Page 16 of Vicious Princess (The Trials of Death and Honor #1)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I t’s my third day at Ezkai Academy, the second official day of my training, and my body feels like it survived a hurricane.

My ribs ache, and I have a shooting pain in my right hip and knee whenever I walk. If that’s not enough, I have a brutal bruise on my neck where that damn giant strangled me the other day, plus at least a dozen large purple-and-blue bruises are scattered all over my flesh.

“Again.” Dad’s voice was calm, but unyielding.

I was fifteen. Knees scabbed. Palms bruised. Tears burned the backs of my eyes.

But I tightened my stance, fisted my hands by my sides, and prepared. My opponent, twice as big as me, charged at me with a roar.

When his fist collided with my jaw, I barely managed to stay on my feet. Copper taste filled my mouth. I spat the blood on the hot sand beneath my feet.

“Keep your breathing steady. Core tense. You’re stronger than the pain.”

Another punch to my cheek. My head whipped to the side, but I remained standing. A kick to my side. With a groan, I bent over. Still standing, though. Still breathing.

If not for my Wetran training preparing me to withstand pain, I would have already quit.

But the physical consequences are nothing. The worst part? Everyone knows about what happened.

It’s only a matter of time before someone attacks me again. I need to be ready for it. I need to find a way to prevent it. I just haven’t figure out how yet, without getting in trouble myself.

Today we have emotional-manipulation training. After my meatless yet delicious breakfast, I make my way to the lecture building and find my seat in the dark auditorium.

Emotion manipulation is my least favorite part of training. Even in Wetra, I struggled so much with it. Dad said I was a feisty child with poor impulse control since the day I entered this world.

I just hope I can manage my emotions enough to pass this training. I couldn’t afford not to before last night, but after what happened…I’m even more determined to nail this training and come out at the damn top.

My gaze slides sideways to where the redhead sits. She’s flanked by Bloom on one side and the giant on the other. She hasn’t looked my way once since we woke up this morning.

As if I don’t even exist.

As if she didn’t almost drown me in the damn fountain last night.

As if she didn’t tell me I should sleep with one eye open.

Her limp is gone, though. Those fae bastards heal quickly.

“That’s some intense eye fucking happening right there,” Roman’s voice startles me. I blink and look away from the redhead. He jerks his chin at her. “I didn’t think Kata Nightingale was your type.”

“She’s not,” I snap.

He raises his palms in defense and takes a seat. “Relax, princess. No judgment here. But I must be honest with you— you’re not her type. She’s a bit of an elitist and only dates noble fae.”

I snort. “Oh, that doesn’t surprise me at all.”

Roman’s eyes pause briefly over my neck. “I have an herbal salve that can help with bruises if you want.”

I nod. “Thank you.”

He fishes out a glass jar from his backpack and hands it to me.

“It’ll burn like a bitch, but trust the process. It works like magic,” he says.

I inspect the jar with a black homemade label. “Did you make this yourself?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Roman says, beaming. “I’m aiming for the Mender Unit. Have been making salves and elixirs since I was six years old.”

“Reflexology,” I say. He arches an eyebrow. “Now it makes sense why you know all the critical points in the body.”

“Ah, that. Yes. I don’t enjoy spilling blood or inflicting wounds. I much prefer mending the body than tearing it apart.”

“How noble.”

He bumps his shoulder into mine, and I manage a smile.

When our instructor enters the lecture hall, my shoulders sag. I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with Daegel and his roughness today.

“Good morning, cadets. I’m Ezkai Captain Cassandra Tolid, Protector Unit,” says the young fae with dark skin and blue-as-the-sky eyes.

She stands in front of us with her shoulders relaxed, hands clasped behind her back. Her black Ezkai leathers are tight, accentuating every curve of her slim and tall frame.

“As you know, emotional manipulation is one of the many gifts the spirits of the gods bestowed upon us, Decarios. Some of us are better at it, while others are a little less versed. No matter where you land, you can learn to take advantage of this ability to aid you when you need it.”

I sigh and look down at my open notebook.

“Today, I want to spend some time with each of you to assess your skill set,” Ezkai Cassandra says.

“I have assigned a time slot to each of you today. Take a look at the schedule here.” She taps on the paper at her desk.

“While you wait for your turn, you can either stay here and observe your fellow cadets in action, or you may choose to spend your time at the library across the corridor. Be mindful of your free time, cadets. I want you to use it to read more about emotional-manipulation tactics and practice them instead of lazing around just because I’m not standing over your shoulder with a whip. ”

“I bet many dudes here would love that,” Roman whispers to me.

I snort a laugh. But he’s not wrong. After looking around the lecture hall, I can see that many cadets are drooling at the sight of our instructor. I’m not surprised that once she calls the first name on her list, not many cadets leave to go to the library.

I choose to stay and watch others get tested, too. Ezkai Cassandra pulls up two chairs at the front of the auditorium. A fae with forest-green hair and a clipped ear takes a seat on one chair. Ezkai Cassandra leaves the lecture hall.

After a few minutes, she returns with a fae child and an elderly fae woman.

The child takes the seat in front of the cadet, while the elderly fae stands farther back. The kid is a girl, no older than five years old. She nervously glances at the elderly fae, who could be her grandma.

The grandma offers the girl a soothing smile and a gentle nod.

“Children have a much harder time controlling their emotions because they’re only developing,” the instructor says to the cadet in the chair.

“That makes it harder for a Decarios to manage their emotions, too. It’s easy to make children feel an emotion you want them to feel.

But much more energy is required to tame those emotions and soothe a child. ”

Ezkai Cassandra approaches the girl and squats next to her chair. “A friendly fae right here will make you feel something now, okay? It might be uncomfortable at first, but don’t be scared. Your nanna is here with you.”

The girl nods. Ezkai Cassandra turns to the cadet and indicates for him to start. The green-haired fae focuses his gaze on the kid in front of him.

For some time, nothing happens.

But then the girl purses her lips and looks at Ezkai Cassandra with big purple eyes full of tears.

“I want my mommy,” she says, voice quivering just like her chin.

She’s about to burst out crying. Ezkai Cassandra offers the girl her hand and, when she takes it, gives it a little squeeze.

To the cadet, she says, “Now soothe her.”

The cadet narrows his eyes on the girl. A line wedges between his eyebrows, and his hands curl into fists on his thighs.

A fat tear escapes and rolls down the girl’s round cheek.

Suddenly, the girl blinks and her eyes widen. A joyful giggle escapes her, and she kicks her feet.

“Ice cream!” The girl squeals. “I’m ready for ice cream!”

Ezkai Cassandra smiles at the girl and then gestures for the elderly fae to approach.

“Well done,” the instructor says to the cadet.

I’m surprised when the elderly fae picks up the girl and then sits on the chair with the child in her lap.

“Adults and their emotions are a different matter. Because all the neural pathways in an adult brain are developed, they are much harder to influence than children. At least, typically. Simpler brains and nervous systems are easier to work, but in many cases, you won’t know what sort of brain or nervous system you have on your hands until you attempt to manipulate it. ”

Ezkai Cassandra walks over to her desk and leans a hip against it. She crosses her arms and jerks her chin.

“Adele right here is not a simple mind,” she says.

“She’s a highly acclaimed painter who’s very in tune with her emotions, and she knows well how to master them and soothe herself.

Not only is adult mind harder to influence, but it requires much more energy from a Decarios to keep up the emotional manipulation. Give it a go.”

The cadet adjusts himself in his seat, clears his throat, and focuses on Adele sitting across from him. The girl is comfortable in her lap, humming a tune under her breath.

I have to admit that fae children are much cuter than human children.

The cadet frowns and fists his hands. Sweat breaks over his brow, and I lean forwards in my seat. Huh. Interesting.

With a curse, the cadet throws up his arms. Adele just sits there, unbothered.

“It’s alright,” Ezkai Cassandra says with a smirk. “Adele’s not an easy one to crack. Thank you, Cadet Elrige. Please return to your seat.”

The instructor’s gaze sweeps over the list on her desk. Before I know it, her eyes snap to me. “Cadet Wildarrow. Let’s see if you can crack Adele.”

Roman gives me an assuring pat on the shoulder before I rise and make my way down the stairs to where Adele is. Many unfriendly eyes are on me, but I ignore them.

The chair is hard under me, and Adele’s presence is intimidating. She might look like a kind grandmother, but something about her sharp eyes tells me there’s more to her than meets the eye.

The girl in her lap turns to me, and her eyes widen, full of wonder. She points at me. “Your ears! They’re round. Weird .”

She looks back at her grandmother, waiting for an explanation. Adele smiles and gently lowers the child’s hand with a pointed finger. “That’s not very polite of you, Lola. This young woman has ears different than yours because she’s different than you.”

Lola frowns, clearly confused. She turns back to me. After a couple of moments, she pinches one of her pointy ears and says, “I like your ears better than mine. They’re so round!”

“I like your ears,” I say to the girl. She perks up. “I think they’re much cooler than mine.”

Lola pauses, lips parted as if she’s surprised to hear me speak to her. Then she giggles, hiding her face in the crook of Adele’s arm.

“She’s curious,” Adele says, almost apologetically, “because she’s never met a human before.”

“Cadet Wildarrow, would you like to start?” Ezkai Cassandra asks.

I give her a nod and focus on Adele. Slowly, I open up my senses. My chest heaves when the first hit of emotions slams into me.

“Oh,” I murmur, trying to take hold of the intricate network of emotions flowing from Adele to me.

It’s not the first time I’ve sensed fae emotions, but Adele is much more complex than that group of thugs I faced my first day in Jaakii.

She’s…intense.

“Fae and dwarves tend to have much more complex emotions than humans,” Ezkai Cassandra says.

“I’m aware,” I say through clenched teeth.

Adele’s emotions press onto me, sinking into my skin, all the way into my flesh. Damn, she’s feeling many different things.

The curiosity tingles the tip of my fingertips, and I flex my hands to shake it off. She’s also…reserved about me. Uncomfortable to be in such proximity to a human.

I refrain from rolling my eyes. I’m starting to understand all the warnings from Dad about Ekios and the weird ways of its people.

Fae are insufferable creatures to be around.

I push the ache that rises within me away, then focus on the task at hand. I try very hard to rein in Adele’s emotions and prevent them from disturbing my own. Yet, no matter what angle I test or how hard I focus on pushing her away, if I keep my senses open, she overwhelms me.

“Damn it,” I mutter, shutting myself off.

It’s such a relief.

Ezkai Cassandra pats my shoulder. “That’s alright, Wildarrow. We have something to work towards.”

With burning cheeks, I rise from the chair and return to my seat. My revenge plan looks more and more impossible with each passing day.

“What is it with the food in this place?” I look up from my wooden chest to Roman lounging on his bed with his hands tucked under his head.

He arches one well-manicured eyebrow. “What about it?”

“Three days. No meat.”

Roman frowns. “Why would we eat meat?”

Now I’m the one confused. “You don’t eat meat?”

“Of course not. We’re vegans,” he says proudly. His perfect button nose scrunches. “Don’t tell me you eat creatures in Wetra?”

I throw him an unimpressed look and don’t answer. I toss my weapons inside the chest, but before I close it, I hesitate. I should keep at least one blade with me.

Just in case.

“ Yuck ,” Roman says, clearly not ready to give up on the conversation. “Do you eat all creatures? Fish? Do you eat the meat raw ? With blood and all?”

I roll my eyes. “We do cook our meat before we eat it, Roman. We’re not animals.”

Remembering that we do eat some meats and fish raw, I wince.

Roman smirks. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not!” I say. “But sure , there are certain cuts of beef that can be eaten raw if one desires so. And some fish can be?—”

“Absolute savage. Do you eat meat from animals only or?—”

To shut him up before he suggests Wetrans are cannibals, I slap him across the face with my pillow. Laughing, he swats it away.

“Roman! You coming or nah?” A slender fae with beautiful silky black hair that reaches past her waist pauses next to our bunk. Marin is her name. I think.

Marin doesn’t even look my way.

Roman gets on his feet. “Yeah, coming. I’ll be right with you.”

Marin leaves, and so do a few other fae from our group. When I look around, nobody but me and Roman are left in the sleeping quarters.

Roman’s gaze is soft when he says, “Fern Silva hosts a Bloodiamond night every week at her parent’s estate in Yursus. She invited everyone in the group this week, except…”

“Except for me, the human.”

So the fae don’t care much for the rule that forbids leaving the castle grounds while attending the academy. I’m not even surprised.

Roman grimaces. “Sorry, princess. Her family’s friends with Kata’s family. And, uh, well…”

We both know how Kata feels about me.

I wave him off. “No worries. Have fun.”

Roman hesitates only for a second before he leaves, and then I’m all alone in the sleeping quarters.

At least with everyone gone, I can have a cold shower tonight in peace.