Chapter 32: Chapter Thirty

Space. That's what Valenia had promised us.

Did we get it?

Not even close.

"We're not putting up with this," I said, glaring across the training grounds.

The grounds themselves were impressive: vast with marble bleachers soaring high around us. It was clear the place wasn't just for training but also for festivals and other grand events. But right now, the entire field was occupied by Marisol and Regina's camps. They had spread their troops across most of the grounds, leaving my group with nothing but a sliver of space.

It wasn't just the space, either. They had dozens of warriors—fully armored and armed to the teeth. Their banmuinen were in helmets shaped like jaguars and dragons, chain mail glinting in the sun, spears gripped tight in their hands. The clash of steel echoed as they practiced like an army preparing for war.

Meanwhile, our tiny group was crammed into a corner with barely enough room to breathe.

"What are we supposed to do with this?" Dom muttered, eyeing our meager space.

I glanced at Luke, who stood grim-faced, his gaze sweeping over the unfair division of the field. "Luke, why do we keep looking like schmucks compared to these chicks?"

He shrugged. "The High Priestess decides who gets what. It's clear she has her favorites."

"That's an understatement," Elsie muttered, folding her arms as she watched the precision of the other teams—how they moved in synchronization, like a well-oiled machine. It was intimidating, no doubt about it.

"Well, screw this," I said, tossing my helmet back onto the ground. "We're not training here."

Everyone turned to me in confusion.

"Where, then?" Dom asked.

I gestured to the door. "We'll train outside. We'll go to that forest I saw outside the gates. I'm sure we can find a clearing, and no one's going to crowd us."

"That's not allowed," Luke said, and I remembered again that he told me to follow the rules. Still, he looked like he was considering the alternative at the moment.

"Since when do we follow their rules?" I replied, puffing my chest up in defiance, trying to will him into joining me. "Besides, if Valenia Stickbutt doesn't want us to practice in her precious temple, we'll go where we're not an eyesore."

Ciaran chuckled and threw his arm around me. "I love your mind, Princess." Then he smirked, his gaze sweeping down my form, "And other things about you... but mostly your mind."

I elbowed him for his sleaziness, and he chuckled again before releasing me.

It was great to see my team fall in step behind me. Their expressions ranged from amusement to approval, and a few of them—like Luis—seemed downright eager to defy Valenia.

"Where are you going?" Valenia demanded, glaring at us as we opened the door.

I turned to face her, refusing to back down. "We're going somewhere we actually have room to train."

"You've been given a space," she said coldly, gesturing to the cramped corner we were supposed to use. "If you choose not to use it, that's your decision, but you will not leave the temple grounds. All training must be done here under supervision."

Dom stepped forward, crossing his arms. "This isn't a space—it's a joke."

Valenia's eyes flashed with annoyance that I thought was both directed at me deciding to leave, and Dom for daring to address her so brazenly, but she didn't move from her spot. "You will stay here or not train at all."

"Oh, we'll train," I shot back, my voice laced with challenge. "But we'll do it on our terms. If you can't handle that, maybe you're the one with a problem, not us."

You may think you can defy the temple's rules, but you will regret it."

I crossed my arms, matching her icy glare. "We'll see about that."

Before we left the temple, I heard Valenia's sharp voice call out, "You will pay for this defiance, Elect Madeline."

I shot a glance back, meeting her furious gaze with a smirk. "I look forward to it."

As we stepped outside and started towards the walls, Dom whistled low, looking a bit worried even though he'd joined in on my rebellion. "You know she's going to make our lives hell for that, right?"

I shrugged, feeling the cool air hit my face when we left the gates. "She was going to do that anyway."

Eowyn was outside the gates. I gave him a small, nervous smile. He was the sort of man who looked like he could wipe out civilizations with a look.

And he wanted to be in my court.

"Um, hey..." I lifted my hand in an awkward wave. I still hadn't looked at the letter he gave Luke.

"Where are you going?" Eowyn asked.

My answer to him was a bit more faltering. "Um... we're going to train in the forest."

He looked pleased at the news. "Will you let me come with you? I know much about battles. I could be of assistance."

I looked at Luke, and he shrugged, leaving the decision up to me. I gave him a rather weak smile, but I nodded. "Oh... okay. Yeah, that sounds helpful."

With Eowyn in tow, we walked deeper into the woods, I considered what Eowyn said about battles, and I knew we should probably gather a good idea to figure out what skills we had.

I turned to Luke. "We need to talk about our strengths and weaknesses."

"Good idea," he said. "But let's keep it brief. We need time to practice."

"Dom, start with you," I said.

Dom grinned, making his mystical sword and shield appear in a flashy swirl of light. "I've got this sword and shield, courtesy of some mysterious event I'm still trying to understand." He twirled the sword in his hand, and winked at me.

Luis shot him a withering look, then me. "That's useful..."

Dom shrugged, his grin widening, clearly enjoying riling Luis up. "Hey, it's better than nothing. Nice that the magic, or the bond, or whatever it is, chose me first. I must've been the favorite." He glanced sideways at me with a smirk.

I'd never seen Dom be such a troll. This was a new side of him. "Dom..."

I gave him a warning look.

Luis crossed his arms, eyes narrowing as he glanced between us, clearly putting two and two together. "Yeah, you sure you didn't just cheat your way into that?"

Dom's grin didn't falter. "Come on, Luis. You can't cheat when someone hands you the prize."

Luis's jaw tightened, and I could see he was struggling to keep his cool. "You know what's more useful than some flashy sword? Real skills. Maybe try getting those instead of relying on dumb luck."

Dom raised an eyebrow, the smirk still plastered on his face. "You're just jealous the magic liked me better, Luis. Don't worry. Maybe it's saving the really special powers for you."

"I'd rather earn my powers than have them handed to me by luck," Luis shot back, his glare and suspicion focused entirely on me.

Oh yeah, he figured out what must have happened.

Dom leaned in slightly, his grin widening. "Well, luck had nothing to do with it, Luis." He glanced at me again, that glint still in his eyes. "It was more of a... connection."

Luis's gaze flicked between us, his jaw tightening. "Sounds like something I should've known about."

Yes, I should have told Luis, but he'd been on edge since we got to Aleria. I couldn't explain what happened with Dom until I was sure he could handle the news.

Instead, I tried to break up the antler grappling contest those two were having.

Luis's jaw clenched, his eyes lingering on me for a moment longer before he turned away, muttering something under his breath.

Ciaran chuckled softly. "Oh, I do love a good bit of drama." He smirked at me. "You should really tell Luis about that 'moment' sometime. I'm sure he'd appreciate the... details."

I shot him a glare. "Not. Helping."

"Why would I help?" Ciaran's grin widened. "I'm just here for the entertainment."

I glared harder. "Just let us know what your talents are."

"You've already seen some of my talents, Princess. Let's just say I'm very versatile." He winked at me and I thought of the Becoming ceremony, my face heating. That night had been... quite the demonstration.

Luis snorted, clearly irritated. "Versatile, huh? That's one word for it."

Ciaran ignored him. "What I'm more interested in is your potential, Princess." His teasing look grew more heated. "You're a plum I mean to get to the center of."

My mouth dropped open, and Ciaran closed it with a lift of his finger under my chin, chuckling.  Clearing my throat, I pushed Ciaran away and tried to focus on Luis instead.  "Luis, what about you?"

His lips were distorted into a snarl. "You already know."

I nodded. "Yeah, but maybe not everyone knows?

Luis's eyes lingered on me a little too long. "Who cares?"

My lips tightened. "Nice attitude."

"Never mind. I'm well aware of the skills of a Phouka." Luke said, steering the conversation back on track. "We'll need such skills in the underworld."

I stiffened at the mention of the underworld. "What exactly are we facing?"

"The underworld is a maze of caverns, mountains, and treacherous terrain," Luke explained. "There will be creatures—some we've never seen before—guarding the way. We'll need to be ready for anything, including mountain climbing. If you don't know how to climb, you better learn fast."

I glanced at Dom. "Ever done any mountain climbing?"

"Nope," he replied, looking entirely too cheerful about it.

Great.

"Everyone will need to learn to fight," Luke added. "We'll be fighting as a team, but there will be moments when we'll be split up. Each of you will need to hold your own."

Adrian clapped his hands together. "I just know my basketball skills will really help here."

He gave me a look filled with seriousness. "Or my mad kazoo skills."

His joking helped to ease the tension earlier, and I fistbumped him. "My man."

We were both out of our element here.

Finally, we reached a clearing, and I stopped to take in the space. It was perfect—vast, secluded, and surrounded by towering trees. Sunlight streamed through the branches, casting dappled shadows across the grass.

"This is more like it," Dom said, unsheathing his sword. "Let's get to work."

But before we started, Erick stepped forward, his face solemn. "Madeline... I need to do this."

I raised an eyebrow, wondering what fresh hell this was. "Do what?"

He pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket, his hands shaking slightly. "I want to prove you can trust me again. I'm giving you my true name."

The air around us seemed to still. I stared at him, stunned.

"Your true name?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He nodded, his eyes never leaving mine. "I've betrayed you before, but I want you to have my life in your hands. I'll never betray you again."

"Erick!" Beth cried, putting her hand out to stop him.

I took the paper from him, my heart pounding as I read the name written there: Euric Skogatt, of the American Skogatts.

The power of it surged through me. This wasn't just an oath—it was a surrender. Erick had given me his life, his very essence.

I swallowed hard, unsure how to respond. "Why?"

"Because I owe you that much," he said simply. "You deserve my trust."

I folded the paper and tucked it away. This wasn't a victory—it was a burden. It was once again, something I hadn't asked for. I hadn't wanted Erick's complete surrender.

It made my continued war with him rather silly.

"Let's start training," I said, needing to focus on something else.

Luis gave Erick a dark look but said nothing. I tried to think if I knew Luis's true name.

I didn't.  When I felt disappointed, it wasn't lost on me how hypocritical that was.

I could feel the air crackling with anticipation as we geared up and took our positions in the clearing. I pushed away my complicated feelings and tried to focus.

"Let's show them what we're made of," I said, raising my sword.

And with that, we began.