Endania

Mon and Ash showed me where the Training Hall was on our way home. I ate dinner quickly and headed to my room. Ash looked around it quickly to make sure it was clear then he went to his room. I changed into my PJs and laid down. I had no idea werewolves had power. A firepower no less.

In the morning, Ash woke me up. “No,” I growled and rolled over. I was not getting up yet.

“Come on. You have an hour and a half before you have to meet Dominic,” Ash said yanking my blankets off. I growled at him and pulled on my tiny blanket. “Mon and I are buying you a phone today so it can wake you up instead of me,” he said grumpily yanking the tiny blanket off too.

I threw my pillow at him and he caught it. I stalked past him, grabbed clothes, and went into the bathroom to take a hot shower. When I emerged I was wearing black workout pants, a black T-shirt, boots, and a blue jacket. I had my hair in a ponytail too. I went downstairs after giving Ash an irritated look and Her…Mom smiled. “You look great in workout clothes,” she said.

“Thanks,” I said smiling, sat, and ate quickly. Then I ran all the way to the Training Hall without breaking a sweat. Probably because I exercised in my cell a lot. Commander Dominic wasn’t here yet so I did some exercises. Push-ups, sit-ups, and lunges.

I was in the middle of doing pull-ups when I heard the door open and could smell his scent. I didn’t stop. After I did forty I stopped and looked at him. Then remembered what I was supposed to do and knelt quickly. “Rise,” he said. I stood. “I don’t think learning how to use a weapon will be hard for you. It’s your fire that might be the challenge.”

“Okay. I have a question,” I said.

“What?”

“Do I have to call you ‘Commander’ all the time?”

“No, only when in front of the others.”

“Oh, okay. Do I have to kneel every time you come into that room?”

He shook his head. “No, only when in front of the others.”

“Okay.”

He taught me the names of the weapons and then he taught me how to use them. He was right. I learned everything quickly. He watched me do sword maneuvers with approval. “You learn quickly. Now let’s try your fire.”

I looked around. “Um, what if I accidentally set something on fire?”

“I have water at hand.” He motioned to some buckets. “Once you release your fire, you can direct it and absorb it.”

“Can I use it in both forms?”

“Yes.”

~You’re being trained by an imbecile.~

I looked around in confusion. “Um…”

“What is it?”

“Someone just spoke in my head and I don’t know who it is,” I said nervously.

“What did it sound like?”

“Kind of deep and silky at the same time. He had anger and disgust in his voice too.”

“What did he say?”

I don’t want to tell him that but I know I have to. “‘You’re being trained by an imbecile.’”

He frowned. “How does he know about you when we just found out?” He murmured.

“Who?” I asked.

“Lord Flame.”

My eyes widened. “That was him?”

“From you’re description of his voice, yes.”

“I don’t know how he could know about me.”

“Did you talk to anyone on your way to Endania?”

“No.”

“Stay here.” He left.

I pictured Ash in my head. ~Ash?~

~Sylvia? Are you done training?~

~Dominic was about to teach me to use my fire when something happened.~

~What?~

~Lord Flame spoke to me in my head.~

~What?!? Where are you?~

~Dominic told me to stay in the Training hall so I am. I’m sitting on the floor by the water buckets.~

~He left?~

~Yes.~

~I’m on my way.~

He showed up ten seconds later. “You really do run fast,” I said.

He shut the door and sat beside me. “I’m a vampire. I’m supposed to be fast. If I wasn’t that would mean there’s something wrong with me.”

“Ash, how does he know about me?” I asked in a worried voice.

“I don’t know.” He leaned back against the wall. “So how did the training go before Lord Flame put his two cents in?”

I was glad he changed the subject but I knew it was going to come up again. “Great. I can use all types of weapons now.”

He stared at me. “You learned them all already?”

I smiled. “I’m a quick learner.”

“So your fire should be no problem.”

My smile disappeared. “I doubt it since I only recently found out I have a power. I always knew there were weapons out there.”

He sighed. “Mon should have told you when she was explaining things.”

“Maybe she thought I already knew,” I suggested.

He snorted. “She knew you didn’t know.”

“Then it’s because she was too busy explaining about my dad,” I said firmly. I wasn’t going to let him build up any suspicion against Monica. “Does Lord Flame have an ID?”

He shook his head. “No, but he doesn’t care. He’ll just break down the gates or something like that. We only have the IDs because he could send a minion in to spy. With the IDs, he can’t do that.”

“Oh. Does he need to be close to talk in my head?”

“Yes. He has to be within a twenty-mile radius to speak to you that way.”

“Oh.” Silence fell. I broke it because I was freaked out. “Did you see anyone while you were on your way here?”

“No. But I do know a lot of the guards had been called,” he said flicking a watch on his wrist. I guess they can send messages through those.

“They’re looking for him?”

“Apparently.”

“Oh.” I searched for another thing to say. “Why is Domonic called ‘Commander’ instead of ‘Alpha’?”

“Because he’s not the leader of the werewolves and Endania. He’s just the leader of the werewolves.”

“Oh.” I thought for a minute. “So I lead the werewolves and the Duchess dies…”

“You’ll be called Alpha Sylvia. Or Alpha Griffin. Your choice.

“So people won’t call me ‘Your Grace’?” I asked hopefully.

He laughed. “You’ll get people calling you both.”

“Damn.”

“It’s who you’re meant to be.”

“Well, it’s better than the life I had before so I can’t complain.”

“You can’t complain to everyone but…”

“I can complain to you, Mon, and myself.”

“I guess.”

I grinned. “You don’t sound happy about it.”

“That’s because it isn’t in my job description.”

I laughed. “But it’s in the description of being a friend.” I stopped laughing. “Hey, do you know why Lord Flame turned evil?”

“Why don’t you ask me that question yourself?” A voice I’ve heard once before. Thirty minutes ago to be exact.

Lord Flame was here.