Chapter 18: Amber

  “Are you feeling better?”

  I smiled, hiding my worries behind my smile.

  I didn’t want anyone, especially Altair, to feel the burden on me right now. I didn’t want to mar his time in the ocean with thoughts of war and blood. But, I couldn’t stop thinking of the preparations that I had to do-

  “Amber, I’m here for you,” Misty whispered, and my thoughts paused as a feeling of reassurance washed over me.

  “I… think so. Where are we going now?” he asked.

  “What? Oh, sorry, we’re going to the armory. Let’s go, then. The faster we find a weapon for you, the faster you can join us in Outdoor classes,” I faltered, trying to get the worries out of my head as Misty quickly flipped away and headed toward the armory.

  A leader couldn’t show weakness.

  As the leader of the first-class team mission, I can’t let my emotions show. No one can know that I can’t handle this, or my weakness will be the downfall of our group. I don’t want to let my team down. And, I can’t let Daddy down. If I do, who will be able to take care of the Institute when he’s sick or hurting? I have to be able to step in at any time, and I have to be ready to rule at any time. That means commanding respect around me like Dad does. How does he do it? How can he keep his head up and continue leading on when he’s about to drop from exhaustion? How can I be like him?

  My thoughts raced to bring me down, and I tried to shake away those thoughts.

  “We’re here, Amber.”

  Misty nudged me gently, and I jolted off her back.

  “Hey, we need to talk.”

  Edana effortlessly grabbed my hand and steadied me.

  “But we-”

  “Altair, come with me. I’ll take you to Professor Gunnar and he’ll help you find the perfect weapon.”

  Kyle winked at me, pulling a dazed Altair away.

  “What is there to talk about? I’m fine; let’s-”

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  “No, you aren’t. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  Edana tightly held my arm.

  “It’s just war preparations,” I sighed, and she softened.

  “It’s not looking pretty, isn’t it? Well, we can’t do anything about that, Amber. However, we have many other available options for us.”

  Edana easily slipped her spear out its full length and twirled it around her nonchalantly.

  “What do you mean? We’re on the losing end here. Their technology is better than ours, and their connections are solid. Our connections are flimsy and temporary. If we don’t prove to the others that we can hold on our own, they won’t back us up. I am trying to get a hold of people to make deals with us, but they’re only holding it off because they’re afraid of ‘financial instability’. They’re a bunch of chickens who won’t stand up to fight against Frederick, that’s what,” I complained, and Edana smiled at me.

  “Fight me, Amber.”

  She waved her spear at me, challenging me with those dark, gleaming eyes.

  “Why? I-”

  “Come on, what are you afraid of? Don’t be like those cowards you were just complaining about,” she laughed.

  “Fine, then-”

  She flung at me with no hesitation, pinning me to the wall in one easy swoop and her spear on my neck, not marking me but hovering right above the small hairs on my neck, tingling my entire back in complete fear.

  Her eyes never flickered, only staring at me intently with her fiery war-tinted eyes.

  “This is what Oceanus is going against. You don’t have to do everything on your own, Amber. That’s not what a leader is. A leader notices the skills of those around them and pulls out their potential from within them. That’s what you do. So, just keep doing what you normally do, Amber. You find the best in everyone and elevate it into something that no one can believe. That’s what you did to me. It’s why I consider no one else my leader except you.”

  She nodded in respect and approval.

  “But I’m afraid that I will make a mistake. What if I decide on something that hurts you all? I don’t want to lose you all by risking you in war,” I blurted out my worries.

  “I can’t say that you won’t make mistakes, but we will notice it when you do. And when you do, we will fix it together. We all fail and make mistakes; even I did this morning. But, I learned that we aren’t perfect, and someone we both know will be there for us, holding a safety net for when we fall. We just have to reach out and listen to them. Are you ready to jump with us, Leader?”

  Edana held out my hand, and I reached for it.

  “Thank you, Edana. Thank you for sticking with me.”

  I grabbed her hand firmly.

  “I’m just returning what you gave me. Now, show us what your brilliant mind can think of. We have one last competition, don’t we? This time, it’s a battle simulation to prepare us for the war. I can’t wait for what you have ready, Leader.”

  She placed a hand on my shoulder, swimming toward the Infirmary.

  Yeah, Edana was right.

  Technology and resources weren’t the only things that mattered in war. It was how we used them.

  And, I had a lot of things planned for our next battle with the second-place team: Nolan’s team.

  It was the finale now, a clash between the top two teams of the Meliora’s Institute of Learning, and I wanted to end with a bang.