Chapter 19
CHAPTER
19
With no windows or sunlight, I’m uncertain how my body knew it was morning, but I somehow pulled myself from slumber still feeling exhausted and already anxious. Given that we were beginning our training today, I chose a set of my fighting leathers, clothing that would allow me to be protected and as agile as required. I braided my long hair and tucked the loose strands behind my ears. In the washroom, I tried splashing cold water on my face, but it did nothing for the dark circles forming around my eyes. I looked like I had been through it, and I’d only been here a day.
At breakfast, I made sure to eat a well-rounded meal, knowing I’d need the energy since Theory was likely to work us into submission. Once more I seated myself next to Nori, doing my best to make small talk and complimenting her attire. It wasn’t exactly ideal for fighting, but it was loose and flowy; hopefully, she’d still be able to accomplish whatever was expected of us.
She gave me a sweet smile and thanked me for the kind words. Her dainty frame appeared lean and light as a feather, not to mention she was the shortest one. I did feel some trepidation for her and what combat training might do to a body like hers.
We ate and I casually remarked on how nothing had been as good as when Idris had served us a meal. Nori agreed and pointed out that what Idris had done was very powerful magic. It wasn’t a shallow trick; he had used mind-reading and transfiguration to provide us each with individually tailored meals, and then with mesmerization convinced us through our memories and desires that what we were eating tasted just as we had remembered or hoped.
On top of that, he did it nearly instantaneously and somehow managed to be inside all our heads at once. I hadn’t put much thought into what he’d done until she remarked on it, but it all made sense when she explained it. I didn’t get the feeling that Saryn or Theory were going to be doing anything out of the goodness of their hearts to make us feel welcome. Thinking further on it, the act was not one of kindness but rather a display of power and manipulation on Idris’ part.
Theory came to fetch us from breakfast and we followed her to a new section of Basdie with Saryn trailing close behind. The stronghold was like a volcano, hollowed out over years by the powerful waterfall. The remaining rock created a funnel shape for the water to empty into. Hallways twisted and spiraled downward.
We circled our way lower; to our right was clear glass letting sunlight from the top of the waterfall leak in, illuminating the crashing waters. On the left-hand side, doors led to rooms carved out of the stone mountain. So many unexplored doors.
A couple of levels farther down, Theory welcomed us into a giant open room in the shape of a square. It was not much different from the training room at the academy. Once again, firelight was the only thing illuminating the windowless space, and if anything, that made it more intimidating than necessary.
That was unquestionably the worst part of Basdie; it was nothing but room after room cloaked in darkness. It made being in the hallway with light from the waterfall feel like a refuge.
The group entered, spreading out while some of us explored the items hanging along the walls. There were sections lined with every weapon imaginable. This place had it all. Swords, daggers, and blades of all sizes and shapes—curved, straight, and serrated. Spears with sharp tips glinting in the candlelight, ropes of all thicknesses, short and long bows. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to myself that the sight of it all both excited and terrified me.
Folding her arms closely around herself, Nori distanced herself from the weaponry. She exuded fear; it was written across every inch of her face. I made my way over to her in hopes that she’d feel a little less tense with me at her side. Cairis touched a wall of spears and clumsily knocked one from its stand. He gave us a sheepish smile of embarrassment, and I found amusement in the fact that even the spears looked like twigs next to him.
I tried to imagine sparring with him and shuddered at the thought of him throwing his full weight against me. The only way to beat him as an opponent would be with agility and speed, evading until he tired out.
There were still a lot of unknowns about Basdie and the Order, but the training room brought me a sense of familiar comfort. I was good at this sort of stuff. I enjoyed it and, in fact, I thrived in it. But these were skills I’d used for sport, for entertainment not survival. Everyone I ever trained with was for fun or competition. I struggled to conceive an emotion that would lead me to drive a real sword into my opponent, to intentionally bring them harm or worse…
In the center of the room, Theory ran her thumb in circular motions around the talisman hanging from her neck.
“Here is where you will train the body and teach your mind to overcome pain and exhaustion. Your senses must be sharp enough to anticipate your enemy’s move before they make it. It is inexcusable to have brute strength but yield due to poor endurance. It is inadvisable to wield a blade but have no use of your fists.”
Saryn leaned against one of the four stone columns framing the square training floor. He had a mischievous look about him. Like he was just waiting for Theory to unleash her madness upon us.
Theory continued, “You will bleed in this room. If you’re not bruised, battered, and bleeding then you’re not working hard enough and I will know. You do not want me to be the one to push you, so push yourself. And, I will state this plainly for anyone who is feeling chivalrous or shy: If you hesitate to treat any person in this room as anything other than equal, as anything other than a threat, regardless of their size, shape, or gender, you will not like the punishment that I will inflict.”
I looked across the room and Varro’s eyes were once again upon me. His jaw was set in a tight line and I could see a flicker of disagreement in his expression, but he did not dare speak out against Theory.
“For those of you who are not able to truly master the art of healing, you will find respite in the healing waters of Basdie. Surely, you didn’t think that waterfall was just for looks?” Saryn chimed in.
I had never used my magic to heal anything major. Minor aches and pains here and there, but nothing of consequence. The idea that after each of these sessions we were going to require experienced healing abilities was nauseating. I might be able to fake my way through the combat training, but I knew I’d always been reliant on salves, tonics, and the like for any sort of severe recovery.
Given the lifeless rock I was trapped inside of, I highly doubted I’d be able to lean on that knowledge. I could only hope that there was either some untapped magic I could eventually hone, or that these so-called healing waters lived up to their name. But there would be no healing waters wherever they were sending us after here; I resolved to make sure I mastered it somehow.
It wasn’t long before Theory had us all standing spread out and practicing various movements in repetition to warm up our bodies, leading us through stretches. Saryn circled the room, surveying us in quiet contemplation. The cave-like rooms of Basdie were normally cool, but the exercise had most of us already breaking out in a sweat.
I tried to avert my eyes from Trace. Images of his slick body brought back inappropriate memories, and I tried to focus on my mental shields while continuing the movements Theory commanded of us.
Next, she instructed us to pair up for some hand-to-hand combat. I anxiously watched Trace approach Cairis. I feared the inevitability that Varro and Trace would have to face one another eventually. But it would not be today, and the relief of that spread through me. Gia stepped up to Varro, taking spiteful pleasure in pairing with a male. It was so like Gia to want to test the waters of Theory’s equal-means-equal training methods.
I went to pair with the only person left in the room, but when I turned to face Nori, I found her sitting against the wall in the corner, her legs tucked tightly into her chest. What was she doing?
I went over to inquire if something was wrong or if she wasn’t feeling well. Given the options, I was the best partner for her. I wasn’t going to go easy on her, at least not in a noticeable way, but she seemed entirely too breakable to spar with anyone else.
I crouched beside her. “Hey, come on, what are you doing?”
She wouldn’t even look up at me, remaining firm and unmoving.
“Nori, we have to practice. You heard Theory. If we don’t push ourselves, she’s going to be the one doing the pushing, and I don’t want to find out what that means on day one.”
Before my pleading could get me anywhere, I felt the presence of Saryn hovering over us both. “Ladies, do we have a problem here?”
“I’m not sure.” I tried to make an excuse for her. “I don’t think she feels well enough to practice today.”
Before we even had a second to see if Saryn had believed a single word of my lie, Nori gritted out, “I’m not doing this.”
Saryn let out an amused laugh. Nori was small and meek, no match to be squaring off with Saryn in any sort of altercation, but the intensity in her dark eyes seemed to be boiling over. Saryn crouched down and menacingly whispered to her, “Your Goddess isn’t here. Get up, now!”
I took a step back, feeling the energy shifting between them. Nori looked infuriated with Saryn, and it was clear he had struck a serious chord.
Theory yelled from across the room, “What’s going on? Why are those two wasting time?”
Saryn stood and barked across the room, “We have a follower of Ilithyia amongst us.”
He said it with such distaste, I could feel his annoyance permeate the air. The Goddess Ilithyia. I tried to remember the histories of our religious texts. If I recalled correctly, she was one of the old Gods, a herald of fertility, and lived her life as a pacifist. It was all starting to make sense. Nori was refusing to fight because she abhorred violence. Oh Gods, how in the three moons of Demir did she end up here?
Suddenly, my protectiveness of her heightened, but Saryn was intent on breaking her. They had told us this is exactly what they’d do. They didn’t care about our beliefs or reservations, and especially not who we were before the Offering.
Theory yelled across the room coldly, “We have no need for that nonsense here; I suggest you make yourself useful to us.”
Nori didn’t waver; she was resolved to ignore their insults. I understood her beliefs, I really did, but now wasn’t the time to be idealistic. They can refer to us all as family, they can trap us here if they like and force us to train, but that doesn’t mean they have to keep us if we aren’t useful to them.
I gave Nori a pleading look, one begging for her trust. She ignored me, leaving me without a sparring partner. I looked nervously at Saryn who had already come to the same conclusion I had.
“Pity when grapes wither on the vine,” he chided, walking away and leaving Nori curled up on the cold floor. He beckoned me to follow him.
My nerves had shot through the roof and I couldn’t help but fixate on Saryn’s patch, wondering how he had lost his eye, when suddenly he open-hand smacked me across the face. The room went silent and the others turned to face us in disbelief.
“Be careful, Cress, or you’ll lose an eye, too.”
I cupped my hand to my throbbing cheek, trying to come to terms with how hard he had hit me with no warning. “Keep me out of your head or suffer the consequences of your distraction.”
I clenched my fists in anger, everyone around us disappearing from my vision as I attacked Saryn. I swung angrily, but he ducked and dodged all of my attempts, avoiding every blow. I moved with speed, dancing around him, thinking it might be possible to catch him in a literal blind spot, but he anticipated my every move. I continued my assault, letting every bit of rage flow through me. Rage for how they treated Nori, for being stuck here, rage for how Trace was avoiding me, and for what they wanted me to become.
Despite Saryn’s size, he was nimble and managed to keep up with me. I was already tired, and he was not showing any signs of slowing down. In an act of desperation I yelled, “Gia, blade… Now!”
Without hesitation, Gia lunged for a short sword on the wall and threw it to me. The second I caught the hilt, I could see pride flicker across Saryn’s face—but I didn’t care.
I swung the blade wildly in his direction, left then right, again and again, forcing him to back up farther and farther with each step until his back hit the stone corner post. In one fluid twist, a motion I had practiced many times, I lunged to one knee now holding the blade right against his lower belly, and yelled, “Yield!”
In a real fight, with one slice of that blade, his innards would be on the floor.
Saryn did not respond and instinctively, my training taught me to yell again, “Yield!”
Saryn looked down at me with his one good eye, unyielding. I pushed the sharp edge of the blade into his shirt, applying pressure, trying to show him it was over.
But he was daring me. He wanted me to cut him. Everything about this uncomfortable silence told me to do it, but something in me wouldn’t allow it. I had never purposefully cut anyone in my life. Worried that Saryn would do something to force me into action, I stood abruptly, still firmly holding my blade against him, and before he could say another word, I slapped him right across the face in the same way he had done to me earlier.
I stepped back and watched a broad smile curl across Saryn’s face as he went to wipe away the blood I had drawn from his lower lip. Suddenly, I felt a firm grip on my shoulder and Theory was standing beside me.
“It’s always the ones you least expect. Well done. At least you made up for that disappointment of a girl in the corner.”
I felt my hand clench the hilt tightly and tried to calm myself. I was exhausted, and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that now was not the time to try my hand against her. Fighting one teacher was enough for today.
When I finally slackened the blade at my side, the rest of the room and its occupants came slowly back into focus. Gia looked splendidly tickled. Cairis and Varro smiled in my direction with pride and amusement. But Trace, he looked…disturbed. His skin was bone white and both his fists were clenched tightly at his sides. While everyone else in the room had been impressed with my improvisation, Trace looked pained.
Perhaps he could not bear witness to Saryn laying his hands on me in such an offensive manner. I could not offer him anything in the way of empathy. That was what we were here to do. What they wanted from us; I felt strong for the first time since arriving here.
Theory circled back to the rest of the room. “You should all take note of what happened here today. A male will hit a beautiful lady. A female should be able to defend herself from someone twice her size. And when there are no rules, then there are none to break. Resourcefulness and quick thinking may save your life, but most importantly, rely on your team. That’s why there is no room for useless people at Basdie.”
She gave a scornful look in Nori’s direction, and whatever brief pleasure I had taken in my victory was now overshadowed by the reminder of what had led to this altercation.
Saryn walked past me and waved his hand in a fluid motion over his cut lip. When he pulled his hand away the wound was gone, completely healed. He winked at me with his one good eye and retreated towards the entrance of the training room.
“Theory will focus on the physical aspects of your training, and I will focus on helping you hone your magic. If your body doesn’t tire of her, I assure you that your minds will tire of me,” he said while making his exit. “Meet me in the common room in an hour, I will show you another place we will be training.”
Theory followed Saryn, and we all looked around at one another, questioning whether we were meant to keep training on our own or if this meant we were allowed to take a break as well. I was parched; when neither of them returned to provide any instruction, I was the first to head to the door in search of water.
Having found my way to the kitchen, after a few minutes alone, I was suddenly alerted to another’s presence. I turned and looked down to see Nori. She reached up and held her hand to my face, cupping my aching cheek. I could already feel the bruise forming from where Saryn had struck me. Nori closed her eyes and I felt warmth radiate outward from her palm, and when she removed her touch, she took the pain with it. There was no longer a dull ache and I could feel that the swelling was gone. “Thank you!”
She nodded. “They would seek to have you harmed, when we should only ever seek to heal.”
I hadn’t heard Nori speak much, but suddenly she sounded wise beyond her years. Maybe outside of this place, in our former lives, what she said would be true. But it’s clear that was not our destiny, and I feared for her safety if she fought the inevitable much longer. I sought to understand her in hopes that I might be able to appeal to her sensibilities.
“You’re a disciple of Ilithyia?” I pried.
“Yes, I took my vows on my eighteenth namesake,” she replied, exuding pride.
“Candidly, I don’t know much about what that means. I just know she is a Goddess whose blessing bears fertility. She has often been referred to as the Eternal Mother.”
Nori smiled, looking eager to educate me. “Yes, that is true. As a follower of Ilithyia, we take a vow of chastity. It’s seen as a way to continue to imbue her with the powers of fertility. To give our own so that she may bestow it upon others.”
“And the pacifism?”
“While the vows do not include pacifism, explicitly, most of us try to honor her by living in the image of her likeness, which includes never bringing harm unto another,” Nori elaborated.
While I admired Nori’s commitment and that she had made such a huge decision at such a young age with so much life ahead, I was certain there was no worse place for her and those beliefs than the Order. I don’t know what they had in store for us, but some of Saryn’s indications made me fear even more for Nori.
“Was there no one else to take your place here?” The question left my mouth before I had even taken a second to consider whether it was rude or if it would strike more fear and concern in her.
“No, I am an only child—and a miracle, at that. My mother was unable to carry. For years, she prayed to the Goddess Ilithyia to bring her a healthy child. She and my father suffered many losses in their attempts to bring a child into this world. But she believed her prayers would be answered, even prayers to the old Gods who do not often listen.”
Nori seemed lost in her storytelling. “Finally, after much heartache, they brought me into this world. I arrived early, without warning, and I was small and frail, but I was everything they had hoped for.”
I began to feel a well of happy tears.
“You can imagine how awful it was to receive the news that your only child and heir was to be taken from you.”
I thought back to Versa and how leaving her behind at least meant the bloodline and legacy of our family would be carried on. Given the trouble Nori’s parents went through just to bring her into the world, it was unlikely they’d be that lucky again. By the look she gave, she could obviously read the expression on my face.
“How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
She let out a cynical laugh. “I had just turned twenty before my parents received my calling to the Offering.”
As I’d suspected, she was the youngest of us, and because of that she had nearly escaped this fate.
“The whole reason I swore my vows to Ilithyia was in hopes that she would bless my parents again. Not that I wasn’t enough, not that they could have known what would happen to me, but because my mother was born to be a mother. And like all High Fae, a large family full of heirs was the one thing they desired.”
Her honesty reminded me of the truth I had told myself during the thirty days before being delivered to the king. If my parents truly wanted to, they had plenty of time to bear more heirs.
Now that Nori had shared this piece of herself with me, I felt our connection growing. I couldn’t really explain my feelings. Perhaps it was the absence of Versa that made me long for another sisterly bond, but with each encounter with Nori, I found myself feeling more protective of her in the same way I was of my own sister. Still, not even I was naive enough to believe I could shield her from this place.
“Please be careful,” were the only words I could offer her. She didn’t say it, but I heard it quietly in her thoughts, They can only make you a monster if you let them.
The hour-long break passed quickly, and we soon joined the others in the common room just as Saryn had requested. “Follow me and keep up,” he demanded.
Once more, we paced behind Saryn and Theory through the winding halls of Basdie. My eagerness to explore and uncover where they were taking us was hampered by heavy thoughts of Nori and what they might do to her if she continued to resist.
We arrived at a large door, and when it opened, I raised my arm to my face to shield my eyes from the blinding brightness. It was unfiltered daylight and the crisp air blew through the corridor. We walked toward the light, eventually making our way outside.
The fresh mountain air overtook me and I inhaled deeply, letting the sunlight blanket me and warm my skin. A stone landing had been carved into the side of the mountain. I deduced this was the opposite side of the mountain that we had entered from. The ledge overlooked a valley of dense forest with tall gray mountains jutting up on all sides. Once my eyes adjusted to the natural light, I squinted, noticing a tiny river carving its way through the trees in the lower valley; runoff from the mighty waterfall within.
Saryn stood at Theory’s side, a remarkable mountainscape as their backdrop. “Some of you might be shy or embarrassed about this, depending on how you were raised. Some of you won’t care. In either case, it’s time to get over any of those sensitivities immediately. This valley will also be your training ground—and sky. Show me your wings, now.”
The impropriety of her instruction was outrageous. The last time someone had seen my wings, I was with Trace, and that was an accident. Before that, I don’t recall the last time anyone but family had seen them. Aster’s words echoed in the back of my mind. All of us stood there with similar reactions, unwilling to acquiesce.
Unexpectedly, I heard footsteps scraping against the rocky ground as Trace stepped forward.
“Ahh, at least one of you is going to make this easy,” Theory remarked with a pleased look in his direction.
Trace waited for a moment, looking out upon the valley, his gaze turning upward toward the steep mountains. He turned his head slightly and locked eyes with me, narrowing his attention so it was as if we were the only two people here on this landing. Suddenly, his shoulders flexed and his wings spanned out. Wide, strong, giant wings covered in black feathers of all sizes, just like the one he had gifted me.
The sunlight highlighted the green iridescence that shimmered across each feather as they blew lightly in the breeze. He continued to hold my gaze and I felt like I was the only one witnessing his beauty.
We were interrupted when Saryn impatiently called out, “Alright, who’s next?”
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Trace. I was bothered that everyone else was being allowed to look upon him like this, but I knew we had no choice. This was just one more step in breaking us down and forcing us to leave behind the ways of our pasts.
Cairis stepped forward and, without hesitation, he unfurled his wings. They were slightly larger than Trace’s and different in every way. His were heavy looking, whereas Trace’s were light like a bird’s. Cairis’ wings were also black, but thick, almost like leather, and only when the sun hit them at a certain angle could you see a hint of light trying to shine through in the thinner spots. At the top of each wing sat a sharp curved talon, and on the bottom ends were pointed tips. He did not appear shy at all; in fact, that smirk of his indicated he was putting on quite a show like a preening youth.
Varro then stepped forward, giving himself space away from the splayed wingspans of Trace and Cairis. In typical male behavior, neither of them tucked their wings, continuing to keep them spread wide on display as if this were some sort of pageant.
Varro looked to Theory, then called forth his wings. When they appeared, I think my jaw might have dropped. They were light and wispy, a transparent blue-green. Equal parts aggressive and delicate. The tips appeared like a serrated fin that you might see on a more exotic species of sea creature. The longer I looked, the more I got lost in the swirling shades of aqua and teal. Every time the light hit them; it was like seeing the sparkle that appears on the horizon line where the ocean meets the sun.
I was suddenly taken back to the few times I had witnessed such a horizon, and I was lost in the memory of a place I longed to be.
And I was finally seeing Varro in direct sunlight, and just like I had imagined, his golden skin glowed with even more vibrancy. He looked like he could melt a frozen pond with just the touch of his palm. I tried to imagine all of the Sea Fae and how wondrous they must look with their wings out like this.
I stood a fair distance from him, but time seemed unmoving; I could feel the urge in my fingertips to reach out and touch them. As if he could hear me thinking it, Varro turned to meet my stare, and in those crystal blue eyes of his was the look of pleading. But pleading for what?
Distracted by the sound of Trace rustling his wings, I turned to see who might be next. Should I go? I was still trying to build up the courage, though the others had taken to the assignment without much hesitation.
I stepped forward in line next to Varro, keeping a fair distance and trying to ignore all the wonderful colors I could see reflecting off the panels of his wings. He gave me an encouraging nod, and my brow furrowed in confusion. What was with this guy? One minute he’s jumping down my throat, the next he’s showing me some semblance of kindness.
I inhaled another breath of cool mountain air, focusing and trying to clear my mind of all distractions. It took me longer than the others, but I could finally feel them stirring below the surface as I did my best to will them forth. Finally, they answered my call, and the iridescent green with hints of yellow and gold was bright in the sunlight; the same type of wings many in the southern Riverlands bore. Never in my life had I seen such a display of how different the Fae could be. It all depended on where they were born and what the generations of Fae before them needed to survive, blend in, or coexist with their surroundings.
The Nightwings of the North, the Sea Fae of the Endless Tides, and the Leatherwings hailing from the rocky cave territories in the Northeast. It was fascinating to see in person rather than just illustrated on the pages of a textbook. My excitement overwhelmed me, and we hadn’t even seen everyone’s yet.
I had no idea what Ilithyia would think of Fae showing their wings, but I was relieved to see Nori step forward in compliance. She looked at me and permitted herself a small smile before a set of perfectly petite wings burst forth from her tiny shoulders. Hers were the smallest amongst us, but if they had been any larger, then she might have toppled over from the weight.
They were stunning in their own right; milky white and sparkling, giving the appearance of tiny clear crystals speckled across every panel. If anyone should be proud of their wings, it was her—they were truly something special to behold, as if they were made by the hands of the Eternal Mother herself.
We all stood there baring ourselves to each other and the mountaintops. Nowhere to hide and nothing to be ashamed of. In one sense, it was freeing, and I started to wonder why there had ever been any etiquette around wings at all. This was our natural state, why should we hide from it or each other?
There was only one of us left to complete the exercise, and I turned to Gia, surprised that given her boisterous attitude, she hadn’t been the first to show off the goods. But to my confusion, she looked truly distraught. She stepped forward slowly, and I felt a lump in my throat building. I couldn’t help what happened next, it just…happened. I found myself slipping into Gia’s mind during her moment of weakness while her mental shields were down.
I gasped at the flashes of her pain. Pain that felt like a hundred daggers were splicing through my own heart. She had a broken bond. A mate. Gia stared straight ahead, refusing to look at any of us. I could see the droplets of tears now streaming down her face as they crested the ridge of her cheek. Her hands were shaking despite her clasping them tightly together.
When Gia’s beautiful wings finally appeared, it felt like a crime to look upon them. Knowing she had once had a mate and now concealed the heartbreak of a broken bond, it felt like seeing something that should have been just for them. But if etiquette wasn’t a valid reason to keep our wings private, I knew there was no arguing with the sacred act of only revealing them to a true mate. I couldn’t imagine the pain she was enduring by putting them on display for all of us, as if it meant nothing.
The bright ruby red color, regal like Gia, suited her in every way. Similar in size to mine, but far more alluring and far less transparent. Delicate, yet bold. They absorbed the light, creating an ombre of red like a blood rose, each shade waterfalling into a deeper crimson.
I am certain Cairis, and perhaps the others, were amazed at the sight of them. She just stood there, silent, stoic, letting the tears fall.
Suddenly, Theory clapped her hands together, the sound echoing in the mountain valley and drawing our attention back to her.
“Your wings are first and foremost part of what makes you a weapon. Secondly, they are transportation. And lastly, to be used as a means for seduction, but we’ll save that for later.”
The word seduction caught me off guard, and I could practically feel Nori recoil at the statement alone. I brushed it off and tried to focus my attention back on our instructor.
“When you’re not working on your combat skills in the training room, you’ll be doing so out here. You must be as equally agile in the skies as you are on the ground. For those of you whose family taught them of the long war, then you know many lives were lost due to Fae civilities causing a shortage of those who could defend themselves by air. Forget those nonsensical customs and learn to use your wings. This is what they’re made for.”
Anytime Theory spoke, she was challenging us in more ways than one. It was easy to rely on our old customs, but what she was saying made sense. She was merely asking us to live authentically and use what had been given to us; such a different perspective from the one I was raised with.
While many of the Fae people shared that view, a feeling of dread crept from the corners of my mind, suggesting the long-held peace was more fragile than ever. Why else would they be training us like this? And why just us? Shouldn’t everyone in Cambria be prepared? So many questions to keep track of. I wanted to learn, and I had no problem with training, but the why behind everything remained a mystery, and that was the most frustrating part of it all.
“Now that you’ve had a thorough introduction into how you’ll spend your time training under the watchful eye of Theory, it’s time you learn about my syllabus.” Saryn directed us back to the classroom with a roguish expression as each of us passed by.
I found it difficult to leave the warmth of the daylight as we made our way back into the cool, dreary halls of Basdie.