Survival

I swooped down to the rocky cliffs of the training island, aiming for the target that Tobias was swinging from above. With a lot of concentration, I managed to have my wings at the right angle, the arrow lined up, calculated the compensation for the target’s movement, and I fired the arrow. It scraped the side of the target and hit the rocks, falling into the waves below. I clenched my teeth, getting frustrated that I couldn’t do this right. I had been training for the past few days with the moving target but hadn’t made much progress. My hand went to my back, trying to grab another arrow, but my quiver was empty. I flew slowly to the cliff and landed carefully atop a large rock that was dry at the top. Cautiously, I used my wings to balance as I leaned down and gathered the arrows that were stranded amongst other stones in the water. Once I was done, I launched myself back into the air and ascended to the top of the island, landing a few feet away from Tobias.

“My ability to do this is absolutely dreadful,” I remarked as I shook my head.

“Well, yes, but you’re still learning,” Toby replied kindly.

“I’ve been doing this for the past three days, and I still only hit the target with one out of ten arrows that I shoot. There’s no improvement and it’s way worse than my accuracy out in a battle!” I exclaimed, becoming so frustrated with myself.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s a tricky situation. Come on, let’s head back,” Tobias said with a shrug. He then grabbed the target from the ground and started walking away from the edge, preparing for a running lift-off.

“Don’t give up on me! I will get this right!” I shouted at the back of his wings. I brushed aside strands of hair that had come loose from my hair tie because of the wind.

“I’m not giving up on you!” he chuckled, turning to face me. I raised my eyebrows, really not believing him. “You’re doing worse now than you do in a fight because you’re lacking the adrenaline and the importance of an official battle. Everyone does much better in the real situation. Also, you’ve been flying all day long so are tired, not to mention the fact that you’re practicing right above the sea, which is a very windy place to be. It’s fine that you’re missing. We’ll work on it tomorrow.”

“Let’s work on it now!” I pleaded. Yes, his explanation was sufficient, but I couldn’t just let him go easy on me. He had to train me just like any other male, and couldn’t be soft just because I was his friend or a female.

“Marion, it’s time for dinner. Verina came over and told me when you were retrieving your arrows,” Toby stated. I glanced up at the sky, looking for the sun. It was later in the day than I had realised. “I’m not giving up on you. I promise.”

“Thanks,” I smiled, realising he was right. “I will master this.”

“I know. Just give it some time,” Tobias suggested with a shrug. We both moved away from the cliff and ran up to its edge, soaring easily off it and riding the gusts of wind from the water back to our spaceship. Tobias separated from me to check up on Cassius before getting his meal, and I met up with Brienne in the dining room as she had the night off from working in the kitchen. After quick greetings and obtaining our meals, we sat down at our old table and started to eat. It felt like eternity since I had last sat there, even though I knew it hadn’t been that long. For some reason, I didn’t mind. I was fitting in with others, and that was a positive thing. At least I still saw Brienne occasionally.

“So tell me, what is training like? Is Tobias difficult to train with?” Brienne asked me eagerly.

“He’s not that hard on me,” I chuckled. “And it’s all fun, really. I’m so glad I’m finally allowed to do it, and don’t have to sneak around or anything.” I was about to tell her about how much I had improved with sparring and how we had moved on to archery when Tobias spoke loudly.

“Can I have everyone’s attention? Thank you. I just want to briefly address all Kasiens from Otto’s ship. I know there is doubt in me as a leader, and that some of you may not want me to take Otto’s place. Perhaps you would prefer it if someone like Loukas or Adara stepped up and took his place, but they do not wish to do so. They, as well as others, feel that it is best to just have one leader,” Tobias said, scanning the room as he talked. “In an attempt to prove myself as worthy of being your leader, there will be a meeting after dinner in room 105. Anyone who wants questions answered, I will be there to answer them. You have to be comfortable with me leading you. We need to survive against those humans, and that requires a lot of trust on your part.”

“Why’d you kill Otto?” a male shouted out. I widened my eyes and looked around the room, unable to spot whoever had called that out. I couldn’t recognise their voice either, but I assumed they were from Otto’s ship. My eyes then went to Tobias, seeing a slight strain on his face.

“I did not kill Otto. I know that is a huge suspicion amongst many of you right now, including some from my own group, but I assure you that I am not lying when I say that I did not kill Otto,” Tobias continued powerfully. He really was determined to make people believe that. I hadn’t noticed that there was so much doubt surrounding that issue.

“We don’t believe you!” someone else called out.

“Liar!” another yelled. Tobias was stressing as he watched a group from Otto’s ship start to act up. My stomach exploded with nerves as I stood up, making everyone hush and look over at me, including Tobias with a confused expression.

“Listen! It’s the truth! I was there, and I saw what happened! Tobias had nothing to do with Otto’s death,” I shouted, feeling pity for my friend. He definitely shouldn’t take any blame for the incident. Everyone remained quiet, but I felt like they still didn’t trust our words. The looks I received were still suspicious. “You all saw what happened the night before! We were to be mated, and I loved him! Why would I lie about this?” I knew my eyes were glistening with tears, but I held them back. They just had to believe us! Silence filled the room for a few moments.

“If anyone still thinks I’m lying or am unfit to lead you, please attend after your meal,” Tobias said in a quieter voice before sitting back down. I quickly sat down as well, directing my attention back to Brienne.

“Are you all right?” she asked gently. I nodded, not wanting to talk about it. The training had served me well as the perfect distraction from the Otto situation, and this was the first time I had really thought about him in a few days.

“I didn’t realise there was such a huge issue with Tobias being our leader,” I admitted, hoping Brienne would know more.

“There is! It shocked me too,” she replied quickly. “I’ve heard many discussing it as I work in the kitchen. They mainly belong to Otto’s ship, and they were very stuck on the fact that Otto’s disappearance was too sudden. They think it was planned, that Tobias killed him on the battlefield and made it look like an accident or that the humans did it.”

“But that’s not true! I was there,” I told her, gripping onto my fork tighter.

“I don’t suspect anything less. I trust you and Tobias. I’m just saying what I’ve heard,” Brienne shrugged. I saw here staring at my berries, so I grabbed a handful and put them on her plate to earn a nice smile from her. “There’s something else I’ve heard…”

“Well, tell me,” I said, making my friend hesitate.

“It’s just… Some Kasiens are thinking that Tobias killed Otto so you could be his… And that you two are together, or that he just really wants you and is desperate to get you…” she whispered with a wince at the end. “Of course I don’t believe it, but it’s just what some have said.” I remained quiet for a few seconds, taking it all in. That was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. Hell, it was even flattering.

“Well that’s… just astonishing,” I eventually replied. “All untrue, but wow… They really think I could score a mate like Tobias?” Brienne popped a berry in her mouth.

“Well, you did get Otto, didn’t you?” she grinned.