Page 28 of By the Horns (Royal Artifactual Guild #2)

Nineteen

Gwenna

Dere Ma,

Classes are continuing. I haven’t had a chance to work at any odd jobs to make coin.

I’m sorry. As soon as I have some I’ll send it home.

We are not in the tunnels yet. Master Jay wants us to learn how to do obstacle courses by hart, and that means running them blindfolded.

If you don’t here from me for a few weeks, it’s because I fell flat on my face in one of our drills and hurt myself.

Just kidding. Please don’t worry. It’s all part of the job.

I’m looking forward to the weekend when Master Jay gives us time off.

Love you and miss you, Gwenna

It has been the longest week of my life.

I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I can’t concentrate. Every time I close my eyes, I see that stupid mucking artifact tube lighting up, and I fear I’m going to be caught. That someone’s going to find out that I was somehow involved and I’ll be imprisoned and booted from the guild for good.

If I am, it’ll be the destruction of all the dreams I’ve cultivated over the last year, all the hopes for a better future.

I’ve allowed myself to imagine what life would be like if I wasn’t a maid, and I want it so badly I can taste it.

I can’t help but feel that I’ve been targeted because I’m a woman attempting to join a guild primarily full of men. That has to be the reason, doesn’t it?

I’m uneasy. Even though we gave the artifact to Sparrow and Hawk and explained the situation, I’m still worried that I’m not going to be believed.

That no one will care about the former maid crying foul and just get rid of me.

Sparrow reassured me that it would all be handled and my name would be kept out of it, but I know it’s out of her hands.

And of course this week Master Jay decides we need to start doing obstacle courses as a team.

I have some experience with those from last year, but last year my team consisted of four women and Kipp, and I could hold my own with the others.

This year, I’m the only woman, and it’s far more difficult to keep up with the men in my group as we climb over massive stones and crawl through narrow training tunnels and sling ourselves over short walls.

Raptor makes us all look bad. Even the most physical of challenges look effortless for him, and he frequently must wait for all of us to catch up—or he pulls us through the remainder of the course.

Master Jay hates it when he does that. “They need to learn to run it on their own,” he barks at a bored-seeming Raptor. “Quit helping them succeed when they cannot! You aren’t doing them favors!”

Raptor just ignores that. “Being a team is about more than how well someone can climb a wall.”

I kinda love him for saying it, especially since I’m short and the wall gives me the most trouble out of our team. Kipp is shorter, but he can just scramble up the side of it. Me, not so much.

I’m feeling a lot of things for Raptor right now—most of all, gratitude. He’s been at my side all week, no matter what we’re doing. “I’m here with you,” he tells me. “No one is going to try anything while I’m around. And if they do, I’ll handle it.”

I’ve never had a male protector before, and it’s so nice.

Even if I’m the last one to finish the obstacle course, Raptor waits for me.

If I head to the kitchen to draw a bath in the small copper tub, Raptor stands guard at the door.

He checks my bag for me every time we return to our rooms. So far, there’s been nothing, but I still get anxious every time we return to the dorm and I see my bag hanging on the end of the bed.

“Once more and then we’re done for the day,” Master Jay calls out as we drag ourselves to the front of the obstacle course again. “And this time I had better not see Raptor helping anyone!”

“Oh, he won’t see it,” Raptor mutters as we prepare at the starting line.

Arrod stifles a snort of amusement, and Kipp wriggles in place.

I put one leg forward, leaning in so I can be ready.

My waist is sore from the rope attached there and me constantly being jerked forward over the course by the others in my Five.

No one’s complained, but I’ve caught a few frustrated looks that Arrod and Hemmen have sent my way.

Is it them, I wonder? Is one of them trying to get me out of training? I eye Arrod and Hemmen with uncertainty. If it is, it makes no sense. If I’m removed, our entire Five fails out. It’s only after we pass the team exam that we’re assessed as individuals. They need me until then.

Master Jay blows a whistle. “Begin!”

Fighting back the groan rising to my lips, I race forward with the others.

My legs throb, but at this point we’ve run the obstacle course a dozen times today.

I’m hurting but I know the motions by now—over this heap of rocks, under a set of fallen logs acting as a roadblock.

Over a stack of old bricks that form a wall, dive into a too-shallow tunnel that requires we belly-crawl to the other side.

Over the next obstacle. Into another crawl space.

By the time I emerge from the last crawl, the others are ahead of me by quite a bit.

When I get to my feet, the rope attaching us together jerks me off balance and I plant, face forward, into the muddy pit that I’m supposed to use a balance beam to get over.

I push myself up out of the mud without complaint. I need to get faster. I know I do.

“Who the muck was that?” Raptor growls as I get to my feet. I look up just in time to see him grab Arrod by the collar and shake him. “Was it you, you mucking brat? Do you think that’s funny?”

“Raptor!” Master Jay says sharply, racing onto the obstacle course. “Stop it!”

He snarls at the teacher in response, and then drops Arrod and stomps to my side, his hooves like the beat of a heavy drum on the ground. Looming over me, he offers a hand.

I take it, a little surprised at his reaction. I’m even more surprised when he takes the hem of his tunic and untucks it from his belt, then uses it to wipe the mud from my face. “…Thank you?”

“Fucking pricks,” he grumbles. “Are you all right?”

“I’m just fine.” A little embarrassed that he’s fussing over me in front of the others, but I like it, too.

Master Jay blows his whistle again. “That’s enough today.

I’ve seen all I can take. Be ready at dawn on Firstday, and if everything goes well, we’re going to start with our first forays into the basic tunnels soon.

Take the weekend to prepare yourself, as I’m not going easy on you from here on out. ”

And he looks at me pointedly.

Raptor catches that, too. He steps in front of me as if to protect me, and his hands go to his hips. “I’m working with Gwenna all weekend,” he tells our teacher. “No need to worry.”

Master Jay eyes the two of us and then grunts. “Good. You should probably work with Hemmen, too. He could use some assistance as well.”

Hemmen doesn’t look happy at being called out. “I don’t think—”

“No,” Raptor says, just as quickly. “I already promised Gwenna. Someone else can work with him.”

Kipp pretends to study his boots. Arrod clears his throat and glances away.

“It’s fine,” Hemmen says. He pushes his messy hair back from his face. “I’ll just go to the library and study more.”

“Excellent idea,” Master Jay says. “I want no failures in this class.”

No one says anything to refute that. We don’t want to fail, either.

In silence, we untie ourselves and leave the obstacle course, following Master Jay back through the heart of the city to the nest. My boots are full of mud and my clothes are sticking to my skin, but I’m not going to complain about any of it.

I’m ready for the day to be over. A nice, quick bath by the hearth and a chunk of bread and some cheese for dinner, and I’ll be back to normal.

Maybe I’ll even borrow one of Hemmen’s books and see if I can brush up on some Old Prellian.

I try not to glance at Raptor too much as we walk.

He’s at my side, his body full of tension as if he feels the need to protect me.

I don’t know what to do with that. It’s sweet and makes me want to smile far too much, so I keep my face averted.

The walk back to the nest takes forever.

The obstacle course is along the side of the large wall that separates the Royal Artifactual Guild from the rest of busy, overcrowded Vastwarren.

Master Jay’s particular dormitory is on the edge of the central square, so it’s a fair bit of walking.

By the time the massive statue of Sparkanos the Swan comes into view, I’m exhausted.

It takes me a moment to realize the others are slowing their steps, and a rumbling growl starts low in Kipp’s throat.

He moves to my side and puts a small hand on my leg to get my attention as I almost walk into Master Jay’s back.

The guild master stands in place for a moment, staring at the nest with his symbol flag hanging above the door.

Every window in the dormitory is open, trunks and gear spilling into the street as a frantic Marta, the nestmaid, wrings her hands.

What looks like a dozen of the guild enforcers with their green sashes are moving in and out of the dorm.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Master Jay squawks.

A man with a gold-bordered green sash and a large symbolic patch on his sleeve holds out a piece of parchment. “We have orders to search all of the fledgling nests.”

My blood goes cold. I bite back a gasp, but I feel faint.

“Did this come from Head Guild Master Rooster?” Master Jay sounds indignant and confused. He strides forward, snatching the letter from the guild enforcer.

The enforcer just crosses his arms over his chest. “It came from the head of investigations in the enforcer department, which has full approval from the guild and the king himself to perform independent searches. We are following up on an anonymous tip about students stealing artifacts.”

“My students would never!”

“Then you’ve nothing to worry about,” the enforcer drawls. “Now let us finish conducting our search.”

Master Jay throws his hands up in frustration. Hemmen makes a whining sound in his throat, dropping to the cobblestones and sitting down, the picture of exhaustion.

“What do we do, Master?” Arrod asks.

Master Jay paces back and forth, then shrugs. “We sit out here and wait until they’re done.”

Great. I’m not going to breathe until then.

My thoughts keep whirling. I was right. I was right all along.

Someone’s trying to get rid of me. I have no doubt in my mind that whoever dumped that artifact in my bag is responsible for the anonymous note to the enforcers.

I just hope that they didn’t somehow plant another artifact during the last few days. The thought makes me want to vomit.

A heavy arm loops around my shoulders, and I’m dragged backward a half step against Raptor’s big body. He leans over me, so big he blots out the late-afternoon sunlight. “Calm down. They’re not going to find anything.”

“We don’t know that.”

“We do. We gave it to Aspeth, remember? She’s going to stick it in a box in the archives and tell them it was misplaced in their records and not to worry.

” He rests his muzzle atop my head in a friendly manner and, when I don’t relax, leans in.

His muzzle moves near my ear and he continues.

“If you stand here all white-faced and stiff, they’re going to suspect something is wrong. Try being a little more relaxed.”

Oh sure. Relax while enforcers turn our nest upside down looking for an artifact I know was planted to get me in trouble. Relax.

Relax and hope no one dies nearby and I start hearing the dead babbling.

Raptor presses lightly on my shoulders, and I drop them, releasing some of the tension in my body.

He’s right about one thing—if I look guilty, I’m going to make them wonder.

I turn to the slitherskin, who has set his shell on the ground and perches atop it with an inscrutable expression.

“What are your plans for this weekend, Kipp?”

Kipp looks over at me and then proceeds with a flurry of gestures that I can’t make out. Something about dancing. Or fishing. I’m not entirely sure which. But I nod brightly, as if he’s told me something charming.

“What do you want to practice this weekend, Gwenna?” Raptor asks, keeping that lazy arm around my shoulders. “Any particular skills you feel the need to brush up on?”

“All of them?” I manage to sound like my normal sarcastic self with that and relax a bit more. “In all seriousness, I need help with a great many things, but I’m open to suggestions.”

Raptor squeezes my upper arm. “Could probably work on your strength and endurance before anything else. As a woman, you’re going to need every advantage possible when it comes time for the test.”

I bristle at his words, though I know he’s saying it from a place not of sexism but of brutal honesty. I do need to be as good as I possibly can at everything. Better than good. Excellent. Because no one’s going to cut me any slack at all. “I don’t mind working on fitness.”

“I do love it when a woman wants to get sweaty with me.”

Shoving his arm off my shoulders, I step out of his embrace. “Don’t be repugnant.”

Kipp huffs with amusement.

Arrod joins our group, a curious look on his face. “What are you three talking about?”

“Sweating together,” Raptor drawls. “You weren’t invited.”

Kipp huffs again, his lizardy version of laughter.

Arrod isn’t deterred by Raptor’s commentary. He just grins at me knowingly. “Is that how it is, then?”

“Is that how what is?” I ask, voice icy.

“Getting a little extra tutoring in?” He gives me an obvious wink.

“You’re disgusting,” I tell him. Then I turn to Raptor. “You are, too.” I turn back to Arrod and point at him. “But you’re worse, because I know you mean it, and he doesn’t.”

Kipp falls off his shell, clutching his sides and wheezing in that silent slitherskin laughter of his.

By the time the search is done, the sun has almost completely set, and Master Jay is furious at how long it’s taking for the enforcers to move the trunks and boxes of goods back into the nest. “I have somewhere to be,” he says, voice as shrill as his namesake. “What are the results?”

“You’re clean,” the enforcer captain finally says. He twirls a finger at his men. “Wrap it up, boys. We’ll move on to the next one.”

I manage to remain stone-faced at this announcement, though my insides have turned into a puddle of mush.

They found nothing. I eye everyone around, but no one seems guilty or annoyed.

Kipp is watching with a bored expression as the men pick up trunks.

Hemmen is cleaning under his nails with the edge of a knife, and Arrod is busy flirting with Marta, the nestmaid, who looks fluttery with delight at his attention. I’ll warn her about him.

Once I give myself a moment to collapse in sheer relief, that is.