I spin on my heels and within two large strides, I grip him by the throat and lift him off his feet, slamming him into the wall. Loose pebbles rain down as he kicks out and scrabbles at my hands, but his efforts are less effective than a gnat’s would be.
“What did you say?” I snarl.
Doors open and shut as more guards arrive. Their whispers become more animated, rising in volume as a crowd begins to form.
I smile.
Witnesses. Exactly what I was hoping for.
There have been grumblings within my ranks and I've been waiting for one of these fools to challenge my call against Jareth or call out Ajax for his part in it. But fearful of my wrath, no one has dared to do so in my presence.
Until now.
The immortal remains silent, his orange topaz and starlight jewels flaring as he attempts to pry at my fingers. I squeeze tighter, leaving only a breadth of space between his airway.
“What. Did. You. Say?” I repeat, baring my teeth.
Eyes bulging and face reddening, he wheezes, “Snitch.”
“I thought that's what I heard.”
I release him and he drops to the floor. Coughing and sputtering, he clutches at his throat as I crouch down before him. Reaching for the silver pin attached to his chest, I tear it from his vest and read the inscription.
“Lieutenant Garth,” I say, rolling the pin within my palm. “It seems you take issue with my guards performing their duties. It makes me wonder how well you execute yours, if you consider someone who reports sexual assault to be a snitch.”
The Fire immortal’s eyes narrow to slits. “They were humans, half-breed.” He leans forward with a sneer. “Human.”
A vicious joy fills me and my palm glitters orange, the pin melting to liquid silver. Garth sits up, eyeing the slithering silver warily.
“Since you’re so dissatisfied with my leadership,” I say, “then I’m sure you'll be pleased to know I'm no longer in need of your services. But here.” The sizzling silver swims from my palm and dives into his neck, branding his throat as it reshapes itself into its previous design. “A memento for your time with us.”
Garth screams and claws at his blistered, bleeding neck. I laugh, morbidly pleased that even though one may have Enya, the Goddess of Fire's Gift, they’re not immune to anyone else’s flames besides their own.
I snatch at his scalded throat and he shrieks as I stand, presenting his dangling form to the watching crowd. “Would anyone like to add to Garth’s comment?” I ask, staring down the crowd.
All remain silent.
“I didn’t think so. In that case, return him and his belongings to his family’s home.” Dragging the disgraced guard towards me, I peer into his tear-filled gaze. “He’ll be unable to do so himself.” My lips curve into a cruel smile and I throw him through the wall, crumbling stone and mortar with the impact.
Surprised gasps and coughs ring out as he disappears within a cloud of debris, only to return moments later beneath a pile of rubble in a broken, bloody tangle.
Task complete, I turn on my feet and stroll towards the door at the end of the hall, Ajax following at my side.
“I didn’t need you to defend me,” he grumbles, sliding back the iron bolt.
“No, you didn’t,” I reply, slapping a palm against the door, halting its trajectory. “But he was attacking me just as much as you, and I won’t allow a challenge to go unpunished.”
Closing the matter, I open the door and level a hand above my brow, shielding my eyes from the blinding sun. Once they’re able to assimilate to the newfound light, a dirt packed arena comes into view.
Surrounding most of the outdoor training yard are stone towers and single-story buildings constructed of gray slate, curving into a crescent shape. A sturdy wooden fence completes the enclosure. The circular arena is separated into a gridded formation, stations where dozens of guards currently perform their daily drills. Two bare chested males swing and jab as they fight in the sparring station. A fae tosses a fire orb into the air while an immortal with a bow draws back and rapidly fires arrows, the orbs exploding into a shower of orange sparks on impact. Liquid humanoid creatures summoned from Water magic charge towards an immortal. He dodges their blows, flinging knives as he ducks and rolls, the water creatures bursting into thousands of droplets with each strike.
Near the fence at the back of the training arena, two males and a youth inspect different blades on the weapons rack, the massive trees of the prized Seboia Forest – the only natural reserve found within these walls – serving as a backdrop to their discussion.
Packed dirt and loose pebbles crunch beneath my boots as I watch Griffin lift a dagger and swipe downward, appearing from this distance to be hacking at a tree in the forest that shadows them while speaking to Trip. Kace rolls his neck and stretches his arms, nodding to Ajax and me when he spots us striding toward them. At our arrival, Trip turns to us with a beaming smile, while Griffin returns the dagger to the rack and faces me with a neutral expression.
“Trip, have you warmed up yet?” I ask.
“No sir,” he answers sheepishly, ducking his head.
“Get going.” I jerk my head to the side. “Stretch and run a few laps around the perimeter.”
Enjoying laps just as much as an official recruit, Trip’s shoulders slump and he drags his feet towards the track.
“Ajax, you’ll be sparring with Kace. Griffin will assess,” I order. “And no shifting.”
Ajax’s lips curl in offense. “Not everyone considers shifting cheating.” With a scoff, he moves towards the warded practice ring. The outline of the ring shimmers a frosty blue arc in the dirt where Kace already waits.
I shrug. “That’s because they can't win without doing so.”
Kace activates the ward with a wave of his hand and a sheer dome of glittering blue shoots from the ground to shape around them. “You can shift, if you like,” Kace taunts, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I’ll win either way.”
Ajax snorts, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck. “Not likely.”
“How about a friendly wager then, hmm?” Kace asks with a greedy smile, rubbing his hands together.
“No shifting,” I say to the slippery fae with a pointed look.
“You're no fun,” Kace pouts, then lunges for Ajax with a fierce battle cry.
