21. Ash
Chapter 21
Ash
I squished the pillow over my ears, muffling the noise of the incessant pounding on my door and in my head. It was way too early for this. I barely slept at all, between the dreams that never ceased and trying to calm my racing heart after Kane left. The spot on the floor under the window seemed to be my only comfort.
“Ash,” Ryan called from outside the door.
“Go away, it’s too early.”
The lock rattled, and she entered without permission once again.
“Can you please lose that key so I can have some privacy?” My voice came out muffled, from my head still on my pillow. What were these things made of, anyway? They were so soft.
“You’re cranky in the mornings.” Ryan chuckled .
I peered out the window, and it was still dark. “It’s not morning; it’s still the middle of the night.”
“Oh, stop being such a baby and get up. Why are you sleeping on the floor, anyway?”
I brushed off her question. “I liked it better when you were trying to be polite.”
An evil smile graced her face. “As you wish, Princess.” She bowed her head.
I made a gagging sound. “Never mind…that’s way worse.”
She laughed and smacked me with a pillow. “Seriously, get up. You don’t want to keep Kane waiting.”
“Why? I think it would be good for his arrogance.”
“Trust me. He’s not a man you want to trifle with.” Oh, but I already had. I begrudgingly threw the covers off and pulled myself out of the warmth of my blankets. Ryan went to the closet and brought back clothes that included a simple pair of black pants, a shirt, and a jacket.
After I got dressed, Ryan led me through the maze of halls that I was becoming familiar with, Davis trailing behind us. Jerek must have had better things to do this morning. Our footfalls echoed off the walls in the early morning air. I longed to go outside to feel the snowflakes on my face and to taste winter in the icy breeze. I yearned for the sky and the murmur of wind through the trees. All I got were the dark tunnels that ran under Maximus’s grounds. “Where are we going?” I asked Ryan.
“Training center.”
“Training center?”
“Well, one of them.”
“How many are there? ”
“There are six buildings dedicated to soldier training. Plus all the barracks. Every building serves a different purpose.”
“Which one are we going to?”
“B West. It’s for physical training…where all the sparing happens. No weapons are allowed inside. Kane’s rules.”
“Huh?” She spoke like I was supposed to know what that meant.
“Maximus named all the buildings after himself: The Brodericks. So…I guess after you, too. No one likes saying the full name, so we just call them the B buildings. There are four of them in a square—B North, B South, B East, and B West. Then two in the middle—B One and B Two—but those are for the younger kids. You’ll probably never go in them.”
“How young?” I knew Diesel was there when he was nine, but were there boys that went earlier than that?
“The King made it mandatory for any boy in Hope to attend once they turn twelve. Parents like to send their boys earlier, though. The youngest they accept is eight.” She had to be joking. Eight year olds training to be soldiers?
“What if they don’t want to be a soldier?”
“They still have to train, unfortunately. Until they turn twenty, then if they have family obligations or business, they can opt out to do family trades.”
“What if they don’t have family?”
She peered at me with a sad look. “Then they have no choice but to stay.”
I cringed in disgust. How could he force men to work for him? It was different in the outlying towns, like Cedar Hill. There, men clamored to get a shot at being a soldier for a better life, but here they were forced .
“People in Hope consider it an honor to serve the King,” Ryan said.
I eyed her carefully as we walked. There was something about the way she said ‘the people in Hope’, like she wasn’t one of them. She didn’t say we consider it an honor. No, it was the people in Hope. Her voice dropped, like it disgusted her.
“What happens if soldiers desert when they’re supposed to stay?”
She looked down at her shoes, stepping lightly on the concrete floor. “Firing squad,” she whispered, almost too quiet to hear.
“Has it ever happened before?”
Her sad eyes met mine as we moved, and she nodded. What had happened to her? I wanted to know her story.
Before I could ask any more questions, we ascended more stairs, rising from the depths of the tunnels. We strode into a building without so much as a glimpse at the sky. The space was huge—full of odd things that I imagined the soldiers used to train their bodies into peak physical shape. No wonder they were all built like brutes. The building was constructed of cement with exposed beams peeking out the ceiling. Long windows stretched across the walls, showing only the darkness from outside. How early was it?
A noise caught my attention from the far side of the building. Grunts and the sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the stale morning air.
“Come on,” Ryan beckoned, stepping toward the men who sparred in the corner. Davis stayed guard at the door that led to the tunnels with an impassive look on his face.
We stepped closer, and Jerek and Kane’s bodies filled up a mat on the far side of the building. No one else was around but the two men, who fought shirtless. I gulped, trying hard not to look at all the bare skin and hard muscles showing. I hated to admit that they were both devastatingly handsome in their own ways. Why couldn’t they look like trolls? It would make hating them much easier.
Kane saw us approaching and quickly signaled to Jerek. Both of them pulled their shirts back on before I had a chance to inspect the fascinating black ink that swirled over Kane’s body. I quickly reminded myself that I would not be lured into a trap by any man again just because he was handsome.
There were no pleasantries. Ryan nodded and scurried off before Kane spoke. “You’ll be here every morning. No soldiers will be in the building until dawn—you will train until then. On days I can’t be here, Captain Wavern will help you. You will listen and do exactly as you’re told or face the consequences. Do not come here without one of us. Do you understand?”
I glared at him, and he stepped closer.
“Do you understand?”
“Do I look dumb?” He had a way of fraying every single nerve in my body until I overflowed with annoyance.
“Do you see that track over there, Blondie?” He inclined his head to the big cement ring that circled the outer edges of the building. “Run…until I tell you to stop.”
I folded my arms over my chest in a display of rebellion as I glowered at him.
“Did I stutter?” he asked.
The tension radiating between our glares could not melt all the ice in Kane’s soul.
“The longer you stand here, the worse it’ll be for you. I suggest you move. ”
I glanced at Jerek standing behind Kane, and he had a look of genuine concern on his face. His subtle gesture said I’d better do as I was told. It had me second-guessing myself. Kane quirked a brow at me.
“I am not your fiancé, Blondie. I won’t treat you like a delicate flower. I will expose every one of your weaknesses, stripping you bare of everything that you think you excel at. Before we are done, you will beg me to stop.”
I swallowed, realizing for the first time how dangerous Kane was and how he had gained all his power. I turned and started running around the building in a never-ending loop. I ran until my lungs burned and my legs ached. The bandaged claw marks in my shoulders screamed with pain and the movement tugged at the stitches in my leg, but I pushed onward. My poor physical fitness from the last months was showing itself in a sweaty mess, gasping for every bit of oxygen I could. Kane’s eyes followed me around the room. I felt his stare like a burning hole in the back of my head. I ran until black spots appeared in my eyes and my head swam with dizziness, and even then…I kept running. He wanted to find my weaknesses, but I was more afraid of him finding my strengths. No matter what, it was vital that I never show anybody what my true power was, not until the time was right.