Page 103 of The Last Guardian

I went still.

The bread tasted like ash on my tongue as I looked at Dax. Shocked. Nefeli’s gaze had dropped to her plate. She stayed silent.

Piles of corpses.

The air turned cold, and time stretched, each second feeling like an eternity in the Seventh Circle of Hells.

At last, Dax clapped his hands on his knees, getting up. “Anyway,” he said, trying to lighten the mood with a smile. He glanced at me and said, “Ready for today? Training is about to start.”

WITH MY FISTS enveloped in bandages, I punched the red bag in front of me, driving each push with a slow speed.

Anger burned through my veins, daring me to hit harder. Instead, I chose control. Control became speed. Control became strength. Control meant shutting everything down—no emotion, no crumbling, no pain.

With each punch, the bag vibrated through my bones, the red cloth buzzing in my ears as I tried to erase the dark thoughts of bloody corpses and children’s heads from my mind.

“Rahn preserve me,” swore Bennett behind me, praying to the Sea Goddess. “I hope you are not thinking of me while you punch this damn thing.”

A few soldiers trained at the back of the house. The small backyard was closed around stones, with a few punching bags and weapons standing on the ground.

The clashing of swords thudded around us, followed by groans as Bennett monitored my punches. Dax had left an hour ago for an urgent meeting concerning the lieutenants. I wasn’t sure if he would return, but I kept training, blowing off some steam.

I kept punching, one-two, one-two, and then lifted my foot and kicked the top of the bag at full speed.

“Impressive!” cheered the soldier as I glared at his sarcastic tone.

I turned, panting, as I made my way to his bench to drink some water. “You’re one to talk,” I said, sitting next to him. “I haven’t seen you training for more than two hours.”

With a cocky smirk, Bennett replied, “Because I’m already crafted like a god. I don’t need more training. You, on the other hand…” Looking me up and down, he added, “You need at least three years.”

I scoffed, elbowing him in his side, provoking only a laugh from him.

His brown eyes lingered on me for a moment as I calmed my breathing. “How are you acclimating to…” he gestured to our surroundings, “all of this?”

“I am not going to lie,” I answered, glancing at him, “it’s a lot. But it’s better than not knowing what is really going on.”

He nodded. “Yep, I get it. It was not easy to learn about the lies of the Empire. Keraneeth, magic, the Guardians…” he said at last, a hint of cold anger in his deep voice.

Dax had mentioned to me this morning that Sam and Bennett would accompany us to Myrh to search for the Guardians.

Arching a brow, I asked the soldier, “How did you learn about the Guardians’ cause?”

Bennett sighed, leaning back against the bench, his two arms on the railing. “Well, I learned about them a long time ago. The Order had just emerged, and I wanted to help. So here I am, trying my best.”

The mere mention of the Order made my heart jump in my chest. How had this diplomatic issue evolved since I left? Had they attacked another royal?

Aurora was probably in Kalor by now, fulfilling her role as future queen. I hoped she would be safe. But would she ever be safe as long as the High Mages controlled Perygan?

“Have you fought against the Order since you joined?” I asked, tugging the bandage around my joints.

“Fight the Order?” Bennett tilted his head in surprise.

I nodded, getting up from the bench. “My brother told me they had attacked a lot of Kalor in the past months.”

Bennett’s brow furrowed. “I⁠—”

“Soldier Bennett,” yelled someone in the back, in a dark blue tunic.

Bennett stood up on his feet, back straightened as the lieutenant made his way near us. “Yes, lieutenant?”