The morning after another meeting in a different area of the Convex Sector, Ruben and I head back to the palace.
"Do you think we've convinced enough of them to join us?" I ask as we slip into the foyer. Morning light pours through the arched windows on either side and makes his eyes glimmer when he looks at me.
"Few of them will want to move out of the city," he says, voice gruff as we cross through the ground floor and exit.
A low yet pitchy rumble swirls around me, reverberating in my ribs. The sound of a many-mouthed monster swarming the field outside the old Tranq headquarters. We exchange a glance before quickening our pace. A grin tugs at my lips as we step into the howling wind.
Hundreds of Convex and Concave people gather in the fields. Together. As if the river never once separated them. They join the already-established army as they wait for us to cross the dewy grass, the voices only growing louder in our presence.
"We are here to help, Elle," someone says, grabbing my hand.
"You are our hero. We will follow you, always." That one makes me flinch.
We shoulder and squeeze our way to the front, by the doors to the old Tranq building. Ajax slips out from the main entrance to the building, brushing back his hair as he takes in the sight before us.
"Never thought I'd see the day when the two sectors come together," he says, gaping.
I crane my neck, rising on my toes to get a vantage point over the extensive crowd. Words fail me, even when I open my mouth to speak.
"Thank you for coming," Ruben says, taking over. "I will be your captain as we face those from outside the wall. For the next week, we will train every day. Hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, and formation defense, taking tactics from ancient armies before the seas rose and wiped them all out. Today, Ajax and I will split everyone into squads and will post the schedule for training by the door in the morning."
---
Icy rain rakes its nails down my spine as I race across the grass, splashing water up my calves. Thunder shatters the sky and the rain pelts down harder. I scan my finger down the parchments pinned to the wall outside the Tranq building, searching for my name. Thank the Gods. They put me in the same squad as Aston.
"Pair up!" Ruben barks after announcing we will be sword training today. I immediately grab Aston and we find our spot on the sawdust in the enormous hall.
Aston smirks at me as he withdraws his sword, and I mirror him. "Nothing like us two back together on an entirely new stomping ground."
"Apparently, the river is the only thing separating the Sectors when the entire city is at stake," I say, before taking a bow.
"Right, soldiers," Ruben bellows, voice laced with authority. He paces before the team of six pairs. "Take turns attacking and defending, practicing your high and low strikes."
Aston and I bounce on the balls of our feet, dancing around one another until he lunges forward, and our blades clash. The sound rings in my ears for the rest of the day as we parry one another and sweat drips down my temples. By the time we bound out of the building towards the palace, my muscles ache and I look forward to the pub with the boys.
--
I pull on a brown and beige corset dress, drawing the strings tight at the back, and pushing my shoulders straight. The corset pushes my chest up, too. I sigh as I arrange my curls, letting them sit as they please. Wind batters the windows as I step out of the room and scurry down to the foyer. A blush creeps into my cheeks at the four young men standing idly in the foyer, staring at me as I approach. Aston, Ajax, Edward, and Ruben.
YOU ARE READING
After the Walls
Fantasy[Book 3 of the Within the Walls Trilogy] Who is Elle Fallon? Is she a selfless hero? Or is she a girl driven to madness trying to protect the ones she loves? Months have passed since the battle beyond the walls and rumour has it she has chosen to...
