FIRST DAY OF TRAINING!
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Crown Prince Silas Gaffrey
Dawn was still breaking when Silas found himself in one of the smaller training rooms, throwing punches at the punching bag in the corner—a bold choice, considering he'd gone to bed in the early hours of the morning after the ball. Even wrapped, his knuckles stung as he threw a quick jab-cross combination, mindlessly running through drills.
Stelle's words from the night before were echoing around the fringes of his consciousness, as they had through most of his relatively-sleepless night; though every time he found himself thinking too hard about it, he tried to end the train of thought. Stelle got off on the stress that her cryptic mind games caused him. He knew that much. The best thing to do to beat her would be to ignore her. Silas mimed ducking an enemy punch and returned with a left hook, blinking the sweat out of his eyes.
But it wasn't that easy, was it? Because this wasn't just Stelle and her bitterness, Stelle and her minced words. This was his life. This was his future. This was—
Stop. Stop thinking about it.
Silas followed up with a low roundhouse and then two jabs in quick succession, before finishing with a quick knee strike. The opponent would be reeling from that strike, which made it the perfect time to drop low and sweep a leg underneath them. He imagined it was Stelle hitting the ground, getting that infuriating smirk knocked off her face. It was admittedly nice to picture her expression. When they sparred, Stelle never let him get within range to land a hit like that; she was always trying to stay on the offensive and keep him at arm's length.
Silas sighed as he realized his thoughts had turned by to Stelle despite his marked attempts to avoid thinking about her, or what she'd said last night. Dropping his arms, he collapsed on the nearby bench and drank from his water bottle while he collected his thoughts.
There really weren't very many female figures in his life for Stelle to have brought back. Of course, there was the obvious answer—the one that felt like a stone sunken in the pit of his stomach—but he desperately wanted it to be somebody, anybody else. After all, even Stelle hated her. Would she have brought back someone she hated just to spite Silas?
Yes, yes she would, Silas thought glumly, raking his fingers through his hair in a half-hearted attempt to keep it off his flushed, sticky skin.
Who else could it have been, then? Their old governess? No way, Mrs. Peabody had to be much too old to come back, much less train fighters. Perhaps it was Anliu's sister, Luoxiao? But she was heir, there was no way she had time for something like this. Besides, Luoxiao was always nice to him, and nice didn't draw a smile like that out of Stelle.
No matter how much he wanted to deny it, there was a very high chance he knew who was coming to train the girls. It makes sense, he admitted grudgingly to himself. She was the best of the best. After all, she was the one who trained him and Stelle. But, he thought as he flexed his fingers, it came at such a cost.
A voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Faris reminded him that it was much too early to work himself up into a sulk and he sighed. Probably true. Silas glanced at the door, idly wondering where his friends were at this moment.
It was still quite early, but doubtlessly Anliu was awake. Probably at the nearby Lake Mirror for a morning swim, despite the freezing fall temperatures. Fitz had surely woken up with the sun as he did naturally, but Madi was going to need a little jostling. The thought made him smile a little and Silas made a mental note to remember to go fetch him before nine.
But he still had some time before then.
Sighing, he got to his feet and ambled over to the corner of the room to pull the lever that would push out the glass cubes. His magic reared to life, and he reached for the first cube, pushing his musings from his mind. He only had so long here, he couldn't afford to waste time thinking about the past. Whatever happened, happened. No use wasting time worrying about it.
He closed his eyes and began running through his glass form techniques. Under his careful control, the glass rippled and solidified, rapidly changing shape to reflect his intentions. Sweat beaded on his brow as he threw mock punches and kicks, trying to visualize his invisible enemy.
Dodge, shield, roll, jab and cross, sweep, block…
The minutes ticked away as he mindlessly cycled through the movements over and over. Every new set made the glass a little softer, a little more yielding. By the time eight o'clock hit, he was panting and flushed, but the glass was shifting almost faster than the eye could follow—a crashing wave hardening into a shield, then shattering into daggers, before liquifying back into a coursing mass of silver. His blood was singing in his veins as he wielded the power easily, crushing an imaginary opponent ten times over.
It took a moment for his ears to register the sound of the polite knock at the door through his own harsh breathing, but once he realized it, the rhythm of his concentration collided and the glass froze over. Silas took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart and then forced the glass to drop, using the hem of his shirt to wipe his face. "Enter."
"I thought you'd be here," Faris said, leaning against the doorframe. "You know, everyone's at breakfast right now."
"What?" Silas waved his hand, and the glass reformed into a misshapen cube. "Was I supposed to be there?"
"Uh, yeah, kind of? Seems like it anyway," Faris said, shrugging.
"Well, no one told me that," Silas muttered, reaching for a towel to dab his sweat. "I didn't know. My bad."
"It doesn't matter now, they're wrapping up anyway. I brought you a muffin," Faris said, tossing it to him. "Eat that, and then shower. You kind of reek."
Silas's mouth was too full of muffin to retort, but he leveled his best thanks-wise-guy look at Faris, who grinned.
"Good luck with everything, today," Faris said, tucking his hands in his pockets. "I can't stick around, I promised Rori I'd take him to the lake."
"Have fun." Silas swallowed and wiped his hands on his pants. "I'll be fine here."
"Are you sure? I heard from the staff that, um…" Faris glanced around furtively, "—she might be here."
Silas grimaced. "I kind of guessed."
"And you're okay with it?" Faris asked skeptically. "I thought you hated Edrei."
"I do." His jaw tightened. "Not much I can do about it, though. Stelle made her the trainer of my Selection. And from an objective point of view, she's a great choice."
"Right, but that doesn't mean anything if she makes you—,"
"Have fun at the lake," he interrupted firmly. "I'll be fine. I'm a grown-up now. I can handle Edrei. Besides, it's not me she'll be training."
Faris studied him for a second, before shrugging. "Fine. Whatever you say. Behave and be kind. I'll see you at dinner tonight."
...
Silas could hear the girls filing into the main arena, accompanied by a symphony of chatter. He finished toweling his hair off and tossed the towel into the laundry basket. A glance at the clock on the wall told him he had two minutes until call time. Damn. No time to eat anything more substantial or fetch his friends.
To his surprise, as soon as he stepped out of the locker room, he found a very tired-looking Fitz in heart-shaped sunglasses waiting by the entrance with Madi and Anliu, a lollipop stuck in his mouth.
Catching sight of him, Fitz jabbed at him with his lollipop, which Silas now saw was blue and had dyed his tongue just as vibrantly. "You! Do you have answers? What are we doing here?"
"Beats me," Silas answered. "All Stelle told me was that we had to show up for training."
"Right, but we're not a part of your Selection," Fitz pointed out snappishly. "If I wanted to marry you, there'd be a lot of laws you'd have to rewrite, and that's without addressing the moral consequence, so why are the three of us here?"
"Why don't we just go inside and find out?" Madi supplied, rubbing his eyes. His voice was still hoarse with sleep. "Maybe if we just explain the situation, we can—,"
"Gentlemen. Is there a reason you're all feeling the need to dally outside?"
That familiar razor-sharp voice sliced straight through Silas, and his shoulders stiffened so quickly it hurt him.
"It's two minutes past nine. You're late."
It took a great deal of willpower for Silas to turn and face the source of the voice because he knew with annihilating certainty that when he did, everything he feared would be real. He did it anyway.
Standing in the doorway to the main arena was Silas's worst nightmare, looking exactly as he remembered her from the last time they'd seen each other—nearly three years ago. Edrei Caine stood at a commanding six feet, her blank grey eyes narrowed sharply at them. She was wearing the dark fatigues of her home nation, but had forsaken the veil—years living aboveground meant her eyes were accustomed to the daylight. Silas felt his shoulders bunch even tighter as her steely gaze zeroed in on him. It was as if no time had passed at all—he was sixteen, or eleven, or eight once more, trembling and furious under her scrutinizing glare.
"Ms. Caine!" Fitz suddenly exclaimed, flashing his biggest, most terrified smile. "I had no idea you'd be joining us! Wow, it's been so long! Do you remember me, I'm—,"
"I have not forgotten you, Mr. Torrid, I assure you," Edrei stated, her voice clipped. Her disinterested glance could wither flowers. "Nor could I ever."
"Right, well, we were just saying, um, we were going to go, since we're not actually participating in the Selection," Fitz babbled nervously. "Tell her, Anliu."
Anliu, who had been patiently silent up to that point, offered only a single brief nod of support.
"None of you are going anywhere," Edrei cut in, with a tone that brooked no disagreement. "You'll be joining me in training the Selected. Speaking of which, you're now all five minutes late. That's unacceptable, and there will be consequences for further tardiness."
She turned on her heel and strode into the arena, her heavy boots echoing commandingly on the hallway floor.
Fitz blinked hard in disbelief. "Did she say we'd be—did she say we're training the Selected?"
"We'd better follow her," Anliu murmured. "I'm sure we're about to find out anyway."
Exchanging a nervous glance, the four of them hesitantly followed. Anliu and Fitz naturally fell behind, so Silas squared his shoulders and took the lead.
"You okay?" Madi asked Silas quietly, knocking his arm with a sideways glance.
No no no no no no no no I'm going to throw up I'm going to scream I'm going to—
"Fine," Silas bit out. His eyes fixated stubbornly somewhere in the middle distance as they approached the entrance to the arena. "Let's just get this over with."
Min-hye Noe, 20, Coranzorre
"What do you think we're going to do here?" Luisa asked the girls of the North Tower as soon as the woman in the fatigues left the room. Min-hye glanced over curiously; the very same question had been in her mind since she'd been led here along with everyone else without explanation.
"I don't know, but it's freezing," Elena muttered through chattering teeth, rubbing her legs through her leggings. "We need to befriend a Morto girl or I'm going to die of cold out here."
Min-hye actually agreed. She'd gotten too acclimated to the weather in Coranzorre, constantly warm and humid. Here in Verelys, the air carried a biting fall chill that cut straight through her layers. She shivered, burrowing deeper into her coat and stomping her feet lightly to keep the blood circulating.
"I'm sure we'll warm up as we get moving," Ophelia said optimistically, smiling. She looked perfect, of course, hair pulled in an elegant ponytail and makeup immaculate. Min-hye, feeling extra miserably tired and cold in comparison, tucked her face into her scarf.
"So, you think we're going to be moving around?" Luisa asked eagerly.
Before anyone could respond, the doors to the arena opened, and the white-haired woman in fatigues had reentered, accompanied by the prince and his friends. There was a distinctly grim set to their faces that Min-hye suspected was mirrored in her own expression.
The nervous chatter died down as the men sat down on the bleachers with the rest of them and the white-haired woman walked to the front, hands tucked behind her back. She didn't speak at first, just watched them without speaking. Min-hye felt the whole crowd shift uncomfortably around her as she stared them down.
"Good morning," the woman announced in a hollow, gravelly voice. Her stormy eyes raked over them. "Welcome to the first day of training for your Selection. My name is Edrei Caine, and I've been asked to train you all for the trials that await you."
Edrei Caine. Min-hye stowed the name away carefully. The name didn't ring a bell, so she must not have been from Coranzorre. Min-hye didn't know what to make of her—the gunmetal grey fatigues only matched one nation she could think of, but she wore no veil. What a puzzle...
"For the first half of your Selection, the trials will be team-oriented," Edrei continued, beginning to idly pace back and forth. "Mr. Gaffrey, Mr. Torrid, Mr. Song, and Mr. Kshatriya will each lead a team of Selected through the challenges. The trials will demand you to work as a team and figure out how to take advantage of your strengths and cover for each other's weaknesses. Am I understood?"
Awkward murmurs of affirmation rolled uneasily through the crowd, and Edrei's head snapped forward.
"Am I understood?" she barked sharply, not unlike a drill sergeant. Min-hye jolted in her seat, nails digging into her palms.
"Yes, ma'am!" she responded, along with everyone else.
"Good." Edrei stopped pacing. "I've already looked over your profiles with the princess and selected the teams. You'll learn more about the rules and format at a later time, including the elimination system, but I prefer to work through action rather than words. Everyone stand up."
They did, though Min-hye found herself exchanging uncertain glances with girls she barely knew as they got up. Clearly she wasn't the only one feeling apprehensive about Edrei. And what was that about the elimination system?
"When I call your surname, report to your team captains for our first activity," Edrei commanded, pulling out a list from her breast pocket. "First, Team Torrid."
Elena was the first girl to stand up and leave, with a nervous smile at the rest of them as she headed over with the rest of her group
"Team Kshatriya."
Luisa stood up when she heard her last name, chin lifted despite the way she was biting her lip. A moment later, Celestina stood up, clearly surprised. The two of them exchanged a hesitant grin and then left for their team with little waves of farewell.
"Team Song."
Min-hye glanced over at Ophelia when she didn't move. A second later, she looked back and smiled at Min-hye.
"I guess we're together, then," the singer said, beaming. "Team Gaffrey."
"I guess we are," Min-hye said, trying to shove down her unease. Something about Ophelia made her cagey. Maybe it was the celebrity persona or the way she never showed a flicker of anything but cheeriness, but her gut told her not to trust that glittering smile.
"Shall we walk over?" Ophelia suggested.
They started towards the corner of the room where Prince Silas was waiting, arms crossed tightly over his chest. His eyes darted between each of the team members, lips growing progressively more pursed as he took in each new face, but before anyone could break the silence, Edrei spoke again.
"Your first activity will be to go through an obstacle course on the grounds as a team," she told them. "Everyone will follow me out to the field. Your team must get through the whole thing in under five minutes, or you will have to redo it. Do you understand?"
This time, they didn't hesitate. "Yes, ma'am!"
"Good. Follow me."
"She's kind of scary," Ophelia observed to Min-hye with a tremulous smile as they started walking.
"Would you rather be trained by her or the princess?" Min-hye asked quietly, eyebrows raised. That made Ophelia laugh.
"I'm glad you're on my team," Ophelia said, nudging her with an elbow. "It's nice to at least know someone here. The rest of these girls are pretty intimidating."
Min-hye glanced over her shoulder at their teammates. The girls from Ethotaur, marked by the purple ribbons pinned to the issued uniform coat, projected an unmistakable aura of frigidity as they walked, arm in arm. Behind them was a girl from Lumetierre, wearing a yellow ribbon, who refused to look up from the ground, and a girl from Blitzerren in a pale-blue ribbon who just looked pissed off.
Finally, at the very back of the pack, wearing the same blood-red ribbon as Min-hye, was the girl who, thus far, had refused to take her eyes off Min-hye: Evana Renshaw, also known as Bloodlust. Min-hwa's nemesis, and some of the stiffest competition her family had back in Coranzorre. Min-hye hadn't stopped tasting bitter, reeking iron in her mouth since they'd first locked eyes. Even now, Evana glared doggedly back at her and Min-hye felt her magic twitch defensively on instinct.
"It's certainly an interesting bunch," she conceded, turning back to the front. "I'm not really sure how they expect any of us to bond." I trust most of them about as far as I can throw them.
"I'm with you there." Ophelia sighed. "But at least we have each other!"
Min-hye fielded Ophelia's megawatt smile with a measured one in return, ignoring the way her intuition crawled. "Mm." At least there's that.
The obstacle course was clear in the distance, even across the wide expanse of the grounds. As they stepped onto the damp grass, peering through the pale fall sunshine, Min-hye traced the shape with her eyes, trying to estimate how difficult it was.
Hurdles, walls, balance beams, bars, rope climb… She eyed the tall, netted A-frame near the end. That had to be at least sixty feet off the ground at its apex. And they had five minutes. Min-hye glanced back at her team and realized with mounting dread that they were, more or less, doomed.
Aside from herself, Bloodlust and the prince, none of the rest of the team cut particularly athletic figures. Most of them looked too delicate to make it past the first three obstacles. Also, she was crossing her fingers that she was wrong about one of the Ethotaur girls, who she suspected might have been visually-impaired. Min-hye took a deep breath and began praying for a miracle.
They stopped at the start line of the course. Based on the way the prince was squinting thoughtfully at it, Min-hye suspected he was coming to the same conclusions she had. The baleful look he shot at the team just confirmed it. Then, from behind, she heard Bloodlust give a soft scoff of disbelief and mutter a curse under her breath. So they were all in agreement, then.
"All teams will begin at the start line and run the obstacle course at the same time," Edrei barked, stalking to the front. "I will time you. Starting from the hurdles, alternate going under and over them. Climb over the two walls and then continue onto the balance beams. As you can see, if you're not careful, you'll end up in the mud, so don't screw up. After that, you need to jump up to this bar, get a somersault over it, and continue on to the A-frame, which you'll need to climb over. For the last obstacle, one person on your team will climb the rope and ring the bell at the top, which will mark your time."
Min-hye began calculating carefully. Either herself, Bloodlust, or the prince would have to do that climb, and while she was equipped to handle most of the agility obstacles, she didn't want to bet their success on her upper-body strength. It had been years since she'd had to run a course like this. Best for one of the others to do it.
"If you do not complete the course in under five minutes, your team will run a lap around the course and begin again. You may not use powers for any reason, at any point in the course. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"You have five minutes to strategize." She pulled a silver whistle from her pocket. "When you hear me blow this whistle, it's your cue to start. Consider your strategies carefully, Captains. Your teams are depending on you."
Talking immediately broke out as Min-hye and Ophelia faced the rest of their team.
"Who here feels confident about this course?" Prince Silas asked immediately, raising his hand. Evana and Min-hye raised their hands. His jaw flexed. "Who here doesn't think they can do it?"
Ophelia, the Etho girls, and whoever those other girls were all raised their hands. Prince Silas seemed to visibly age as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Okay, I can do the rope climb at the end, then. Since most of the team isn't too athletic, we're going to need to shoot for success in the first two or three tries," Prince Silas said. "The more we have to do it, the more tired we'll get, and the more we're going to slow down. Miss Sereia, are you going to be able to keep up?"
"Physically? Doubtful," she answered dryly. "But if Mika will allow me to borrow her eyes, my blindness shouldn't impede me."
"Great, Mika and Sereia pair up, then," Prince Silas decided, nodding firmly. "We're going to need to hustle through these early obstacles because we're going to want as much time as possible on that A-frame."
"Um, about that," Mika spoke up, crossing her arms. Though her tone was lax, her shoulders were hunched anxiously. "I'm...not great with heights. I'm not great with a lot of things on this course, but heights are a no for me."
"Just don't look down, you'll be alright," Prince Silas replied dismissively. "I'll go first, then. Miss Evana, keep pace with the middle girls, and Miss…?"
"Min-hye."
"Miss Min-hye, take the back. That should keep us somewhat on track."
Min-hye frowned, lips parting to reply, but Evana laughed coldly before she could say anything.
"Yeah, there's no way I'm going to let a bunch of useless deadweights slow me down," Evana sneered. "I'm going first. Someone else can babysit."
Everyone took a second to process that.
"Are you serious?" Prince Silas asked, clearly incredulous.
"That was kind of mean, we're supposed to be a team," Ophelia pointed out.
"Team, my ass. It's an obstacle course," Evana snapped. "If some of these girls can't keep up and we end up losing, I won't be the one going home. If you can't take the blood, get off the battlefield."
"That's not the saying," Sereia interjected snidely.
Evana smirked. "It is where I come from."
"Wouldn't it make more sense for the prince to go sec—," Min-hye started to say, but her voice was immediately drowned out by several voices at once.
"This part of the Selection is all team-based challenges, you can't just—,"
"—I'm the team captain and prince, and you—,"
"—do not try to tell me that I'm not—"
"—you guys, we really shouldn't—"
"—and if all of you are completely useless, why should I—,"
"On your mark!" Edrei bellowed across the field, effectively halting the entire argument.
"Your Highness, what is the plan?" Ophelia asked urgently, eyes wide.
"Get set!"
"I go first, Evana, watch the middle, Min-hye last," he said firmly, shooting them all a look of dark determination. "It's not up for debate. We need to win this."
"GO!"
The high, clean shriek of the whistle ended all opportunity for further conversation, and Prince Silas set off at a dead sprint, leaving the rest of the team scrambling to catch up. Min-hye was careful to regulate her breathing as she brought up the back, with Mika and Sereia.
"If I'm on babysitting detail, I'm only doing it once," Evana snapped, as she jogged effortlessly along. "So everyone better haul ass or I'll personally make sure you never eat solid food again."
"Oh yeah, thanks, Razzi," the girl from Vinterbroste snarled. "Your threats are exactly what I needed right now!"
"Alternate over and under!" Prince Silas shouted over his shoulder, easily clearing the first hurdle like it was nothing, before continuing on.
Min-hye ground her teeth in frustration as the Vinterbrostian threw a leg over the hurdle and clumsily slid off with a huff of exertion. There was no way she was going to be able to keep that up at Silas's pace. Meanwhile, Evana had maneuvered her way to the front and jumped the hurdle without breaking her stride. What happened to helping the middle?
"Try and get a running start and keep your momentum going," Min-hye called to the front, where Ophelia was nervously approaching. "It'll be easier to jump it."
As she waited for her turn, she glanced over at the other teams. The one on the right, Team Song, was blasting through the course like it was nothing. Some of them were already starting to climb the wall, and it wasn't slowing any of them down.
On the left, Team Torrid was battling the same hurdles with a completely different approach. From Min-hye's quick analysis, they had paired each athletic girl with a non-athletic girl, and they were boosting each other up over the hurdles. Lord Fitzcameron was jogging alongside them, grinning and shouting encouragement. Although they weren't moving the fastest, they were keeping up a quick pace in high spirits.
That's what we should have been doing, Min-hye thought bitterly to herself, before turning her attention to her own course.
Although she was admittedly out of shape, an out-of-shape Noe was still more than a match for an obstacle course like this. Min-hye approached the hurdles with ease, gritting her teeth as she heaved her body weight over and under the slippery logs.
Up ahead, it seemed the prince had actually had the good sense to wait at the wall and help boost the girls over it. But Evana had scrambled up the wall and was already out of sight on the other side as Min-hye surpassed the other girls on the hurdles to go help him.
"I told you to bring up the back," Prince Silas called as she held out her interlaced hands to provide a foothold for Ophelia.
"No point in bringing up the back if the girls in front can't get over the wall," Min-hye rebuked, giving Ophelia a boost that got her to the top with a soft squeak. Her arms burned with the effort. "This—everything we're doing right now—it's not working."
"Yes, it is, we're doing fine," he snapped, helping the Vinterbrostian step up. "We're making good time. We're still faster than Madi, and we can catch up with Fitz."
But we're not competing with them, Min-hye wanted to scream. We're competing against the clock.
"You should go ahead," was all she said. "There's another wall. They're going to need your help, and Evana's left us out to dry."
"Shit. You're right. Stay here and help the rest." He finished helping the other Lumetierren over the wall and then crouched to leap straight up, bracing his boot against the wood to get himself over the wall. A moment later, he was gone.
The two Ethotaurians were the last ones left, and they eyed the wall with a great deal of skepticism. Sereia muttered something with a hand on her pendant that Min-hye suspected was a prayer. Clearly, this was not their area of expertise.
"Sereia, first, so she knows what she's jumping," Min-hye directed gently. Her hands were caked in mud from the soles of everyone's boots. "Mika, will you wait for me if I need a hand?"
"I mentioned I'm afraid of heights, right?" she grumbled, as Min-hye grunted, shoving Sereia up the wall.
"All the more reason for us to jump down together," Min-hye replied, holding out her hands. "Ready?"
Mika licked her lips, face pale behind her sunglasses. "Fine."
With a running start, she used Min-hye's offered hands as a pushing-off point and managed to get up to the wall. Ignoring the burn in her hands, Min-hye caught her bootsoles and helped her get a leg over.
"Hold tight," she warned, backing up. A moment later she was sitting at the top next to Mika.
"Fuck, your hands," Mika exclaimed as Min-hye prepared to jump down.
The palms of her hands were red and raw from the soles of everyone's boots. Min-hye just grimaced and wiped them on her pants, ignoring the stinging sensation. "I'm fine. We need to keep going. Ready?"
They hit the ground at the same time and set off at a jog with the waiting Sereia. Prince Silas beckoned them on impatiently from the second wall. His hands must have been shredded, same as hers, but he showed no evidence of discomfort as they approached.
"Run," he shouted. "We need to pick up the pace if we're going to make it!"
Mika muttered several words in Ethotauric that sounded absolutely filthy and made Sereia look over sharply. Luckily, the four of them made it over the second wall without incident and joined up with the rest of their team, who were carefully crossing the balance beam over the mud. Evana had already cleared the metal bar and was half-way up the A-frame.
"I cannot stress enough," Mika blurted out loud, now pale as paper, "—how much I don't like heights."
"It's only four feet off the ground," Prince Silas said, glancing at her. "The mud is gross, but it's soft. It'll catch you if you fall."
"Oh great, my phobia is cured," she snarled, but there was barely any venom to it.
"I'm just going to remind everyone that if Mika doesn't look down, I'm not going to be able to see where I'm going," Sereia spoke up sharply.
"We could switch?" Min-hye suggested. "I'll go with Mika and you borrow Silas's eyes."
"Not happening," he snapped. "Other way around. There's no way I'm letting an Etho in my head."
Mika and Sereia both flinched at the word, but neither of them ultimately said anything, despite the way Sereia's lips had tightened and Mika was scowling at the ground.
"You can borrow my eyes," Min-hye told Sereia to clear the awkward silence. "But don't...stray. In my mind."
"I understand," Sereia said quietly. She reached out and touched Min-hye's exposed wrist, and then a moment later, nodded. "Okay. I'm ready."
The two of them took the balance beam carefully. Luckily Sereia seemed to have a reasonably good sense of balance, and it was pretty much a cakewalk for Min-hye.
"Good luck," Min-hye called over her shoulder, before turning to Sereia. "We should go ahead."
She went first, jumping up to grab the bar and swinging her body to gain enough momentum to turn over it. Sereia, having watched carefully, repeated the process, albeit with a little boost from Min-hye when she needed it.
They were preparing to set off when they heard a great commotion from behind them. Mika and Silas who had been carefully making their way across the balance beam were practically shouting at each other—what, exactly, Min-hye couldn't make out. What she could make out was the moment Silas gesticulated too wildly and Mika took an uncalculated step back. When she grabbed onto him for security, Silas went toppling off the log as Mika shrieked.
"Are you guys okay?" Min-hye called to them.
"Fine," Silas growled back, his head and shoulders visible from the mud pit as he waded towards the edge. "Go on without us."
"If you're sure," Min-hye muttered, with one last glance over her shoulder.
At last, the dreaded A-frame was the only obstacle left. Luckily, Min-hye was of the opinion it wouldn't be hard—just long. An endurance climb. She said as much to Sereia, who nodded.
"Let's just get it over with" she murmured as they approached.
They climbed almost at an equal pace up the netting. Min-hye hands burned with pain on the rough rope—her palms had split back on the bar—but she ignored the red handprints she was leaving behind. They reached the apex and Min-hye threw a leg over to begin her descent.
"Good job!" she heard Ophelia cheer. "You're so close!"
"Blo—er, Evana," Min-hye called as she picked her way down. "Get ready to do the rope climb."
"No point," Evana scoffed. Min-hye touched down to find her standing by the rope, hip cocked and expression sour. "Look. She's not going to make it."
Prince Silas, boots and pant legs newly-splashed with mud, was scaling the A-frame at a lightning pace, but poor Mika was about six feet off the ground and completely frozen on the net, clinging to it like a lifeline.
"Whatever," Evana dismissed with a sigh, turning to join the rest of the group, who were standing to the side. "I guess we know who's going home."
"Oh, dear," Ophelia murmured from behind her. "Someone should have stayed with her."
Min-hye watched helplessly as Mika stayed immobile on the A-frame. From the right, Lian of Team Song scampered up the rope and rang the bell triumphantly, to cheers from her team. Most of them had barely broken a sweat. A moment later, on the far right, Team Kshatriya had rung the bell as well.
"Five, four, three, two—" The piercing whistle marked the end of time, just as Prince Silas's boots hit the ground. Min-hye's shoulders slumped.
"Congratulations, Team Song, for finishing within the required time! The rest of you, one lap around the course and redo it!" Edrei commanded.
"What?" From Team Kshatriya, Melissandre LeRoi raised her hand indignantly. "We rang the bell in time!"
"So you did," Edrei agreed. "However, I expressly forbade the use of powers, did I not? And yet, one of your team members decided she was the special exception. Let the cheater step forward."
After a moment of shuffling, one of the girls from Kaze-han took a step forward to scornful stares from her teammates, face redder than a tomato.
"You've cost your team a victory and yourself your honor," Edrei told her coldly. "Well done. The rest of you, begin your lap. We'll restart when everyone has finished running. Team Song, you have completed today's challenge. You all should remain on standby for the next activity."
"I'll get Mika," Sereia said with a sigh, as all the teams except Song began jogging away. "You should just go take the lap."
Ophelia and Min-hye exchanged matching looks. Luckily, they seemed to be in agreement about how things needed to proceed.
"Stay?" Ophelia requested, head tilting. "I think the team should revise what we're doing for the next round."
"We need Evana, too," Min-hye murmured. Prince Silas looked up at that.
"Evana!" Ophelia called brightly across the green. "Could we borrow your time for a minute?"
She scowled. "Why should I?"
"Just do it!" Prince Silas shouted back. Min-hye glanced over at him and he shrugged.
"What do you want?" Evana demanded as she jogged over.
"We're going to help Mika," Ophelia explained. "And we want your input on how to change our strategy."
"We do?" Prince Silas and Sereia asked at the same time, equally skeptical.
She nodded. "Min-hye, do you have any thoughts on it?"
"Well…" She surveyed the gathering of faces and rocked back on her heels, trying to articulate her thoughts. "What we just did failed, obviously. We need to change our strategy and Evana's experienced with all the obstacles. I assume you went ahead knowing we were going to fail, so you could figure out where the weaknesses were?"
Evana refused to look at her, and Prince Silas's mouth fell open. "How did you know that?" he asked her suspiciously.
Min-hye just shrugged. "Because it's what I would have done if I didn't feel so strongly about obeying my team captain."
"What did you see, Evana?" Ophelia prompted curiously.
Evana let out a long-suffering sigh, as if being asked was exhausting. She began counting on her fingers as they walked, "Eder and Mera need to be faster on the hurdles, which they can do by not slowing down when they go under. We can get over the wall faster if we pair up and do a push-pull exchange. We should try to have as many people crossing the balance beam at once instead of one or two at a time. Everyone needs to learn the swing technique on the bar, and we need to pick the pace up on the A-frame. Which means you—" she pointed at Min-hye with a glare "—need to stop slowing down so much to help everyone else. And you—" she jabbed a finger at Prince Silas "—need to put some of that strength to use and slow down. You have the most upper body strength on our team, and you're so consumed with winning that you're screwing all of your teammates."
To his credit, Prince Silas looked remarkably shame-faced at the criticism.
"Hey Mika. Ready to come down?" Ophelia asked as they got within earshot of the A-frame.
"Would if I could," she said through gritted teeth.
"Here." Prince Silas, taking advantage of his height, reached up and braced his hands around her waist. "I've got you. Start climbing down and keep your eyes closed. You're not going to fall."
"Not afraid the Etho's going to mind control you if you touch her?" Mika muttered bitterly as she started, very slowly, feeling her way down.
"I think you and I both know you don't need touch to do that," Prince Silas retorted. Min-hye found herself shooting him a look of warning, and he rolled his eyes, tone softening. "There you go. Easy does it."
Mika's boots touched the ground and Prince Silas released her. Her cheeks were surprisingly flushed as she surveyed the five of them gathered around her, but what was more surprising was how small her voice was as she muttered, "Sorry for losing the round for us."
"It's fine." Surprisingly, it was Evana who spoke up. Everyone stared at her and she shrugged. "What? We weren't going to make time anyway. Silas was already too late."
"And we're going to make the next one," Prince Silas said firmly. "C'mon. We need to go take the lap."
Evana and Prince Silas ran ahead once again, while Sereia and Mika fell in step without saying a thing. Min-hye sighed to herself, shaking her head. Whatever.
"That was really impressive, I can't believe you got Evana to cooperate," Ophelia grinned breathlessly as they broke into a jog. "Maybe we have a chance after all."
Not without proper leadership, we don't, Min-hye thought with a sigh. They rounded the bend past the A-frame and began heading back towards the start line. "Well, that was mostly you. But I think it's pretty clear now that we need a proper team leader. I don't know if the prince quite knows what he's doing."
"It looks like you're doing a good job so far," Ophelia said with a glance.
Min-hye looked down, feeling her ears heat. "I—I don't think so. Leadership isn't really my thing. I'm okay when it comes to like—strategy—but I don't have much skill with people. You're a lot more suited to it."
If Ophelia wanted to reply, the sharp blast of Edrei's whistle cut her off, and they both looked towards the source of the sound.
"Remaining teams, gather up. You have five minutes to strategize with your team for the second round," Edrei barked. "That time begins now."
They slowed to a jog and then a walk as they came within earshot of Prince Silas, Evana and the rest of the group who had finished their laps. The last to arrive were Mika and Sereia, both of whom were considerably out of breath.
"Okay, take two," Ophelia announced, looking at Evana. "Explain the plan?"
She rolled her eyes and then rehashed the weaknesses she'd pointed out earlier. Not everyone looked pleased to be taking orders from her—the Blitzerren girl looked distinctly peeved—but at the very least, no one outright protested. That was enough for today, Min-hye decided.
"Ok, Min-hye, go first this time," Silas ordered. "I'll take the middle. Evana, go last."
She pulled a face. "Why do I have to go last?"
"You're stronger than I am," Min-hye interjected. "You need to help people get over the obstacles that are too high for them."
Aside from a drawn-out groan, Evana appeared to realize it was the truth, even if she didn't look happy about it. She begrudgingly trudged to the back of their loose formation, shoulders slumped.
"I have a good feeling about it this time," Ophelia piped up cheerily. "I think we're going to be alright."
"Mika and Sereia, could you come to the front with me?" Min-hye called. They looked over, wearing matching expressions of surprise, before hesitantly approaching.
"You know we're going to slow the group down if you put us in front," Mika muttered, fiddling with her purple ribbon. "I still don't know what to do on the A-frame."
"And I hate to say it, but I'm not really equipped to handle all this physical strain," Sereia said, cheeks pinking up. "It's not really within my skill set."
"It's alright. Don't worry about that." Min-hye said firmly. "I thought we could run together again. I might have some advice for the A-frame."
She glanced back at the rest of the team as they anxiously waited for the starting whistle. To her surprise, Ophelia was talking to Silas in a low voice, gesturing as she spoke. Whatever she was saying made his brow wrinkle, but he didn't seem too resistant to it. He slowly nodded and she shot him a bright grin and a double thumbs-up before bouncing to her place with the other Lume girl.
"Once more, on your marks!" Edrei called. Min-hye tensed, and then forced herself to relax into a loose starting position, feeling adrenaline beginning to pump through her.
"Get set!" She exchanged a quick glance with Sereia and Mika who each had a quality of grim determination to their expressions. Behind them, the Song team was sprawled across the damp grass, watching them with sharp eyes—the reason, she suspected, behind the hot-red flush on the back of Prince Silas's neck.
"GO!"
The constant buzz of her thoughts fell away as she took off at just under a run, with Sereia and Mika doing an admirable job to keep up at her sides.
"Over and under first," she reminded them, against the harsh cut of her breathing. "Don't slow down on the under. Use your momentum."
She threw herself over the first hurdle. It was much harder this time; her arms were already aching and her breathing wasn't nearly as controlled. But if Mika and Sereia—both completely untrained and unprepared for this—were giving their best for the team, she could power through as well.
"Good job!" she heard Silas call from behind them as they finished the last of the hurdles. "Keep going!"
Hm. I wonder if Ophelia had something to do with that, she thought to herself as they approached the first wall. Maybe she hadn't been the only one with her eye on Team Torrid. Or maybe it was just the connection between nations.
With a boost, both Ethotaurians cleared the wall. Min-hye backed up to take a running start, already dreading the strain on her arms, when suddenly, she hit something solid.
"I'll give you a boost," Prince Silas said from behind her, briefly touching her shoulders to steady her. "Save your strength for later."
"Thanks," she murmured, quelling her surprise. She wondered if Ophelia had something to do with that, or if the prince had just decided to come around as a team player.
She cleared the wall like she was flying with boost from Silas and landed lightly on the other side, automatically sinking into a crouch to avoid excess shock on her ankles.
"You land so quietly," Sereia commented from where she was waiting, head tilted. "What did you say your background was?"
"I didn't," Min-hye said tightly, swallowing. "C'mon, let's move."
They got over the next wall without real issue, except that Min-hye could tell they were all getting tired. Sereia's breath had a ragged catch to it that Min-hye could empathize with. If all the challenges proved as physically demanding as this one, she'd be back in her peak shape in no time. The conclusion drew out mixed feelings.
"Okay, I have an idea for this," Min-hye said as they reached the balance beams. "Mika, get on my back."
"What? Are you sure?" Mika asked, gulping as she eyed the obstacle. "You can get us both across?"
"Trust me," Min-hye said. "We don't have time to waste. Unless you have a better plan?"
"I don't," Mika admitted.
She climbed onto Min-hye's back, hardly an added weight with her petite frame. They crossed the beam with Mika's fingers digging into her shoulders and shallow breath on the curve of her ear. A moment later, Sereia was crossing the beam using Mika's eyes and they were in business.
"Last obstacle," Min-hye said as they jogged towards the A-frame.
"And what's your plan for this one?" Mika asked, eyeing it nervously. "You can't carry me the whole way."
"But the prince can," Min-hye countered.
"He's not going to let me touch him," Mika muttered, looking to the side. "You need a new plan."
Damn, that was true. She hadn't considered that. Min-hye bit her lip, thinking. From behind, Prince Silas and the Lume girls were closing the distance between them.
"I'm going to go ahead," Sereia spoke up. "I don't want to be blamed for slowing the team down anymore."
"Are you going to be alright without anyone to guide you?" Min-hye asked, brow furrowing in concern. "Can you feel your way through?"
"I'll be fine," Sereia said with a sigh. "It might be better for me not to see anyway."
"Everything alright?" Ophelia called as the three of them caught up with Min-hye and Mika.
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to carry me on your back up the A-frame, Your Highness?" Mika asked. Almost on reflex, Silas's expression contorted and Mika chuckled mirthlessly to herself, shaking her head. "I didn't think so."
"It's okay!" Ophelia said confidently. "You all go ahead. I'll coach Mika through it."
"Are you sure?" Min-hye asked, frowning.
"There's no time to waste! Go!" Ophelia told them. Silas and Min-hye exchanged a glance and then nodded. Behind them, she heard Ophelia beginning to talk to Mika in a sweet, comforting voice. "Keep your eyes up as you climb. Every time you take a breath, take a step. Just focus on what's above you…"
Looks like I didn't need to worry after all, Min-hye thought as she scaled the net. She reached the top and switched neatly over to the other side to begin her climb down. To her surprise, Ophelia and Mika were already halfway up the A-frame as she touched down on the other side. Not bad, Lume.
"I'll do the rope climb," Silas said as they crossed the finish line to join the waiting Sereia. Min-hye nodded, stepping back to survey the proceedings.
Ophelia and Mika were almost at the top of the first side of the A-frame. The Blitz girl and Evana had already surpassed them and were scrambling down the other side—Evana, a good deal more gracefully.
Meanwhile, Team Kshatriya had a well-muscled girl whose lavender ribbon marked her as Kazenese climbing up the rope. She rang the bell and their team cheered as she slid down. On the other side, the last of Team Torrid were coming down the A-frame, where Avyanna Bronte was waiting impatiently at the bottom of the rope, watching their progress like a dog straining at its leash.
In front of them, Evana and the Lume girl were running towards them, while Ophelia and Mika were making it down the last of the net.
"Let's go, you can do it!" Silas shouted across the distance, clapping his hands together. After a moment of decision, Min-hye cupped her hands around her mouth.
"You're doing well!" Min-hye found herself yelling to them. "Keep going! You're almost there!"
"Mika!" Sereia called, before rattling off a string of Ethotauric that sounded vaguely encouraging. The others who had finished chimed in with encouragement as well—probably fueled by desperation, but it was good enough for her.
The final two hit the ground at the same time and began sprinting the final distance to the finish line. Min-hye's heart was beating so loud she wondered how the others couldn't hear it pounding in her ribcage.
The second Mika had made it over the line, Silas was up the rope like a shot, as Edrei did her countdown, pulling himself up hand-over-hand, without even bothering to use his legs to help. The tendons in his forearms strained and his shoulders worked under his shirt as he climbed at lightning speed with his upper body alone.
But was he going to be fast enough?
"Five. Four. Three. Two—,"
Silas's palm made resounding contact with the bell and Min-hye sighed in relief. A couple of the other girls muttered a mix of curses and gratitude around her as Silas slid carefully down the rope.
"Well done, all," he said, nodding as he touched down, though he couldn't quite seem to make eye contact with any of them. Min-hye allowed herself an amused half-smile. Oh, well. It was progress, at least.
"It seems you have all managed to complete the obstacle course," Edrei announced, crossing to the front. "Today's challenge has been completed."
They hesitantly clapped for that, some more enthusiastically than others. One of the Morto girls gave a piercing wolf whistle that earned her a glower from Edrei.
"You will now break into your teams in order to go over the full scope of the competition and the elimination system," Edrei said. "I will give your team leaders the briefings on the subject and you may discuss them as you like as a team. Am I understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," they chorused.
"Good. Find a place to meet together," Edrei said. "Team leaders, report to me."
Everyone started to get to their feet, murmuring to themselves. Min-hye frowned as she caught sight of a smear of rust-red on the prince's pale palms. She itched to do something, perhaps even to exercise some of her newly-learned healing skills, but the thought made her run cold with anxiety.
"You should get that looked at," was all she managed to say as she got up. "Call a healer, or at least wash the mud out of the wound."
The prince appeared to startle at her comment, glancing over with his fists curled tight to his chest. His frown was guarded but Min-hye just shrugged. "You're team captain. Got to have you in working order."
"Right." Prince Silas gave her a considering look. "You're Min-hye, right?"
"I am."
"Good work today, Min-hye," he said with a firm nod. "Tell the others to start walking towards the courtyard. I'll catch up with you once I have the briefing."
She could feel his eyes on her back as she headed back to rejoin with the team, but paid it no mind. Whatever conclusions he was coming to about her, she would leave it up to him.
"Well?" Ophelia asked expectantly as she came to a stop in front of them. Min-hye exhaled and felt some of the tension drain from her shoulders. She offered a small smile.
"Let's head to the courtyard."
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ok that's all! Next chapter team meetings! ty for reading and thank you to the GOD among men, my beta sevenzeroseven for doing the lord's work