Page 4 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

Elena

M y father paced as I approached the training ring. I shrugged the satchel off my shoulders and tossed it into the dirt, then pulled out my gambeson and threw it on over my tunic. I hastened over to my father.

He shoved a sword into my open palms. I almost dropped it but recovered my grip just in time to meet his disheartened gaze. “Sorry, I?—”

Dismissing me with his hand, he turned towards the center of the ring. My fingers tightened around the hilt as I followed behind him.

Father stopped in the center of the ring and nodded towards me to take my stance. I’d witnessed Warren Morrigan’s many moods, but today he seemed completely out of character.

Straight to training it is, then .

Rolling the tension from my shoulders, I readied my stance. He lifted my arms to where they should have been and nudged my feet with his own to give me a more balanced stance.

With a nod, he stepped back to take his position, and his deep voice echoed between us. “Begin.”

Father lunged towards me, sword swinging. I parried the attack just in time. The weight of our swords clashing together radiated through my already sore muscles.

Before he could launch another triad of attacks, I twisted out of reach. We circled each other as I adjusted my slipping grip on the hilt of my sword. No matter how much I’d trained with swords, I could never quite seem to get it right. Honestly, the only thing I was decent with was my dagger.

Father advanced forward, and I parried his high attack once more and shoved back with all my weight.

We both stumbled backward as I struggled to calm my breaths.

My heart thundered against my chest. So many thoughts ran rampant inside my head that, though I tried to regain my focus, I failed miserably.

Lost in thought, I barely noticed his next move. I blocked his attack just in time, but my hold on the sword slipped and it crashed into the dirt behind me.

A growl erupted from my father as he dropped his own sword, running both palms through his dark chocolate hair. “Elena, where is your head at?”

“I—”

“You need to focus, Lena! I won’t always be able to protect you. It’s about damn time you start figuring out how to do it yourself.”

A sharp gasp escaped my lungs. My father’s face fell, regret written all over it. Shame swallowed me whole, and I wrapped my arms around myself.

It was barely midday and I’d already failed multiple people. Something told me that I shouldn’t even attempt to follow through with my Ascension ceremony today.

As I took a step back, my father reached out and pulled me into an embrace. Resting his head over mine, he whispered into my hair. “Gods…I’m so sorry, Sunshine.”

I buried my head deeper within in his chest as I mumbled, “You don’t need to be sorry. I wasn’t focused like I should have been.”

He pulled me back so he could see my eyes. “No, Sunshine. You have nothing to apologize for, I do.”

He guided me over to one of the pine trees that lined the outer edge of the training ring. Once we were both seated on the ground, leaning against the tree, Father broke the silence.

“A group of the Royal Guard rode in early this morning for the ceremony, and they’ve been causing chaos since.” He sighed, running his hand over his face.

The worry lines across his forehead seemed even deeper than usual. I placed my palm over his hand in the grass between us and gave it a squeeze. “However, that’s no excuse for the way that I spoke to you. I apologize for hurting you, and I didn’t mean any of those words.”

He let go of my hand and pulled me into his side, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. This was the version of my father I knew and loved—the supportive, calming man, the one who had always been there for me.

We’d had guards come through our town several times before, each time creating trouble. My father’s demeanor would always shift, but never to this extent. It made me wonder if there was more that he wasn’t telling me.

“I should have noticed that you had already had a rough morning and not pushed you so hard.” He smiled sadly. “Another attack?”

I nodded. “I let myself sleep for just a couple of hours, then the nightmare came and…” A heavy sigh rolled through me. “I broke all of the elixirs for Ophelia.”

“Oh Lena, you’ll make more tomorrow. It’ll be okay, you’ll see.”

I wished I could be as optimistic, but I truly couldn’t see the light at the end of this tunnel.

“You’re still worried about the Ascension ceremony, aren’t you?”

I groaned into his shoulder. “When do I not worry?”

A small laugh fled his lips, releasing some of the anxiousness inside my chest. Pushing myself back up, I tilted my head back against the bark of the tree trunk.

“Someone like me shouldn’t be allowed dynamis,” I breathed. “Maybe I should just stay home today?”

“Elena, I wish you could see how strong you truly are.” I scoffed at his words and gestured to the training ring.

“Strength comes in multiple forms, Elena. Everything we’ve been through, everything that life has thrown your way, you’ve always risen above it.

Today will be no different. It’s true, I do worry about you…

all the time.” His eyes flickered down for a second before returning to mine.

“Sometimes so much that I’m hard on you. ”

Silence passed between us for a few moments.

“I’m so proud of you, and I know your mother is looking down at you with a smile today as well. Remember, when you feel like the darkness is threatening to pull you under, just look for the light and hold onto it. The light will always find a way to guide you through.”

“Do you think I’ll end up with your Tempest dynamis, or Healing like Mother’s?” I said timidly.

Instead of answering, he stood and pulled me up to stand.

“The gods will choose your fate by looking at what’s inside here.

” He tapped my chest, just above my heart.

“They know exactly what you can handle but will also push you to grow into the Elysian you were always meant to be. I’ll love you no matter what dynamis you come home with. ”

A small smile grew on my lips. He reached down into his pocket and pulled out something I’d thought had been lost for four years.

Time stood still and words failed me as he placed the necklace over my head. The rough twine tickled the side of my neck. I traced over the smooth white stone and rubbed the wavy edges of the carved feather charm.

“Found it wedged between the floorboards after that night.” My father’s throat bobbed. “I knew she would have wanted you to have it one day, so I cleaned it up and saved it for today.” Our eyes glossed over with unshed tears.

“Let it give you some comfort during your ceremony today, a reminder that she will always be with you to light your path.”

Just as he pulled back, yells arose from behind me. I spun around to see what had caught my father’s eye.

One of the Royal Guards indulged in a fresh loaf of bread from a baker’s cart. The other soldier had his sword out, blocking the baker from interfering.

“You need to pay for that,” someone else shouted, as a few more voices rang out in agreement. The smile on my father’s lips vanished.

“I’ve got to?—”

“Go, it’s okay. They need your help. I’ll see you later tonight.” I pushed out my most convincing smile.

He hesitated, reading the anxiousness behind it.

“I’ll be okay, promise. Now, go.” I waved him away. He gave me a nod and jogged towards the commotion at the baker’s cart. Nerves swirled in the pit of my stomach as I watched him go. The weight of my worry for him was likely just as heavy as the one he held for me.

Closing my eyes, I exhaled a deep breath, forcing myself to turn in the opposite direction to meet Brietta in the temple.