“Not good enough.”
“You have a week left. You’ll get there. Let’s go.”
After I took the suit off and placed it back in the steel cage, I rushed up the metal stairs. The dull sounds vibrated under my soles as I ran up the levels to them.
Dad gave me a one arm hug and a kiss on the temple before I followed Micha back to the training court.
It was the last week that I was training with her, and she was really great. I became faster with her. Today was weapon training and even though the swords had protectors over their blades, it still hurt like crap when she struck me with one.
Ben was always close by to heal me afterward.
“I’m sure that you must be sick and tired of healing my bruises.”
“See you later tonight, Elena.” Micha walked out of the training court.
Ben laughed. “Nope, still an honor. You came far. You are not that scared girl we met months ago. So, what did you plan for your birthday?”
I laughed. “A big fat claiming.”
“No,” he said. “It’s this Saturday?”
I nodded. “Guess they are really anxious.”
“They are. We can’t lose the Rubicon this time.”
There were four before him. They all went evil, almost destroying Paegeia and parts of the world. They all died a gruesome death.
The last one my great, great, grandfather killed. He was the only one that ever killed a Rubicon by himself and that was how our blood line became the Monarchy of this world.
I went back to my room and wished that I could see what Dragonia was all about.
That night we trained with Emanual again. Micha called it visual training. Something that all beasties could do. The Chromatic were masters at this. They used the arena during a claim to their full advantage, and some were so good at it, that it felt as if you got transported to the desert or a volcano. This was what Lucian meant by discovering Arianna’s worst fear. If they know them, they would put you in that fear.
Emanual changed the entire arena into a swamp—something the Rubicon loved. I couldn’t see where he was. The water didn’t feel real as they leveled to my calves. But the rest, I would say I was inside a swamp.
Emanual was close by, I could feel him close, but I could never see him.
“Concentrate!” Micha said. “Show me the arena.”
I focused on the arena inside my head, as I kept mumbling the word that would change the fantasy back to reality. The walls of the arena seeped through the swamp. The pulse behind my eyes grew stronger as the arena took the place of the swamp.
It immediately changed back to the arena without my doing.
“Emanual!”
“Her nose is bleeding. One day at a time. She is getting better at this.”
Ben’s warm hands cupped my cheek and the warmth mixed with the tingling sensation seeped through my nose and eased the pulse in my head.
“The Rubicon has healing too, right?”
Both of them laughed.
“Your beasty has everything.” Micha teased.
We finished around nine and I soaked for another hour in the bath.
I glanced down at my stomach. Ab-lines stared back at me. I definitely earned them. I lifted my arms and lean muscles and defined shoulders stared back at me.
