Page 15 of Enchanted Shadows (The Enchanted Kingdom #6)

E mric and I banged on the barracks door long before the sun and told the women to get ready. We stood in the dark, dawn still over an hour from happening.

The women were not grumbling. Just waiting. Waiting for their punishment from the night before.

“Look,” I began, “the cold hard truth is that we live in a world where what happened last night is going to happen again.” I paced in front of the obstacle course where we gathered.

“There are some men who will be intimidated and feel that your success as a team is a direct insult to their level of manliness. Because of their own insecurities. Not because it has a damn bit to do with you.”

I took another deep breath and turned. “And the truth of the matter is that our king and queen couldn’t just murder all the loyalists to Theon Valanova, though I sometimes wish they would have. They were giving everyone a chance to figure out life out from under an evil king.”

I sighed. “Because of last night, the loyalists are only going to be more frustrated with your presence here. Will only become more volatile the stronger you become. As your trainer, I feel it important for you to know. You will all have to keep your guard up, and you are going to have to fight for respect in a way that a team in Wylan hasn’t had to before.

Because you are women. And it isn’t fair, but pretending more isn’t going on here isn’t doing you a damn bit of good either. ”

“So before you run,” I added, “because best believe, you will be running to the rock and back twice without stopping for what you all did sneaking out last night, but before you do, I want all of you to take five minutes and consider how badly you truly want this. If you still do, we will continue to train. Continue to break ground with a team unlike the rest.” I paused.

“But if you don’t, if you don’t want to be constantly looking over your shoulder for the loyalists.

If you don’t want to fight for a better realm daily, then save yourself the effort and leave before it gets too dangerous. Too difficult.”

My feet stilled as I turned to look them in the eyes, the bright moon giving us just enough light for me to do so.

“I have been fighting for a better Wylan for the better part of a decade. I know it gets exhausting. I know how heavy carrying the torch can become. But I was there when King Krewan drove that sword into Theon and ended him. And I have seen how things are different.”

I continued, “Not everyone adapts to change well. And I have spent a fair share of the last four years trying to maintain peace. This team, your very presence as a team of women in Wylan, lights a match to the loyalists. And I would like nothing more than to see them all burn. But you have to ask yourselves if you are ready for this. If you are ready for the scrutiny. The comments. The baiting.”

I inhaled deeply. “And the worst part is that I cannot guarantee you will not get hurt. I can only promise to train you in such a way that you will be able to defend yourself, should anything go awry. Should anyone have the audacity to mess with you.”

I hit a button on my watch. “So sit. Silently sit and really consider it. Do you each still want this? Because Bram Stirling isn’t the only prick in Savaryn who will want to make you the punch line of his joke.”

I walked over to Emric where he was leaning against the fence, imitating his stance.

Emric put up a sound barrier around us, the dark red impossible to miss. “Encouraging them to quit?”

“No. Encouraging them to look at things in the correct light. I want to see their fight, but....”

“But?”

I looked at the women where they now sat. “I don’t want any harm to come to them. This group is different.”

“Obviously.”

“Not just because they have breasts,” I snapped. “They went together. All of them. To protect and help my sister. Can you imagine if I would have tried to do that during our training?”

“We would have been more likely to tie you down and keep you from going at all than to risk our own hides.”

“Exactly,” I told him. “The last training team which has been close like this was the one with Miles and Dex. Sometimes a team just works together. And I’m seeing that with this one. But they’re going to have to be that close if they don’t want to be torn apart by more Bram Stirlings.”

Molly walked over, using her magic to take down Emric’s sound barrier.

“Can we talk about that?” I asked with a smirk.

Her eyes darted to Emric before going back to me. “Talk about what?”

“Your Enchantment choked four men easily last night.” Molly’s family had been treated poorly for being a weaker magical bloodline before Theon died. For decades.

“I don’t like being spoken down to,” was her simple explanation .

My lips twitched. “Noted. I meant you are much stronger, Molls. That’s all.”

She gave me a tight smile. “Jorah told me to keep practicing. To build it. So I did. And now I have even more time to hone my Enchantment by being here.” She shrugged. “Maybe I was only as weak as I was led to believe I was.”

“You also passed the obstacle course,” I told her. “Seems you are far more than a bookworm.”

“Always was. Just took a while for the rest of you to catch on.”

“Fair.” I laughed. “What did you need, Molly?”

“I’m staying.”

I dipped my chin and looked her in the eyes. “You’re sure?”

She quickly swallowed. “I remember too much of what life was like before . I can take the heat. I’m staying. So I came over to ask if I could run.”

I cocked my head. “You want to run?”

She rolled her eyes. “No. I want to get it over with. Before it gets too hot.”

Emric chuckled. “Been there.”

I gestured with my head behind me. “Go. There and back twice. No breaks. Take your water and place it somewhere so you can grab a drink.”

With a nod, she headed toward the starting line.

Jessina came over next. “I’m staying too.”

I looked her in the eyes. “You are not Enchanted. It will be even harder for you.” Much like it had been for the team of men Keir and I had trained after Theon’s death. The first team of non-Enchanted. Most of them were still together working at the new base in Nerede.

She put her hands on her hips and stared me down. “I’m staying.”

I smirked. “Go.”

One by one, they all came up. Pippa the Pepper. Vivian. Fern. Summer. Rose. Elsie. Jaya. Erin. Sam. Remy. Magnolia. Zara. Wren. Until only Harlow remained.

I walked over to where she still sat, her arms around her knees.

I sat down next to her. “What’s eating at you, Harlow?” She was one of the oldest of the group. Probably remembered as much as Molly and I did. But also, one of the fastest. And Enchanted. Strategically, she made the team stronger.

“It’s my family. I fear for them if I do this. I wanted to do it for me, I just never considered how it would affect them. The danger it would put them in.”

“I understand,” I told her. I’d spent years distancing myself from my family in an effort to keep them safe.

“Our cousins are loyalists. They were there last night. They could have very easily joined in with the others who were taunting us. I was terrified and hid in the back behind the others. I just—” she took a deep breath. “I think I need to go home and protect my family. Stop hiding.”

“It’s not an easy decision,” I told her. “If that is what you feel you should do, go. Not that you needed my blessing.”

I moved to stand, reaching a hand down for her.

She gave me a smile and took my hand. “Thank you. For coming after us last night. For teaching me to defend myself.”

“If things with your cousins get too messy, you’ll let me know?”

She gave me a nod. “You’ve got it, General. You might be scary, but it’s the good kind of scary. I’m glad you’re on our side.”

Whatever that meant. Dammit, we would miss her skillset though. But again, just like with Aletta, I wasn’t about to force anyone to be here. And especially after last night.

I walked back over toward Emric, ready to check on the runners.

“You were right,” he said quietly.

“I typically am. Can you be more specific?”

“They’re different,” he agreed, oddly serious .

“I need you to do something for me,” I told him as we walked. “Can you dig into one of the women’s pasts for me? She mentioned being scared of someone. And she’s from Nerede, but I wonder if there are some relatives who are loyalists. Even just knowing who might help us be more prepared.”

“Prepared for what?”

I rolled my neck to the side, stretching it. “Whatever is coming.”

“Nerede, huh?” he asked after a moment of thinking on it.

I gave him a nod. “There is something dark in her past, but she doesn’t trust me enough to say anything yet.”

“And my digging will make her trust you more?”

I gave him a shrug. “I don’t give a damn if it keeps her safe. I don’t feel right sending one of them home in forty-some days wondering if they’ll return or not.”

Emric gave me a nod. “I’ll get right on it. Say no more.”

As they finished their double run, back-to-back, I told them, “If a single one of you sneaks out again, don’t bother to return. Understood?”

Most of them were breathing so heavily, there wasn’t a response.

“Understood?” I said more loudly.

“Understood,” Wren said with a nod. “I’m sorry I put the team at risk.”

I wasn’t her brother from the night before, giving her a hug. Right now, I was her general. “Don’t do it again. Now. Who’s ready for the obstacle course?”

Sam groaned. I reached into the side pocket on my pants and threw a roll of tape at her.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“Wrap your wrists.”

“I thought that would be considered cheating,” she argued.

I shrugged. “I don’t think you need it to pass the course, but if it helps you think you can do it, then wrap them. You cannot use an Enchantment to help you up the course, but if wrapping your wrists helps, who the hell cares.”

“If I tease you right now for this, is it too soon after last night?”

“Yes.”

She smirked. “I’ll save it.”

I barked out, “Move. Your. Butts.” I didn’t care if they were tired from the extra running. They’d done the crime, so they’d put in the time. I was tired too, but we had more work to do.