The Brightest Night (Origin 3)

“Holy crapola,” I whispered.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Cekiah smiled. “This was Eaton’s baby in the beginning, and it took us nearly a year to put together.”

“It looks like a marine-level obstacle course.” I blinked, beyond impressed, because that’s what it did look like, and it was in use at the moment.

“That’s basically what it is,” she confirmed.

Two women kicked off, jumping easily over the first hurdle, which appeared to have been constructed out of telephone poles, and then they vaulted over one that was several feet off the ground. They reached a high bar that was at least eight feet off the ground. Both women jumped, executing a pull-up where they got one arm and one leg over the bar, and then they dropped to the ground below. Cheers erupted from those on the sidelines as they vaulted over the next hurdle and then reached a log. Stepping onto that, they jumped up to grasp what looked to be a very large and long monkey bar. They swung their way across, dropping to a set of sawed tree trunks that they ran across.

They weren’t done.

Hitting a six-foot wall, they climbed their way up and then went over the top. Once over the other side and on the ground, they raced over several different logs set at varying heights. They reached another high bar, but this time there were two of them. My jaw was on the ground as the jumped, their hands smacking down on the first bar. They swung their bodies, gaining enough momentum to then lift their legs and bodies over the bar about a foot higher while never letting go of the lower bar.

The women dropped to the ground and then met the final obstacle, the rope climb. Up they went, using their upper- and lower-body strength to make the climb. They reached the top and then came back down the same way they’d gone up, neck and neck.

Shouts and claps sounded as they hit the ground at the same time. Both women popped up, hugging each another.

“I’m exhausted watching this,” I whispered, shaking my head. Like I needed to sit down after viewing that.

“This course builds endurance and stamina.” Cekiah started walking again, just as a man and a woman kicked off at the beginning. “And according to Eaton, a sense of support and confidence among each other.”

“I would never stop gloating if I completed that,” I admitted.

“But you don’t have to complete that,” Cekiah said, and then nodded in the direction of the baseball field that resided at the bottom of a small slope. “And neither do they.”

My breath caught as static charged the atmosphere. Down below, several Luxen were summoning the Source. The white light circled their palms. My heart rate kicked up as the Source hummed to life in my chest. The jolt of antsy energy coursed through my veins, but it was faint. The emptiness in my stomach seemed to spread to my chest as movement at the other end of the field caught my attention.

Three Luxen stood down there, holding balloons. Letting them go, they then used the Source to move the balloons in erratic bursts of activity.

On command, one by one, the Luxen and hybrids stepped forward. Tapping into the Source, they took out one balloon after another. The pure, deadly energy didn’t pop the balloons. It swallowed them whole, disintegrating the balloons without a sound.

“Moving targets,” I gasped. “They’re practicing hitting moving targets with the Source.”

“Their targets won’t remain still, now will they?” Cekiah asked as the breeze caught the edges of her thin blouse, lifting the ruffled hem. “You are more than welcome to make use of the Yard, but I would ask that you do so under Luc’s supervision.” She paused. “Or one of those who spoke up for you during the meeting.”

“That’s doable,” Luc agreed while I tried to imagine Hunter assisting me with any level of training.

I nodded when Cekiah glanced in my direction. I may not be kicked out of the zone, but that didn’t mean Cekiah or the others were ready to allow me to have free rein. I couldn’t blame them for that.

She drifted over to where a male hybrid was climbing the hill, his gaze darting back and forth between us and Cekiah. Watching the Luxen and hybrids down below, the cold knowledge that they were indeed preparing for war didn’t just sink in. It dive-bombed me.

Kat’s speech wasn’t for dramatics. It was a reality, and it wasn’t like I didn’t know that when I heard it, but seeing it was a whole different ballpark.

Looking out over the field, I suddenly thought of Nate. This might explain why Nate was so afraid. Any of this would give one a healthy amount of fear, especially if he didn’t know why this was occurring. Hell, I knew why this was happening, and it was still a little frightening to see.