Chapter 20

Chapter

Twenty

The days passed quickly, and before I knew it we were in the final stretch of boot camp. We knew there was a final test that would be pressed upon us at any moment before we could be cleared to graduate. That night we were woken in the early morning hours by sirens.

My heart jackknifed in my chest at the loud noise blaring into my sleep, waking me with a start.

The attack. The death Kohen had spoken of. It had plagued me all week and now it was happening.

"Take cover!" I screamed to Tetra, but then I heard Instructor Ashendell on the bullhorn.

"This is a drill!" she said, and Tetra peered up at me like I'd sprouted a second head. Relief crashed through me. Not the attack Kohen spoke about.

"In this simulation, you will be protecting a shipment. Your task is to safely get it from point A to point B. Along the way there might be some trouble, so make contingency plans. This is a twenty-four-hour simulation, and we leave in one hour. Get ready!"

Twenty-four-hour simulation!

I immediately started to get dressed.

"Pack some MREs," I told Tetra. We couldn't count on the Fleet to feed us during a simulation. Elaine had told me that there would be simulations. Some would last a few hours and would even take you off campus into the woods. But protecting a shipment for twenty-four hours was new. If I was being honest, it was exciting. I'd trained my whole life for this, to be thrust into the action. I really hoped they put me in a leadership position, but if not I would defer to whoever my leader was.

Ten minutes later, I walked into the mess hall with Tetra hobbling beside me. She winced as we moved quickly and I peered over at her.

"You okay?"

She gave me a look of alarm. "Flare."

No. No. No. Panic rose up inside of me.

"Did you pack your meds?" I asked her, eyeing the pack on her back that we'd just thrown together in minutes.

She nodded once, lips pursed. "I'll be fine."

I was worried about her going out there like this but I couldn't voice it. The drill instructors had pushed three lunch tables together and had spread a bunch of maps out on it. We had to join the others. Tetra had dealt with this her whole life. I had to trust that she'd speak up if she wasn't okay.

"I will be announcing our team leaders!" Instructor Ashendell said, and Tetra and I moved closer. "These leaders will take turns picking one of you for their team. If you are last to be picked, you owe me a hundred push-ups because you are PATHETIC!" she shouted and I wanted to laugh. Elaine told me that boot camp was all about psychological warfare, and that most of these instructors were nothing like this on the outside. They just thought of mean and demeaning things to say to try to break you down. It wasn't working. My entire cohort of cadets had been pretty badass so far. No one had given up or been kicked out.

"The leaders for this simulation are…"

I wiggled my toes inside of my boots in an effort to expel the nervous energy from my body without making it look like I was anxious.

"Jace!" she called and everyone cheered. There was a small "Booo" that came from Tetra's direction, and I had to contain my smile.

Jace walked up to the front, grinning and proud. We'd been so busy with training and drills I hadn't really had much time to think of him and his betrayal. But when I looked at him now, I could honestly say there was no attraction left for me. He was dead to me emotionally and physically.

"Kohen Badshah!" Ashendell announced, and there were fewer claps as he strode across the room to stand next to Jace, his face emotionless. The boys' muscles twitched at being in close proximity to each other.

"Alek!" Ashendell said, and my stomach sank a little. I was happy for Alek, but… was Ashendell going to pick me? Was this because I was the emperor's daughter? Maybe they thought if I was a leader I would get hurt. But as the future empress, shouldn't my leadership skills be tested?

"Summer," she called, and I was no longer nervous—I was pissed. They thought she had leadership skills and I didn't? That was such BS.

"And finally…" Ashendell's gaze flicked to mine and I nearly vomited in anticipation. Was she messing with me? Say my name already, woman! I wanted to scream.

"Roc!" she called, and I felt disappointment bloom in my stomach.

I wasn't chosen. Was this a direct reflection of my service thus far? I wanted to cry, but I was an Everhart, so instead I just glared at Instructor Ashendell.

She met my gaze and tipped her chin high as if she stood by her decision. I clenched my teeth so hard they nearly snapped in half.

"Each leader will pick one person for their team until there is no one left. All teams will work together as a single unit, but each team will be given a separate task. Navigation, security, scouting, medical, and a battle unit, in case of attack."

I knew right away I wanted to be in the battle unit, but I also knew that choice was not up to me either. This was what being a part of the Imperial Fleet was. It forced you to be obedient and take orders without complaint, and I was no exception.

"Jace, you can start. Pick your first teammate," Ashendell said, and stood back.

Jace's gaze flicked to mine and I shook my head slightly. There was no way in hell I was taking orders from him. He rolled his eyes as if I were being overly dramatic. Was he serious? Like I was going to just get over him screwing some rando after promising a future to me?

"Tucker," he said, and his best friend walked up and stood behind him with a grin.

"Aisling," Kohen said without skipping a beat, catching me off guard.

Jace shot Kohen a glare and I swallowed hard, stepping up behind him.

Was this complicated? Yes.

Was I going to make a big deal out of it in front of everyone? No.

I didn't want to overthink it.

As more names got called, my gaze flicked to Tetra. I wondered if I could somehow communicate to Kohen to pick her on his next round?—

"Tetra," Kohen said when it came time for his second pick, and my heart nearly stopped.

He did that for me, there was no doubt about it. Kohen turned slightly and flicked his gaze back at me, and I wanted to thank him, but thought better of it with everyone so close and listening.

Tetra was slow to make it up to us, wincing as she leaned on her cane and dragging her bad foot more than she usually did.

"You okay?" I breathed.

She nodded, saying nothing, and stood behind me. Tetra was the toughest chick I knew. She lived with daily pain and never complained. I wished then that I'd been given healing powers and could take the pain away from her foot forever.

When it was Kohen's third pick, I thought for sure he would pick Dev, Nikhil, or another strong male, but he chose little Meera. It wasn't until he made his next choice, Anika, that I realized what he'd done, who he was. At his core, Kohen was a protector. He'd chosen all of the women in his life that he cared about and wanted to keep safe. Not because he thought we were weak but probably because he couldn't stand not being able to keep an eye on us.

And he chose me first.

It caused a mixture of feelings to bloom in my chest. Warmth, adoration, desire—confusion.

His last two picks were Nikhil and Dev. And Roc chose the remaining person, a scrawny guy named Sven who was bonded to a racoon and indeed did have to do a hundred push-ups.

Instructor Ashendell then walked over to each team leader and gave them a folded note. "This is your team assignment. It is not a secret. You may share it with the others, but no trading. Now you have twenty minutes to strategize. Dismissed."

Kohen flipped over our card and I read it: Battle Unit.

"Yes!" I pumped my fist and Kohen gave me a grin. It seemed we'd finally moved past all of our weirdness and were both just set on passing this final test so that we could graduate.

"Let's go look at the maps," Kohen said. "See if there are weak spots that would be vulnerable to an attack."

He moved with our team over to the table scattered with maps. I went to follow, then Ashendell hooked her hand gently under my arm and pulled me to the side.

"Are you wondering why I didn't choose you as team leader?" she said. Her face was calm and introspective.

I swallowed hard. "Because my father or the admirals asked you not to?" I assumed.

She shook her head. "On the contrary, they advised me to test your leadership skills on this final mission."

I couldn't help the hurt that crossed my face, and Ashendell saw it too, because her expression softened. "But, as your instructor, I want you to learn a lesson from this," she said. "As your father's successor, you are assured a leadership position in the future, and I have no doubt you will go on to do great things for our country. But this is your one chance to see what it's like to take orders, even when you don't agree with them, so that when it's your turn to do the ordering, you know how big of an ask it will be."

Her wise words shocked me into silence. Elaine would approve of this lesson. It sounded like something she might say.

"Yes, ma'am," I said, and she clapped me on the back and walked away.

But taking orders from Kohen Badshah? My father better not find out about that.

We reviewed the maps and the travel plan. The assignment was to travel with a special shipment, something secret that would be kept in the backmost train car, to Thunder Cliff base six hundred miles north near the Luksa border at The Wall. Kohen had suggested that we both fly over the train on our creatures and I agreed. We found two passes through the mountains near Golden Hills that looked like weak ambush points, so we were going to strengthen our battle unit over those two areas, being fully at the ready for attack.

As we hiked with the five groups out to the train station, Kohen let the others go ahead and he pulled me back. Tetra was wincing with every step and I was nervous for her. Even her creature Ariyel looked up at her sadly as they walked side by side.

Onyx and Liana flew above us until we got to the train. I peered at Kohen, wondering what he was going to tell me.

"Tetra rides into battle on her wolf in the future. It takes the weight off of her bad foot," he whispered to me.

I stopped walking, eyes wide. Had I just heard him correctly?

"I'm sorry. What?" I said.

He looked impatient. "I've seen Tetra ride her wolf in my visions. I wonder if you should suggest it. It will sound weird coming from me."

It sounded weird already and I knew about his gift, which had yet to be proven to me. He could be lying. Everything could be a lie. But in my heart I knew it probably wasn't… and that scared me.

I frowned. "Her wolf is too small." But even as I said it, I wondered if that was true. Tetra herself was barely five-foot-one and had a petite frame. She couldn't weigh more than a hundred and five pounds. Her wolf wasn't a normal wolf. She was a magical creature. Maybe she had super strength…

Kohen stared at me like I was a child. "Aisling, I've seen it. Small or not, her wolf is strong and she can handle her weight."

I looked up at his arresting blue eyes and then to his lips, thinking about when he said he wanted to kiss me but it wasn't where we'd have our first kiss. Now I wondered where that was. It drove me insane, knowing that I would one day kiss those lips. My brain said that could never happen, but my body ached for it.

I cleared my throat.

"Do you know how this simulation goes? Do we pass and go on to graduate?" I asked him. I needed some of his predictions to come true so that I could learn to trust them. Even so, he could be lying to mess with my head. But would he do that? He didn't seem the vindictive type that my father made him out to be. I was trying to be loyal to my family but also listen to my heart. My heart told me that Kohen Badshah was a good man, and my body told me that it wanted that good man to do all the things he said happened in his vision.

He shrugged. "I assume we pass since I've seen us all graduate."

Hmm, that was handy knowledge, but not detailed enough for me to use as an indicator that he did indeed see the future. "And the attack you spoke about… on the training campus?"

He swallowed hard. "I don't know when that happens. It could be tomorrow or a year from now. But it won't happen until you hurt your wrist." His gaze flicked to my arm and I frowned.

"Your right arm is in a cast when the attack happens," he said.

Okay, that was detailed. I was starting to get freaked-out again.

"Badshah! Everhart!" Ashendell shouted. "You can chat later, we have a package to drop off!" We snapped to attention, stepping away from each other. I walked up to Tetra, who was limping, wincing with each step. Kohen widened his eyes as if telling me to say something.

"Hey, T," I whispered to her. "Have you ever thought about riding Ariyel?"

Tetra looked at me like I was insane. "She's not a horse. I would never disrespect her like that."

But the second I said it, Ariyel looked up at her, nudging her bad leg with her nose.

Tetra scowled at her. "No. I can walk," she ground out.

My gaze flicked to Kohen and I shrugged. My bestie was hardheaded sometimes, and it was important to me that she had her dignity. I didn't agree with the choice. I would think taking the weight off my painful leg in any way possible was a great idea, but I wasn't about to force her to do anything she didn't feel comfortable with.

"You're right," I agreed. "Your cane would probably get lonely."

She grinned at the joke and reached out to softly punch my arm. "My crystal cane is badass, I can't wait to get it back," she told me.

"So badass. I want to get you one with a top that pops off and reveals a hidden knife inside," I shared with her.

She laughed. "That would be awesome."

I glanced at Kohen. He looked disappointed that Tetra hadn't jumped all over his idea. It made me wonder if he really should be messing with the future. Like suggesting something before it was time. Who knew what kind of consequences that had. On the other hand, something like an attack on the school I would love to know more about and get every detail so that we could stop it.

We reached the train, where everyone else was waiting. It was over ten cars long.

Liana and Onyx landed, bowing low so that we could climb onto their backs. I slipped my leg into the stirrup and peered at Kohen. He did the same, and then we waited for all of our teammates to get into the back three cars. As the side door slid open, I saw the payload. It was a steel box about the size of a large boulder that could be carried by two men. The cadets filed in around it, their creatures climbing in with them. The train cars had a bunch of drilled holes in the upper half for airflow, and there seemed to be open hatches at the top, because Jace's security team began to climb out onto the roof, along with the rest of our battle team. Sans Tetra and Meera.

I was hoping that someone had talked some sense into her and told her to stay inside. Probably Anika; she seemed to have a soft spot for my bestie.

"What is the cargo?" Kohen asked Ashendell casually, indicating the steel crate inside.

"Assume that your clearance level doesn't allow you to know," she shot back.

Kohen pursed his lips but nodded.

Summer's team, who were in charge of navigation, pulled out their maps. "We will be traveling for roughly eleven hours, so get comfortable," Summer said.

I peered deeper into the backmost train car and noticed Tetra had pulled out her thin bedroll and elevated her foot on it as she sat on the floor with Ariyel on her lap. That wasn't a good sign. She must really be hurting.

They were pretty packed in there, especially with their creatures, but with the security and most of the battle team perched on the top of the cars with their swords at the ready, it made enough room.

I felt slightly antsy, mostly because I was worried about my best friend. This was a simulation. We knew at some point we would be "attacked" to test our readiness for war, we just didn't know when.

Our instructors all wished us good luck, then the train doors rolled shut and it took off, slowly at first and then faster. Kohen and I both held on as our creatures took to the skies, the cold wind biting at my skin, causing my fingers to sting.

After several hours of flying with no events, I scanned the landscape, noticing the way the tracks curved westward to the mountains of Golden Hills. One of our possible attack points was coming up just ahead.

"I should fly ahead and see if I notice anything suspicious," I yelled to Kohen over the wind.

He shook his head. "We stick together."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, you can come with if you want."

He gave me a look. "I meant we stick with the train, with our fellow cadets."

"But—"

"No, Aisling," he said, like it was final.

I growled, digging my fingers into Liana's feathers.

‘Bastard,' I told her.

I could almost feel her grinning.

‘It's like Instructor Ashendell said, you need to learn what it's like to take orders.'

‘Hey, how did you know about that?' I asked her. She wasn't there.

‘You're a very loud thinker.'

I chuckled at that, and stuck with Kohen and the train like a good little soldier. If we failed this simulation, let it rest on him and the other leaders. My hands were clean.

As we approached the mountain, Kohen flew down to land atop the train and I followed. Liana's giant claws scratched against the metal as she lowered us on top of the second train car. "The mountain pass is up ahead," Kohen said to the other cadets, who had been perched on the roof this entire time. "Everyone get inside if you want to keep your head attached to your neck. Be alert for a possible attack."

The dozen or so cadets, with their creatures in tow, slipped down the roof hatches and into the three last cargo cars below.

Those who had flying creatures, like Alek's hawk and Dev's vulture, sent them skyward to fly with us and report back.

Kohen glanced at me: "I'm following the train inside the tunnel!" he screamed over the wind. "You fly over the mountain, and if anything happens, send word to Onyx through Liana."

I frowned. To fly into the tunnel was dangerous. Onyx was big, especially with his wings fully extended, and he'd have to follow behind a speeding train. But Kohen was my "leader," so I just nodded and Liana flew higher to position ourselves up and over the mountain.

Stupid orders. I had to take them and not complain.

Alek's hawk flew alongside Liana and I, while Dev's vulture stuck with Kohen. My creature threw Iniki, Alek's hawk, a few friendly glances. Liana, I had learned, had a very sensitive inner people radar. She either liked you or she didn't, and she knew in about four seconds which camp you were about to belong to. She liked Alek and Iniki, so that was good.

The first car of the long train sucked into the black tunnel and I held my breath for a second. I scanned the thick forest that covered the top of the mountain, searching for enemies. I waited for a glint of steel, or blond hair, a rustle of movement. I waited to see anything to tell me that our drill instructors were hiding in wait to attack us… but there was nothing. The last train car rolled into the dark tunnel and Kohen flew in after it as I sailed over the top.

Now would be the time. They would shoot a paint pellet at Liana and I to show their presence as a group of "rebels" leaped onto the top of the train coming out the other side…

But nothing happened. The train sailed easily through the tunnel and Kohen popped out the other side, giving me a thumbs-up, which I returned.

It meant that the first weak point we had assumed would be an attack was clear, but we still had the second. It was another mountain tunnel, about two more hours flight time away.

As the day drew on, I grew weary of flying. I had to constantly keep my muscles flexed so that I wouldn't slip or fall off, and it was exhausting.

‘Lower me to the top of the train. I'm going to check on Tetra and the others,' I asked Liana.

She immediately started her descent. She landed atop the moving train, her talons clicking onto the metal. I nodded to a few of my fellow cadets who stood atop the train car holding swords and bows and arrows at the ready. Alek was there, with Iniki on his shoulder.

"How's it up top?" he asked as I crouched down so that I wouldn't fall off the moving train.

Liana kicked off and resumed her place high above us.

"It's boring," I told him truthfully, and he grinned.

It had been slightly weird with Alek after he made his feelings known to me at Sleuth, but since then we'd fallen into an easy friendship. I think he realized that was all I could give right now.

Walking over to the ceiling panel that was popped open, I jumped down into the very back train car.

What I saw made my eyes widen a little. The cadets were playing poker, eating snacks, and chatting lazily. They had unholstered weapons and taken off jackets, letting their hair down.

I flicked my gaze to see Tetra sprawled over a few sacks of rice, napping.

"Hey!" I snapped rather loudly, and everyone present jolted into a more erect position, staring up at me. "We could be attacked any moment. We don't graduate without passing this simulation." I looked around at all the food wrappers and empty water canteens.

"You're not a leader, we don't have to listen to you," Summer told me.

"You're right. I'm not your leader today, but one day I'll be your leader for the rest of your life, so you better?—"

"Okay!" Alek jumped down next to me, cutting off my sentence. "Let's clean up and look alive. Aisling is right, the attack could be any moment, and if we fail it's on you for not being ready."

A few cadets actually had the nerve to roll their eyes at him. Tetra had just woken up from her little nap looking guilty. I wasn't mad at her, but I was concerned that she still seemed to be elevating her foot. That meant it hurt worse than she let on.

"They split us into five teams for what reason? Navigation? The train is taking us where we need to go. This simulation is a joke," Summer said. I had to admit it seemed silly to make a team learn maps and be tasked with navigation when you intended to have a train take them all of the way. It didn't change the fact that they were being lazy and unready for the attack we all knew was coming.

"I SAID GET UP!" Alek barked so loudly and forcefully that I jumped, along with half the car.

His assertiveness was attractive at that moment, I had to admit.

"Alright, you heard him. Let's get things straightened up in here," Jace agreed, walking in through the hatch from the second train car. The doorway was open so people could move in and out freely. His shirt was unbuttoned, and was that chocolate on his face? Good grief, the son of the commander of my father's fleet and even he wasn't taking this seriously.

That got the cadets moving. They began to clean up their mess, fold away their cards, and get into a standing position. It seemed they respected Jace's authority more than Alek's. Or maybe just two people yelling at them was enough to get them to move their butts.

I knelt next to Tetra and peered down at her. She looked like she was having a really bad pain day. Semi-permanent wince, slightly sweaty appearance. Her creature nuzzled my thigh like she was trying to tell me something.

"How you holding up, T?" I reached out my hand like I would to a stray dog and her creature sat her chin inside my palm, allowing me to stroke her muzzle with my thumb. It was unheard of for a creature, and it meant she trusted me to take care of Tetra, which was an honor.

Tetra swallowed hard. "Not a great pain day, but I'll manage."

I nodded, looking to my right and lowering my voice to make sure I couldn't be overheard. "Did you try some of those pain relievers?" They were very hard to come by and pretty strong. She would be quite woozy after, and not very much help in an attack, but how much help could she be in constant pain?

She nodded. "Took half a pill about an hour ago, which is why I napped. It took the edge off but it still hurts." She flicked her gaze to her foot.

It was moments like this that I felt angry at the way the world was designed. Tetra, the most amazing person I knew, lived in constant pain and struggle, and she'd never hurt a fly. Meanwhile, there were murderers and terrorists who ran free while the good people suffered.

I sighed. "I'm sorry. Just hang tight. We'll see if there is a healer at the imperial base we're going to."

Healers were rare, humans who absorbed the power from their creature, but I knew of two in my father's Imperial Fleet and they were both out on active duty. If one of them was at this base, I'd pull every string possible to see if Tetra could see him. They wouldn't be able to heal her deformity, but they could take away pain and inflammation.

‘Brace for impact, Aisling!' Liana's warning blared in my head.

"Brace for impact!" I screamed without question, and threw myself over Tetra's body, covering her creature as well. I grasped the tie-down strap loops, pinning them both under me, and that's when the train flew off the tracks.