The Zodiacs

8. Trial of Will

Zahra lifted herself off the bed to pull the door open. "Yes?" She blinked at the female soldier standing in front of her, noticing the fresh cut on her cheekbone. Was it her turn already?

"It's your turn," the girl said, her words heavy with laboured breathing like she'd run all the way over here. "It's in the Eastern Coliseum, don't be long." She sighed, adjusting the weight of her armor before walking further down the corridor to her room after her training.

Pulling the wooden armor over the white shirt and shorts that she already had on, Zahra grabbed her sword and rushed up the hall. It had been two days since she'd last seen Akil --it was already known that he had disappeared, but nobody was paying him much attention since all of the attention was focused on the fresh search for Zodiacs that had officially been established yesterday.

Everyone was curious whether or not the search would turn up any of the people that they called Zodiac Children. She'd been listening intently too, making sure that neither her brother nor Akil were spoken about, and the others as well.

When she arrived in the vast space that was dark all along the circular walls, but illuminated in the center, Zahra's eyes landed on Master Omari before they caught on the other soldier standing with him. The silence of the empty coliseum multiplied the natural volume of every sound, making the next step she took bounce off the walls and draw both of their attention toward her.

"Soldier Seven," Master Omari spoke, wearing a Jalabiya like he'd worn on the day that she first trained with Akil --when she realized that he was a Zodiac just like Odion. The masculine robe fit his body perfect, allowing him to walk comfortably. "Come in."

She looked between then, unsure how this style of training was supposed to work. For a majority of the day, the girl had assumed that it would just be her and Master Omari alone in the coliseum.

He continued speaking as she made her way forward, her sandals brushing against the floor with every step. "You're going to be sparring with Soldier Thirty-Two today in what is referred to as focused training. The both of you will compete and I will watch, giving words of advice and tips throughout when I see fit. Is that understood?"

Soldier Thirty-Two straightened, lifting himself half of a foot taller than the girl in front of him. He was a little over an inch larger than Master Omari when stepping into his stretched height. "Yes Master!"

Zahra glanced over at Master Omari for a brief moment, before turning back to face the larger man. His dark eyes watched her, cold and unforgiving. The way his thin lips twitched downward when their gazes met made it clear that he wasn't after training; he only wanted to win. "Yes Master Omari," Zahra breathed, taking a step back to put enough space between them so the air emitting off of the soldier's body no longer made her uncomfortable.

"Take your positions," Master Omari spoke calmly, shifting away from them. Soldier Thirty-Two immediately dropped down into an intimidatingly prepared position, drawing his sword and holding it tightly between his fingers.

Zahra took a deep breath, sliding one foot back and lowering her body. She didn't yank her sword as aggressively as her competition did and simply pulled it out slowly, letting the metal drag along the interior of its scabbard to fill the silence of the room. Even though the dangerous look in his eyes made her reconsider every move, the girl didn't dare to show it, narrowing her eyes back at him just like he was doing.

Master Omari wouldn't let either of them die in training. Would he?

Nonetheless, it didn't matter because she wouldn't let that become an option at all in this session.

Thirty-two raced forward before Master Omari could signal them to begin, his eyes dropping to her sword. Zahra's heart exploded with a burst of adrenaline that flooded her arteries and made her slide to the side, avoiding the strong grasp that he'd attempted to close around her wrist to steal her weapon and leave her defenseless.