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5
BRAXTON
The sight of Evie being carried away from me followed me like a shadow while I was led by Asher to get food, receive a few clothes, and then was taken to my new room.
Confusion weaved through my mind as I glanced all around the space. I should have known better than to assume once we got here, Evie and I would just be together. We had met only a month ago for goodness sake! Yeah, my mind understood that, but the chemistry we shared wanted her next to me permanently. It demanded her with me… like a psycho. Seriously, wouldn’t dating be the next, normal step after hooking up with a girl? No one kissed, or had sex, and then immediately moved in together like they were in some romantic movie, living happily ever after.
Dating would be the next step, but Evie hadn’t been a hook up, and she was definitely not just any girl.
She was a princess in a world filled with Dragons.
A freaking princess, which probably made me the stable boy.
This is totally fine, I told myself.It’s perfectly normal. Now we live in the same place, so yeah, we’ll just start dating and see where we go from there…See where we go from there?? This was all so weird.
“Showers are down the stairs, to the left corridor, and then you will find them on your right.” Asher’s voice brought me back to the present, and I blinked out of my thoughts.
“Okay, thank you.” I nodded, keeping the extra clothes given to me under my left arm, and stood in an angle so he couldn’t see my burnt skin on that side.
My gaze roamed the space for the millionth time, except this time, I was actually paying attention.
It reminded me of a military dormitory, extending the length of about three regular rooms with rows of beds on each side. Except, this room had been carved entirely out of the mountain itself. Its every detail resembled a space in one of those European castles you saw online. The ceiling had a series of vaulted arches that connected to “crown” each bed, with a stone wall in between, like fancy sleeping nooks or something. Torches were placed on the connecting walls, illuminating the entire hall.
“Training is every day at the 5thsun-hour.”
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, facing him again.
Asher smiled like he could perceive how overwhelmed I was by everything here. “It is a big change to come from the Hollow to our side, I understand that, but you shouldn’t worry. You’ll have time to settle and get used to our way of life.”
The sincerity of his words made me feel better, even when he didn’t know the full story about who I was. Ironic, wasn’t it? I didn’t even know the full story about who I was. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“Are your accommodations okay?” he asked when my gaze fell to the empty bed next to me.
“Oh, yeah. Definitely. I slept in a walk-in closet for the past three years so this is more than okay,” I snorted at my own joke, but he frowned, glancing at me with confusion.
“What’s a walk-in closet?”
Oh. Right. Different world. “Never mind. I’m just taken aback by all of this. It’s amazing.” My hand reached for the cream limestone wall that enclosed my nook, extending to the vaulted ceiling above us. It reminded me of the architecture of ancient villages, but this wasn’t built of bricks, it was a smooth continuous surface. The whole mountain was made out of this rock it seemed.
“Yeah, I can see why. Our people take a lot of pride in building our homes, even if they are temporary.” His gaze lifted to the vaulted roof above us, but his grey eyes seemed far beyond the rock. “One day we will all be back in thecaelum terras—sky lands—free villages extending as far as your eyes can see.”
The mixture of hope and hurt in his eyes reminded me of the reality this people faced, and my gut constricted, even though I didn’t fully know their story. “One day…”
A willful smile captured his expression as he turned to me again. “Dinner is served each evening at seven. You can just follow any of the other recruits to find your way there and back.”
Recruits…“You mentioned training?”
“Oh, yes. Your warrior preparation will start tomorrow. You’ll be with the latest trainees getting ready to join our legion.”
Holy hell, that sounded ominous. “You want me to become a warrior?” I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. All I’ve ever fought was coffee.
Puzzlement briefly tinged his expression. “I’m sorry. You look like a fighter, so we assumed you would want to join our cause. If you wish to help in another way, we can move you with the working men and women who take care of the city, or those who assist in the castle. I would just need to find you a room with one of the families—”
“No,” I interrupted, his words whirling in my mind.A fighter…I supposed one way or another, I had always been one. “I want to become a warrior. I am a fighter… I mean, only in spirit, because I have no idea how to fight like you.”
Lighthearted laughter escaped him, and he placed a hand on my shoulder while his eyes bore into mine. “A strong will is all you need, Brother. We’ll teach you the rest.”
“Good. I have plenty of that.”
