by Jacinta Jade
The male nodded. ‘Dirl—what’s the second rule?’
Another voice sounded, this time from the other side of the wagon. ‘That all new trainees must make their way into camp on foot and without assistance.’
The male turned back to Siray and, nodding, held out his hand expectantly.
Siray looked from the man’s hand to her staff. ‘But without the support, I’ll hardly be able to move.’
‘But you can move.’ The male stated this slowly, and his eyes narrowed. ‘Trainee, you have heard the rules, and the rules apply to all.’ He took a step back and shrugged, spreading his hands. ‘Or you can tell me right now that you are just part of the support team with Hurtol here, and you can keep your staff and be on your way once the wagon has been unloaded.’
Siray’s chest hardened in response to this threat. Risk her injury or leave the camp. Not great options. She took a breath.
‘I’m a trainee.’
She extended her hand, offering up the staff.
The male’s eyebrows rose in expectation, and he also extended his hand out. Between them was a gap of a step or two.
Siray worked hard to keep her face blank as she carefully hopped forwards to close the distance and hand her staff to him.
As his hand wrapped around it, he nodded. ‘Seems that we have a new trainee. Gesad—explain the induction process.’
The male moved away with her staff to the wagon and jumped up to where Siray had been sitting just a moment ago, dropping the staff to his feet. He waved his hand imperiously. ‘Back to it, everyone!’
Siray heard Hurtol’s familiar, ‘Heya!’ and when she looked over at him, he gave her a quick nod.
Remembering his earlier warning, Siray drew in a deep breath and squared her shoulders, maintaining her balance as she looked around at the members of the Resistance moving past her, trying to identify the one called Gesad.
When she spotted one male moving against the flow of the others, she assumed that this must be he, and indeed the new male strolled right up to Siray and stopped in front of her about two arm’s lengths away.
No, not stopped—halted, with an emphasis placed on fixing his trailing foot into place beside the other.
Siray pressed her lips together to avoid letting any response to this display show on her face.
Gesad took her in with a quick glance. ‘I am Gesad. Soldier, and a trainer in training, as it were.’
Siray nodded to show she was listening.
Gesad continued. ‘The male who was just here is your drill sergeant—Sergeant Bulmer. He will be instructing you in your training.’ Gesad’s words were concise and spoken in a steady stream as he considered her.
Siray had the impression that he had spoken these same words a number of times before.
‘If you have any questions while preparing for a training session, speak up and ask directly. If you have any questions outside of training sessions, you must approach myself or one of the other trainers.’
Siray nodded. ‘How do I know who I should approach?’
Gesad turned smartly on the spot to show Siray the back of his jacket. On the green-and-brown background was one diagonal white line. Siray watched as he spun back around just as smartly again to face her once more.
‘All trainers have a similar mark on their back. The sergeant has two such marks on his, making him easy to spot in the field during training.’
Gesad’s head tilted slightly. ‘It is good that you are already wearing your training clothes, as your training begins the moment you cross the entrance to the camp. All your other possessions will be held with the supply officer until the first week of training is over.’
Siray opened her mouth but hesitated a breath before deciding she needed to voice her concern.
‘About that—with my injury I probably won’t be able to do everything until my foot heals. The commander said that I could just do some of the training until I’m fully recovered.’
Her words were met with a blank face. And silence.
When Gesad spoke again, it was slower, more purposeful ‘All trainees undergo the same drills and must pass each one to continue their training. No exceptions.’
Gesad eyed Siray until she realised what it was he wanted, and she gave him a quick nod of acceptance.
So much for taking it easy.
Gesad nodded back. ‘As the fourteenth trainee to arrive for the new squad, you will be known as trainee fourteen. This will be your designation during training until you pass the combat test. That is, if you make it that far.’
Gesad paused momentarily, and Siray nodded again, understanding now that she was required to affirm her understanding of each direction.
‘You will address sergeant Bulmer as “sergeant”, and myself and others like me as “trainer”. You will respond quickly to orders and questions without hesitation. All trainees are continually monitored during the first week to ascertain who will move forwards in their training.’
Siray frowned slightly, and Gesad didn’t miss it.
‘A question, trainee fourteen?’
Siray nodded, then addressed Gesad appropriately. ‘Yes, trainer. You said that all trainees must pass each area of training to progress. But moving forwards in training is also determined by what trainers observe?’
Gesad nodded. ‘That’s correct.’
Siray waited for further explanation, but Gesad simply let the silence hang for a moment. Then she understood. Yes, she could ask questions. But they didn’t have to answer them.
Gesad folded his hands behind his back. ‘Any more questions before I provide instructions for your first challenge?’
Siray shook her head, trying to hide her surprise at the mention of a test so soon. ‘No, trainer.’
Gesad nodded and, turning about smartly on the dirt road, walked off, gesturing for Siray to follow. Siray hopped after Gesad until he halted in line with the two fallen trees, where he spun to face her.
‘This is where your first challenge begins.’ He waved a hand at the forest behind him. ‘You must find the tree with the orange tag. Once there, your training will formally commence. The tree can be found in the shadow of the cliff, and you must make it there by nightfall.’
Siray’s nerves had been building while Gesad described the challenge, but at his last words, she looked up anxiously to see the sun had only a quarter of the sky left to roam before twilight, and then darkness, would fall.
‘What happens if I don’t make it in time?’
Gesad’s face was blank, his voice neutral. ‘Then you don’t continue.’
Siray’s lips separated as she looked down at her foot for a moment. Swallowing, she pursed her lips and, looking back up, nodded at Gesad.
He nodded sharply once and extended a hand towards the trees.
Siray drew in a deep breath, pulled back her shoulders, and began hopping in that direction as fast as she could manage, feeling ridiculous but knowing that each moment would count if she were to make it to her objective in time. As she was about to merge with the cover of the forest, Gesad called to her, and Siray paused, turning her head to listen.
‘Remember the rules, trainee. The rules are simple and must be followed. No possessions of your own. No assistance.’
Siray nodded emphatically. She understood alright, better than most probably.
Releasing the breath she had continued to hold until that point, Siray hopped her way beneath the trees and into the forest. She kept moving until she was sure she was out of Gesad’s line of sight, and then she moved farther on until her imagination was also assured that she could no longer feel his eyes on her back.
Finally able to relax a little, Siray looked up through the trees to locate the cliff that Gesad had mentioned and which she had glimpsed on her journey in. It wasn’t difficult to spot. Even from this distance, she could see the outline of the cliff through the canopy of the trees. The hardest part was trying to guess which section of the cliff she should head towards.
> Shrugging to herself, Siray decided to make straight for the cliff and then continue along it once she reached it. But first she needed to determine how she was actually going to get herself there. Hopping along on her one good foot could be done, but it could also be risky, given the trees and undergrowth she would have to navigate around in the process, not to mention that it would rapidly tire her.
On to the next idea, then.
She had braced herself a couple of times during the day on her bad foot, so maybe it might be able to take a little weight. Doubts filled Siray, but she chose to ignore them as she lowered her bad foot slowly to the ground. There, she rested about 10 percent of her weight on it, barely breathing as she waited. No issue.
Siray then moved it forwards slightly and, committing fully, attempted a quick step, transferring weight onto her injured foot for just an instant.
A sharp pain lanced through her injured foot, and she gasped, holding her foot off the ground and gripping her knee in shock as if she could lessen the pain through that contact. Even off the ground, pain continued to roll through her, and it was all Siray could do for a moment to maintain her upright position as she breathed through it.
Slowly, the intensity died away, leaving behind only a painful throbbing and a dampness at the corner of her eyes.
Lesson learned.
Next option. She could find another branch to use as a support. The dense forest meant that she could easily break off a low branch or perhaps find one that had already fallen. She began looking around at the trees, but another thought stopped her—made her frown.
Gesad had seemed to emphasise the second rule to her, and he would only do that for one of two reasons—if he was trying to encourage her to find another means of support to make it through the challenge or … if he was providing an extra warning.
Siray thought about the first reason, debating with herself. Yes, they had taken her staff away from her, but it had been designed for her particular kind of need and was technically a possession of hers. So, maybe grabbing a new branch would be okay?
She looked around and saw a couple of small twigs lying about and hopped a bit farther forwards so that she could see more of the ground between the trees. As she scanned, Siray thought she could see one branch that might do.
Placing one hand against the closest tree for balance, Siray cautiously hopped over a couple of tree roots that were sticking slightly above the ground and made the last few hops over to where the branch lay. As she peered down, Siray extended her bad leg out behind her a little to counter her balance as she bent forwards to make her examination. The branch seemed about the right length and thickness for her purpose. Leaning forwards even farther, she scooped up the branch while holding her spare arm off to the side for balance and then straightening, keeping the leg with the injured foot bent as she brought it back underneath her body.
Holding the branch with both hands, Siray tried to flex it. It barely moved, and when she applied additional force, it didn’t break or splinter.
She smiled to herself, pleased. The branch was perfect. She put the small end on the ground and clasped it.
Her smile dropped away.
The branch was perfect … the right length, the right thickness, and with just the right amount of hardiness.
Siray twisted her upper body slightly to look behind her. It had been just a moment or two since she had left Gesad by the fallen trees and found this branch.
She thought about the emphasis Gesad had placed on the second rule that applied to trainees. No assistance.
Siray turned her eyes back to the branch she held again and realised what was wrong with it.
It was too perfect.
Exhaling quickly, Siray threw the branch to the side, and not looking back down at it, hopped one or two paces beyond it until she came to the next tree, which she used to support her weight.
She cleared her mind by taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly in a whoosh through her nose. She was confident now that the emphasis Gesad had placed on reminding her of the second rule had been a warning. And finding a branch that met her needs so perfectly and so soon after starting the challenge was far too convenient for her liking. And the more she thought about it, the more it seemed like something these trainers might do. Especially if … they were watching her.
Siray narrowed her eyes as her flow of thoughts played out. Hairs rose on the nape of her neck, and the skin on her back seemed to ripple as it tried to sense bodies that might be hidden from her eyes. She fought her instincts and didn’t look up and around at the forest, though she doubted that she would be able to spot them anyway if the trainers really were watching, as she certainly hadn’t seen anyone up to this point.
So Siray performed the mental equivalent of biting her tongue and focused on her options. Hopping was out over a long distance. Using her bad foot wasn’t even an option. Making use of convenient branches was even worse. That left her with two other ways she could move on her own. Climbing and crawling. Climbing was out unless she went vine swinging, and, looking up, Siray was able to disregard that idea fast. The trees were big and beautiful, with wide branches that stretched across to grasp in a friendly way at each other. Great for small animals leaping from branch to branch but not for a Kaslonian with an injured foot.
Which left only one way. Crawling.
Siray knew that she could move faster crawling than hopping, but it would be a question of how long her knees and elbows could sustain the movement, given the speed at which she would have to move, especially if she was to find the tree in time to complete the challenge.
At least she had the new clothes, although she wished she had been wearing her jacket. It might have made her sweat terribly, but the thick material would have provided her elbows with better protection.
All these thoughts and deliberations occurred quickly, and Siray made her decision.
Keeping her hand against the smooth trunk of the tree supporting her, Siray pushed off it slightly so that her weight was balanced again on her good foot. Then, sliding her hand down the trunk for support, she carefully lowered herself so she was almost in a crouch on her good leg while she held her injured foot awkwardly behind her as high as she could manage.
Siray then steadied herself by leaning most of her weight onto the tree while she lowered the knee of the leg with her injured foot to the ground. Then she pushed off from the tree with her hands, throwing her shoulders into the push so that the weight of her body swung from the tree to fall forwards, ensuring Siray landed forwards on her hands and knees.
There, she wiggled her body experimentally, testing her balance as she held that position and flexed her fingers, pressing the tips into the dirt and trying to get a feel for the ground she would have to cover. The floor of the forest was a mixture of dirt, twigs, leaves, and plants—an intermingling of soft and hard textures, which would provide plenty of challenges for a pair of soft hands and knees like hers.
On her hands and knees, Siray grudgingly appreciated her feet even more. When she came through this, she vowed to always carry a pair of gloves on her person and to wear plated boots.
Carefully holding both her feet above the ground, Siray moved forwards tentatively at first, then a bit faster.
She was immediately happy at the pace she managed to make, a speed that turned out to be much faster than what she might have managed with her staff. In addition, this position meant that her balance was spread and there was no chance of her falling. All she had to remember was to keep her injured foot held high.
Siray raised her head and pointed herself in the direction of the cliff. That was the way. And as long as she looked up every few trees, she should keep her heading pretty well.
She hoped.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
LOOKING UP at the sky, Siray saw she had been crawling long enough for the sun to have moved another handspan, and she paused where she was, panting as sweat dripped down her temples, neck, and nose, stinging and ref
reshing her when a breeze happened to chance past.
Turning her head to look behind her, Siray monitored herself as she carefully lowered her injured foot so that the tips of the toes rested lightly on the heel of her other foot. She wished that she had something she could use to tie her ankle to her thigh, as the muscles of that leg were cramping with the effort of keeping her injured foot raised above the ground, and Siray almost closed her eyes in pleasure at the brief respite that position gave her tired muscles.
She had given up early on in trying to keep both legs raised and instead had used begun to use her uninjured foot as a brace behind her on the ground when she needed it.
Now, her chest heaving, Siray allowed her head to sink and her back to sag so that she was looking at the ground as she alternated between arching and rounding her shoulders, attempting to loosen them and gain some further relief from her cramped muscles. This, of course, directed the sweat to run down her face faster, but Siray ignored it as she concentrated on drinking in as much air as possible.
Worse than her cramping shoulders and sore knees were her stinging palms, but Siray didn’t dare to pick them up to examine them as she knew that seeing them would probably make it feel worse. Too late, she had thought about ripping up some of her new clothes to make wrappings for her hands, but the damage had already been done, and she didn’t see the point now, especially as a coolness was beginning to envelop the forest.
Looking up for a brief moment, Siray saw that she was covering ground well, as the cliff was now towering above the trees around her. Soon she would reach its base and would need to turn left or right to search out her target tree.
As she flexed her fingers and arched her back a final time, making ready to move off again, Siray paused as she considered the position of her hands. Thus far she had been making her way with her hands flat against the ground, resting half her weight on them and pushing off each time with the whole palm. As she flexed her fingers, though, her palms came off the ground slightly and her shoulders squared to be more in line with her back. Wonderingly, Siray lifted her injured foot and keeping her fingers flexed, she began moving again. Although this pose seemed to require a bit more strength to be exerted through her hands, Siray felt that she could actually move faster and be surer of her movements over the ground this way. Best of all, it provided a break for the palms of her hands, which were no longer receiving imprints or worse from every hard bit of twig, stone, or dirt they encountered. It also seemed easier for Siray to keep her head up and for her body to respond to her commands, the equivalent of balancing her body on the balls of the feet.