Kingdom of Scourge and Shadow (The Sightstone Series #1)

Chapter Twenty: Judith

"Once, it is said, it was common for witches to be born with the ability to perform multiple kinds of work. Stormwitches, Inventors, Alterers... They are a remnant of this time. These days, those who can control two or more random kinds of work are rare, yet not unheard of. Perhaps that is why the legend of the Lightbringer has so fascinated us, and why only the Allmother was able to unify us, for she alone can control every element. There are even those who say she can perform every kind of work."

-from the Codices of Saint Caroline the Heretic

***

The rest of the day was a slight improvement on Judith's session with Commander Zhao. Group training was a disaster, but at least it wasn't just as disaster for Judith. Everyone struggled. No one could call when Sergeant Burns ordered them to, so no one seemed to notice when Judith couldn't call at all. Then, one of the Destroyers accidentally set fire to the wall behind the target she was aiming for, and Sergeant Burns snapped.

"This isn't a joke!" she roared, as a few girls giggled. "You are preparing for war! If you can't call on your work when it's needed, or you can't turn that power into actual work, not just meaningless energy you shove out, hoping it'll do what you want it to, then you will die. Your unit will die. You will be risking the lives of everyone around you. Do I make myself clear?"

There was a weary murmur of assent from the cadets, but clearly that wasn't good enough. Sergeant Burns crossed her arms and roared, "Do I make myself clear, ladies?"

Wearily, they stamped their reply, and, half-hearted as it was, it seemed to placate the formidable sergeant.

"Very well," she said stiffly. "Now, line up. Three lines, ten people each. Fall in!"

Hurriedly, the cadets did as they were told, though, because their unit was one person short, so too was the line Judith found herself in with Elizabeth, Rani and Grace. Sergeant Burns didn't seem bothered by it, though, and, soon, all the cadets stood in three semi-orderly lines.

"Good enough," Sergeant Burns said, though, from her tone, they weren't even close. "Moving on to Fitness now. Before we can begin your training, we need to find out what you're capable of. To that end, we'll begin with a test of your fitness. Now, let's begin."

Over the next hour, she put them through a grueling set of press-ups, sit-ups, lunges, punches, kicks and more, then led them on a painfully long run around the campus. By the time they finished, Judith's headache, which had laid dormant all morning, returned with a vengeance.

When they began their combat training by learning how to fall, Judith's headache continued to worsen, only now it was joined by all sorts of other aches, pains, lumps, bumps and bruises, until all Judith wanted was some ice or, even better, a glacier to lie down on. And, when Sergeant Burns announced the second half of their training would include learning how to punch–and how to block a punch–Judith almost groaned aloud.

"Pair up," Sergeant Burns ordered. "With someone outside your unit."

Judith winced, but turned dutifully away from the others. As everyone paired up, Judith found herself standing across from a girl she didn't know. She seemed somehow much younger than everyone else, though Judith knew she had to be eighteen, same as the rest of them. She was pretty, with dark hair and dark eyes, and an easy smile.

"Hi," she said, a bit shyly. "Um, I'm Inez. Third Battalion"

"I'm Judith," Judith said, trying to smile back. "First Battalion."

"I know," Inez said, then blushed. "I mean, you're the darkwitch. Probably everyone in the coven knows who you are."

"Great," Judith muttered sarcastically. "That's just... great."