Throne of Bones

Chapter Three

Kana's POV:

I stared down the obsidian box, I usually saved this gaze for her best advisories. Yet this box seemed to be the worst of it all. It had dragged the gaze out of me about thirty seconds after I said I would open it.

It was his gift.

Cerberus' gift. The one he wanted me to have. Frowning deeply, I sighed and pulled the box toward me. Instructor Garrison had sent a note this morning that I would have to complete a week of training with Jameel before I could train with his recruits.

Not because of my magic.

But because he wanted to know I could handle the class filled with Protegees. Avery and the Jasmin girl were tied for second best in the class. Quin was in third by a landslide apparently. While Jamson had held the top spot since entering the class.

I needed to learn the basics. Of the Raavi tribe at least. Garrison had admitted in his note that he was excited to see what my fighting technique looked like. So magic training after physical training with Jameel for a week.

That started today. I was fine, I knew I had everything down, but the flexibility. My curvy ass wasn't the best at that. Which was why I was sitting on the floor of my room, that was one of the few that had a window, in the flat split position.

Perhaps all those damned dancing lessons would come in handy after all. Curse the damned bitch Grandmama as she made us call her. What an evil old fucking hag she was.

Nesta received her first several scars from the old lady. Likely a few more she didn't tell me about in fear. Nesta and I never spoke about how we spit on her grave at the same time when no one else was looking.

At least we think they weren't. If she ever admitted to it, she'd drag me down with her. She'd tell the inner circle, Nesta would hate them for a while. Because she'd be confused, she always was a conqueror, now she just needed to conquer the next step.

Someone knocked on the door, Avery's voice was muffled by the door. "Are you skipping lunch today?"

"Yeah," I replied, arching sideways so my right hand was just past my left foot. I grunted and said, "Just reminding myself of a few things."

"Like?" Avery asked quieter. I shook my head, "I have my first training session with Jameel today."

"Ohhhhh!" Avery explained bargaining in through the door. She smiled softly before glaring down at the obsidian box in front of me. "What's that?"

"A gift from a friend." I muttered softly, arched the opposite way, left arm to right foot. "It-" I almost slipped up. To them, I was a girl from another village, not another world. "It was snuck into my bag by my friend at my old village. I haven't had the guts to open it yet."

Avery nodded, "What do you think it is?" I didn't know. Cerberus was a wise bastard, and I loved him for it. The heavily enchanted two inch thick, four inch wide, and six and a half inch long obsidian box was a very daunting task. It was a taunt, for one, likely because he always admired how well I looked in black.

Two, it was a gift in itself. The box was large enough to hold smaller more sentimental items, which means just about anything could be in there. But everything he'd placed inside the box, would make me cry. It would be my snapping point, the fake strength I had built myself up on these past four days would crumble like a sandcastle against the surf.

Muscles pulling tight Avery smirked as I changed to the forward split without coming off of the ground. "You'll do fine. I cannot even do the splits yet I am in the advanced class so you should get in."