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‘You’ll never get that far.’

Thea hoisted her belongings up and turned to make her way to her corner. ‘There’s only one way to find out.’

Behind her, the man sighed. ‘You don’t belong here.’

Ignoring the angry stares of the others, she crossed the room and claimed the bed, cursing the guild master for his cruelty. Sharing quarters with the shieldbearers was completely unnecessary to her training and she would have had to be a fool if she didn’t realise the risk it posed to her. But she saw it for what it was: one of no doubt many tactics to get her to quit. And she wasn’t about to do that.

Another young man entered from a chamber to the right, and Thea realised with a renewed sense of dread that it must be the bathing chambers… Which she needed desperately.

‘The guild master asked me to remind everyone about the strict no fraternising rules,’ he said loudly.

Thea nearly groaned. Nothing fostered action like prohibition. Her skin crawled as eyes roamed over her.

‘What’s all the noise about?’ a familiar voice sounded. Cal walked in from the bathing room, a towel slung around his waist, his chest bare.

‘Look who moved in,’ someone pointed at her.

Cal started. ‘Thea? Don’t tell me.’

‘I’m to receive the complete shieldbearer experience, it seems.’

‘Fuck.’ Cal rubbed the back of his head.

‘My thoughts exactly,’ she replied.

Thea wanted to ask him where the closest female baths were, but she clamped her mouth shut. Cal, and Kipp, wherever he was, had already stuck their necks out for her at dinner. She couldn’t ask them to continue to do so and jeopardise their own positions in the ranks.

Reluctantly, the men went about preparing for bed and Thea was forced to stare out the window into the pitch black beyond to allow them to change in some semblance of privacy, though she got the feeling not all of them would repay the favour. The thought of sliding under her sheets in her filthy travellingclothes made her cringe, so she sat cross-legged atop the thin quilt, training her gaze on the yellow orb of the moon.

Slowly, candles were blown out one by one and Thea found herself grateful for one thing: apparently Sebastos Barlowe did not share this dormitory.

Small mercies, she thought, her fingers moving to toy with her fate stone absent-mindedly.

When the room was all but pitch-black, she heard someone padding towards her and she froze. Not for the first time, she wished she still had her dagger, and she sent a silent curse to the thieving Warsword wherever he was.

‘Psst,’ a voice said.

‘Cal?’ she whispered.

He didn’t touch her, but she could see his outline nodding in the faint light. ‘Kipp said to tell you… Wait til it’s late,’ he told her. ‘Then you can sneak out and use the masters’ baths down the hall. It’s the last door on the left.’

Thea was glad it was dark, because a surge of tears welled up behind her eyelids. She reached out, aiming to clasp his forearm in gratitude, but instead groped the air beside him. It was probably for the best.

‘Thank you,’ she said softly. ‘Truly.’

‘No problem. It looks like we’re gonna be spending a fair bit of time with you. Can’t have you stinking up the fortress.’

Thea held in a laugh. ‘How can I —’

‘Shhh… None of that. It’s the way of things here. Eventually, everyone finds someone to have their back.’

Thea suppressed the overwhelming urge to embrace the shadowy figure. Perhaps she would survive the dormitories yet.

‘Thank you,’ she said again.

‘You didn’t hear it from me, or Kipp. If you’re caught.’

‘Course not.’