The Traitor of Inlustris

IX

The skin under my fingers bled as I tried, to no avail, to pull a bowstring. When I felt like my fingernail was being pulled back, I dropped the weapon with a grunt. It was no use. I couldn't even shoot an arrow.

Every ounce of my being wanted to flick my wrist and send that arrow flying onto the target: a tree marked by a piece of raggedy fabric. I checked my fingers, grimacing at the blood starting to pool under my fingernails. It stung and I tried hard to make it look like I was fine with it. I wasn't.

If I were home, none of my servants would let such a thing happen to me under their watch. They were so cautious with my well-being, they often forgot about their own. If I got so much as a scratch, I would be immediately treated. They always feared I'd get an infection. I always chastised them for overreacting; but now in the middle of the forest, in Solennes Jubar, blood oozing from my fingers, I could only think of the possibility of my hands falling off.

"Ella, you can't give up," Kora said, picking up the bow and arrow. She handed it back to me. I begrudgingly took them, shoulders hunched forward, as I tried hard to place the arrow in place.

"Hey," she started. "It's tough the first few times. No one expects you to be a natural." Kora took control of my hands, guiding me through the process of placing the arrow in its correct spot.

"Am I going to have to use a bow and arrow for Initiation?" I asked.

Kora pursed her lips and told me to pull back the bowstring. I groaned but did as she told me. I tried so hard to keep my posture right while doing my best at keeping the arrow tight in my hold. My fingers ached at the effort I put them through. I was sure I was holding everything wrong.

"Shoot," she ordered.

I stared at the brown fabric hanging from the tree. If only the arrow could easily hit it.

With hopeful thoughts, I let the arrow fly. It whizzed through the air before curving to the ground a few feet away from the tree. It landed with a soft thud.

"This is a joke," I said.

"You'll get it soon," she encouraged.

I rolled my eyes. "That's easy coming from the expert of bow and arrow. I have never held one of these in my life." I raised the bow in front of us.

I wondered how long I was going to have to do this. The more time I spent training with them was precious time wasted. I could be sneaking around Caeleste for what I wanted, but instead I was playing gang member with the Tenebrosus Bleeders. And I wasn't doing that great at it either.

Envisioning my death was far more productive than training with them.

I imagined Herc giving me the final blow as everyone else stood around and watched. They'd leave my body there and the masking spell would wear off. They'd realize they killed the queen and run off. Philip would order a search party for me and find my body in the forest, and then the kingdom would finally have a king to rule for them: Prince Mahli Scaevus.

Everyone would get their happy ending except me.

"Ella, I know it can be frustrating at first, but I know you'll learn how to do it. Remember to be a part of this gang, you need to be able to handle yourself with any weapon." She motioned for me to pick up a new arrow from the quiver on my back. I sighed and plucked one out, getting ready to pull back the string of horror.

"Think of it this way." Kora walked around me, studying my posture. "Pretend you have an enemy trying to kill you. You have them vulnerable in front of you. What do you do before they get back up again?"

My heart raced as I aimed at the tree. Her words tantalized me as I imagined King Rasmus before me. His taunting laugh sounded in my head, and I narrowed my eyes at the tree.

But am I a killer?

I dropped the bow and arrow on the ground. King Rasmus' face disappeared from my mind as I stared at the tree in disdain.

I was not made for this.

"Ella?"

"I don't think I can shoot someone like that," I whispered. I turned to see Kora sizing me up. "Don't get me wrong, I adore adrenaline, but I am not used to this."

"Okay, but if you had no other option, wouldn't you aim for the kill?" She asked.

I stared at my hands watching a soft tremor run through them. I remembered the blue flame that I used to conjure up at a moment's notice. That dark magic that courses through my veins. A curse that reminds me to never do anything remotely dark. If but a small flicker of my flame could result in a large consequence, perhaps a murder could be just as bad.

I didn't want to be followed by the darkness that way. I already had to deal with the one I was born with.

"There must always be another way, no?"

"We're a rogue gang." Kora shrugged. "We always have a target on our backs. If someone tries to kill us, we kill first. You gotta survive."

I stared out at the forest in front of me, admiring the green foliage of the trees and the strong trunks that held them together. I did everything I could to try and believe I wasn't there with a rogue gang. However, everything from my attire to Kora beside me told me otherwise.

"This sounds like some war," I whispered.

"We are always at war. Some wars are louder than others, but they are still there nonetheless."

"Hey, guys!" Marisole called out, coming towards us with Gaia in tow. "How's the shooting going?"

"The tree is beyond lucky. It was left unscathed," I said bitterly.

"I know a bow and arrow can be tough," Gaia said. "But don't worry, as long as you learn how to shoot decently enough, you should be fine. Just remember to choose your preferred weapon and excel at that one."

"I hereby announce that the bow and arrow is not my preferred weapon. I'll leave that to you, Kora. You're the beast of bow and arrow." I picked up the bow and placed it in her hands. She giggled as I pretended to clean my hands from holding the wretched weapon.

"You still have to learn how to shoot," Kora pointed.

I groaned.

"It seems like you've had enough training for the day," Marisole noted. "How about we all go for a swim? The boys insisted on hunting for dinner themselves."

A swim? In that river?

"Sure! Come on, Ella, let's enjoy the little bit of time without those morons," Kora said, waving at me to follow them.

I'm surely going to die today.