Over the next two weeks, my training intensified. Not only was I doing a lot more studying, but even the little exercise I was forced to do was getting more difficult. Sir Atticus was making me not just run around fields but had got me onto climbing walls, tires, and scrambling under nets. This would have been horrific for me if Marcus wasn't doing it beside me. He never left me behind and shouted encouragement along the way. Even if I got stuck or couldn't complete an exercise, I had felt I had achieved something.
It also didn't help that my weapons training wasn't getting any better. I could at least hold a rifle and point it at a target. But, the recoil would always skew my already poor aim. Sir Atticus asked me a couple of times how it felt with a gun in my hand and had this knowing look every time I told him it didn't feel right.
Added to all this was my disastrous sleeping pattern. If I was lucky the day would have worn me out that dreamless sleep came easy and I could rest. But when I did dream it seemed to feature a mad Alice who refused to talk to me or a portal with calloused claws reaching out for me and a cruel voice muttering "It is your destiny. It is your destiny." I often woke up from those dream with a yelp when the morning bell sounded.
I never looked forward to my Mondays as they involved weapons training. Marcus and I headed towards the firing range to find Sir Atticus waiting for us at the path. He was beaming at us and seemed to have a bounce in his step. How someone was so alive in the mornings was beyond me. We approached and saluted him. "Morning," he said, saluting back. "Bit of a change of plan. Marcus you'll be carrying on as normal," he said, nodding at Marcus. Then he turned to me. "I might have found a solution to your weapons problem." My heart leapt. If that solution was to never hold a weapon again then I was all for it. But seeing as we were Arknights I doubted this was the case. We said farewell to Marcus and headed back into the complex.
"Where are we going, sir?" I asked as we entered a district of the complex I had never been to before. This had nicer buildings with larger rooms and bigger windows. The amount of guards also seemed to decrease and I noticed a lot more Masters walking around.
"You'll see," he said, a mischievous grin on his face. I didn't like this. I wasn't the best at surprises and not knowing where we were going was unnerving. However, I knew Sir Atticus wouldn't put me in danger and anything was better the weapons practice.
We turned a corner to see a building that stood out among the standardised concrete blocks. Sir Atticus had lead me to a fancy-looking building made of glass and brown wood. The wood's warm feel didn't seem to fit the sleek appearance of the glass, but they appeared inviting to me. It was the size of two fields and was four levels high. Ornate towers stood at the top at each corner that overlooked a grand doorway. "Welcome, Sara, to the Matrix."
I gasped as we entered the Matrix, taken in by the sight of a thousand books. They were everywhere. Shelves stored them in places that made them look out of place. Each door was slightly blocked from the encroaching shelving, which were heaving underneath lines books. Every book looked different: tomes as big as your head, parchment that must have been written on a hundred years ago, and there were even torn books that hung from their covers limply. I took a deep breath in and the warm smell of paper was intoxicating. Everything I had learnt up to this point was insignificant to this wealth of knowledge. That spark of wonder I got when I got in a library took hold. I could get lost here for the rest of my life, and I wouldn't care about it. Sir Atticus was watching my stunned expression with a smile. "Thought you might like it," he said.
We passed a service desk with a librarian focused on keeping a stack of books from falling over. Sir Atticus led me through door after door. They dedicated each section to a different aspect of the Arknight life, and each one was bigger than the Archive I had been to. It was an odd mixture of cramp but spacious. Books surrounded me, but there weren't many people here. I had only spotted one or two Arknights and Master searching the shelves for a book. This allowed space for people and also artefacts. A glass case flanked each doorway with something new and exciting inside. Most of them contained busts of pasted Masters and Arknights of note. I wanted to read what they had done, but Sir Atticus dragged me deeper into the Matrix.
Even though the building had been made of glass, I thought the rooms got darker as we moved further into the Matrix. I came to me that we were actually going down into some form of cellar. A library with a basement sounded creepy and I tried not to think of what books they had down here. It also became clearer that books were getting older, or sections that seemed a little more obscure. One section's name was written in faded letters I could not read. I was beginning to feel nervous. We were almost alone in a dark library section; only the soft lighting guided our path. I jumped when Sir Atticus' voice broke the thick silence. "Here we are," he whispered. I looked up to see the section. It read: Divinity.
I gulped as we moved into the section.
It was an oval room with marble pillars dotted around. Though there was a large space in the centre, the room felt cramped with the packed in bookcases that lined the walls. This room hadn't been shown a lot of love. Though it was fully stocked with books, most of the books had dust on them and their names worn out by time. I tried to read some titles to explain why Sir Atticus had brought me here. My heart jumped as I read the words Advanced Blessings. "Sir Atticus, these are all about blessing."
"Yes, I know," Sir Atticus said, peering in-between the shelves of books. "I getting you a new teacher." My heart skipped a beat. A new teacher? But I thought he was my teacher. I squinted forward too. The dust didn't help as it made my eyes sting, but I couldn't see anyone here.
"New teacher, sir?" I said.
"Well, not full-on new. Just- Get down!" Sir Atticus yanked me down as giant tome flew over our heads. I stayed crouched on the floor. What was going on? Were the books attacking us? This kind of stuff only happened in fantasy novel, not in the middle of a military library. Another book shot towards us and slammed into the shelving behind me. It rattled, and books fell on us. I looked at Sir Atticus for orders, but he was giving me a strange look. A book slammed into my shoulders as another tome whizzed past me. "Sir, we've got to move," I said. I turned to see the entranceway, but the path was now hidden behind a mound of books. I headed for cover behind a pillar, dragging Sir Atticus with me. He seemed to be enjoying this.
"Glad you remembered some training," Sir Atticus said. He seemed to be perfectly ok with books flying at us. Was this some training every Squire had to go through? "Next time we are under attack, maybe react a bit fast."
"I wasn't expected to be under attack from a library, sir," I hissed, peering over the side of the pillar. "Does this normally happen?"
"For me, yes," Sir Atticus replied, a big grin on his face.
There was another low thud as a book slammed into the pillar. I couldn't see who was throwing books at us. Was it a ghost? I tried to see if there was a figure, but there was no one there. I ducked as another book slammed into the pillar, and then I spotted something. It wasn't a shadow or a silhouette, more like a ripple of air, like you saw on a hot summer's day. It almost twinkled with the same particle effect of the Halo. I turned to Sir Atticus. "I think someone is using a blessing, sir," I said. Sir Atticus dropped his smile and starting looking curiously at me.
"Oh, really?" He said, stroking his chin. "Whereabouts?" I pointed toward the flying books. "I can't see anything," he said, shrugging.
"There is someone there, sir," I said. The books were now coming thick and fast; the attacker had plenty of ammunition. I pointed to where the ripples were, "See?" I whispered.
Sir Atticus eyed the spot before ducking again. He crouched beside me, and there was a twinkle in his eye. "There is more to you than meets the eye," he murmured. I frowned. What was that supposed to mean? The only thing meeting our eyes was a load of attacking books. Sir Atticus straightened up. "Let's see how much more there is to you," he said, giving me a wink. He turned around and simply said, "Save me." He stepped out behind cover.
I froze for a second, wholly taken by surprise at what he was doing. Sure, they were only books, but some of them were big enough to knock out an elephant. I leapt out after him, not having time to think about what he was doing. Speeding towards us was an enormous volume. If that hit either of us, that was a week in the infirmary. Instead of dodging, Sir Atticus just closed his eyes, almost readying himself to be hit. "No!" I shouted, jumping in front of him. All I could think of was one thing. I stretched out my hand. A curtain of shining particles erupted in front of me before conjuring the shield. It had been a while since I had used my blessings. The power rushed through my arms, causing it to immediately ache. I steeled myself as the book came straight at me. The book slammed into my shield before collapsing to the floor, looking like a perfectly ordinary book.
I dropped my hand. I couldn't hold the shield much longer. The shield dissipated as I let my stinging arm relax. From behind, Sir Atticus started clapping. I turned to see him beaming down at me. "Well done," he said. I blinked at him, trying to understand what was going on. Then I realised that the books had stopped flying at us. I turned to see movement among the books, though there was no one there. Soon particles appeared, and the silhouette emerged from the pile of books. By the time the figure stood in front of me, they had emerged in their true form. "Your aims got better, Petra," Sir Atticus said. "One would think you were actually trying to hit me." Sir Petra stood in front of us, her sharp eyes focused on me. Even though most of the stacks of books were taller than her, she was still intimidating.
"You make a tempting target," she sniffed, "most demons would give half their power to have a good shot at you." She was still looking at me. The hairs on my neck stood on end as her eyes studied me. I instinctively backed away by Sir Atticus pushed me forward. "You seriously want me to train this flower," Sir Petra scoffed, shaking her head.
"She's done more than most Masters manage in a year," Sir Atticus pointed out. "She can produce a shield at this age. Imagine what she can do after a year or two of training."
Sir Petra considered this. "You must be a really shit shot for Atticus to want this." I shrugged and gave an awkward smile. I was a terrible shot, but I'd rather let the power of the Divine flow through me than hold the cold steel of a gun. Still, I don't know if I would take the terrible shot over training with her.
"So you'll take her on?" Sir Atticus asked.
"Doesn't she get a say in this?" Sir Petra said. They both turned to me.
I froze. I didn't realise I got a choice. "Umm, yes," I mumbled.
"You must be sure," Sir Petra barked. Her eyes were filled with passion, and she gripped her fist at me. "To handle the power of God is no simple task. You must be devoted. What you can do is a gift. Do you want to use it?"
"Yes," I said, without really thinking about it. I don't know why I wasn't jumping on this opportunity. This was the kinda stuff dad hid away from me in his study. I thought back to his lexicon and how it had felt to read those ghostly words. This was something I wanted to do. Studying was one of my strongest skills, and I wanted to master blessings.
Sir Petra shrugged. "I supposed you're not up to it," she said. Sir Petra turned around and started walking to the entrance.
"Wait," I shouted after her. I glanced at Sir Atticus who was watching me. Again, was I meant to do something? Was I meant to run up and grab her? Beg her to teach me? I knew begging wouldn't go down well. I looked at my hand. "Stop," I said and produced a shield in front of Sir Petra, blocking her way. I realised what I was doing and nearly dropped my shield. I was using a blessing on an Arknight; surely that wasn't allowed. But, if she wanted me to prove I want to learn blessings, then I would just trap Sir Petra in here with me.
Sir Petra studied my shield. She poked it with a finger, sending ripples of light through my shield. "Impressive," I heard her murmur. Then she turned around to face us. "You've got something special. I don't know what this is, but you have more divine energy than I see in most Masters."
"So you'll train me?" I said through gritted teeth. Having to produce a second shield so soon was draining me of my energy.
"Yes, I will train you," Sir Petra said. "But, you must do what I say." I nodded and let my shield go. Sir Petra turned to Sir Atticus. "We'll discuss when I expect her here later. Now go, I've seen too much of your face today as it is."
Sir Atticus gave a sarcastic salute. "Yes, sir," he said. "I'll pick you up for lunch," Sir Atticus added to me. He walked off into the stacks of books and vanished like a magician.
"Now, tell me, Sara, what do you actually know about blessings?" Sir Petra said, without a moment's hesitation. I racked my brain, trying to think of all the things I knew about them. It was surprisingly little, as most of this wasn't covered at school, and even the Arknight lessons hadn't really touched on them.
"I know we draw power from our Divine blood," I said slowly. Sir Petra didn't react to this, so I kept going. "And I know Monks and Priests use them to-"
"Textbook rubbish," Sir Petra said. From out of a pile of books, she produced a cane and whacked my head several times with it. It wasn't a gentle tap either. She then jabbed me in chest. "What do YOU know about blessings? What have YOU experienced with them?"
I thought for a moment. The answers were in me; I just had to get them out. "Well, the first time I produced my shield, I was protecting my friend Alice from this stray dog."
"Yes," Sir Petra encouraged, her eyes lighting eye. "What else? What else?"
I was getting goosebumps from her maddening glare. I thought back to all the times I had made my blessing shield. "There was this power running through my arm, and I had to have some kind of purpose."
"Show me," Sir Petra said, spinning me around and pointing me at a bookshelf. I hesitated, as I had only just done a shield. I was still worn out, and I wasn't sure why she needed to see it again. But I did as I was told and stretched out my hand. Visualising the bookshelf attacking Sir Petra, I let the power flow through my arm again. Before us, the glass-like shield shimmered into life. The power rushed through my arm, a burning pain following afterwards. "NO!" Sir Petra snapped, slapping my hand down with her cane. I staggered forward from a mix of shock and pain. I tumbled into a collection of books and lay there rubbing my arm, staring up at Sir Petra. "Half the Priests would be dead if they stood there holding their hands up defenceless like an idiot. Watch," she said.
She stretched her hand out, and before me, a shield appeared. Hers glowed brighter than mine and seemed thicker. Then she lowered her hand, and the shield remained there. I goggled in amazement. "How did you do that, sir?" I asked, getting to my feet. The shield hovered in front of me. I pressed it with my finger. It was solid, and yet Sir Petra wasn't doing anything.
"It's simple, really," Sir Petra said, joining me at my side. She ran her fingers over the shield like she was wiping away invisible snow. "We are conduits of the Divine, and we create conduits to our creations as the Divine does. I store up my energy and then budded it off. The shield is only as strong as the strength I put into it. This frees me to recover and use my strength for other blessings." She then eyed me curtly, "If you remain connected to your blessing it will stay as long as you're energy flows but you will feel the effect of anything that interacts with it." She tapped my arm, "It's painful having the Divine's power run through you, correct?"
"Yes, sir," I replied. "That's why I can only hold the shield for so long."
Sir Petra shook her head. "It is foolish to keep the power of God running through you. So much power can have...unfortunate consequences." Sir Petra did a motion of something exploding with her hand. My stomach jolted at the thought I could have exploded. Sir Petra tapped the shield, and it dissipated into a thousand glowing particles. "You are something special, though. As a Prophet, you are connected to an angel."
"An angel?" I said, gawking at her. The thought of me being linked to an ancient being of power like an angel was absurd. I could barely make it through the Angelway challenge, let alone have the power of an angel. "That can't be right, sir."
"Yes, it is," Sir Petra said, glaring at me. "Prophets and Oracles are linked to a single angel. That's how we know you have a destiny. And it is why both Prophets and Oracles are much more powerful with blessings." She strolled over to the table, which only had one book on. "If you are going to study blessings, you're going to need this." She threw it at me and I barely caught it. I looked down at the front cover and read: Angelic Lexicon.
"I get my own?" I gasped, looking up at Sir Petra.
She gave me her first genuine smile. "Of course, every Warpriest needs one."
"Warpriest?" I repeated dumbstruck. That was what people called Master Orion. Though he had never agreed with the title. It made sense now if that was an Arknight thing.
"Yes, we do not use clumsy steel to fight our battles," Sir Petra said. "We are rare souls. Master of blessings, warriors of light." Then she snapped back to her usual self. "Right, let's start from the beginning." She pulled a blackboard out from behind a pair of books. It was already covered in chalk scribbles. Sir Petra lectured me on the Divinity basics as I took a seat amongst the books. I couldn't help smiling. Not only was I doing something I loved, but I was linked to an angel. It was a terrifying thought, but it was comforting knowing that little bit more. But it made me wonder. If Sir Atticus had wanted me to take on this training, did he know I was linked to an angel? And if so, how much more did he know and wasn't telling me?