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The following two weeks were almost as mind-numbing as the day of the stitching. We repeated that at least every other day to get a handle on it, magic banned besides reopening the carcasses we were handed. Goats had been first. Cats were next, then deer and bears. Any and all imaginable. The large ones were shared between two or three of us at any given time, and I had to deal with Olga and her snarky remarks, show-off attitude, and bragging about how she was far better than anyone else. It was by far the most annoying thing in the world, and it took all my willpower to not punch her square in the face and break her pretty nose.
We had to learn debris removal, both with magic and without. When we did have to use magic, we were separated so those who didn’t have the same uses as us could feel bad. Debris removal came with wound cleaning at the same time. That, too, was with and without the use of magic. But with magic, we had to double-check and sometimes triple to ensure no tiny pieces were lingering about, ready to harm their host. Mallory passed out when she had to remove a substantial piece of metal from an open wound of a bear that was sedated, breathing labored, and it stirred in threat of waking up. So, it wasn’t exactly the cleaning of the wound that frightened her, but the bear itself starting to wake. I couldn’t help but snicker at that.
When the deer bucked as I removed a piece of wood, I screamed, and Mallory snickered in return. Payback was a bitch, I guess.
I felt like I had barely seen Carli and itched to know what she was getting up to with her training. I wasn’t allowed to visit her; seeing her at meals was rare anymore. I ached to see her and felt her absence in my life whenever I would go more than twenty-four hours without seeing her face. For the last nineteen years, until we came to this place, we had never gone two days without one another. Now and again, we’d have to go a day. But two? Never. I hated this. Because it was growing lengthier that we couldn’t see each other and I swear I would die. Which I knew was stupid, but she was my best friend. She was my sister, and this didn’t feel right. I felt like claws were ripping at my insides in the need to even hear her voice again.
I would soon enough; I was sure of that. Still, a small part of me worried that we’d forever be parted. What if this was just the beginning? What if we were entirely separated upon leaving this place? The war meant years of being gone. If I couldn’t see her for years, I wasn’t sure what the hell I was supposed to do.
In the middle of the night, a horn blared after yet another restless sleep, waking us from our dreams. I was thankful that it wasn’t nightmares making me twist and turn. It was thoughts of Carli, my brother, my father, and especially Timothy. My heart ached for him the absolute most. Almost a month in this place, and I had to wonder if he even knew we were here. He had to by now, didn’t he? But it wasn’t like he could do anything about it.
As the horn grew louder, I scrambled from my bed and snatched at the uniform in a neatly folded pile upon my trunk, shoving my hat onto my head. Picking up the bag I had been given to hold the appropriate equipment, I followed the others outside. Olga walked with her chin held up but completely disregarded her uniform. As usual, Mallory followed suit with what I was doing and also grabbed her uniform. As the bitter air hit and sent goosebumps flitting up and down my exposed flesh, I shook out the jacket of my uniform and slid it on, glancing around to see what the commotion was all about. Feet away, I spotted the little circle of foresters, Carli standing near the front. Her shoulders were slumped, and her blonde hair was a wild mess. When her tired eyes met mine, she smiled and waved a little. I returned the gesture but turned my attention forward as the horn faded, and Valencia and Ezekial stood before us all.
Surrounding my bunk were all the others. The medics, the foresters, and a few others I didn’t even recognize. Silence fell over us for a long moment, and a third joined the two. It was another woman, as lanky and tall as Valencia but gave the opposite of what she was. Where Valencia was sharp, this woman was soft. She didn’t have as hardened lines creasing her face, and her shoulders weren’t squared. Maybe she would be the exact copy in a few years, but for now, there was a gentle air about her that was almost magnetic.
She wore a black suit with red accents, telling me she was a soldier. Jealousy flared inside of me. No, no, she wasn’t just a soldier. She shouldn’t be as soft looking if she was a hardened soldier. Or maybe she was hardened, but her vampirism gave her the look of not being such a thing. That’s what I took anyway. Red accents meant vampire.
“Please welcome Sergeant Roberts. She has generously volunteered her troops to help with our training. We are moving a little quicker than usual, but times are pressing right now.”
Troops? Wait, she brought soldiers with her? My eyes flitted behind the trio, but I saw no one else. Then I looked at the group I hadn’t recognized at first and took in their black uniforms, each one with its own-colored accents. Blue, red, orange, grey, green, and others. As I found the blue accents, I looked at their faces, but none were recognizable. Neither Timothy nor Jasper was within the crowd that I could see, and anger mixed with frustration heated inside of me.
“The war is getting worse.” The sergeant stepped forward, facing us all, her face turning stony with the grave news. “New creatures are joining the enemy's ranks, and we need to amp up our defenses. Which also means we need to reinforce our medical divisions. Foresters are gravely needed to supply food and drink. We’re running low as it is. You will be tested here. Those who prove their worth will be brought back to the field and start immediately. Nobody will be sent home, but those who will not be picked immediately will be expected to train harder for the next round. There will no longer be exclusions, not for a while. Each of you agreed to join the war if so chosen, and now, you won’t be sent back home. You will join the ranks when it's time. You will be expected to uphold your promise of doing so.”
A bristling of chatter exploded around me. Mallory and I shared worried glances before looking back at the sergeant. I felt Mallory’s fingers curl around my wrist, gripping me tightly in fear that we were about to separate. Any hope of getting Mallory sent home was now extinguished. There was no getting out of this for either of us, even if I wanted to, and I didn’t. But for Mallory? Oh, Timothy was so going to kill me now.
The ground suddenly shook, and screams ignited as the sky blistered before ashy flakes fluttered down from the sky. Valencia held up a hand, stilling any yelling or running around that was about to ensue. We knew better than to cross her. I gripped my uniform pants tightly and tilted my head back to look up at the sky. The clouds above were bright orange as if caught in flame. The ashes snowing down on us gave that impression a little more tightly, and my chest tightened. What the hell was this? After minutes, it stopped, and a blanket of ashes lay around our feet, coating the ground and water off to our side, streaking the blue with black. As the sun reappeared, the murmurs swept around us. I could hear the fear and worry in tones and felt it trickle through me, but I held my tongue. Mallory’s nails bit into the flesh of my wrist, and I had to shake her hand off before I lost any feeling.
“Today, you will be grouped and act accordingly to the wounds presented. I glanced around, unsure where I was supposed to be looking or what I was looking for, but I felt the need to move a little. I needed to do something. My fingers twitched, and it hit me then. All the smells at once. The clouded, chest-burning scent of the ashes still around us would be for a little while more. But also the metallic scent of blood, thick from whatever it was. And other scents that I couldn’t quite place, all mixed together and sending me into overload. I shifted from foot to foot, unable to handle it. I could feel my chest burning, my throat searing. I had to swallow down the cough that wanted to sputter out and get it away. I didn’t like this one damn bit. It wasn’t right. But I couldn’t move, not yet.
Even knowing that, my eyes zeroed in on the group, searching them for the signs I knew would tell me what I wanted to know. I stopped on one with green accents and had to wrack my brain for what that color meant.Lycan.Of course, he was a freaking Lycan. Fear slithered down my spine at the sight of him. His eyes shot to mine, and his jaw ticked, nostrils flaring. I watched as the corners of his lips curled up into a sneer, and my shoulders tensed as my heart raced. I felt a swimming sensation sweep through me, and my body swayed a little, ready to send me collapsing, but I somehow held myself up. Maybe because my knees locked and prevented me from falling and making a fool of myself.
I shook off the feeling, clearing my head, and pulled my eyes away with so much effort that I couldn’t even begin to explain it. It was weird, and I hated it. After a moment, my eyes flashed back to him. He was still staring at me, deadpan, then smirking when he caught me looking at him again. That trickle of fear swept through me once more, and my breath caught in my throat, making my lungs burn at the obstacle in the way of my oxygen. I sucked in a sharp breath of air, feeling it slash at my lungs, and sputtered out a cough.
Swiveling my eyes back to the trio in front of me, I took notice of Valencia’s eyes narrowing at me and her lips pursed. Instant guilt tumbled through me, and I dropped my eyes, trying to focus on what was being said. But at the moment, it was all mumbo-jumbo, and I knew I’d have to beg Mallory, later on, to tell me everything said so I wouldn’t look like an idiot at not knowing what the hell I was supposed to be doing.
I felt the tug of his gaze, and my eyes lifted, catching them once more. This time he didn’t smirk or sneer, but he was still staring at me, unblinking. I swallowed roughly, trying not to let it get to me, but the itching began deep inside me, knowing that this wasn’t right.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
Dinner was a buzz of noise. Everyone was talking about the soldiers. The foresters had been relieved of their training for the evening, and for a rare moment, Carli was back in my grasp. I didn’t feel right, though. I felt queasy, so I wasn’t eating. I stabbed at my food, pushed it around with my fork, and tried to focus on the conversation at our table, but it was no use. Until Olga showed her face, always ready to stir the cauldron.
“It’s too bad your boyfriend isn’t here, Azula. I would love to give him CPR.” She snickered.
I jammed my fork into the meat on my food and stood, whisking at her. Taken off guard, the meta slapped Olga in her face and plopped to the ground, but not before leaving a greasy trail streaking her face and shirt collar. She gasped, her eyes wide and then flashed as she pulled herself together. Her fingers curled, and the dishes on the table rose before shooting at me. I blew through my nostrils, freezing the dishes and flicking my wrist, sending them smashing, the pieces flying and scattering across the table. Carli and Mallory scrambled up and backed away from the table as quickly as possible, Olga’s little minions following suit.
Reaching out, I grabbed hold of the table and dug my fingers end, willing it to mold at my command before shoving it at her. She twisted, stopping it in her tracks, and shoved her hands out, sending the table toward me. Huffing, I froze it and flicked my rest, sending it cracking in three and completely collapsing. Olga stepped forward, sneering at me, and held up her hand, a ball of flames rising in her palm. Pure orange and organic fire. I lifted my hand, palm to the ceiling, and let my own form. Except it was watery, the exact opposite of hers, ready to extinguish her entirely.
“Enough,” a voice boomed, hushing the excited chatter that was surrounding us.
My fingers curled, wrapping around the ball of water and turning it to ice, my eyes never leaving Olga. Her fingers mimicked mine, but the fire twisted and spun quickly before turning into white flames. No, not flames – lightning bolts. My heart skipped a beat, but I didn’t move, knowing better than to do such a thing. Now wasn’t the time to back down. If I did, I would only be seen as a coward, which was the last thing I needed to look like in front of Olga.
“Azula, Olga, stand down,” Valencia demanded, her words cutting through the tension between the other girl and me. “Now.”
I jerked my hand back and let the ice ball return to its liquid form before crashing to the ground and splashing my feet and legs. Olga retreated, flicking her wrist to extinguish the lightning and fire as well. Our eyes turned to Valencia, taking in her standing with both Ezekial and Roberts flanking her sides. Valencia’s eyes narrowed at me before shifting to Olga.
“I would’ve expected one or the both of you to be in this with one of the soldiers, but with your own kind? That’s definitely uncalled for. You both know better.” Her eyes shot to me. “And I expect better from you, Ms. McEntire. Sergeant Roberts, I would like to introduce you to Azula McEntire. I believe you know her father, Xander McEntire.”
“McEntire,” Roberts echoed, surprise in her voice, and her eyebrows rose to say so. “I knew he had a boy. In fact, he’s with him in the field. I had no clue he also had a daughter. Not surprisingly, you followed in his footsteps to be in the field. You’ve got brains and fight on your side.”
