Shattering of a World: Thorns and Roses (Book #1)

Chapter 12

Tarion dodged Katrina's hooked leg and then tried to swipe his foot towards her feet, but his friend quickly jumped over it. They were preparing for the Seven Quality Trials with Eugene in one of the training grounds (Uniniqua had at least three training grounds) and the trials would begin in less than a week. No snow was falling, but the breath of wind couldn't have been colder. With the three friends practicing early in the morning, though, they were working up a sweat, and it was like another layer of clothing to keep them warm.

Eugene was standing off to the side, quizzing Tarion and Katrina while they were combating, and it was one of their ways of studying for any of their classes. But while using a dummy would've been safer for their fighting techniques, it wouldn't have done much to help them practice. How were they even supposed to prepare for something like danger if they didn't challenge themselves? No one would be standing around as still as stone anyway.

Zevian was perched on one of the dummies, minding his own business, and while he was, Eugene looked at Tarion after he scanned through one of the pages in a history book he had. "Tarion, who led his army to victory in the Attack of Frozen Fires?"

"Everett the Great," Tarion immediately answered while he went to throw a punch, but Katrina rolled out of its way.

"Correct!" Eugene then drew his attention to Katrina as she returned to her fighting stance. "Katrina, who received the title Queen of Peace and Prosperity many decades ago?"

"That would be Queen Celina," Katrina answered confidently and then smirked at Tarion, "and not bad with fighting either."

The dark brunette then sprinted, and Tarion jumped towards her with his leg stretched out, but his foot missed her as she slid past him. Then, as the icy blue-eyed teen's feet hit the snow, Katrina pushed him in the back with her foot. Tarion almost lost his balance, but he managed to roll back to his feet and get back into place as he faced his friend once more.

"Clever," Tarion said, almost out of breath, but he felt like he could keep going.

Katrina gave him a look that said she knew and then turned towards their friend. "Eugene, give us something harder. This is too easy."

Eugene snapped his fingers and then pointed at her. "You got it." He looked back in the book as Tarion and Katrina kept on practicing. "Okay, here's one-"

Before their friend could even continue the quiz, something unpleasant impacted Tarion's face. Snow. It had already started to melt into water droplets on his face, and some of it managed to get in his mouth, but what he tasted was not what he expected. Instead, it was so sour and warm that he started to cough and spit out that tang. It was almost like water from the Malgaesic Sea managed to spit into his mouth.

Tarion started to hear laughing, and they were almost like a murder of crows. He didn't even need to look up to see who it was. "Did you enjoy your treat, loser?" He heard Steinar call out to him, and he went back to laughing with his sidekicks.

Tarion used the sleeve of his shirt to clean the disgusting snow off his face, and as he did, he cursed in his head. He should've known that his rival would've done something like that while he was distracted, especially after what happened in capture the flag. His eyes narrowed at Steinar and his other two friends, and as they were, he felt his blood start to boil. The icy blue-eyed teen felt like he could never go on a day without them trying to humiliate him.

"What the heck's your problem!" Katrina yelled at Steinar and his friends. "That's disgusting!"

"Easy there, kitty cat," Steinar jeered. "We were just coming by to say hi."

"You call that a hi?" Eugene chimed in. "How do you even sleep at night with half your brain being despicable while the other half is brainless?"

"Wow, so amusing." Steinar then rolled his steel-blue eyes. "I'm laughing my ass off."

"Is that all you came here to do?" Tarion sharply asked. "To throw a urinated snowball at my face?"

Tarion's shaved-sided ponytail rival smirked as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Nope, there's quite more. A little bird tells me that you guys are trying to get onto the Ice Storm. Aiming for the extra mile, I see."

"What do you care? It's not like it's any of your business."

"Oh? Then I suppose you all wouldn't be interested in hearing that we too managed to sign up."

What Steinar said had Tarion palming his face and almost growling. He was not surprised that those three signed up. They probably signed up on purpose to get a rise out of him and his friends. The icy blue-eyed teen believed that those three didn't have anything better to do in their spare time.

"You honestly believe you'll be one of the chosen?" Eugene asked, composed. "You couldn't even get chosen as a guest teacher for the tenderfoots after you purposefully burnt a tenderfoot's doll. The only thing I see in your future is getting kicked out."

Steinar's smirk stiffened, but he spoke with pride. "Oh, we'll get chosen," he said as he used his thumbs to point to his sidekicks. "Besides, the voyage requires the fittest volunteers like the monarchs said, and we're good picks." To prove their points, they flexed their arms, showing off their muscles sheltered in their shirts.

Tarion and his friends stared at the trio, quite bored out of their minds. The icy blue-eyed teen could bet at least forty pounds that those three wouldn't get chosen, especially with their reputation for causing trouble. He could even guarantee that Femus would've been shaking his head at them like a disappointed parent.

"It's not always about strength," Katrina said straightforwardly. "It takes more than that for any given situation. Why else do you think a soldier needs to have the seven main qualities?" Strength, knowledge, speed, agility, stealth, kindness, and teamwork were the seven primary qualities. Every soldier needed those qualities so their kingdoms wouldn't fall, and seven was considered a lucky number.

"Who cares?" Steinar said unruffled. "While we'd love to stay and chat, we don't have time for your little kiddy games." Tarion and his friends looked at each other when the shaved-sided ponytail teen referred to their studying and practice. "See ya later, losers!"

Steinar and his friends walked away, and as they did, they started to laugh and did some dap. Tarion felt his fingers roll into a fist as his teeth clamped. Heat began to erupt inside him the more he stared at the trio, and he started to feel his heart crust with throbs. The icy blue-eyed teen tried to calm down with easy and steady breaths from the freezing wind before he thought of causing a blunder, and every frosty breath he let out lulled his heart back to its regular beating. Even when Tarion wanted to see his fist in Steinar's face getting expelled from classes was not his plan.

No one said anything for a while, but Katrina eventually was the one to break the ice. "The nerve of them... We'll show them, though." She raised her fist in determination. "Once the Seven Quality Trials comes, Steinar and his friends will be wishing they took back their words."

Eugene smiled from ear to ear and nodded. "Right on, Katrina! We've been practicing and studying a lot, which they're too dull to do." He picked up another book from the stack of books they brought-that were set on a storage chest-and placed the history book off to the side. He then looked at the icy blue-eyed teen. "Hey, Tarion. You with us?"

Tarion didn't answer right away, but like his friends, he wanted to show Steinar and his sidekicks they were messing with the wrong people. So he turned towards his friends, placed one foot out front, and raised his balled-up fists. "Let's do it."