CHAPTER 20
Each step pulled me closer to the light, and with each step, the light grew brighter.
My heart raced, pounding in my ears, while adrenaline surged through me, giving me the courage to press on.
As I got closer to the sparring ring, I could see the glow radiating from the weapons rack; the two swords glistened in the moonlight.
I walked forward until I was standing in front of them; they were still crossed and exactly where I had left them this afternoon.
The golden lines running up the blades were pulsing in the moonlight, in rhythm with my own.
The fairy in the lantern I was holding had retreated inside her tiny house, and the only light left was from the swords.
Grab them. There it was again.
I can’t! It hurt so bad last time! But… I was drawn to them…
I needed them. A wordless call reached for me, a power drawing me closer.
I placed the fairy lantern on the ground and slowly stretched my hands towards the swords, my fingers outstretched from the curled fist that had protected them moments ago.
I tried to steady my breathing as much as possible, but my nerves made it hard to.
I closed my eyes. Inhaled. Exhaled. Inhaled.
Exhaled. The wind stirred around me, swirling up my arm, guiding me towards the swords.
My palm touched the handle first, followed by my fingers.
There was no pain, no shock, no surge of power.
There was only a feeling. It felt right.
This felt right. The sword, in my hand, felt right.
I pulled it off the rack, and the handle molded to my hand, as if it were made for me. It was lightweight and easy to move.
The other one.
I looked back at the rack, and the other one glistened, calling to me just as the first did.
Without hesitation this time, I grabbed it from the rack, and it felt…
normal. It felt normal to hold them in my hands…
Like they were always meant to be mine. I brought both of my hands close to my chest and faced the blades upwards, looking at the intricate details.
The golden veins thrummed down the blade into the handle, the glow trailing behind it, rising higher and closer to my hands.
Eyes wide, I watched as the glow from the golden veins on the swords passed to my own, following the veins that ran up my hands, arms, and neck.
A warm wave swam down my neck as it spread over my body.
The thrumming matched my heartbeat, and the glow shone in melody with it; tangled in a song of light.
The warmth dissipated, and the glow began to dull, except on my arms; my veins were still glowing.
The golden glow turned to a dark black, but it was still radiating light; tiny leaves sprouted from each of my veins, like vines, twisting and turning all around my arms. The glow faded near my hands, and I turned my head to look at each of my shoulders, following the light that was now racing up my arms. The glow was making its way towards my chest, dancing across my collar bones until they met in the middle, and then everything went dark.
Standing outside in complete darkness, alone, uncertain about what had just happened.
The only sound to be heard was my shaky breath.
I went to put the swords back on the rack, and the voice boomed through my head.
No! Take them with you.
I didn’t dare argue, so I shifted both handles to one hand, grabbed the lantern, and ran back inside, hoping I wouldn’t trip in the darkness.
I made my way back to the hallway where my room was, and the guard was still slumped over in his chair, a small pile of drool now resting on his collar.
Quietly, I walked by and snuck back into my room.
It was dark, but the lantern I was holding lit up again, and the fairy continued bouncing around her little abode.
I placed the lantern back on the table and walked over to the mirror to look at myself.
Black vines traced up my arms, following the paths of my veins.
I tugged the collar of my shirt down, and the vines went across my chest. Panic started to settle in.
How was I going to hide this?! I ran to the bathroom, grabbed a washcloth with water, and tried to scrub them away.
They were not coming off! No! No! Why was this happening to me! What the fuck was happening!
Calm down.
Calm down? I just had permanent marks etched into my skin! And you are telling me to calm down!
Yes.
It could hear me. It responded to my thoughts.
Everything will come to light soon enough.
Stop being so cryptic! What the fuck was happening?
Silence. No voice. No answer.
How was I going to hide this from Ulric tomorrow?
I immediately went to my wardrobe and looked through it.
I had a couple of long, flowy tunics that should work; I hoped no one would question why I was wearing long sleeves in warmer weather.
I slipped one on, just in case someone entered my room while I was asleep and tried to do what the voice told me and calm down, but I couldn’t.
My blood raced with adrenaline. I drew a bath, hoping it would settle my nerves; glancing in the mirror one last time before sliding into the tub and letting myself sink beneath the water.
I was curled up on my bed with my knees drawn to my chest, my arms wrapped around them, and I nestled my head on the top of my knees as I stared at the two swords across from me, leaning against the wardrobe.
I didn’t sleep at all, my thoughts racing, keeping me awake, and the surge of energy I felt radiating from the blades made it impossible to even think of sleep.
I had to get out of this room and away from them before my thoughts took over.
I changed into an outfit for the day, making sure to wear another long-sleeved tunic that covered my chest and arms to hide the markings.
I left my hair down, in case the tunic shifted and exposed any of the dark lines, hoping my hair would blend in with them.
Giving myself another look in the mirror, I went towards the door to leave my room; I opened it and walked straight into a solid wall of muscle.
“That’s one way to say good morning.” A dark, raspy voice said as he grabbed my arms to steady me.
Zendryk. Fuck. His grip was firm but not enough to hurt me. Something stirred in my chest at the contact.
“I was coming to check on you, Ulric said you had an… interesting day yesterday.”
Interesting didn’t even begin to describe it.
“I’m fine. I was heading to find some breakfast.”
“I’ll go with you.” He moved out of the way and gestured, pointing down the hall. “I haven’t eaten breakfast either.”
We walked in silence down the hall; the only sound was our boots against the floor, bouncing off the marble walls.
“Do you want to talk about yesterday?” He tentatively asked me, and I caught him glancing down at me.
“No.” I don’t. I don’t even know what really happened. I tugged at my sleeve, pulling it down to make sure nothing was visible. “Where were you yesterday?”
His shoulders stiffened. “I had some things to take care of.” His demeanor shifted, and I didn’t quite know what it was. Anger? Sadness?
I guess we both didn’t want to talk about yesterday, and I was okay with that. Ulric was waiting for us in the main entranceway, and we all made our way to the smaller dining room in silence.
Breakfast was eerily quiet, but we all ate an ample amount; I was still hungry after last night and knew I needed the energy for today’s training.
After we finished eating and the servants started to clear the table, I finally asked, “Is Ulric training me again today?”
They both looked at me.
“Would you prefer that?” Zendryk raised an eyebrow in question.
Was he letting me choose? I was sad when I had to train with Ulric yesterday, and I didn’t get to see him.
Ulric piped up before I could respond, “I think I will tag along today. I am curious what trouble you will cause today, Avyn.”
Arrogant ass. He just lost a point in the “Ulric was nice” mental tally.
“That settles it then, we all will train together. I’m sure we could use a refresh on some history.” Zendryk said while shoving another bite of food into his mouth.
“Wait, history? You’re coming to the Professor's class with me?” I asked, surprised he would even want to.
“After yesterday’s events, it’s probably best,” Ulric replied on behalf of Zendryk.
Another point lost, and he was downgraded to the ‘Ulric was okay’ category.
Half an hour later, we were all crammed into the Professor’s messy office, sitting side by side; Ulric had to call for another chair to be brought as there were only two.
The Professor was rambling on about past battles, and my concentration was wavering; tiredness from last night's lack of sleep washed over me.
I was startled by a nudge from Zendryk, jumping slightly, and looked over at him.
He leaned down to me and whispered. “You were starting to drift off.”
Was I? “Oh, sorry.” I quietly replied.
“It’s okay, the Professor is lost in his lesson, he’s gone back and forth between two battles comparing battle strategies. I think he is entertaining himself more than teaching us.”
I let out a small giggle, and the Professor didn’t even notice. Zendryk pressed his leg against mine, and my skin warmed at the contact.
An hour later, the Professor was still rambling on, but movement outside caught my attention, and I could see that Jane was training a new servant girl while setting up lunch.
That poor girl, I would have to be extra nice to her if I saw her, knowing that she had to deal with Jane every day.
The new servant turned and walked away, and two blonde braids swayed behind her.
They instantly reminded me of Maya, and my heart swelled at the thought of her.
Wait! I stood and rushed to the window, pressing my nose up against it, my breath fogging the glass.
THAT WAS MAYA!!! I inhaled sharply, turned, and ran out of the office.
“Avyn?!” Zendryk's voice chased after me as I ran through the hallways, rushing to the garden doors.
“Avyn! Where are you going?” Concern laced his tone.
“Outside!” I yelled back over my shoulder while I burst through the garden doors.
My boots crunched the gravel below me as I ran faster, kicking up little pebbles behind me. I turned the corner to the outdoor patio dining area and saw her!
Jane was lecturing her about God knows what, but I didn’t care.
“MAYA!” I screamed as I tackled her and took us both to the ground.
“Avyn!” She yelled back once we came to a rolling stop.
Tears streamed down my face as I held her tightly against me in a hug. I never wanted to let go; it felt so good to hold her, feeling her familiar hug back.
“I’ve missed you so much!” I pulled away and saw that she had tears streaming down her face, too. “How are you here?”
We both sat up, and she wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. “They transferred me, they said they needed an additional servant girl after the last one was removed. I was so scared for you, Avyn!” She sniffed. “I’m so glad you are okay!”
“I can’t believe you are here.” I pulled her in for another hug.
Zendryk had stopped following once I had tackled her to the ground and stood at the edge of the patio, letting us have our moment.
We held on tight for a few moments, finally released each other, and stood up; I brushed the debris off her uniform from my surprise attack.
“Are you on service?” I asked her while picking a leaf out of her hair.
“Yeah, they had me take over your position. No one would tell me what happened to you! Wait, what are you doing now? Weren’t you removed?” She looked me up and down, noting the leather pants, boots, and long-sleeved tunic.
“It’s a long story.” I rolled my eyes. “I will tell you about it later.”
“AHEM.” Jane interrupted our moment. “We have lunch to prepare for, and if you are done distracting her, I need to show her the proper way to pour drinks.” She crossed her arms, and I side-glanced at Zendryk to see if he noticed her breasts pushing against the top of her dress, but he didn’t; his attention was on Maya and me.
I leaned in closer to Maya, “I’ll come find you later, and we can talk about everything. I will also see what I can do about that thing.” I motioned to Jane with my head.
“I don’t have all day!” Jane aggressively directed us.
“Oh, calm your tits,” I said, not even having an ounce of regret.
We both snorted, and she gave me one last hug before heading back to Jane for another lecture about proper decorum around guests.
I cast one last glance her way and smiled, a genuine, heartfelt smile, feeling a warm glow in my chest knowing she was here. I had to figure out how to get her out of Jane’s clutch.
“An old friend?” Zendryk had moved to my side now, arms crossed, but looked at Maya.
Of course, he was looking at Maya; she would be his new quest for him to conquer.
“Keep your hands to yourself, she is off limits!” I threatened while turning to him and pointing a finger in his face, scolding him as if he were a young child.
He put his hands up and laughed, “Whoa! Jealous much?”
“I’m not jealous. She’s my closest friend, and if anyone hurts her, then they will have to deal with me.”
“So feisty.” He purred. “She’s not the one I’m after.”
“You can do whatever you want with Jane, or anyone else in this damn manor, I don’t care, but not her.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared directly into his eyes, showing him that I meant business.
“Point made, but nothing is going on between Jane and me. It was a drunken mistake, nothing more.”
Wait, if he wasn’t after Jane, then who was he after?
“What is that?” He pointed to my wrist, and a small sliver of black was peaking out.