Chapter 9 Even Warriors Can Sparkle
Even Warriors Can Sparkle
Day one began with high expectations, moderate delusion, and the total false confidence that within twenty-four hours, I’d be flipping through the air like a fantasy heroine in all the video games I used to play, casually knocking down warriors twice my size.
Because that was how it worked in the books, right?
One montage. Some sweat, blood and tears. A moment with my really hot trainer when our tension comes to a peak we can’t resist. A well-timed motivational speech. And boom—chosen one unlocked.
Instead, I was lying flat on my back in the dirt, staring up at a blue sky that felt personally offended by my incompetence.
“Are you alright?” Carl-Two peered over me, upside-down and holding out water for me to drink.
I grunted, words escaping me as I sat up slowly, brushing the grit from my shirt. My staff, a sleek, polished thing that had initially felt magical and powerful, lay mockingly beside me, like it had decided I wasn’t worthy of wielding it.
“Totally fine,” I wheezed. “Just getting acquainted with the ground. She’s very friendly, in case you were wondering.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” Carl-One said, a beaming smile on his face.
Tarran watched from a distance, her arms folded, unreadable as always.
She didn’t say I sucked, which I appreciated, even though I knew it to be true.
She just didn’t say anything, which somehow made it worse.
She’d given me simple drills to work through, and I’d somehow failed miserably at almost all of them.
Carl-One flipped open his notebook. “Attempt number five: Miss Liss strikes a triumphant blow. Against herself.”
“Thank you, Carl,” I said dryly. “Very helpful documentation.”
Day one, hour three, and so far, I had successfully:
- Hit myself in the ribs (twice)
- Knocked over Carl-Two (he’s fine)
- Split a training dummy clean in half (accidentally, while trying to block)
- Tripped over absolutely nothing
It was beginning to become increasingly clear I was not a naturally gifted warrior.
“I don’t get it,” I muttered, pacing and gripping the staff like it was the problem. “I knew I’d be bad, but this is ridiculous. I’m totally going to die.”
“You’re going to do great,” Tarran said softly, stepping forward.
She reached out and gently adjusted my grip.
“Just keep trying. I’m not a warrior, but even the warriors have moments of sparkle.
” I frowned at her. I understood the intention of her words, but sometimes, she just didn’t quite make sense.
“How many sky girls have passed this challenge?”
Before she could respond, a voice called out from across the yard. “She’s holding that thing like a broom.”
I turned, my eyes narrowing sharply. I knew I sucked, but I didn’t need someone to tell me that. My hackles were already raised when I set my eyes on the heckler.
A woman stood at the edge of the yard, arms crossed, watching us with open amusement.
She wore deep red leather armor that hugged her tall, broad-shouldered frame like a glove.
Her hair was a cascade of warm brown curls tied back in a long braid, and her arms looked like she bent metal just for fun.
Great. Another warrior here to boost my fragile ego.
Tarran didn’t seem surprised. “Commander Rena.”
“She’s the one for the trial?” Rena asked, jerking her chin at me.
“Unfortunately,” I muttered.
Rena smirked and strolled forward. “You’ve got heart, I’ll give you that. But heart isn’t going to keep your head attached to your neck.”
“That’s what the staff is for,” I shot back, standing straighter.
“Oh? You going to bonk your enemies to death?”
Carl-One let out a tiny gasp of horror at the same time Carl-Two whispered, “I like her.”
Rena ignored them. She looked me over again, from head to toe, less amused now. “You have three days. You aren’t going to become a warrior at this pace. But…I can help you survive if you’re willing to listen.”
I stared her down. She was intimidating, and as Carl said earlier, she could definitely break me in half like a twig, but I wasn’t going to show weakness. She wasn’t even real, after all. “And why would you help me?”
She shrugged. “I thrive on pushing boundaries, and no one else in this kingdom has the guts to train a sky girl. You’ve got spunk, and I like it.” Her grin was a tiny bit feral as she said those last words.
My pride bristled, but my common sense reminded me I was about three swings away from hitting myself in the head and concussing myself into a coma. “Fine. But if I die, I’m haunting you.”
Rena grinned. “Deal.”