Page 11

O ur Campout Weekend is cut brutally short. It only took minutes for the Ravels to react once Westyn’s Phoenix alerted the others.

Artemis had appeared first, landing with a boom that could have shaken the deepest roots from the soil beneath our feet. Vicious flames danced on the tips of her wings; her feathers puffed up as she surveyed the surroundings of our campsite. Adronis and Hans dropped in next, Solay circling high above the trees, keen on finding any threat.

Westyn’s Phoenix was the only one not to turn up at our site.

A ranked officer I’d never met came to retrieve us, looking very irritated to be doing so. It wasn’t until he saw the state of Westyn’s body when he began acting like we weren’t terribly inconveniencing him.

Nalin dispatched so quickly to our encampment, he’d nearly slung himself into one of the trees surrounding it. He’d collected himself, looking rather disheveled, as if we’d pulled him out of a deep sleep.

Before being allowed to leave the site, we’d answered question after question, starting with the strange creature that had attacked Ingrid and me at the river. Nalin’s eye twitched at the mention of it disappearing after we’d killed it.

The flight back to the Caves with Artemis had been like a warm embrace. Soaring above the carpet of deep green trees felt like an odd safety net.

Being back on the training mat in the days after Campout is the most peace I have felt since arriving. Learning a skill that could help me survive, doing something constructive with my time, is making the anxious thoughts easier to ignore .

Deah hands my ass to me for what feels like the tenth time in the last thirty minutes. “You can’t leave your right side unguarded like that, if I had a sword, you’d be dead,” she instructs as she dances back and forth on light feet.

Gods, she’s annoyingly skilled at combat.

“How are you so good at this?” I groan from the mat, finally pushing myself into a standing position.

“Four brothers. Less talking. More moving.” She bounces around the mat with such ease, it’s bewildering. “Have you talked to Lamond?”

“Less talking, more moving,” I mock, but she swipes her foot at my knee, sending me flat to my stomach, the wind leaving my body.

“Stop leaving all your weight on one side. You’re so obvious when you do it, too.” She still hasn’t stopped moving. I’m winded just watching her.

With a glower, I push myself off my stomach to grab water before I get manhandled for the twelfth time. It’s uncharacteristically hot today, based on what I’ve noticed over the last couple of weeks, and passing out from dehydration isn’t high on my priority list.

I’ve been avoiding Lamond since I learned he wasn’t entirely honest with me about Abacae. He’d intercepted me once while I was heading for the dining hall. I’d shoved past him without so much as a word, and he hadn’t tried again since.

“If you two are done gossiping, I want Nalin in the ring with Aledrya,” Gredian calls over his shoulder.

Nalin ?

He’s only ever here training with Lamond or sentries. I hadn’t noticed him approaching the mat until he waves Deah off from the side, wrapping his hands. “Aledrya.” He dips his head with a small smile.

Deah hops off the side, throwing me a stiff smile before joining a female officer on the next mat over.

“Do you typically train with Novices?” Raising my eyebrows, I get into the fighting position Deah showed me.

We circle each other once before he answers. “I’m usually with the other ranked officers, but today I’m with you. ”

I make the first move, swinging a punch the second he exposes his left side. I make slight contact before he bounces away easily. He’s taking it easy on me, which infuriates me. “Did Lamond send you?” I press, keeping my hands up and feet light.

“We were concerned about your whole group after Campout, I merely wanted to see for myself how you all were faring.” He counters my next swing with one of his own, landing his fist in my unprotected ribcage.

I stumble back, trying to catch my breath. I can tell he’s not using his full force, and yet I’m struggling to keep up. “As you can see, we’re all fine.” I counter with a punch kick move I watched Emmy do once, but Nalin catches my ankle sending me flat back on the mat.

Guess I know where she learned that particular move.

“Do me a favor and train more on this mat, otherwise you’ll get yourself killed,” he says before grabbing my hand and hoisting me up. His white shirt remains perfectly tucked into his black pants, his short, dark hair still in place, not even a drop of sweat gathering at his hairline.

I want to hate him, but I genuinely think he has a point.

He does, Artemis meddles in, sending my body tensing. Tell me you’ve been working on your leg strength.

Deah waves me over from the edge of the mat, her efforts in training evident from the sheen of sweat on her skin. “Is your bird a busybody like mine?”

I heard that.

Because you love to meddle, I tell her, then turn my focus on Deah.

“He’s quite nosey,” she snorts, pausing. “Just as I suspected, always listening, too.” We start toward our room to take advantage of the break before our coordination lesson. I desperately need to soak in a hot bath, but the good tubs are usually spoken for by the time we’re done for the day.

My muscles are shrieking in protest with every step toward our door, and Deah is prattling on about how we need to train harder . She’s clearly a flagellant, but she is also my only chance at survival here. She halts, gestures becoming awkward and clunky as she starts the other way. “Uh—Aledrya? I’ll see you in a bit.”

I scrunch my nose at her before following her line of sight. Lamond is leaning on our door, arms crossed. The brooding at my doorway, looking as though he may rip my head from my body, only adds to my plummeting mood.

I wave goodbye to Deah as she finds somewhere else to be. Lamond pushes off our door, allowing me to open it and invite him inside. “Hi, Lamond. What are you doing in the Novice Annex?”

“Are you avoiding me?” He closes the door behind him quietly, although his behemoth stature easily fills the entire opening. The door feels moot with him lingering at the threshold, maintaining space between us.

“I’m just keeping to myself,” I offer, positioning myself in the middle of the space. It’s then I notice how hardened his features are, his crossed arms as his stare intensifies. “Everything okay, Lamond?”

“I showed you the Ravels library that I thought would be meaningful to you, I check on you at every turn, I go out of my way to make sure you’re getting the training you deserve, yet you shut me out.” His breathing is heavier than normal, and he drops his folded arms, letting his hands hang at his sides clenched into fists. “Why?”

My jaw unhinges at his abrupt reply, the pieces falling together. “Wait, you’re upset with me?”

“To be frank, I’m furious that you’re shutting me out despite all I’ve done.”

I blink slowly. “I didn’t think I was shutting you out. I am a bit flustered that you seem to avoid sharing anything with me.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m not great at sharing with anyone,” he supplies, as if sparing my feelings.

“Glad to know I’m not unique, then.”

He finally looks up, and I stiffen. His light brown eyes flare with hurt. “You are. I’m doing a shit job at showing it.” He rubs the back of his neck, his long hair pulled back away from his face.

Sweat prickles in my palms. Or fire .

I’m never sure.

Please, please enforce your barriers. I can sense Artemis’s shudder.

Oh, trust me, I will. If only so you don’t butt in every three minutes.

Do you promise? Her quick reply makes me roll my eyes.

“Lamond,” I finally respond softly, considering my words. “I need you to be direct with me. I’m not used to…whatever this is.” My cheeks heat with the admission, but I push through. “If you’re trying to tell me something, I’m unsure of what it is.”

His eyes meet mine, and I feel like he’s reading my every thought. Panic makes my blood run cold. I don’t even know the extent of his powers— is he reading my thoughts? I know so little about this man; he’s offered me almost no information about himself.

“Ah.” He rubs at his jaw, looking off to the side. “I was trying to imply that I’ve taken an interest in you.”

I pray my gulp isn’t audible to him. “Thank you for being more direct.” I pause, chewing my lower lip. He watches me expectantly, and it occurs to me that now I’m the one who needs to be direct. “I’m not sure if I can reciprocate those feelings.”

Lamond purses his lips. “Is that because I didn’t tell you about Abacae?”

I mull it over, fiddling with the end of my braid. I knew so little about proper courting, even deciphering my own feelings on the matter felt foreign. “All of this is new to me. I’m still adjusting to living in a different realm and having powers. Adding any sort of relationship is too much for me to handle right now.”

“Are you suggesting that at some point you could entertain it?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

I freeze, knowing the truth will hurt him. The pressure to answer now makes me feel anxious, my palms sticky with sweat. Gods, I hope this doesn’t damn whatever scrap of friendship we had left.

The gods must eavesdrop, because there’s a sharp rap on the door.

Grateful for the inadvertent buffer, I call out “Come in” before Lamond can react.

Deah pokes her head inside. “Sorry to interrupt, but coordination lesson is happening in five minutes. We need to get to the Overhang.”

I dip my head, and she slips out into the hallway to wait for me. Lamond pivots toward the door, opening it for me.

“If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” His timbre drops to a rumble, allowing me to pass by him into the hallway. He closes the door behind him, nodding to Deah before striding off in the opposite direction.

Deah’s shoulder rests against the wall, arms folded over her chest. When I turn to her, she smirks. “What was that?” She launches into a swift walk with me toward the Overhang.

“Nothing,” I chirp, looking past her. We move past other Novices as we make our way down the long hallway, heading toward the training room.

There’s still a grin tugging at her lips. “Based on the color of your cheeks, and how handsome Lamond is, it doesn’t seem like nothing .”

She’s right. For Abovesake, put him out of his misery, Artemis quips.

Shameless snoop.

I send a rush of irritation back down the tether at her before turning to Deah. “Yes, Lamond is handsome. But the conversation was becoming uncomfortable.” I pinch her arm and she swats at my hand.

“Fair enough. I’m simply pointing out that if I had a male in my room that looked like that, I would have spent more than five minutes in there with him.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me, and I snort.

“He was in your room. Have at him,” I retort as we enter the training room and scurry across toward the Overhang. Deah’s mouth drops open, and she pushes at me gently.

“His personality is not my type,” she admits, blushing.

I bite my bottom lip to stifle my laugh. “Who would have thought, with how often your cheeks redden over him?” I snicker, and Deah smacks my arm again as we finally reach the rest of the group .

Gredian raises his eyebrows at us, but there’s a trace of amusement there. “Now that we’re all here, let’s get started with today’s lesson.” He turns to the group, looking each Novice in the eye.

I take a moment to look around. Five Novices didn’t make it during Campout, Deah told me it was the most deaths they’d ever seen during one event. None of them met the same fate as Westyn, though.

“You already know that we lost Novice’s during Campout.” Gredian clasps his hands behind his back as he paces the Overhang. “And many of you know that one Novice experienced a particularly gruesome death.”

My stomach flips when he glances our way.

“Now, who has questions?”

The group of Novices shift on their feet, nervous glances are passed around.

Gredian clasps his hands behind his back, leaning forward. “ No one has questions?”

I raise my hand when I catch Gredian’s eye. “Since Phoenixes develop a strong tie with their tethered flier, his bird knew about his death right away.” I pause, sifting through which question to latch onto first. “But his Phoenix didn’t show up at the site. Why?”

Gredian gives me a look that feels a lot like pride. The other Novices shift around to examine me. “Why don’t you tell me why you think that is, Aledrya.”

The ideas roll around my brain before one sticks out from my recent reading. “Phoenixes have been known to abandon fliers who are weak or who they don’t have a strong tie with. Westyn may have called on him, but his bird may have ignored it. The other possibility is that his bird was injured or reborn.” A murmur breaks out amongst the group at my response.

“And which do you believe it was?” Gredian presses; he stands so perfectly stationary, I almost can’t comprehend it.

I swallow. The truth feels like a knife as I drag it out. “I think Westyn was weaker than his bird anticipated, and he likely abandoned their tethering.” I pause as others lean in, hanging on every word. “His Phoenix is notoriously strong, and I think the likelihood of something harming him is low. ”

Gredian’s face turns empathetic, and the Novices around me chatter louder now. “Very good, and accurate. His Phoenix remains unharmed. We do not yet know what killed Westyn; the other deaths were accident related.” He turns to instruct us on the steps for flying today, and we make room for the Odyssey of birds to land.

Artemis lands gracefully, fanning out orange and red feathers before retracting her wings back to her side. Striding to meet her, I stroke her neck, admiring the vibrant plumage.

There is nothing you could have done. He was vulnerable, Artemis offers matter-of-factly.

That knife of a truth is still lodged in my esophagus. It feels improper to speak ill of the dead.

That may be, but you cannot protect everyone. You will kill yourself trying to do so. She cocks her head at me, clicking her beak, her crest of feathers shaking with the movement.

I mount and practice our same flight maneuvers, but today I finally attempt a couple of the more complex dips and turns. By the time the lesson is over, we’ve flipped and barrel rolled so many times, the fog is long gone.

Turns out I can outrun my problems, if only I’m on Artemis’s back.

At dinner, I find Emmy and Lotog in one of the corner spots. I slide my tray down the table, ending up next to Lotog. He slings his arm over the back of my chair as I sit. “How are you faring after last weekend?” Worry is etched into his usually jovial face.

“Fine. Thankful for our busy schedules.” I grimace at him and stab a piece of lamb. “How is training?”

Emmy sighs, dropping her fork on her tray. “Horrible.”

“You had to ask,” Lotog groans, dropping his head back. “Here we go.”

“I had terrible combat training today. My swordplay was subpar at best.” Emmy counts off the grievances on her fingers, scowling at the memory .

Lotog retorts with something that makes Emmy squawk, but I’m watching leadership across the hall. Every so often they take their meals at the same time as us, but it’s unusual to see so many of them here at one time.

The Major is marching along the edge of the hall, talking to a silver-white haired, broad-shouldered man. They stop walking when the Major gestures toward a table of Novices; the women sitting there immediately bat their eyelashes, blushing.

The man turns slightly so I can see his face.

Oh, gods. Many of the men here are unfairly handsome, but this man is easily the most ethereal Fae I’ve ever seen. His sharp jaw and flash of perfectly white teeth can be seen from here. The five o’clock shadow adds an element of ruggedness I didn’t know I was attracted to until this moment. Despite him wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, I can still make out hard lines of muscle underneath. He looks older than I am, but can’t be more than thirty, despite his silver hair.

One of the girls at the table giggles at something he said, and hot jealousy flashes through me. What did he—

“You’re going to get drool on the table if you don’t quit it.” Lotog laughs next to me, stealing a slice of lamb off my plate. “What are you daydreaming about?”

The most alarmingly handsome male I’ve ever laid eyes on.

Instead, I snap, “Nothing.”

Deah slides into the spot across from me, and I lean to look past her, trying to get another glance at the tantalizing male, but he and the Major are already gone. “Did you finally get a glimpse of Ridge?” she teases, pointing her fork at me. “I told you, he’s very noticeable.”

She’s underselling his appeal.

“Oh, hush,” I mutter into my plate.

Lotog straightens. “Ridge was here, and no one said anything?”

“Your obsession with the higher ups is concerning.” Emmy scrunches up her nose, then turns to me expectantly.

Deah looks as smug as a cat, stirring her soup. “Hmm, Ale? Was he here? ”

“Why are you so obsessed with me seeing him?” A stinging heat finds its way to my cheeks.

Deah and Emmy stifle their laughs, and Lotog grins at me. “You seem defensive there, Ale. It’s all right, I think everyone in this room has fantasies about Ridge.”

Deah’s eyebrows shoot up at Lotog’s comment, and he shrugs. “Go on, tell me you haven’t.”

I giggle, thankful for the attention to be elsewhere. “Is taking someone to bed even possible here?” I deconstruct my bread, thankful for a menial task to avoid eye contact.

I can feel their eyes boring into me, though. “It’s incredibly easy to sleep with people here—going into town makes it even easier,” Emmy says. I glance up to find her wiggling her eyebrows.

“So, you’ve all…?”

Lotog leans back in his chair, plucking a toothpick from his tray. “If you mean the three of us, I’ve tried many times to petition for that. They always say no. But yes, we’ve all had our share of one-night stands. What else is there to do here?”

“Train,” Emmy retorts at the same time Deah says “Exactly”.

I laugh, going back to my plate. My mind drifts back to Ridge, wondering if he’s been in anyone’s bed here.

Not that it matters, I tell myself as I drain the rest of my water and take my plate to the trash.

Sure, Aledrya, Artemis taunts. That’s why you’re daydreaming about a man you don’t even know.

I reinforce barriers around my mind, but not before I hear her chortle.