Black Ruins Forest (The Elder Series Book 1)

by Karen DuBose

  “That sounds about right about the shifting part. I know after the first shift you hardly feel it. What do you mean⸻if what I said is right?”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about after school. I don’t want to say anything here.”

  “Ok, we’ll talk after school. Do you want to talk alone, or can Kelso hear as well?”

  “I’d rather no one else hear what I have to say if that’s ok.”

  “That is perfectly ok with me. Do you need to talk to me now? We can go somewhere private.”

  “Thank you. It can wait until after school. The last time I thought I was alone Nessa happened to be hiding. Plus, I’m trying to deal with what happened earlier, and I’d rather not have another breakdown in front of the others again.”

  “No problem. We’ll talk right after school. I’ll meet you at my blaster.”

  “Great. That settles it.”

  The bell rings. We get up to throw our trash away. I look for Kira, so we can walk to class together. I see her still talking to Kelso. I wonder what they’re talking about. She looks confused. That’s never a good thing. I walk over to her and put my hand on her shoulder.

  “Are you ready to go?

  “Yeah, I’m ready. Let’s go. See you around, Kelso.”

  She turns so fast, I think she’s going to break something. What is wrong with her? What did Kelso say to her to make her act this way? I have to run to catch up with her.

  “Are you ok? What did he say to you?”

  “I’d rather not talk about it here. We’ll talk when you come over tonight, okay?”

  “Ok, we’ll talk later then.”

  We walk to our next class without saying another word. I know something is upsetting her. He better not have said something stupid to her. She will not put up with his crap. I won’t even feel sorry for him for it either.

  Chapter Four

  Our next class is training. We’ve trained from the time we could walk, and it’s mandatory to attend training classes. The elders have made it a rule that we know how to fight with the best just in case we ever have to go to war. They want us to be ready. I don’t see that happening, but who knows?

  Walking into class, I see my favorite trainer, Pim. I was expecting a different trainer. Pim is a badass Dragon trainer. He tends to stick with the younger ones. He says they seem to listen better. He isn’t the type or trainer you want to slack off around. If he sees someone slacking, he makes them do a hundred and fifty push-ups and a hundred chin ups⸻in less than ten minutes. I’ve never had to do them, but I have seen him make other people do it. I also witness them lose their stomachs afterward. I love when he leads the class.

  “Alright, class, this isn’t your first time being in training class. I know most of you thought you were finally going to get rid of me. Surprise!” He smiles at us with his arms spread wide. “I expect more from you than I did when you were younger. I want you all to be fully battle ready by the time you turn into your shifter animal. For the non-shifters, you’re just as powerful in different ways. I do not want to see you slack off. Once those of you turn, you’ll go to your training class with your shifter clan. Now line up!”

  I look around and see that a few people have nervous looks on their faces. What are they nervous for? It’s not like we haven’t done battle practice before.

  “Dariya, you and Kelso are going to be partners for this practice,” Pim orders.

  He moves around the room, pairing other shifters and non-shifters. I notice that he’s pairing non-shifters with the ones who will become shifters. I wonder why a lot of them are looking nervous. Even though our powers won’t come until we shift, we’re still stronger than non-shifters. They train with their clan and can use their powers. Fae, elves, and witches have their own magic, which can potentially be used against their own kind. They’re not allowed to use it on shifters when we train. They learn how to do hand-to-hand combat instead. That’s the only thing we don’t have against them. We have strength on our side, but sometimes that doesn’t help. We also train with weapons; from crossbows, swords, long sticks, throwing knives, and bow and arrows.

  I walk over to the mat and look at Kelso. He has a look on his face that says, ‘You’re mine.’ I stare back at him, moving my gaze up and down his body. My look says, ‘You’re going down.’ With that, Pim blows the whistle. I watch how Kelso moves, to see if he will come at me. He never does. I throw the first punch, and he blocks it with ease. He isn’t expecting me to do a roundhouse kick, however, and I get him in the chin. He looks at me with shock. He shakes it off and glares at me. I love getting people angry; they tend to get sloppy.

  He comes at me, but I’m expecting it. I move out of the way and do a back flip to keep out of his reach. He comes at me again. This time, I duck and come up with an uppercut to his stomach. He grunts and tries to land a roundhouse kick on my head. I spin out of the way and go after him with a combination⸻punching left, right, left, and then kicking low and going high. He blocks my punches, but he’s too slow to block my kicks. Where was he trained? He should have seen them coming.

  He’s really pissed now, and he comes at me again. I spin out of the way and elbow him in the back. He falls flat on his face.

  “Time’s up,” Pim says.

  I’m just starting to break a sweat. I love the burn this causes my muscles. I go over to Kelso to help him up, but he’s beyond pissed at me. I can’t even get close to him. Kiernan blocks me from Kelso’s view before Kelso can try something else.

  “Kelso, that’s enough,” Kiernan states.

  Kelso walks to the end of the line. He’s clearly still upset.

  “What did I do wrong?” I ask Kiernan.

  “It wasn’t you. He hasn’t had the training we’ve had. His parents didn’t want him to fight in battles. I’ve been training him since this summer. We have a lot of work before he’s caught up with us.”

  “I would like to help if he’s willing to learn.”

  “I’ll ask if he’d like that, but he was raised differently than we were. His parents brought him up with the old ways. Women don’t belong on the battlefield. So, he doesn’t like to be outshined by females.”

  I have to laugh at that. He’s kidding, right?

  “Do you feel the same way⸻women belong in the kitchen?”

  “No, I do not think like that. Women are equal and sometimes even more powerful and intelligent than men.”

  “What did his parents do to him? They didn’t train him, and he acts like he’s superior to women…”

  “I asked the same thing myself. I’ve been trying to un-brainwash him, but it’s taking more time than I would have liked.”

  I kind of feel sorry for Kelso. I thought the old days were just that⸻old. We have emerged from that. I just wish he could see that. I can’t believe he thought I was an easy target on the mats. No wonder he gave me that look, and then got pissed off when I beat him.

  I sat watching the matches take place. One thing I know for sure is that these soon-to-be shifters really needed to get their training on. It is sad that the non-shifters are kicking their butts out on the mats? There are so many who are barely even trying. Do they not realize that we’re training for a reason?

  As I watch, I start to wonder if I can help Kelso out. I don’t know if I will be able to. He must learn to respect women first. I know Kira will not put up with the disrespect. I would really hate to see that fight of him telling her she needs to stay home and tend to the house. I wouldn’t even want to be a fly on the wall when that happens.

  “Quarter for your thoughts, Dary,” Kiernan says.

  I look at him with my eyes narrowed, thinking. What did you just call me?

  “I was testing it out, do you not like it?”

  “My dad used to call me that before he died.” My chest starts to hurt so much that it’s hard for me to breathe.

  He gives me a sympathetic look.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad. I won’t call
you that again.”

  “Thank you, but I think I like it. I miss that nickname. It’ll take some time to get used to it again.”

  “If you’re ok with it, I like it too.”

  My cheeks are red, I’m sure. I have to look away from him before I embaress myself.

  “Dariya, did you see me beat the hell out of Burness?” Kira asks, as she jumps up and down like a boxer. Punching the air; left, right, left.

  “Yeah, I see you’ve been practicing with your back kick. That was bad ass.”

  “He didn’t even see it coming. I need to learn more combos⸻ doing them and blocking them.”

  How many times do I need to tell her, she just needs to open up and let her training guide her? She needs to let go of her thoughts and just let her training kick in. I have learned that the less you think and the more you just move your muscles, the better it comes to you. Sometimes, I think she has moon rocks for brains.

  “You know what I have said about that.”

  She gives me a ‘go to hell’ look.

  “Yeah, not everyone can just open up like you, Miss Thang.”

  Shaking my head, I ignore her outburst. This has been a sore subject since we started training. She refuses to open up or even let her body do the talking. She hasn’t even tried for more than five minutes at a time. She can’t seem to shut her brain off and let go. She always has an excuse to be thinking. I just wish she would try harder. Then she would be able to fight without thinking about what move she needs to do next. It would just happen.

  “Kiernan, what was up with Kelso on the mat? He seemed really angry,” Kira remarks.

  “He has some issues to work out.”

  The bell ring letting us know our time is up for training, but before class is dismissed, Pim has something to say.

  “You may not know what’s going on, and I’m not going to sugar coat it. There have been rumors of demon sightings. I don’t know if they’re true. I just want to give you guys a heads up. If you see one don’t be a hero and try taking it on. They are a lot stronger than you to fight by yourself.”

  Is he kidding me? There haven’t been demons in over a hundred cycles. I think he’s lost his mind. As I’m walking to the locker room to change, Tama taps me on the shoulder.

  “Do you think this is real? The demons being back I mean.”

  “I don’t know if it’s true or not, but if it is true, then the elders are hiding it from us. For what reason, I don’t know.”

  “I sure hope there aren’t any out there. They’re hideous creatures who destroy everything in their path without even looking back. They are ruthless and dangerous to us all.” She shivers as she says it.

  “I sure hope it’s just a rumor. But if it isn’t, we need to be prepared. This is probably why we’ve been training daily. We need to keep it in mind. Just don’t make it all you think about, and make sure you aren’t alone when you go out.”

  She gives me a sad look before she goes to her own locker. I would still like to know what she was crying about earlier.

  I go back to getting dressed. Then I hear one of the other girls talking about Nessa. I get as close as I can without being seen. I might learn something. On the other hand, they might just be venting.

  “Have you heard Nessa’s going out with Kiernan tonight? He’s taking her to the new club.”

  “Do you believe everything she says?” another girl asks.

  “I saw him talking to Dariya. For what, I have no idea. I’m prettier then she is. I don’t understand how he can even talk to her. I’ve been trying to get him to take me out for the last two cycles. What does she have that I don’t?” one of the other girls says.

  So, Nessa’s spreading rumors again. How nice. Why are females always bringing each other down? This is why Kira is pretty much my only friend. She isn’t petty. I don’t have to worry about her stabbing me in the back.

  I’m finishing getting dressed when Kira jumps in front of me. I react and almost break her nose.

  “Kira, you know better than to do that! I almost broke your face.”

  “Well, you weren’t answering me when I called your name. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you were day dreaming again.”

  “It’s ok.” I got close to her to whisper in her ear. “Nessa is spreading rumors again. She says she’s going out with Kiernan tonight to the new club. I wonder what her story will be when he shows up with us and not her.”

  “I’m sure she will come up with something creative. I would love to be the fly on the wall when she tries to explain though.”

  I just give her a devilish smile and wrap my arm in hers. “I think I know how to get her off my back.” We walk out with an idea brewing in my head. Now, if it works she might just leave me alone once and for all.

  Chapter Five

  There are a lot of questions going around school. What will happen if this demon rumor is true? Will the dragons be able to defend us? What happened to make the dragons not do their job in the first place? Are they for real with all their questions? The dragons have done their job. People go into hiding all the time. I’m sure they went into hiding when they saw their clan being killed off. I know I would have to save my race, if I couldn’t defend them. Not that I wanted that to happen, it’s just a survivor’s instincts. Why would they think the dragons are the only ones that fight? They have had training as well. They need to get their head out of their asses and start defending themselves as well.

  “I hope this rumor isn’t true. They have had a hundred cycles to bring back their kind and train an army,” Kira says.

  I have been thinking the same thing. We would have to come together with all the forces and train hard to even hope to beat that kind of army. We would be screwed.

  “Hey, what’s up? You’re not worried about the rumor, are you?” Kiernan asks.

  “Yeah, I am⸻if it’s true. What will happen to those who can’t fight? There aren’t enough dragons to defeat that kind of army. You know as well as I do that the shifters depend on them. They’re too chicken to help fight the battle.”

  He puts his arm around my shoulder and brings me close to him “We have enough resources to manage, Dariya. That I can promise you,”

  “How do you know that, Kiernan?”

  He looks guilty for some reason. What isn’t he telling me?

  “My uncle is a dragon, and so is his wife. That’s why they’re traveling⸻to see if the rumors are true. Please don’t tell anyone I said anything. I’m not supposed to talk about it.”

  So, the rumors may be true. What will we do if the army is too great? So many questions are going through my mind.

  “Until we know for sure, all we can do is get prepared by training and get all the resources we can find,” he says, as he looks at me with determined eyes.

  He’s right. There’s no point in worrying until we know the facts.

  After school, Kira and I go to her house to change, since all my stuff is not ‘club worthy,’ as Kira says. I may have to let her shop for me. Fashion is not my favorite thing. I love my jeans and baggy t-shirts. If I could, that’s all I would wear. Kira would never let me do that. She would march me to her house and dress me. I think she needs to go into fashion⸻I swear.

  “So, are you excited to be going out with Kiernan tonight?” she asks with a wide grin.

  “This isn’t a date.”

  “He asked to hang out with you and to get to know you. This is so a date.”

  I shake my head at her. As much as I would love for this to be a date, I don’t think it is. I get dressed in her purple halter top and white skinny jeans with my thigh high purple boots. I may not like fashion, but I love boots. I probably have over a hundred pair. I look in the mirror and take inventory. I love this halter top. It makes me look like I have curves that I don’t have.

  Kira comes up behind me with a brush, curling iron, and makeup in hand. “Let me do your hair and makeup.”

  “I was planning to leave my hair down.
”

  “We’re going to be in a club. It will get too hot for you to leave it down. Now sit, woman.”

  I know if I don’t do it, she’ll drag my ass over there. I take a seat and let her have her way with me. I don’t know how to style my own hair anyway. I’m pretty much Kira’s practice dummy. She always tries new things on me to see if she likes it. I guess I can’t complain too much. She always does a great job.

  “Now, do you want to look elegant or sexy?” She studies me as she circles the chair, figuring out what to do with my hair. She lifts my hair up and turns it this way and that.

  “Surprise me.”

  An hour later, she’s finished with me. I look in the mirror, and I don’t recognize myself. My hair is pulled up into a messy bun, with a few strands framing my face. My makeup is flawless, bringing out my mismatched eyes.

  “Where did you learn to do this?” I inquire.

  She shrugs her shoulder. “I’ve been watching videos.”

  We head out to the club in her Blaster, a machine that allows us to ride to and from places rather than walking everywhere. You just type in where you want to go, and it takes you there. They come in a few assorted colors. Green, blue, purple, and black.

  I’m looking out the window and look around our city. The buildings are all made from the stones of our world. They all have this old feel and look to them. The stone is a blackish gray color. Most of the buildings rise over hundreds of feet in the air. I have always been afraid that, if the wind blows too hard, they would fall, but they haven’t as of yet. If you’re not from here, you wouldn’t know which building is which without reading the signs. Only the homes have any other color. The elders like to believe we’re still in the old days. They even punish people in the same ways. They will torture you before they kill you. They would have your head if you even suggested changing the way things are done.

  I turn from the window to look at Kira. “You know, we didn’t tell the guys when we were going to be there, so I hope they haven’t been waiting too long, if they are even here.”