Page 53 of Great Falls Cadet
“Right.” Arisha nods slowly. “For all we know, each time the veil reacts, it might grow stronger, like a muscle. All right, so no placing the males in the crossfire between the real truth and the veil magic’s truth.”
I bite my lip. “What if I didn’t tell Shade thatheis fae, but just took off the amulet to show him who I am?”
“He’d likely turn you in, Lera,” says Arisha. “Or else be in danger just for knowing the truth. It seems that when the males absorbed their veil amulets, they truly inherited the fictional personas. If the amulet is fighting to keep the veil’s illusion alive, it may very well compel Shade to turn you in, just to protect itself.”
I curse softly. Arisha has a point.
“We’ll work this out,” she says softly.
I tense, turning my head to find her gaze. “We?”
“We.” Arisha stands, squaring her shoulders before remembering she is still half-naked and yelping as she snatches up her sheet. “If I’m going to breaksomeof the Guild rules, I might as well break all of them. Unless you’d rather I not—”
Bouncing off my bed, I throw my arms around Arisha, holding her slim body so tightly that I’m not sure the girl can breathe. “I wantwe,”I say into Arisha’s shoulder, not realizing my eyes are stinging until I blink back the moisture. “I want there to be a ‘we’ very, very much.”
Thedongof the dinner bell breaks us apart in a distant reminder that the Academy’s life is flowing on, whether we are ready or not. Despite my assuredness that Shade will have no memory of what his wolf sees, Arisha insists I keep his attention while she changes into evening attire.
“Go on ahead,” I tell Arisha, helping her tie the back laces of her midnight-blue gown. “I want a few more moments with this beast.”
A quarter hour later, I’m within scenting distance of the dining hall—the smells of roasted lamb and baked apples making my stomach growl—when a horse’s distant whinny reminds me of the knife I forgot in the stable. At once, my weaponless boot feels too light. Promising my stomach that lamb is not far off, I turn down a narrow courtyard path toward the tall row of flowering mountain laurels separating the Academy’s east and west sides, the plants’ thick fragrance enveloping me as I pass.
My delicate high-laced boots and low-backed magenta dress look as out of place on the dirt-packed trails as the cadets’ training grays seem in the luxurious breakfast hall. My stomach growls. Picking up the pace, I hurry toward the stables, the vast training corrals—perfectly mowed and raked for the coming morning—ghostly around me. Everyone is eating—cadets, guards, hostlers. Everyone except me.
I freeze, quickly amending my assessment.
Everyone except me and whoever is shrieking inside the barn.
9
Lera
Pulling the stable door open, I brace myself for the sight of a rampaging stallion knocking some unfortunate soul into the wall. Instead, amidst the sweet-smelling hay and the warmth of the horses’ scent, I find Princess Katita’s three cousins—the dark, heavyset twins, Puckler and Rik, and the slightly older Lord Nolan—surrounding the scrawny page everyone calls Rabbit. With Nolan gripping the front of his shirt, the nine-year-old lad stands on his toes, shaking in fair imitation of his namesake. A livid bruise peeking out from beneath the threadbare fabric of his tunic matches the set of leather reins in Puckler’s meaty fist.
Hot fury rushes though me, my face and muscles blazing while my magic thrashes against its shackles.
Puckler raises the leather again, Nolan maneuvering the boy to make him into a better target.
Rabbit cringes, bracing himself while hiccupping little sobs escape his throat.
“Belay that!” My bellow echoes through the stable, turning heads, human and equine alike. My fists curling at the sides of my flowing dress, I advance on the group. The rage inside me is so loud, I hear it whistling in my ears. Inside me, River’s shackled earth magic pounds fiercely enough to bring down the barn if given the chance.
Still holding on to the front of Rabbit’s shirt, Lord Nolan turns to flash a set of crooked teeth at me. “If you bothered to look first and speak later, you’d know we are doing the lad a favor.” The tallest of the bunch, Nolan has a thin blond mustache, a nose too pointy for his face, and an expensive jacket cut to make the most of his lean features. The cadet’s gaze slithers across my body before finding my face. I can almost feel the oily trail left by his hard green eyes. Pulling a thick gold sigil from his pocket, Nolan flashes the piece at me. “The little shit picked this from my pocket. Now he is paying for it. Unless, of course, you think I should report him to Commander River instead?” Nolan’s small eyes gleam at the boy. “How would you like a beating from the deputy headmaster, boy? Right before he throws you out of the Academy with the rest of the garbage.”
Rabbit sobs, shaking his head. “No. Please.”
“Seems Rabbit has learned the lesson you have so generously taught him,” I tell the three. Thunder still ringing in my ears, I close my hand casually around a pitchfork leaning by the stable wall. My mind screams that this is the opposite of keeping to myself. I ignore it. “Since everyone is in the mood for favors today, I’ll offer one as well. Let the boy gonow,and I won’t break your noses for you.”
Standing closest to me, Nolan releases Rabbit and shifts his weight, loading up his right fist. The obvious movement says fighting isn’t the lord’s strong suit, and I imagine the sudden bravery comes from being a head taller than me. The dubious glance that the twins shoot toward Nolan is absurdly satisfying. And very fleeting.
Nolan swings his fist at my head.
I swing the pitchfork’s handle against the back of the lord’s knees.
Rabbit takes advantage of the commotion to skitter away.
My strike on Nolan lands first, his legs flying out from under him as he topples backwards. He lands on the stable floor with a soft thud, a pile of fresh manure cushioning his head. I step back quickly, crouching in readiness.
“Filthy wench,” Nolan shouts to grunts of agreement from the others, who now converge on me from both sides, eyes flashing. “You’ll regret that.”
