STRIDING THROUGH THEcorridors alongside her twin sister, Lucy tried to ignore the people who were staring at her. At them.
She was walking with Jacquelyn on one side, and strolling behind her, close enough that she could feel his breath on her heels, was Cabaro.
The lion was radiating irritation, which the assassin understood. She and her sister had teamed up to lock him in the washroom the previous night, so she was able to sleep somewhat peacefully, but someone had come across the locked door and forced it open, nearly getting mauled by the outraged wildcat who tore into the poor Greencloak's leg.
Scarily similar to how the lioness had mauled Lucy's leg back when she was a child.
When she had awoken the next morning, Cabaro had been waiting for her, and he pounced, claws tearing into the bedsheets where she had been less than a second prior.
Their commotion had alerted Jacquelyn, who had not been sleeping, but had been perched out on the roof just beyond the window. She'd pulled them apart and chased the cat away, but not before he'd managed to give Lucy a heart attack.
Now, the twins were up, dressed causally in tank-tops and leggings, headed toward the training room for their first day of sparring. She honestly hoped it had something to do with combat - she was itching for a fight.
At her side, Jacquelyn kept pace with her, a pillowcase slung over her shoulder. How she had managed to stuff her overgrown chicken into that without getting her face clawed up was unknown to Lucy, but she definitely admired the creativity her sister used to transport the stubborn bird.
Cabaro stalked behind them; Lucy was vaguely aware of his presence, but pretended that she didn't care at the moment where he was, so long as it was not on top of her with his claws ready to spear her.
The two entered the room as directed in their morning letters, Lucy immediately taking note of the three exits spaced out equally around the circular room. The ceiling was vaulted, most likely for those sporting winged beasts to grant them more freedom.
The lion stalked in behind them, though he wisely kept his distance from the twins, not wanting to be hit again. The brunette suspected that it was less about being clawed at and more along the lines of not willing to risk his pride a second time by pouncing, though she wouldn't jump to conclusions about an animal she barely knew.
Coming in from the other entrance, Lucy caught sight of Conor, followed by the impressive beast that was his wolf. His eyes wandered over to them, and he made his way over, glancing around. "Is this the place?"
"It's the only place that's labeled as 'training', so I'd bet my life on it." Jacquelyn commented dryly from behind Lucy, who noticed that she still hadn't released Halawir from his confines, and that the bird had stopped struggling. Her sister's masked face was difficult to read, but Lucy thought she looked a bit tired.
Conor glanced between them, his expression some mix between surprise and guilt. "Oh, uh, sorry for asking." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.
This kid's got some anxiety issues.Lucy found herself inwardly speaking, watching the boy as he shuffled away from them. Briggan placed himself between his summoner and a snarling Cabaro, who seemed to be a bit too close for comfort.
A moment later, Meilin entered through the entrance that the twins had come through, her stride as elegant as ever. If Lucy didn't know any better, she would have assumed the girl to be some sort of assassin, rather than just the noble general's daughter.
"Glad to see you," Conor said upon sighting her, rubbing his arm self-consciously as he crossed to meet her halfway. "I was starting to worry I'd come to the wrong place."
"You weren't wrong," Jacquelyn muttered, "unless we're stupid."
"I got a message with my breakfast," Meilin replied, gaze flickering toward Lucy and Jacquelyn before focusing upon Conor for a moment. "They asked me to report here with Jhi as soon as I finished."
Conor nodded. "Me too. I could hardly eat after the note." He paused. "I can't, um, I don't know my letters very well, so I had to get help to read it. Did it sound like a test to you?"
"Some kind of assessment."
Conor glanced at Briggan, then back at Meilin. "I guess Jhi is on your hand?"
"She seems to prefer it much of the time."
"At least you can already put her away if you don't want to be around her," Lucy offered, sending a glare toward the wretched cat who was now facing off with Briggan near the wall. She silently told herself that if she was truly stuck with the monster, once she learned passive state for him, she would keep him there to avoid being killed in her sleep. "I'd give my soul to put him passive and keep him there."
Jacquelyn muttered some words of agreement as Rollan entered the room, the falcon on his shoulder. "Am I late?"
"Right on time." The brunette offered, electing to remove the mask she wore to better her breathing.
Conor looked up, focusing on Rollan, his face giving way to relief. "Glad you're here."
Jacquelyn had told Lucy of what went down the previous night, and she hadn't felt much about it, though she was aware that her sister sneaking around without getting caught was impressive in a place with as high a guard as the secondary base of the Greencloaks.
"Nobody else has shown up yet?" Rollan asked.
"Not yet," Conor said.
Lucy examined her nails as the room went awkwardly silent, until the street kid once again spoke. "Are we going to fight to the death?"
"Nothing that exciting," Tarik said, as he and Viatrix entered the room with two other men and three women. All wore green cloaks, and all kept their gazes focused upon the beasts. "We evaluate all new recruits to gauge their abilities."
"Just as a first step," Viatrix added, hands clasped behind her back.
"Who are your friends?" Rollan asked, gesturing to the other Greencloaks who were unfamiliar to Lucy.
"Observers," Tarik answered calmly. "They'll assist you as needed. Pay them little mind. I just want to put each of you through a few exercises."
"Finally," Rollan grumbled, "somebody to stare at us."
The two men crossed to Conor and Rollan. One woman approached Meilin, one moved toward Jacquelyn, and a thin, blonde woman sporting a cloak the color of moss approached Lucy. She held virtually no muscle, and her skin was pressed around the structure of her face, leaving her features sharp.
"Meilin, could you produce Jhi?" Tarik asked.
Lucy watched with interest as the other girl closed her eyes, and in a dim flash of brilliant light, the panda appeared at her side.
"Well done," Tarik complimented. "Some who have newly learned to use the passive state struggle to release their animals. You did that swiftly, which is important. While passive, your spirit animal cannot aid you."
Meilin gave a nod and a smile.
"Jacquelyn," Viatrix took Lucy's attention by addressing her sister. "Could you produce Halawir for us?"
She noted the annoyed look in Jacquelyn's single eye as she slung the pillowcase forward and dropped it, allowing the eagle to at last free himself with an explosive shriek, sending feathers drifting down as he hopped up onto the rafters above their heads.
The Greencloaks all blinked in surprise, while Tarik sported a disapproving stare. "Your spirit animal deserves a degree of respect."
Jacquelyn scoffed. "Tell that to the pigeon. He wasn't cooperating, so it was either that or risk my eye, which I won't be doing."
Viatrix sighed softly. "Halawir was always a prideful beast. He was regarded as one of the most regal of the fifteen. You must be patient with each other. Stuffing him into your bedsheets was not an ideal solution."
"Yeah, well it was the best solution I could come up with." Jacquelyn waved her off. "Can we continue?"
"Please allow your escorts to blindfold you," Tarik instructed, drawing his gaze away from the redhead. "We're going to test your awareness of your spirit animals without the aid of sight."
"I would advise against touching me," Jacquelyn grumbled to her own escort as Lucy eyed the blonde woman in front of her, who produced a white cloth and approached. A moment later, the world was enveloped in darkness.
"Do you guys fight a lot with your eyes closed?" She heard Rollan comment, and wisely bit her tongue to avoid a snippy remark. She could understand why they would train without using a sense. After all, anything could happen. Her sister was already one eye less than before, and she herself had needed to train for months to strengthen her mangled leg.
"This will simulate a situation where your spirit animal is out of view," Tarik explained to them, as if the question had not been meant to rattle him. "Relax and follow instructions."
The woman standing near Lucy placed a hand on her shoulder, careful to avoid skin-on-skin contact, and began guiding her toward the wall behind them. A snarl of distaste told her that Jacquelyn's escort had not been as careful, and she could barely hear the whispered apology that came from the Greencloak in response.
"The animals have all changed position," Tarik announced. "I now challenge each of you to point out the location of your animal. I respectfully ask the animals to keep silent."
Lucy exhaled slowly, putting her mind at ease and reaching out with her senses to see if she could feel Cabaro, and she could. His presence was very obvious in the back of her mind, though it was as though there were a wall between them - a wall she herself built to keep him out of her head. He was there, but he was not reaching her.
And that blockade went both ways.
"Good, Conor. Very close," Tarik praised.
Lucy debated taking down the barrier that was keeping Cabaro out, but ultimately decided against it, instead judging her position in the room. Since she had moved back, she knew her place relatively well, but she also knew that Cabaro had moved while she had moved.
"I'm sorry, Rollan, you're way off," Tarik said. "But good job, Conor. Briggan is moving and you're tracking him well."
"Jacquelyn, why don't you try to participate?" Viatrix suggested, only for the response to come in the form of a string of swears.
Lucy smirked, but then tuned everything out in favor of listening for the sound of her lion's breathing, reaching for the smell of his fur. Just because she could not see or sense him did not mean she needed to be truly helpless.
"Meilin, if you're unsure, rely on your instincts."
Tarik's voice broke through her concentration, but she shoved out all other noise in search of something . . .
There!
It was barely there, but she could distinguish the low breathing of the lion, and the more she focused, the more she could feel his paws vibrating against the ground, his heartbeat thrumming within his chest. She caught the sense and pointed toward the right, where she felt the presence at its strongest, and then heard Viatrix whistle.
"Nice job, Lucy."
"Not even close, Meilin," Tarik remarked immediately after, with a touch of humor in his tone.
A pause.
"Better, but still far off."
"Jacquelyn," Viatrix spoke again. "You're right about the fact that he's flying, but not exactly on him."
"Not bad, Rollan," Tarik added. "Not good, but you're doing too well for it to only be chance. Conor, you're a natural at this."
Lucy heard a piercing shriek from Essix, and then heard her sister swear in their native tongue. It caused her to pause in what she was doing, wondering why her sister was irritated.
"Care to try one more time, Meilin?" Tarik asked.
"I feel nothing."
"It's not unusual," he responded.
Bored of this, Lucy pulled off her blindfold, blinking away the shadows from her vision. Glancing over toward where she'd pointed, she clearly saw the figure of her lion, sprawled out despite the efforts of the escort who tried to lead him. He seemed more content to groom his paws than follow another person around like a dog.
Conor had Briggan pinned under his finger, keeping him even when the wolf changed directions and zigzagged across the training room.
Rollan didn't seem to know much beyond identifying which side of the room Essix currently resided in.
Jacquelyn was just pointing up, and Lucy saw that she had removed her mask for the exercise, her lips twisted into an irritated frown. Halawir swooped around, drifting in the air before performing dives and spirals.
"How can I improve?" Meilin asked, her voice urgent.
"You can already call Jhi to her passive state," Tarik acknowledged, "so earning the trust of your beast does not seem to be the problem. I imagine it will just take time to strengthen your connection. Part of that includes your receptiveness to her."
"You may remove your blindfolds," Viatrix called, noticing that Lucy had already taken hers off.
The brunette joined Jacquelyn over near the far wall as the blindfold was removed, the mask replaced, and the air almost returning to a calm and relaxed sort, aside from a sliver of tension.
"Next we'll try a physical exercise," Tarik announced.
Lucy smirked, fingers twitching. Now this was where she could dominate, even without the help of her lazy spirit animal. She was physically stronger than Jacquelyn, who sported greater agility and endurance. But "physical exercise" could very well test things other than strength. It would be wise to remain on guard until she was certain this was her place of expertise.
"All five of you will go to the far wall." Tarik indicated the wall he meant. "You'll run across the room and touch this other wall as high as you can, then run back and strike the suspended bag with all your might. Ask your animals to enhance your efforts in any way they can."
She followed the path he indicated with her gaze, silently examining each obstacle. The run wouldn't be too difficult, but she knew the bags were probably filled with rocks or sand, making them very heavy.
"Will we do it at the same time?" Meilin asked.
"Yes," Tarik replied. "The first to reach the bag will strike it first, and so forth. We'll evaluate your speed, the height of your leap, and the force with which you hit the bag. Go ahead and take a moment with your animals."
Lucy turned on her heel and approached Cabaro, halting a few feet away so he would do too much damage if he wanted to lash out. He momentarily stopped grooming his paws to stare up at her with bright tawny eyes.
It felt awkward to talk to an animal who was as indifferent to her as she was to him. He barely acknowledged her since bonding, which was fine, seeing as she herself didn't put forth any effort. She once again considered taking her walls down to let him in, but her rage toward the useless furball deterred her from giving him the benefit of the doubt. Why had a lion,thelion, chosen her, of everyone in Erdas? It had to be more than random chance when it came to the summoner of a Great Beast, but what could she have done to warrant this sort of destiny?
Gesturing toward him now, she allowed her features to settle into a scowl.
"Look, you useless cat," she snapped. "I can win this with or without you. I have the training, and maybe only Jacquelyn can beat me. But if I end up in the top two at the very least, that credit will go to me, and not to you."
She noticed that Jacquelyn was heading to the wall, so she strode over to join her twin.
Briggan paced along one of the side walls, watching the three with strange intensity. Essix flew up to roost on the beam above the suspended bag, joined a moment later by Halawir as the eagle became tired of doing tricks. Jhi sat where Meilin had left her, looking on silently. Cabaro at least had the decency to sit up, though his expression remained sour.
Rollan smirked at Meilin. "Did you have to run much in your palace?"
"I didn't live in a palace," the Zhongese warrior replied curtly.
We did.Lucy mused with a humorous glance toward Jacquelyn, who wasn't focused on the conversation and was instead observing her nails distractedly.
"I run fine," Conor offered. "I haven't done it much lately. How about you, Rollan?"
"Orphans have to run well," he replied. "A slow orphan ends up in jail."
"Weren't you just in jail?" Meilin asked innocently.
"Are you ready?" Tarik called.
One Greencloak observer stood by them against the starting wall. Another was positioned by the wall where they would jump. And the third waited near the hanging sack. The other two stood off to the side with Viatrix, watching intently. All five kids touched the wall behind them.
"Get ready," Tarik said. "And . . . go!"
Lucy shoved off the wall aggressively, putting strength into her first few sprints before she collected her rhythm and steadied her pace. Jacquelyn was at the head, acting as though this were a simple jog despite the panting of the boys behind them. In the back of her mind, something urged her to ask for Cabaro's help, but she pushed that desire down and threw her entire focus into the run.
As she approached the wall for the jump, Jacquelyn was still a few paces ahead, and Rollan was close enough on her tail to give her a bit of anxiety. Meilin and Conor were at the very back, about even.
The jump ahead of her would also prove to be in her secondary set of skills, while Jacquelyn's agility would certainly give her the edge. Lucy decided to try her best to get close to her younger twin, but knew that the bag she would be hitting moments after the jump would be the true test of her abilities.
Sure enough, Jacquelyn sprang easily and slapped the wall, her movements as graceful as a bird, and yet Lucy was sure it came naturally, not from her spirit animal.
She launched up after Jacquelyn disappeared back the way they'd come, slapping the wall herself. While she didn't hit as high as her sister, she still realized that she came close, and after spinning around to make her way toward the sand bags, she saw that the others were making their jumps.
A piercing howl cut through the room. Briggan. Lucy glanced over her shoulder to see Conor overtake Meilin and Rollan, gaining on her quickly.
Jacquelyn launched again and struck the bag with her fist barely moving it, but her spring was still impressive. Lucy made it before Conor, throwing all her strength into ramming the bag with her shoulder. It bucked and swung as she landed, immediately trying to calm the speed of her heart and regulate her breathing.
Conor struck the bag, barely jerking it, followed by Rollan, who didn't make it move at all. Meilin came in last, and she caused the bag to jolt under her strike. She broke her fall with her hands and rose to her feet, panting.
"Are you all right, Conor?" Tarik asked.
He rose gingerly, rubbing his shoulder. "I'm okay."
"You might have warned us it was full of rocks," Rollan complained, massaging his wrist.
"Sand," Tarik replied calmly, looking around at everyone. "Thoughts?"
"Not much beyond their natural talents," the female Greencloak who had trained with Meilin reported.
"Except toward the end of Conor's run," one of the male Greencloaks pointed out.
"How did that feel?" Tarik asked.
"When Briggan howled?" Conor asked. "I don't know - it was like I had the wind at my back. I felt more aggressive. I wasn't planning to ram the sack, but it felt right." He grimaced. "Until I hit it."
Viatrix glanced toward the twins. "Jacquelyn was fast and agile, all traits that can be granted from a bird." She pointed out.
Jacquelyn narrowed her eye. "The pigeon had nothing to do with it. What you saw comes from years of hard work and training, not some weird bird."
Lucy placed a hand on her shoulder, jerking back when her sister flinched, as though the touch sent fire through her bones.
"You must have felt something," the Greencloak with the scrawny frame who had led Lucy on the first exercise responded in irritation. "Trained or not, your spirit animals can amplify your abilities even more."
"Look," Jacquelyn stepped forward, her body rigid and unlike her usual movements, "I don't speak for anyone else, but the bird did nothing. What you saw was a fraction of my own abilities. I don't need some 'Great Eagle' to prove that to anyone."
"I agree with Jac," Lucy finally said, eyeing her sister's posture with concern. "Our animals are useless to us in tests of strength and speed, because we've been training our whole lives without them."
Viatrix glanced at Tarik, but no one spoke anything else on the subject.
The Greencloak near the far wall spoke up. "Meilin may have had a little boost when she jumped."
"Did you feel it, Meilin?" Tarik asked.
"Maybe a little," she replied. "To be honest, I mostly felt on my own."
"If the panda had helped, she would have gone slower," Rollan joked.
"You certainly punched like a bird," Meilin shot back. "It was hard as a feather."
"Whoa," Rollan said, raising his hands. "Better not pick on the panda."
"No squabbling," Tarik ordered. "Your relationships with your animals are individual in nature. This isn't a contest. I mainly wanted to make each of you more aware of your spirit animal and how you might learn to help one another."
Lucy looked toward Cabaro, the cat having not moved from his sprawled position against the wall. He lifted his gaze to meet her eyes, and despite herself, she felt her own gaze drop first. This was a useless pairing. She and Cabaro were nothing alike. He was vain and lazy, and she was strong and active. At least with the others, she could see why they were paired. Conor and Briggan got along fine, and despite being a natural enemy of shepherds, the wolf seemed to respect his summoner. Essix and Rollan, though not strong in their bond yet, were both independent spirits. Meilin and Jhi complimented each other like mirrors, like the symbol of equal balance. Even Jacquelyn and Halawir shared similarities in their aggression, pride, and regal attitudes.
But she and Cabaro had nothing in common. They weren't even opposites. She found the pairing odd.
"Are we done?" Conor asked.
Tarik exchanged nods with the other Greencloaks. "We've seen enough for now."
"What does it look like when you hit the bag?" Rollan challenged.
Tarik glanced at the other Greencloaks, then at the kids. "You'd like a demonstration?"
Lucy glanced at Jacquelyn, who once again, had found something else to focus on. She was sweating, and the elder twin glanced back toward the Greencloaks. "I don't think we need-"
Viatrix elbowed Tarik. "Go on. Show off a bit, old man."
He exhaled, and then, with a flash, a sleek otter appeared.
Rollan choked back a laugh. "Your spirit animal is an otter?"
"Lumeo is more clown than beast," Tarik explained, as the otter twisted around his body, twirling and spinning until he settled on the man's arm. "All right," He told his beast indulgently. "We all know you're the biggest showoff here. Do you mind lending me some help for a moment?"
Lumeo jolted to attention as Tarik set him down and walked toward the starting wall. A moment later, he burst forward, starting his run at a speed that even Lucy's master could not achieve. She watched as he made it to the wall, launching up and rebounding off three separate times to gain height. He hit the wall almost twice as high as Meilin, though it looked like Jacquelyn had come close. As he fell, Tarik pushed off from the wall, performed an impressive backflip, and landed running. When he reached the hanging bag, his punch made it leap and quake. He then moved back toward the others.
"Amazing!" Conor exclaimed, clapping.
Rollan clapped as well, and gave a whistle, and even Mailin gave a few quiet claps.
Jacquelyn had watched the display, and also offered some applause, but she was already making her way to the door, and Lucy swore that her sister hunched over to cough, though it was so quiet that she wasn't completely sure.
Tarik extended a hand to his otter. "Lumeo deserves the accolades. Without him, I could not have done any of that. We're a team, just as you are with your animals. Explore that connection, and you will be rewarded."
"Impressive," Meilin conceded from behind Lucy. "But I feel like we're getting distracted. Zhong is under attack. People are dying. Who knows how many cities have fallen by now? I've come a long way in good faith, but I'm starting to wonder how my presence in Amaya is helping the war in Zhong. When will we learn what you Greencloaks want from us? I didn't cross Erdas to run races and kick sacks of sand."
"Soon," Tarik promised. "Olvan is finalizing his plans. You five have no idea how vital you are. We have to use you correctly. And you must try your best to be ready."
"You all are the very face of the upcoming trials." Viatrix added, and when she spoke, Lucy realized that they had yet to see what her spirit animal was. There was no visible tattoo, so she figured the animal must have slept beneath her clothing.
Tarik and the other Greencloaks departed. Meilin moved directly to Jhi, who had rolled over onto her back, legs splayed out ridiculously.
"Let's go back to our room," she told the panda.
Jhi looked up expectantly.
Meilin raised her hand. "You want a lift? Guess what? As a reward for all your help, you get to walk today."
Meilin started toward her room, not caring whether the panda followed or not.
Lucy glanced toward Jacquelyn, who stood at the edge of the room near the doors they'd entered previously. She crossed to join her, and as they exited with their animals trailing behind, she leaned over to speak quietly.
"Jackie?"
Her response was a glance in her direction.
"Are you okay?" Lucy asked. "You seem to have gotten rather . . . sluggish during the exercises."
Jacquelyn waved her off, forcing a smile beneath her mask. "I'm fine. Just a headache."
"Still?" She questioned. "Shouldn't that have gone away by now?"
Her sister gave a shrug of one shoulder. "The healers say everything is fine, but I still have headaches. Some dizziness." She caught her eye, and something on Lucy's face must have shown concern, because the Phoenix straightened up. "Don't look at me like that. It's just some stupid concussion. I'll be okay."
Lucy stopped walking as Jacquelyn continued on, and as Halawir glided after the younger twin, Lucy shared her first real concern with Cabaro in the form of a sideways glance.
Something was definitely wrong.
