by T. L. Clarke
She looked at me worriedly, then pulled me to her side, burying her chin on the top of my head. She exhaled loudly. "I didn’t think that this would unfold so fast. I thought that I would at least have a little bit more time before…"
My body tensed. "Before what, Grandma Celeste?"
She squeezed me hard before continuing. "Did he tell you his name?"
I scrunched up my nose. "He didn’t have to because it was like I knew him. And he had this fire thing going on. Fire was shooting out of everywhere."
Her body tensed. I leaned away from her to find a shocked look on her face.
"What? Grandma Celeste, you’re scaring me." I looked at her anxiously.
She smiled, but it was for show. She was very concerned. She looked into space, clasping her hands. "Karma. The law of cause and effect."
"I don’t see—"
"Don’t interrupt, Gabi" she responded sharply.
I looked at her with hurt eyes. She had never raised her voice at me before.
Her eyes softened. "I’m sorry, Gabi, but this story is very important." She grabbed my hand desperately. "Please, just listen, okay?"
I nodded, pulling my knees to my chest protectively.
"Remember when I told you about how everything in our realm and beyond is tied?"
I nodded, but remained silent.
"Well, Karma is one of the many ties that bind the Elementi and gods together. When an Eternal dies, they only achieve immortality by passing down their gifts to their children. But if an Elementi dies, it’s very different; it’s literally the rebirth of their soul."
I pointed over to the gold cocoon delicately hanging on to the sweet Honeysuckle vine. "Like that cocoon."
"Exactly, so when an Elementi has finished with their shell of a body, they discard it and allow their soul to enter a new Elementi body."
I looked at her with amazement. "It sounds like buying a new pair of skinny jeans. You try on a couple pairs, and you keep the cute pair that you really like."
She laughed softly. "I wouldn’t compare reincarnation to buying a new pair of jeans." She brushed my hair gently. "Well, the rebirth of the Elementi soul is a willing union, but in rare occasions, this union happens by brute force."
I looked at her quickly. "What do you mean ‘by force’? Like a soul just cold jumping into a body and saying, ‘Hey, I got this, and I’m not going’?"
"Pretty much."
I gulped. "But I thought that the Elementi were powerful beings. How could that happen?"
"Because some Elementi are stronger than others, strong enough to enforce his or her will on another, but to do so is not without repercussions."
"And what are the repercussions?"
"The repercussions are to never experience the freedom from the vicious cycle of repeated birth and death. It’s like being trapped on a merry-go-round and never being able to get off."
"Is that what happened to the blond guy?"
"No, he is the victim of repercussions of his family bending Karma. Karma binds together free will and destiny, and he is the constant reminder of these notions."
"But what does that have to do with me, and why was he in my dream?"
"Because your soul and his are bound by Karma. The question is why?"
Right about now, I really didn’t care about why; I cared about not wanting to be this Akasha. "I…I don’t even know where to start. I mean, why me? Am I cursed by the gods because my father turned to the Banished?"
"You are not cursed, Gabi. You are a gift from the gods, a salvation for the Eternals, Elementi, and yes, even the Normals."
"What do you mean by salvation?"
Grandma Celeste looked at me pensively. "You can stop us from destroying ourselves and the world."
I reeled back from shock. "What? How am I supposed to do that?"
She looked at me matter-of-factly. "By ending the war with the Underworld and preventing a bloody Eternal versus Elementi war."
I bit back the bitter tears that threatened to fall. "Is this some sort of bad joke? I didn’t ask for any of this. In fact, I don’t want it." I jumped up, stomping my feet like a two-year-old. "I can’t even save myself, never mind anyone else. And you’re asking me to save the world. The world? Do you realize how monumental this is?"
She stood up calmly, pressing a cool, soothing palm to my forehead. Instantly a quietness settled in my body. "The answer is yes. I do realize how monumental this all is. But you can do this, Gabi. You were born to."
"No, I can’t." I tried to pull back, but she held me steady. I hated this constant, annoying feeling of fear, of uncertainty, of no control. It was something that I had never felt in my entire life, and it rocked me to the core. It made me feel…weak.
She held my chin steadily. "Yes, you can. Where is the girl with the confidence of a lion? Where is the girl who told me that we would make it together when your parents died?"
I tried to pull away. I was ashamed.
She grabbed my face between both of her hands. "I need her front and center, Gabi. I need her to fight. Fight when things are confusing and scary. Fight when there is no hope in sight. Fight when you are the last one standing. Fight until there is but one last breath in your body. That is why the gods picked you, because you are our spirit Warrior. You are the one."
I closed my eyes, inhaling the truthfulness of her words. They awakened the fight, the rightness of it all. This was indeed what I was meant to do. And there was no escaping from it. Whether I accepted it or not.
chapter
FIFTEEN
I practically floated back to the courtyard on a high. Grandma Celeste had done everything in her power to ensure that everything would be okay, and I momentarily forgot about the looming trouble ahead. At least she tried very hard to make me forget, and I just enjoyed the time with her as if I didn’t have a care in the world.
A frantic Jessica rushed up to me in a panic. "I thought that you would be late for third period. And Brooklyn was having a cow about being late, so I told them to go ahead and I’d wait for you."
"Okay, relax; I was going to get back in time. I was hanging with Grandma Celeste, the ultimate timekeeper. She sent me on my way just so I could get here on time."
They rushed across the courtyard.
She looped her arm through mine. "How is she doing? Grandma Priscilla was acting real strange. Well, even stranger than usual. I think she’s real worried about her."
I avoided her eyes. "She’s real good, just tired and worried about this whole voting thing."
Jessica stopped and looked around quickly; she snapped her fingers. "Okay, the training field is after this underpass."
They rushed to the top of the steep green hill that was framed by a collection of trees on both sides. On the castle side of the hill was a raised walk overlooking a flat, grassy area, and the hill spiraled down to a lush hill surrounded by a serene lake filled with swans, ducks, and birds. We barreled down the hill. Our first view was Neophytes lined up, facing each other and raring to fight.
Instantly I recognized the formidable Petra, who was dressed in super tight black leggings and T-shirt, which showed off the perfection of her muscular build as she paced back and forth holding a long, slim, gleaming silver staff in her left hand. The staff thumped on the grass in that all too familiar rhythm that Grandma Celeste used with her walking stick.
She stopped and looked at them impatiently. "Good order, justice, and peace, Neophytes. Next time get here at least thirty minutes before class. That gives you enough time to warm up so the class won’t have to wait around." She glanced at the two staffs at her feet. "Here’s one for you, Jessica, and one for you, Gabrielle."
The whole class looked at them impatiently as they picked up their staffs.
She looked at them harshly. "Since you missed my introduction, I’ll repeat myself, but I won’t do it again." She tapped her watch. "Next time, get here on time."
Jessica and Gabrielle rushed to line up with the rest of t
he students.
"My name is Circle Petra, and I’m your Warrior leader for the purposes of this class. I will teach you the basics of hand-to-hand combat and using your sword." She thumped the bottom of her bright silver staff against the grass, then raised it diagonally in front of her body. "This is your practice staff. Encased inside is your sword. Remember, this is a practice tool."
She dropped the staff quickly and reached across her shoulders to the belts that held the sheaths diagonally across her back, grabbed the hilt of each sword, pulled it forward and out of the sheath in one swift movement, and wielded two wicked-looking swords.
"In battle, we use these, the Eternal swords. These swords are laced with an illumination spell to deflect dark magic used by the Banished and the Daemons." She lunged forward, quickly slicing the huge, heavy-bladed silver swords through the air, making whooshing and whizzing sounds. Abruptly she stopped, looking at their shocked eyes with devilish relish. She whipped the swords back into the sheaths, then walked deftly back and forth in front of them, staring at them coldly.
"In this class, you will learn how to wield your swords, and your mentors will handle all the other combat skills needed to survive on the battlefield, like strengthening skills, speed, reflexes, stamina, and durability through rigid training."
I looked at her like she was crazy. The only thing that I could focus on in her whole speech was the word "survive."
She huffed out with exasperation when her statement was met with anxious and confused stares.
"Goddess, preserve me." She looked up at the sky with impatience, then over at us with even more impatience. "Neos, please stop looking at me like I stole your pacifier. This is Warrior combat training. Get a spine, and for goddess’s sake, toughen up." She jammed her hands on her hips, giving them a mean look. "In this class, you will practice with your fellow first, middle, and end levelers. Today, I will go quickly through a series of combat moves that you need in sparring with the middle levelers."
They all gasped, looking at each with frightened eyes.
A Neophyte raised her hand timidly. "Uh, Circle Petra? Do you mean that we will be practicing with the middle levelers today?"
Petra shook her head impatiently before storming over to her and looking down at her like a mean giant. "Yes, today!" She looked over at us coldly. "There have been some recent events that have forced me to move around the order of your Warrior lessons. Normally, we would have plenty of time to progress you through skills you will need to spar with the middle levelers, but that decision is now out my hands. Now it’s sink or swim time. Therefore, I need you to watch and pay close attention."
They all turned to look at Orion, who was sprinting effortlessly across the grass toward us, stopping before us, looking at us with a condescending glare. He was even more gigantic than I remembered; over six feet four, his muscled legs and arms were big like tree trunks, his skin sun kissed and weathered, and his sandy blond hair cropped short.
"I am Orion, the instructor for the middle and end levelers. I’m sure Petra has already informed you that the council has decided that, several times a week, we will combine the first and middle levelers in training," he barked roughly. "First thing, when sparring, we always start with a bow and end with a bow to show respect to our opponent."
"Let’s begin," he yelled, then turned to face Petra, giving her a slight bow, which she returned.
In one swift movement, they both grabbed the hilt of their two swords from the belts that held the sheaths diagonally across their backs. They circled each other menacingly. He windmilled his swords at lightning-fast speed, causing her to back up quickly with a wicked grin on her face. Petra swiftly flipped in midair, avoiding his reach while slipping her swords into her sheaths. Orion slipped his swords into his sheaths, then proceeded to throw a series of punches, intentionally missing her. She kicked her leg out, extending from the hip, pausing with her leg suspended effortlessly in midair, mere inches from his face. Orion swung his treelike muscled arm swiftly, swatting her leg away with vicious move.
Jessica looked on like a deer in the headlights. "Are they serious? They’re really fighting like they want to kill each other."
I didn’t want to show it, but I was completely weirded out on so many levels. One—because the fighting was really intense. Two—because I just realized that the silver staff that Grandma Celeste was walking around with was really a concealed deadly weapon.
They fought aggressively for what seemed like hours. It was like watching very deadly ballet the way their well-tuned, muscled bodies twisted, dodged, flipped in midair, kicked, and wrestled, with their swords interlocking as they thrust in overarm and underarm motions. By the time they were finished, they were flushed and sweaty, with threads of blood running along their arms and legs.
And like the crazies that I thought they were, Orion and Petra smiled at each other with great satisfaction, maintaining eye contact as they bowed to each other respectfully.
Petra looked at them breathlessly with a wild-eyed excitement. "Okay, for the purposes of training, and to minimize injuries, we will always leave the sword concealed within the staff when sparring with one another. However, do not be fooled by the staff. By design, it has grooves and carvings that, when used properly, will cause injury. Keep that in mind when sparring today, and use it to your advantage. Now, let’s run through some basic moves very slowly."
She thrust the staff forward, swung it above her head, spinning around effortlessly, flipping and kicking; the air whooshed around her menacingly.
Orion then ran through a series of moves and looked at them impatiently. "Remember that the only way to kill a Banished is to sever its head. Also remember that the Banished is always looking for the quick and easy kill. They will go for the throat, given the opportunity, and they will drain you dry."
The class gasped.
He looked at them impatiently. "Why are you acting like this is breaking news?"
The class looked around shamefully.
He continued in a brisk voice. "The Banished feed on the powers of Elementi and Eternals. Because our powers are traced through our blood, they drain their victims like vampires." He stated it so matter-of-factly that I blinked at the nonchalance.
"Banished 101, they need our blood to survive, and the more they feed, the more powerful they become—hence their lust to feed. And when they can’t get an Elementi or Eternal to feed on, they resort to feeding on Normals, not their preference since a normal’s blood does not provide the sustenance that they need." He tapped his face in thought. "In fact, they can gorge themselves on Normals for months like scavengers and still not be satisfied."
I truly wanted to gag now as I pictured the Banished feeding on helpless Normals, draining them dry.
Petra walked back and forth rapidly as she looked at them with impatience. "One more key thing before we start, today I want you to practice using your senses when fighting. And when I say senses, I mean open your awareness to your opponent by keeping some contact with his or her body. By doing this, eventually you will be able know what they’re thinking about doing before they actually do it."
Orion examined the class; half of us were turning green and on the verge of throwing up. He smiled sadistically. "Now, we’ll pair you up."
I smiled gratefully when I was paired with a thin, loudmouth NA named Matthew.
Petra looked around the class with satisfaction. "Okay, when I call out the move, you execute. Orion will walk around to see if you are doing it correctly. Let’s go," she snarled.
She snapped out the moves first slow, then faster. When she was finished, I was sweaty, but really pumped. I felt a surge of adrenaline run through my blood. The moves felt so right, like I had been doing them for years.
Orion walked over to me. "That was a good job for a Neophyte," he said roughly.
Now I was really pumped.
He looked at me sardonically. "But let’s see how you do against a middle leveler." He walked away chuckling.
Okay, now I was not so pumped. And as if on cue, the middle levelers ran onto the grass looking at them like they were dead meat. Leading the pack were the Terrible Ts, and they looked angry.
"Oh man, they’re going to kick our butts," Matthew whispered nervously.
I didn’t care. I was ready for battle. It felt like this ran through my blood. And I would fight to my last breath.
Petra nodded at the middle levelers as they lined up beside Orion. He looked at them proudly, then walked over to talk to Petra.
They looked back and forth between the first and middle levelers, then nodded in agreement.
Petra looked at them quickly. "We have decided who will be paired."
They moved through the line pointing and pulling people out. I held my breath. Please let it be a scrawny middle leveler. Then the unspeakable happened. Justice came rushing over the hill with staff in hand.
"Why are you late, Justice?" Orion stared at him.
"Titan wanted to have a word with me." Justice looked at him indifferently.
"Titan should know better. Training comes first, social hour last. After class, give me twenty laps around the castle."
Justice gave him an amused stare.
Orion’s face tightened furiously as he pointed angrily toward the line. "You with Gabrielle."
I gulped. Jeez, anyone but him.
He sauntered over to me. "Hey, it’s the smart-mouth first leveler. What’s up?" he spat. Jeez, I couldn’t keep up with his moods. One minute he was trying to flirt with me, the next he acted like he wanted to kill me.
"Whatever," I responded.
His eyes narrowed. "Let’s see if that smart mouth can save you today."
I immediately got into Warrior stance. "Okay, then bring it! I may not win, but I’ll sure make sure I do some damage to that pretty boy face of yours." I groaned inwardly. Had I just admitted that I thought he was kind of cute?
He gave me a fleeting look of respect—then it quickly disappeared. "So you do think that I’m hot. Well stand in line, NC. The NC line is very long," he responded cockily.