AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I thrashed, trying to free myself of the binds holding me down. Water filled my lungs, making it difficult to breathe. I kicked my bound legs, letting out a muffled scream, and felt my body jerk as I hit the ground I already thought I was lying upon. I blinked profusely and looked up at a shimmering light that I could only assume was the sun far above me. I felt the weight of the water holding me down, but the bite of metal told me it wasn’t just that. I pulled my hands, but they were stopped at a short distance, locked in place.
My lungs were filling, beginning to burn. The edges of my vision began to curl with black, threatening to take me under. I thrashed again, desperate to breathe.
“Azula!” Carli’s voice pulled me up to a sitting position, coughing roughly as I spit out a mouthful of water, heaving for air. “Are you all right, Zu?”
I shook my head and felt the hair slap on each side of my face, soaking. Reaching up, I touched my hair plastered to my face and neck and felt the heaviness of my clothes as they clung to my body. I blinked rapidly, spitting and glanced around. A wave of water lapped at my feet, soaking my shoes all over again. Not that there was any more damage that could be done. Fear ignited inside of me as I reached down and felt the absence of my bag—my mother’s bag.
“I have it,” Mallory said and pulled me around to her holding it out. “You just disappeared but left it behind.”
I stared at it, unable to touch it for the time being. After a moment, my eyes flickered away from her and found the woman who knew my mother standing just feet behind my two friends. It was just the three of them. The woman was staring at me curiously, a little smile twitching the edges of her lips into an almost smile, but she forced it back down.
“Are you all right, Azula?” she asked as she stepped forward, hesitating to draw closer to me.
I nodded, not trusting my voice. I curled my fingers into my fists, averting my gaze from the woman in front of me. If I said something, I was going to lose it and knew it. I could feel my body trembling and my knees locked, threatening to give out under me.
“Come to my office when you’ve pulled yourself together,” Valencia said and turned, heading back up the beach.
“Azula,” Carli started, her voice wrung out. “What was that?”
I shook my head and pulled my eyes away from the two of them and back out to the sea.
ChapterNineteen
“Here.” The woman pointed to a photo that hung on the wall.
It was the only photo on the wall and the only decorative item around the room. Which meant it was more special than some random photo. A woman with white hair, standing right towards the front of it, drew my attention, and I stepped towards it, unable to help myself.
“She was an amazing witch but an excellent healer. She had a gift, your mother did,” the woman said sadly, her words choking in her throat.
I stared at the picture, my heart thrumming in my ears. Why was it even here, of all places? Why did Valencia have it in her possession? It seemed too personal to just be hanging up randomly. I looked at Valencia again. The prickling question of who she even was swept through my mind. There was something there, but I wasn’t sure what. Who is she really?
I didn’t look away from the photo. My eyes were unwavering on the woman who smiled back at me, stationary for life and the only other picture I could ever see of her. I understood, though. Constant reminders of Mom hurt, and it was bad enough that Dad had to deal with me looking just like her.
“Were you two roommates?” I asked, trying to put puzzle pieces together, but they just weren’t fitting.
“Something like that,” she said airily. “How did a Skeletal take her?”
She was prying for information. Not even caring about whatever had just happened to me. I whipped around to face her, squaring my shoulders, and narrowed my eyes. Her jaw set, a familiar-looking glint sparking in them, but I could exactly depict why. Instead of trying to argue with me or convince me to give up my secrets, the woman took a step back and turned away from me to approach her desk.
The desk was more of a table, round with four chairs. The surface was cluttered with paper, writing utensils, and books. She took the far back chair right in front of the wall to keep her face pointed at us. Curling her fingers together, she leaned on the table to us, eyes lingering on me for a long moment. I swear, something sparked in them, a desire to say something she didn’t seem able to.
I held my breath, hoping that she would release whatever secret lay on the tip of her tongue. I wanted to know so badly what she was keeping at arm’s length, but I also knew better than to pry.
“I know you’re going to do great,” she finally chirped, straightening as she held her head up. “You are your mother and father mixed, and they were a great team together.”
“Team?” Carli echoed, confusion in her voice.
The woman glanced at her, lips pursing for a moment, and amusement flashed in her eyes. “All healers have a soldier to accompany them outside of the base for protection. That’s how your,” she looked pointedly at me, “parents met. He was assigned to be her protector off base.”
The new vibrated in my mind and my heart fluttered. “I didn’t know we’d end up as teams.”
“Only if you’re selected at the end of training. If you pass and go on, you will have your assigned soldier. They will be your assigned soldier until either one of you dies or your time in the army ends.”
“My parents’ never ended,” I said airily and looked back at the photo, taking in the soldiers that lined behind the medic.
I couldn’t help but let my mind wander to Timothy, and my stomach clenched in nerves. What if I wasn’t paired with him? Would I forget him and fall in love with some other man? Fire flared inside of me, dousing that fear with determination. I didn’t want to settle down. I wanted to travel. That was somewhat the point of this whole thing, wasn’t it? To travel, to be part of the army as an actual soldier, to be something more than just some stupid healer witch. Sure, I was my mother’s daughter, but I was more than that. I had to be.
“Some don’t. It doesn’t always end in love.” She laughed bitterly. “I know from experience.” Her words turned to Carli, and my attention snapped back to her. “You aren’t a healer.”
