EXALTED (An Exalted Novel) (14 page)

My anger will fuel my stamina for my two remaining tries at the Defender’s Course, our new patrol at the North Gate, and the evening makeup for the afternoon survival training Ethan and I will miss. Today is going to be a long day.

* * *

I fasten my knife belt around my trim waist and slide two daggers out. Each of my sweaty hand holds a fake blade. I take my place at the entrance of the Defender’s Course’s. Briefly breaking stance, I wipe my slick palms on my shorts to dry them and then resume position. I’m nervous.

“Mena, you have two more shots at this before the Trials. Make them count. Don’t you dare run for it! Do your job!” Garret shouts. He shakes his head at me and stomps away.

I have to make it to the wall today! I have to!

I look at Ethan as he plays the spectator. The lights blink out and he disappears. Several seconds later—which seems like an eternity—they flash back on. They light up the whole room in a brilliant white light. It blinds me as if I were looking directly into the sun. I blink a few times to adjust my eyes.

Having not explored the right side of the course thus far, I decide to advance through the unknown path. Unfortunately, it passes beside the pond.
I hate that pond
. I clear the first tree to my right. Keeping my eyes alert, I scan the open space ahead of me, as well as the ground for any wires. I listen for changes outside of the steady hum of the fluorescent lights.

A perfectly straight line runs through the sand, two feet in front of me. I cautiously step over it. I ready my knives, anticipating a fight. It doesn’t come just yet. The pond with the charred tree is now to my left. The water remains undisturbed. I wait for five minutes to be sure no one is hiding beneath the murky surface. Nothing happens so I move on.

Four, massive, oak tree replicas rise up to meet the building’s ceiling. This is the largest grouping on the Defender’s Course by far. It’s the reason why Ethan and I have avoided the right side. I approach cautiously, inspecting every inch of the ground and foliage.

No one is hidden in the tangle of branches that canopy the area, so I circle back around. I continue on the same path, which offers a large empty space and then a small patch of shrubs. The instructors must have hidden along the left side of the course, knowing that is the direction we have always chosen in the past.

I set off again. I keep my stride short and my steps careful. All too soon, I feel a tug at my shin that very familiar. I don’t stumble or fall, but I do hear a ticking noise. It must have been a tripwire for something.

Out of nowhere, a cluster of fireballs sail through the air. They spread out as they swiftly approach. Instead of running away, toward the wall, I run back to the protection of the oak trees and wait for the assault to finish.
That was new
.

Once more I advance. The small patch of shrubs has flames rising from them. A horrible poignant smell wafts through the room. No one’s hiding in
there
, that’s for sure.

Nothing stands between the wall and me, besides the burning bushes. I press on, not wanting to press my luck any further by heading back. When I’m five-feet from the wall, three beastly figures burst from the ground, showering me with golden sand and shock. They surround me. The two assistants grab me by the arms, while Garret stabs me in the gut with his mock sword. I’m dead. I only have one more shot to get this right.

“Watch this,” Ethan whispers to me, as he passes me on his way to the starting point. When the lights flick on, Ethan takes sprints right down the middle of the course.
Oh, no!
What is he doing?
Garret made it very clear he didn’t want us doing that. He’s going to pay for his mistake.

I cringe as he makes it past the first tree to his left, past the cacti, crates and lone tree, and past the burned tree and pond. He’s three quarters of the way there, but upon reaching the two-tree grouping that’s ringed in bushes, my friend gets a clothesline to the chest. Assistant #1’s muscled arm knocks the breath out of Ethan and leaves him gasping for air.

Embarrassing, but he deserved it for being so brash. I kind of admire his boldness though. It even makes him a little more attractive.

Garret and Assistant #2 approach Ethan as he lies on the ground. I hold my breath, waiting to see how they will punish him. Garret grabs Ethan by the ankles and drags him toward the pond. Ethan struggles against him, but one of the assistants kicks him in the side of the head. Garret pulls him into the water and forces his head under. Ethan fights under the dark water to get his head above the surface.

I stand after two minutes have gone by. I descend the bleachers to the floor after three minutes have gone by.

Finally, just as I’m about to rescue my friend and risk everything, Garret releases Ethan. He’s choking and scrambling for dry ground. He coughs up a lung full of water, catches his breath, and then rolls over onto his back.

Garret stands over his victim and demands an explanation for Ethan’s disobedience. “What was that, Ethan? Explain yourself!” he shouts so loud that I’m afraid the lights will shatter.

“Sorry, sir! I wanted to see if I could fight off an ambush. I thought you would all come after me if I disobeyed. It obviously worked.” Ethan coughs once more. He keeps his face rigid as stares at our instructor.

“I’ve already told you, that’s not how we do things here,” Garrett spits. “You need to clear each area before advancing.”

“Yes, sir!”

Garret finds me across the room with his eyes. “Let’s go, Mena! Last try!” His voice booms across the Defender’s Course, maneuvers around the obstacles, and hits me with its full force.

I realize I’m still holding my breath from seeing Ethan nearly drown. I let it out slowly. Then I wipe my palms on the back of my shorts before reaching for my weapons.
Focus, Mena
.
This is your last attempt.
I walk forward and put Ethan to the back of my mind for the moment. Garret switches off the lights before I even make it to the starting point. I take slow steady breathes in effort to slow my heart rate. I wait.

When the lights flash on, everything appears to be the same, except for Garret casually leaning against the nearest tree. He’s waiting for me. With my head held high, I enter the course. Even though my focus is concentrated on the threat ahead of me, I’m able to notice movement in my peripheral vision. Without breaking eye contact with Garret, I launch a dagger in the direction of an impending side assault. My knife makes contact. Assistant #2 falls to the floor.

At the same moment, Garret lunges at me with his own set of daggers. He scrapes my arm with the blade in his right hand as I spin away from it. I block the thrust toward my stomach with his left knife hand. I drop to the ground and continue the spin. I sweep my leg out, knocking Garret on his butt. He takes a forceful stab at my retreating leg and narrowly misses.

After righting himself, Garret rushes me again. I stand motionless until the last second. Then I stealthily duck under his raised arms. The dagger in my left hand drags across his exposed belly as I move around him. Garret is out of commission. I realize that for once, it’s good to be small.

I finish clearing the tree my instructor was resting against. Then I proceed toward the field of cacti, crates, and lone tree. I stab at the crates like I did in my previous approaches. I clear the dense tree by climbing into it. They are all clear. There are no fishing lines or trip wires in the sand between the crates and the two trees ringed by leafy, green bushes. I take extra care at this obstacle, stabbing into the compact bushes and scouring the interior of the umbrella of leaves.

I crouch at the base of the smaller tree with star shaped leaves. Peeking from behind the bushes, I survey the area. The cement wall is un-obscured. If I listen closely, I can almost hear it chanting, “You’re almost there. Just a few more feet. You can do it.”

I’m coming!
I want to call back.

Leaving the camouflage of the crowded plants, I step out into the open area. I make it to the wall without a hint of the remaining assistant, but I know it can’t be this easy. The wall is smooth and stands 15 feet tall. There’s no chance of me scaling it.

A whistle slices through the air. It distinctly sounds like an arrow, one that’s coming from behind me and to the right. I decide to run toward the two magnolia trees that stand to my left. I need to get a better view of what’s going on and get out of the open. I scale one of the trees that tower high above the finish-line wall. To finish this, I will have to make a jump for it from this tree—it’s the only way that I can see me getting over that wall. But first, I have to kill Assistant #1.

Another arrow whistles as it’s fired into the canopy of the tree that hides me. The rubber tipped arrow ricochets off a thick branch and then tumbles to the ground. It lands with a soft thump when it hits the sand. I look out over the course and decide that it probably came from a small patch of bushes on the right side of the course. That must be where Assistant #1 is hiding.

I glance at the wall and think to myself,
I could just cross the finish line. I would be done, but an Exalted would be expected to finish with the kill.
Garret will expect me to finish with the kill.

Assistant #1 is a good distance from me, but I should be able to reach him with my daggers if I throw hard enough. I’ll need a clear shot. Trying to throw from this tree will not work for multiple reasons. I need to get back on the ground.

After descending the magnolia tree, I take a running start before launching my knife toward my intended target. I tuck back under the tree’s canopy and wait for it to make contact. Everything falls silent. The seconds seem to drag on. I watch my dagger in slow motion as it turns over and over in an arc.

Suddenly, everything speeds back. The blade hits directly in the center of the bushes, causing a few of the glossy leaves to shake. Nothing happens. I throw one more dagger into the bushes for good measure. Again, nothing happens. There’s no movement in the bushes. There are no arrows sailing through the air. Nothing. I silently groan.
Ugh! 
I’ll have to get a closer look before I can jump over that wall.

I realize that I need some protection—a shield of sorts. One of the branches full of leaves will have to do. There’s nothing else around that will work. Hopefully, if an arrow flies my way, I can attempt to deflect it.
Hopefully.

I let the flimsy shield lead the way as I stride toward the location that I believe my attacker to be hiding. No arrows fly at me on my walk to the bushes. I clutch my skinning knife tighter in my free hand as I lean over the small cluster of bushes. Almost immediately, I see the assistant’s body curled up on the ground. He doesn’t move. I nudge him with my boot to make sure he’s down for good. He still doesn’t move. I hesitate about what to do. I can feel Garret’s eyes watching my every move. He’s waiting for me to make sure this marauder imitator is dead. So, I once again lean into the bushes, this time it’s to severe Assistant #1’s carotid artery. Even though this isn’t real, I feel uneasy.

My hesitation gives him enough time to jump up, grab my foot, and twist my ankle. He was playing opossum.
I should have known!

Following the twist through with the rest of my body—to avoid a nasty sprain—I spin around and let my other foot strike the side of the Assistant’s fat head. He falls, landing on his side. He’s sprawled across the prickly bushes, which makes the perfect opportunity to finish this. I take it without any hesitation this time.

I did it!

I sprint over to the magnolia tree and flit up the thick trunk like it’s the most effortless thing I’ve ever done. Now, I need to make it from the trunk, over to the top of the wall. That’s about an 11-foot gap. Finding the thickest branch, I walk its length until it starts to bend under my weight. While I’m standing there, reveling in my victory, I think,
it’s a good thing Exalted have superhuman abilities.
I propel myself off the support of the limb toward the wall.

The tender part of my stomach hits the edge of the wall. The impact pushes the air from my chest, and I gasp out loud. The pain doesn’t stop me or slow me down. I quickly pull myself up and stand on top of the wall. On the inside, I’m bubbling with pride. I take one last glimpse of the Defender’s Course before leaping to the ground.

I notice that Ethan is smiling from the stands. Garret and his assistants have their eyes on me, so I can’t return his nice gesture. I jump to the sandy ground behind the wall and smile triumphantly. No one is there to see it.

“I can’t believe we both finally beat the Defender’s Course. It felt amazing!” I beam to Ethan. I don’t bring up the embarrassing incident where Garret nearly drowned him.

Ethan gives in and mirrors my happy mood. He smiles, which makes my grin grow even bigger. His blue eyes sparkle as he admits, “I really didn’t think I would. I mean, who would have worried about that stupid magnolia tree being rigged with tear gas and fire bombs, after beating all the instructors?”

Ethan’s last try was a much more difficult final attempt at the Defender’s Course than mine. The instructors booby-trapped the tree so he would have a harder time getting over the wall than I did. I felt bad for him, but I don’t want him to know that. He won’t want my pity. I tell him something positive to make him feel better about it. “It was a good thing you remembered about those crates so you could climb over to the finish line. I probably would have stood there, staring at the wall and wondering how I was going to climb over it.”