Chapter 8 You Were Here
You Were Here
ANNA
Iwas sinking.
The current yanked me under. I couldn’t see anything. Instinctively opening my mouth for a breath, I choked.
Then a hand closed around my wrist.
The sound of the fiercely gushing water deafened all else as I broke the surface.
I gasped violently as water entered my lungs like tiny daggers.
I coughed up water, not getting enough out.
Gagging, I coughed so hard my throat burned as the last of the water came up.
A muscled arm wrapped around my midriff, pulling me through the raging water.
The spray from the falls was making it impossible to see. The jagged edges of rocks cut into my skin. I forced my hands into the rocks and sand, desperate to know I was on land.
Feeling someone standing over me, I lifted my head and made out the silhouette of a man.
“You’re awake,” he said.
I recognized Commander Everson’s voice. Relief flooded through me so intensely that tears sprang to my eyes.
“You’re alive,” I mustered, still heaving for breath.
“Of course I am,” he said. “Now come on, let’s get you inside.”
I reached around his shoulder as he hoisted me to my feet.
With his help, I moved slowly across the forest floor as the snow-dusted rocks became snow-laden pine needles.
Ahead, there was a stone structure with lanterns glowing at the main entrance.
It was several stories high with a tower and at least one balcony.
“What is this place?” I asked.
“This is where you and the other recruits will stay tonight,” he said. “You must be briefed before your Initiation Ceremony.”
Two cloaked men burst through the door and rushed to meet us. One of them lifted me into his arms and quickly rushed me up the stairs.
“How is she still awake?” the other called.
“I don’t know,” Everson said. “Get her to Lady Roslyn.”
Slowly, I made my way into the building.
Tapestries covered the high stone walls, and torches burned from their sconces.
We passed through a large circular room with red velvet seating areas and a large fireplace.
The fire danced and crackled as we passed through the room quickly and into a long corridor with several doors on either side.
They took me down the corridor before stopping and thrusting the door open.
They laid me on a four-poster bed with clean, tucked-in covers.
“She’s awake?” I heard a female voice say.
I looked for the woman who spoke, seeing her in the doorway behind the cloaked men.
“Yes, Milady.”
She came to the bedside, her red curls tumbling to her waist. She kneeled beside me and touched my forehead.
“A little warm still,” she said, scrutinizing me. “My name is Roslyn. You must be in shock. Recruits are typically rendered unconscious during descent.”
“The others—are they okay?” I asked.
She smiled. “Yes, they are resting peacefully, and I recommend you do as well. I’m going to bring you a cocktail that will help you sleep. You will feel much better when you awaken.”
I closed my eyes. Sleep was precisely what I wanted.
She returned a few moments later, holding a misting metal cup.
She helped me sit up and placed the cold metal to my lips.
Briefly, I considered questioning what it was, but I was too tired to argue.
Giving in, I tasted a delicious sweet nectar.
Forgetting any thoughts of questioning it, I gladly drank it all.
“I look forward to speaking with you, Anna,” she said. “Now rest. You’ve earned it.”
My mind grew heavier with each word she spoke until they closed, and she was gone from sight.
My hand twitched, and I forced one eye open. I snapped it shut immediately at the bright rays shining through the window.
Where was I?
I sat up slowly, taking in the ornately decorated room.
A red velvet swag hung around the perimeter of the four-poster, and a claw-foot dresser sat with a mirror above.
Across the room was a wardrobe with one door open and a single uniform hanging within.
Feeling the weight of the blankets, I threw them off and made my way around the room until I found the bathroom.
Freshly showered and dressed in the uniform, I made my way to the room I’d passed through the night before. The other recruits were seated comfortably around the fireplace, with Commander Everson and the red-haired woman seated amongst them.
Everyone looked up at me.
“You’re awake,” the woman said. “Perfect. Come and join us.”
Everyone else was in various forms of the same black uniform. I took a seat beside Isabella.
“My name is Roslyn Talonhart. First, let me say congratulations. You’re the final group to make it here.
Regardless, what you’ve accomplished was not easy.
There’s a reason so few of you made it through the tasks.
It takes strength not commonly found to join us here at Nightfall.
I’ll be going over your first few days here, and then I shall answer any questions I can,” she said.
“As Recruits who have completed all three tasks, you’ve now earned the title of Initiate, as have the groups that have taken the trials before you.
You and the other groups will join hundreds of other Initiates already in attendance at Nightfall.
As you may already know, Nightfall is special. We do not recruit ordinary people.
“Nightfall has been hidden for many centuries as a sanctuary for the last of our kind. Now that you’re here, you will be trained. After your training, the possibilities are endless, but first, you’ll be tested to determine your place here—if you have one.”
Riya and I shared a look of apprehension.
“After you’ve feasted and dressed in your newly earned uniforms, you’ll be escorted to the castle where your induction ceremony will occur.
Following that will be an opportunity for you to get to know the other Initiates and become acquainted with your dormitory,” Roslyn said.
“Now, does anyone have any questions before I let you have your much-deserved leisure time?”
No one spoke for several moments.
“Why the secrecy?” I asked, breaking the silence. “What is it about Nightfall that no one can know about it?”
Roslyn smiled. “That’s an excellent question. Unfortunately, it’s also one that I cannot answer yet. However, I assure you that you’ll get the answers you seek at the right time.”
I smiled politely, masking my annoyance. Now would be a pretty good time. Riya and I shared a look, confirming I wasn’t alone in my sentiment. Still, no productivity would come from being rude yet.
Isabella shifted beside me, watching Roslyn curiously and asked, “What does the emblem on your cloak mean?”
The embroidered gold thread swirled elegantly into a dragon symbol.
“It is a sigil of my home,” she said. “It has represented my people's strong heart and will for many generations.”
Isabella nodded, lost in thought, as she looked at the symbol.
“Please, enjoy yourselves and eat as much as you like,” she said. “I’ll see you all at the ceremony in two hours.”
She rose, and her dress flowed after her along with her long red curls. Everson, dark brows firmly pressed into a straight line, followed her out like a sentinel.
“Well,” Isabella said, staring after her, “that was interesting.”
I nodded. A door opened across the room with a thud, and I glanced over.
Several staff members, in neat brown vests buttoned up over crisp white dress shirts rolled to a precise three-quarter length position, entered.
They carried trays with the most delicious aromas filling the room.
My stomach lurched. I nearly teared up at the thought of food.
Others entered, carrying long tables and dropping white linens over them in a fluttering dance of cloth. No one waited for plates.
After the meal, we were given downtime in our rooms. It didn’t take long for a sharp knock to sound at my door. Opening it, I found Isabella in her new uniform, posing like she was on a runway.
“What do you think?” she asked, her voice dripping in some snazzy accent.
I took in her skirt and her not quite fully buttoned up blouse.
“You’ve modified it?” I asked.
She smirked, nodding.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “It looks great.”
She smiled with a curtsy. “Thank you. Are you ready to head back? Everyone’s waiting in the hall with Commander Everson. They’re ready to head to the castle,” she said.
I nodded and took a deep breath. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Commander Everson led us down a cobblestone path through the pines.
Everyone looked different in their uniforms, with variations suited to each person’s personality.
Skylar wore a wrap-around leather tunic instead of a vest with belted pants and boots.
I stared after her for a moment, an odd feeling hitting me.
It was like something was hanging from the edges of my memory.
The moment passed. I was still tired. My mind must’ve been playing tricks on me.
As the trees thinned, I saw the snow-covered summits that loomed around the valley.
Smoke curled from the chimneys of a village perched higher in the valley.
Limestone structures jutted up like ancient bones, but the castle atop the slope demanded my gaze with its spires and towers stretching high into the air.
“Wow,” Isabella said, taking it in too.
We followed Everson past marble gazebos and snow-dusted statues rising from frozen gardens.
It was breathtaking. Dusk was descending upon the horizon, and a mysterious glow bathed the castle in a silvery light, casting long shadows across the grounds.
Flying buttresses graced the exterior walls, and open-air bridges were built high in the air, connecting different castle wings.
On the castle's main doors was the Nightfall crest I’d seen on Commander Everson’s brooch; it was carved into the heavy wooden doors, a filigree design with an N at the center and three creatures: a pegasus, a dragon, and a raven guarding the N.