CHAPTER 19
The next couple of weeks passed in a blur; each day was filled with more learning and training.
I was exhausted and passing out each night before my head even hit the pillow.
Bruises lined my arms and legs from the sparring ring, and I was sure my mind looked the same from all the mental strain I’ve put on it.
Classes with the Professor had been focusing on the different powers each house had, along with some history mixed in and whatever else he rambled on about.
Ulric and I focused on Artemis’ care and how to properly saddle her up for flight, which was a unique experience since she had wings protruding from her back.
We haven’t done any riding yet, as you needed to build a strong relationship with them before they would even let you sit on them.
They normally worked with them from a young age, creating an unbreakable bond.
When I asked him what other creatures we were going to learn about, all he said was to be patient.
The couple of weeks Ulric and I had spent together, I was learning he was just as sarcastic as I was, if not more.
I wouldn’t necessarily say we were friends yet, but he wasn’t unbearable to be around.
Zendryk had been distant with me, completing each lesson as required, then moving on to the next or being whisked away for meetings.
He was probably back with Jane since I squashed whatever happened during our first night of training.
Good, he got the point then and was giving me my space, and that is what I wanted… I think.
Making my way out to the sparring ring for my afternoon lesson, I was shocked to see Ulric standing there. A small pang hit my heart that it was not Zendryk, but I reminded myself that I was the one who pushed him away; I shouldn’t be feeling like this.
“No Zendryk today?” I casually asked.
“He’s been called away on important business,” Ulric responded.
“What business?” Trying to hide my curiosity.
“Business, that is none of yours.” He said while rolling his eyes.
Well, I guess that was the end of that.
“Let’s make things interesting today.” He walked over to the weapons rack. “Have you ever used any of these?”
“Not yet, Zendryk said we wouldn’t be using those until way later.” An uneasy feeling crept in.
“Well, it's later. Pick one.” He crossed his arms and stood beside the rack.
My utter disbelief must have been evident because he said, “I won’t hurt you.”
So, I walked over to the weapons rack and looked at them all.
There were so many different kinds; some had long blades with short handles, others had wide blades with slender handles.
There’s one that wasn't a blade at all, with two large metal heads at the ends, like the hammer a blacksmith would use, but much larger.
Another was a giant ball with spikes protruding from it, and it sent a shiver down my spine, thinking of the poor souls who would be on the receiving end.
Right beside it was a similar version, but the spiked ball was at the end of a chain.
I looked up and down at the display of weapons until my eyes landed on a pair of smaller swords that were crossed over one another.
They were completely black; handle and blade, except for small golden lines that drifted up and around the metal.
It was reminiscent of veins, connecting to the human heart, giving the swords life.
I was instantly drawn to them; they were calling to me, and I could hear their heartbeats in my head.
I pointed to them, “these.”
“Never touched a weapon a day in your life, and you’re picking two.” The sarcasm was not lost on me.
“You said pick one, so I did. I want these.” I reached out and grabbed each handle, but a shock of power surged through my body, and my back arched in response; I couldn’t let go.
My hands were on fire! Burning! Melting into the handles! I let out a scream of pain, and Ulric sprinted to me, trying to pry the handles out of my hands! But he couldn’t. The power surged down my spine again, as the pain radiated through my body.
“Shit, Avyn! Let go!!” He shouted. “FUCK!”
I was rooted in place, my hands refused to budge! They wouldn’t move!
You can let go now. A deep voice rumbled through my head.
The power surging through me stopped, and I released my shaking hands from the handles. I immediately checked my hands for burn marks, but there was nothing. No burns, scratches, marks, or redness.
“What was that?!” Panic laced my every word.
“I was about to ask you the same fucking thing!” He grabbed my hands and looked them over, “Are you okay?!”
“I think so,” he flipped my hands over a couple of times, checking. He was in disbelief, looking from my hands to my face and then back to my hands.
Grab the swords. The voice ran through my mind again.
What?! Hell no. Wait, why am I responding to… I didn’t even know what, or who, I was responding to. Is it a thing to respond to? Or was I having a moment of delusion? Did the swords fuck up my mind?! Was I going crazy?!
Grab. The. Swords. The voice was agitated. Was it a voice? A thought? Was I making this up? Was this all in my head?
“I need a break; I need to go lie down.”
He didn’t argue with me and nodded his head in response, narrowing his eyes at me, just as confused as I was, and I walked away, staring at my hands.
I lay in my bed for the remainder of the afternoon, unable to sleep, even though I could really use the extra hours since I had started training.
Ulric didn’t come to find me for the next lessons or even check in on me.
No one had, including whatever that voice was.
Maybe it was just my body reacting to the pain and confusion.
It had been eerily quiet except for the odd guard walking up and down the hall doing safety checks, but I had been left alone with my thoughts.
Which, at this current moment, was not the best company. Did I imagine all of that?
A knock sounded at the door.
“One moment,” I said while putting on a dressing gown to cover the pajamas I had slipped into earlier.
I opened the door and froze in place. Jane.
Jane stood there and looked at me with a scowl.
She was holding a tray of food, dinner, right.
I was lost in my thoughts and completely forgot about dinner, although I really did not feel like eating anything.
She didn’t speak to me, and the silence hung so heavy it was as if the air vanished, leaving only a wave of heat in its place.
“You can put it over there.” I pointed at the small table where I had my first couple of meals, allowing myself the small amount of satisfaction of bossing her around instead.
She pushed through the doorway without saying anything and set the food down with more force than necessary, causing the cutlery to rattle against the silver metal tray.
She looked at me as if to say, ‘anything else,’ but didn’t speak.
She was probably unhappy that I was spending so much time with Zendryk, but it was not like that.
He was training me, and I was, well, I guess, his student.
But that was it. Nothing more. I was not going to give her the satisfaction of a thank you.
She treated me horribly the first couple of weeks here, and she was still giving me grief.
“You can go,” I said sharply, dismissing her from my room.
The fire in her eyes blazed, and she huffed in my direction while walking by me. A small glowing orb shot out of the lantern by the door and flew behind her, grabbing a tiny clump of Jane’s hair as she slammed the door behind her.
“OW!” She yelled from the other side of the door, and then quickly opened it a crack to pull the strands free.
The orb fluttered in place, as if it were rumbling with laughter, before flying back to its lantern.
I chuckled to myself before scanning the tray of food on the table.
It looked delicious, but I was cautious, seeing how angry Jane was; who knows what she did to it?
I guess I was skipping this meal. I waited a moment before picking the tray up and placing it in the hallway, and then crawled back into bed, pulling the fluffy blankets over my head, hiding away from the world.
Ulric must have had my dinner sent to me, knowing I wasn’t up for lessons tonight.
He was slowly growing on me; he was thoughtful, an ass, but also thoughtful.
Hours later, a loud rumble echoed through my room, and I would have been more scared if it hadn’t been coming from my stomach.
I was so hungry, and I was second-guessing myself for not eating the dinner that Jane had brought to me.
Touching my hand to my stomach, I could feel it rumbling, begging for food.
Okay, okay. It must be getting close to midnight, and everyone should be asleep by now.
I would have to sneak into the kitchen and see if there were any leftovers floating around.
I didn’t change out of my black silken night pants and matching tunic, but I did slip on my satin slippers to avoid making too much noise walking on the floor.
Opening the door slowly, I looked down the dark hall; all the fairies were in bed for the night, but the one on my desk was still bobbing around.
Picking it up by the handle, I whispered sorry, as I jostled it around with the movement.
The fairy didn’t seem to mind and continued about their business, which tonight was managing the garden.
Petite bushes with flowers lined a small pebble walkway, and the fairy had the tiniest pair of gardening shears I had ever seen.
I brought the lantern closer to my face, and the fairy looked at me and smiled; her delicate skin stretched into a grin, and her blonde hair was tied up in a bun on the top of her head.
I watched her for another moment before saying, “I’m going to go to the kitchen to find a snack. Is that okay?”
It felt wrong to move her home while she was working. She tilted her head back and motioned like she was laughing, but no sound came from inside the glass enclosure. She nodded and continued about her business.
The light reflected off the gold and white marble floors, and my slippers made a soft brushing sound as I made my way through the hall.
A guard was seated in a chair at the end of the hall; he was an older gentleman, and lines and creases drew shadows on his face as I passed by with the lantern.
He was sound asleep in the chair and didn’t stir as I tiptoed by.
Trying to remember the way to the kitchen from my room in the dark was an impossible task, but I managed to make it after a couple of wrong turns.
The kitchen was empty, and the wooden tables were spotless; the cooks and servants were already in bed and done for the night.
I had to make sure not to leave a mess for any of them; they all worked so hard and for so long.
Looking through the cupboards, I tried to find anything to eat, but it was all ingredients or pots and pans.
My stomach rumbled in frustration, reminding me to hurry.
Shhh, you’re going to wake everyone! I walked over to the counter closest to the door that led outside, and a wicker basket sat upon it.
Peeking inside, I was delighted to see that it is full of apples.
They must have had a late delivery and left it to be put away tomorrow.
Reaching in, I grabbed a bright red apple, wiped it on my shirt, and leaned against the table behind me, facing out the window towards the sparring ring as I took a bite.
I took a couple more bites, and it was the most delicious apple.
It was crisp and brimming with flavor. Guilt instantly settled in, knowing that my mother and the people of Vryndhal would never taste anything this good.
We were lucky if mushy brown fruits and vegetables came to our village for sale, and even then, they cost too much.
I was about to finish my third apple, making sure to throw away the cores and that there wasn't a mess left for the cooks in the morning, when a glint by the sparring ring caught my attention. I squinted my eyes to see what it was, but I couldn’t tell from this far away.
Curiosity ate at me, but I knew better than to go out into the garden alone.
Tossing the core of the apple into the small trash basket, I turned to head back to my room, but suddenly stopped.
A pulling sensation grabbed me, and I couldn’t move further.
Turning back around, I looked outside, and the light by the sparring ring had grown brighter.
Go outside. The voice. It was back. I was not imagining things.
My nails dug into my palms, and nervousness crept in, but my curiosity overpowered everything else. Tentatively, I stepped towards the door, my hand shaking as I placed it on the door handle, and I pushed it open.