing. But trust me; you would have been in a lot more pain if he had won.” Maxime put his hand on my shoulder and took my staff. I wondered if David would have truly beaten me violently. He did after all shoot me, but then again, he’d kissed me as well. Maxime was intriguing, while David was just plain confusing.
“After your class with David, come back here. You’ll then have class with another group.”
I thanked him as he congratulated me, but I couldn’t help but express how I didn’t know what I was doing when fighting.
“Don’t worry. Your brain absorbs skill, technique, and strategy very quickly. You learn at an incredible pace. It’s natural to you,” Maxime said as we started to walk back.
“And how would you know this?”
“Never mind; forg
et I said anything,” Maxime muttered under his breath.
I begged him to explain, but he only got more vexed and told me to drop it.
“What do you know about your family?” he asked.
My heart leapt. Nobody ever asked about my family. I didn’t know what had happened to them, and it was something that I tried not to think about.
His eyes turned black like coal, and he ran off. I honestly had no idea why he was asking questions about my family. It was none of his business, but he revealed genuine interest. Lyli had been the closest thing I had had to family . . . until now.
I ran back to camp, barely making it in time. David told us that we would be dueling with real swords and to be extremely careful. Whoever lost the duel would have to do twenty-five push-ups, which wasn’t a lot, but still enough motivation.
Because Nick was absent, we were an odd number, so I was paired up with David. There was no way that I could win a swordfight against David, but I still had to try. I felt all the blood rush to my head as we got into our fighting positions, our swords pointing at each other. I swallowed deeply and took a deep breath.
David lunged toward me, but I blocked. He seemed to be going easy on me, because I wasn’t good with blades, but I was still struggling more than I should have been. He waited for me to strike, so I did, but he blocked with ease. We walked in a circle to the left, crossing our steps. Finally, he lunged, and I blocked again. Our blades clashed as we moved back and forth. David was getting more aggressive as the fight continued. Suddenly, he dropped his sword, clutched his head, and went to sit down on a log.
“Are you all right?” I asked him softly.
“No! My head hurts, my heart burns. It won’t stop! I can’t get it to stop. It’s drilling into me!” David’s voice was deep and raspy. He looked as if he was going insane. His pupils became tiny, black specks. I was scared and didn’t have the slightest idea of what to do.
“I’ll get you a glass of water,” I offered, mostly to get away from him.
As I turned to leave, he quickly stood up and yelled, “No!” Then he grabbed my sword and lunged at me. I jumped before he could cut me, and I tried to avoid his strikes. I didn’t understand what was going on. I was defenseless, and he kept attacking me. The rest of the group just stood there, watching our performance. They weren’t going to help.
“David! Stop! What are you doing? You’ve won, now stop!” I yelled, horrified, as I tried to elude his sword, but he ignored me. He wouldn’t stop. He threw his sword at me, and as I ducked, it hit the tree behind me. Then he picked up another sword. He was crazy!
Droplets of sweat ran down my forehead. He was still coming at me, and I kept running from the shiny blade, but sooner or later it was going to pierce through me. He had lost his mind, and no sword was within my reach.
“Pass me something! Anything! Anyone!” I yelled for help as I continued to back away from David, ducking every couple of steps. No one was responding. No one was helping me. They were just watching us, as if we were in a circus.
He was becoming more aggressive. He swung at my head a couple of times. I needed something to defend myself; I was getting tired, and I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out. I cried for help again, but my group just stared in horror. David was absorbing my energy. I was struggling to stand while he moved effortlessly. I needed help.
I saw Sam from the corner of my eyes. I screamed for him to hand me something, but he didn’t even move. “David has lost his mind! Pass me something before I lose my head! Sam! Anyone! Please!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.
At first Sam hesitated, as if he was under some sort of trance, but then he snapped out of it and threw me a sword. David swung his sword at my neck, but I crouched down, picked up the sword Sam threw to me, then rolled out of the way.
“I’m going to get Andrew!” Sam yelled, then ran off.
David jumped toward me, and I blocked. Our swords ground against each other. I was shaking. His blade slid down mine and thinly sliced my cheek. The blood trickled down, stinging. I kicked him and stumbled backward into a tree. His sword was inches from my throat. I was practically on my toes, my back pressed against the cold bark, my sword slipping through my sweaty hands. His blade ran along my throat, slowly digging into my neck. My eyes were watering from the pain. As he pushed the blade deeper into my neck, Maxime’s image flashed in my mind. I wanted him to be here. I wanted to tell him everything I knew about . . . everything. Everything about Matthew’s weaknesses and tactics. But more importantly, I wanted to thank Maxime for giving me a chance, for being there for me.
“Drop it,” a familiar voice said. I opened my eyes to see a blade pushed against David’s neck. I followed the blade to its hilt held tightly by a left hand wrapped in a dark, black cloth. My eyes drifted to Maxime’s face.
David let me go and turned to face Maxime. I fell to my knees and dropped my sword, exhausted. Blood flowed down my cheek and neck. I leaned against the tree and shut my eyes. I was too tired to move or watch what was happening.
Faint clashes and voices rang in my ears, but I couldn’t focus on them. There was pounding on the earth that rippled until I felt it beneath my own feet. Footsteps shuffled around me, but I remained in a daze, trying to gather my energy.
“Are you all right?” asked Maxime. “I’m really sorry about that. How’s your neck? Here, let me look at it.” His fingers gently lifted my head. I opened my eyes and saw Sam kneeling beside Maxime.
“It looks fine. Shouldn’t take too long to heal,” said Sam.
Maxime’s shoulder was covered in blood. I quickly sat up, worried. “Are you all right? You’re bleeding!” I reached out to touch his shoulder.
“I’m fine, thanks. Don’t worry about it. The blood only makes it look bad. Relax,” Maxime answered as he helped me up.
“What happened? Where is David?” I managed to ask.
“You should get some rest. David will be absent for some time, including the rest of class.”
I wanted to understand what was happening. Why was I here? What was I planning to do? I couldn’t stay here forever, disguised as a boy. I needed answers, but I was too confused and I didn’t dare ask what tormented me. I cried softly, my mind racing. What was going on? But more importantly, why was David trying to kill me?
Chapter 11
I woke up to the annoying beeping noise of my anti-gravity ring. My head pounded as I remembered what had happened the day before. I slowly ran my fingers across the scabs on my neck and cheek. They were a bit sore, but not painful. Yesterday was a blur, but I was determined to find out some answers, even if that meant angering Maxime.
It was cold out, so I wore my sweater. The night had not been lifted away, so I kept my eyes on the ground, careful not to trip on anything. The sunrise that I had witnessed yesterday played in my mind like a dream.
When I reached Maxime’s cabin, he was already waiting for me. I took a deep breath and charged over to him. “Where is David?” I asked in a huff.
He seemed taken aback by my sudden outburst. He sighed heavily, as if he didn’t want to have this conversation, but I needed answers.
“If you must know, David was drugged and a chip had been injected into his neck. It was programmed to target you by another community, maybe Alyss but not Tamizeh. David’s in Maria, and he’s still unconscious and in intensive care due to the side effects. You’re both very lucky, but you need to be careful. One attempt means that there are only more to come.”
I felt like the world was caving in. “I don’t understand.”
“You won’t for some time.”
“Who would want me dead? Why is someone trying to kill me? Why are we in danger?” I felt the panic slipping in, my voice rising in hysteria.
“That will have to be answered another time,” he said.
“That’s unfair!” I stomped at the ground. “If it concerns me and is a threat to my life, I have a right to know!” I suddenly felt betrayed.
“It d
oesn’t only concern you, and life isn’t fair. People suffer for no reason other than for Matthew’s sadistic pleasure. Some people never see anything but the blood of their family and friends pouring onto the cold earth simply because he needs a hobby! David had nothing to do with the threat, yet his life is hanging by a thread. I pulled him into this turmoil!” Maxime screamed.
I finally realized that I was a small, unimportant pawn in the middle of a huge chess game smeared in blood. There was no way for me to even start to comprehend the situation. I was nothing but another soldier in a massive war. The war was big, and I had been aware of that, but I hadn’t realized how it was affecting so many people. It suddenly became very real to me.
I had never seen Maxime so angry, but I had a right to feel angry too. I was ripped from my home by Matthew, thrown into a school that was preparing me for war, shot in the leg, then almost had my throat sliced. Not only that, but I was also pretending to be a boy, and the one place where I felt safe was a danger to myself and others. I wanted to cry. Would I ever belong? Would I ever find my purpose in life? Everything was falling apart, and I didn’t know how much longer I could last being unstable.
“I’m sorry, Alex, but this is bigger than you and me.” Maxime crinkled his brow, then fiddled with the black cloth on his left hand.
“What’s wrong with your hand?”
“Nothing,” he said nervously, and his eyes darkened.
“Why do you keep it wrapped up?”
“Listen, Alex, we really need to get started. Let’s just finish our training, okay?” There was desperation in his eyes.
I wanted to sense that feeling of belonging beside him again, so I decided to drop the question, but I was still determined to figure everything out.
We silently made our way to the clearing. He didn’t seem as upset, and he even smiled a little when his eyes lightened up again.
Violet Path Page 9