5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I pushed myself out of bed, my temples throbbing thanks to the wine and lingering effects of healing a lethal wound. Morning light peeked through the sheer curtains, and I winced at the brightness.

A knock came, and without waiting for a response, Alissa entered, her petite frame nearly taken out by the door shutting behind her. She carried various bathing oils and soaps in her thin arms, the same as every morning.

Klareth's assistant proceeded to run hot water and gathered my clothes to help me get ready for the day, as if I were a child unable to bathe and dress myself. I believed she sent Alissa to assess what I'd been up to the night before. Not that Alissa didn't already have an idea.

Before she could step forward to help, I stripped myself bare and headed for the bathing chamber attached to my room. I dipped into the warm water, savoring the heat and letting it seep into my skin. Content to let the water leave me flush and pruned, I leaned my head back.

But Alissa wouldn't have it. She burst in and started washing my hair. It was all I'd let her do, though. Once she finished, I proceeded to clean myself, the sound of splashing water filling the room.

Years ago, I thought maybe Klareth had sent her to give me a friend. The two of us could've almost passed for sisters, aside from her eyes and the shape of her face. I wasn't sure who stopped trying to make idle chitchat first: me or Alissa. But it seemed we had a silent, unspoken agreement that it was better for both of us to get the morning over with as fast as possible.

With a deep breath, I rose from the water. Alissa wrapped a towel around me and fled the room. A moment later, she returned with dark pants and a close-cut tunic for morning training with Selena.

Once dressed, Alissa led me to the training grounds near the courtyard. She left before Selena came into view, deeming me capable of finding the rest of the way on my own. My shoulders relaxed, and I brushed my hand over my long braid.

Selena stood next to the two targets lined up several feet away, a chest full of weapons beside her. Her dark hair was in rows of braids, and sweat glimmered across her warm brown skin. Her soft features were a stunning contrast to the twin swords she wore strapped to her hips and the daggers sheathed along her sides.

Kids who showed promise with esprit were training with acolytes nearby. Teeg broke away from their group to join us. He ran past Selena, who ruffled his curls, before skidding to a stop in front of me. I hugged him and asked, "Shouldn't you be with your group?"

He gave me a toothy grin. "I'm ahead of all of them."

I glanced at the cluster of kids struggling to manifest their esprit. One's hair stood straight up, and the others laughed. "Stay out of trouble."

He nodded and began practicing with his esprit while Selena launched into a series of warm-up stretches, instructing me to follow along. I bent forward, touching my toes. A small blade lifted from the trunk into the air. A smile tugged on my lips at the use of Teeg's esprit, but Selena scolded him. He giggled, growing a vine around her ankles so she couldn't chase him.

I straightened, and Selena glared at him until he retracted the vine. I shot him a look that said, Behave, and he rolled his eyes. At least he knew better than to push.

While Teeg practiced and was generally less disruptive, Selena and I finished stretching and started sparring hand to hand.

I got into the stance she'd taught me, and Selena circled me. I waited for her to make a move, for any hint of what she might do. An eye movement or a shift of her hips. Her eyes darted down, and she swept her leg, causing me to tumble to the ground.

"Gotta be faster, Eira," she said, smiling. "And work on your landing. You need to bounce back up."

I pushed myself up, and she described how to absorb the landing so there was less impact. We tried again and again. I lasted longer each time, before she inevitably put me right back on my ass. Bruises were no doubt in my future.

After a short break, Selena gave me a handful of throwing daggers.

"Gotta keep up that skill," she said with a wink.

I lined up to the target several feet away. I pulled in a deep breath and let the blade fly with a flick of my wrist. It hit the center. I repeated with two more, and Teeg applauded.

Selena threw at the target next to mine. Her blades hit their mark but sank deeper into the target than my own. With a grin, she said, "Esprit makes the difference."

I headed for the target to retrieve the blades. She used her abilities freely, but it was better to keep my own locked tight.

"None of the acolytes can hit the middle!" Teeg called, running up beside me.

"And how do you know that? Aren't the kids supposed to be in classes when the acolytes are practicing?"

His cheeks flushed. "I was headed to class when I saw it!"

I laughed and pulled the blades free. "Of course."

"Why do they train?" he asked.

I bit my inner lip and debated whether he was too young to learn about the Abyss. "Because sometimes creatures from the Abyss slip through to Marunia."

He sucked in a breath. "What's that?"

Of course he'd want to know more. "Marunia is our realm, and the Abyss is a place of monsters," I said, walking across the training yard toward Selena.

"That sounds fake."

"Monsters from the Abyss are very real," Selena said, joining us. She rolled up her sleeve, revealing a jagged scar.

His eyes widened.

"Now, get back to your practice before you get in trouble, kiddo," Selena said.

Teeg nodded and started manipulating water while creating invisible barriers of air around those he wanted to protect from being soaked.

Selena held out a sword to me.

I raised a brow. "Is today special or . . . ?"

Selena smiled. "Take the damn sword before I change my mind."

She usually stuck to daggers after I'd slashed her leg by accident with a sword. She must have gotten over it, so I took the blade.

I got into position, and she came up behind me, adjusting my stance and widening my feet. Then she ran me through drills. No sparring, then. I frowned but performed the defensive techniques without complaint. Selena went on and on about how proper form made a difference in both power and stability. Once I'd gotten the pattern down, she joined. "You won't have time to think in an actual fight. Hone the muscle memory now, and you'll thank me later."

It was close to lunch when we started cooldown stretches.

Coated in sweat and feeling like I needed another bath didn't dampen the otherwise calm tranquility inside me, thanks to the physical release. That inner sense of normalcy brought me back to what Malik said the night before. It wasn't new for him to distrust Klareth, but it was rare for him to explicitly say so. Usually, it came out in his tone or choice of words.

Then there were the doors to the Chamber of Gods being open and that strange pull, as though I needed to go inside. Could the two be related? It would be a stretch, and Malik had no way of knowing about it. Whatever his concerns were had to be due to what happened to Naomi.

A crash caused me to jerk up from my bent position. In the corridor connected to the courtyard, an acolyte crouched over a slew of broken dishes at their feet. She was apologizing profusely to someone while frantically swiping up the bits of broken ceramic. I left Selena to assist the acolyte before she shredded her hands.

"Let me help." I bent down and gathered pieces of a broken plate.

"Did you make it back before being caught?"

I glanced up right at Caelus. My eyes widened, and a broken chunk fell from my fingers. What was he doing here?

"Tempest! You needn't worry. I can take care of this," said the acolyte, not paying any mind to the man beside me.

I stopped the acolyte from grabbing a sharp piece. "Go get a broom, please."

She nodded and darted down the hall.

"Tempest? Well, it's better than nothing," he said, a hand on his hip.

I stood, facing him. The way the midday light caused his dark gray eyes to glitter as if they were storm clouds streaked with lightning didn't infuriate me as much as I expected. Instead, I found myself enamored.

"Unless you plan on telling me your name now?" he asked.

That broke my stupor, and my face flushed. There was no way he didn't notice. "Don't talk openly about last night. And why are you here?"

He held up a tome on the history of runes as if that answered my question. Most people went to the small athenaeum in the city for books, so why was he here? "The temple library requires permission to view their books."

He smiled. "I know."

I shot him a questioning look. In the past seven years I'd lived here, no one had received access to the records and tomes kept inside the temple other than the priests and acolytes.

A string of curse words followed by a slam against the stone floor of the corridor drew my attention. "Marus!" I called.

He leaned against the wall, clutching his foot.

Selena entered the corridor, and her musical laugh echoed throughout it.

I ran over to him, but he was glaring at where Selena stood. Embedded in his foot was a two-inch piece of ceramic. Blood seeped from the wound at a slow pace. Below him was a book, a drop of blood now on the hardcover.

"Gods, help me. Why is the floor covered in broken ceramic?" His eyes were fuming.

"Stop squirming. I need to pull this out."

"Ah. Yes. So I can bleed onto the poor book some more."

A hand dipped down, grabbing the book. I turned, and Caelus was next to me. I hadn't even noticed that he had followed.

"Good. You two have met. Now, if you'd be a dear, this pain is quite unbearable."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not killing you." Wait. He knows Caelus?

"He's holed up in a library all day," Selena said behind us. "A tap on the shoulder probably hurts him."

Marus gave her a look that might have been frightening if it were anyone else.

Selena giggled. "I'll go find some bandages."

I started to pull the shard from Marus's foot, but he grabbed my wrist and shook his head. "At least get me somewhere comfortable before you go poking and prodding."

I smiled and pulled one of his arms over my shoulder to support him.

"Let me," Caelus said, pulling his other arm over his shoulder.

"I can get him to the library. You can continue with your business."

"Seeing as my business is with your friend and he favors the library, I believe I'll continue assisting him."

My cheeks flushed, and together, we helped Marus hobble to the library. It was clear after a few steps that nothing I was doing was truly helping, though. Caelus took over most of Marus's weight even while keeping the book he'd been carrying tucked underneath an arm.

I didn't know what to make of Caelus and his sudden appearance at the temple. Much less that he and Marus would be working together. Would he tell someone we met at Esteban's tavern last night?

Once in front of the library, I broke away and held the doors open for the two of them. Marus scrambled for his favorite worn couch and lay down, propping his injured foot up on the arm.

Caelus sat in the armchair and opened the book he'd been carrying.

Marus covered his eyes with the back of his arm, looking so much like a damsel in distress that I wanted to laugh. I stepped around and examined his wounded foot. The amount of blood seeping from the wound made it seem serious, but the small bit of ceramic was barely wedged into the flesh. It'd take almost nothing to heal. There would be no need for bandages, so I pulled the shard free.

"What happened to giving warnings?" Marus whined.

I smiled. In my mind, that thread of life appeared, connecting Marus and I. Arcs of azure energy slithered free from my fingers, reaching for the minor cut, and the flesh started mending together.

"Divine power," Caelus murmured beside me.

I jolted, the lightning falling free. There hadn't been a sound indicating he'd moved, let alone come to stand beside me. Thankfully, the cut had healed enough that it was no longer bleeding.

The way Caelus looked at me was different. He didn't appear afraid of it—more like intrigued instead—but lines of confusion were present on his forehead. I wanted to ask what he was thinking, but it seemed inappropriate since we barely knew each other.

A bell tolled, signaling that it was after lunch.

"Shit," I said. I'm late .

Marus peeked out from under his arm. "Hurry, Eira."

"Watch over him," I said to Caelus. "He can be a bit of a baby when he's injured."

"That's no way to speak of your friends!"

One corner of Caelus's lips lifted in a lazy smirk.

I smiled and turned to leave. Caelus's stare warmed my back, and it took all my will to keep walking. "As you wish, Eira ."