Page 109 of Riftborne
This.Thiswas my decision.
I held my hand above the glass and watched as a tiny drop of blood fell amongst the rest. A calm swept over me. The woman nodded and moved onto the next recruit.
After the ceremony, we gathered in the mess hall to celebrate. I looked for Laryk, but he was nowhere to be seen. The Generals had been in meetings all day.
“Cheers!” Raine shouted as we all tapped the rims of our mugs together. The mess hall was bustling as new initiates from all factions celebrated their ascension.
After the simulation last night, I crawled back into bed with a sour stomach. When I’d thought I was in the Wraith’s grasp, it had felt so real. I had never been that close to death. It was terrifying.
It was one thing to learn about these enemies on paper, but entirely another to come face to face with one. Real or not. I didn’t know if I’d ever be truly prepared. Though, I was relieved when I‘d realized that the simulation was the reason my focus wasn’t working.
I hoped the real Wraiths had some kind of cognitive function, otherwise I’d be just as useless. I shivered the thought away.
“Fia, are you here with us?” Briar asked, waving his hand in front of my face. I looked around, taking a sip of my ale.
“Sorry, guess I’m still exhausted,” I muttered. Raine had all butdragged me out of bed halfway through the day so we could get ready for the induction ceremony together. “So, what do you think we’ll be doing next?” Draven asked in between bites of a sandwich.
“Shipped off West,” Nazul replied. He briefly glanced in my direction. “I mean, where else would we go? This is what we’ve been training for.”
I swallowed hard. This was all much more real now.
“I’m just excited to get my first paycheck,” Briar chimed in. “I need a new wardrobe for my travels.”
“I highly doubt the Wraiths care what you’re wearing.” Draven rolled his eyes.
“You’d be surprised. Maybe they’re coming for us because of these hideous uniforms.”
A chuckle ran through the group. We had picked up our new initiates gear last night before heading back to our rooms. We’d have to break in our dress uniforms and new sets of leathers all over again.
“I think they look nice. I mean, apart from the ruff–”
“We look like pirates,” Briar deadpanned, cutting off Draven and waving his billowing sleeve in the air.
I couldn’t hold back my laughter. He had a point.
“I think they’re flattering. You just don’t fill it out Briar. It’s clearly made for the female form,” Raine pointed out.
I had to agree the new uniform did fit me well. The protective leather vest that buckled up the front was fitted and had plenty of storage for knives and daggers. I ran my fingers over the rugged surface, feeling a sudden pang of nostalgia for my apothecary belt.
“It’s finally free. Anyone up for a game?” Draven asked, motioning toward the pool in the corner of the hall.
“Get ready to have your ass kicked,” Raine said, jumping to her feet. As the two made their way over, Briar’s eyes slid back and forth between Nazul and I, clearly feeling uncomfortable.
“I’m going to go watch.” He let out a strained exhale before following them.
Nazul cleared his throat, and I felt his eyes on me.
“I assume you’re looking for a thank you,” I said with a sigh, turning towards him. I guess we were doing this now. He blinked. “So, thank you.” I allowed a subtle smile to form on my lips. “I know none of it was real, but you didn’t know that. And you risked your life to save me.”
“Of course, I saved you. We’re on the same team here,” he said simply, shrugging.
“Nazul, come on. You know it hasn’t felt like we’ve been on the same team. First with Baelor, and then with Osta.”
“Baelor is an ignorant prick, and he’s clearly dangerous. I think I just remember how he used to be when we were kids. He wasn’t always the bully. In fact, he used to be my savior back then. I don’t know when things changed.”
“You’d certainly never guess,” I said, rolling my eyes. The thought of Baelor doing anything selfless was hilarious.
“I guess it took him leaving for me to realize how dark we had both gotten.” He sighed, staring down into his ale. “I’m sorry it took that long.”
