The Sanctuary

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The rest of the Riders moved to the back of the room, sitting down as Marvine stepped towards me.

I felt my heart hammer in my throat. I was ready. I had to be ready. 

There was a reason no person knew what went on behind these doors. The training, as Madame Widow liked to say, tested not only your physical merits but your mental merits as well. She wanted a revolution, trained soldiers who although lacked in number, made up for it entirely through skill and determination.

Marvine gave me a humourless smile and cracked his neck. He handed me a heavy leather belt, and motioned for me to put it on. I confusedly did, and realized the belt was actually full of small daggers.

Then he handed me a medium sized shield.

Dread began to pool inside of my body. I knew this, I know how to do this, I reminded myself as I strapped on the heavy belt. We had trained with dagger throwing our entire lives. Every flick of the wrist, the strength behind the throw, it was ingrained in my mind and in my gut. Suddenly, a motion from the corner of my eye and –

WHAM.

 Marvine had thrown his knife with full force, and it hit my shield with such a loud clang that it echoed across the room dramatically. I brought the shield down, mouth agape. I had moved the shield without thinking. I had no idea the dagger would come at that speed and that strength, there were no signs, no hint – and next time-

WHAM! The daggers kept coming. Marvine was throwing daggers left, right and center and I raised my shield, rolled and raised it again, dodging his lethal knives by milliseconds. 

I am going to die, I thought frantically as the sound of a knife whistling through the air came at me again and again and again. This is it for me.

 Why did I ever think I could do this?

 I broke out into a run, and across the wall behind me, he threw the knives, barely missing me.

Pain burst in my arm and I nearly cried out. I didn’t have time to check the wound.

 I had to go on the offense.

Suddenly crouching, using my smaller frame to hide behind the shield, I braced myself as the onslaught of daggers came at my shield. Marvine had a ridiculous throwing arm, the knives denting the shield with the force it came with. 

 In a quick movement, I had three daggers in my hand. Fluidly, I launched myself up and threw the daggers at Marvine as hard as I could.

 The daggers wedged itself into his shield with a thump. Marvine’s silver eyes widened as he stared at the shield and then back at me.

 He straightened, and put his hands on his waist, observing me with a critical gaze.

 “You’re ready,” he said. 

 Then the real test began. 

 He had me throwing daggers at targets all around the room, from varying distances but with the same speed and force. He put me in mock battle situations, roaring and screaming at me, making me work faster, harder. 

All the while, the Riders watched on. Stoically. Emotionlessly.

 It was all that I could do to not collapse. It was only the thought of finally becoming a Rider… that was all that kept me going. I pushed, and I screamed, and I kept going. 

 Many hours passed. It was not until the sun had set, that Marvine finally called it.  I fell to the ground, collapsed in a heap. My clothes soaked through with sweat, my breath coming out in wheezes. My arms felt like useless logs. The wound in my arm from the knife skimming my skin was burning with pain. 

Marvine knelt beside me, his muscles flexing as he did so. He looked at me carefully, the ridges on his face rippling as his eyes crinkled. He was smiling, a gentle grin that was so shocking, I would’ve gasped if I had any breath left. He reached out with a hand and ruffled my hair, sweaty as it was 

“Pass,” he said quietly, but loud enough for Edward to hear.

Nodding weakly, I kept my head down as the Riders got up to leave. A shout from Edward notified me that I was to be back in the training room for my next test in two days.

I clenched my jaw, grimly nodding. I turned weakly to watch Jonrick walk out the door, his back rod straight.

Groaning, I pushed my way to my feet and walked out of the training room. Limping to the girls dormitory, and walking passed many surprised faces, I got to my bed and just lay there. 

I did not get back up until the morning.