Page 28 of Cheating Fate

“Is there a problem?”

My heart leapt upon hearing the feminine voice. As one, my companions and I jerked our heads to the left to see the Oracle Venya approaching with an unreadable expression. She was Uncle Nevius’s aunt, the Korlethean royal assassin who had married Aunt Kamala, the fiercest Veredian Warrior. As in Oracle, she could foresee possible outcomes in the future. It was both helpful and terrifying to the extent that she couldn’t tell you which one would come to pass, only that whatever decisions we made once the moment came would determine which fate would befall us.

“Nolar tripped. I’m helping him get back up,” I replied without missing a beat.

I straightened and yanked the idiot back onto his feet. He was wise enough to play along.

“Good,” Venya replied, her neutral expression hinting that she wasn’t fooled in the least. “Caring for each other will be essential in the times ahead. It is the only way we can be victorious.”

“And we all want that, right, Nolar?” I asked with a hint of challenge in my voice.

“Right,” he muttered.

She stared at me with unnerving intensity. For a moment, I wondered if she was prodding the future. But her gaze never went out of focus, which seemed to indicate she was merely reflecting on how to respond or if she wanted to share anything else.

Venya suddenly smiled. “Lead them well, Augur. I have faith in you.”

“Ogre?” I echoed, confused as to why she would call me that.

Granted, like all my people, I was both massive and blessed—or was it cursed?—with a gargantuan appetite. But she said it in a way that implied some sort of underlying meaning, which was completely escaping me.

Her smile broadened, and a mischievous glimmer sparked in her eyes before she resumed walking towards the training ground.

Still confused, I followed, the others falling in step with me.

“Thread carefully, Nolar,” Curok whispered in a calm but serious voice. “You do not want to be alone here. Whatever your misgivings or qualms, know that all of us will follow Gavin. You’re still a part of this group by his grace. None of us have loyalty to you as your clan has shown none to any of us.”

Hearing the others whispering their agreement both deeply touched and disturbed me. Although I loved their support and respect, I did not want to fuel Nolar’s resentment. As much as he aggravated me, I understood that he was a victim of his own narrow-minded upbringing. I wanted him to become a part of us by choice, not coercion. Otherwise, he would forever remain a time bomb that would eventually lead to future betrayal. I needed to figure out a way to bring him fully into the fold.

But I would deal with that problem later.

As the trials were a public event, the bleachers around the training ground were packed. Knowing that my mate wasn’t sitting among them devastated me. I only took heart in the fact that our performance was recorded, and I would get to witness her reaction in real time when she first viewed how I crushed every test.

While the event required a certain level of decorum which kept the crowd from shouting and cheering as we entered, my sensitive ears didn’t miss the audible gasps and murmurs of wonder that greeted us. I couldn’t help puffing out my chest with pride. My people were always impressive to behold with our massive bodies with lean, bulging muscles. Our fearsome faces further increased our intimidating edge. That we towered over everyone else only added to our aura.

We joined the rest of the recruit unit, which comprised a variety of species, including Terrans, Aveans, Dantorians, Veredians, Korletheans, and Xelixians. All those species were lithe, even Elf-like in comparison, except for the Xelixians, who were sturdier, although nowhere near the level of my own people.

Sadly, there were no Sarenians, which wasn’t surprising. I loved that species, in no small part due to their young Emperor Zerien marrying my Aunt Siona—who I considered more as another baby sister. However, their painful history largely fueled by the cruel experiments performed on them by the Korletheans, made a full alliance with them quite difficult, but they also wanted nothing to do with the Galactic Alliance which we were all a part of.

We finished taking position in front of Ghan. Other veteran units surrounded us. Although they would take part in the drill, they mainly served as a comparison point against our own respective performances.

Ghan barked a command for us to begin the foot drill. It was easy enough and a good warm up that would lead to the fun stuff. During the march, drill sergeants handed us staves that we took without slowing down. We held them parallel to our bodies with strict discipline until we returned to our initial formations.

It took every ounce of my willpower not to look at Nolar. Despite my earlier speech about not shaming us as a species and a clan, I genuinely wanted each of my companions to perform flawlessly for their own sakes. For all his shortcomings, he was a great warrior and had worked hard to earn his place. But his fate was in his own hands. I could only focus on my own and wish him the best.

A thrill coursed through me as the weapons drill began. I loved the sense of power I derived from combat and manipulating lethal weapons. The staff felt like an extension of myself. In no time, I got in the zone, the world vanishing around me as I went through the motions, thrusting, slashing, and stabbing in a deadly dance. My Berserker powers shouted for me to unleash them, but I reined them in. There would be time for that later.

Seeing Khel descend from the dais where Venya, Amalia, Lhor, and Admiral Lee were watching us caused a flutter in my stomach. It flattered my ego that their collective gazes seemed focused on me. But it was the way Amalia beamed at me with pride that hit the hardest. Although I only had the honor of speaking to her that one time, I freaking loved her. It made me miss my mother even more.

Khel continued his approach, his gait slowing down ever so slightly as he walked past my unit. The glimmer of respect and approval in his purple eyes devoid of pupils made me perform even harder.

Wait until the combat drill begins, General. I will rock that crihnin right off your forehead!

And I definitely would. I simply had to remember not to let my bloodlust lead me to dismember my enemies. I wanted to impress them, not horrify them with an excess of blood and gore.

Refocusing on the task at hand, I shouted in tandem with my companions as I swiped my staff before lunging forward towards an invisible enemy. Mid thrust, I suddenly faltered. A bright light flashed before my eyes, and a powerful buzzing sound exploded in my ears. My knees nearly buckled, and I stabbed my staff onto the ground, heavily leaning on it for support as I shook my head.

The rest of my unit continued to shout and perform their attack all around me, their movements a blur as a wave of pain and nausea coursed through me. For a few seconds that felt like an eternity, every voice and person faded. My body ran hot then cold before the unsettling sensations vanished as quickly as they had crashed over me.