Light and Stone

The Arena

In Academy-speak, off-campus didn't mean a field trip to a local war museum, or a class stroll into town. It meant a small trek through a dark, winding tunnel, fully armed and battle ready, until we reached a massive outdoor arena-tucked neatly into the cliffside, overlooking the crashing waves. I try not to let my jaw drop too visibly as Emy urges me along.

"There's no space in the Academy for this?" I mutter to the redhead as she looks in awe at the arena herself, "Even with all that land?"

"Of course there's space," she replies, "but you don't want to fight where you eat, now do you?"

I think back to the open, grassy plain, and the herds of animals just within the outer walls of the Academy. It was no secret that King's Academy was practically its own biome of life, self-sufficient and almost entirely closed off from the surrounding land-which was entirely deliberate. I'd just never been sure if it was to keep the recruits safe, or to keep everyone else safe from the recruits.

"I dunno, I'll fight anywhere," a familiar male voice interjects, and I whirl around to my right as Jez strides up alongside Emy.

"You," I practically bark at him, which only earns me a smug half-smile in response.

"Hey new recruit," Jez's eyes rove over my uniform, drinking me in under the light of day. He's dressed in the same purple and gold uniform of all first-year recruits, and a long sword made of an unusually dark, reflective metal hangs at his side. He looks less haunting in the daylight, the sun smoothing his sharp edges into rugged boyishness, and again I see his resemblance to the boy in the library: the same chin and cheekbones, the same lean, hulking build of a fighter. But Jez's moon-pale skin and black hair are his alone, along with the air of charged electricity that seems attuned to only him; The two of them were perfect physical opposites-like night and day.

His mouth twists into a grin as he says, "It's nice to see you dressed for once."

Although I know he's talking about my now battle-worn pajama set, my face heats up as the intended double meaning hits me like a slap to the face.

"It's nice to see you're still a prick," is all I can come up with, recalling how I promised myself to tell him off.

My narrowed eyes meet his, and I push every ounce of intention into my gaze. He doesn't seem impressed.

"Someone likes to mouth off," Jez lets out a low whistle, "Let's hope you're not all bark and no bite-otherwise it'll be a short match."

Match?

"Yeah, I guess we'll find out."

"Fantastic," he answers coolly, shooting me a grin that sends a shiver down my spine, "Looking forward to seeing what you're capable of."

He gives me a knowing look, as if daring me to say more.

Does he know that I'm a fraud?

"Leave the poor girl alone, Jez," Emy intervenes, and he answers with a shrug before falling behind us and disappearing into the herd of first-year recruits. We've almost reached the arena entrance-a narrow opening at the end of a dirt trail, carved into the cliffside underneath a canopy of trees-overlooking the deserted shore. If I wasn't completely positive I was about to get pummeled, I'd think the view was breathtaking.

A warm wind licks the back of my neck and ruffles my clothes. It's so calm here, which I'd guessed is kind of the point. Emy told me this place is one of the Academy's best kept secrets-isolated, remote, and rural: the perfect place to train young and powerful recruits without any prying eyes or lurking danger. My hand feels for the grip of my sword, sheathed at my waist over my uniform, and I can almost hear Elyn's reassurance at the back of my mind.