Page 61 of To No End

Dinner carried on with small talk here and there. Theory spent the rest of the meal catching up with Saryn. Cairis and Gia joked, and Nori and Trace sat in silence. I tried to seem engaged in Gia’s conversation, but I kept getting distracted every time I saw Varro taking brief looks in my direction. He had been so harsh earlier, taking much pleasure in educating me about the black cloaks. I was quickly reminded of my distaste for him.

“We will see you all bright and early. Training will begin promptly after breakfast. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get some much-needed rest. I do not intend to go easy on you.”

Theory’s words were a promise, not a threat. She exited the dining room and Saryn politely carried her bags. She didn’t seem like the type to need any assistance from anyone, but she let him anyway. Once more, we all sat in uncomfortable silence, this time with full stomachs.

That night, I laid in my bed, grappling with thoughts of Trace being nearby yet so distant in every other way. It was unfathomable to me that since we had parted, all I had done was long to see him again, to touch him, and here we were, mere steps apart and having to show the highest level of restraint. It was an absurd form of torture, only to be superseded by the fear of what Saryn and Theory had in store for us.

I ran my fingertips along the soft edge of the Nightwing feather and closed my eyes, remembering Trace’s scent and his rough hands running along the dips and valleys of my body. I needed him to find a way for us to be alone together; the separation and proximity were already destroying me. I thought of the times I had lain awake in bed beside Trace, fighting sleep with all my might. Despite my best efforts, I quickly fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep.

CHAPTER

19

With no windows or sunlight, I’m uncertain how my body knew it was morning, but I somehow pulled myself from slumber still feeling exhausted and already anxious. Given that we were beginning our training today, I chose a set of my fighting leathers, clothing that would allow me to be protected and as agile as required. I braided my long hair and tucked the loose strands behind my ears. In the washroom, I tried splashing cold water on my face, but it did nothing for the dark circles forming around my eyes. I looked like I had been through it, and I’d only been here a day.

At breakfast, I made sure to eat a well-rounded meal, knowing I’d need the energy since Theory was likely to work us into submission. Once more I seated myself next to Nori, doing my best to make small talk and complimenting her attire. It wasn’t exactly ideal for fighting, but it was loose and flowy; hopefully, she’d still be able to accomplish whatever was expected of us.

She gave me a sweet smile and thanked me for the kind words. Her dainty frame appeared lean and light as a feather, not tomention she was the shortest one. I did feel some trepidation for her and what combat training might do to a body like hers.

We ate and I casually remarked on how nothing had been as good as when Idris had served us a meal. Nori agreed and pointed out that what Idris had done was very powerful magic. It wasn’t a shallow trick; he had used mind-reading and transfiguration to provide us each with individually tailored meals, and then with mesmerization convinced us through our memories and desires that what we were eating tasted just as we had remembered or hoped.

On top of that, he did it nearly instantaneously and somehow managed to be inside all our heads at once. I hadn’t put much thought into what he’d done until she remarked on it, but it all made sense when she explained it. I didn’t get the feeling that Saryn or Theory were going to be doing anything out of the goodness of their hearts to make us feel welcome. Thinking further on it, the act was not one of kindness but rather a display of power and manipulation on Idris’ part.

Theory came to fetch us from breakfast and we followed her to a new section of Basdie with Saryn trailing close behind. The stronghold was like a volcano, hollowed out over years by the powerful waterfall. The remaining rock created a funnel shape for the water to empty into. Hallways twisted and spiraled downward.

We circled our way lower; to our right was clear glass letting sunlight from the top of the waterfall leak in, illuminating the crashing waters. On the left-hand side, doors led to rooms carved out of the stone mountain. So many unexplored doors.

A couple of levels farther down, Theory welcomed us into a giant open room in the shape of a square. It was not much different from the training room at the academy. Once again, firelight was the only thing illuminating the windowless space, and if anything, that made it more intimidating than necessary.

That was unquestionably the worst part of Basdie; it was nothing but room after room cloaked in darkness. It made being in the hallway with light from the waterfall feel like a refuge.

The group entered, spreading out while some of us explored the items hanging along the walls. There were sections lined with every weapon imaginable. This place had it all. Swords, daggers, and blades of all sizes and shapes—curved, straight, and serrated. Spears with sharp tips glinting in the candlelight, ropes of all thicknesses, short and long bows. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to myself that the sight of it all both excited and terrified me.

Folding her arms closely around herself, Nori distanced herself from the weaponry. She exuded fear; it was written across every inch of her face. I made my way over to her in hopes that she’d feel a little less tense with me at her side. Cairis touched a wall of spears and clumsily knocked one from its stand. He gave us a sheepish smile of embarrassment, and I found amusement in the fact that even the spears looked like twigs next to him.

I tried to imagine sparring with him and shuddered at the thought of him throwing his full weight against me. The only way to beat him as an opponent would be with agility and speed, evading until he tired out.

There were still a lot of unknowns about Basdie and the Order, but the training room brought me a sense of familiar comfort. I was good at this sort of stuff. I enjoyed it and, in fact, I thrived in it. But these were skills I’d used for sport, for entertainment not survival. Everyone I ever trained with was for fun or competition. I struggled to conceive an emotion that would lead me to drive a real sword into my opponent, to intentionally bring them harm or worse…

In the center of the room, Theory ran her thumb in circular motions around the talisman hanging from her neck.

“Here is where you will train the body and teach your mind to overcome pain and exhaustion. Your senses must be sharp enough to anticipate your enemy’s move before they make it. It is inexcusable to have brute strength but yield due to poor endurance. It is inadvisable to wield a blade but have no use of your fists.”

Saryn leaned against one of the four stone columns framing the square training floor. He had a mischievous look about him. Like he was just waiting for Theory to unleash her madness upon us.

Theory continued, “You will bleed in this room. If you’re not bruised, battered, and bleeding then you’re not working hard enough and I will know. You do not want me to be the one to push you, so push yourself. And, I will state this plainly for anyone who is feeling chivalrous or shy: If you hesitate to treat any person in this room as anything other than equal, as anything other than a threat, regardless of their size, shape, or gender, you will not like the punishment that I will inflict.”

I looked across the room and Varro’s eyes were once again upon me. His jaw was set in a tight line and I could see a flicker of disagreement in his expression, but he did not dare speak out against Theory.

“For those of you who are not able to truly master the art of healing, you will find respite in the healing waters of Basdie. Surely, you didn’t think that waterfall was just for looks?” Saryn chimed in.

I had never used my magic to heal anything major. Minor aches and pains here and there, but nothing of consequence. The idea that after each of these sessions we were going to require experienced healing abilities was nauseating. I might be able to fake my way through the combat training, but I knew I’d always been reliant on salves, tonics, and the like for any sort of severe recovery.

Given the lifeless rock I was trapped inside of, I highly doubted I’d be able to lean on that knowledge. I could only hope that there was either some untapped magic I could eventually hone, or that these so-called healing waters lived up to their name. But there would be no healing waters wherever they were sending us after here; I resolved to make sure I mastered it somehow.

It wasn’t long before Theory had us all standing spread out and practicing various movements in repetition to warm up our bodies, leading us through stretches. Saryn circled the room, surveying us in quiet contemplation. The cave-like rooms of Basdie were normally cool, but the exercise had most of us already breaking out in a sweat.

I tried to avert my eyes from Trace. Images of his slick body brought back inappropriate memories, and I tried to focus on my mental shields while continuing the movements Theory commanded of us.

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