Chapter 6 #3
I dodged, throwing myself into the alcove just in time.
My ribs screamed in protest as I hit the rock wall, but I was used to the pain now.
I peeked around the corner, heart thundering.
That cursed slope. Okay, Rynlee. You’ve got this.
I ran. I gave it everything: my legs burning, lungs clawing for air, arms pumping wildly as I sprinted up the incline.
My foot slipped. I grabbed at the wall for purchase. Nothing.
Then, bam! My body slammed back onto the ramp, and I slid down, gravity laughing at me all the way into the net below. Again. A sigh escaped me, not out of fear, but exasperation. I was so tired of falling.
“Ruin, what the fuck are you doing?” Of course. Him. I blinked from where I dangled in the net, craning my neck toward his voice. Enhanced by magic, it rang across the training grounds like a damn bell. I groaned.
“Oh, you know,” I called back dryly. “Just hanging out.” Shadows coiled around my limbs, lifting me as gently as hands and lowering me to the ground.
My boots hit the dirt hard, joints screaming as I straightened.
I brushed dust from my leathers and forced a tight smile.
“Fancy meeting you here.” Aiden looked furious.
Sharp jade eyes. Jaw clenched. Every rigid line of him radiated irritation.
“What the fuck are you doing here alone?”
“I’m practicing,” I said flatly. “Firebeard was here earlier. But I didn’t realize I needed a babysitter.” He dragged a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply.
“You don’t need a babysitter, Ruin, but you are injured. Again.”
“Barely.” A lie. Every inch of me throbbed.
He raised a brow. “Really? So, if we spar right now, no pain? No weakness?”
“Yes,” I retorted without hesitation.
A slow, dangerous smirk tugged at his mouth.
“Alright then. Fight me.” Before I could think better of it, I lunged.
I swung at his ribs, he caught my wrist, spun me, and wrenched my arm behind my back so fast it stole the air from my lungs.
Pain flared white-hot through my shoulder as his chest pressed into my spine.
His voice dropped to a whisper in my ear. “You should learn when to give up, Ruin. It would make this so much easier.”
“Never.” I drove my elbow into his side hard enough to break free.
My body screamed in protest, but I didn’t give in.
Not from him. His smirk widened. In the next breath, he swept my legs out from under me and slammed me onto the ground.
The air burst from my lungs as his weight pinned me there, solid, immovable.
“You don’t belong here,” he growled. “The Trifecta will eat you alive. So do us all a favor and leave.” The words cut sharp, precise, but I refused to let him see it. I narrowed my eyes.
“Wow. Thanks for the confidence boost, Unit Leader.” He rose slowly, looming over me like a shadow.
“If you’re looking for encouragement, you’re in the wrong fucking place, Ruin. This academy will break you. So, go before you embarrass yourself.” I pushed myself up, legs shaking but unyielding, until I stood. My voice didn’t waver.
“No. I’m not quitting because you think I’ll die. If I do, so be it. But I’ll earn my place here. Even if it kills me.” I met his gaze and held it. “Because it’s all I have left.” I turned to storm away. When he grabbed my arm and yanked me toward him.
“I don’t think you’ll die,” he said coldly.
“I know you will.” His grip tightened. “You keep getting back up, trying to prove you’re strong, but this isn’t the sparring sessions we grew up with.
You had it easy back, then.” His eyes burned.
“Here? I’ll show you the real fucking meaning of surviving.
” He released me without another word and stalked off.
I stood there shaking, not from fear, but fury.
This was exactly why I despised him. He couldn’t stand the idea I wasn’t as weak as he wanted me to be.
And when I survived this place, when I survived the Trifecta, he would be the first to see it.
Later that afternoon, I was heading across the courtyard, the late September air warm with just enough crisp to whisper that fall was settling in.
Aiden’s words still rang in my head, starting to feed the doubt and fear I tried to push down with my confidence but as the day wore on, his words started to get to me.
I carried my books in one arm, my other gripping the strap of my dagger holster. That’s when it hit me: this strange, pricking sensation at the base of my neck. My steps slowed. The hair along my arms stood on end, and a cold thread wound down my spine.
Watched. I was being watched.
I turned, scanning the students milling about.
Nothing. The chatter around me felt distant, as if it had been swallowed by something heavier.
The air hung unnaturally still, and for a split second, I swore the shadows between the pillars thickened, stretching like they were alive.
Then, just as quickly, it was gone. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding and started toward the hall.
“Whoa—” I jumped, nearly dropping my books, only to find Alaric standing there with a small smile tugging at his lips.
“Sorry, Ryn,” he said, lifting his hands.
“Didn’t mean to scare you.” His brows pulled together in concern. “You, okay?”
“Yeah… sorry. I just thought—” My words trailed off as something dark slid around the corner of the far hall. A flicker of movement. My pulse spiked.
“Just what?” he questioned, his hand brushing my arm, pulling my gaze back to him.
“Nothing. It was nothing,” I replied too quickly. But the unease clung to me like smoke. Was that Aiden lurking? Or something else? Something… worse?
“Why are you carrying your holster again instead of wearing it?” Alaric asked, a grin curling one side of his mouth. “You’re supposed to have them on your back, Ryn.”
“They were getting in the way during class, so I took them off and forgot to put them back on,” I muttered with a shrug.
He shook his head, amused. “Leave it to you to care more about books than weapons.”
“Books are way more interesting than pointy objects,” I countered as we walked. He reached over, taking my stack of books as if it were second nature. Always the gentleman. Always looking out for me.
“Yeah, well, pointy objects are a little more important around here,” he comments, handing me the holster.
I slipped it on, the weight settling against my ribs. “They’re not exactly comfortable,” I grumbled.
“You’ll get used to it,” Alaric reminded me, nudging me lightly with his elbow.
I slipped the holster back over my shoulders, the weight settling against my ribs.
The words stuck in my chest. Did I want to get used to it?
No. I didn’t. But I couldn’t deny the truth, either. I was here, and I wasn’t going to quit.
Not now.
Not after everything.
Still… part of me longed for the quiet rhythm of the healing college.
For crushing herbs in sunlit rooms, for the smell of mint and dittany clinging to my fingers instead of leather and sweat.
I wanted that life, but this was the one I had.
“Hey,” Alaric said gently, like he’d read the shift in my thoughts.
His fingers curled around mine, grounding me.
“I know this isn’t the path you chose. But you’re stronger than you think, Ryn. You can make it here.”
“Yeah… maybe,” I murmured, eyes dropping to the ground.
“There’s no maybe.” His tone carried quiet certainty, the kind only Alaric ever managed. “You can do it. And with my extra sparring sessions, you’ll be a force to be reckoned with.” He gave my hand a squeeze that made my heart flutter.
I smiled faintly. “Depends on whether you’re a great teacher.”
He smirked. “Please. I used to help you with your form all the time.”
“True, and yet I never improved,” I teased, earning a soft laugh from him.
“Well, don’t worry, I’ve learned a lot here. I think I’ve got it this time.”
“Alright, then I’ll see you tomorrow, teach,” I said, unable to keep the grin from my face.
“Get some rest, troublemaker,” he replied before walking away. I stood there a moment longer, hugging my books to my chest. The warmth of his words stayed with me… but so did that earlier chill. Because I could still feel it. That shadow hadn’t just been watching.
It had been waiting.