“Mmm,” I hummed, allowing an uncomfortable silence to stretch for a moment. “And do you think this is how ‘chokeholds’ will play out in battle?”
Anders snickered slightly, and I slowly turned my head to face him. The girl with the mousy hair relaxed a bit now that my gaze was turned away from her, and she had the wherewithal to back away a few steps from Anders.
Smart girl. Maybe theywon’t alldie in battle. She at least has some self-preservation.
“Something funny to you, Anders?” I asked, my voice growing cold.
The rest of the yard was silent now, no longer pretending to practice.
I ignored them.
“You just keep talking about battle. Battle this, battle that. Attack by the Warlord. Be prepared for attack.”
I raised my eyebrows imperceptibly.
“That’s why you joined the rebellion, is it not?”
Anders scoffed slightly, clearly growing overconfident since I didn’t put him in his place immediately.
Fool.
“That’s just the thing . . . we’ve been here for months now and”—he gestured around—“no Warlord. No battles. Nothing. Just the same shit training day in and day out. Absolutely nothing has happened. So what are we even preparing for? Is it all in your head, maybe?”
There was a collective gasp, and I felt a buzzing in my ears as my blood heated. My chest tightened as familiar rage burned through my system. Something must have flashed in my deep chocolate eyes because Anders flinched for a moment.
“Interesting.” I kept my tone casual and indifferent, even though I felt anything but. “Tell me, Anders. When did you and your friends join the rebellion?”
He chewed his lip for a moment, clearly confused as to why I was asking this question. I knew when he joined—I knew almost everything about each of the people in my training yard—but I wanted to hear it from him.
“When you arrived on the ships,” he said, a bit of the bravado leaving his voice.
“I see. So roughly six months ago?” My voice was still eerily calm, and he nodded a quick assent. “So you’ve only ever seen this training yard.”
He nodded again, his hands fidgeting with the end of his cream tunic. It was well crafted and clearly new. A quick glance around the area showed that he had discarded a winter cloak as well as goatskin gloves before starting his training.
“I’m going to assume you’re the son of someone important in Lishahl. A councilor’s son, perhaps?” Anders winced at my words, and I nodded like I understood.
“Must be so hard for you, training like this all the time with nothing to show for your efforts.”
Anders blinked in surprise.
“Uh, yeah. Like I said, there’s been no fighting. We keep training for something to happen, but nothing ever does.” There was murmuring now amongst the crowd, and I wasn’t sure if it was due to Anders’ insolence or if they agreed with his assessment.
Either way, I had to shut it all down. Quickly.
“Did you hear tales of what happened in Isrun?” Anders nodded his head. “Oh, so you have? Interesting. How about the Valley?” He shrugged noncommittally.
“Hmm. Yes, that one I’m sure has made its rounds since that was the basis of our rebellion and all. Though you weren’t with us when the Matriarch was the head of our efforts, so I’ll give you the pass. But it is a story youreallyshould know.”
Anders opened his mouth, but I cut him off with a raised palm.
“You want to know why we train like this? Why I insist that you are competent in all manner of hand-to-hand combat? That you know how to use weapons like this”—I shook my spear—“because the Warlord is ruthless and he is cunning. And, whether you want to admit it or not, he is coming. He is preparing. And his preparations are much more despicable, much more . . . evil than our own. Did you know that he slaughtered an entire village just because they kept a book from him?” Anders’ eyes widened, but I continued. “Yes, he killed every man, woman, and child with brutal precision. Some were burned alive in their homes. Others were raped multiple times before being run through by swords. The men were castrated and stuck on spikes, dying slowly as their blood coated the spears they sat on. Babies were ripped from wombs while their mothers still breathed. His Mages used their magic to think upany number of vile acts, all while the Pain Mages preyed on the suffering that surrounded the village. It was a palpable thing that day. Even Vessels with no ability to channel could taste it on the wind. Screams and pleading filled the air for hours. And none of the Keepers fought back. They were all like you—unarmed with no magical abilities, and the Warlord slaughtered them without thought and without warning. If he did all of that because they hid abookfrom him, what do you think he’s planning to do to us? A rebellion that has risen in direct response to his rule?”
My voice rose in intensity and fervor the longer I spoke, and I let my words hang in the silence that followed my tirade.
Anders’ face was devoid of color, his eyes darting around as if looking for an escape from my anger.
“How do you know this?” the girl with the mousy-brown hair stated. Her friend with the blonde braids was fighting tears as the other boy in their group comforted her.
