Clash (The Arinthian Line Book 4) (27 page)

“No offense, Leland.”

Leland nodded stiffly and returned to listening to the orb.

“I’ll talk to him,” Augum said, turning to go, feeling bad for the boy.

“No,” Bridget said, voice firmer than usual. “What we’re doing is important, Aug. You need to focus. You’re compassionate and you want to make sure he’s all right, I get that, but we’ve got priorities.”

Leera nodded along. “He’ll just have to put on his big boy pants.”

“He’s got to learn to be independent,” Haylee added. “Hmm, maybe I can get Chaska to spend time with him.”

“All right,” Augum finally said. Though Chaska might end up pummeling the poor boy if he gets too annoyed with him.

“I’ll keep studying, I’m wretchedly behind.” Jengo strode over to Leland, fetching the yellow book from the rucksack. “I want to be able to defend myself in battle, and I’m nowhere near that yet. But I also want to learn battle healing—”

Bridget placed her hands on her hips. “Jengo, you need to learn all the spells of the 1st degree, not just the elemental healing spells.”

“I know, I was just—”

“Stop fooling around, Jengo, this is serious. Your Shine spell is weak and your—” Bridget stopped and rubbed her forehead. “I’m sorry …”

“You all right?” Augum asked softly.

“Fine. Just haven’t been sleeping well.”

“Same nightmare?” Augum pressed. It was a guess.

She surrendered a nod.

Augum watched her a moment, wondering if she was finally going to talk about it. She had deep circles under her eyes. Her cheekbones protruded a little as if she hadn’t been eating much, and her long cinnamon hair was thin and stringy.

“You know you can talk to us,” he said gently.

She gave him a tired look. “I keep dreaming the same stupid thing,” she said at last. “Remember that moment on the cliff when the harpies attacked me?”

Augum’s palm scar tingled. “How could we forget.” He recalled her dangling below as one harpy after another swooped in. She had sustained serious injuries from the attack and nearly died. Luckily, Raptos the wolven allowed them to make a concoction using Augum’s own blood to save her.

“Anyway,” Bridget continued, “In the dream, I’m alone—none of you are there to help me—getting attacked by all these harpies, while I’m dangling and swinging on that rope. I always wake up at the same instant, when the rope breaks and I suddenly …”

“… fall,” Augum said. She always had a horrible fear of heights.

She slowly nodded. “Look, we’re all under a lot of pressure, let’s not worry about it, all right?”

Leera placed a hand on her shoulder. “You sure you’re fine?”

Bridget’s gaze wandered to the forest where Devon had disappeared. “I wonder if it’s right that we stay here. We’re putting them all in danger. Maybe we should leave and train elsewhere. What if—”

“Bridge,” Leera cut in. “You said it yourself plenty of times to me—we can’t do this alone. It especially counts now that Mrs. Stone is missing.” She nodded toward the village. “They know what they’re getting into. We’ll just have to …” She made a vague gesture with her hand. “… trust the Fates or something, I don’t know.”

Bridget gave her a funny look before finally surrendering a nod. “All right. Let’s move on then. Repair?”

Haylee stepped away from them. “You know what? Why don’t I help Jengo train in the 1st degree, that way you three can concentrate on what you need to do.”

“You … you’d do that?” Bridget asked.

“Yes, of course I would.” She made a derisive gesture at her cane. “Look, I’m not going with you, that much is plain. I’ll stay, train Jengo, help Leland, help the Resistance in whatever way I can. Besides, now that you told me about that dream, I … well, I just didn’t realize
how
much pressure you’re all under.”

Even Leera’s brows travelled up her forehead. “Are you coming down with something?”

“I’m fine, that’s the point.” Haylee hobbled over to Jengo. “I’ve been resisting … everything. Holding too much in. Seeing Augum and Bridget go after you like that after Furhead kidnapped you … well,
I
want that in friendship too. I mean, yeah, I’m stuck with this stupid cane—” She gave it an angry shake. “But life goes on. We go on.
I
go on. And besides, I’ve taken so much. Now I want to give back … for a change. Or something. Anyway, stop gaping and get back to work, you bunch of … fools.” She was smiling as she plopped down beside Jengo, who was staring at her with a perplexed expression.

“Hell has frozen over,” Leera mumbled, giving Augum a stunned look.

Bridget smiled, nodded. “Right. Uh, let’s get back to it, shall we? We’ll begin by warming up with one cycle.”

The trio began a challenging regimen, truly pushing themselves with every spell. Augum felt an underlying sense of urgency throughout, as if time was not on their side. In one very unique sense, it wasn’t—at the back of his mind, he still thought about Cron. What would happen to them if they aged rapidly in a short period of time trying to learn the spell? And then to perform it in battle? How would that affect their—

“Concentrate!” Bridget said after knocking him down with the Push spell. “You didn’t even raise your shield, Aug. What’s the matter with you? Where’s your head at?”

“Sorry,” he said, allowing her to help him up. “Try it again. I’ll be ready.”

And the second time, he got it right.

They worked through the gamut of spells, focusing on the 4th degree, especially Summon Minor Elemental, though even after hours of practice, neither Augum nor Leera were able to cast it successfully. They next tried the Reflect spell using the prisms, but failed at that too. Bridget, still uncharacteristically short-tempered, was about to move on to the counterspell for Object Alarm when four figures climbed down the valley slope—Malaika, Charissa, Annelise, and Gabe.

“Great, just what we need,” Leera muttered.

Malaika frowned at the top of the valley. “I don’t see anything.”

“That’s right, they can’t hear or see us,” Leera said. “This is fantastic, all we have to do is ignore them and they’ll go away.” She gave Bridget a hopeful but apprehensive sidelong glance.

“We can’t do that,” Bridget finally said with a sigh. She marched up the valley. The moment she crossed the invisible boundary of the spell, the newly arrived foursome startled.

“Oh my!” Charissa squealed, clutching her chest with one hand and Malaika’s elbow with the other.

Bridget’s voice was weary. “Malaika, Charissa, Annelise, Gabe—I formally invite you in to our training ground.”

The looks on their faces said it all. Charissa in particular, who kept clapping her hands, tugged on Malaika’s sleeve and whispered something into her ear, to which Malaika nodded her head, flashing a secret smile Augum’s way.

“Here comes trouble,” Jengo said to Haylee.

“Hello, Augum!” Malaika called with a wave, wearing a bright floral-embroidered spring dress, offset by her chocolate skin. “We’ve come to call as we promised!”

Charissa skipped along, wearing a tight dark brown dress that looked too hot for the weather. Her pale skin glistened with sweat as she wafted a hand at her face. Behind the girls walked Annelise, wearing a black servant outfit and carrying a basket, looking thoroughly miserable, and a smiling Gabe, also wearing a servant outfit and carrying a polished silver tray brimming with sweets.

“We brought you refreshments!” Malaika said, gracefully gesturing at the basket and tray.

“Think my headache just got worse,” Leera muttered, plopping to the ground.

Bridget wiped her brow with her sleeve. “Let’s take a break,” and sat down beside Leera.

Malaika’s hand drifted toward Augum. She wriggled her fingers. “Take this fair maiden’s hand in greeting, good sir.”

“Uh, all right.” He took her soft hand and made a clumsy bow with it.

“No, you have to
kiss
it, silly,” Charissa whispered.

Leera’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, kiss it,” she goaded.

“Uh, what did you bring?” Augum asked in forced tones instead, allowing Malaika’s hand to drop.

Malaika’s face fell but she quickly recovered. “Annelise, what
did
we bring?”

But Annelise just stood there staring at Augum, looking like a pale, trembling leaf.

Gabe flashed Leera that stupid smarmy smile Augum hated. “Forgive my daft sister,” he said, gliding over to Leera and placing the tray before her.

Leera, sitting cross-legged in her blue robe beside Bridget, immediately brightened. “Ooo, sweets!” and dove in.

Malaika lightly stroked her neck while staring at Augum. “I hope you do not mind us disturbing you …”

“We were just practicing and learning. I guess we could use a break.”

“Tell them about that grotesquely fat creature,” Charissa whispered.

Malaika straightened a little. “That boy, Devil I think his name was—”

“—Devon,” Bridget corrected sharply. “And please do not call him fat.”

Malaika’s brows crossed at Bridget. “Anyway, he practically barreled into us. He was crying like a little baby, saying how you broke his heart and how you bullied him—”

Bridget’s cheeks reddened. “That’s not what happened—”

“If you say so, but he was very upset. You really hurt his feelings.” Malaika turned back to Augum and tilted her head with a smile. “We brought refreshments.”

“You said that already,” Leera said with a mouthful of colored jelly sweets.

Malaika ignored the remark. “Annelise, if you please—”

Annelise’ mouth thinned as she reached into the basket, retrieving a checkered blanket, which she spread on the ground. Then she removed a wheel of white cheese, a couple branches of dark coldland grapes, a bowl of olives, bread, pomegranates, honeyed waffles, and two skins of water, placing them neatly on the blanket.

Augum, glancing at the wide array of luxurious foods, could only think of Old Jory and his deceased wife and that dirty, scraped-out pot of rice.

Leera eyed the waffles but pretended to be looking elsewhere. Gabe quickly settled on the blanket, tapping at it for Leera. She gave Augum a
How do you like it?
look before crawling over to sit beside him.

Augum felt his jaw stiffen.

Malaika reached out for Annelise, allowing the girl to guide her to a spot on the blanket. Charissa did the same, sitting beside her friend. Annelise dropped to her knees, smoothing her servant gown underneath her, and began tearing the bread into chunks, keeping her gaze averted from Augum, though he swore she snuck glances when he wasn’t looking.

“What a pleasant day,” Malaika said, turning her face toward the azure sky. She patted the empty spot beside her. “Please join us, Augum.”

Augum suddenly felt everyone’s eyes on him. His stomach tightened; he would much rather sit with Leera … or punch Gabe in the face. “There’s not enough room for Haylee and Jengo and Leland—” he said instead.

Malaika swiveled her head to where the others were sitting and expelled a long breath. “Would you like some refreshments as well then?”

“We’re good,” Jengo immediately blurted, resting a hand on his chin as if he was watching a stage play. Haylee had the same look beside him, and was nodding along with Leland that they were fine.

“Well, uh, I really should be training,” Augum said, taking a step away from them all.

“Nonsense, surely you deserve a break too, not just Bridget and Leera. Besides, you must be starved—”

Leera jumped to her feet. “No, we have to train.” She grabbed Augum’s hand and yanked him to the center of the clearing. She took a few paces back from him, three watery rings springing to life around her arm.

“Ready?” but before Augum could reply, she violently threw at the ground, shouting, “GRAU!” The air roared with the sound of crashing water. Malaika and Charissa screamed and grabbed each other, while Annelise and Gabe rolled away, knocking over the basket and tray.

Leera kept her gaze on Augum. “First Offensive.” She smacked her wrists together before her. “ANNIHILO!”

Augum barely summoned his shield in time to block the sharp jet of water, strong enough to make him stumble backward a few steps.

“She’s trying to kill him—!” Charissa shrieked. “Somebody do something!”

Bridget stood up. “No, she isn’t,” and joined Augum and Leera, running through a short cycle with them. At the end of it, Leera, forehead dotted with sweat, strode over to the blanket Gabe and Annelise hastily re-arranged, reached down into a bowl, and took two honeyed waffles, shoving one into her mouth. “Mmm, good,” she toned while munching, her shadow falling on Malaika.

Charissa watched her while holding onto Malaika’s arm. “How beastly.”

Annelise looked up at Leera, hand shading her eyes from the sun. “You’re awfully pretty. I can see why he likes you.”

Leera’s cheeks reddened.

Malaika whirled on her servant, voice a hiss. “Annelise! You will not talk unless addressed!”

Leera pointed a waffle at Malaika. “She’s not your slave, you know.”

“No, she is
not
my slave,” Malaika replied, “but she
is
our paid servant, and if her family wants to continue to have employment in these difficult times, she will do as she is told.”

Annelise stiffened at the mention of her family. “My apologies, Miss Haroun.” She dropped her head and shakily began to spread cheese on some of the chunks of bread.

Malaika nodded. “That’s better, and don’t let me catch you stepping out of line ever again.”

Annelise’ ears reddened. “Yes, Miss Haroun.”

Malaika turned on Gabe. “And you. Try
harder
,” she hissed.

Gabe paled. “I will, my lady.”

Augum wondered what that was all about.

Leera finished the second waffle. She gestured to a branch of grapes and it floated out of the bowl to her hand. Malaika and Charissa flinched, but Leera smirked, turning away to share the grapes with Augum and Bridget.

The trio shortly began a second round of training, this time focusing on the 4th degree. Despite Charissa’s constant whisperings to Malaika, the trio lost themselves in the work. Malaika was leaning forward, lips slightly parted, mostly watching Augum, except to occasionally give Leera a foul look whenever Leera squeezed his hand or gave him a kiss, something she was suddenly doing a lot more of. Annelise watched too, but only when she thought Malaika and Charissa would not notice. Gabe tried all manner of doe-eyed looks to get Leera’s attention, until Augum “accidentally” split a log with his lightning First Offensive very close to the boy.