Waging War | The Amber Duology #1

36 | More Than the Eye can See

At this point, anything dangerous should have rolled down her back and would not be given a single thought right after. It was part of living in the middle of nowhere and being trained for a battle she wasn't confident she could fight.

Nya was told that this training was only the first step in her new life, in the journey she must take to become a soldier and fight for this country. She was told to expect danger at every turn and to be well-prepared for anything to come.

If only she could say the same thing to her mind.

To forget and to move on because one way or another, she was bound to face things that are far worse than her own nightmares.

It didn't help that her nightmare happened to involve the enemy.

With a gasp, Nya shot up from where she laid down. Her breaths were heavy as she panted, her palms wet and gripping the sheets of her thin mattress. There was a trail of cold sweat that broke on the side of her face and traces of dark lines under her eyes.

She took in her surroundings, fighting past the blurry hazes in her vision to check whether or not this was her reality.

"It's fine." She whispered under her breath, rubbing her hands over her face. "It's not real. You're okay." If only there was some truth in her words, then Nya wouldn't have to feel worried for what was to come in a few hours.

Everyone was still asleep, her best friend's bed remained empty beside her but she could see the tired figures of all her friends. It was enough to get her to remain calm for the meantime.

It had been weeks since her experience in the forests of Primeeval's Eye. Enough hours and minutes had passed for Nya to get over what she saw but her mind seemed to have a good memory for things that freaked her out.

Pushing her sheets aside, Nya fumbled for the canteen hidden under her bed. It was a habit she developed back in the city, after waking up with a parched throat and dry lips, she learned to keep a bottle of water by her bedside all the time.

Luckily, it also came in handy for situations like this.

Twisting the lid open, Nya took a big gulp of water, letting the cool liquid shake her senses and get her nerves to calm themselves somehow. She hoped they would. Nya really needed her beauty sleep.

"I can help you." The voice was cold and rough with a hint of dark intentions even if the words seemed innocent. But what good would ever come from the enemy?

She shook her head, ignoring the replay of the memory that often tried to push itself into her thoughts. "You stood your ground. It's all fine." She whispered, thinking Skylor would say the same words if she were here.

Nya snapped the lid of the canteen back on the bottle and rolled it back under her bed. A cold breeze flew in from the outside, past the opening of the tent, and crept onto her bare feet.

She shivered at the cold. But not as much from the fear that came with it.

"Let me out, and I will tell you what you need to know."

"I can't let you out. You'll kill me!"

The deserts were meant to be a place of heat. Where the atmosphere was both dry and hot that anything cold would have melted a few feet in. It was why Nya slept as early as possible for the last few days. 

Because the cold reminded her of her worst nightmare.

She asked herself why she even went near the creature in the first place or why she allowed herself to hold the conversation.

A loud wail echoed through the tents and startled the girl out of her own thoughts. As the alarm rang it was followed by a series of groans and complaints that came as a surprise, finding out her fellow trainees weren't used to it yet.