After such a shocking series of revelations, the rest of the evening passed in a haze. At some point, she ate. The food stood out clearly, it was divine. By far the best she'd ever had the pleasure of tasting. However, she couldn't recall any particular dish or delicacy, only that it was good. Exhausted and full, she had only gotten lost twice on the way back to her room. Her room, what a thought.

Blinking sleep away, it was still strange. Here she lay, in a full bed, just her. The air was cold, but the thick blankets comfortably guarded her from its bite. That was also a novelty. War. The thought burst through the haze. Now she was fully awake.

There didn't appear to be any option, except to go along with the training. Any option that didn't result in death or imprisonment. Maybe, after extensive training and improvement, she could make her escape. Perhaps to another city...they would find her otherwise.

She could save up enough to bring Perry, Elisa, and Rutho along. Protect them on the journey with her new skills. This wouldn't work at all. She'd never be strong enough. Just an unrealistic dream...like so many others. The real world was always dimmer. Cold as the air relentlessly stabbing into the blankets.

Liris really didn't want to get out of bed.

What tipped the balance? Duty or conviction? Nothing so idealistic, plain old hunger. It took several attempts. Her feet involuntarily pulled back from the floor, at least it was wood. Gritting her teeth, she pushed through. What a state her shoes were in. It was a wonder they hadn't disintegrated. Oh right, there were clothes under the bed.

Sliding out the crate, she inspected its contents. Neatly folded within were several simple outfits in earthen tones. Dresses, pants and cloaks, and a fancy ensemble Urteli likely had been referencing the night before. Best of all, two pairs of shoes! Finely crafted they were, every cut perfectly executed. The leather shone brightly.

Dressing quickly, hunger did not wish for delays, she turned to the door. Oh yes, another detail from the haze. A small leather pouch sat next to the door. It had been forced into her hand at some point the night before, she had yet to check its contents. There was no time like the present.

It was surprisingly heavy. She untied the drawstring and dumped the contents across the bed. What was it? Just some gold trinket? It was round, a finger width thick, and it bore a chain as well. How boring, just a smooth disk of gold. Why even bother making such a thing? She turned it over. Oh...that was why.

This was beautiful. On this side, a transparent face of crystal revealed the true treasure within. Metals. They were arranged like slices of a pie. Copper, tin, even iron! She couldn't begin to identify them all. The gaps between each 'slice' was filled with more gold...likely to prevent chips and corrosion. Also dumped unceremoniously up on the sheets was a folded square of parchment. Unfolding it with care, Liris read the short note.

'Report to the training yard, bring the medallion'

Ominous...it would have to wait. Food came first. Perhaps along the way? Below the perfectly written letters was a much less perfect map. Lines crossed one another and meandered across the page. Flipping it over, a few even wrapped around to the other side. Some map. It would have to do. Liris slipped on the medallion and gazed longingly at the bed. It was probably still warm.

Emerging into the hall, she was a new person. Outwardly. On the inside, she felt completely out of place. The clothing was stiff, the shoes most of all. The fabric was far smoother than she was accustomed to. Such a strange feeling. It was difficult to tell where her skin ended and the cloth began.

The halls were busy this morning. On second thought, what reference did she have? Yesterday remained a blur. Several people passed by without a glance. Several more did a double-take once they noticed the medallion. Liris quickened her pace...as much as she could. This really was a horrible map. Rotating the parchment at each intersection, she thought the odds of reaching the correct destination were above fifty percent...if she was lucky.

Her nose led her on a small detour to one of the kitchens. She'd been informed, much to her shock, that there were several. Several eggs and heated slices of bread later, she resumed her trek. Just how large was this place? Even with all the times she had passed by it before, nothing could have prepared her for this. Perhaps its height helped to disguise the sprawl. In any case, she proceeded down the endless hallways.

Here and there, natural light shone through small portals. Glancing up one, she was nearly blinded. Apparently they had enough wealth to bounce light through the building using mirrors. The only other thing that kept her mind off the recent litany of miserable revelations were the doors. Small and stout ones, simple or artistic. And in several materials as well. She wondered what secrets lay behind each one. That could wait, she had to stay focused.

A bit of backtracking in a couple of spots, the map was smudged, but she finally reached the destination. It was a door. How original. At least one secret would be revealed after all. It was made of stone, but the perfectly maintained hinges allowed it to swing open without trouble.

Alright, so that did make sense. It was the training yard...probably. At the very least, she was now outside. The sun was halfway to its zenith, apparently only an hour had passed since first light. A solid hour wasted navigating through dozens of hallways. And first meal. That wasn’t a waste. The scene she was presented with was a welcome change from the drab stone surfaces. Grass and manicured flowers seeped away from this entrance and beckoned her to follow. Unfortunately, she had an inkling that her true destination was directly ahead.

Dirt was packed in a large oval, somehow even it was pristine. Three pairings were in the middle of a sparring session, evenly spaced across the yard. At the edges, sitting on artful benches or simply standing, were the observers. Lastly, were two more people standing near the center. One, a burly fellow with furrowed brow, watched the combatants intently. The other was the not-murdered arrow dodger.

Dreading what was to come. Liris stepped forward. After the meeting with the council, she realized how little choice she had at the moment. She could blend in though, adapt. If they needed another participant in the war, she would do her best. To win? No, of course not. Just her best to appear as convinced and brainwashed as everyone else was in this blasted Spire.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Twenty paces away, his back fully to her, the burly man called out.

"Combatants only. Move along before you are forcibly removed."

Biting words to be sure, but ones which flowed together smoothly. How often did someone intrude? Liris looked around for the reckless soul. Nobody was out of place, they must have moved quickly. A few more steps, hopefully arrow guy would be kinder.

"Fine, have it your way."

The gruff man spun around, sun reflecting on gems. He pulled back with one arm. She instinctively hurled herself to the ground. It hurt. Better than a knife through her throat. Liris looked behind her, to both sides, no knife. Glancing up, the younger man was holding the blade between his fingers, arm outstretched between attacker and target. It was a beautiful blade, edged in rubies.

"Well done lad!"

"Thank yo-"

"Shut up! You think I was going to hit her? Me? Again, and again you lose focus. How many times do I have to tell you to FOCUS!"

From the ground, Liris felt the heat of the glare. How was that possible? She wasn't even the target.

"That's a question lad."

"Sorry-"

"Don't apologize, do better!" The man snatched back his knife from the still-frozen figure. "And don't think I haven't forgotten about you, lass."

"Me? What did I do?"

"Well, you sure as Brume melts bone didn't listen to me! Get up. Now."

Liris stood, one knee wobbled. Just how hard had she hit the ground?

"I was told to-"

"Didn't ask, start moving."

"Where to?...Sir?"

"Back to wherever you crawled out of. And be quick about it. Despite appearances, I'm trying to train these louses."

The man turned away...the conversation clearly over. Hands shaking, adrenaline and fear were a nasty combination, Liris took a step back. But...she had been told to come here.

"Am I supposed to be at a different training yard?"

Slowly the man turned again, face blank.

"How many times do I have to...oh."

His eyes flicked down...realization? Shaking his head, he looked to the sky.

"And what possessed you not to start with that?"

What could he...the medallion?

"They didn't say...I'm new."

"I can see that. Every time it's always the same. I'm going to pound in their skulls."

The young man started in shock.

"Sir?"

The trainer rolled his eyes.

"See this one here? Eight months I've had him and he's still this dense."

Liris wanted to turn around and run as fast as she possibly could.

"Why am I here?"

"Looks like it's contagious. You're here to bake muffins and knit a quilt for my grandmother. Why do you think you're here?!"

He roared the last, staring her full in the face. She finally snapped.

"Obviously I'm here to train for the war. Presumably from you. Though I doubt you'd be much use. Do you eat four meals a day, or is it five? I'd probably have more luck-" Unblinking, he held up a hand.

"You dropped your guard again on the right, next time it'll be three rounds."

The warning was called out to...nobody? Behind him, there was a quiet grunt.

"Continue."

"I, don't...what?"

"You were chewing me out. Come on, I don't have all day."

"Will I have to deal with you every day, or only on special occasions?"

He replied with a grin. Wait, what was she doing? This wasn't the plan. Now they'd be watching her even closer, was there a punishment waiting? Old habits died hard, she'd heard that one from a little kid, wise beyond his years. She couldn't afford any more mistakes.

"Go ahead and spar with Tarren here. He'll get you sorted."

"I'll try, though I'm still weak from Awakening."

"And after that..."

"Yes sir?"

"As many rounds as you can manage on the course before you drop."

Tarren looked sympathetic...was it that bad? He gestured away from the trainer toward an unused area of the oval. Surprise of all surprises, Liris followed. Waiting until they were a few paces away, Tarren leaned in.

"Don't worry about Trainer Ekard, his bark is worse than his bite. Although, his bite is far from pleasant."

"Thank you. And for the knife too."

"He wasn't lying about that by the way, I'm sure he didn't intend to impale you."

A small comfort.

"Wait here for a moment."

Tarren jogged to a nearby heap of objects and pulled out two wooden poles. Jogging back, he stopped a few feet away. Rather, he went from a run to standing in an instant. Tossing one pole to her, he spun the other, one-handed. Liris managed to catch the pole before it could sail past her. It was heavy and very solid. This wasn't looking good.

"I've never had to fight before. Not like this."

"Not a problem. Ekard just wants to watch and see how you do. He'll be able to see all your flaws clearly, so don't worry!"

That wasn't her concern...but it sure was now.

"How? He's not even looking."

Tarren winked. "That can be your first lesson. He's always looking."

Taking a step back, Tarren gripped the staff with both hands and nodded to Liris.

"Ready?"