Page 42 of Vicious Princess (The Trials of Death and Honor #1)

CHAPTER FORTY

T he next day, I’m back to training.

We have a full schedule of the emotional-manipulation lecture, which, while challenging, has been my favorite and most relaxing lecture of all.

Ezkai Cassandra already waits in the lecture hall as Roman and I enter, with the rest of the group filtering in after us one by one.

When all the cadets are in their seats, the instructor says, “We have an exciting day ahead of us. So far, you’ve been honing your emotional-manipulation skills in a vacuum.

We’ve been focusing on understanding the intricacies of your special Decarios ability and mastering control over it, which has been great, yet it’s not enough to be a successful Ezkai. ”

I’ve been wondering when this day would finally come.

“You’re approaching your graduation. On that special day, some of you will be extended an invitation by one of the five units to join the Order of Ezkai.

It’s an honor like none other, one you get only once in a lifetime.

To help the units choose which of you deserve an invitation, they will judge you by your performance on the missions. ”

Missions? That’s plural. We only had one mission so far, which means?—

“Soon, you’ll be called to participate in another mission.

The first mission was only a light test, a teaser for you to get a taste of what it feels like to be an Ezkai.

This second mission will be an opportunity to put all that you’ve learned during your time at Ezkai Academy to the test, and all the units will watch.

No pressure,” she says with a smile. “That’s why it’s crucial you get to practice your skills in a more realistic setting beforehand.

You see, unless you’re in the Spy or Executioner Units and have to interrogate an enemy, you’ll rarely have a moment where you sit comfortably on a chair in front of your target and try to manipulate them.

Most often, you’ll be in the field, on a mission, where, as you already learned, things rarely ever go as you planned and are often out of your control. ”

So much for an easy, relaxing day.

“To give you an opportunity to practice your ability in combat, we’ll be collaborating with Ezkai Daegel today. So gather your stuff and make your way to the training hall. I’m right behind you.”

We rise and shuffle out of the lecture hall back outside, then make our way to the training hall. What awaits us there stuns the whole group.

Tense silence lingers in the air while we wait for Ezkai Cassandra to catch up.

“Thank you, Ezkai Daegel,” she says, entering the training hall a moment after. “I see we have everything we need for today.”

“My pleasure, Ezkai Cassandra,” Daegel says, with a slight nod. He jerks his chin at seven fae lined up on his right. “We have until four in the afternoon before the prisoners must be returned to their cells.”

Hearing these are prisoners, fae who have been sentenced for their crimes, makes the hair at the back of my neck rise.

Quickly, I scan their bodies, looking for tattoos. While three large fae wear the marks of Caligos, the rest don’t. At least, theirs are not visible.

“These fae prisoners are not Decarios, and each one of you will get an opportunity to practice your emotional-manipulation skills in combat,” Ezkai Cassandra explains. Her gaze slides over us, and she arches an amused eyebrow. “Well, who’s going first?”

One hand rises. A blue-haired fae who’s barely said five words since we’ve been here. I don’t even know his damn name.

“Cadet Quang, please come forwards and take your stance.” Ezkai Cassandra gestures at the space in the center of the hall for him and orders us to retreat. “Your goal is to subdue the prisoner with your ability, not physical force. Got it?”

Cadet Quang gives the instructor a sharp nod. His feet are quick and graceful as he makes his way to the middle and takes a fighting stance.

The subtle nod Ezkai Cassandra gives Daegel is easy to miss. Daegel unlocks the chains that restrain the first prisoner, a short, chubby fae who’s missing two front teeth. Iron falls heavily onto the floor.

The moment he’s free, the prisoner charges at Quang with a screech. Quang is fast enough to move out of his path before they collide. He draws two blades from the sheaths on his thighs and flips them in the air.

The prisoner whirls around and watches Quang with feral eyes. The way he’s hunched forwards, baring his teeth at his opponent, reminds me of a wild animal in a cage.

From the stains on his humble clothing and the dirt under his long fingernails, I guess the prisoners here are treated much like animals.

Quang watches the prisoner with intense concentration. For a moment, nothing happens. A frown forms between his cobalt eyebrows. The prisoner hisses at him and advances again.

This time around, Quang is too preoccupied by the emotional manipulation. He steps out of the prisoner’s way a moment too late, and the wild fae catches one of his wrists.

The sound of bone cracking echoes around us.

Quang screams.

The blade he holds doesn’t reach the floor—the prisoner tears it out of his weakened grip and swings the blade directly at the poor cadet.

Before the knife can land in the middle of Quang’s throat, Daegel closes the distance between them in a few long strides.

He grabs the back of the prisoner’s neck with one hand and gets ahold of the prisoner’s hand with the other.

Kicking the prisoner in the back of his knees, Daegel sends him flat on the floor, face down.

Oh, Daegel…

This man.

The way he presses his knee in between the prisoner’s shoulder blades and twists his arm to keep him pinned to the ground makes me hot all over.

I don’t think I’ve ever been as turned on by him as in this moment.

“Just a moment!” Ezkai Cassandra’s voice snaps me from the delirious fantasy world.

Blinking, I look at where the door slams shut in her wake. Not even a minute later, she comes back with two Ezkai. Daegel waits for them to chain the thrashing prisoner before getting back on his feet.

He didn’t even break a sweat.

Not a single hair is out of place on his damn head.

I have to force myself to look away from him before I climb him like a tree in front of the whole damn group.

The Ezkai escort the prisoner, who’s cursing Daegel and everyone else in this room in the most colorful Ekiosh words I’ve ever heard, out of the training hall.

“Fuck me,” Roman whispers.

“Right,” I murmur back.

Ezkai Cassandra clears her throat. “Well, that didn’t go too well, now, did it? Cadet Quang, why don’t you make your way to the mender’s office? I think you’ve had enough for today.”

White as a sheet of paper, Quang shuffles out of the training hall.

The moment the door closes behind him, Ezkai Cassandra turns to the rest of us. “Who’s next?”

This time around, no hands rise.

She scans our group with pursed lips. Thankfully, before she can pick a random cadet, Kata fucking Nightingale charges forwards.

The redhead doesn’t bother to draw blades or pull out her bow. She stands tall and confident in front of the line of prisoners. Even when the next set of iron chains drops to the ground and the seven-foot-tall fae with shoulders almost as wide as the door takes a heavy step forwards.

The prisoner eyes her up and down. Kata lifts her chin.

I startle and back away a step when the prisoner roars with fury. The sound bounces off the walls. He beats his fists on his muscular chest so hard, I think his ribs may break.

I might get lucky if this giant takes her out today.

My eyes bounce back and forth between Kata—calm and collected, her gaze sharp as the blades strapped to her waist—and the giant, who’s turning red from all the damn rage.

He charges at her, so angry that I can see the steam coming out of his ears. Kata remains rooted in place, unmoving. What the fuck is she doing?

Another step and the giant will flatten her to the ground.

Before he can even reach her, his steps halt.

He falters, clawing at his chest. The horror mixed with shock on his face twists my guts.

With bloodshot eyes and a groan, he sinks to his knees and falls over to his side. Kata’s eyes remain on him until he draws one last ragged breath.

Ringing silence settles.

“Anger-induced heart attack,” Ezkai Cassandra says. She claps for Kata. “Very smart, Cadet Nightingale. Next, please.”

Kata dips her chin in acknowledgment and heads our way.

“I think Wildarrow is ready to go next,” Kata says sweetly right as she takes a spot next to me. I glare at her. She leans closer to me and whispers, “Try not to die, yrathi . I’m not done with you yet.”

“Cadet Wildarrow, would you like to go next?” Ezkai Cassandra pulls my attention away from Kata.

I lift my chin and step forwards. “Sure thing, Ezkai Cassandra.”

I ignore my racing heart and sweating palms as I stand in the middle of the hall. With one deep inhale and exhale, I shut out the noise and the gazes from other cadets.

Daegel’s shape lingers at the edge of my sight, but I don’t focus on him as I inspect the third prisoner. A very regular-looking fae with the tip of one ear missing. His sandy-colored eyes match his hair.

He might be attractive amongst humans, but in the world of fae, he’s as bland as a fresh sheet of paper.

I blink.

The iron chains drop, hitting the ground.

Another blink.

The spot where the prisoner just was is empty.

My heart skips a beat.

I feel his presence behind me a moment before he attempts to headlock me. Quickly, I duck and sweep my feet over his ankles. It brings him down only because he doesn’t expect a human be this fast.

He lands on his left hip. I open my senses in an attempt to control him.

But it’s a mistake.

All my senses are assaulted by the intricate pathways of his emotions. It’s like being swept into the middle of a thunderstorm, lightning flashing with dangerous precision.

I stumble backwards as if I were just hit by that lightning bolt and snap my senses shut. He’s back on his feet, prowling towards me like a panther.

Everything about the way his body moves, the way he looks at me, screams danger .

Thankfully, a regular fae is lesser than a human Decarios in many ways.

He swings a fist.

I duck and dodge, aiming at his side. He curses and throws another punch at me. I whirl around him, evading it with ease.

“Not with physical force, Wildarrow!” Ezkai Cassandra’s voice reaches me.

The prisoner chuckles.

I huff, throwing myself at him, shoulder first. We collide with each other and the floor hard enough, my brain rattles inside my skull. He rolls us around, straddling my hips, and pins my hands above my head.

He brings his face close to mine. A chilling half-smile blooms on his face.

“You’re fun to play with,” he says. I recoil when he flicks his tongue out and licks a path from the line of my jaw all the way to my temple. “And taste so sweet.”

Oh, dear gods . Maybe the old healer wasn’t joking when he said fae used to eat humans before the Great Continent Separation.

I can’t do much in this position. He’s strong enough to keep me pinned.

I inhale.

Exhale.

And open my senses again.

This time around, the thunderstorm of emotions doesn’t overwhelm me too badly, but it’s almost impossible to navigate his emotions. I’ve never experienced anything like this before—there’s so many of them mixed together, I have a hard time separating what he’s feeling.

It’s as if he’s feeling all the emotions at once. However, I sense one that sings the loudest amongst the chaos.

I close my eyes and focus my mind on calling forth the sadness. Think of something sad, think of something sad, think of something sad.

It’s not hard for me to find sadness within me. It lingers at the edges of my being at all times, just waiting for the chance to seep into every fiber of me.

If I didn’t keep it at bay at all times, keeping anger at the forefront, the sadness would consume me.

Just as it consumes the fae pinning me to the floor. His eyes widen and turn to glass. When he blinks, a tear escapes. It lands on my cheek and rolls down onto my neck.

A heartbreaking wail tears its way out of his chest, and his grip on my hands weakens. He crumples on top of me, sobs racking his body so deeply, he trembles. I only need to give him a little push, and he rolls away and into a ball on his side.

Breathing heavily, I close my senses again before I’m consumed by the dark, gloomy sadness and its cold, wet claws.

“Excellent, Cadet Wildarrow!” Ezkai Cassandra claps for me, too.

Swiftly, I get on my feet and dip my chin at her. When my gaze locks with Kata’s, I can’t help the satisfied smirk that curls my lips.

My smugness doesn’t last long.

From the way her lips curl into a snarl, I know the worst is yet to come. Fear gets ahold of my insides, twisting them into a tight knot.