Hall of Games [ REWRITE ] | The Varya Chronicles #1

Chapter Twenty-Four

Media: Soaring through with shadows

Music: Traction, Mark Petrie

That night, Cadence pretended to be asleep when Kashimi finished his final checkup on her. There was no one else in the infirmary, the coughing boy at the other end of the infirmary was discharged about two hours ago. The Healer cast a long, dark shadow as he picked up the remaining lamp and blew it out, dousing the entire chamber with darkness. Cadence heard the clink of grommets as the curtains separating the beds and the Healers' workplace as Kashimi pulled it apart then pulled it back together, retiring for the night.

Having consumed a second dose of the Devil's Claw, the throbbing on her wound had faded. She felt fine, just a little but whoozy. Cadence swung her feet of the bed and stood up tentatively, half-expecting to be overwhelmed by vertigo, but the dizziness was fleeting. She steadied herself by pressing a hand on her night stand and the other on the railings of her bed.

She fished around in the dark with one foot for her shoes. Cadence had changed out of her bloodied robes and put on a fresh change, which would decrease her chances of getting caught in the corridors. Ales' token was in her room, and she was annoyed at herself for not keeping it close with her.

Ales had paid her a visit in the evening, slightly miffed at her ability for landing herself in the infirmary for three times in less than two weeks. He called off their night training and would only resume it after she had Kashimi's approval. For Cadence, as long as she wasn't dragging herself across the floor, she was fine.

It Ales wouldn't train her today, she could train herself. Cadence prised open the door of the infirmary ever so gently, not wanting the slightest creak to sound, for it might bring sharp-eared Kashimi flying out. The door did creak, and Cadence held her breath, waiting for Kashimi to burst out from behind the curtains and shake his head at her in irritation. There was no movement from the curtains. Cadence exhaled, feeling her lungs burn. She shoved against the door as a sliver of light from the outside zipped into the infirmary, then closed it lightly.

Cadence headed the Affinity training hall. The doors were locked, but Cadence had a backup plan. The knocker cast a round shadow against the doors which Cadence eased it from the surface until it floated in between her hands. She straightened it and inserted it into the keyhole. Cadence prodded the inside mechanisms of the lock, then relaxed the piece of shadow, allowing it to assume the shape of the lock and fill it through. She then tightened her hand into a fist, solidifying the shadow. There was a whirr, followed by a small clock as she twisted the shadow-turned key, and the door swung open.

Once inside, she locked it back up. She walked up toward the aisle with the racks of iron discs, running her fingers over the lumpy surface. Cadence felt a gentle, familiar tug and found herself staring at the shadowsinger.

Rays of winter moonlight gleamed across the sharp blades. Cadence got off the platform and approached the shadowsinger. The gleam of the blades seemed to beckon her, as if asking 'don't you want to hear me sing?'