Page 47 of Above
Yet, there I stood, as if made of stone forged from the hands of the eadi who died for nothing. Just as my family would.
“Again, it’s of the utmost importance that you focus these coming weeks.” Yeah, yeah. Focus. As if we all would do anything else. A scoff bubbled out of my mouth, catching the attention of Talon.
“What’s wrong with you? Do you want to be killed?” he hissed from my left, nudging me with his elbow. I ignored him, but still straightened up. Stars knew General Altair would have no problem slaughtering me. Losing my head now wouldn’t save Mama, Dad, and Celeste anyway. Giving up wasn’t an option I could allow myself to consider, even if it was what I so wished to do.
“Now, for your first day, we will be giving you a small taste of what is to come. Captain Zade?” General Altair turned, motioning with his hand for the captain to step up. She did, her face stern and emotionless. Talon took his turn to fidget, clearly uncomfortable at the sight of his mother.
The captain reached out her arms, enormous puffs of darkness pouring out of her and coating us all, hiding the sun and even the cobblestone beneath our feet. I felt her magic tingle against my skin, the moment we shadow walked from the courtyard of the academy to the training center stark.
“Today, you will experience your first illusion. This tech is very difficult magic, but it will be done by some of our strongest elites. Because of this, you will likely forget that what you see is not real. Again, let me repeat, what you are about to see is not real.”
“Odd, I would’ve guessed that they’d want us to be fooled,” I murmured, tilting my head toward Talon.
“They don’t want us to die. The more elites they have, the better. As awful as all of this is, it’s just to test us so they can make sure the elites remain strong. Excellence must be proven,” he said in a hushed tone. Contemplation silenced me. It made sense that they would need us to all be the best we could be, but I found their strategy off-putting. I could have sworn they enjoyed watching us suffer.
Or maybe it was just me they smiled at as I was beaten and bruised.
“Everyone form a single file line beginning here,” Captain Zade ordered, moving to stand just ahead of the spot she designated. Talon grabbed my arm, tugging me forward and forcing me to nearly sprint. In seconds, we were there, first and second in line.
“What are you doing?” I hissed at his back, horrified by the prospect of whatever would come. Ten elites bearing their masks and cloaks appeared before us, their posture stiff as they each took a spot about twenty feet apart from one another, forming a circle. Our mats had been moved out of the training space, making room for the giant dome that the ten elites were crafting. It was similar in shape to the training center, though smaller and glowing silver. Appearing in a cloud of shadows was the final elite, who must have been capable of alghazi.
OnlyShadows That Breathementioned the ability some elites possessed, which was entering the mind of others. It was a brief section where I learned that intels—who were tasked with infiltrating the elites next target planet—were rigorously trained to invade minds, the task involving such difficult magic that some were simply unable to learn. It would go on to be called alghazi. However, the phases were new enough that I had learned little outside of what Talon told me or what I had gleaned from his journal. Aside from knowing that this phase would be the thing of nightmares, I had also discovered that the illusions would only be shown to the trainee, but everyone could see what occurred within the dome, which meant our fears would be on display for anyone to use against us.
“We are going first. That way we don’t have time to think more than we should.” His gaze was pointed, as if those amber eyes were telling me I was the one with the overthinking problem.
I hated that he wasn’t wrong.
“Oh great, so instead we can showcase our greatest fears and let everyone watch like a good play,” I hissed, scooting further back as Captain Zade began to order the elites to fix some sort of mistake. My shoulder blades pressed into a firm stomach, and all I could think to say was, “Please tell me I am not touching Altair right now.”
A deep and almost earthy chuckle came from the trainee. “Better.”
Dofrel, then.
“Only because anyone is better than your little leader,” I mumbled, feeling careless in the face of my family’s potential end and my own eminent terror. Again, he laughed, this time fuller and louder. Firm hands suddenly gripped my shoulders, digging into my skin and muscles. Instincts took over. I spun, grabbing his wrist and leaning onto my toes, hoping to get as close to his face as I could. “Touch me again and I’ll rip out your intestines.”
Dofrel chuckled again, his burst of dark curls swaying as his body shook from the amusement. His soft brown cheeks were tinted pink, his welcoming blue eyes bright, but I could see the fear he tried to hide. Not of me, but of what was to come. It sat upon his face, painting it with lines of worry. And, with my hand around his wrist, I could see it showed upon his tree-like arms, the sandy skin scattered with bumps. Could feel the rapid beat of his heart.
Talon tugged me back, his glare menacing.
“Sorry, I was only trying to work out some of those nerves, Curls.” Dofrel seemed unphased, only looking at me with a sly smile. “Actually, your curls wouldn’t be such a disaster if you let someone help.”
“You’re one to talk with that head of hair.” My comment was pointless when we both knew that his hair was just asimmaculate as every other core’s was. Based on his growing grin, the insult was a waste of breath.
“Why are you speaking to her, Cal? Your mother is going to have a heart attack.” This came from Elders, Altair’s second lackey. He was taller than Dofrel, though shorter than Altair. His skin was the color of fresh coffee grounds, not a blemish or imperfection in sight, like stained glass. His eyes were nearly the same shade, framed by long, dark lashes that matched the small amount of hair he didn’t shave. He was the most classically handsome of the cores, his deep voice like honey and his large hands inviting. I had also caught on to how intelligent he was, though his hesitance to speak hid it. Not that anyone could deny the Elders heir, whose father led one of the intelligence companies, was smart. He had to be seeing as he himself was an intel.
“I can only say sorry once a day, so I’m going to have to stand by the decision, Quinn my boy. Besides, Tershetta is witty if you let her be, which is the best type of person to be around. Mother can deal with it.” Tilting his head, Dofrel stared at me, as if assessing.
“Actually, I’d prefer you stay a minimum of ten feet away from me at all times.” My voice was a whisper, but even if I had been louder, no one would have heard. Hushed whispers and even a few soft cries of fear mingled as the elites finished crafting the dome.
“Ignore them, Nova.” While I knew he didn’t mean to, Talon’s words were an order, the tone firm. No arguments. I wasn’t his pet he could order around, though.
“I think I can handle it,” I said, voice still low. Talon’s blazing eyes flicked down to me, looking as if he might lose his control any moment. So, with few alternatives and even fewer good ideas, I just scoffed and faced forward. More perfect timing likely didn’t exist, because Captain Zade and the elite that hadto be the alghaz—what we called those capable of alghazi—were quickly approaching.
“Attention!” Immediately, we all grew silent, the captain demanding to be heard. “First up will be Talon Zade.”
A rare moment of pride lit her face as her son stepped forward, his demeanor becoming that of a fierce and unbreakable warrior. The elite at the center of the dome stepped forward, their movements fluid and lyrical, like rippling water. When they passed through the silver walls, a collective gasp echoed off the ceiling. Two steps and then they were before Talon, their gloved hands flying up to his temples.
From my understanding, that wasn’t necessary, but it did make entering the mind easier. Similar to any other magic, gestures reaffirmed the intention of the shaytan, just as words and contact did.
