Page 14 of A Sky of Storms
Eventually the trainer seemed to tire of it though, blowing a whistle that had us all holding our hands to our ears. “Enough,” he roared as his scowl deepened. “Both of you, go find other people to hit. As for the rest of you, get back to work or I’ll partner you with one of these assholes.”
I chuckled, lingering a little longer to enjoy the sight of the guys glaring daggers at each other before heading off in opposite directions. I noticed another guy hanging back, being verbally assaulted by the over-enthusiastic and animated merman, Zane, while they sparred together. I recognised him from the dorm hallway—the cutie with dark skin and green shimmer. He was quiet as a mouse as Zane did enough talking for both of them.
Zane noticed me standing there and waved as I moved to spar with Kendra, a stupid grin on his face. Day two and my assessment of the competition was proving more intriguing than expected as some obvious tensions were heating up, but at least I had made two potential allies.
Things sure were getting real interesting, real quick around here.
IfZaracouldseeme now, she’d be choking on a tentacle. My sister didn’t believe me when I said I’d been nominated for the trials, but the joke was on her. Sure, technically I’d had to do a bit of a work around to get my nomination through because my dad had other bright ideas for me and House Neptune, but that was beside the point. Once I won this little set of trials, I’d have a parade that visited every city of Terrulia with a marching band, confetti, and fireworks. Yeah, fucking fireworks that spelled out my name in sparkly letters that glowed so bright my dad could see them through the surf.
A fist hit my jaw and I was literally smacked back to reality by my sparring partner. I’d gotten distracted planning my victory parade and forgot all about the dude opposite me. Noah was quiet. Like … he barely said shit all, which was weird because I loved a good chat and I may have liked to hear my own voice but a little back and forth was always good for the soul, you know? I was determined to get him to warm to me, like two marshmallows roasting over a fire warm. There was something about this dude that just screamed lonely, and I wanted to fill that obvious void in him that begged for a cuddle and friendly ear.
We stood a few feet apart in our section of the outdoor training area. It could best be described as a dust bowl, which wasn’t great for my gills. Fine sand and hard dirt dried them out quickly and made my neck itch. Around me, the other Potentials looked a little worse for wear. The dude from The Crimson Steppes had laid into a few before he was partnered up with Fallon. They’d put on a bit of a show, but the main event had been between Kayden and the broody guy from Damascon Hollow. How that skinny dude had held his own against the giant boulder was a mystery to me. Then again, Ace was a member of the Drakes.
“Shit in a sailor’s hat!” I hissed after Noah landed another fist to my head.
“You’re really good at this,” he deadpanned. “Your focus is impeccable.”
I wiped a hand over my face. I needed to concentrate on the dude who needed my help, not the drama going on around the place. His sarcasm couldn’t hide what I knew dwelled deep beneath the surface.
“So how do you like your roomies?” I asked, trying to start a conversation once more while rubbing my jaw.
“I don’t really know them,” he replied with a shrug of his dark, muscular shoulders.
I groaned at his basic reply. I wish they hadn’t put stupid chips in us to block our magic. I could have used my power to relax the shit out of him and loosen his tongue.
“There’s an absolute babe in my room.” I grinned, thinking of Fallon’s sweet body and how she slept on the bunk above me. I reckon I could convince her to dive down to my reef in no time. “Gonna have to ride that wave before the first trial.”
Noah didn’t reply, instead bouncing on his feet as we circled each other. I was starting to think the dude had the personality of a sea sponge—and I’d tried conversing with a few of those. Nothing but a waste of time.
I sighed. I’d persist with Noah until he was sharing all his deep-seeded feelings with me in no time. There had to be more to him, I just knew it.
We continued moving around, but then I saw an opening and went for it. I was an opportunist, what can I say? I lunged for Noah, throwing a fist into his side. He grunted, following my blow with a retaliating uppercut to my jaw. He was really working over my face which was a huge no-no in my books. I leant my weight into my next punch then tackled him to the ground, landing on top of him, straddling his hips and pinning his wrists. He flopped around like a beached tuna fish, which was weirdly endearing.
I laughed, my muscles straining as I held him down and basked in my win. I was destined to be the king of Terrulia. No one could get in my way, no one could defeat me. I was going to prove to everyone that I was meant for great things. A king among peasants. I was—
“Oh fuck!”
Noah flipped me then slammed his fists into my ribs repeatedly. For someone who didn’t like to use his words, he sure knew how to use his fists. I blocked most of his hits, only to get one to the neck. Pain shot up my throat and I growled, throwing him off me. Getting hit in the gills was second only to a kick to the balls. It was excruciating. He fell somewhere to my left whilst I lay there, puffing, my hand wrapped around my throat and my eyes squeezed shut.
Last time I’d been hit in the gills like this was because my brother Zeke had been pissed that I’d eaten his chocolate brownie, but look, he shouldn’t have left it lying around unprotected. As I said, I was an opportunist and leaving a brownie all alone on a plate while he got up to answer his phone was a rookie error. Never mind that I had been the one on the other end of the line. Zeke obviously should have known better. It’s why I was the only person from my family competing in the trials. My siblings weren’t fit to protect dessert, let alone a country.
“Your problem is that you don’t shut up,” Noah said from somewhere nearby, and I opened my eyes to see him lying on his back with an arm over his face. “Even when you’re not talking, I can tell you’re talking.”
“That’s oddly insightful,” I replied, turning onto my side and propping my head on my hand. “Tell me more.”
He dropped his arm to look in my direction, rolling his brown eyes. Without a word, he got to his feet then offered his hand to me. “Okay.”
“Really?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?” I asked, letting him help me up. “Friends help each other.”
“Then I suggest you go find them,” he said simply.
My little fighting fish, being all cute and hard to catch. “You’re my friend,” I replied with a knowing wink.
“Not possible,” he said, his face blank. “It’s illegal.”
