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We finally passed out when they came to bed, but the next morning came much too soon. The alarm went off early. I grabbed a shower. Wraythe washed his face twice, needing the cold water to wake him up, and our wards slept through it all. As quietly as we could, the two of us slipped out of the room and headed for what was supposed to be our hardest exam.
Just like the Salle, this room was set up with a section of padded mats and a sand ring for sparring. Ghale waited at the back, watching as exhausted initiates streamed through the door. Wraythe and I were no exception. The pair of us moved to the side and started warming up. Anver joined us only a few minutes later.
"How's she doing so far?" he asked by way of greeting.
"Passing," Wraythe assured him. "Ela too."
"I knew Ela would," Anver said. "The temple doesn't want to lose him. They just haven't realized that those two are bound together." He paused, looking at both of us. "You guys look like shit."
"Couldn't sleep," Wraythe said.
"Ela and Nari were studying late," I explained.
"And she was worried," Wraythe said.
It felt like my entire body paused. My heart, my lungs, and even the thoughts in my mind. Slowly, I turned to see him. "What?"
Wraythe shrugged, trying to play it off. "I kept trying to relax, but it wasn't my anxiety. It was hers. Right in my spine, just like you'd said."
"Shit, I didn't even realize it," I admitted, "but you're right. I just knew that every time I was almost asleep - "
"You'd jerk back awake," Wraythe agreed. "Yeah, that's what made me think it was her."
Anver just shook his head, trying to make that all make sense. "You can feel her?"
"No," Wraythe said. "Well, kinda?"
"It's more symbiotic," I explained. "I don't exactly feel her emotions, but if I think about it, I can tell what she's feeling. Doesn't make sense, and trust me, I know that. It's still what happens. Zeal said he'd opened my bond, or let it open. I'm not sure of his exact words, but he seemed to think this was normal."
"And now Wraythe's doing it," Anver said.
"And Ela," Wraythe told him. "We talked about it. It's why he's so messed up about their final in Eroticism. He can fucking feel her fear, and he's not ok with adding to it."
"Well, that's one way to make sure he doesn't go too far," I pointed out.
But Ghale's whistle interrupted us. "If you're not ready, then too bad," he barked, pointing at the sparring area. "Pairs will be assigned randomly. Weapons will be assigned randomly. Wins and losses? Not so much."
Well, at least there was that. Letting out a sigh, I moved with Wraythe and Anver to claim a spot beside the rail. Ghale waited until we were all gathered, and then turned around to pull a cloth off a very large blackboard behind him. One section listed the students in the class, broken down into six groups of six. Beside that was a selection of weapons, also tied to a number.
"I will roll the dice," Ghale said. "The first one chooses the group, the second picks the initiate in that group, and the third will determine your weapon. Welcome to chance, ladies and gentlemen, because when things go bad, you won't have time to plan ahead. You'll have to use what is available. The question is how many of you will live through it." And his eyes moved to me.
"Could be worse," Wraythe muttered. "Least all those weapons are ones we're used to."
"And ones Jamik made us work with in the Salle," I pointed out.
"Gonna show us what the Baron's son can do?" Anver taunted.
I grunted, not impressed. "Brother, not son."
"You were the son when you were tithed," he countered. "Seriously, Talin. I've seen your sword work. I think it's time they realize that you're holding back."
"I'm with him," Wraythe said. "And if you're nice, I might even tell Ela all about how sexy it was. I'm sure I can toss in a few comments about hard muscles and sexy blue eyes."
I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Fine. Ok. Whatever. But if you start talking about my ass, I'm going to seriously wonder about you, man."
"He has a homoerotic aesthetic," Anver said, "but heterosexual preferences. Fancy words to say there's no one else like Wraythe."
"I'm good with that," the big guy said.
