Free.

|| 6 ~ Ailee ||

"HURRY, JAYI, WE MIGHT BE LATE!" I was leaned forward on his neck, a smile on my face as the wind whipped through my hair. 

Three bells rang, which was the symbol for training. Me and Jayi were out, terrorizing the Greencloaks here in Greenhaven. 

We galloped through the people, on a beeline for the training room. Wherever that was. We ended up speeding through the hallways until we reached an eating room.

Jayi slowed down a tad, so I slipped to his side, with a hand firmly gripped in his mane, swiping a pancake from an already outraged Greencloak with a face full of spilled oatmeal.

I just cackled as Jayi spun to the right, giving me some extra momentum, and with a push off a nearby table, I landed on his back as we entered the hallways once again.

||~_____~||

The training room was the second-largest room in Greenhaven Castle. It was bright, inviting, and had a super tall, peaked ceiling. 

There were weapons lined up against one wall, and stained glass windows lined the walls, each one featuring a different Great Beast. 

I had arrived with Abeke, whom we have found during our mad dash through the hallways of Greenhaven Castle. 

I was 100% aware of the suspicious eyes on me, and I had do doubt Abeke was feeling the same thing. 

Rollan frowned at Abeke, but offered me a smile. I would bet money on the fact that it was because of the slight bond we have over neither of us taking the Greencloak vows.

Meilin kept her face expressionless, as usual. Conor, who seemed like the nicest, offered a tight smile in our direction. 

Tarik stood in the middle of the room, a folded fabric screen behind him. His face held a perplexed frown. "Didn't you two hear the training bell?" 

I shrugged, while Abeke looked pretty ashamed. The Niloian girl released Uraza, hurriedly speaking. "I'm sorry. I got lost." 

Tarik moved his gaze to me. I rolled my eyes, while Jayi shook his head. "I was lost?" I gave as a slightly sarcastic, yet somewhat truthful reply.

"Lost?" Meilin rolled her eyes. She turned to Tarik. "Now can we start? Every minute we stand here doing nothing, a city in Zhong falls to the Conquerors." 

"That's a lot of cities." Rollan interjected. I carried it on from my spot on Jayi's back. "Do you mean eleven cities have fallen while we've stood here? How many do you think fell during breakfast? That was nearly twenty minutes!" 

"Ailee, Rollan, that is no joking matter." Tarik said. "And Meilin is right. Time is precious. But I think it will be more efficient if we train together. Today, you'll engage in hand-to-hand combat with other Greencloaks."

Meilin smirked, while I dismounted Jayi, landing softly by his side. 

"I call dibs on the mace." Rollan said. "And the brass knuckles."

"Not so fast," Tarik said. As he spoke, five other Greencloaks entered the room. Their spirit animals were in passive form, and they held their arms so that we could see their animals. 

There was a llama, fruit bat, lemur, coyote, and a mountain lion. "You won't always have access to weapons. In fact, an attack will more often come when you're not ready - while you're sleeping or eating. So you will not be using those weapons." 

Tarik pulled the folded screen behind him, revealing a array of weapons from frying pans to pillows. "You'll be using these." Tarik said.

"Oh, I did that everyday in my old life." Rollan joked. I laughed a little at that, considering that I was an orphan as well. 

"This is ridiculous." Meilin argued. "Maybe a street urchin and a wild girl living on the savannah is willing to fight with these crude tools, but I would do better with my bare hands." 

I shot a withering glare her way, while Abeke and Conor moved forward towards the 'weapons.' Neither bothered complaining.

"Grab the first one you come to. When I whistle, change to another object." Tarik ordered. Abeke took  a broomstick, Conor a fork, I snagged a plate off the closest rack. 

Rollan handed Meilin a handkerchief, with a snarky remark, while Meilin returned the gesture with a frying pan and sass of her own.  

"Everyone to their marks." Tarik ordered. 

I stood across from a sleek, brunette greencloak woman, her coyote tattoo peeked out from her shoulder. She was holding a slightly curved sword. 

"I'm Mataya." She said, flashing a kind smile to me. 

I grinned. "I would say mine, but i'm pretty sure you know it already." 

Both of us now matched smiles, I already liked the woman. Tarik's voice rose above the introductions, clear and true. "Older team: keep your spirit animals in passive form. Younger team: you may use all powers you have at your disposal. The object is to disarm your opponent. And if you manage that, to pin them to the ground." 

Meilin asked a question, which I promptly ignored, looked to my left, where Jayi stood close to the wall. 

"Us against the world." I whispered, but when Jayi's ears pricked forward, and he stomped his hoof on the floor, I knew he had heard me. 

Tarik let out a sharp, piercing whistle, and Jayi's strength and rebellion flowed over me. Mataya charged at me, and I used the plate to point the sword away from me, then ducked, and tripped the brunette. 

Somehow, the Greencloak was up in seconds, and I barely had enough time to block the sword strike with my plate, I heard Jayi off to my right, meaning he had moved during the fight. 

I smashed Mataya's sword hand with my plate, and the sword skittered across the floor. "Jayi!" I shouted. Jayi flashed over, and bumped Mataya with his shoulder, and she fell to her side. 

Mataya grinned, and gave me an approving nod. Tarik's whistle sounded. "New weapon!" He shouted. "Now, this round, I want you fighting as a team. Hurry! Grab something! Quick!" 

I swiped a pillow, while Conor had a fork, Abeke a wooden mixing bowl, Meilin a vase and Rollan the dried flowers I assume were in said vase. 

"Wait-" Rollan started, but Tarik shrill whistle cut him off. Now, all of the Greencloaks attacked at once, and we moved as one against them.

I leaped onto Jayi's back, darting out, through the Greencloak's line and hitting their heads with the pillow, safely seated on the Great Stallion. 

Uraza  took out two greencloaks, but the other three kept coming at Abeke. Jayi raced over, and slammed into the Greencloak with the lemur spirit animal. Mataya knocked the bowl out of Abeke's hand, while the other Greencloak slammed the flat of his axe into me, sending me flying to the ground, and Abeke, who landed beside me. 

"What was that?!!" Shouted Tarik.