Page 29 of A Sky of Storms
The place was a literal desert. Red sand, hot days, and cold nights. The climate was tough, but the people were tougher. Above all, we favoured strength and the survival of the fittest—and I was the fittest of them all. My nomination to the Terrulian Trials had been a no brainer, as my parents had trained me for exactly this. It was time the world remembered what the Crimson Steppes was capable of, and I would do so proudly. The past rulers had forgotten about our city in the sand, leaving us to starve and scrounge for credits, but it had only made us stronger. Soon the fate of my city and my people would be changed. We would no longer be the forgotten city or the bottom of the sand pit. And when we took our place at the top I would be at the very peak.
I rested my forearms on my thighs and yawned again, rubbing my hand firmly over my face. Waking up was the worst part of the day. If I could have stayed in bed until noon, I would have happily done it, not that I was ever given the luxury. Workouts had always been scheduled first thing in the morning growing up, and if I hadn’t known my parents adored me, I would have thought they were doing it just to torture me.
I finally got my ass up, showered, and headed to the cafeteria where my followers hurried to put my breakfast on the table before my ass hit the seat. It hadn’t taken too much to train them. There were a few Potentials from my home city that had been nominated by House Mars too. They knew how to fall in line, and it hadn’t taken the others much to do the same. The best way to get through these trials was with a team, Victoria had been right about that. Only, once I was near the finish line, I’d cut my team loose and claim my victory. Those from the Crimson Steppes wouldn’t hold a grudge about it because it was how things were done. If anything, they’d respect me more.
“Hey bro,” I said to Flynn, who was sitting opposite me and ignoring everyone else at the table.
“Morning,” he replied, taking a sip of his coffee.
“What news do you have?” I asked. “Any Potentials looking to be recruited?”
“A few possibilities,” Flynn replied. He spent about as much time as I did working out, though with a very different outcome. Where I was tall and broad-shouldered, he was short and bulky all over, making him look like a walking cube. I made sure to give him shit about it on the regular, because what were friends for?
I devoured my bacon and eggs, eyeing my minions, “Sit up straight,” I barked at one, snatching a piece of toast from his plate. “You’re not in this team if you have no discipline.”
The guy beside him snickered so I shot him a glare for good measure.
“For that, you can drop and give me twenty, smart ass, or you’re out.”
That wiped the smile from his face. He pushed back from the table and dropped to the caff floor. I leaned back in my chair and gave Flynn a nod to continue as I watched the minion do push-ups.
Flynn raised a brow, shaking his blond head in amusement. “The tiff between the Augers the other day has had the reluctant Potentials looking for allies. No one wants to end up like little Auger in her solitary position, not that I blame them.”
I smiled, fondly recalling the show the sisters put on in magic class. The video that came through on Acadameet later that night of Fallon Auger looking all kinds of messy, however, was even better. There was something about smudged lipstick and hair long enough to pull. It also helped that Fallon was hot as fuck. What I wouldn’t give to wrap her hair in my hand and take her for a ride.Shit.I needed to stop that train of thought. Obviously that chick from last night didn’t get the job done. But no more dwelling on Fallon Auger.
“Like you’d ever find yourself in the same position as her,” I told Flynn.
He smiled. “Maybe if you decided to one day drop me as a friend I might.”
“Like I’d do that,” I said, stretching my arms over my head. “So hard to train good help these days.”
“Asshole,” he said with a chuckle.
“So why do we only have a few possibilities from the stragglers?” I grabbed a croissant off a girl’s plate on the table, biting into it thoughtfully as our conversation turned back to business. Who were the last few Potentials choosing to ally with if not me? I’d proven that I was a big player in this game; I should have had people begging to join me.
I glanced around the room, eyes snagging on Twig. His grey eyes were narrowed to slits as he ate, watching everyone carefully, his tattoo sleeves on full display. The guy thought because he was in The Drakes and had a hand made of soda cans that he was tough shit. He was just lucky that messing with him was one of my favourite things to do in this place. As much as I loved to train, everything else was as dull as a sandstorm.
Twig made for some great entertainment, and I was man enough to admit that he was a decent opponent. Better than the rest of the riffraff around here at any rate. I’d have to watch out for him during the trials. I wasn’t worried that he’d best me, but I wouldn’t put it past him to pull some sneaky shit. I wasn’t going to be blindsided by him. You always had to watch your back when gang members were around.
The filthy rich too, I thought, turning my attention to where Victoria Auger sat amongst her little worshippers. The woman didn’t even try to look endearing. She was hot, but in the ‘I’m going to fuck you then dismember you and sell your body parts on the black market’ sort of way. Not my type at all. Her sister on the other hand ... I was definitely going to be rewatching that video again very soon.
Dammit. I blew out a breath. I needed to delete it.
Victoria made some comment I couldn’t hear and the Potentials huddled around her laughed like she was a comedian. I ground my teeth. Her numbers made her another threat I needed to keep an eye on, especially after I rejected her the other day. The woman was wealthy in credits and followers, and if I wasn’t careful, she’d crown herself queen before the trials were even over.
“Hi, err, Kayden … s-sir,” Dick Jobs said, appearing at my side. His breakfast trembled on the tray he held. “I want to ally with you.”
I grinned at the nervous little rabbit. “You do, huh? What do you bring to the table?”
“I’m smart and I’ve been told I’ve got good survival skills,” he replied with a firm nod, or at least the best attempt at ‘firm’ he was capable of.
“I’m not sure how smart you are seeing as you’re here,” I said, looking him up and down.
“Give him a go, bro,” Flynn said with a chuckle. “Might surprise you.”
“Fine.” I sighed, shaking my head. What was I getting myself into? The little dude was going to need a lot of work to be whipped into shape.
Dick rushed into the seat beside me, a wide smile on his face. He placed his tray in front of him, his rainbow cereal swirling around his bowl. Fucking fantastic, I was adopting a child.
