Page 24 of Above
How many of us were there now? Barely one hundred for sure. One would think that they wouldn’t be willing to lose so many shaytan, but it seemed they were of the belief that a dead shaytan was better than an incompetent elite.
“Hey,” someone said from my left. I jumped, causing more snickers to fill the chilly air. Growling, I turned to face Talon, not sure why I already knew his voice but finding the fact even more infuriating.
“What do you want, Zade?” I was sure to use his last name, making it clear that I didn’t consider us to be acquainted enough to be on a first name basis. Fighting the urge to shiver and shake, I squared my shoulders.
Grimacing, he held up his hands. “My bad, I wasn’t trying to scare you. I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn’t mean to lose it. If you knew Az you’d understand.”
“Oh, I understand just fine. All of you cores love to joke and play at the expense of others. It’s who you are.”
Talon noticeably flinched, as if my choice to lump him in with Altair pained him. Maybe it did. The truth often hurt.
“Leave me alone, Zade.” Finally, he stepped out of my way, and I was able to join the group. I hid within the center, not wanting to be anywhere near the cores. They were trying to get in my head, to make sure that the akhata didn’t become an elite. If I didn’t get away from them and focus, then they’d win.
So I melted into the others, letting all of them chatter as I worked to focus my mind.
Warm my body. Dry my cloak. Heat. Heat. Heat.
When the cloth around me slowly went from damp to dry, I breathed a sigh of relief. Not a full warming charm, but at least I didn’t catch fire. In my state, that was good enough. Still, I was shivering as I recited what I knew of the next steps in my head. Soon, the other trainees’ questions about their friends and their guesses about what was to come faded away, the simultaneous peace and distress of my mind taking over.
Both books stated that we would be forced to stay awake for the next forty-eight hours. In that time, we would be tested. I wasn’t positive which of the two was more recent, but I hoped it wasn’tShadows That Breathe, which cited that the trainees were taken on a twelve mile long ruk only to then make them battle instructors.
I would lose that fight quickly.
Time passed rapidly as I pondered, no one bothering me. It was at that moment that I recalled the death battles that occurred inMagic in the Darkness.I watched the last person walk—waddle—in, the gate creaking as it parted, and wondered if we would all be forced to kill one another now. The sun made its final descent then, and soon we were shrouded in darkness. Each of us was a lethal weapon, a knife needing to be sharpened, but I was seemingly the only one who feared being wielded.
Suddenly, Captain Zade was before us, magical light bursting free of her and igniting the tall empty glass balls that sat at the top of twenty foot black poles. This was the same thing they did in the Star District. The only way anyone could have light beyond that of a flame or the sun itself. The shaytan had found ways long ago to harness their magic and create what they would calltech.
Her face was neutral as she took us in. Blood splattered her tan skin, some of it dipping into her mouth. Her tongue darted out, licking the red liquid. “I have killed twelve of your fellow trainees. Their inability to complete their first challengeshowcased weakness, and now they act as a warning to each of you. The one thing we will not—can not—accept, is failure. You may fuck and fight and flounce about, but you can’t be inadequate.”
A hush overcame us again. Upon her skin was the blood of at least one of us, though likely it was from all twelve. It was chilling, to say the least.
“From now on, you will all emanate excellence. Mistakes,” she nearly hissed, her eyes finding mine in the crowd, “will not be tolerated.”
Mistakes. Of course she would use that word. Might as well have called me akhata.
“For the next forty-eight hours you will each be tested, not only for your future position amongst the elites, but also for your worthiness to hold the title. We will push you to your limits and then some, but by the end of these next two days, each of you will know who you are and what you’re worth.”
Please don’t make us kill one another.
Not that I was particularly against murder or battle in theory, just that I knew amongst this group, I was one of the weakest. Wouldn’t do to die now when I was so close to finally having the means to save my family.
“There are ten specialties within the elites, each split into two companies led by a colonel.” Captain Zade began pacing, her hands secured tightly behind her back. Though no one told us to, I felt each of us simultaneously fall into the resting pose, our legs shoulder width apart and our hands behind our backs like hers. “These positions are alchemist, strategist, combatant, medic, logistic, intel, comms, educator, clergic, and cartographer. Where you’re placed has nothing to do with your preference and everything to do with what the captains see in you. All twenty of us will be on site. Once you are assigned a specialty, you will hold the title until your retirement or death. Do you all understand?”
“Yes, Captain!” we shouted in unison.
“Excellent,” she flatly spoke. With a nod, she stilled her movement, facing us where she stood as she opened her arms. “So it begins.”
Captains began appearing all around us, their cloaks on but their masks off. Quickly and confidently, they wove through us, their eyes catching on a trainee for a few moments before moving on. I couldn’t tell what they were doing until one was in front of me.
She was stunning, her eyes nearly as black as her skin and long braid were. Unlike Captain Zade, she did offer a gentle smile as she took me in. Her gaze flitted down my body, making me squirm despite my best efforts to remain stoic. Then I felt it. Warmth invaded my freezing body, her magic heating me. At the same time, I realized the weight upon my back and at my neck vanished. She took my cloak.
“There are three phases to Elite Academy,” Captain Zade continued. Her voice was so deep, so ever-reaching, that it rattled my chilled bones. “Phase one: grey. Phase two: black. Phase three: silver.”
This was new. At least, it was something that was not around two thousand years ago, which was about when I estimated my two shadow magic tomes were written based on their lack of the dead language and the context they offered in regard to our conquering of the Andomedia Galaxy. But that made sense. Things were bound to change as we evolved and the stars grew less interested in us.
“Consider these phases your physical, mental, and tactical tests. Physical because, when push comes to shove and magic fails, your body becomes your weapon. Mental to ensure that your minds are sound and that, when needed, you have the intent and intelligence to do the stars’ bidding. Tactical for the sake of our missions, which will not always be easy or evenwhat you deem as just. Being an elite means you are willing to sacrifice not only your life, but your soul in order to please the stars.” Shivers skittered down my spine like insects. Create, kill, conquer at its finest. Unfortunately, she was right. Hard things had to be done if we wished to maintain the stars’ interest. A startling and eerie smile split her face like a chasm, the look mirrored on the nineteen other captains in our group. “Welcome to the grey phase.”
They all disappeared in clouds of shadow, leaving us alone save for a small piece of parchment where Captain Zade once stood. None of us moved forward at first, not even the cores. If they were willing to leave us alone, then this first task must have been relatively clear. The grey phase was physical, but even physical training required some sort of mental understanding. Maybe land navigation?
