Chapter 23
My mind raced as I sprinted out of the classroom. Nausea bubbled in my gut. Wraiths? Unkillable, moving shadows ? I shook my head as the gates closed in on me. I was in way over my head.
And I couldn’t tell anyone. Not a soul. I had literally sworn with my blood to keep all of this confidential. How did they all do it? If the threat was truly that serious, how could they sleep at night without telling their loved ones? I wasn’t prepared for this.
I brushed past the gates and the guards from earlier, turning right towards the Central district.
“Fia! Hey, wait up!” The voice tore through my meltdown. I halted, pausing before turning to find Raine jogging towards me. A small dose of relief washed over me.
“Hey Raine.” It was short and not as friendly as I would have liked, but it was all I could manage at the moment.
“Are you training for a marathon?” she teased, placing her hands on her knees and taking a few deep breaths.
A smile tugged at my lips but didn’t fully form.
“I guess I’m a little shocked by the information we learned today.” I winced and looked around nervously .
“Yeah, I get it. Pretty shocking to me as well,” She shrugged, twirling one of her braids through her fingers.
“You live at the Compound?” I asked, my voice still unsteady.
“For now. Just during training.” She looked around the street with wide eyes. “But this city is unreal. The Highlands don't even begin to compare,” she mused, shaking her head.
“You’re from the Highlands?” I had heard people go on and on about how beautiful they were. Territory flush with wineries and orchards. It seemed like a nice respite from the city crowds.
“Unfortunately.” She sighed, looking back at me. “But I’m curious to know more about you. Are you busy now?”
I shifted my eyes, trying to muster an excuse. Raine seemed nice enough, but I was still reeling and in absolutely no state to attempt a social outing.
“Well, I–”
“Mercer did ask me to fill you in on what you’ve missed.” She angled her head down, grinning wickedly. “I mean, unless you’re too shaken up by the nightmare fuel we learned about today.” The twinkle in her eyes intensified.
I turned her words over in my mind, trying to access my more logical side through the chaos and turmoil. Being seen as weak by my fellow recruits seemed like a terrible way to start off group sessions.
“I don’t have plans.” I smiled, swallowing my anxiety. “What did you have in mind?”
Her grin widened. “Excellent. There’s a pub down the street. Care for a drink?” It didn’t sound like a question. She winked, breezing past me.
“Sure,” I mumbled under my breath, forcing my feet to follow after her. I reached her side, matching the rhythm of her steps. She radiated confidence, swaying her hips as she moved, hardly blinking.
Her eyes were set on some unknown destination ahead, a playful smirk toying at the corners of her lips. She was like a damn lion prowling the streets of Luminaria. I felt sorry for anyone that had the pleasure of her interest. She might just tear them apart.
“Have you been here?” Raine stopped abruptly, pulling a door open. I nearly stumbled into her before looking up, taking in the wooden sign that swung from chains above the door. Rune and Revelry.
“No, I haven’t spent much time on this side of town,” I admitted, shoving my hands into my pockets.
“Perfect, the first round is on me.” She gestured for me to enter.
The entire place was teeming with members of the Sídhe Guard.
I gulped, shifting my eyes around to find a few seats open at the bar.
She sauntered past me, headed straight towards the bartender.
The pub was made entirely of creaking wood, from the floors all the way to the beams encasing the arched ceiling. It smelled of sweat and alcohol.
I approached Raine, who had already taken her seat at the bar. She was mumbling something to the bartender as I slid into the raised stool beside her.
“I think we both deserve this after what we learned today.” She pursed her lips as the bartender returned with two mugs.
“Cheers to survival?” she whispered, holding it out towards me.
“Cheers,” I nodded.
I tapped my mug against hers and took a long sip.
“So, what is your focus, if you don’t mind me asking?” I wasn’t sure about the etiquette regarding such matters, but directness seemed like Raine’s preferred form of communication.
“Me? I can wield lightning.” She grinned and held out her hand. Sparks emanated from her fingers, twisting and twirling about. My eyes widened.
“That’s incredible!” I watched as she turned her palm over, the sparks dissipating.
“It’s quite fun, I’ll admit.” She laughed.
“Although it doesn’t really serve any purpose back in the Highlands.
When the General found me, I figured this was where I could be of use.
Regardless, I was just happy to get out of there.
All I want to do is travel and see the Isle.
This seemed like the best way to do that.
” She placed her elbows on the bar. “What about you?”
I hesitated, trying to figure out the best way to explain my… focus.
“Erm–well, It’s not as specific as yours. At least, I don’t believe it is,” I muttered, taking another sip of my drink.
“General Ashford described it as… well, liquifying people’s minds… or something like that. My best friend calls it mind-shredding,” I whispered, looking around. I winced with embarrassment. It sounded ridiculous.
Raine grabbed my arm as her jaw fell open.
“Holy shit. I’ve never heard of anything like that. That’s fucking badass,” she sang, leaning back to examine me further. Her gaze left me sweating.
“Remind me not to piss you off.”
“It’s all new to me, really,” I admitted, shifting my eyes around the room. I mean, controlling it was new. I desperately wanted to divert the conversation away from me.
“What about the rest of the recruits?”
“Well, there’s Baelor Soleil. He’s excruciating to be around. He’s the one who…” Her eyes fluttered up to meet mine, gauging my response.
I simply nodded.
“Well, he can harness fire. If we’re to take his word for it, he could incinerate an entire village.
His family is revered amongst the Nobility for doing just that.
Not only was he born into the Elite, his father is the retired General, Bron Soleil.
He’s practically a legend.” She eyed me hesitantly before continuing.
“He’s the one they credit with the victory against Riftdremar. ”
Something within me twisted, but I kept it hidden. I wasn’t sure whether it was the revelation about Baelor’s heritage or how considerately Raine spoke of the place I was born. As if the result of the war was anything but a victory. That was new to me.
“Seems fitting,” I finally said. Raine laughed.
“Right. And then his friend, Nazul Halstead. Well, I don’t know if they’re friends, really.
But he seems to go along with all of the nonsense that Baelor spews out.
I do know they grew up together. His family is Noble too, of course.
He can form powerful shields, but only in a small radius around himself. It’s quite rare, actually.”
“Well, that sounds valuable,” I murmured, annoyance heating my skin. Of course, such an important defensive ability was gifted to someone so selfish. Fate worked in mysterious ways.
“But Briar–he’s great. You would really like him, I think. He can control the landscape. Well, I mean, that’s a simplification. He can mold nature to his will, in a sense. Grow vines rapidly, cause sinkholes, and turn rock to mud. It’s really impressive.”
She smiled softly before continuing, “He hasn’t told me much.
But from what I’ve gathered, he applied for the Guard on his own, expecting to be a Base recruit.
This caused some kind of tension between him and his family.
Apparently, they are very anti-war, and therefore very anti-guard.
” She shrugged. “But he wanted to do it, all on his own. The General became aware of his focus and promoted him to team V immediately.”
“Team V?” I let out a small laugh.
“I will not be forced to refer to it as Faction Venom. It’s beyond cringey.”
I nearly spit out a sip of ale.
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“I just know General Ashford came up with that one.” She laughed and rolled her eyes.
“What about the other boy?”
“Draven Porter? He’s quite the mystery actually… None of us really know much about him. He’s pretty shy,” she replied.
“He doesn’t seem like the type to join the Guard,” I said, shaking my head .
“Tell me about it. But he must be pretty powerful to catch the attention of the General.”
The group was even more interesting than I initially thought. I had never been around so many Aossí with such powerful focuses. A part of me felt small for not having mastered mine yet. Going off Raine’s descriptions, none of the other recruits struggled with control over their abilities.
She leaned into her hand and glanced over at me as I shifted in my seat. Her stare was perhaps more intimidating than Laryk’s.
“You look so interesting,” she stated, locking her eyes with mine. A familiar flush ran across my cheeks as embarrassment flooded my mind. I looked down.
“I don’t mean that as an insult. I’ve never seen anyone that looks like you. Unique. Stunning.” She took a long sip of her ale before smiling.
“Erm–thanks,” I mumbled, averting my eyes.
“Don’t get the wrong idea.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “You’re gorgeous, clearly. But not exactly my type.” She sighed before turning her head to the left and pointing.
“ That’s my type.” I followed her gaze down the bar and saw a woman with cropped, chocolate hair smiling wide, sitting with a group of fellow Guard members. By the deep green emblem on their white shirts, they were Base recruits.
“So go talk to her.” I nudged her arm.
“I just might, after a few more of these.” She turned back to her drink and laughed. “But I want to know more about you. I could tell the whole group was curious. A Riftborne joining the Guard doesn’t exactly happen every day, you know. My best friend from back home–he’s a Riftborne too.”
Something soft stirred in my gut, mixing with the ale.
“Well.. I never planned on stepping foot anywhere near the Compound, honestly.” I sighed. “But General Ashford found me, started training me… And now I’m here.”
“You’ve been training with the General individually?” A curious glint flickered across her eyes.
“Unfortunately.”
She threw her head back and laughed, nearly knocking over her ale. I nervously sipped mine while awaiting her clarification.
“So refreshing to meet someone who finds him as unbearable as me,” she finally said, shaking her head.
A giant smile crept onto her face. “Mercer can twist it however he wants, but I have a feeling we’re not the first set of trophies that Ashford has recruited for the Guard.
I mean, his entire faction is full of powerhouses. ”
“Raine, I know we just met today, but would you mind keeping my training with the General just between us?” I asked, scrunching my forehead. “I just don’t want to give any of them more of a reason to distrust me or…” I trailed off.
Raine grabbed my elbow. “Fia, whatever you tell me stays between us. I know how savage this place can be. I’m not going to add any extra stress to what I imagine you already feel every time you walk through those gates,” she reassured me with a smile.
“Thank you… really, I appreciate it,” I mumbled, running my fingers through my unkempt hair. I trusted Raine, oddly enough. Something about her was innately genuine. Direct, but genuine.
“Us girls have to stick together.” She winked.
I nodded, and a few moments of silence slipped by. My mind ached to ask the question, and the ale was already laying its traps. So I gave in to my curiosity.
“Was Narissa one of his recruits?” I gulped.
“As far as I know, everyone in his faction was handpicked by him,” Raine said, eyeing me.
“Do you know what her focus is?”
She paused and took another sip of her ale. Her eyes shuffled around the room before she responded.
“It’s pretty rare,” Raine said before lowering her voice. “She’s a blood lock. Acid type, from what I’ve heard.”
“What exactly does that mean? ”
“It just takes a few drops of her blood. If it touches your skin, it’ll melt holes right through you, down to your bones. Even healers can’t fix it. Apparently, it’s the most excruciating pain you could imagine.” She shivered as the words tumbled out.
“She’s the only recruit that the General has trained individually… Well, I mean other than you.”
My heart did somersaults as I downed the rest of my ale.