Spark (Legends of the Shifters) (8 page)

Natalia,
Roselle, Liana, the trainer, and I were all sitting inside the tent
at a table. On each of our plates, except the trainer’s of
course, there was some salted beef, some fruit, some bread, and some
cheese, all in a tiny portion.

“
So
who got the food?” asked Roselle glumly.

“
The
only one who succeeded today,” the trainer said around a huge
bite of a buttered roll. “—was Ivy.” She swallowed
once, but continued chewing. “Strange how she’s the only
one to get something when this is only her second time. She didn’t
even change into her second form,” she said in a much clearer
voice, although still muffled.

All
the girls turned to look at me. “What did you get?”
Natalia asked.

“
I
didn't even know that I shot it
,”
I answered. “But I'd aimed at a mountain goat before it
disappeared.”

She
seemed impressed. “Well, good work,” she said with a nod.

The
meal ended too quickly, but the hunger pangs were gone at least.

The
ending bell rang and we went out of the tent. “Now what are we
going to do?” I asked, having an idea of what it was, but not
completely sure.

Liana
answered first. “Time to train,” she said cheerfully.

I
couldn't believe that she was excited about it. “How long have
you been here, Liana?” I asked.

“
About
a year and a half. But every day I’m getting better.”

This
time, instead of the line of students heading to the left, they
headed to the right, toward the slightly intimidating arena.

I
noticed that some students were lagging behind, dreading the moment
they stepped foot in the expansive training ground. Although I wanted
to join them, I kept up with Roselle and Liana. A few people got
between us, making me feel a little anxious. Natalia had already
disappeared somewhere ahead.

As
soon as I stepped foot in the arena, I was snatched out of the stream
of people and thrown to the ground.

The
wind had been knocked out of me, but I fought to get back on my feet,
staring my challenger in the face with malice as I tried to catch my
breath. It was the same boy, the one with the thick blond eyebrows,
the one who said that he would be looking for me in the arena.

I
hadn’t known that he’d meant it that way, otherwise I
would’ve been more watchful.

“
I
challenge you,” he said, a vicious smile spread over his face.

“
Why?”
I asked angrily. “I don’t have anything you’d
want.”

He
laughed. “I want victory over you. That’s all I have to
want.”

He
pushed me back with his hands, causing me to bump right into
somebody.

“
What
do you think you’re doing, Grix?” growled a voice behind
me. I turned my head to look at the voice, and was relieved to see
Kurt.

Grix’s
face paled. “I—I’m challenging her, sir.”

“
To
win what?” he asked, his scars pulled taut from the tension in
his face.

“
Just
to win…I guess. Sir,” he answered, shuffling his feet
nervously.

Kurt
looked at me, and then back at the boy. “She accepts.”

My
eyes widened. “What?” I demanded.

Kurt
ignored me. “You fight after break,” he said, his tight
expression changing into an easy smile. He hit Grix on the back twice
before leading me away. Some of the students were already training,
while others were still coming in behind me.

I
looked back at Grix, who was staring at us like a lost puppy. If only
he would look like that in the challenge.

“
How
am I going to beat anyone? I don’t even know what a challenge
is!” I said as I followed him through the tents. We stopped at
one of them where practice swords were laid out on a table. Kurt
grabbed two and threw one to me. I caught the handle.

“
Nice
reflexes,” he said. “And the answer to your previous
question—you don’t have to.”

“
What?”
I asked, stunned. “What do you mean I don’t have to? I’ll
get pulverized!”

He
shrugged. “All you have to get from a challenge is a lesson.
You’ll recover if you get hurt.” He paused to look back
at me. “Pain is a great teacher as well.”

I
sighed. “Yes, just like hunger.”

We
came out of the tents into a fenced-in area where some of the other
students were practicing with swords. I saw January among them. Her
sword was long and sharp, much unlike my wooden one. Her trainer
struggled to keep up with her flashing blade.

I
swallowed hard as she cut her trainer’s arm, causing the sleeve
to rip. Crimson soaked the fabric.

The
trainer called off the practice, and they went off the field, January
with a triumphant glint in her eye. She caught sight of me and
smirked, taking in my wooden sword.

Before
I knew what was happening, something hard had hit me in back of my
knee, and I crumpled to the ground, staring up dazedly at Kurt.

I
formed my gaze into a scowl as I hurried to get back on my feet. “Why
did you do that?” I asked, embarrassed. “I wasn’t
ready.”

“
Ah,”
said Kurt with a smile, “but you must always be ready.”

He
swung the sword again, so fast that I could barely see it. I tried to
block it with my own, but it didn’t work. My sword was flung to
the side and Kurt’s was held to my throat in an instant.

“
If
I were an enemy, you’d be dead. Even with this wooden sword.”
He lowered his weapon and rested the tip on the ground, gesturing for
me to pick mine up. I eyed him warily, making sure he wouldn’t
trick me as I bent over.

“
Now
let’s try again, but this time, we’ll do it in slow
motion, so that I can teach you how to block properly.”

He
swung his sword while telling me how to position mine. “If you
strike it like this,” he said. “You can disarm your
opponent...if they aren't strong enough, that is.”

We
went on like that for what seemed like hours, until Kurt finally
decided that he was getting nowhere and we moved on to a different
weapon.

We
tried the bow and arrow, the knife, and even the staff, but I didn't
have much luck with any of them. Although I had had luck in the
survival test with the bow, only two arrows out of ten hit the
target. With the knife, the key was to be fast, but I was far from
that so far. The staff was so large and clumsy that I hit myself in
the head with it several times.

Finally,
the bell rang, signaling that it was time to eat. It reminded me that
I had a fight against Grix afterward, and although I had been hungry
previously, I now only felt sick.

All
the students stopped their activities, and started to migrate toward
the dining hall. I was one of the first among them because the field
we were practicing in was close to the exit.

I sat
at an empty table in the dining hall where there was already bread
and cheese set out. It wasn’t much, but it was food. I took a
piece of bread and nibbled on it even though I felt sick.

Liana
was the first to come and sit with me. She took in the look on my
face with a concerned expression. “What’s wrong?”
she inquired quietly. “Your face is pale.”

I
shook my head. “It’s just that…I have to fight in
a challenge after this.”

Liana
was taken aback. “But this is only your first day! Does your
trainer know about this?”

“
He’s
the one that said yes,” I answered, exasperated.

She
looked like an owl, her eyes were so wide. “Who is your
trainer?”

“
Kurt,”
I said, wondering why that mattered.

She
nodded. “That explains things.”

Roselle
came out of nowhere to perch on the edge of her seat. “I heard
that you are going to fight in a challenge today,” she
whispered.

“
Yes,”
I said. “We were just talking about it.”

“
Did
you know that her trainer is Kurt?” asked Liana suddenly.

Roselle
nodded. “I saw her come out of the first tent yesterday.”
She stared at me for a minute. “I really wish I could figure
out your second form...”

I was
on the brink of telling them, but then January came and sat down in
the extra chair.

“
Yes,”
she said. “I agree with Roselle. We would all
love
to know.”

Roselle
and even Liana glared at her.

“
Well
that’s too bad,” I said. “—because I'd rather
keep it to myself.”

January
smiled, but she managed to make it seem menacing. “What a pity.
I’m very disappointed.”

I
gritted my teeth. “Yes, I bet you are,” I muttered.

“
I
would sit with you, but I wouldn't want to keep you from preparing
for your challenge. I hope it goes better for you than it did for the
girl last week that lost her thumb.” With that, she walked off
to a different table with a few other hostile-looking faces.

“
I
wish she'd go ahead and graduate,” Roselle grumbled. “I
want to be rid of her already.”

“
Is
there any way that that could happen?” I asked.

Roselle
shook her head. “We have no choice but to wait it out unless
they move her up to a level ten. I'm surprised she hasn't been given
a quest yet.”

We
were quiet as we ate the rest of the food on the table. I never saw
Natalia enter the room.

When
our tray had been empty for some time, the bell rang again, and we
were on our feet, headed back to the arena. I was a little out of it,
and it seemed like a flash before I was standing in front Kurt beside
a fenced in area. “Try to postpone changing for as long as you
can,” he drilled. “You’ll want him to think that
you’re weak, and perhaps can’t remember how to change.
Try to remember what I told you with the weapons, but overall, moving
is essential. Stay out of reach. And most importantly, stay away from
the fence…at
all
costs.”

I
nodded, trying to memorize everything he’d said. “I’ll
try,” I answered.

His
face darkened. “No. You
will
.”

“
I-I
will, then,” I answered awkwardly.

He
led me around to the tall gate that matched the height of the
towering fence. Grix was already standing there, his former look of
shame replaced with a look of pride.

He
seemed as if he’d been working out all morning because his
muscles bulged beneath the thin white shirt that he wore. He looked
taller and bulkier, obviously in half form. I took off my coat,
shivering with the sudden chill that leached away the warmth from my
limbs.

I
probably looked pathetic. A skinny girl, only 5’3”,
standing up against a tall, broad-shouldered boy. I was going to be
crushed.

We
were led into the arena by Mrs. Scarls. She took us to the center
where, like the trial arena, a circle was formed. Grix took his
stance at one side and Mrs. Scarls pointed to where I was supposed to
stand. To my right, and Grix’s left, there was a table set up
with all sorts of weapons.