Caelum just shrugs.
“I think I… missed part of this conversation.” I reach over and pat the guard on the shoulder with a grin. “Or maybeyoudid, Grellie.”
He growls. “Grellor. And you’re a tree stump thatsomeoneshould stop touching beforesomeone elsesees, is all I’ll say,” he says, cocking an eyebrow at Caelum before wandering off to watch another sparring match, hands hooked behind his back.
“What was that about?” I ask Caelum.
“How would I know?” he shrugs again, although his handsome face suggests otherwise. “I try not to make sense of anything that old grump says,” he replies. “Now, focus, or else I’ll have to see if tree stumps are ticklish.”
I squeal as his hand gently presses on my hip, guiding me into another fighting stance. We both dissolve into giggles when I inevitably stumble and take him down onto the mat on top of me. The lightheartedness is a welcome reprieve from the stress of the other training sessions, and for a few moments, I almost forget the earlier frustrations of the day—until the combat room door slams open with an echoing crash.
A cold, charged silence instantly falls over the room as I turn to see Rylan standing in the doorway, his eyes blazing with something barely contained. The laughter dies in my throat, and the air feels suddenly thick, oppressive. He stalks forward, his presence dark and heavy, his eyes fixed on Caelum like a predator closing in on some very small prey.
“Get.Away.From. Her,” he growls.
Caelum, unfazed, braces over me, his hands on either side of my head, and looks over at Rylan. “Oh, hello, just giving your disciple some friendly pointers.”
I almost baulk at the casual way Caelum speaks to Rylan. Whoishe?
“She doesn’t need any pointers from you,” Rylan snaps, his voice colder than I’ve ever heard it.
“Oh, I’m not saying she’s not an exemplary student, but she’s got a lot to learn if she has any hope of beating Selene.”
I frown. What’s he talking about?
Rylan’s eyes narrow as he takes another threatening steptoward Caelum, his fists clenching at his sides. “If she needs any help, she’ll get it from me. Or Chasina. No one else. She ismydisciple.”
Caelum finally stands, making a big production of pushing his body against mine as he gets to his feet, then brushing his hands off with an eye roll. “Relax. I was just helping your tree stu—, er, I mean, pupil with balance. No harm done.” He offers me a hand up, which draws a snarl from Rylan. I don’t have a chance to accept the help before Caelum drops his hand.
Rylan’s jaw clenches as if he’s struggling to maintain some semblance of control. “I said, get away from her,” he repeats, the command laced with an edge that promises consequences if ignored.
Caelum, as if sensing the actual threat beneath the surface, finally relents. “Alright, alright,” he says, backing away with a casual shrug. “Didn’t realise she was off-limits. She just looked like she could use a friend in the combat room. Not like you’re known for your… friendliness.” He flashes a grin at me and gives me a small bow. “It was a pleasure to train with you, Eirabella.”
“Thank you, Caelum,” I say, my tone soft, trying to defuse the strange situation. “I appreciate the help.”
Caelum walks off, saying over his shoulder, “Any time. Just not when a certain killjoy is around, okay?”
Rylan glares after him until he’s gone, then his gaze snaps to me, and the storm brewing in his eyes threatens to catch fire. “Never, ever storm off in the middle of a training session again,” he orders, his voice low and dangerous.
“Oh, was that what it was?” I challenge, my own anger flaring again. “Because I didn’t see any actual training happening. It seemed more like I was target practice for your shouting.”
He blinks at my words and then reaches out his hand tohelp me up, but I ignore it and get to my feet unaided, which makes him grit his teeth. Good. That makes two of us pissed off.
I pivot on the mat, about to walk off when I feel his hand, hot and tight around my wrist, yanking me back.
His voice hasn’t lost any of that earlier edge when he says, “Do you have any idea what the Keeper trial will entail? What you’re going to need to endure, what you’re going to need to master?”
I throw my free hand up. “How can I, when you refuse to tell me anything?”
His cheek twitches. “You want to know? Fine. I’ll tell you. There are two trials.” He holds up two fingers. “The first trial alone is not one test, but three,” he explains. “And there are three of you who will be competing for the Keeper position. One of you will be eliminated after the first trial, and only two will go through to the final trial. The final trial will test every single aspect of your skill. And believe me when I tell you, the other two disciples are very, very good.”
His words slam into me like one of his massive waves, knocking me off my feet, off my centre. Two trials? Three tests in the first one alone? Competing against others? The weight of what he’s saying crashes down on me, and suddenly I can’t breathe. I’d barely grasped what being a Keeper meant, and now this? The pressure I felt before seems like nothing compared to the storm of anxiety brewing inside me.
And then something he said catches in my mind. “Wait. There are already two other disciples? If there were other options, why, for Morath’s sake, did you need to bring me here? Why did you tear me away from my home, my life, my friends without even giving me a choice?” My voice shakes, a mix of fear and anger bubbling up inside me. “Why am I going through all this? To fulfil some sick whim of yours?”I try to turn away from him, gripping the sides of my head in confusion.
He spins me around again, wincing when I knock his hand away. “Listen to me.” He reaches over and grabs my shoulder, squaring me to him. “I know how much you fucking hate doing that, but you need to listen to me. I broughtyouhere, choseyou, because they’re not meant to be the Aquilith.Youare. Your Strength is a once in a lifetime gift. Not theirs. And I am betting not only my life, but the life ofeveryonein the realm.”
I want to believe him, but I can’t shake that suffocating feeling of powerlessness that’s been haunting me since the moment I woke up on his horse.
