Chapter Three.docx

7/30/2019 Chapter Three.docx

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ChapterThree

Zara yawned and pressed a hand over her open mouth.

She was tired. So tired.

No, she thought as she struggled to stay awake.Mustnt...fall...asleep...on sentry duty.

Another yawn shook her. Everything was starting to blur and go dream like around the edges.

Nothing seemed real.You falling asleep on the job, Zara? Gutsy move. Never thought that youd risk the wrath of

Arma

Zara flinched. Adrenaline flooded through her veins. Her heart started pounding, hard. Her

senses became hyper aware. She could see, smell and hear everything.

She relaxed when she realised the person behind her was Connor, thanks to his ozone scent.

And tensed again when she realised there were four unfamiliar scents with him.

Four unfamiliar, human,female scents with him.

Without turning around, Zara tried to familiarise herself with the scents behind her. The

strongest one was a deep, earthy smell, like the rich metallic scent of fresh turned dirt; with

lavender and wild honey undertones. The taste of it was thick on her tongue. The second was

fresh and sharp, with the scent of the briny ocean dominating the other smells; the slightsmell of sweet and fresh river water, the subtle scent of pouring rain. The third was chaotic,

making Zara think of the crackling flames that had danced and flickered randomly,

unpredictably, over the roof and walls of her house as a small girl made her think of the fire

that had consumed both her parents; the fire that had made theBellators pick her up,

introduce her into a world of magic and monsters, train her to be a warrior. It smelt like the

fire, tooall woodsmoke and heat and dangerdangerdanger. The fourth and last was barely

there. It smelt of nothing, and of everything, like a breeze had followed them and picked up a

collection of scents along the way.

Zara turned her head first, allowing Connor to see her mouth pressed into a hard line, her

electric blue eyes cold; even her platinum blonde hair seeming to stiffen in anger.

Thats a bit rich, coming from your mouth, she said coolly, in a voice as smooth as silk,

after all,yourethe one who brought back these...whoever they are.

Connor grinned cockily. Armaisnt going to hurt me over these four. Maybe shell pat my

back, I dont know.

Zara just looked at him. And looked some more. And then some.

Connor rolled his eyes and sighed like Zara was a small girl asking why the sky was blue. He

waved the earthy smelling girl forward first. She stepped up, and Zara focused on her,

committing every infinitesimal detail to memory. Her hair was golden, like wheat, with

golden streaks, like summer sunshine. She was tan; sunkissed. ZarasBellatorvision saw a

light smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheekbones. They were as

golden as her hair, and looked like light sweeps of glitter along her face. Zara sincerelydoubted anyone with less-than-Bellatorvision would be able to make them out. He mouth

was small, and pink, and something about the way lines crinkled around it told Zara this girl

was sarcastic to the max.

This is Emelia, Conner said. He grinned at her wickedly before saying, Terra.

Zara nearly collapsed, right then and there.

Not giving her a chance to recover, he waved forward the next girl. This one had brown

unruly curls for hair. Her complexion was pale and creamy; the only blemish a small scar in

the corner of her eye. Her eyes, at first glance, were aquiline blue; at second glance, sea

green. Looking closely, Zara saw that her eyes seemed to swirl and shift between all the

colours of the ocean.

This is Ophelia, who isAqua, Connor said. Zara just shook her head, and turned to the nextgirl, whose hair was an even lighter blonde than her own. She was pale, and waif like in


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build. Her eyes were silvery-grey, with smoky black eyelashes thick around them. Let me

guess, Zara said before Connor could get a word out, this is Caeli.

Connor grinned, nodded, and waved the last girl forward. This girl seemed to be the leader;

holding herself proudly. Her hair was a deep, dark red, almost black. Her eyes were

intriguing. They were the colour of topaz, but thick black lines ran through the irises; marring

them, making it look like she had tiger-striped eyes. Her skin wasnt pale or tan; just a regulartone. Scars like lashes from whips ran down the length of her face; some quite old and silvery

thin, others obviously newand only just starting to scab over. Zara admired the girl for

holding her head so high.

Still, though, she knew they were not going to be friends.

It was the girl who smelled of fire.

*

Azkadelia watched the girl in front of herZarawarily.

Something about the way the girl was looking at her, with hard eyes, a curled lip, and a

crinkled up nose, made Az know immediately that they would be enemiesor, at the veryleast, they wouldnt be friends. Something flickered at the edges of her killerBellator

intuitionthis girl was afraid of fire. And somehowmaybe because she was, as Connor

claimed, aBellatorlike themthe girl sensed the control Azkadelia had over the element.

Zara, this is Azkadelia, Connor said, noticing and ignoring the hostility in the set of Zaras

shoulders. She isIgnis.

Zara clenched her jaw and muttered something under her breath. It sounded a lot likeNo

freaking duh.

Where did you find them, Con? TheParticularums were taken by theDominus Inferni.

Yeah, thats what they said, Connor agreed amiably.

Zara spluttered. They could bespies, you complete, absolute and supreme dolt, she hissed.

That ever occur to you?Connor shrugged, which Az translated to mean, no, does it matter?

Well, you enjoy your sentry duty, he said, walking past Zara. Dont fall asleep.

Zara made indistinguishable noises of rage as they walked past her.

Connor Mase, watch your back! she yelled.

Connor just threw back his head and laughed, like the idea of Zara being a threat to him was

somehow hilarious.

*

Ophelia gazed around open mouthed at her opulent surroundings.

When Connor had found them in that meadow, it hadnt taken a lot to convince him of theiridentities. Hed revealed to them that he was also aBellatorbut not aParticularum. He was

a Tempestas Bellator, which meant he could control the weather. Unlike the elements, which

only ever had one wielder at a time for each, there were apparently numerous Tempestas

Bellators.

Hed then claimed that they needed to come with him to the Academy, which was where

youngBellators were trained to fight; for the war.

Opals response to this: What war?

Connor hadnt answered her. Or anybody else. So theyd gone with him, mostly out of

curiosity.

Now Opal was glad that they had followed him out of that meadow.

The Academy was a mansion in the middle of nowhere. It was obviously oldit had so much

ivy climbing up the sides of it that it was hard to make a guess on what type of rock the


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building was made from. Maybe sandstone? Anyway, it was beautiful.

Apparently the people here were beautiful too. Connor wasnt too unfortunate looking, and

that girl that had challenged them on the way inZarahad been seriously, drop dead

gorgeous. The way she had looked at Ophelia, like she was some sort of disgusting Hell-

Creature, had made her want to turn into liquid like Az had turned into flames, and slip away,

unnoticed.Dont worry about her, Connor had said. Shes not normally like that. Just that time of the

month, I guess.

The moment Ophelia entered the Academy, Zara ceased to exist in her mind.

If the outside of the building was amazing, this was blow-your-brain-out incredible. High

ceilings, with mahogany rafter beams in elaborately carved arches curving over their heads.

Long, wide and tall windows stretching out along the outside walls, making everything look

large and open. On the opposite wall, there were open fireplaces at regular intervals, all with

fires crackling away merrily within them. In between each fireplace was a richly embroidered

tapestry, each one showing a different scene, but seeming to connect to each other, like

chapters in a story. The doors that were irregularly placed along the walls were made of dark

wood, like oak, with wrought iron handles and hinges, as if from medieval times.The scent of the place was exhilarating, too. It smelled of old parchment and ink; like a

collection of antique books had only been very recently moved from the hall. There were

notes of wood smoke through the scent, too. Opal couldnt smell it, but she could feel its

deep roughness against her tongue and throat as she breathed in; could taste the smoke. There

was one other flavour to the scent, and Ophelia couldnt quite figure out how to describe it. It

was the sort of smell that all old, elegant places have in them, the smell that boasts wealth and

privilege from hundreds of years ago.

She liked the place immediately.

As they were walking upstairs, which was much the same as the first floors, except with

doors between every tapestry instead of fireplaces, a woman with a tawny mane of hair like a

lions, tan skin, a hardened face walked past them, heading down the stairs.

Opal paused, and turned to watch the woman. Something about her was familiar. There was

something there...

Arma! Connor called out. The woman turned. Connor made a hold on gesture and turned to

the four girls. Arma means weapon, he said. Its the title given to whoever is in charge.

When Cassie diesCassie isArmas real name, by the way, - someone else will get the title.

He turned toArma. Arma, I want you to meet these four. He gestured Opal, Az, Lia, and

Em forward.

Ophelia came down slowly. Something about her name; Cassie. That struck the familiar cord

with Opal as well.

Hello, I amArma, Cassie said, looking them full on.Ophelia nearly had a coronary.

Armas eyes were an incredible shade of amber, with thick black stripes like a tigers running

throughout the irises.

It clicked then. Hadnt Az always said her mums name was Cassandra? Cassie was a short

form of Cassandra. And, really, what was the chance of someone notrelated to Az having

those eyes?

Slim to none, Ophelia thought.

Everyone was frozen now, backing up, glancing from Azkadelia to Cassie, back and forth,

like they were an exciting tennis match.

Mum? Azkadelia questioned. Her voice quavered. Her lips were trembling. And to what

Ophelia knew would be Azkadelias shame tears were welling up and spilling out of hereyes. Mum? she repeated.


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Cassies face was stiff as a death mask. The temperature in the room seemed to drop about

ten degrees. The metallic smell of fear filled Opals nostrils.

Azkadelia,Arma finally said, her voice barely a rough whisper. Oh, God, Azkadelia.

Then there was a perfect movie moment, and both Azkadelia and her mother were clinging

onto each other and sobbing.

Well, said Connor. Did not expect that to happen.Aurelia snorted inelegantly. Neither did we, Em translated.

Ophelia knew what Em was referring to. They had never expected to find their parents.

Frankly theyd never thought about it. All their energies had been focused on getting outof

Hell. No-one had ever once thought about what they were going to do once they were.

Watching Azkadelia now, though, Opal couldnt help but feel a pang of envy. She was happy

for her friend, sure. But she wanted to see her mum too. Wanted to know if her memories of

her were real or imagined.

Arma finally pulled away from her daughter. Welcome to the Academy,Bellators, she said.

Rest up. Training begins at dawn tomorrow.

She wandered back off they way she had been heading, promising to see Az in the morning.

Hmmm... Connor said. Well, I suppose Id better show you toyour rooms. {Insert long-suffering sigh here}

Emelia snorted. You dont haveto do anything, she said. Were perfectly capable of

finding our own way around.

Connor ignored her. Mermaid-Girl, he said, addressing Ophelia, who couldnt decide

whetheror not she should be offended. Look for room 107. Its all yours. He turned to

Aurelia. Breezy, youre her roomie. He turned his back to her, and Ophelia saw her mouth,

Breezy?Tree-Hugger, he addressed Em, room 105 is all yours. A grin appeared on his

face like a goodor seriously heinousidea had occurred to him. Princess, he said to Az,

who definitelylooked offended, youre her roomie.

He turned to leave. Princess? Azkadelia called after him, sharp and cutting.

Princess! he called back. Azkadelia looked like she was trying to figure out what he meant

by that, but gave up.

He means because yourArmas daughter.

For the second time that night, the fourParticularum Bellators flinched in unison.

They turned, and a girl Opal recognized was standing behind them, a couple of stairs up. She

was one of the dark haired twins Ophelia had seen while scrying. Up close, she could see her

dark hair wasnt black, rather, it was a deep ebony brown. Her eyes were like peridots;

contrasting amazingly against her exotic colouring. A smell like roasted vanilla mixed with

cinnamon, caramel, lavender and sandalwood.

Im Sienna, she smiled. You should just ignore Connor. He is the Grand-Poobah of being

a Pain-in-the-Butt. And his nicknames rarely make sense. Just live with it.If you know ImArmas daughter, Azkadelia said curiously, how long were you there for

without us knowing?

Sienna shuffled uneasily. Long enough, she said. Look, you should get some sleep. Long

day tomorrow. She left abruptly.

Azkadelia sighed. I shouldnt have said anything. I made her feel uncomfortable.

Not your fault youre out of practise, Em shrugged. I mean, seriously, when was the last

time you actuallysocialised?

Aurelia, Az argued back defensively.

I do not count, Lia said. Also, I am Switzerland.

Ditto, Ophelia said. I take no part in this arguement. But, she added, we might want to

follow Siennas advice and get some sleep. If we have to socialise, tomorrow willbe a longday, simply because we areout of practise. Anyway, I dont know about you lot, but Im


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beat. Escaping from a demon-infested underworld will do that to you. Night.

A chorus ofsee you in the morningechoed round.

Lia? Opal questioned. You coming?

Maybe later, Aurelia toldher distractedly, staring the way Connor had gone. Ive got

some things I wanna check out.

Ophelia stared at her, before shrugging. Whatever, she said.She wandered further up the stairs and stopped on the floor above. Glancing along the walls,

she spotted room 107 almost immediately. When she got to the door, she stopped cold. A

feeling like ice-water in her veins ran through her body. She was being watched.

Trying not to be too obvious about it, she glanced up and down the hall using her peripheral

vision. A movement to her left caught her eye. She whirled, but all she got were remnants of

a scentstrawberry and copper.

Committing the scent to memory, Opal entered her room. Inside were two beds, with blankets

and pyjamas folded at the end; with bags of toiletries. She lifted up the plain cotton night

gown so she could put it on. It smelled of laundry powder. As she unfolded it, a piece of

heavy parchment fell out.

Heart in her throat, Ophelia picked it up and read it.This place is not what it seems. Trust no-one. Trust nothing they tell you. Be on your guard.

It was signed, Veritatem Bellator.

A shiver ran down Opals spine. Truth Warrior.

As she lay down, Ophelia tried to forget about the note, but the warning rang in her head.

This place is not what it seems.

It had to be some sort of sick joke.

Trust no-one.

Everyone had seemed so nice. Could they really be more enemies?

Trust nothing they tell you.

How can I trust anything youre telling me?

Be on your guard.

I always am. How is this any different?

Veritatem Bellator.

Ophelia shuddered. TruthBellators never lied.


Never.

Trust no-one. Trust nothing they tell you.

Ever.

Be on your guard.

A crazy idea ran through Opals mind. Jumping up, she snatched the note of the floor,

holding it up to her nose and breathing in deeply. Strawberry and copper.Trust no-one.

Ophelia lay down once again, and closed her eyes.


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