Occultus Draconem

Addiction and Disobedience

"Are you sure you're all right to keep going?" Phoenyx asked, eyeing Blaise from head to toe. "It's okay if you have to stop. It's barely been a week since you—"

"I'm fine," Blaise said curtly. He turned away from her to size up the obstacle course and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He hated that everyone kept fussing over him. Why couldn't everyone just leave him alone.

I said I was sorry. How long are you going to stay angry?

"Just shut up," he demanded, grinding his teeth. As far as Zane was concerned, Blaise wanted nothing to do with him anymore. Zane was just an intruder taking a free ride in his body. The only reason Blaise even stayed in training was to keep himself occupied. That, and the fact that Theron would probably drag him back by the scruff of his neck if he tried to quit anyway.

"The hell ya waitin' for?" Theron asked, crossing his arms as he watched the group. "Zeke's already got ya beat!"

"What?" Blaise looked up to see Ezekiel standing up on the high wall, grinning from ear to ear. He had figured out how to manipulate his wind magic to enhance his power and speed, and used it as often as possible. "You're a real show-off, ya know that, Zeke?"

"Don't be jealous," he teased, gesturing for Blaise to follow. "Come on!"

"We got better things to be doin' than workin' this course all day," Theron said, tapping his foot impatiently. "The quicker ya get it through it, the faster we can be movin' on. Now, stop chit-chattin' and get yer asses up there!"

With the technique they'd perfected together, Phoenyx and Blaise scaled the walls using her platforms of ice. If either of them had trouble, Ezekiel would give them a boost with his wind.

Blaise hated to admit it, but he was glad to have them. Working the obstacle course kept his mind focused on himself and on them, and it helped him to block out Zane, preventing the Dragon Prince's thoughts and memories from getting in his way.

For the first time all day, all three of them managed to maneuver through the course without slipping up. They all landed on the grass in front of Theron, who was beaming with pride.

"It's about damn time! Another week o' that and I mighta lost my mind."

"You already lost your mind a long time ago," Kenric called out from the arena entrance, a large satchel slung over his shoulder. "Anything these guys do to you could on be an improvement."

"Ah, shut up, Ken. How ya feelin'?"

"Better," he said, and he looked better too. He'd been missing a lot of training over the past week—Theron explained that he hadn't slept well while Blaise was ill, and he was finally getting the rest he needed.

"What's in the bag?" Phoenyx asked, and Kenric laughed. She always got straight to the point of everything.

"Uniforms." He undid the snaps that held the bag closed, and handed each of the three recruits a new outfit. "Red for the men, blue for the women, or swap if you prefer. Congratulations. You three are officially a squad of the Occultus Draconem."

"Really?" Phoenyx clutched the uniform tightly against her chest, her eyes wide with excitement. "I can't believe it!"

Blaise ran his fingers across the Dragon that was embroidered into the front of the red shirt that Kenric had given him. A member of the Occultus Draconem? It was what he'd been working towards for so long...

And yet... it was suddenly all too real. Being a member of the Occultus Draconem meant more Enforcers, more fighting, more death... He held the uniform out to Kenric, who gave him a curious look.