A LAND OF FIRE AND DARKNESS

Chapter 11

Training the next day was quiet. Laveen did not even try and poke at me. He pushed me through the training sessions with almost no interest until Delcallon arrived.

"I will see you tomorrow." Laveen snorted as he walked away from us.

He stopped in his tracks, "No." He spun on his heels and looked towards Delcallon and me. "Actually, I won't." He folded his arms over his chest, "I am done training her."

I rolled my eyes in boredom at his tantrum. Delcallon shot me a glare.

Stop it.

He growled inside my head. I just rolled my eyes again at his failed attempt to intimidate me.

He looked back towards Laveen and took in a heavy breath, "You will train her." He ordered with a stern voice.

Laveen shrugged, "Get someone else to do it, Brallon or Yarris."

I did not care who trained me. I did not care if no one trained me.

"I chose you for a reason, Laveen," Delcallon stated as he stepped towards his General.

I picked at my nails as I waited for the two of them to end their argument.

"I will not train the next mad Highvarion!" Laveen shouted with disgust.

Delcallon stopped in his tracks, "She is not like him." He said with a far too defensive tone.

"Do not make me do this Del." Laveen pleaded, "I do not want to be responsible for repeating history." Laveen's auburn eyes looked into Delcallon's one good eye.

"We are learning from history," Delcallon stated firmly.

His general shook his head in disappointment before turning on his heels and storming off towards the courtyard.

I shook my head at Laveen's pitiful tantrum. Children acted like that.

Delcallon slowly turned to face me and I immediately noticed his very clenched jaw. It looked like it may break. His crystal-clear eye was not gentle but harsh and cold.

"What did you do?" He almost growled out at me.

I creased my face, "Me?" I asked in confusion, "If anything, it is him who did something wrong." I pointed towards where Laveen had vanished too, "He is the one who calls me a psychopath."

Delcallon's eye flared, "Because you are acting like one!" He snarled as he pointed towards me.

"Well..." I clenched my jaw, "Maybe I am one then."

He shook his head and looked down, "No you are not." He sighed out.

"How can you say that?" I snarled out with frustration, "I literally tried to kill you."

He pressed his fingers to his forehead, "No, you did not." He took in breaths to try and calm himself down.

"Did the bolt to your eye erase your memory?" I said pointing to the eye patch that still covered his face.

He released his forehead and looked at me with a softer expression. "You shot me with a steel bolt."

I shook my head, "That was a mistake!" I shouted in frustration.

"No." He said taking a step towards me. "It was not." He continued to step towards me at a rapid pace. "Look."

I had no time to react, no time to step back and run away.

He cupped my face with firm hands and I swiftly stepped into my past.

I stood in the armory with the crossbow already strapped to my back. Dorica stood by the door waiting for me while I geared up like I had asked her to.

I stood staring at the silver bolts that sat on the workbench, ready to be used. Silver killed Elementals. One-shot to the head and they would be dead.

If I want to kill Delcallon, I will need to take the silver bolts.

I stepped towards the table and picked up the pack of steel bolts.

I did not want to kill him; I just want to be able to send a very clear message to stay back from me. That I was not his. But kill him? No, I do not think I could ever be numb enough to want to kill him.

My surroundings changed as I shot back into the present staring up into Delcallon's eye. His fingers slowly slipped away from my cheeks as his face softened.

I was speechless, and could barely say a word as I stared up in his eye.

"You chose the steel bolts on purpose." He said calmly as he took a step back from me, giving me back my space.

"Why did I not remember that?" In truth, I barely remembered anything about that day. If I looked back, I only saw images of the day and not the sequence.

"Your subconscious was shuttered." He said with a kind tone, "You went through a traumatic experience."

I stared at the patch that was over his eye. A part of me was relieved and another was concerned. I was relieved that I had not tried to kill him, that even in my darkest of moments I still had some humanity. But another part feared that my choice not to kill him was more proof that I was his Intwined.

I shook my head and shut out the thought. It made me sick to think about.

"Why have you not told them that then?" I asked with indignation as I referred to his council.

"I did." He shrugged.

"Then why are they still treating me like a monster?" My voice was rising again.

"Because you are acting like one!" He snapped back with the same tone. "You do not want to feel anything. You think that makes you stronger." He growled out.

"It does not make you stronger, Alinta." I began to feel him step into my mind. "For you to get stronger you need to feel. In order to move on from this, you need to feel."

I felt him dive into my memories and my heart began to race.

"So, feel."

Images of Lewis dying flew into my mind and I knew he was placing them there. "Stop it!" I shouted.

"You need to face your feelings. You continue running from them, Alinta." Images of the cave blasted my mind as I watched Eskar slit my wrists and let me bleed.

My body tensed and my mind flared up in rage. "Stop!" I growled out with an animalistic tone. A firewall engulfed my mind shooting any unwanted visitors out of my head. I felt Delcallon retreat immediately from my memories and shortly, only myself and I were inside my head.

Delcallon slipped his hands into his pockets and smirked. "Good." He said with a teasing tone.

I looked at him in shock. I had done it. I had built the wall. Had he pushed me on purpose?

He looked at me through lowered lashes and tilted his head, "Now, let us see how strong that wall is."