Page 18 of Vicious Princess (The Trials of Death and Honor #1)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

I have a hard time sleeping during the night. For most of it, I toss and turn in my bunk, my mind running a thousand miles an hour.

When I left my bow with Vasquez, I did it with the right intentions. I wanted him to remember me. I still want that. But what if my selfish vanity will be the reason for my failure?

My new bow might be a beautiful piece of art, a one-of-a-kind weapon, but it’s a sassy, rebellious little shit that doesn’t want to work with me. Never before did I hear of something like this happening. What am I to do now?

I don’t have enough money to buy a new bow. Not a quality one, at least. What if I buy a new one, and it turns out that it doesn’t listen to me either? Because, apparently, bows have a mind of their own here and have to choose their archer.

Godsdamned bullshit.

What good do my affinity and skill do if I don’t have a weapon to use?

At least today I don’t have to worry about seeing Daegel. I’ll spend my whole day in the auditorium in my politics and history lecture. Not sure what any of that has to do with becoming an Ezkai, but I have no choice on the matter.

I get up and get dressed before anyone is awake. When I leave the barracks, the moon is only now making its way towards the horizon. Chilly air nips at my skin, and my lungs burn with cool air as I run down the path leading towards the gardens.

Training is a better use of my time than tossing and turning in the bed full of anxiety. As I near the end of the gardens and emerge into the main path leading towards Ezkai Castle, I collide with two Ezkai.

Two strong hands catch my shoulders before I plop on my ass.

“Apologies, I’m so sorry,” I blurt out, then look up.

A handsome Ezkai with dark eyes and beige skin lets go of my shoulders, and I take a step backwards. Next to him, another Ezkai with a bald head and black silk tunic reaching all the way to the ground eyes me with a curious smile on his lips.

Remembering myself, I press my fist over my heart and bow my head.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before, young lady,” the handsome Ezkai says. “Especially not in the middle of the night.”

“Ah—uh, I’m a new cadet at Ezkai Academy, sir,” I say. “Just started my training earlier this week.”

“Ah, how wonderful,” the odd Ezkai says. His voice is dreamy and musical. “What a dedicated cadet you are, young lady. Training before the dawn.”

“I couldn’t sleep, sir.” A little defensively, I add, “That’s not breaking any of the academy laws that I know of.”

They exchange an amused glance. The odd Ezkai says, “None at all. Don’t worry.”

“You’re human,” the handsome Ezkai says, after a beat of silence passes between us. His face is open, eyes widened a little as if he’s in awe of the fact.

“Yes, sir,” I say, lowering my eyes to the ground.

I should have stayed in my bed.

But the mean comments I expect don’t come my way. Instead, the handsome Ezkai says, “That’s fascinating. We’re in dire need for more diverse faces in the Order.”

I look up at him.

He flashes me a charming smile. “You look at me as if I’m crazy.”

“No, not at all, sir.” I rush to get the words out. “I’m just surprised to hear you say that.”

His eyebrows hike higher. He looks amused. “And why’s that?”

I bite my tongue. These two Ezkai might appear to be friendlier than the rest. But both of them are fae. I doubt they want to hear the truth about their species and how unwelcoming to humans Ezkai and Ekions truly are.

The odd Ezkai senses my hesitation, because he says, “Well, don’t let us disturb your training, young lady. Good luck on your journey, and we hope to see you amongst the ranks of the Ezkai very soon.”

I dip my chin in respect once more, then run across the main path, towards the orchard. Before the trees block my view, I glance back over my shoulder. Both Ezkai remain in the same spot, eyes on me while they exchange a few words.

Increasing my speed, I dive into the depths of the orchard. I have a lot of anxiety to burn off.

Before the rest of the cadets wake, I manage to get a quick quiet shower in and head into the dining hall for breakfast. Afterwards, I make my way to the lecture hall and find the right auditorium.

Roman’s already here.

“May I?” I jerk my chin at the seat next to him.

“Why, of course,” he says, pulling out a chair for me and patting it with his large palm. “But you better be good at this, because I hate history.”

I sit down and open my notebook. “I’m sorry to disappoint, but I hate history and politics even more than you do. That’s why I chose to be a damn soldier and not a scholar.”

Roman flashes me a crooked smile. “Then we’re both fucked.”

I shrug. “If we can survive Daegel’s class, we can survive this, too.”

Roman’s eyes flicker. “Oh, are you on a first-name basis with Ezkai Daegel?”

I blink at him. Oh, shit. I need to be more careful in how I talk about Daegel.

Scoffing, I roll my eyes. “Sure. If addressing me as ‘human’ with a healthy dose of disdain in his voice instead of my actual name can be considered that.”

“I’m sure he’s just trying to make you feel special.”

“I’d rather he didn’t.”

Roman relaxes in his chair and drops an arm over the back of mine. “I wouldn’t mind if he wanted to make me feel special. He’s damn eye candy. When he took his leathers off last time during training, I got a boner. Did you see his Ezkai back tattoos? Hot. ”

I roll my eyes.

“Don’t tell me it didn’t make your lady parts throb even a little bit, princess.”

I slap his chest. “Stop that.”

Roman wiggles his eyebrows, dark eyes full of mischief. “Not only is he good-looking, but also comes from a very good family. Long line of powerful Decarios, all high-ranking Ezkai,” Roman continues. “Not to mention that he’s only twenty-five and already an Ezkai Major.”

Also, an exceptional lover. But I can’t voice that thought. Roman would freak out.

Roman leans closer to me and opens his mouth. Before he can say whatever he intends, the door opens, and a group of trainees enters, chatting amongst themselves.

“I’ll tell you later,” Roman whispers.

I give him a nod. I hate to admit it, but I’m curious to hear what Roman has to say about Daegel that can’t be said in front of other people.

Oh, I hope it’s nothing about Daegel sleeping with one of his cadets.

My heart sinks in my chest.

So far, I’ve been lucky. Daegel doesn’t look interested in turning me in, which means that he would probably get in trouble if the administration found out about our little adventure. And thanks to his cold and ruthless behavior towards me, nobody can suspect it. At least, I hope nobody does.

Right as the last trainee enters the lecture hall, our instructor arrives, too. A scarred man with beige skin and a long braid that reaches all the way to his hips. When his gaze sweeps over us, a chill goes down my spine.

He’s got haunted eyes.

“Good morning, cadets. I’m Ezkai Captain Gavriel Lasso, the Scrivener Unit,” he says.

His voice is rough like gravel. “I’ll be your history and politics instructor.

Before you assume that my discipline matters less than physical training or emotional manipulation, let me assure you that it does not.

You fail my training, you don’t get to graduate.

So I hope all of you know how to read and have at least two brain cells to help you comprehend everything. ”

“He’s a real ray of sunshine,” Roman whispers.

I snort a laugh. When the instructor’s gaze snaps to me, I pretend to cough. Which makes Roman snort a laugh, too. Then we’re both coughing.

“Because we’re having so much fun in my lecture already, why don’t we make things even more fun with a test to determine your current knowledge levels?

” Everyone in the auditorium whines. Ezkai Gavriel picks up a stack of papers and drops it on the desk in front of a cadet.

“Share these with your fellow cadets. You have two hours.”

I know I’ll fail this test the moment the paper lands in front of me. Not only is everything in an advanced Ekiosh that I’m not very fluent in but it includes complex Ekios history-and politics-related questions which I know nothing about.

A splitting headache forms in my right temple by the time I get to the third question. I steal a glance at Roman at my side. He’s scribbling away on his paper, hunched over the desk.

Pretty damn enthusiastic for someone who claims to hate history.

I return to my paper. For a minute, I just stare at the next question, tapping my pencil against the wood.

Tap, tap, tap.

The way I see it, I have two paths ahead of me—answer the questions pretending like I know what I’m talking about. Or leave it all blank. Both options mean I’m fucked. But one will make me look like someone who doesn’t give a fuck, while the other option will make me look like a lost cause.

Judging from how much Ezkai Gavriel tried to establish that his lecture matters as much as others, my guess is that the second option will put me in a less problematic relationship with him.

With a sigh, I put my pencil to the paper and get to writing.

Surprisingly, spinning bullshit makes time fly.

“Time’s up,” Ezkai Gavriel says.

I lift my head and toss the pencil down. He stands from his desk and collects the papers.

“I’ll evaluate these by your next lecture.

Once I know what atrocities I’m dealing with here, I’ll have a lecture plan prepared that will hopefully turn you into at least half-decent strategists and thinkers.

” He leans his hip against the desk and crosses his arms. “Until then, the best way to understand the inner workings of the Order, and how all we do intertwines with the work of our General and House Dzuni, is to see it all unfold in real life.”

I perk up in my chair, and I’m not the only one. Chatter rises in the auditorium.

“Silence,” Ezkai Gavriel says, raising his palm in the air. “If you want an opportunity like that, you better know how to behave. I won’t have you humiliate yourself and this academy in front of our General, his government, and noble society.”

The auditorium is so silent you could drop a needle and hear it cling on the stone floors.

“Tomorrow, the Ezkai General is hosting a political soiree at the castle, as part of his negotiations with Wetra and Emera on the new trade deal,” Ezkai Gavriel says.

My heart races in my chest. “You’ll attend the soiree so you can see how much understanding and respecting history, having knowledge of politics, and possessing the ability to use the strategic part of your brain matters if you’re to become one of the Ezkai. ”

Ezkai Gavriel rises to his feet and turns his back on us, tidying the documents on his desk. “Wear your training leathers, clean and sharp. You are dismissed.”

As I collect my notebooks and rise from my seat, my skin buzzes with anticipation. This is the moment I’ve been dreaming about, to be part of the ancient order of powerful soldiers.

Even if it’s only part of the training.

Even if it’s only for a night.