doesn't
react, or at least she doesn't say anything. She does arch her neck
and stare down her nose at me . “Your hair
is full of mud and your clothes are tattered and torn,” she points
out.
I look at her
pointedly . “Oh gosh, I didn't notice.
Thanks for pointing that out.”
“A soldier of the
Royal Army is expected to keep clean and neat at all times,” she
says with a sniff.
“Are they? I suppose
looking good is more important than actually being good,” I
quip.
“Do you enjoy
sleeping in the mud and tracking it across your bed?” she stares in
distaste at my silt-covered pillow.
“Well I've kind of
been trapped in this room for the past 20 hours without food and
water. I'm sorry if my pillow offends you.”
“You are an
impetuous, unruly child. I can see why they warned me about you. I
predict right now that you will be untrainable, and that the army
will have to dispose of you.”
I look up sharply at
the term dispose. Though fear starts to rise in me, I damp down on
it. I do it with anger. I burn right through that fear, snarling as
I do . “I predict right now that if you
try to do anything, I will knock down your base.”
The woman raises an
eyebrow . “Be warned, we will not tolerate
your childish threats. Either you will perform in our training
sessions, or the army will dispose of you. There is no one else to
turn to, no one you can rely on, and the only way we will respond
favorably to you, is if you show yourself to be a loyal, trainable
soldier.”
“Where is Castor?” I
ask blankly.
“You will not see
him. He is engaged in a task for the Royal Family, and you, my
child, will never go anywhere near them.”
I stand. Slowly.
I know when I'm being threatened.
“There are countless
enchantments protecting this room. You can’t call upon your magic
here,” the woman suddenly warns, for the first time looking more
like a person and less like a statue.
I go to open my left hand and show the woman just how
much magic I supposedly can't call upon, then I stop.
Now Castor is not by my side, it is up to me to
protect myself. It is up to me to keep my secret safe.
I let my hand drop unwillingly to my side. Then I
stare at the woman and I wait.
She rolls her eyes
and pinches her nose . “Training will
begin immediately, though you will be given time to clean and dress
in appropriate clothes,” she adds as she stares at my
sandals.
I don't say anything.
I control myself.
But barely.
Whilst my magic is burning through me, begging to be
let out so I can teach this arrogant woman a lesson, my mind
controls it.
I'm doing this for Castor, I tell myself. I will find
him and I will find out what's going on here. Then I will convince
him to flee, and we will begin our lives anew. I don't have time
for this stupid misadventure in the Royal City; I must spend every
day training if I have any hope of defeating the Night.
Yet, if I want to get out of here, I have to be
careful. I can't burn through the walls; there are enough soldiers
around here to stop me. This time, they might just kill me too.
I have to be careful.
It's only with that realization that I follow the
woman and allow myself to be cleaned and dressed.
I tell myself I will play their game until I see an
opportunity. And, just as Castor taught, I will take that
opportunity and I will burn down any obstacle that gets in my
way.
Chapter 13
Captain Yang
I shake a little as I run down the halls back to my
room. As I close the door behind me, I lean against it for a few
minutes. Though I know I have to neaten myself up and head straight
over to the Royal Palace, I can't pull myself away from the
wall.
Up until now I have had a stable, reliable life.
Whenever it's become rocky, I've smoothly flowed around obstacles
like water.
But now it feels as if I've been dammed up. I have never
faced something like this before, and half wonder how many people
through the ages have.
Though I don't know as much about the legend of
react, or at least she doesn't say anything. She does arch her neck
and stare down her nose at me . “Your hair
is full of mud and your clothes are tattered and torn,” she points
out.
I look at her
pointedly . “Oh gosh, I didn't notice.
Thanks for pointing that out.”
“A soldier of the
Royal Army is expected to keep clean and neat at all times,” she
says with a sniff.
“Are they? I suppose
looking good is more important than actually being good,” I
quip.
“Do you enjoy
sleeping in the mud and tracking it across your bed?” she stares in
distaste at my silt-covered pillow.
“Well I've kind of
been trapped in this room for the past 20 hours without food and
water. I'm sorry if my pillow offends you.”
“You are an
impetuous, unruly child. I can see why they warned me about you. I
predict right now that you will be untrainable, and that the army
will have to dispose of you.”
I look up sharply at
the term dispose. Though fear starts to rise in me, I damp down on
it. I do it with anger. I burn right through that fear, snarling as
I do . “I predict right now that if you
try to do anything, I will knock down your base.”
The woman raises an
eyebrow . “Be warned, we will not tolerate
your childish threats. Either you will perform in our training
sessions, or the army will dispose of you. There is no one else to
turn to, no one you can rely on, and the only way we will respond
favorably to you, is if you show yourself to be a loyal, trainable
soldier.”
“Where is Castor?” I
ask blankly.
“You will not see
him. He is engaged in a task for the Royal Family, and you, my
child, will never go anywhere near them.”
I stand. Slowly.
I know when I'm being threatened.
“There are countless
enchantments protecting this room. You can’t call upon your magic
here,” the woman suddenly warns, for the first time looking more
like a person and less like a statue.
I go to open my left hand and show the woman just how
much magic I supposedly can't call upon, then I stop.
Now Castor is not by my side, it is up to me to
protect myself. It is up to me to keep my secret safe.
I let my hand drop unwillingly to my side. Then I
stare at the woman and I wait.
She rolls her eyes
and pinches her nose . “Training will
begin immediately, though you will be given time to clean and dress
in appropriate clothes,” she adds as she stares at my
sandals.
I don't say anything.
I control myself.
But barely.
Whilst my magic is burning through me, begging to be
let out so I can teach this arrogant woman a lesson, my mind
controls it.
I'm doing this for Castor, I tell myself. I will find
him and I will find out what's going on here. Then I will convince
him to flee, and we will begin our lives anew. I don't have time
for this stupid misadventure in the Royal City; I must spend every
day training if I have any hope of defeating the Night.
Yet, if I want to get out of here, I have to be
careful. I can't burn through the walls; there are enough soldiers
around here to stop me. This time, they might just kill me too.
I have to be careful.
It's only with that realization that I follow the
woman and allow myself to be cleaned and dressed.
I tell myself I will play their game until I see an
opportunity. And, just as Castor taught, I will take that
opportunity and I will burn down any obstacle that gets in my
way.
Chapter 13
Captain Yang
I shake a little as I run down the halls back to my
room. As I close the door behind me, I lean against it for a few
minutes. Though I know I have to neaten myself up and head straight
over to the Royal Palace, I can't pull myself away from the
wall.
Up until now I have had a stable, reliable life.
Whenever it's become rocky, I've smoothly flowed around obstacles
like water.
But now it feels as if I've been dammed up. I have never
faced something like this before, and half wonder how many people
through the ages have.
Though I don't know as much about the legend of
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