Page 24

“And he supposedly has three gifts.” Calix has my full attention.

Three?

He has to be from a powerful family if he already came with two gifts, which would explain the way he speaks.

“But no one can tell me what the third is. Do you think it’s classified?” Calix looks at me, waiting for my reaction.

I shrug.

“Oh, and he’s ruthless in a fight. In his first year, another runner had to stay in the healing quarters for days after Kyronos was done with him. After that, no one dared to mess with him again.”

Well, I have seen him fight. He has a certain vibe, and I don’t doubt he can be lethal, but ruthless? I simply can’t get past the way he treated me while tending to my wound. Soft and careful.

A healing gift alone is a hell of a reason to stay away. Never mind the fact that any rider is officially off-limits.

I know how misleading rumors and reputations can be. Dar, for example, has the reputation of being fair but hard and cold at times, and he’s the biggest softy of all my brothers.

Or the rumors that went flying two years ago after the incident with the officer. I shudder just thinking about that man. I’m not sorry he’s dead, but I’m sorry Ian killed him. That encounter is one reason I keep my daggers sharp and always on me.

We sit at dinner, and my thoughts keep wandering.

“Are you alright?” Calix asks. I realize I’ve zoned out on him again, and for the life of me, I can’t remember what we’ve been talking about.

I give him a nod while chewing and then look around the room to evade any more questions.

Across the room, Gorgon rests his arm on the back of Livia’s chair and leans in to whisper something in her ear, which makes her laugh. The bully and the brute? My eyebrows jump up. What a fitting match.

Something draws my eyes to my left, and I find Kyronos looking at me, who sits two tables over. A jolt zips down my spine, and tingles erupt all over my skin. I force my eyes back to the plate in front of me.

He is off-limits, I remind myself.

Maybe my disguise is a good thing after all. It isn’t like I can openly flirt with him without sparking questions. Otherwise, I might have been tempted.

Let’s be real: you would have thrown yourself at him no matter the risk. The voice in my head sounds suspiciously like Ben’s.

Are they glad I’m not around to cause chaos?

“You are one odd fish, Gray.” Calix chuckles, watching me. “You know that, right?”

“You are one to talk,” I quip back and smile at him, but Calix's teasing makes me miss my brothers even more, especially Ben.

Better get used to it. You won’t see them much once you’re married anyway.

Maybe I should have stayed at the fortress for good like Dar proposed. I could have worn high-necked dresses and gloves like Grandma used to and played the crazy aunt for Dar’s children. I grin at that thought, but then I would never have come here.

I watch my friends squabble.

No. Whatever happens, I don’t regret my decision to come here.

I lie flat on my stomach on the roof of the housing building, peeking down. A guard patrols the perimeter of the academy grounds below me.

With divisions constantly out for camp training and the doubled patrols to prevent another attack, the academy is much quieter.

Doubling patrols is all the reaction we see concerning the attack two weeks ago.

Most runners and riders agree that the attack must have come from the titans, but I find that hard to believe.

Why have we never had any trouble with them at home?

And the attackers were nothing like the people from the stories.

Fewer runners and riders make it easier to get around without being seen, but being part of a group does not. I have never had the companionship of anyone apart from my family, so it’s comforting and irritating at the same time.

Screeching and the rustling of wings tell me the last patrol just returned. It’s already dark, but I still freeze and hold my breath.

There are no Night Ravens in this flight, and they don’t pass over me—the only reason I’m up here despite knowing they’ll come in. Strix and Rukh might not have the exceptional night vision Night Ravens do, but they’re still good at detecting movement.

My cheek rests against the cold stone shingles beneath me, but I can picture the perfect V-formation swooping down so synchronized that they seem like one creature.

My lungs start to burn with the need to breathe, but I resist until creaking leather, steps, and voices confirm they have landed.

I can’t help but wonder how long it will take until we become one entity like them.

The guard moves below, undisturbed by the arriving patrol. I take deep, even breaths, and my heartbeat slows.

In a few days, I’ll meet Sloan to supply her with new letters, and I have a plan for how I’ll get out of here unseen. I wait for the guard to wander out of my sight to check my timing. With nothing to occupy my thoughts, they wander back to my centurion.

Apart from our run-in a week ago, I haven’t seen him much, and while that should make it easier to push him out of my mind, it doesn’t. He acts as distant and cool as before the healing incident, making me question everything. Maybe I imagined his warmth?

The guard vanishes around the corner of the building, and I count under my breath until he returns. After nights of watching the guards, I found the perfect way to sneak out.

Our room’s window overlooks a small street following the borders of the academy, and because there is nothing to hide behind on this side of the building, the guards spend much more time monitoring the front.

There is not enough time to sprint the distance from one corner to the next, but it’ll be ample time to slide down the rain pipe and climb over the fence.

From there, I can melt into the shadows of the houses across the street, and nobody will be the wiser.

Scrambling back up could cut it close, but I’ll worry about that when I get there. I also hope they concentrate on the ground and don’t look at the building too closely.

I wait for the next turn before I climb back down and through the window. Thankfully, our room is still empty. The common room is much cozier than the sleeping quarters, so normally, everyone hangs out there.

I’m closing the window behind me when the door opens.

“There you are.” Mariel stands in the doorway and gives me an odd look. Okay, I have to admit standing alone in a dark room does look strange.

“Where were you? You simply vanished on us.”

“Oh, I only aired the room a little,” I say and step back from the window.

“For the last hour?” She sounds skeptical.

I laugh, shaking my head. “No, I took a walk before that.”

“You are not so into big groups, are you?” she asks.

“I’m just not used to it.” I shrug. “Sometimes it’s just—”

“It can be a bit much. I get it. No need to defend yourself.” She crosses over to me and puts the lamp she carried on the table in front of the windows instead of lighting the other lights.

“I think it’s great that you can admit it.

I’m not much of a people person myself.” She smiles at me, and there is a moment of companionable silence.

“If you feel up to it, we’re about to start a game of cards…” She watches me, waiting for an answer.

“Why not?” I return her smile. Sitting close to a roaring fire for a game of cards sounds pretty good after the cold, and hanging out with my flight, too. Even the riders from Joel’s flight tend to join us.

Ever since our trip into the mountains, he seems to have taken a different approach—or maybe Kyronos talked to him, too. He hangs out with us whenever he’s around, probably to keep an eye on me, and he has stopped talking about sending me home. He’s more like the guy I used to know back home.

I follow Mariel down the corridor to the common room of our division; voices and laughter reach us despite the closed door.

Now that my plans for visiting Sloan next weekend are set, I have nothing left to do but throw myself into classes and training and banish a certain centurion from my thoughts—not that it’s working.

But I do have our first flight lesson to look forward to.