Page 40 of Souls of Steel
Knox relaxed, his tight expression melting away into a small smile. “I see. Well, it would seem we were wrong in underestimating you.”
I immediately felt guilty for my lie. My experience with wielding a sword was limited to the few times I’d participated in my mother’s terra-forming trips. She had occasionally allowed me to clean areas of rampant vegetation using blades. That had stopped as I’d grown older and I’d realized I’d never receive Gaia’s Gift, so I couldn’t rely on that experience.
Still, I couldn’t tell Knox or the others any of that, since it would just make them worry more. So I kept my mouth shut, pretended I knew what I was doing, and continued my preparations.
According to what Brendan told me, there was a high chance the tournament qualifiers would involve robots. My sole experience with that kind of thing had been in Tachyon Manipulation class. I suspected the mechanical monstrosity the organizers intended to throw at us wouldn’t be nearly as harmless and easy to defeat as the dummies.
The armor I received on the eve of the competition didn’t fill me with too much confidence. It was a reinforced version of my uniform, but it lacked the markings of Chimera Academy. As I swept my palm over the smooth, but heavy material, I wondered how many blows the organizers expected me to receive. This uniform was designed with a higher degree of fire resistance and protection against blunt trauma, and that alone suggested the test ahead would be tough.
To make matters worse, the judge would be the king himself, which meant that Brendan’s family would be coming here. Brendan hadn’t mentioned anything about me potentially meeting him, and a part of me was grateful. But if the king knew about me and had encouraged this tournament, I could only conclude he didn’t like me very much. That couldn’t end well.
And so, despite all my attempts to remain focused and bury myself in my studies, I couldn’t ignore the dangers. On the morning of the tournament, I woke up with a headache, feeling nauseous and tired. I’d barely slept a wink the night before, taunted by strange dreams filled with fire and destruction. The sluggishness couldn’t have come at a worst time, but I forced myself to surpass it. I couldn’t afford to panic. I needed to grab a bite and mentally prepare myself for the battle ahead.
My lovers’ presence helped more than I’d have ever admitted. As we pulled on our respective uniforms, August said, “I’m sure you’ll do wonderfully, Selene. I didn’t get the chance to say this before, but I’m sorry if I didn’t react that well when you first said you wanted to participate.”
“We were worried about you and I admit we still are,” Pollux added, “but you’re an excellent chimera tamer. You can do this.”
I wasn’t sure they believed their own words, but I appreciated their effort to reassure me. “Thanks. I think so too, although, naturally, I won’t be as good as you. Make sure you win.”
“I doubt that’ll happen,” Knox replied. “Some of the competitors are professional soldiers, with years of experience in our star fleets. We’re powerful, but so are they.”
I hadn’t forgotten that part, but the reminder still made me flinch. Brendan obviously noticed, because he rushed to remind me of the most important part of today. “In any case, we don’t need to win, just to qualify. Once we do that, we’ll be home free and further tests will not matter that much, not until you’re older and more experienced, at least.”
That was the most encouraging thing I’d heard in a while, although it might not have been the words themselves that helped, but the person who said them. By the time we made our way to the mess hall, I’d gotten over most of my nerves and felt prepared for the competition.
Granted, I wasn’t unaware of the way everyone was looking at me and the fact that they all expected me to fail. After the bet I’d made with Jared Glass, they even wanted it, so they’d turn me into nothing more than a living glory hole. They wouldn’t get their wish.
No one said anything, too busy focusing on their last minute preparations to worry about me. After breakfast, we were all shuffled into a large shuttle and clustered together in groups with our respective piloting units. I didn’t know any of the students who weren’t tamers, so it was a relief that they kept their distance.
There was a teacher in charge of each individual group. My lovers and I had lucked out and gotten Commander Trevor. “Can you tell us anything about what we can expect, Sir?” Knox asked him.
The teacher shook his head. “I’m afraid not, but I’m confident that you can handle it, Flight Lieutenant Alexander.” He shot me a long look and hesitated. “Ms. Renard, if you find yourself having trouble, please don’t hesitate to withdraw.”
Well, that was ominous.
“You know I can’t do that, Sir,” I replied. “I appreciate the advice, but I have to see this through.”
“Yes, I’m aware of your situation.” Commander Trevor grimaced. “I’m not sure what could’ve possessed you to agree with such a bet, but I can only conclude it must’ve been pride. In any case, the school can intervene and make sure you don’t have to go through with anything that would make you uncomfortable. It would not be appropriate for a former student of Chimera Academy to end up in such circumstances, so even people who don’t like you would want to protect the school.”
“Yes, but that would still involve leaving Chimera Academy, and I’m not willing to do that. I’m going to be a qualified chimera tamer, Sir, and nothing is going to change my mind.”
Commander Trevor looked sad, but unsurprised. “So be it. Maybe you’ll be the one to prove we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the more unconventional talents of Terran women.”
By unconventional talents, he meant anything that didn’t involve us spreading our legs or sucking cock. I forced down my bitterness, refusing to let the painful words get to me. Commander Trevor didn’t mean to insult me. He was being supportive, in a way. I just had to focus on that part and I’d be fine.
We all settled down together in the shuttle and fell silent. I leaned against one of the tiny windows and watched the terrain fly by. The vessel was moving too fast for me to catch a real glimpse of anything, but still, it was kind of nice.
The tournament would be held on a different part of the asteroid, outside the base itself. The stadium built for this specific purpose was closed the rest of the time and the facilities inside reserved for tournament use only. Since the announcement, the staff of Tartarus Base had prepared everything that was needed here, bringing in extra supplies from Earth to feed the overwhelming number of spectators who were expected to arrive.
When we arrived at our destination and slowed down, I realized the stadium was surrounded with excited fans. They cheered when they spotted us approach.
After having seen the tournament in live transmissions, the view was almost unnerving. But this was part of my life now, and I had to accept it, just like I’d accepted the harassment from the students.
The shuttle landed on one of the landing strips reserved for competitors and staff. There were already a few others ships present, and one of them arrived just as we were descending from our own. Brendan’s breath caught and my other companions went rigid.
“Guys? What’s wrong?”
They didn’t reply, but I got my answer anyway. The walkway of the shuttle lowered and a beautiful woman manifested from inside. Flanked by a group of burly guards armed to the teeth, she walked up to us like she owned the place. The air of authority she emanated wasn’t like anything I’d seen in other people. My mother’s strength had always been quiet and steady, like the earth she healed. My lovers’ power was brighter, angrier, just like Tartarus. This woman was different and that unsettled me.
