Beyond the Glow

Chapter 38

But where's Wiccet?

The person in the bubble with me swings his leg out, taking notice of my absentmindedness and using it to his advantage. I fall, the bubble flickering, then disappearing as the ground smashes my breath from my lungs. There's a roar from above me, and Wiccet appears from seemingly out of nowhere, running by and trying to trample the person who had kicked me.

They roll, just barely missing his hooves, and then I notice the people lifting me up, not holding me back but helping me stand. I take their hands, standing as Wiccet turns for another charge. His eyes lock on the figure in the dirt, before shooting forwards.

They jump out of the way, barely getting out of the way of the giant horse. The branch headdress falls off, and a wave of red-brown hair tumbles out. The person hops up, and I feel a jolt of recognition at the sight of Euna. I mean, Fira.

What is she doing?!

I move forwards, but the other people hold me back now. They must be from the underground, I realize, But why would they attack us? I thought we were on the same side!

"Let go!" I squirm, but they refuse, their grips becoming tighter instead, and I'm forced to watch Wiccet charge at Fira again, his head aimed down to knock her off her feet like a battering ram.

Why is he so riled up about this!? He's just a horse! I pull frantically, seeing Fira stand her ground, staring at Wiccet, with no intention of moving.

"STOP!" I yell, Fira doesn't flinch, but Wiccet looks up from his charge, changing the direction at the last second to avoid Fira, and grinds to a halt a little ways away from me.

The underground soldiers around me stand stock still, shocked into silence. Len is the first to speak. "That horse isn't normal." He shakes his head, and I roll my eyes. 

Wiccet shakes his mane out, seeming to have recovered from whatever took over him to create the charge, and I pull away from the soldiers to walk up to him. Fira is still standing where she'd been before, her stance relaxed, but her eyes wide.

I take unsteady steps towards Wiccet, and he doesn't pay attention, dipping his head down to eat the grass at his feet. I reach out, gently petting his neck, but he pays no attention, and doesn't charge. I can feel the tension leave the air as everyone relaxes.

"What was that all about?" Len finally says, pulling away from the soldiers who had been holding him as well.

Fira sniffs. "I wanted to test your skills in fighting an ambush. Honestly, I thought you'd fare better, especially for a former soldier and a centuries old being." She looks around. "I also thought you'd bring Leila back with you. Where is she?"

I gulp, "You don't know?"

"Know what?" Fira's eye narrow further, and I grip Wiccet's mane nervously. She's really not someone I want to cross, and I'm already on her bad side.

"Leila-" I stop, unable to say the next words around the lump in my throat.

"Leila was taken by the King's lackey, that man in the cloak." Says Len, stepping forwards, putting a hand on my shoulder. I relax slightly under the touch, glad I didn't have to say the words myself.

Fira freezes, her eyes going wide. "Taken?" I nod slowly, and she blinks. "I-" She gulps, turning to the soldiers. "Take them to the base and get them settled in. I want them started on combat training by morning, and if they need anything, get Baldur. I'm not going to be at the base tonight," Her voice wobbles on the last word, and inwardly, I cringe. She sounds... Sad.

The soldiers give Len back Zed, and as a group we all walk deeper into the forest. I look back over my shoulder, hoping that Fira is okay, and catch her glaring at me, not like before. But with a real venom, not just a distaste. She watches me a second more, then turns, dashing into the forest where I can't see.

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"You need to split up here." The female guard stops in front of a door, set in the solid dirt wall. Like the smaller base in the city, the Underground's main headquarters were set literally underground. The only things above ground were the stables, the horses refused to be underground, and there was a trapdoor leading down to the rest of the complex below.

She looks at Len. "This is the Men's dormitories, where you will be sleeping until tomorrow. I will take you," She turns her attention to me, "to the Women's dorms, and show you around there, then wake you up tomorrow and take you both to start lessons. We don't have any time to waste until you're trained."

The woman looked back to Len, "You were a former soldier, so you should know your way around pretty well, the compounds aren't that different, but this one is bigger. If you need help around ask one of the guys in there."

"Alright..."

"Kendi." She says, turning on her heel, and leaving me to run after her brisk pace down the hall. I look back at Len, shrugging, and with a wave, he heads into the dorms.

I jog after her, trying to catch up. We seem to walk down one endless corridor after another, turning before we reach the actual end of any of them. "This place is huge."

"This has been the main base since the founding of the Underground, it's where all the main operations take place." Says Kendi, not ceasing in her constant speed-walk. "Veldor and Fira have their own rooms, in order to protect their identity," She continues, finally stopping in front of another door, this one almost identical to the men's dorms.

"But since you're new, and everyone knows about you anyways, you'll be staying in with me and the other higher ranked soldiers in here until we have a room for you." She pushes open the door, walking in, and leaving me by myself in the hall.

I follow her, going through the door and closing it behind me. The inside of the room didn't surprise me really, four small single beds with chests at the foot of the bed for personal belongings, and a small door at the other end of the room that I assumed was the washroom.

"There's only four of you?" I ask, a little shocked.

"Technically, five, including Leila and Fira. There's only three of us who are just humans." Says Kendi with a grin.

"You know their real names? Not the codenames?" I frown, confused.

"Since I work with them and Veldor directly, I'm one of the few who are privileged enough to do so." Kendi walks over to the far right bed, patting the top. "This is where you'll sleep, I'll get you up in the morning to assess your skills, and then we start training."

"Where's everyone else?"

"Probably out on scouting missions or something like that, they'll trickle in during the night, don't worry about it." She says, shaking her head. I nod, sitting on the top of the bed. We were given rations as we walked with the soldiers because we were too late for dinner, so I change into my nightclothes, assuming we won't leave for anything else.

Kendi changes while I think, and blows the light out when she's ready. We both nestle underneath the covers, and I wait until I can hear her breathing steady before tugging out my lamp and going inside. My father is still on the bed by himself, and I go over, giving him the nightly bit of my magic. In the time I'd been giving it to him, he's seemed better, more alive then before.

I sigh, moving over to my own bed on the other side. The other bed had felt too foreign to me to sleep in. "I'll just wake up before everyone else, it'll be fine..." I mutter, letting my eyelids droop. "Nobody'll know the difference."

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A/N

Alright, shorter chapter this week, but you know summer, vacations, visiting family, etc. I'm trying to finish the book before school starts again though, so you can yell at me about that.

~Mg