Bastial Energy (36 page)

Effie had to stop herself from grabbing Brady’s hand. It was a reflex she was used to with Reela.
I wish she was on my other side.
She interlaced her fingers and squeezed, finding some comfort in that as she tried to calm herself.

She could feel Brady’s eyes shift to her hands. He hesitantly extended his hand and rested it on top of hers. It had the opposite effect of what he was probably going for. Her heart only beat faster. For a moment she thought she was going to lose her breath completely, but the moment passed. She realized her breathing was fine. This calmed her, allowing her to enjoy Brady’s touch. She freed her fingers so they could hold hands properly. The hot anxiety began to cool. She lowered her head as a chill of sweet relief ran down her neck.

Terren finally lowered his hands and was satisfied enough with the silence to begin. “Thank you. Now, your instructors have been trained well in case such an occasion was to occur. The focus of each class will shift to make sure everyone knows their role in a battle. If you have any questions when I’m finished, your instructor can answer them.”

He cleared his throat, and Effie expected him to pull a scroll from his pocket to read. But instead, he calmly glanced around the stadium.
He holds silence so well.
Effie couldn’t figure out how, but he emanated authority.

He opened his palms to gesture as he spoke. “Classes—or battle training as they should be addressed from now on—will occur every day to make sure we’re prepared for the worst. Both the north and south gates will remain closed now. If you wish to reach someone in a southern city, write a letter and have it addressed and ready to go in your mailbox before nightfall. You’re not to leave the Academy without first receiving permission.”

Effie noticed annoyed murmurs starting up.

Terren pushed out his palms and quickly continued. “This may seem sudden, but there’s no reason to be afraid. While we’re the front line to any attack, we’re also part of the Kyrro Army. We always have been. At the first sign of any attack, the entire force of the King’s Guard will join us to defend our border. We’ll also be joined by every able-bodied graduate of the Academy.”

Terren had a rallying cadence to each sentence. He was speaking to them the same way Effie would imagine him threatening an enemy on their behalf. He made a fist, and silence followed once again.

“You all have been accepted here because of your ability. Now is the time to put it to use. Our walls are ten feet tall. Kyrro’s army is nearly ten thousand strong. And our warriors, mages, chemists, and psychics are far more skilled in their classes than those in Tenred. Until the thick-skulled King of Tenred gets some sense and signs the treaty, we’ll ensure that no enemies get through us to harm our friends and families back home.”

Effie noticed she was slipping from the bench, being too far on the edge. She plopped herself back an inch and leaned forward once again, matching the position of those around her. Brady squeezed her hand tighter. It sent a tingle down her arm and made her lips curl into a peremptory smile.

“If at any point in the future the Redfield bell is rung twice, then you are all to return here for an important announcement, just like now. But if the bell is rung continuously, then it’s time to defend our walls. Keep your spirits high and your heads low and focused. This isn’t a time to be petty or pompous. Put all woes aside. This is a time to trust your instructors and your king, but more importantly you need to trust each other.”

He stopped for a breath to let his words resonate. Effie felt herself pulled into his speech, eager for his next word.

“Now, think about the people in our cities, the people who farm our food, cook our meals, make our weapons, sew our clothes, brew our beer. All of
them
take care of us.” He pointed south to the rest of Kyrro. “That’s how
they
give back to Kyrro.”

He took his finger around the stadium to give each of them a chance to figure out what he was about to say.
But how do we give back?
Along with the question, Effie had the answer as well.
We fight for them!
She wanted to shout it. She could feel the same energy from those around her.

”You may have thought it would be one year, maybe two or even three years before it was your turn to give back,” Terren continued. “But that time is now! It’s time for you to be proud…proud of what you’re part of…of who you are and what you can do. Now stand and meet in your classrooms for your first training as true members of the Kyrro Army!”

There was a boom as everyone rose at once. A wave of cheers and applause roared through the stadium. Effie dropped Brady’s hand to clap as loudly as she could. All of her drowsiness had disappeared. She felt ready for anything, never more roused in her life. Brady stood beside her, using his fingers to whistle.

It made Effie realize how silly her anger toward Brady had been. They might now be fighting for their lives and the lives of their families, and she was upset because he’d acted like he didn’t have a girlfriend until she’d kissed him? Whatever embarrassment she had before was pointless.

“My name’s Effie,” she told him.

He extended his hand. “Welcome to the Kyrro Army, Effie.”

Chapter 39: Gone

ZOKE

They’re all gone,
Zoke thought with dismay as he and Vithos overlooked the barren Krepp camp from the high hill to the north.
Vithos was right.
Even most of the huts have been moved
. Though he wasn’t surprised, it was still a stark and depressing sight that made his heart fall to the bottom of his stomach.

“They could have Krepps waiting for us,” Vithos said as they scurried down the hill. “We should remain close.”

Zoke took another look at the empty land ahead of him. The statement seemed absurd. “There’s nowhere for them to hide…and I wouldn’t think you wanted to stay close. Didn’t you say I smelled?” Zoke was still trying to understand why it was the first time he’d heard of it.

“Yes, but no worse than any other Krepp. When it comes to noticing your own odor, all you Krepps are
gurradus
, it seems. None of you can tell how bad the other one smells.”

“Maybe you’re the only one who thinks we smell,” Zoke retorted.

Vithos chuckled. “Probably.”

It was clear to Zoke they were both avoiding the inevitable conversation—what were they going to do now? Would they stay together or split up? Zoke still hadn’t decided, but he knew Vithos was waiting for an answer.

They’d spent the last week walking back from Merejic. Zoke found it much easier to travel back home than he did away from it, although that might have been because he had hope his home was still there. It would’ve made Vithos wrong about not only that but possibly everything—including that Zoke was considered a traitor.

Now that he’d returned to the empty camp, it became clear how silly those thoughts really were. He’d never known Vithos to be wrong before. Why expect it to be any different now?

Two days ago, they’d crossed through Lake Lensa, and Vithos had asked Zoke to clean himself in the water. Apparently, the smell he produced had grown to be unpleasant. Krepps tended to bathe only when filth or odor gave them reason to, and from what Zoke understood, Krepps didn’t naturally smell bad to each other. It usually took contact with mud or worse filth, and even then, many Krepps only washed the dirty spots on their bodies with a rag. Their skin was naturally dry and hairless except atop their heads, making it easy to clean. After five minutes in the lake, Zoke felt he’d done an adequate job and had left the cold water with no intention of returning in the near future.

Vithos followed Zoke to the hut he’d shared with Zeti, or at least where Zoke thought it used to be. “Where is it?” Zoke asked aloud. There were hardly any huts still there. It was like an enormous wave had run through the camp and the only remains had been scattered, moved from their original spot. “Someone must have taken it.”

“Zeti, I would assume. You would want a roof over her head wherever she is now.”

“Yes, but how am I supposed to find the sword she buried?” Zoke could feel desperation starting to claw at him.

“Would she take it with her?”

“No, it’s too heavy for her. She’d prefer her own, and she knows it’s mine.” There was a wooden table with a leg an inch shorter than the rest. Zoke climbed on top of it and steadied himself as it wobbled to a stop. He peered out toward the rising sun, shielding his yellow eyes. “She could have left a mark, some way for me to find it.” His heart was speeding up.
I’m not leaving until I find it.

“Is it really so important she would risk going against Doe and Haemon to get it to you?”

“It’s the sword that saved my life twice.” Zoke saw nothing from the table, so he sat on it to get his feet back to the ground. There was a familiar squeak as his weight shifted off it.

“Could this be…?” He knelt to investigate the legs closer. “This is my table. I built this, but all four legs were equal when I left, and it wasn’t chipped and scratched.”

“Smart girl.” Vithos squatted to inspect the shortened leg. “She made it so no one would want it. Here’s your mark.”

Zoke put down his bow, quiver, and cloth bag of food, and took the rusted sword from his belt and threw it behind him. With a rush of eagerness, he knelt to the dirt underneath the table and started to dig. He clawed madly, throwing the dirt behind him without a single care what happened to it. Soon he met steel. He took a moment to enjoy the sweet relief he felt, then started pushing the dirt away, ripping the sword free.

“Satisfied?” Vithos asked.

Zoke ran a claw along the blade. He truly was, though it still beckoned to cut something. “Almost. I’ll be perfectly content when I get to use it.”

Silence came, and Zoke’s grin faded. He knew it was time.

Vithos looked at him with his long, brown eyes, waiting. His mouth remained steady, a flat line. “Will you come with me now that you see I was right?”

Looking back into the Elf’s eyes, Zoke knew then what his answer would be, but he still had some questions before he revealed it. “How would I even help?”

Vithos lowered his head, almost shamefully it seemed. “You’re the only one I can trust. I thought I’ve made that clear.”

Zoke remained quiet. Though it may be true, that wasn’t what he was asking. Vithos seemed reluctant to say more, so Zoke calmly informed him, “That didn’t answer my question.”

Vithos sighed. “I’m not proud to say it. I don’t know exactly how I’ll need you, just that I will. You can speak common tongue—that may be needed. You know more about the Slugari than I do. Let’s help each other.” Vithos’ voice trailed off. It seemed like he was holding something back.

Suddenly, Zoke realized what it probably was. It felt strange to ask aloud, though. Zoke bit down hard as he waited, hoping Vithos would elaborate, but the Elf said nothing more. He wouldn’t even lift his eyes.

He’s lonely…or will be without me.

As if he knew Zoke had figured it out, Vithos quickly lifted his head and pointed at him. “You should be asking me why you would want to come instead of how you can help. I have reasons for that.”

Zoke already knew that, though. He had his own reason to come. Vithos was right that Zoke knew more about Slugari. Books were not a popular commodity within the tribe, as Krepps hated writing even more than reading. This made books on certain subjects like Slugari, weapon making, and hunting highly valuable. Zoke had traded his way up to a book on Slugari just before his
pra durren
and had read it at least a dozen times in the four years since then. Even with his lack of taste for their green meat, he felt that any knowledge could only be helpful toward his role within the tribe. And in this book was his reason for wanting to find them.

“I’ve read Slugari keep tabs on movement above ground, making it very difficult for large groups of Krepps to hide where they are,” Zoke admitted.

For the first time, it seemed Vithos was confused. His brow furrowed and his mouth twisted. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I already know why I would want to come.”

Vithos’ eyes widened and a grin started to form. “And why is that?”

“Because the Slugari must know where the new camp is. They keep track of Krepp movement.”

Vithos showed him an open-mouthed smile. “See what I mean? Your help is valuable…so, you’re coming with me?”

Zoke nodded. “What other choice do I really have? I’m not going to get myself killed by walking into the camp alone if I even found it.” He pointed his claw at Vithos. “But you’ll help me figure out a way to be with Zeti again. That’s all I really care about.”

Vithos squinted his eyes as if insulted. “Of course I will.”

That led Zoke to his other question. “How?”

Vithos wiped some dirt from his arm and spoke calmly. “Once we remove Doe and Haemon’s power over the army, Krepps will split into separate tribes as they were before. There’s no way a group that large can be led by a Krepp. Their differences will separate them. Then it’s just a matter of finding sister to you, which I will help you do.”