Page 72 of Forcing Fate

I glared at him and tried to stand again. My weak legs folded under me, sending me sprawling. I laid my forehead on the dirt and sighed. I had to do this. I had to get up and finish. I could do this, I knew it.

Big black boots stomped next to my head.

“Up.”

I turned, seeing General Rafe’s outstretched hand. I groaned, using all my willpower to swing my hand up into his. He jerked me up, and I stumbled with the force of his momentum. He grabbed my elbow to steady me. But I staggered away from him toward the group of recruits.

“Pace yourself,” he warned.

I nodded, heading to where the men were doing another exercise. I could do this. If I just kept telling myself I could, perhaps I would eventually believe it.

Chapter Nineteen

After a few more vomiting sessions and a brief blackout during push-ups, it was time to break for midday meal.

I was relieved to see I wasn’t the only recruit stumbling along. Commander Dewal dismissed some, others gave up, and some were like me, running on sheer willpower.

A few older men were more defined and mature in both mind and body. They handled the training far better than most. One of which was riddled with scars and didn’t speak at all. I heard a few recruits saying he’d been a bounty hunter before joining the ranks. I wondered why he enlisted here. As a bounty hunter, he was free to move about. It would have made sense for him to choose the biggest and the best barracks, not the smaller northern one.

There were three barracks throughout the kingdom. There was one here at Northwing, and another at Southwing. The largest, however, was deep in the homelands, adjoining the King’s Palace. There, they always accepted recruits. Here, we had Recruitment Day once a year, pulling from the surrounding cities and villages.

As I followed the crowd to the dining hall, I watched the solitary man. I had an awful feeling I needed to make allies here if I wanted to keep creatures like Victyr a safe distance away. The bounty hunter was lean, tall, and moved with the grace of a mountain cat. He wore a long-sleeved tunic and leather trousers, fully covered, yet he carried himself with obvious strength.

I started in his direction, attempting to put myself closer to him without drawing attention. We settled in line with four men between us. He grabbed a plate and held it out to a server. They slapped a cooked potato onto his dish before jerking their head to get him to move.

The line shifted, and I plucked up my plate, watching him. The next server slopped some meat-filled gravy over the potato and he stood there, looking at it forlornly. He kept his plate extended, as if expecting more, but they barked at him to move on. We shuffled forward again, and I held out my dish as I watched the bounty hunter’s lip curl in disgust at the beans and peppers added to his meal.

By the time he retreated to an empty table in the corner, I was grabbing a fork and heading his way. He attacked his food with vengeance and barely glanced up as I neared. I swung my legs over the bench, sitting gingerly beside him. He did a double take, and eyed me up and down, noting my dress, then my face—which was probably streaked with dirt. With a curious ‘huh’ sound, he went back to his meal.

I ate my beans and peppers, watching as he ate, picking around the vegetables. He observed everyone in the room—his sharp eyes not missing a thing. He had picked a table near the far wall, giving himself a view of the whole dining hall, with no space for anyone to come up from behind. Even if we wouldn’t be allies, I could at least learn something from him.

He pushed his dish to the side, bracing his elbows on the table. My palms stung as I cut my meat and gravy-soaked potato in half, then reached for his plate. He raised a brow as I slid half of my potato and meat onto his, then scraped his peppers onto mine. My stomach still ached from its constant purging and I wasn’t used to such heavy food. The women’s dorms didn’t get this much for evening meal, let alone midday. I relished fruits and vegetables, though I wouldn’t pass up a little protein right now, considering I skipped my first meal.

I eased his plate closer to him and settled in to finish my food. Watching him out of the corner of my eye, I hoped he would take my peace offering.

“You got a disease, kid?” His voice was dry and raspy with disuse.

I looked up, noting this was the first time he’d spoken to anyone—that I had seen. “No. Not unless… you’re afraid to take food from a woman.”

He squinted, and I offered a teasing smile.

“Careful, my femininity might rub off on you.”

The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. “I’ve done far more than just take food from a woman. Ain’t had femininity rub off on me yet.” He accepted the offering and scarfed it down.

Satisfied, I returned to my meal and scanned the crowd. As the food sank into my empty belly, my body’s trembles eased. Finishing, I pushed my plate to the side and watched men as they shifted around in their small groups of friends. I spotted Victyr with his goons at another table, glaring fiery darts in my direction. I frowned and looked away, determined not to escalate things.

“That one’s got it out for you.”

“I haven’t an idea why,” I huffed.

The bounty hunter scoffed. “Your very presence is offending.”

“Begging your pardon?”

“You’re a woman, a girl. Trying to play a soldier.”

“I’m not playing.”

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