Chapter 61 Alar
ALAR
"All the futures have already been written. The question is which one you will stumble upon."
—Shaman Saphir Fatewever
The academy's showers were a noisy, steam-filled chaos as I walked in, eager to wash off the sweat and dust clinging to me after the brutal conditioning this morning.
Captain Odinah had seemed particularly pleased with herself when she announced that tomorrow we would be making the same climb with backpacks filled with rocks. "You need to build up strength and endurance," she'd said with what I could have sworn was a sadistic gleam in her eye.
Codric leaned against the shower partition. "Is it just me, or are they trying to kill us before we ever meet a Shedun?"
"That's exactly what they're doing." I worked the soap through my hair. "They figure if you survive the training, the enemy will be a piece of cake by comparison."
He snorted. "I'd rather face the Shedun than Captain Odinah. I doubt they would be much worse."
"Don't let Kailin hear you joke about that," I warned, remembering the haunted look in her eyes when she'd spoken of the Shedun attack on her village.
"That scourge is no laughing matter to the Elucians.
It's an existential threat, and if Eluria doesn't start preparing and shoring up its defenses, we will be next. "
Codric sobered. "Fair point." He got back under the spray and then turned to me with a grin. "Wouldn't want to spoil things between you and Kailin again."
If he thought he would get me to talk about last night, he was mistaken.
I hadn't told him anything when I'd returned to our room, and not just because he'd already been snoring.
Still, he'd figured that something was up from watching my interaction with Kailin this morning, as it telegraphed to anyone astute enough to notice that our relationship had advanced to a new stage.
Remembering our kiss and the feel of her soft body under mine evoked a response that was problematic in a communal shower, and I did my best to shove those thoughts aside, but it was no use.
The quickest remedy I could think of was turning the hot water off and standing under the freezing spray until my teeth started chattering.
"Are you insane?" Codric said as he was hit by a few freezing drops from my side. "Why in the seven hells did you do that?"
"Conditioning." I stepped out of my stall, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around me. "Cold showers are beneficial. They reinforce resistance and focus. You should try that."
"Not a chance." He rubbed the towel over his hair. "I'm not into self-inflicted pain."
Neither was I, but what I'd said about cold showers was true, and there was a whole long list of other benefits that I hadn't mentioned.
If I had, Codric would have just rolled his eyes and tuned me out.
My cousin's attention span left a lot to be desired in most areas.
He loved everything to do with mysteries, though, from crime novels to solving puzzles and everything in between.
He would have done well in the Elurian Civic Guard, and until we'd discovered our blood connections to Elucia, that had been his plan.
He'd even studied criminology and criminal justice in preparation.
After all, as a member of the royal family, no matter how distant, he couldn't start at the bottom as a simple guard.
He would have been immediately given a high-ranking position, but first, he needed the appropriate education.
After getting dressed, we made our way to the mess hall for breakfast, and the first thing I did when we got there was to scan the place for Kailin.
She sat with Shovia at our usual table, her head bent close to her friend's as they talked animatedly.
Cheeks flushed, hair still damp from her shower and pulled back in a practical braid, she was so beautiful that the sight of her sent a rush of warmth through me that was part desire and part a feeling I refused to call love.
Kailin was incredible, and I knew I was falling for her, but it was too early for a grand declaration of everlasting love and devotion.
Sensing my eyes on her, she glanced up, and the smile that bloomed across her face made my heart speed up.
Smiling back, I loaded my tray with enough food to replace the calories burned during our morning run and made my way to the table.
Choosing the seat beside Kailin rather than across from her was deliberate, and I planned to also take her hand and kiss her cheek to publicly declare that we were together.
"Good morning," I said, sliding onto the bench next to her.
"Morning." Her cheeks pinked as she leaned slightly against me, our thighs and elbows touching.
I reached for her hand, lacing our fingers together, and then leaned over and kissed her cheek.
She looked surprised, but she didn't pull her hand out of mine, and her smile turned radiant. "That was a good morning."
"Good," I said. "With your permission, from now on, this will be how I greet you every morning at breakfast."
Kailin chuckled. "Permission granted."
"You two are sickeningly adorable," Shovia said with a grin. "Should I move to another table to give you privacy?"
"Don't you dare," Kailin warned, though she made no move to release my hand.
Codric arrived with an overflowing tray and dropped onto the bench opposite us with a groan. "If I collapse during weapons training, just leave me there," he announced. "Give my body to science. They can study the effects of sadistic conditioning regimens on otherwise healthy young men."
"Drama prince," Shovia teased, stealing a piece of fruit from his plate.
"Thief," he countered, though he pushed his tray in her direction to facilitate further theft.
Morek joined us moments later, completing our quintet. Unlike the rest of us, he seemed relatively unaffected by the morning's exertions. "Good run today," he said cheerfully, earning collective glares from the four of us.
"Have you always been a superhuman?" Codric asked him.
Morek shrugged, his mouth already full of eggs.
"I like a challenge," he said after swallowing.
"Building endurance. We all need it, so stop complaining.
Imagine getting winded while running after the enemy or from it.
You need to be in top physical condition, and that means pushing our bodies to the limit. "
I knew that, and so did Codric. We'd both gone through basic training that was all about building endurance and the mastery of weapons, but it had been at least a couple of years since we'd finished that program, and we'd gotten spoiled by cushy palace living.
The fact that I was feeling the strain of these runs was a reminder of how much I had allowed myself to get out of shape and that I needed to push myself harder. Naturally, the altitude was making things even harder on me and Codric, but that only meant that we needed to train more, not less.
Thankfully, I didn't have to worry about it until tomorrow. Right now, I could enjoy these moments with Kailin.
She was glowing this morning, radiating a quiet contentment that I took immense satisfaction in knowing I'd helped create. It certainly wasn't the morning run that had put that smile on her face.
"We should head out," Morek said. "I'm looking forward to weapons and target practice."
The range was on the first floor of the Citadel, and the map I had copied from the wall didn't include the layout of the lower level, but supposedly, there were signs on the walls to guide us there.
We gathered our trays and joined the line to the disposal bin. I kept hold of Kailin's hand as we walked, savoring the connection and the public acknowledgment of what we were to each other.
"I wonder when we will be called for kitchen duty," Kailin said.
Shovia turned to look at her over her shoulder. "Next week."
"How do you know?" I asked.
Shovia shrugged. "The head cook told me."
Of course, she would talk to the kitchen staff and become all chummy with the formidable Darma. The girl was a natural spy.
Codric snorted. "If kitchen duty will get me out of conditioning, I'll volunteer for it every day."
Shovia turned around and grinned at him over Kailin's head. "Wait until you actually do that. Have you ever scrubbed a pot so big that you had to use a ladder to climb inside, only to enjoy being smothered in grease and grime?"
I doubted anything the kitchen prepared required pots that size unless they were cooking the meals of the entire Citadel in the second-floor kitchen.
Codric groaned. "Can't say that I did, and the way you describe it, I'm glad that I didn't."
We dropped our trays off in the bin and headed toward the staircase when my name was called, cutting through the general din of the corridor.
"Cadet Tekum!"
I turned to see Captain Odinah heading toward me, her tall figure parting the flow of cadets like a ship's prow through water.
"Captain," I acknowledged, releasing Kailin's hand reluctantly as I straightened to attention.
"At ease, cadet," she said. "Shaman Fatewever has requested your presence. Please follow me."
I felt a jolt of anxious energy rush through me. Anticipation combined with dread.
The moment had finally arrived.
I'd known this summons would come eventually, Saphir had made that clear during the ceremony at the Circle of Fate, but I hadn't expected it so soon.
Kailin looked at me with surprise. "Do you know what it's about?"
I carefully composed my features into an impassive expression, even though I knew exactly why Saphir wanted to see me. "Perhaps it has to do with me being an Elurian," I said, the half-truth sitting uncomfortably on my tongue.
After that lame excuse, I expected her to ask why Codric hadn't been summoned as well, but instead, she just nodded. "Good luck. I'll take notes for you."
"Thanks," I said, wishing I could kiss her goodbye.