Page 44 of The Awakening of Essensia

Vaelira shrugged. “Nothing worse than a sore loser.”

The man chuckled deeply and sat between them. “I’m Fang,” he said, flashing Vaelira a grin. Faded freckles dusted the pale skin of his nose and cheeks.

“No, you’re not,” Ressa said. Vaelira could hear her eyes roll, even if she couldn’t see around the mountain of muscle and mop of copper hair.

“Hey, it’s a cool name,” said Fang.

“No, it’s not.”

Vaelira couldn’t resist the smile that crept onto her lips. “What’s your real name?”

He leaned back with a theatrical sigh. “Clivor.”

Vaelira snorted. “I see why you’d want to change it.”

Ressa broke into a fit of laughter.

Fang huffed, arms crossing over his chest as he stared ahead at the next match. Ressa leaned forward, her face popping out from behind him.

“You really don’t come from here?”

Vaelira shook her head. “Born and raised in Anhaven. Last week was the first time I left.”

Ressa seemed to consider that for a moment. “Interesting.”

Fang shrugged. “What’s so interesting about that?”

“When have you ever heard of a Caerthalyn recruit coming from anywhere other than Caerthalyn?” Ressa asked.

“I don’t know. I never thought about it.”

Ressa rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised?” She turned back to Vaelira. “They pretty much exclusively recruit from the capital.”

“Makes sense,” Vaelira mused. “If you grew up here, you probably have family and friends nearby. You’d have more incentive to keep it safe.”

Ressa nodded. “My father is an instructor at the academy. He’s been training me since I was ten.”

Vaelira blinked. “That’s intense.” She’d heard people around the barracks talking about the academy, but she’d only caught snippets of conversation.

Ressa shrugged. “It hasn’t given me much of an edge here. Most join the academy at twelve and take the trial after six years of training.”

That explained a few things. Her thigh twinged in answer.

“Is that what you did?” Vaelira asked Fang.

“Nah,” he said. “My parents own a bookshop. I’m not about that life, though. At recruit trials, I accidentally knocked out my opponent with my first strike. Guess they were impressed.”

“Figures,” Ressa muttered. Then she stiffened. Her eyes widened as she looked over Vaelira’s shoulder. “Woah. Who is that?”

Vaelira turned, her gaze snagging on a figure in the doorway. Her heart stopped.

Eli leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed and one ankle hooked over the other. His dark, tousled hair was pushed back, and his even darker eyes scanned the room. He wore the same black trousers and fitted tunic as the rest of them, but he wore it differently, with more power and authority.

Vaelira’s heart skipped a beat. She had looked for him during the first few days of training but quickly learned that only recruits lived in the barracks. Full members of the Royal Guard moved into the Southwest Wing before getting their own place in the city. He’d brought her here with the promise of answers, then disappeared without giving her a way to contact him. Heat prickled in her palms.

Eli’s gaze found hers and a chill slipped down her spine. Part rage, and part something she didn’t want to name.

“He’s coming over here,” Ressa whispered.