Chapter 32
“One of our investigative parties was attacked during a mission last night as they attempted to locate the tear,” Mercer said quietly as he paced at the front of the sparring gym. Deep lines were set into his forehead. His demeanor was void of its usual steadiness.
This seemed different.
“We sent a group from our faction to the area to do some reconnaissance. They were accompanied by a few Base soldiers and infantry. None came back alive.” A murmur ran through the room. My gut twisted. Guards from the team V. Dead.
Wait.
“Who was in the investigative party?” I asked in a tone just above a whisper. My pulse quickened with dark anticipation. I had to know, but I didn’t want to.
Mercer rubbed the back of his neck and turned towards his desk, retrieving a piece of parchment.
“From our faction… Elyse Wellington, Devon Lanceburg, Val Stephens, Gentry Collins and Salara Marsh,” he said before rubbing his eyes and leaning back onto his desk. I heard a gasp from my left .
“Salara is gone?” Raine asked, her voice cracking.
Val… Gentry…
They were dead.
I hadn’t seen them since the night of the ball, but they had treated me with such kindness. They were good. Nice. And too young. Far too young. My heart sank in my chest, and I fought back tears. Some of the best and brightest of the Guard. Gone in an instant.
How were we meant to survive this? We didn’t understand enough about the Wraiths to stop them. We were fighting an uphill battle with no end in sight. We needed more time. We needed more knowledge.
A realization washed over me.
We weren’t meant to survive this. We were all going to die. Fighting for life. For the people we loved back at home who had no clue about the darkness that existed on our Western border.
We had to make our lives mean something before our inevitable end.
Anger and fear coursed through me. When I got my chance, I would go down fighting until the very end. I wouldn’t let these monsters reach Ma or Osta… Jacquelina or Eron… Leila. I’d kill every single one that I could before they stole my breath and drained me of life. I’d figure out a way.
I felt a pang in my palms and looked down to find them bleeding, my nails digging into the flesh.
“So, we are accelerating your training even more. We don’t really have a choice,” Mercer said, walking back towards us.
“Today is the day. You will begin sparring with each other,” he finally announced.
“I will be placing you into groups of two, and we will rotate partners daily until everyone has had the chance to face each other. As the groups will be uneven, I will also be participating.” He gave us a sad smile as we shifted nervously.
“Don’t worry, I won't go too hard on you just yet.” His tone was light but that didn’t stop me from wondering to which Esprithe I should pray in order to take down this mountain of a man.
I’d walked by many of the sparring rooms and watched the twisted dance of hand-to-hand combat. I felt confident in all the things I had been taught thus far, but my heart began to race at the thought of finally putting those lessons into action.
“I may be a formidable opponent but I’m nothing compared to our enemy.
Let's hope that none of you get close enough to a Wraith that you have to use these skills. There is only one man I know to have fought and survived a hand-to-hand attack.” Mercer tapped his face in the same spot as General Ashford’s dark scar.
“With that being said, we will not leave you unprepared. So, let's begin.”
He quickly paired us off. My first opponent would be Draven. I would need to take extra care not to draw any blood. I didn’t exactly want to get paralyzed on our first sparring day.
I looked over my shoulder toward the other mats and found Briar and Raine warming up together. The last spot was occupied by Nazul and Lieutenant Mercer.
Something wicked inside me stirred, and I bit back a smile. I couldn’t help but look forward to watching Nazul get his ass handed to him.
We started the session by spotting our movements.
We were a little awkward at first but soon were moving with ease, deflecting each other's strikes with calculated maneuvers.
With each shift of my feet, I felt more assured as I wove through attacks—a delicate balance between offensive and defensive.
Once we were all truly in the rhythm, Mercer pulled everyone to the side and motioned for Raine and Briar to take their positions, allowing the rest of us to observe.
I watched as my two friends circled each other, but at this moment they were opponents, each determined to test the other's skills.
“Don’t worry nature boy… I’ll go easy on you,” Raine taunted, a spark of challenge in her eyes.
“Oh Raine, let's see how fierce you are without your little sparky hands,” Briar fired back with an amused grin.
As they closed in, Raine made the first move, launching into a series of quick strikes aimed at Briar’s defenses. Briar reacted instinctively, deflecting her blows with practiced precision.
Raine's movements were like lightning, sharp and direct. But Briar wasn’t giving in. He met each blow with a calculated counter, his movements grounded and precise.
Back and forth they went, exchanging strikes and blocks in a whirlwind of skill and strategy. Raine's speed and agility were matched only by Briar's strength and resilience.
But as the spar progressed, it became increasingly clear that Raine had the upper hand. Her movements were too quick, her attacks too precise for Briar to defend against. Despite his best efforts, he found himself constantly on the defensive, struggling to keep up with her.
Frustration simmered beneath the surface as Briar's confidence started to wane.
Raine delivered a powerful strike to his gut that sent Briar staggering backward.
He stumbled, off balance and disoriented.
"Looks like I won this round," Raine taunted, a triumphant gleam in her eyes.
Briar's jaw clenched, his expression sour as he begrudgingly accepted defeat.
"Yeah, yeah, you got lucky," he muttered, sauntering off the mat.
The fight between Draven and I was much less interesting to behold, I’m sure. Despite the intensity of our movements, I couldn’t help myself from wanting to hold back, careful not to inflict harm.
After what felt like an endless back and forth with Mercer jumping in to comment on footwork or body placements, he finally called a draw.
“I’m going to need to see more from you both. I can tell neither of you are giving it your all,” he scolded. I couldn’t deny his point, so I simply nodded and moved to the side, collapsing beside Raine and Briar who seemed to have made up just fine.
The Lieutenant and Nazul sparred last.
I had been expecting a total blow-out but clearly the elite training Nazul received from his family was making its long-awaited debut.
Lieutenant Mercer still bested him, but there was a sheen of sweat on his brow by the time they finished.
It felt good to see our training efforts finally put to the test. Still, I couldn’t silence the nagging voice in my mind telling me that no matter how strong we were, we’d never be ready for the battle to come.