Chapter 23

Ree slept like the dead that night. She had the faintest impression she had nightmares, but didn’t have any coherent memories. Apparently all of the energy she had exerted the night before had really taken its toll. Hoping she didn’t get sick from all of the cold water last night, she decided to wear several layers today. What had they been thinking? At least they had some fun. It had gone a long way toward easing the tension and it allowed Ree to see a more relaxed side of Sophie. For a little while last night she almost felt like they were friends or family, not just mentor and student. Once she was dressed she went to the kitchen, looking for everyone. It was quiet but there was a bunch of muffins on the counter. She grabbed one and a bottle of juice and went in search of her friends. She found them in the garden, and it looked like they had already been running. Today is looking up, she thought. I missed all of the running.

Melanie waved at Ree as she pulled the door closed behind her. “Hey! We didn't want to wake you up for the first run. Sophie said you did a lot last night.”

“First run?” Wrinkling her nose, Ree hoped that she had heard wrong.

“Yeah, sorry, Ree. The first one you wouldn't have been able to keep up. Now that you’re awake, we can practice formations again.”

“Anyone else feel like they’re in boot camp?” Weylin asked. Juliette raised her hand and Bryce pushed her shoulder gently in mock disapproval.

“What? It does a little bit,” she said, obviously grumpy.

“Don't listen to her. She forgot the tennis shoes that match her outfit for today.” Bryce grunted when Jules elbowed him in the gut.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. So good of you to join us.” Roland came out of the house drinking a bottle of water. Ree blushed at his words and gulped the rest of her juice down. She saw Paden out of the corner of her eye. He looked away from them and bent down to retie his shoe laces. She set her bottle down on the bench and stretched. Everyone else was limber and ready to go, so she didn't stretch for very long. The run started out the same as yesterday, with the others working a protection pattern around her as they ran. Roland was in the lead and would occasionally call out one of their names. That person would drop to the back and keep pace from behind. Ree tried to concentrate on keeping her breathing even. Her legs were sore a lot quicker today, but she thought she remembered that being normal. Hopefully tomorrow it would be a little easier. She stumbled on a root, and when she gained her footing she noticed Roland wasn't in front of them anymore.

The others were looking at each other in confusion. They kept running, but their pattern seemed to become tighter, filled with tension. Juliette's head turned to the side just as a dark shape flew out of the trees. Ree squeaked and bumped into Bryce, but Jules twisted and used Roland’s momentum to throw him back into the woods.

“Well, this makes it more interesting,” Weylin said from the rear.

“Hush, we have to listen.” Paden's eyes darted around the path.

Ree felt silly for squeaking like a little girl. Of course it had been Roland. They were raising the stakes. Giving them more real-life scenarios to work through.  This was different though; knowing there was something real, someone plotting out there where you couldn't see them was frightening. Something fell out of the tree they passed under, and Weylin hollered in shock.

“Tag,” Roland said, smiling. His fangs descended, causing dimples in his bottom lip. “You’re out.” Then he was gone, with nothing to even tell them what direction he had moved.

“Dang it. Sorry, guys,” Weylin picked himself up off the dirt path. “I guess you go on without me now.” 

“We'll see you at the house,” Paden said. Ree smiled at Weylin before he turned and started back to the house. Almost as quickly as Roland had disappeared, she couldn't see any trace of her friend.

“All right guys. Tighten up and fill the gap.” Paden took the lead again, and Ree was amused to watch everyone do as he said. She mock saluted him. He rolled his eyes at her, but she saw the corners of his mouth twitch. They resumed their earlier pace, and Ree tried to sense where Roland was lurking.

It was overwhelming to send feelers out into the forest. There was so much life around them that she would normally not notice. She let her body keep rhythm with the others, and drifted further out with her senses. Just as she felt something dark and cold she heard Paden holler at the others. He turned toward the left, but that wasn't quite right.

“Up!” Ree hollered. Just as Roland came bounding down from the trees in the direction Paden was watching, Bryce barreled into him. They rolled over the ground struggling, and eventually Roland disappeared back into the trees.

“Does that count as a point for me?” Bryce asked as he moved back to his spot. Melanie had adjusted to fill the gap and now moved to her spot in the rear.

Paden laughed, and Ree gave Bryce a high five. They moved on, and Ree kept trying to find Roland. She couldn't shake the spooky feeling of being watched and she found herself shivering from the sensation. Putting that aside, she concentrated harder on their surroundings. She felt the animals around them grow still every so often, and she started to sense a pattern. She smiled once she was sure it was Roland. She had him now.

“Paden.” she barely said his name. Ree was trying to be as quiet as possible. “Directly ahead.” Reaching out to touch Roland with her power was a unique experience. He didn't have the same glow the others held, but rather a spark that seemed to be contained in a cage.

Ree felt Roland and just barely saw a blur ahead of them as he darted across their path. In the next moment, he darted behind them, and Melanie fell to the ground.

“Well, crap!” Mel threw a handful of dirt in the direction he had run.

The others moved to surround Ree in a triangle. Juliette’s eyes looked worried, and Paden seemed tense.

“Left!” Ree hollered. Bryce ducked, and lashed out with his leg. He must have missed, because Ree didn't hear anything make contact. She could feel Roland still moving around them, searching for any weakness he could exploit. Suddenly he was still; he was in the road ahead of them.

“Duck!” Paden hollered. Bryce grabbed Ree's arm and dragged her to the ground. Her breath whooshed out of her lungs, but she didn't have time to catch it before she was back on her feet and being dragged down the path. Paden pointed toward a tree that was overturned. The giant root ball was taller than any of them. Ree was pushed behind Bryce and Juliette while Paden took point.

There was the sound of rushing air, and Paden was gone. She heard a loud snap, and then Roland and Paden flashed into the clearing. Fists and feet flew with matched speed as they fought. Roland wore a look of interest as he darted in and out of Paden’s reach. Paden, on the other hand, wore a serious expression; his face sported a thin line of blood from a cut that must have already healed itself. Roland got the upper hand and knocked Paden onto the ground with a swift roundhouse to the head. Paden brushed sand out of his eyes and started to push himself up to stand but seemed a little confused.

Ree could see that he wasn't moving fast enough and knew Roland was about to pounce. Without thinking, she thrust her awareness into the earth, and the ground shook. Roland stumbled for just a moment, but regained his feet quickly. Paden managed to stand and turn, but nothing was going to stop Roland at that point. The Dark One was entirely too fast. Caught in the battle waging in front of her, she forgot that it was just a lesson and threw everything she had into the earth. She made a fist and lifted her hand into the air. Energy surged through her and she flung it around Paden. Roland slammed into the shield and snarled, his fangs extended and his eyes angry. Paden smiled over his shoulder at Ree and then said something under his breath to Roland. The Dark One replied just as quietly so that Ree couldn’t hear him, but from Paden’s tense jaw muscles she was pretty sure it must have upset him. Once it was obvious the test was over, Juliette and Bryce relaxed their guard and stepped away from Ree.

Roland stepped away from the shield and retracted his canines. He bowed to her, his cocky grin back in place. “Well played, my Lady Alastriana.”

“Why thank you, Roland.” She bowed her head regally.

Paden snorted loudly and then shook his head to get the dirt out of his hair.

“How did we do?” Juliette asked.

Ree didn't need to hear Roland’s answer. They had lost two of their group during this charade, and that wasn't acceptable.