Chapter 28
Present Day - Anistera
Luscinia’s cheekbone shattered as Adriel dealt another excruciating blow.
“Where is she?” Adriel bellowed, spittle hitting her in the face like tiny disgusting raindrops.
She remained silent, as she had every day since he had placed her in the makeshift cell in the training hall. Adriel had turned an entire wing of soldier’s quarters into a temporary jail for any betrayers he might find. All escape routes had been filled in with stone, and windows had been bricked up within inches of the roof to allow for minimal airflow. Everything else in the small space had been stripped bare, apart from a twin-sized bed. There was a bathing room attached to each suite, to which the door had been removed. Luscinia was a proud woman, but she had not cared to relieve herself in front of the guards when the choice had been taken from her.
The floor to her cell was usually clean but was currently speckled in varying shades of red from the continuous injuries Adriel had caused since her arrival. At least once a day, he or General Corvus would try to glean information from her through various means of torture. Thankfully, Malik and Horath had only betrayed Luscinia’s whereabouts and had not given Adriel information on the hidden rebellion, which meant they were safe … for now.
On day one, they had kept their attempts pretty tame. Most of the assault had been verbal threats, finished with a few blows to her ribs. Day two, they broke two of her fingers and made a few incisions on her left thigh. Luckily for her, they were in this for the long haul and had not cut deep enough to require healing. She assumed the last thing Adriel wanted was to have her bleed out before she could give him the information he needed.
On day three, they had decided to remove all of her nails. She had made it to the eighth full avulsion before she’d passed out. When she had awoken a few hours later, she had observed how they had, indeed, removed the final two nails. At least they will grow back evenly,she had thought through a pain-induced stupor.
Day four, they had tried a different approach. All day and all night, the stationed soldiers kept poking and prodding her through the bars that had been installed between the stone. They would douse her in water and scream at her or sing songs repetitively. Every few hours, the soldiers would switch out for a fresh batch to elicit a new kind of auditory misery.
Today was day five, and Adriel was starting to become impatient.
“Look at me!” Adriel screamed as he fisted her hair, pulling her neck back sharply to make her meet his gaze. His once beautiful features looked out of place next to his blazing red scar. She couldn’t help but smile. The power of the Oculus had revealed his true self and the hideous creature that crawled beneath his perfect face.
“How many of you are there?” he growled. His straight teeth flashed in the low light that filtered in from the hallway.
Up until now, he had left her face untouched, likely to make it easier for her to relay information. Now it seemed the time for talking was done. She knew he wouldn’t kill her just yet. Given their long lives, she suspected he could torture her for eons and never get sick of hearing her screams.
He twisted a knife around in his hand then held it to her cheek. “Let’s see how quiet you are after I flay off a bit of that pretty face.”
She again stayed silent, giving him a look that said, “Do your worst.” The eye above her shattered cheekbone was beginning to swell, and it almost looked as though she were winking at him.
He spoke again, as if they were carrying on a conversation. “Have it your way then, sister,” he sneered, pressing the blade to her skin.
* * *
Present Day - Irefeld
“When you are donewith your allotted time in your assigned section, you will have a ten-minute break before moving to the next. Look to the soldiers for guidance—they are your mentors now, and anything they have to say may be the difference between life and death.” Jai paused for effect before continuing his speech to the crowd before him. “Train well, and we will see you at dusk to debrief.”
At this, the crowd dispersed to different training areas that had been erected on the perimeter of the largest field. The center had been left open for group training and coordination, with the outlying areas organized for specialized abilities. Jai and Erick had agreed that it would be best to give everyone basic fighting skills then work on each person’s individual strengths. Since today was day one, everyone had to be tested.
They would go through each section of the training gauntlet five at a time and be rated on a scale of one to ten for overall ability in each skill. There were eight different sections to cover the basic groups required for ground attack and defense with some small changes made to accommodate for their enemies’ aerial attacks. The sections included hand-to-hand combat, archery, basic healing, survival skills, melee combat, equestrian skills, leadership, and mind training. Each section played an important part to ensure them the best chance at survival.
Enara was assigned as group leader for hand-to-hand combat, alongside Callan, while Meena and Evelyn joined a few other men and women to lead in healer training. Soren assisted in archery, working below a gentleman named Kristoff who could sever the tongue from a frog from one hundred yards away. Survival skills and leadership training were led by a few of the duke’s men, while mind training was left to a group of elders from multiple provinces.
Mind training was more important than most people knew. You could be the best fighter in Entheas, but if you lost your mind at the first sight of a dead body, you were about as useful as a bucket full of holes.
After some convincing, Rook was drafted alongside Jai and Baz to help with melee training. He might have grimaced the entire time, but Jai had to admit that his instruction points were valid, though his correctional manner could use some work.
“Again. But this time, look at where you are swinging your weapon.” He dragged out the word “look” as though he were speaking to an infant.
Jai considered showing him a gentler approach, but they did not have time to perfect everything. He figured if they couldn’t handle a little admonishment, they wouldn’t last long in the field, anyway. Instead, he opted to give them all a positive pep talk at the end of each group’s training session to help boost morale.
He was halfway through his pick-me-up speech when a familiar rider approached. It was the boy he had sent to Braexmirth before they had shipped off from Edras Mora.
“Your Majesty,” the boy said, dismounting to bow before the king-to-be. “I have news.”
“Rise and speak, young master,” Jai said.
The boy looked around. “It may be best if we speak without audience.”
If Jai was worried, he did not let it show. The last thing he needed was to panic everyone. Instead, he nodded and dismissed the group, commending them on their good work.
“Come; we will speak in the war tent,” Jai said, grabbing Amadeus’s reins and leading them away from watchful eyes.
The second they passed the canvas threshold, the boy blurted out, “Braexmirth was attacked.”
Jai gripped the table at the center of the room that was covered in papers and maps marking known attacks and potential strategies. “Shit,” he said under his breath. “And the king?” It was a loaded question. He did not know if Entheas would survive the loss of another leader so soon.
“Oh, sorry, sir, I did not mean to insinuate. King Elias is fine. He sent me to update you on goings-on across the border.”
“Go on, then,” Jai said, gesturing for the boy to sit in the armchair across from him while he leaned against the table.
“Olecastor, it seems, was a bit more well protected with its high walls and steep peaks. They are accustomed to fire and were able to contain most of the attack to a small area. It seems, in the enemy’s haste, they did not do much research into the province’s capabilities.”
“Good news, then,” Jai said, stroking his beard. “Did King Elias relay if his troops will be ready to fight?”
The boy nodded vigorously. “Yes, sir. He sent me ahead to inform you that they will arrive within a few days, weapons and armor in hand. Everything is as planned, though they were delayed due to the attack.”
“You’ve done well, William,” Jai said, grabbing the boy’s shoulder. “Go to the healer tent in the training grounds and ask for Meena. Tell her Jai sent you for accommodations. She will set you up in a tent with the other boys your age and get you some food. Tomorrow, I want you to join the equestrian instructors.”
Without question, the boy nodded. “Thank you, Your Majesty.” As he leaped to leave, Jai’s voice carried across the room.
“William.”
The boy turned swiftly, his light hair turning auburn in the lamplight. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Remind me to knight you when all this is over.”
The boy’s eyes beamed with delight as a smile won over most of his gentle features. “Yes, Your Majesty.” He stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do with the compliment he had just been bestowed.
“You may go, William,” Jai said.
“Oh, yes. Sorry, Your Majesty. Thank you.” And with that, the boy was off and running, no doubt to tell all his friends the big news.
Jai let himself have a moment in silence to melt into the chair before returning to the training grounds. He found himself reinvigorated.
With Olecastor by our side, we just might stand a chance.