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KLEOS

T he instant Silver walked into the training center at eight fifty-seven on Monday morning, I knew something was very wrong.

I didn’t see her all weekend. That in itself wasn’t unusual: I didn’t always socialize. Figuring that she needed some time after the bomb I dropped, I didn’t try to reach out.

Forcing myself not to spend every moment locked in the library with my nose in a book I’d already read, I spent the last couple of days tinkering with my new shiny stones, baking, listening to music, and catching up on my reading.

I didn’t expect her to be her cheery this morning, but she looked downright despondent, eyes down, a flush on her cheeks.

Oh, no.

I expected her still angry, or maybe sad, not ashamed. Silver didn’t get gloomy like this unless she’d fucked up.

It was my turn to demand, “What did you do?”

She winced. “So, erm—I…”

Auntie Hilda walked in the room, clipboard in hand. “Trainees!” she called.

A dozen of us stood to attention and lined up neatly.

Hilda was a captain of the Guard, too high in rank to bother with the likes of us, but she’d started to take a personal interest in the training of the new recruits since Lucian’s trial half a year ago.

We sat through a long lecture about how a lot of runners abused their power, at the end of which she assured us all she’d prefer to have no new runners over settling for people who shouldn’t be in a position of power. She fired a good ten newcomers, and as many fully trained employees in that time.

Frankly? It was a good thing. In my experience, a lot of people who enjoyed violence applied for the job for no other reason than having an excuse to hit people.

The Guard used to hire anyone willing and with the ability to do the job; my aunt was trying to make sure they also had the temperament for it.

It was well known that she was an extremely severe trainer.

I knew better than to attempt to talk to Silver now that she’d arrived—at least while she paid attention.

I might be her niece-in-law, but what that meant was that she expected me to be an example.

She was harder on me than anyone else. And all the gods knew, she’d trained her own son with an iron fist.

Eyes narrowed on my best friend, I listened to today’s instructions, and started to stretch.

I couldn’t wait to officially stop training in January. I’d still be expected to spar twice a week to keep up my skills, like any member of the Guard, archivists included, but the daily torture would be over.

Thankfully, Hilda delegated our training to Master Arion. The moment she walked out, I turned to Silver. “Spill. You bugged Lucian, didn’t you?”

I couldn’t imagine another reason she’d have to seem so bashful. The way she immediately blushed told me all I needed to know.

“He was a huge dick,” she told me.

I lifted an eyebrow. “Oh? And I’m sure you were ever so polite to him.”

My experience with Lucian made it clear the man oozed charm and social graces. But I knew Silver was fully capable of infuriating just about anyone when she wanted to.

“He called me a bitch,” she protested.

“Were you behaving like one?’

It was her turn to glare.

“Fine. The rules of friendship dictate that I take your side on this. That wasn’t very nice. So, what did you do to him?”

“I went to see him. He looked so fucking smug when I accused him of hurting you, and I snapped. I just?—”

I grimaced. “You attacked him.”

Her blush only deepened.

“I take it it didn’t go your way.”

“He won, all right. Fair and square.”

Ah. So that’s was why she was bothered. Silver wasn’t used to losing fights.

“Using magic?” I guessed. “Didn’t your pendant work?”

“About that.” She wrinkled her nose. “He won, then he took the pendant from me. I don’t have it.”

“I’ll charm something else,” I promised her, ignoring that it was completely her fault she lost it.

I still wasn’t about to let her walk around vulnerable.

“That’s not all. He said—” Silver hesitated. “That I was prejudiced.”

I blinked, remaining silent.

“I mean, he’s known for being dodgy, isn’t he? And Gideon said he was a rune expert. I can’t be the only one who would have added two and two and come up with him.”

I sighed. “Look, Silver, I love you. But you hate strangers. You don’t like, or trust, unfamiliar people.

You’re twice as likely to suspect someone from unders as a valer.

It’s not just you, plenty of people up here think that way.

But we know Lucian—Gideon more than me. And there’s a reason we told you he didn’t have anything to do with it.

I know his magic, all right? I’ve sensed his energy, and I would have recognized it if that had been what hurt me back then. Plus, he’s…a nice guy?”

I said it like it was a question. It wasn’t necessarily true.

Lucian was cold, remote, and every look discouraged people from coming too close.

He wasn’t a nice guy. Gideon was a nice guy.

Timothee was annoying as fuck, but still, nice.

Uncle Leo, or Stillwater, the fae protector who sometimes let us shadow him for extra training? Nice.

Lucian was something a little more nuanced.

“All right,” I had to admit, “he’s not nice. But he’s also not an abusive fucker. He kills abusive fuckers.”

“Fine, fine, I fucked up,” Silver admitted. “And, fuck. He said he could get me fired. That as a Regis, if he complained about me to the council, they’d just kick me out of the Guard. Do you think he was kidding?”

Oh, Silver. How could she have thought he was kidding?

Rather than voicing the obvious, I told her, “Well, you’re in luck.”

“Because the rubbish collection firm is hiring?” she grunted. “That’s about the only other thing I could do in this town.”

She was exaggerating, but not by much. Like Vance, Silver’s career opportunities were seriously limited.

If she was kicked out of the Guard, I could convince my father to hire her as a bodyguard, but I couldn’t think of anything else off the top of my head.

She’d suck in the hospitality industry—no people skills—didn’t have the patience for admin, and wouldn’t last more than a day before punching someone in any customer-facing position.

She could push her art, but sometimes told me that, like me with jewelry, she wouldn’t enjoy making a career out of what was supposed to be a hobby.

Besides, she needed a regular paycheck, living alone and not relying on her foster family.

“No,” I reply, raising three fingers. “But I’m seeing Lucian this afternoon.” I lowered one finger. “I happen to like having you around.” I dropped the second, and finished with a smile. “And he happens to be fond of cupcakes.”