Greylith, page 3
“Now back to celebrating!” Finnian finishes.
“We must be getting close now, right? We’ve been sailing for quite some time,” I say, turning back to Wren.
She replies, “Well, judging by what Cleo just told me, we’re appro-”
Before she could finish, a boy from the top deck yells, “We’re here!” Everyone starts to rush up the stairs to the top deck to get a better view of Fort Weave.
I lose Wren and Lyric in the crowd, but that doesn’t matter. When I get to the top, I lean over the edge of the Ship and see it.
Perched on a sprawling plateau, the massive stone fort towers over the landscape with its formidable presence. Its high walls, rising nearly fifty feet into the air, stand as a testament to the strength and resilience of the army. Carved from the rugged terrain, the fortress exudes an air of ancient grandeur, its weathered facades bearing the scars of countless battles and centuries of history.
“Ladies and gentleman, welcome to your new home,” he says as he squeezes my shoulder with his muscular hand. Xander. “And you and I are going to get along great,” he whispers into my ear.
Oh my god.
Breathe, Phoenix. Breathe.
The hottest man I think I’ve ever laid my eyes on is not only touching me, but he also just winked at me and smiled. First of all, how does he know that we’re going to get along, and two, has he caught me staring at him since we got on the Ship?
As the Ship gets closer to Fort Weave, the large, invisible barrier ripples as we enter the perimeter. Everyone gasps in shock and awe, but I can’t even enjoy it because I’m focused on Xander’s hand touching me.
Fort Weave has large boulders in the water to help deter unwanted ships. Before I can even finish that thought, the water rises on its own, submerging the rocks under a few feet of water.
When the Ship docks, everyone, new and old recruits, are ushered off and told to head up the front gate.
“And where is that?” the soon to be Weaver, Draven Ashenwood asks.
“Just head up the stairs! You can’t miss it!” a Senior Recruit shouts from the back.
“Good luck,” Xander whispers softly, giving my shoulder one final squeeze.
When I’m off the Ship, the anxiety I’ve been feeling leaves for a moment. There’s an electricity to Fort Weave that I didn’t feel before. Or maybe that’s just me not being used to standing on solid ground again.
“Can you believe we’re here?” Lyric says as she reaches for my hand to help her off the Ship.
“No, not at all,” I say as I wipe the sand off my trousers. “It looks a lot different from what I remember. "
“Remember? You’ve been here before?” Lyric looks extremely confused.
“Well, yeah, the Aetherian Army stationed my dad here, and he requested that his family get to come with him so we did,” I say. “And from what we’ve been told, my dad was one of the best Shadow Weavers the Aetherian Army had ever seen, so he had a lot of the negotiation power when they asked him to come here.”
“Was he a General?” Lyrics asks.
“No, he was just Head of Security. I think he actually managed to cloak the entire island,” I say.
“Is it still cloaked?” Lyric questions.
“I don’t think so, I mean, we saw it before we even entered the protective barrier,” I confirm.
When we reach the top of the plateau, we are greeted by the towering stone walls. At first glance, the walls appear seamless, as if melded together by the hands of arcane craftsmen. But upon closer inspection, intricate runes and sigils etched into the surface glow with a soft, pulsating light, imbued with protective wards and magical barriers to repel any would-be invaders.
“How do we get in?” Lyric yells out. “Do you know where the door is?” she looks at me.
I shake my head. There used to be a large gate right in front of where we’re standing.
“You guys want to see your first taste of Earth Weaving?” a Senior Recruit asks.
“Just open the gate already, Magnus,” Wren says from right behind us, looking annoyed. “Good kid, but fuck he’s annoying.”
Magnus plants his feet firm on the ground, extends his arms - his fingers look as though they are holding on to an invisible ledge. I notice a symbol on his hand begin to glow and upon further inspection, I see that it’s the symbol of the Aetherian Army.
“What’s that glowing on his hand?” Lyric asks over her shoulder in Wren’s direction.
“Oh that,” Wren nods to Magnus. “It happens to all of us when we use our Weave, it’ll happen to you guys too.”
“Does it hurt?” I ask.
Wren gives a fake laugh. “No, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get hurt here, so you’d better get used to pain.”
As we bring our attention back to the front, Magnus begins to pull his arms in either direction, and before our eyes, the stones are split in a perfect seam, pulled out just enough to slide in front of the walls on either side, creating an opening wide enough to fit an entire house.
I can’t find the words and I swear my jaw is on the floor, and by the looks of it, so is everyone else's. I’ve never seen an Earth Weaver in action before.
“That was one of the coolest things I think I’ve seen,” Lyric smiles.
“What’s the big deal? So he can play with rocks, big whoop,” Thorne says annoyingly.
For the most part, we don’t really see a lot of Weavers in Yanos or anywhere on Drayca, and if we do, they don’t use their Weave unless they need to. For example, there are some Water Weavers that have become healers and help out the sick, but other than that, we don’t see a lot of action.
It must be early afternoon now, because I feel like I’m being cooked alive in a stone oven. The courtyard is surrounded by walls with walkways here and there. On the side of each wall, there is a long set of stone stairs that connect the courtyard to the top of the walls. Straight ahead is a large gold door with large ringlet handles.
I look up and see a few Air Weavers gliding above as they survey us. Their uniforms seem to have a custom piece that makes them look almost like they have webbed arms.
“New Recruits to the front, the rest of you go wait on the sides,” Xander says, making his way through the group. Everyone seems to part for him without him needing to try.
All the Senior Recruits make their way to the sides of the courtyard, leaving the two hundred of us and Xander.
“In a few moments, we will separate. Twenty of you will follow me into the Elixir Chamber and accept the Elixir, finding out what your Weave will be. The other one hundred eighty of you will follow Senior Recruit Wren Greylith to the Weapons Chamber, where you will pick the weapon you want to master for battle,” Xander yells out. “But before any of this happens, our leader at Fort Weave, General Darkflame, would like a few words with you all.”
Xander steps aside and General Darkflame appears from the golden doors at the front of the courtyard.
“Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to Fort Weave,” the General commands. “Over the next few years, you will become the best fighters in Aetheria. As you all know, we are at war. The Shadow Army is trying to take over Aetheria, and it is our job to not let that happen!”
There are cheers and screams throughout the courtyard and on the walls.
“Now, while some of you will become Weavers, we don’t expect the ones of you who don’t to be defenseless,” Darkflame starts and just as quickly as the excitement erupted, it dies. “And we also don’t plan on sending you into battle with standard weapons. Our Artificers have been hard at work to ensure that any weapon you choose will be imbued with some sort of special ability.”
For the first time since we found out not everyone will be Weavers, there is actually some excitement and hope on the faces of those who weren’t chosen. Some of my own guilt has also washed away.
“I wonder what those weapons will be?” I ask Lyric.
She shrugs, “I don’t know, but I kind of want one.”
“Recruits, good luck,” General Darkflame finishes.
A round of applause and cheer follows as Darkflame exits.
“Alright, future Weavers, follow me,” Xander says flatly, making eye contact with me.
“And the rest of you, with me!” I hear Wren shout.
The twenty of us that are about to become Weavers head down a long hall adjacent to the courtyard at the south end of Fort Weave. Everything about this place is huge. The hallways, doors, walls, turrets, and ceilings. The only thing that’s small in this place are the people.
At the end of the hall stands an ancient-looking door with iron accents and an old handle. When Xander reaches for the door, a rune glows that wasn’t there before, and the door creaks open.
Inside is a large room, seemingly an old classroom. The ceiling is extremely high, and from it hangs an old candle lit chandelier. The floor is laid with cobblestone in what appears to be a random order, but on each stone lies a single rune.
At the far end of the room, under the sun-soaked cathedral windows, sit nine people, most of them I don’t recognize, but there are some that I do, General Darkflame, and is that? I do a double take and see a face I’ve only seen on official statements back in Yanos, that’s the Commander-in-Chief.
“Do you see who that is?” I lean over and ask Lyric.
She shakes her head.
“That’s the Commander-in-Chief, Dorian Ironleaf.”
“You didn’t know he’d be here?” she asks.
“You did?” I ask in return.
“Yeah, he’s a part of the High Council,” she points to the group of older adults at the front of the room. “One person from each Weave.”
Apparently, I’m the odd one out for not knowing that.
“Welcome to the Elixir Chamber. I am your Commander-in-Chief, Dorian Ironleaf. Myself, the entire High Council, and all of Aetheria, would like to welcome you and thank you for your service to the Aetherian Army. Now please, find a seat and we will get started.”
The air is still as everyone shuffles around to find a seat in the chamber. In a matter of moments, we will all be Weavers.
“Apparently your brother is staying to watch?” I lean in to ask Lyric.
“I guess,” she shrugs him off after also rolling her eyes.
A woman from the High Council stands at the front of the room and begins to speak. “You are all about to take the Elixir. The Elixir will connect you to what we know at the Arcane Weave. The Arcane Weave is what imbues you with an ability. Elementalist, Artificers, or Spiritwalkers. Occasionally, we have seen what is called a Chronomancer, someone who has the ability to bend time, however, those are very rare,” she pauses, and the room is so silent I swear I can hear everyone's hearts racing, or maybe it's just my own. “Now, once the Elixir is administered, you will be instantly connected to the Arcane Weave and your hand will glow with a phoenix, the same phoenix you will recognize as the emblem to the Aetherian Army. Let’s begin, shall we?”
Everyone sits up in their chairs.
“Lyric Nightingale,” Commander Ironleaf calls out.
Lyric stands up and walks slowly to the chair at the end of the room. The woman from the High Council gives her a small glass filled with a glittery, black liquid. Lyric pours the liquid into her mouth in one drink. Instantly her hand begins to glow purple.
“Spiritwalker.”
Lyric gets up and runs to Xander and they embrace in a hug. To say I’m jealous of Lyric would be an understatement. Not because she’s now a Spiritwalker, but because she really knows Xander. Apparently I was staring because Xander just looked at me and smiled again. She comes back over and finds her seat next to me.
“Congrats!” I say in a whisper, as the next Recruit is called forward. I force my attention to shift off of Xander.
“Thank you!” she replies. “I think that means I get to train with your sister!”
A few more names are called. Thorne Ironwood actually became a Fire Weaver, I was hoping he wouldn’t because now we’ll never hear the end of him ‘outsmarting the nerd.’ Poor Arlic. Speaking of Arlic, it looks like he just became an Air Weaver, so at least he can fly away from Thorne.
“Atar Dryflame.”
Oh shit. I’m next. I must be shaking because just as I start to panic, Lyric places her hand on my knee and whispers, “You’ve got this. From what I’ve seen and heard, you have nothing to worry about. You’re going to do great!”
I smile and thank her for her words.
“Phoenix Greylith,” Ironleaf calls.
As I stand I see everyone in the High Council sit up in their chairs. Clearly, they all knew who my father was. I walk forward trying my best not to make eye contact with anyone, peers or above. I can’t stop my limbs from shaking with nerves. I have a lot of things rushing through my head, but the biggest one, please don’t be a Shadow Weaver. I don’t need people thinking of me along with my dad.
When the woman hands me the Elixir, I pause and look out at all the eyes on me, even Xander’s, who is raising and lowering his arms, gesturing to me to breathe. I throw the drink back, eyes closed, trying not to let it touch my tongue, as everyone who does seemed to almost gag. Once it’s down, I let out a sigh of relief, and that’s when I hear the woman gasp.
“It can’t be!” she shouts. I open my eyes and look down at my hand. Silver. What does that mean? I don’t think I’ve seen that before. Is it a Chronomancer? I look up and see the entire High Council craning to get a look, and when each of them sees, they all gasp.
“What is it?” a boy from the back of the room calls.
The entire High Council begins to panic. They all start yelling at each other, causing the New Recruits to yell and try to get a look. The woman from the Council throws a handkerchief over my hand.
I look out and make eye contact with Lyric, who must sense the panic in my eyes because she too is reminding me to breathe.
“Nightingale!” Ironleaf calls out. Lyric stands up. “I’m sorry, not you dear, Xander!”
“Oh fuck, now what?” I say to myself as Commander Ironleaf whispers in Xander’s ear.
Xander grabs me by the upper arm and jerks me out of the chair. “Let’s go.”
He’s practically lifted me off my feet and is damn near carrying me out of the chamber. I turn back and see Lyric worried now.
The door slams behind us. We head back down the hall and Xander pulls me into the first unlocked door he finds and tosses me in the room and locks the door behind us.
“What the hell was that? What is going on?” I say, noticing I can’t stand because I landed on my knees and it feels like they’re shattered.
“I don’t know,” Xander says concerningly.
“What the fuck does that mean? Why wasn’t my Weave announced or even told to me?” I’m livid. I haven’t ever heard of this happening. “Let me guess, I’m a Shadow Weaver like my dad?”
Xander actually stares at me. “Shadow Weavers’ emblem isn’t silver.”
“Then what is?” I retort, and angrily.
“Again, I don’t know. I’ve never seen it before,” he replies. “Now, stop asking questions and be quiet. I’m trying to hear what the Council is saying.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? Ironleaf whispered something in your ear, and I’m assuming he told you what my Weave was. So tell me!” I yell.
Xander walks over to me in the middle of the room, gets down to my level, inches away from my face and says in a very calm yet serious tone. “We take orders. You disobey those orders, and you’ll be out of Fort Weave instantly, or they’ll kill you.”
I swallow hard. For the first time at Fort Weave, I actually am afraid for my life. Xander hasn’t given me any reason to be scared, but somehow, it scared the shit outta me.
I feel lightheaded. I try blinking a few times to bring my vision back to focus, but it's getting more and more blurry, everything is going dark.
“Oh yeah, that Elixir makes you sleep, for a while. It takes a lot of energy for the human body to become connected to the Arcane Weave,” Xander says, with what appears to be smirk on his face, or he might not even be there, I’m not sure what I’m looking at right now. “See you in a few hours, Greylith.”
My eyes open and the old room is flooded with darkness. The only light is coming from the moon shining in from the broken glass windows. Even though it’s the beginning of August, the room feels like it’s the middle of winter.
“Welcome back,” Xander says flatly.
“What time is it? How long was I out?” I say through a yawn. I begin to massage my knuckles which are swollen from meeting Thorne’s jaw.
“Well, you were asleep for close to six hours,” he replies. “Did you know you snore?”
“And you’re still here? I’m still here? They haven’t come to let us out yet or tell us what’s going on?” I say, half kidding, but also not.
“You ask a lot of questions, don’t you?” Xander smirks.
“I do when people withhold information that pertains to me,” I shout.
“Listen to me,” Xander starts. “I don’t know why they had me bring you in here and didn’t tell you why. I’ve only ever heard of that happening once before.”
“Why am I still here? Can we go join the others and figure out what the hell is going on?” I ask, reaching for the handle of the door.
Before I even put my hand on it, Xander grabs my wrist, spins me around and pins my arm to my back, and with total ease, almost as if he knew I was going to do that. “We leave when we’re given orders to leave,” he says coldly. “Trust me, if we go out there now, without being told to do so, we’ll both be in trouble, and I’ve got a clean record here, so I’m not letting you risk that for me.”
I try to break my wrist out of his hand, but his hand is twice the size of mine and damn, he’s strong. Really strong. I don’t stand a chance against him.
As soon as he lets me go, there’s a hard knock at the door. Xander opens it and in walks General Darkflame. He’s paler than normal, like he’s seen a ghost, “Ah, good to see you’re awake.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t planning on sleeping on a stone floor on my first night here, but here I am,” I say, and with an attitude because I’m pissed. “Now, can someone tell me what’s going on? What the hell happened in there and what is my Weave?”
