Page 29 of An Empress of Air & Chaos

Or a few.

Torin stepped forward. “We saved who we could from the village of Mossgrave and we have opened our tower to the survivors of this brutal attack. The demons will attack again. We are expecting the next attack when the Blood Moon hits its full peak in the sky. It’s when their portals from the underworld are at their strongest.” He paused as a few cries could be heard. He swallowed, drinking down the trepidation of the room, and continued, “Make no mistake—they will return.”

A shiver exploded over Emara’s body, leaving her cold and rigid. The room was unsettled with whispers and grieving cries as the villagers processed the world they lived in. A sharp pain shot up her arm. The same arm that had been wounded by the Dark Army. She held it tight, eyes on the Blacksteel brother.

“Today, you have been brought here to learn how to fight and defend yourself in these dark times. Gone are the days when Hunters wouldn’t accept the help from humans. If we are going to win this war, we need everyone on our side,” Viktir announced. “And that means you. The ones who have witnessed these evils. We need you to cooperate with us.”

Gideon stepped forward, aligning him with his father and brother, and spoke clearly to his audience. “Today, we offer you to train with us and learn the fundamentals of what Hunters learn in their early stages of training, giving you skills to aid your survival during a demon attack. We will be opening our sparring room for two sessions a day for as long as it takes for you to learn how to defend yourself.” He took a breath. “We will not hold you here against your will. You are not our prisoners. You are free to go should you not want to learn these skills.”

Torin’s dark eyebrows knitted together on his forehead. “But if I were you,” he said, “I would stay and learn what we are offering. It might be the difference in your survival.”

A woman from the crowd asked, “Are the women going to learn too?” Horror filled out in her voice.

“Even the women.” Torin’s deep voice filled the room. “Demons do not care what you are.”

Viktir Blacksteel nodded in agreement. “This is the time for you to leave if you don’t want to stay and train alongside my hunters. If you don’t want to fight, we won’t make you. Once you are healed, you are free to return to your homes—those of you that have homes left. But hear this: You will have a better chance of survival when demons enter our world and pillage your village. You will at least understand how to kill our greatest enemy. Your greatest enemy.”

Cally looked at Emara. Emara stared back.

There was no way she wasn’t staying to learn how to fight, even if it was just the basics. There was no question about it, she was staying. She nodded to Cally and she nodded back.

Understanding, she faced the front again, their hands still interlocked.

Surprisingly, no one left the room.

“Well, then,”—Viktir’s voice changed, a little slice of surprise lingering in his tone—“let the training commence. First up, blocking—learning self-defence. Hunters, take a partner and find a space on the mats. Take it easy on the wounded.”

The hunters dispersed, each of them making their way to a villager and introducing themselves. A few of the village people went with them willingly to the mats, others held back.

“Ponytail?” a husky voice said close to her ear. “Follow me.” She peered over her shoulder to meet metallic blue eyes laced with mischief.

Oh, great! Emara sighed.

Her partner must be Torin Blacksteel.

Gideon watched his brother stride over to Emara Clearwater and claim her for his partner. His jaw ticked. With his observations, she didn’t look pleased at that, either. She rolled her eyes and followed him onto the mats. A smirk appeared on Gideon’s face at her attitude.

Pulling his attention away from her, he walked over to Cally who was standing alone,arms folded, her face bubbling with upset and her eyes on Torin.

“Callyn, I know we are already acquainted.” He gestured to the mats. “Let’s get started.”

“Cally.” She dragged her eyes away from Torin and walked across the space. “Call me Cally.”

“Cally it is” Gideon smiled.

“Does Torin have anyone…special?” Cally prompted as she looked across the room.

The dreaded question.

If Gideon had a gold coin for every time he was asked that, he wouldn’t need to take a wage from his huntings. How did he tell Cally that Torin had a new “someone special” every week?

He cleared his throat. “I’m not really sure Torin’s into special things. He’s more into special…” Gideon tried to find a word that would let Cally down with ease.

“Flings?” Her pretty face pulled up at the one side and she chewed on the corner of her cheek.

She knew his type then.

“You’re too good for him anyway.” He offered her a friendly smile and she presented a deflated one back.

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