"Come,"Nyssa directed, waving her hand towards yet another door leading out of the chamber. "Walk with me."
Jacob nodded firmly, following behind her and trying to ignore the stinging pain of seared flesh on his shoulder.
The pain stepped through the door, no longer was there a train of guards following them, and into another stone hallway. A short pace ahead was an open archway, leading into a chamber filled with league members. The sounds of grunts, shouts and bodily cracks echoed forth and beckoned the pair onwards.
"You will begin with unarmed combat," she announced, stepping through the arch and into the room. "Your skills are rudimentary at best, but it is your heart that will give you progress."
Jacobs eyes darted around the room, taking in the new surroundings and inspected each person as they trained. Men and women filled the room, fighting each other. They all wore simple garments from what he could tell, not the normal league garments. The men were in cloth pantaloons, sturdy and tough, their chests bare. The women wore the same, with cloth wrappings securing their breasts and leather strips binding their hair into braids. Both had a patterned set of cloth wrappings on their hands.
"We will teach you every form of martial art, every form of combat from across the globe," Nyssa went on. "From the simple form of Karate, to the deepest stances of Silat. You will become adaptable, fluid like a raging river."
As she talked, she indicated a close pair sparing against each other. The same woman who had been in the room when he had awakened from the first trial, circled around a man literally twice her size. Her long brown hair was tied back, her small fists raised. Her feet barely left an imprint in the sand as she went. Her opponent lashed out with a flat fist, aimed directly for her face. With blazing speed and barely a sound, she twisted away from it and dashed into the man's chest. Several rapid blows struck the man before she grabbed ahold of his arm, pulling it towards her own body and slipped between the man's spread legs. With a jerk, she pulled him off his feet and forced him into the sand. The man's breath vanished from his lungs as he hit, dazing him for a second before he recovered. He reached up, grabbing both of her arms with his hand, and jerked her whole body down to meet his raising knee. With a thud, the knee met her body, causing her to squeak, let go, and scurry to her feet. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, but yet no sound came forth. She stood still, waiting for her opponent to make the next move. With a grunt and the scattering of sand, he stood up. The hulking brute smirked before lumbering closer. Up came his massive leg, aiming for the woman's side. Again she dogged it, silently and quickly, spinning underneath the leg and looking to where she had just stood. One of her arms came up inside his leg, the other slamming her small fist into the joint of his knee. The man grunted and tried to recover, but the force of his kick bringing them both in an arch. With a massive kick, she brought both of her own legs across and into his planted knee. Down they both tumbled, the man temporarily stunned. Recovering as fast as she could, the woman rolled to the side before planting one of her small elbows into the man's sternum. His breath coughed out loud enough to hear over the ambient noise before he was silenced by the woman's fists striking his jaw, once from each side. His body slumped into the sand and was still.
"Very good Al'Faar," Nyssa called, smiling and congratulating the woman as she stood up and brushed a loose strand of hair from in front of her eyes.
"Thank you, Mother," The woman said, bowing slightly to Nyssa before smiling at Jacob. "Will you be joining us, brother?"
"Not quite yet," Nyssa answered for him.
With another bow Al'Faar turned away, calling for another sparring partner as the downed man was dragged away. Nyssa turned back to Jacob, extending a hand to continue through the room.
"She's fast," he admitted as they walked. "I wouldn't think to bet on her in a fight before watching that."
"It is not always brute strength that determines a victor," Nyssa announced as they walked. "Swift cunning will be their own strength."
"What does her name mean?" he asked, following behind as they progressed deeper through the room. "Al'Faar?"
"The Mouse," She said simply, coming to another wooden door and pulling it open.
"Fitting," He admitted, passing through it and into another chamber.
The next room surprised him. The air no longer smelled of sweat, no longer held the filling sound of combat. The first thing he noticed was the sudden humidity; beads of water, or possibly even sweat began to form on his face and exposed skin. Secondly, the sound of running water came to his ears.
"As I said in the final ceremony," Nyssa continued, pulling the door shut behind her. "One may either choose a name, or the name chooses you. In her case, the name was chosen for her."
The reply was lost on Jacob, finding himself suddenly immersed in the lush vegetation of his surroundings. Instead of the dull greys and flickering orange of torchlight, he found himself almost blinded by the various colors adorning the sudden plant life. He gazed around in wonder, spying several species of fruit bearing trees and bushes he could name as well as several he could not. As he walked further along, he noticed the room itself seemed to suddenly open up. The ceiling vaulted high above him, only patches of it were visible through the dense foliage from the towering trees. Off to his left, he followed the trickling sound of the water flowing in smooth grooves at his feet. On and on it went, from where it originated, he couldn't tell. After a few steps, the once rocky ground gave way to crisp cool dirt. With a sigh, he wiggled his toes, digging them down a layer.
Nyssa stopped, seeing the wonder and slight confusion on Jacobs face, and watched as he surveyed the new surroundings.
"How did you manage all this?" He finally asked, turning back to Nyssa.
"In time, you will learn all our secrets," She replied with a sly grin. "Let us continue on."
She did not wait for an answer, instead brushing past him and deeper into the jungle of plant life. Farther and farther they went, the sights and the colors almost making Jacob dizzy. Past the fruit bearing trees and bushes, the dirt ended. Cool smooth stone now adorned the floor and the sound of running water seemed to hush. Ahead of them, giant pools were cut into the floor, filled with crystal clear water. Thousands of blue, multi petaled flowers floated on top of the water, their bright yellow center almost giving off a glowing hue.
"What are those?" Jacob asked as they walked along a stone path through the center of the first pool.
"Nymphaea caerulea," She replied. "Or simply, Blue Lotus."
"That woman, Al'Faar, said that same name whenever you made me drink that awful blue liquid," he muttered, stopping to kneel down and inspect one of the budding flowers.
"She did," Nyssa affirmed, pausing and watching him. "The Blue Lotus is a main ingredient in that compound. We propagate it, tend them."
Jacob looked up from the flower and out across several of the other pools. More men and women waded carefully into them, the water barely coming up past their knees. Several knelt down into the water, hands delicately plucking a single bloom at a time before turning and handing it to their counterpart who in turn, delicately placed it into a basket they carried. On and on they went, the delicate lapping sound of water filling the air as they went. As each basket was filled, it was handed off to another person, who carried an empty basket, exchanging it before turning and leaving the pool.
"It's beautiful…" Jacob remarked, reaching down to touch the brilliant blue petals.
"Come," Nyssa said, stopping him by touching his shoulder. "We must continue onward."
With a wordless mutter, he stood up and began to follow her along the narrow stone walkway. Several more pools passed by, each filled with at least a dozen men and women, each tending to their duties with an actual look of contentment upon their faces.
"Is that all they do?" He asked, noticing the fact that not one person had looked up as they passed.
"Not all who come here are strictly fighters," she answered, keeping her pace. "I have each and every member trained to fight, but some find purpose in more...calming acts."
"They look like they are stoned though.." He remarked, stopping and kneeling down to a man who was harvesting close to the path. "Are you alright?"
The man did not stop in plucking the bloom in front of him, instead continuing his motions before looking up and smiling at Jacob.
"Well met, brother," the man said in a calm tone. "I am fine."
Nyssa had turned at this, stopping and waiting patiently for Jacob.
"Are you sure?" Jacob pressed, looking into the man's eyes and laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Of course," the man replied. "The flowers are my life, I have harvested many hundreds of blooms, planted thousands of more. They are like my children here. I have a purpose, I am content."
Jacob did not reply, instead continued his inquisitorial gaze into the man. His eyes showed no lie, instead true happiness seemed to be the only thing there.
"Are you here to help us, brother?" The man asked, taking Jacobs hand from his shoulder and holding it in both of his.
Jacob looked down, seeing the man's fingertips stained a light blue hue.
"Not yet, I think," he replied, the warmth and delicacy of the man's skin making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. .
"Ah, a pity," the man sighed before releasing Jacobs hand. With a quick string of odd words in a language Jacob did not recognize, the man returned to his work.
"Satisfied?" Nyssa asked as Jacob stood up and looked around. From what he could see, several of the men and women had stains on their hands and fingers. "I am not keeping them here by any means, I only offer them a home."
"I'll admit, its strange," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I've never seen anything like this."
"Well there is more to see," Nyssa admitted, extending a hand ahead of her.
A short ways later, past the massive pools, they came to yet another doorway. Nyssa shoved heartily, the door opening outward with a lazy sigh into a dimly lit stone antechamber; a single torch flickering away on his left side. After they both had entered, Nyssa shut the door, snuffing out the bright light behind them.
"We must rest here a moment," she announced, taking a seat in a carved wooden chair next to a table Jacob had not spotted right away. "Your eyes will need a moment to adjust."
"Where to next?" he asked, taking the only other chair opposite of her.
"The library," she stated simply, pulling a small wooden plate filled with bread, cheeses and assorted fruit closer to her from the center of the table.
"Are you hungry?" She asked, offering a few cubes of cheese.
He nodded quickly, accepting and quickly devouring them.
"Your wounds seem to be healing nicely," she observed looking over his chest. "Is your brand giving you any discomfort?"
"I can feel it," he admitted through a mouthful of food. "But i've had worse."
"Of that I am sure," she murmured, nodding at the scars adorning his body.
The two went silent, the only sound were echoes of their movements.
"What happened between you and Sara?" He asked breaking the silence after a few moments.
"She…" She stopped, sadness creeping to her face. "Had a different path."
"Do you still love her?" He asked gently.
Instantly her expression froze and silence filled the room again.
"Do you miss her?" He tried again.
Again he was answered with silence.
"Have you two been intimate?" She asked finally, startling Jacob.
"I..." he stopped, sighing and shaking his head. "Honestly i'm not sure if it even happened, but yes, we were together."
"I do not judge," she said raising an eyebrow. "She is a beautiful woman, and seeing as you are not of blood relations, it would be a natural outcome."
He half grunted in response.
"How do you feel about her," she asked, pressing him further
"It's….complicated," he admitted with a sigh. "Being around her is familiar, like standing with a sister, id fight for her, hell i literally died for her. But then there's this hunger, this urge, it comes out of nowhere and I just want her. "
"Is there someone else?" She asked plainly.
Jacob fell silent, looking down at the place where his ring used to be.
"I was married," he whispered. "To the absolute love of my life, and she was taken from me. That loss haunts me every day. Now I have all these mixed emotions, regret for what happened with Sara but at the same time satisfaction from it."
"Who was she?" She asked gently.
"Thea Queen…"
"Of that I am not surprised," Nyssa giggled. "She sees and is attracted to men of hidden power."
Jacob nodded silently.
"I was married to her brother, for a very brief time," she went on. "It was against my wishes but he was not an ill husband."
"I don't know how to process this," he admitted, shaking his head. "Thea is alive, Laurel isn't. Oliver is involved with another woman, you and Sara aren't married. It's all just a mess."
"This is your world now," she pressed. "You must accept it. Learn to adapt."
"That's why i'm here," he sighed looking around, the room seemed brighter as his eyes adjusted.
"That should be sufficient," she announced standing up. "We can continue on."
She wrenched open the door, revealing the smell of worn paper and melted beeswax. He stood up, peering into the room to see a massive library with flickering candles. shelves reached from floor to ceiling, old leather backed books filled the shelves with rolls on rolls of parchment beside them. Several figures sat at the tables nearby and peered over multiple items.
"This library has existed since the burning of the Great library at Alexandria," she explained as he looked at the shelves. "The knowledge and history of centuries is housed here."
Her words seemed to be lost on Jacob as he walked in and out of the closest shelfs, running his hands along the wood and eyes flickering over the names to each scroll.
"We will teach you countless languages: Arabic, German, French, Mandarin just to name a few. You will be able to blend in anywhere."
"I get to read all of these?" he asked, coming to the front of an aisle and looking at her hopefully.
"If you're teachers see fit," she responded with a nod. "It would take many lifetimes to process it all though."
"So where do we begin?" he asked, picking up a scroll and unrolling, only to find its contents written in an extremely faded language he couldn't read.
Before she could answer, a hooded figure appeared in front of her, seemingly out of nowhere and bowed quickly.
"What is it?" She hissed as the figure stood up. It unleashed a quick string of what sounded like garbled sounds, none of which Jacob could understand.
"Very well," she nodded and waved him off. "It seems there are other things that require my attention at the moment. You shall wait here till someone can show you to your quarters."
"Is everything alright?" he asked, rolling the parchment backup and setting it back where he found it.
"Nothing that won't be fixed shortly," she snapped, her face now starting to show annoyance. "It won't be long."
"Alright," he shrugged, walking over towards a set of chairs and taking a seat.
Nyssa shook her brown hair, before storming off to a side door. With a grunt, she wrenched it open to see someone standing just ahead. The person moved to the side quickly as Nyssa bustled past and down the corridor. Jacob peered into the darkness, trying to make out the persons face but couldn't.
"You will come with me," the person called, revealing itself to be a woman; the voice sounded familiar but Jacob couldn't place it. With a quick nod, he stood up and walked over to them.
"Pull the door shut behind you," one of the figures whispered as he passed, making him jump and turn his head.
"Come along now," The woman called with more urgency.
Regaining his composure, he quickly stepped it to the doorway, the woman walking ahead as he grew closer. Grabbing the iron ring on the door, he pulled it shut and sealed off the warm smell of beeswax.
"Where are we going?" he asked, turning around to his guide. In the light he managed to recognize the woman; it was the same one who had demonstrated her fighting prowess earlier in his tour. Her brown hair was still braided tightly behind her back and she still wore her fighting garb, only now her hands were completely bare.
"I was instructed to show you to your quarters," she answered, walking a few paces in front of him.
"Hey i recognize you," he called, quickening his pace so he was only a step behind her. " All Far, wasn't it?"
"Al'Faar," she corrected, emphasizing the change in sound. "And yes, that is my name."
"You seem to be around a lot, did you draw the short straw or something?"
"I do as I am told, brother," she quipped, stopping in her step to look at him. "Do you find my company displeasing?"
"What, no." He answered, almost tripping before turning to look at her. "It was just something I noticed."
"Hmm," she grunted, continuing her pace and leading him to the left and down another corridor.
They walked in silence for quite a while, Jacob almost certain he had offended her in some way. Before long, they came to a wooden door and stopped.
"These are your quarters," she said plainly, shoving open the door and holding out her arm to indicate that he should enter.
Jacob looked inside, finding very plain surroundings and getting a feeling of De ja vu.
"Are these the same quarters I was in earlier?" he asked.
"That is correct," she answered plainly. "There are training attire on your bed, you will be awoken in the morning to begin your first combat training."
"Well alright then," he muttered, turning away and starting towards the bed.
"Brother," she called, still standing at the door and looking straight ahead. "I will be your first teacher, you will need every ounce of sleep you can get."
With that, she slammed the door.
"Perfect," he sighed, picking up the clothing from his bed. Only been here for a few days and i've already managed to piss someone off, he thought to himself, that's got to be some kind of record. With a mental and physical shake of his head, he cleared his mind before tossing the clothing onto one of his wooden chairs.
Might as well sleep, he thought as he laid on the plain bed and fidgeted when he bumped against his healing brand. Tomorrow, tomorrow it all begins...
Unfortunately, this will hearby end Birth of The Blackbird. My life has taken a turn and for the next 6 months or so, I won't be able to do much writing. I do have a continuation started for what I was hoping to call Rise Of The Blackbird, but depending on how things go, it may or may not get posted. Thank you all so very much for reading and supporting me during my journey. Cheers