The Falling (Book I)

Training

It felt like I had only closed my eyes for a few moments when my father barged into my room. My door slammed open loudly, startling me out of my light sleep. I shot up, clutching my quilt and glaring blearily at Father. He stood at the foot of my bed, bare chested and long hair pulled back.

"Get up; you are training with your siblings in five minutes," he said coldly, his scimitar strapped to his hip.

I sighed. "Yes, Father."

He left the room, closing my door behind him. I sat there for a minute before pushing my covers back. I stretched with my arms high above my head and stood on the tips of my toes. My vertebrae popped and I grunted in satisfaction.

It was early, I figured, though it was almost impossible to discern the time unless you had a clock or were a good judge of time. We had a large Grandfather Clock in the foyer, where it chimed loudly at every hour. I had not slept for more than four hours. My eyes felts sticky and heavy, fluttering every so often like it was a challenge to keep them open, and my limbs felt just as weighed down as my eyelids.

I took my training gear off their hangers in my closet. The outfit consisted of a sleeveless tunic, arm guards, and leggings. I grabbed my chest bindings and quickly wrapped my breasts. I pulled the tunic over my head and slid the trousers up my legs before strapping the arm guards on. As usual, my feet were bare and I grabbed my dagger from its case. Zane had gotten it for me a few years ago, hoping a small weapon would be useful to me. Unfortunately for him, I have never really used it.

I went down the stairs and to the backyard through the kitchen. There were no servants moving around, the kitchen completely empty. That only proved it was earlier than I thought if the servants were not up yet. I jogged through our yard. Grim was not in his cage, but Malus and Hound were present. Malus paced agitatedly, huffing at Hound when the latter rumbled at her. I grimaced, dreading what sort of training Father had planned if he took that monster out.

Beyond the kennel were our family training grounds. Jahi, our precursor, had them built as a gift to Amdusias when they married long ago. Despite their age, Father ensured the grounds were well kept. Whenever Zane would get overzealous, the groundskeepers would have the mess fixed up in just a few short hours. The grounds were flat and offered no cover to prevent us from hiding. They spanned a few acres back with various equipment scattered in different locations. As I walked, I noticed a scorch mark from either me or Mikayla from the last training session. I smirked wryly; the groundskeepers always had a difficult time cleaning up our messes.

I spotted Zane and Mikayla standing side by side in front of Father. Zane was wearing his cestuses and though he stood still, he seemed to vibrate with energy. He only had a pair of trousers on and leather shoes that helped him move quicker.

Mikayla had her hair in a ponytail. She wore short pants and only her breast bindings covered her upper torso. A holster was strapped to her thigh and I saw her throwing knives. On her feet, she had shoes similar to Zane's. She had her arms folded across her chest and gave me a disapproving glare when I ran to her side.

"How nice of you to join us," Father said dryly, his hands clasped behind his back. His feet were bare, too.

I muttered an insincere apology, all the while wondering where Grim was.

"Now then, it has come to my attention you," he stared pointedly at me and Mikayla, "are shirking your training responsibilities. As such, I will be foreseeing your training from now on. I would like for you three to train at least four times a week. You are young and it is important for you to sharpen your skills."

Mikayla at least the decency to look a little ashamed. I stared indifferently at Father. I would rather sharpen my mind than my fists.

"Stretch and we shall begin," he added before following his own advice.