Chapter Fourteen
FOURTEEN
My entire body is aching. My thighs, my arms, my back, my core.
Even my toes hurt. My entire body feels like one giant open wound.
We spent two and a half hours on that mat without a break.
Not even a minute to sit down. Sebastian worked Moira and me so hard that by the end of training, we didn’t even have the energy to throw digs at each other.
I’m grateful for all the hours I spent training with my brother, because Moira was a fair opponent once Sebastian instructed her to stop letting her anger cloud her judgement.
But I was better. She knew it, I knew it, and he knew it, not that he’d admit it.
In fact, I’m quite sure I watched him write the number two next to my name and the words ‘tactics and strategy’.
My tactics were not a fucking two! For every jab Moira threw my way, I blocked, pivoted and danced out of reach – for the most part, anyway.
A handful of the tender areas on my body account for the few strikes she managed to sneak past my defences.
But I never stopped moving. I wanted to outlast her, outmanoeuvre her. I needed to. And I did.
He’s marking me down on purpose, I know it. Instead of letting it get to me, I’m just going to have to prove myself further. I’ll show him and he can shove his scoreboard up his ass with all the sticks he’s got up there.
For now, though, I don’t know how I’ll muster enough energy to get back up off the mat I’m currently splayed out on.
My chest is rising and falling with the rhythm of my rapid heartbeats.
There’s sweat pooling in places I didn’t know I could sweat.
My long-sleeved shirt was discarded about twenty minutes ago; it’s in a damp lump beside me.
The tank top I had beneath it isn’t faring much better if I’m honest, but at least my back and arms find some relief in the coolness of the mat beneath me.
‘Hey, Nocthare!’
I blink away the bobbing black spots in my vision to find Lillian standing over me.
Her face is stained with the flush of a hard workout, and her hair is sticking to her forehead.
A few times I’d glanced around the room to see her on the mat with each of her students.
Where Sebastian paced around us from the outskirts of the mat, Lillian was hands-on with her training.
‘Can’t. Talk.’ I breathe heavily. ‘Think I’m dying.’ More black spots pop in and out of my vision.
Lillian laughs. ‘Come on, I have just the thing that’ll help.’ She bends forward, extending her hand out for me to take.
I hesitate. This is the second time she’s offered to help me and again, I don’t know why or if I should trust her. But I don’t think I can get up off this damn mat without help, so I reach up and grasp her hand in mine, letting her pull me to my feet.
‘Is it a healing tonic?’ I groan as every muscle in my body aches in protest of getting vertical. ‘Or twenty of them,’ I amend.
‘Just follow me. I promise it’ll be worth it.
’ She lets go of my arm and starts walking toward one of the doors along the far wall, four doors down from Professor Nicks’s office.
I limp after her, my face the picture of confusion as she pushes the door open with her shoulder, then stands there holding it open for me.
The smell of salt hits my nose, reminding me of the ocean waves crashing below last night.
Does this lead outside? I don’t remember seeing a door on the outside of the building.
I falter. ‘I don’t …’
‘Oh, come on, Nocthare,’ Lillian rolls her eyes. ‘Stop looking at me like I’m about to kill you. I barely have the energy to hold this open. Get your ass in here before I let it go.’
Something in her tone suggests she’s being genuine, or maybe I’m stupider than I think because I give her the benefit of the doubt and do what she says, hoping to every star in the damn sky that I’m not making a grave mistake in doing so.
The door closes behind me with a heavy thud. Without the light spilling in from the training room, we’re now encased in semi-darkness. There are several lit lanterns fixed to the walls, all spaced out a handful of feet beside each other illuminating a pathway down a corridor.
Lillian walks ahead of me. It isn’t until I notice the floor starting to dip downward that I feel panic really start to claw its way up my throat. My calves burn at the decline, and I contemplate if I should turn back.
‘Are we going underground?’ I ask. My hand reaches out to hold onto the wall because I feel like my legs are going to give out on me, but I snatch it back when the wall itself feels warm to the touch.
‘You don’t have claustrophobia or anything like that, right? I probably should have asked first.’
‘Uh, no? Why?’ I ask, slowing my steps.
‘You’ll see. But I’ll warn you, the air gets really thick down here and, seeing as you’re not used to it, it might be a bit stifling at first.’
I understand exactly what she means moments later when we take a left turn and the ground dips once again, plummeting us deeper.
The air grows thick and humid, and my breathing turns shallow.
It’s not terrible, but like Lillian mentioned, it is slightly uncomfortable.
It’s hot, too. Hotter than the wall I touched earlier, and even the ground has started to feel slippery with sweat.
‘Lillian …’
‘Quit being such a chicken.’ Her laugh echoes in the cavernous space. I frown.
‘You are quite literally taking me underground.’
‘You could have said no.’
Don’t remind me.
Finally, we reach the end of the corridor and are met with yet another heavy-looking door.
Lillian pushes it open, and a gust of steam permeates my skin, sinking deep into my pores.
I blink through the onslaught, and when I step through the threshold, inhaling a thick lungful of air, my mouth stays open, stuck in a small ‘o’.
Baths. Everywhere. But not like the typical tub I have back at home – these ones are large enough to fit four or even six people and they’re built into the ground.
There are a lot of them, too; each tub positioned side by side with baskets of white towels and a couple of bench seats scattered about the room.
‘Welcome to one of the luxuries of being in Malachite.’ Lillian nudges my elbow with hers. ‘No one else is allowed down here. In fact, the other units aren’t even aware this exists, so keep your lips sealed. Got it?’
‘What?’ I gape at her. ‘How is that possible? Surely someone would have let this slip by now.’
She shrugs. ‘Every unit has its own secrets, Nocthare. This is one of ours. Now come, we’ll find an empty one and get those muscles of yours on the mend.’
I pad behind her, taking in every inch of the space.
From the low ceilings and the intricate carvings etched into them, to the lit lanterns casting soft hues around the room that mix with the steam billowing up from each pool like the breath from sleeping giants.
It’s bright enough to see in front of me but dim enough that I can’t make out the figures submerged in the hot salty water.
It affords each bather a modicum of privacy, especially as I spot several items of clothing piled next to some of the baths, making me wonder what the hell Lillian thinks I’m supposed to wear getting in one of these.
‘Over here.’ She points to an empty pool.
‘It’s all connected to the ocean, you see,’ she explains.
‘The minerals in the sea salt help to relax sore muscles, not to mention there are rose quartz and green aventurine crystals infused into each bath. You’re going to walk out of here feeling like you’ve had the best, most relaxing time of your fucking life. ’
‘I …’ I glance around. Tension starts to creep up inside me, unable to let go of the thought that relaxing in a public bath sounds like a terrible idea for someone like me.
Given who I am. ‘Is it safe for me?’ My voice comes out tentatively, but I need to know.
I must ask. ‘How relaxed will I get exactly?’ Will I still be able to defend myself if needed?
I expect Lillian to laugh. Instead, she surprises me by giving me a sympathetic look.
‘You have no reason to trust me. I understand that. Not after what happened with Harley – and for my part in that, I’m sorry.
If I’m honest, I didn’t think it’d go that far when I left and went up to my room. That’s on me.’
So … she didn’t stand there and watch it happen, then? Maybe I was wrong.
‘I’m actually the one who carried you to the infirmary that morning.’
I baulk. ‘You are?’ Sure, she’s taller than me and has more muscle; her arms and legs are toned and sculpted, but still … I’m not tiny like Tilly. I have curves. Thighs and hips that have some meat on them.
‘I didn’t have any classes ’til combat, so I used my empty morning to sleep in. I had no idea you were down there until I heard the commotion of students arguing over your unconscious body as I was walking down the stairs. I hate to say it, but that asshole got what he deserved.’
‘Who? Harley?’
Her brows hitch. ‘You don’t know … ? Where the hell do you think he’s been the past couple of days?’
I think back to every person I’ve seen since I woke up in the infirmary and realise, she’s right. I haven’t seen Harley since that first night.
‘He was sent to solitary confinement for a few days. He should be out tomorrow, though, so maybe steer clear if you see him.’
‘Solitary confinement?’ My voice hitches an octave. ‘Are they allowed to do that to him?’
‘You sound like you feel bad for him, Nocthare. Need I remind you what he did?’ Her eyes dip to the faded bruises around my neck.
No. No one needs to remind me of that. I’m sure it’s seared into my memory for the rest of my life.
‘I don’t feel bad for him,’ I tell her honestly. ‘I just … well, I just didn’t know that was a thing here. What do they do in solitary, anyway?’
I wonder if Lukas was sent there after the attack.
‘Bad things, Nocthare. You don’t want to go down there.’
I’m about to ask her to elaborate but my words get choked back down when she grips the hem of her shirt and lifts it up and over her head. She tosses it to the floor, then she does the same with the black bra underneath, dropping it at her feet.
I avert my gaze from her naked chest, feeling my cheeks go pink.
Her laugh echoes around us as she bends over to discard her boots and training pants.
‘Have you never seen a pair of tits before, Nocthare?’
No, I want to say. I haven’t. Other than my own, that is.
Not that I think there’s anything wrong with seeing Lillian’s breasts.
I didn’t look away because I’m embarrassed or ashamed to have seen them, I looked away because I thought that was the right thing to do.
I’ve only ever slept with one person, and that was Corvin.
Our inexperienced hands fumbled and shook as we took each other’s clothes off during the few times we were intimate.
It wasn’t until the third and final time that I really looked at him.
At his toned muscles, lean and sculpted from working in the mines for years, at the long appendage that hung between his legs, and it made my skin feel like it was on fire with how much I blushed.
Other than Corvin, this is the first time I’m seeing someone else’s naked body – though as I glance around and spot bare skin through the cloud of steam, I realise I’m going to have to get used to it, and fast. The water below splashes at my feet as Lillian sinks into the bath with a sigh.
‘Are you coming?’ she asks. ‘I can turn around if that makes you more comfortable.’ Her tone is teasing, but there’s a lightness to it. Jovial, almost.
I glance around once more, only to realise no one is watching. Everyone is preoccupied with mending their tired muscles and enjoying the blissful silence of this underground escape.
‘I’m coming,’ I finally reply, then slowly start to kick off my shoes and socks, laying them in a neat pile.
My pants have stuck to my skin like wet leather, so it takes a moment to peel them off, but when I do I fold them up as well and place them on top of my shoes.
I tuck the crystal Lillian gave me into the toes of one of them.
I decide to leave my underwear on, seeing as I don’t see Lillian’s on her pile of clothes, which makes me think she’s still wearing hers. I remove the tank top I’m wearing but keep my bra on.
When I turn to face Lillian, it’s to find her head tipped back with her eyes closed as she basks in the steam and warmth. I take that as my cue and slowly dip my foot in.
A sharp hiss escapes my lips at the first point of contact.
The water is hot, so it takes a minute for me to lower my legs in and adjust to the temperature change.
But eventually, I begin to sink deeper until I’m perched on a little inbuilt seat, and everything other than the top of my cleavage upward is hidden by water.
‘Holy Stars,’ I groan loudly. Already, I can feel the salt water and crystals working their magic on my tired, aching muscles.
‘It’s good, right?’ Lillian asks, opening one of her eyes to peer at me from where I’m seated across from her.
I hum in agreement, slowly paddling my feet back and forth beneath the surface. My eyes start to close on their own accord as I lean back and stretch my legs out in front of me, moaning again as my tight muscles tense then relax.
This is incredible. I feel light as a feather as I breathe in deep lungful s of salty air and let my body go limp.
Minutes pass by and all I hear is water rippling, wet feet padding somewhere nearby and low murmurs of voices from the pools closest to us.
A calm washes over me – it’s as if my mind has been cleared and my worries have been dulled.
They’re still there, but it’s like a cloudy veil has been folded over them, putting them in the back of my mind for a while.
For the first time in days, I feel truly, utterly relaxed.
It’s just the crystals, Aria. Don’t get too attached to this feeling.
I try to remind myself of this but instead, I lap up the freedom I feel in this moment. I enjoy the quiet stillness of my mind and body, right up until I feel sudden movement beside me and a splash of water hits my face.