Chapter Text
3
After Nolon mended me, I went straight to the sparring gym. I spent the next few hours in the training room destroying the punching bag in the corner. My body radiates with fear and anxiety for what was to come. General Melgren was due to have a meeting soon, so I should really only have a few days at most. If he lets me do it myself, it would be a small mercy. I kick the bag harder and sand starts spilling out, covering my feet.
“Do you want to spar against an actual person?” I continue punching the bag in front of me. I am basically buzzing now. I feel a hand on my shoulder, making me stop. “What's going on?” I feel calmer with Xaden near me.
“I can't talk about it.” I continue attacking the bag. If anyone finds out about my father's methods, I don't know what he would do. “I've got to continue training, so either you can train, or leave.” I don't want him mixed up in this. I hear him walk away, guilt pooling in my stomach.
The next day I am back in the training room, Xaden watching me eviscerate the second punching bag. I already broke one, and had to switch the bags so I could continue working through my anxiety. “Cadet Melgren.” I turn to see an officer holding a missive. My eyes widen in fear. Xaden stands starting to walk over to me, reacting to my fear. I shake my head slightly, stopping him in his tracks.
“Xaden, could you tell Squad Leader Hays that an urgent matter has come up, and that I won't be in the sparring gym tonight? Emettario will know, so if she has any issues, talk to him.” He nods. The officer clears his throat as if I had forgotten he was there. “I'm coming. It's not like he's in a rush or anything.” I snicker, my father is always in a rush. Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable.
I walk into his office and stop in the middle of the room. “You wanted to see me, General?” I try my best to keep the nerves out of my voice. He throws a dagger, and it lands in my shoulder. I grimace. His eyes blaze with fury.
“Have I taught you nothing?” His voice cuts through me. It doesn't matter how injured I was after the match, the only thing he cares about is that I lost. “How could you lose?” He walks over and pulls the dagger from my shoulder. I stand as still as possible, locking my muscles to keep me from trembling. “Now, let me teach you what to do next time.” He circles around to my back. I feel the blade dig into my back like all of the other times I stepped out of line.
When General Melgren finally leaves, I am clinging for support. My collarbone is broken, so is my right arm. My left leg is broken in multiple places, and my right has a broken femur. I have 5 fresh gashes on my back, ones that can only be healed to a scar, or he will do them again. He only cuts my back as a punishment, and he wants me to remember. Hundreds of scars cover my back. I have around 17 cuts on my side along my rib cage, but after that I stopped counting. I have cuts on my arms and legs, also my lung is punctured, again. My breathing is shallow.
I stumble into the hallway. I attempted to make it to Nolon, but I lost a lot of blood. My clothes stick to me, and will probably need to be cut off. I fall, and when I hit the ground, it sends a new wave of agony over me. I am bleeding out on the floor. I always assumed my father would be the one to kill me.
I hear footsteps approaching. I try to push down the fear that creeps up my throat. The last person who saw me after one of my father’s sessions completely disappeared, and I was punished for him finding out. I know I don't have much time left. I am sitting in a puddle of my own blood, and my vision is getting darker at the edges.
A man turns the corner and gasps, “Lyra?” His voice was laced with worry and concern. Though I can't really think straight, I recognize Xadens calm voice. He picks me up and starts carrying me to the healers, I assume. “What happened?”
“Take a guess,” I whisper. “Before I black out, you have to tell Nolon he can't mend the cuts on my back to more than a scar.”
“You will be fine, you're not going to black out.” His arms shift and a whimper escapes my lips. “I'm sorry. I don't know what doesn't hurt.”
“Everything hurts, I am just exhausted. How did you find me?”
“Ali was concerned that you weren't back, so I came looking for you. I assumed you had gone to see your father, so I decided to start there.”
“You can't tell anyone, you know that?” I think he nods.
Once we reached the Healers Quadrant, Xaden set me down on one of the beds. I see Nolon walk over to us. His eyes seem to widen at the sight of me. “Do my back last. You can't heal it any more than a scar.”
“I remember that from the notes the General’s personal mender had left.”
“Great, so you also should know, I come here frequently.” He nods.
“Are you ready?” My lips twitch upward. He starts on my left leg. I just silently take the pain. An hour passes, and I roll onto my stomach so Nolon can mend my back. He removes my shirt to get a better look at the deep wounds on my back. I hear Xaden draw in a shaky breath. My back is quite a sight. It is covered in hundreds of scars, each one a similar length. They criss-cross my back in a unique pattern. I really wish he wasn't here to see that. “That’s it. You should head back because it is past curfew.”
We walk back to the first year dorms in silence. “That was why you have been so worked up since you lost the challenge?” It's a question, but also a statement.
“That was the worst he has done in a while.” A hint of sadness leaks into my voice.
“Did your mother ever try to stop him?”
“My mother is dead,” I snapped. “She was executed with the rebellion leaders.”
He grabbed my hand. “I'm sorry, I forgot.” I could hear the regret in his voice.
“He got worse after she died. He had no one who could stop him.” We reach the dorms. “Well I better go.”
I walk to my bunk, and see Ali. She runs over to hug me. “You disappeared, and you were gone for so long.” I hear her voice tremble. “I thought I lost you. I thought I would hear your name on the death roll tomorrow morning.”
“It's okay, I'm okay. You can't get rid of me that easily. Now go to sleep and stop worrying. You have to get up early for breakfast duty.”