by SGD Singh
There were Trainees from all over the world, from the most remote South American jungles to the densest urban neighborhoods of Europe competing for the highest scores in both individual and group exercises.
But of the whole graduating class, no one was more heart-stopping to watch than Kelakha. Monsters fell by the hundreds at the end of his whip-like urumi sword. His form changed with effortless long-limbed grace, and no amount of chaos or applause rattled his calm, humble focus.
Only Lexi came close to being as fun to watch. Her reckless, joyous enthusiasm and utter fearlessness made up for the fact that she only shifted to one animal—a horrifyingly vicious white-tailed eagle.
On the last night before graduation, Jax joined the others in the gilded auditorium for the final round of demonstrations. Aquila, Kelakha, and Ursala entered the simulation arena together for their group test.
“Watch this,” Asha whispered. “These three have been training together since they were little. It’s… a pleasure to watch.”
She was right. The three boys moved in such perfect synchronicity Jax wondered if Lexi had been messing with her about soulmates—surely these three could also read each other’s minds. Their steel and bullets brought even the most terrifying Underworlders down in a blur of feathers, fur, fangs and talons. Aquila and Ursala could only Shift to one animal, a hawk and Asian bear, but even so, their skill with weapons was staggering, and they seemed to shift with more speed than anyone else.
Caught in the poetry of their movements, Jax completely forgot her sorrow for a few brief moments as her heart pounded with the sheer excitement of witnessing perfection.
When it was over, the room erupted in applause so loud, Jax wondered if it were possible for the tons of stone and earth above them to collapse. Aquila emerged from the arena first, his hair impossibly messy and his clothes torn, and smiled up at his applauding classmates. Practically flying down the aisle, Asha collided with him at full speed, and Jax watched him wrap his arms around her and spin, both of them laughing at a silent joke just between themselves. Jax tore her eyes away only to see Ariella move with a dramatic twirl to Ursala who swung her in a low dip and kissed her with dramatic passion in front of the entire class. Two seats in front of her, Lexi wrapped long arms around Nidhan’s neck and whispered something in his ear that made him burst into loud, warm laughter.
These people aren’t monsters. They’re kids.
Jax sat, frozen in the middle of the happy chaos, feeling completely alone, wishing for the first time that she’d had a chance to be a kid, to have a group of friends who loved her like this. And after three days, she felt no fear of them.
If they wanted to kill me, they would’ve killed me.
She had to make a decision. She still didn’t know why Asha wanted her there, or what the girl’s plan was, but did it matter? If there was anyone who could help her avenge Lucas’s murder, it was this group of crazy, sword-wielding, monster-killing Warriors.
Going back to the streets alone, pretending nothing had changed, wasn’t an option. She couldn’t live in a world where others preyed on people like Lucas.
So it was decided. If Asha was still serious about her offer, Jax would accept.
And if I die, at least I tried.
She became aware of Kelakha in the seat next to her. When she looked up at him he was smiling kindly, ignoring his classmates. His dark hair shone in its high ponytail, coming loose to hang across his face. Then the smile slid from his features, replaced with concern, and Jax felt her eyes fill with sudden tears as she hurried to turn away.
God! What the hell is wrong with me? Anyone would think I’m a bundle of cotton candy who’s never had a single night of misery.
“Are you all right Jax?” Kelakha asked, his voice full of worry.
When she didn’t answer, he turned his attention to twisting one of his rings around his finger—what she now knew was his personal weapon ring. His voice sounded miserable when he said, “I’ll take you back to your room if watching all this is… too upsetting.”
Jax just shook her head as tears spilled down her cheeks.
“After tomorrow, I guess you’ll be leaving,” he mumbled.
Jax gaped at him. “What you guys do… It is truly and epicly heroic. Don’t you know that?”
He just looked at her, searching her face as if he could find what she really meant.
His whole life has been this training, this fight. It’s ordinary to him. You don’t know these people at all.
Jax sighed. “Anyway, I have nowhere to go…”
“Asha will help you to go wherever you want.” He closed his eyes, nodding. “And… I’ll help too.”
Jax smiled, sniffing. “Oh, look! Team Badass Girls is gonna try to beat your score. As if!”
Asha, Lexi, and Ariella made a valiant effort, their heart-stopping skill astounding everyone into silence once again. The Illusionists threw everything at them, even what Jax recognized as Underworlders from the Thirteenth and Fourteenth realms, monsters that looked like they belonged in horror movies, and the three of them fought with joyous abandon. But when the illusion faded, even Jax could tell who the clear victors were.
When the final scores were posted, Jax followed the crowd into the mess hall for dinner. The room had been transformed. Tables designated to each group’s training school of the previous year spread out under the trees. Kelakha led Jax to Asha’s group, the longest table, where the fourteen graduating from Hong Kong Headquarters were gathering. An arrangement of red flowers cradling white five-petaled orchids decorated the table, with two flags stuck into it. Jax saw they were strange versions of the Hong Kong flag, the stylized five-petal Hong Kong orchid-tree flower on bright red, only with weapons added to it. Jax glanced around the room and noticed every table held various arrangements, with each country’s flag altered to include some sort of weapon. Infernal Guard HQ flags.
Kai, Kenda, and Koko sat at the center of the smallest, yet most elaborate table of all, and Jax realized the triplets must have grown up here at Central Headquarters.
Lexi was sitting at the head of the Hong Kong graduates’ table, ranting loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Look, it’s bullshit!” She pointed a fork at the three people across from her. “In the real world, no one can beat Asha, that’s all I’m saying. You can’t handicap someone’s Talent and have fair scoring.” She noticed Kelakha and raised her arms. “Tell them I’m wrong, ’Lakha.”
“You’re never wrong, Lexi,” said Kelakha, settling into a chair and starting to eat his food. “Everyone knows that.”
“And so, clearly our team should have won.”
“Clearly!” said Ursala, flipping his fork in his hand and pointing it at Lexi. “But you didn’t. What was that saying about being a sore loser, Castillo?”
The skinny Illusionist with burn scars covering one arm sitting across from him said in a heavy accent, “Don’t drag me into this. Lexi’s right. You guys got the high score, but realistically, whatever team Asha’s on would’ve won. And a team with Asha and Lexi? Forget about it.”
“Thank you!” said Lexi, starting to eat. “That’s all I was trying to say.”
Ariella’s yellow eyes sparkled. “Hey! What am I? A house cat?”
Castillo grinned. “A team with Asha and Kelakha, on the other hand…”
Lexi raised her glass of something green toward Kelakha. “All right, fair enough.”
Nidhan must have noticed Jax’s confusion, because he turned and held an orange out in his giant hand. “Asha here not only can heal, she can suck the life out of Underworlders. From a distance. Using only her mind.” He squeezed the orange in his enormous hand and juice poured through his fingers into a glass, squirting into the air.
Next to Jax, Asha laughed, shaking her head.
She can kill people with her mind? Jax was already doubting her decision to stay.
“I thought she had only four Talents. Seer, Jodha, and Healer, plus the portal thing
.”
Asha wiggled her ring-covered hand at Jax and grinned, winking at Aquila.
“It’s part of her Healer’s Talent,” said Lexi. “We think. And that’s gross, Nidhan.”
“What? I’m gonna drink it.” He coughed. “And the flavor of the peel is… not good.”
“And no one else can do this?” Jax asked.
Everyone but Asha suddenly became very interested in their food.
Jax could almost hear Lucas’s voice, Your damned curiosity will get you killed someday.
Asha was looking at Aquila, and Jax waited, watching in fascination while they had another silent conversation. Finally Aquila shrugged, resuming his meal.
Asha turned to Jax “There is one other person we know of who can do it.”
“Was,” Kelakha said.
“Is,” said Asha, and everyone else looked up.
“She’s dead,” insisted Nidhan. “I watched her fall into a portal to the lowest realm.”
“She’s gone,” said Asha calmly. “But she’s not dead.”
“Are you sure?” Lexi said. “You’re tracking her?”
Asha shook her head. “I can’t track people that far away. She’s not in our realm. But Ranya in an Underworld? She would survive—thrive even. She’s not dead.”
Jax noticed Aquila had gone pale, his eyes closed behind his messy hair. Then she noticed no one would look at him.
“She’s Aquila’s sister, isn’t she?” Jax asked Asha. She didn’t know how she knew it, but it was right there on his face.
Aquila’s head snapped up, and Jax flinched at the expression in his eyes.
“She is,” said Asha. “She was born Guard and stolen by the Asura, who made her into the most powerful Witch ever known.”
“My sister died a long time ago.” Aquila looked at Jax and his eyes hardened dangerously. “After what happened in Las Vegas, you of all people should understand that, Civilian.”
Jax was suddenly aware of how fast and effortlessly this boy could kill her if he chose to.
She pushed aside her fear, swallowing. “You’re right. I do understand. I’m sorry.”
Jax’s hands began to shake, and Asha reached over to cover them with her own as fruit in a bowl on the table died. Jax felt healing warmth fill her once again and wondered if Asha had just transferred the fruit’s life to herself. Holy shit… there’s a Talent. Jax noticed that Asha’s eyes never left Aquila’s.
Jax stood, “Um… Kelakha, could you…?”
“Of course,” Kelakha stood and looked down at Aquila until Aquila looked up at him, making a hand gesture, and Kelakha slapped his shoulder before leading Jax out of the mess hall.
They walked all the way to her room in silence and Kelakha held his ring to the door. “Sorry about that. Aquila can be intense, but he’s a good guy, really. He didn’t mean to scare you.”
Jax nodded.
“Well…” he cleared his throat. “Tomorrow is graduation. Did Asha tell you it’s a formal occasion?”
Jax nodded again.
Kelakha hesitated. “Um… I’ll see you at breakfast then.”
“What happens after graduation?”
Kelakha smiled as if relieved she was speaking to him. “We’re given our postings.”
“Postings? You mean, you could all be separated?”
“Theoretically, yeah. But with Asha as commander?” He stood silently for a long moment. “That’s… not what I’m worried about.”
Jax felt her eyes widen in surprise, and then horror as she blushed, shaking her head. The attention Kelakha was ordered to give her, the obligated kindness—the look in his eyes at this very moment—definitely did not mean Kelakha actually cared about a nobody civilian.
Being trapped under thousands of tons of rock is playing with your judgement, Jax.
But even as she told herself she had nothing to live for, she realized part of her heart had already begun to thaw without her permission, a part of her soul was waiting for her to stop fighting, to simply accept she was already home.
Home? What flavor of insanity is this? Maybe Asha can do mind-control after all and—
Kelakha started to say something just as his phone rang. “My mom.”
Jax laughed. “You probably don’t want to let that go to voicemail.”
She had met Chakori the night before when the orange-eyed beauty and Uma had supervised the endurance tests. Jax thought they were the most powerfully intimidating women she could’ve ever imagined even in her wildest dreams. She had decided within minutes of watching them that if the safety of the world depended on people like that, there was absolutely nothing to worry about.
Kelakha grinned. “Probably not wise. I’ll see you at breakfast?”
Jax nodded, entering the room as Kelakha’s deep voice trailed down the hall. “Mom? Your life better be in danger.”
She hurried to close the door.
If Lucas could see the delusional mess you’ve become in three short days, he wouldn’t need bloodsuckers to kill him. He’d die of shock.
† † †
The following sunset, Jax opened her door to find Kelakha standing in the hallway. He wore an elaborately embroidered long jacket of shimmering gold brocade. A maroon silk scarf hung from the high collar, ending in pearl-topped tassels above curving shoes.
She was grinning before she could stop herself. “Wow.”
“I know,” Kelakha said, looking embarrassed as he ran a hand down the scarf. “It’s a bit much. But we’re all supposed to wear our native costume.”
“I’m wondering where all your weapons are.” Jax immediately regretted saying it and felt herself blush, but Kelakha acted as if it was a perfectly normal conversation to have and she realized that for someone who thinks about weapons and killing pretty much constantly, it probably was.
“Oh, there are special halters for the revolvers, like the ones cops wear under their suits. The rest of my gear is under the achkan in the same places as always, with leg holsters, weapons belt… oh.” He trailed off, and it was his turn to blush. “You were joking, weren’t you?”
“And how is this my native costume?” Jax gestured down at her cocktail-length dress with a midnight blue velvet bodice and crepe skirt embellished with sparkling crystals along the multi-layered hem that fell just above her knees. Its simple design made her look taller, somehow, even with flat sandals. Jax was grateful that it at least had sleeves.
“The sparkles on blue look… patriotic?” Kelakha offered. “I… you look really nice, Jax.”
“Next to you, I might as well be wearing sweatpants,” she said. “Will everyone be that dressed up?”
“Only the Indians.” He rolled his eyes. “Unfortunately for us, they don’t mess around when it comes to formal. Especially in Punjab.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Every day.” Kelakha nodded. “Aquila, Ursala, and I grew up there. It was home, you know?”
“No,” Jax said softly, “I don’t.”
Kelakha stopped short, looking mortified. “Oh Jesus, Jax, I didn’t mean—”
“There you are!” called Asha, and Jax blinked against the visual onslaught of what had to be twenty pounds of sequins and rhinestones, layered onto shimmering silk the exact blue-green of Asha’s eyes. The only thing not covered in embroidery and bling were the wide pants, but those ended in sequined silk slippers that curled slightly at the toes. Jewelry that made gaudy look simple dripped from Asha’s ears, neck, and even her forehead.
“I know, right?” Asha laughed, and Jax realized she was gaping. “Its all Lexi. She’s… controlling when it comes to special occasions.”
As if she heard her name, Lexi emerged from a room further down the hall dressed in a black wool skirt, with what Jax thought were suspenders bordered in red trim and thick embroidery. A wide belt draped down the front of her full skirt, ending in cotton tassels. The jumper-skirt-thing was worn over a high-collared white long sleeved puffy-shirt, also embroidered.
There was not a single sequin anywhere on her body, but somehow she looked royal, her blonde hair held out of her face with two small braids.
“Where are you from?” said Jax.
“Miami,” Lexi said with a spin. “And this is a bunader. Traditional clothes of Norway. And very comfortable, I must say.”
“Uh-huh.” Asha scowled at Lexi. “And why does Jax get to wear that, when I have to wear this?”
“Does Jax look Punjabi to you?”
Asha jiggled the bangles on her wrist. “My mother was Colombian. I was born in Colombia. You could have just gotten me a very full cotton skirt with colorful ribbons and some flowers for my hair.”
“And insult BapuJi? Screw that.”
Asha’s face lit up, and Jax knew Aquila had spoken to her, and probably said something embarrassingly intimate. As he rounded the corridor, Asha spun to face him. Aquila wore clothes similar to Kelakha’s but in simpler line-patterned silk instead of embroidery. He tugged at a vest instead of a scarf.
“Hey, where’s the hat?” Lexi demanded.
“I would tell you what you can do with the hat, Lexi,” Aquila said, taking Asha’s hand and kissing it, “but there are ladies present.”
Lexi made a sound between a snort and a hiss. “C’mon you guys, let’s go. They’re starting a telepathic love fest again. I blame myself. The outfit is just too much.”
“What outfit is too much?” Nidhan said, suddenly towering behind her. He managed to look both overdressed and comfortable at the same time in flowing navy silk with borders of orange embroidery. His personal weapons, two curving swords, hung from embroidered orange straps that crossed his wide chest, and there were extra knives and revolvers protruding from a belt of orange silk. Chakars and small daggers shone on his navy dumala turban, and he showed the beginning of a dark beard.
“Not that one.” Lexi grinned up at him. “You look perfect. You are perfect!”
Kelakha leaned toward Jax and said under his breath, “Who’s having a love fest now?”