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It was all fun and games until I couldn’t drink coffee in the morning.
Grumbling under my breath, I rubbed my face and walked out of the castle with Quinn, Aaron, Charlotte, her brother Edward, and the others. It was five in the morning, and I had barely slept after Vyper brought me back. True, I was still reeling from everything that happened, and I hadneverfelt healthier or stronger than I did standing in that cave, surrounded by the most powerful beings in the universe.
Still, now these people expected me to begin physical training without a drop of caffeine?? Were they insane? The day did not look good for me.
What kind of civilization didn’t have coffee? WTF?
We converged with two more groups of trainees when we crossed the double gates that led to another side of the cave. It was probably what they considered the gardens, and by the looks of it, the training grounds. As the warriors arrived, old and new, everyone gathered into groups of thirty men and women along the space—but not before passing one of the assorted wooden racks of spears and grabbing one.
Thea and the others went to the racks, claiming their weapon, and I attempted to do the same.
“Not yet.” Quinn stopped me, along with Edward and Charlotte, who had reached for one too. “They won’t give you guys a weapon until your second week. We only got ours yesterday.”
“Oh.” Charlotte’s hand dropped, and the three of us stepped back.
“You should probably wait here until one of the Elevated Warriors assigns you to a team,” Aaron advised.
We nodded, watching them move towards their own teams and take their places.
“Good luck!” Thea waved at us with a smile, and Charlotte waved back, but my gaze focused on the other twenty guys and girls that stood close to us. If they were waiting like we were, perhaps we would all be grouped together.
Asher and nine more men and women walked out of the castle then, moving to the front of the gardens. I noticed that just like the first time I saw them, they already carried their weapon on their hips. Although, their spears were nothing like the ones provided for training. The ones Quinn and the others had grabbed were completely made out of wood, even the part that mimicked the large blade at the top.
However, Asher’s weapon and the others’ seemed made out of a black metal with leather strips wrapped along the top of the handle. They were retractable, and a shiny curved blade protruded from the top.
It had intricate carvings that resembled vines and flowers in the center of the silver blade, making it almost elegant, and directly contrasting with the more rustic handle.
That brought my attention back to the racks along the right side of the training area. Each contained different kinds of spears, going from simple wooden sticks, to some with wood blades like the one Aaron and Quinn had, to others with sharp iron ends that reminded me more of an arrowhead. The very last rack had some very similar to the Elevated Warrior ones—but couldn’t even compare.
I suddenly wanted one like what Asher wielded, but for that you had to be in the highest order of warriors. Not to mention that before we even got to hold something like that, they probably needed to show me how not to fall on my ass during a real fight.
Today was going to be rough.
Fun times.
My attention returned to the present when Asher’s kin, which I assumed were the instructors, each began to stand in front of a group of trainees. A red-headed girl walked towards us while Asher remained at the front, counting the people still left to be assigned, and writing something in a journal.
“Morning.” The redhead smiled, exuding majorsweetheartvibes—as if the huge grin wasn’t a dead giveaway. “I’m Harper. Are you guys excited to start?” she asked, glancing in my direction and turning to the others gathering near her.
“Yeah, definitely,” Edward answered for us.
The statement echoed among the rest of the people left and she nodded, pleased. “Great. Follow me.” Harper led us all the way to the back of the training grounds, stopping next to a group that occupied the last section. “Stand in rows of ten please.”
Edward, Charlotte and I stood in the first line with a few others while the rest took to the back.
“Okay, everyone. First thing you are going to do today is hit me.”
“Excuse me?!” I blurted, sure I had misunderstood.
“You heard right.” She chuckled when a few gasped behind us. “I need to know how strong each of you are, so we can utilize that to your advantage and help you in your training,” she explained, walking along the front. “I want each of you to punch my palm as hard as you can.”
Stopping, she lifted her right arm, calling my attention to the armor on it—it was just like the one Evie had given me, but larger, with an extra guard that protected their neck. Curiosity gripped me, and I glanced to the front to find Asher with an armor just like that one. Except, not all the Elevated Warriors wore it. The rest had only the gauntlet-looking part that protected the back of their hand, wrist, and forearm.
“Why do some of you wear the full arm shields and others don’t?” I asked, interrupting her before she could finish her explanation of how we should proceed. “Sorry,” I added at the last minute.
Harper glanced at her arm, appreciating her own armor with a gleam of pride.
