Page 35 of Great Falls Rogue
Lera leaned forward, bracing her good arm on her knee. Small, injured, exhausted—and yet she still managed to harness as much power around her as River could. It made Coal proud and furious at the same time. Especially when she spoke, enunciating her words with scalpel-sharp precision. “Then, keep clear.”
Coal closed his eyes. He deserved that. But it still hurt. The feel of Lera’s body leaning against him in the cell, trusting him to care for her even for a few moments, was the most precious sensation to have touched him in the whole bloody month. And he was ruining it royally. Opening his eyes, he softened his voice to one of consolatory reason. “Whatever is happening, I might be able to help. Trust me, Lera.”
“All right.” Lera tipped her head. “You want trust, Coal? You start. How have you been sleeping lately?”
Coal’s heart skipped a beat, a tremor running along his skin. Had the girl overheard River’s and Shade’s concerns, or had that tunnel of last night’s nightmares truly run in both directions? The notion sounded too insane to entertain seriously, but Lera seeing his memories was no more absurd than him seeing hers. And that had happened, hadn’t it? Well, even if it did—especially if it did—this line of conversation was going no further. “That isn’t your concern,” he said, his voice hitching with his racing heart. “Not now, notever, Cadet.”
The moment he said it, he knew he’d gone too far.
Lera snarled softly. “You dreamt of clanking chains and heated irons. The stench as they came up behind you so—”
“Shut. Your. Mouth.” His gut twisted, bile burning as it rose up his throat. Pushing away from her, he rose to his feet.
Lera stood in answer, the blanket falling away from her ethereally beautiful body, now vibrating with shattering fury. “What’s wrong, Coal? Don’t like what you’re hearing?”
“I don’t like who is speaking.”
The chill that settled over Lera’s eyes twisted Coal’s stomach, the bang of the iron door falling into place between them echoing through his soul.
With a nonchalance that eviscerated him, Lera jerked her chin toward the door. “You should go, sir. We might give River and the others the wrong impression if you stay in my bedchamber too long.”
12
Coal
Coal crossed the Academy grounds blindly, unaware of cadets’ wide eyes as he passed, of anything but where he was going. She knew. However it happened, Lera saw the jagged, shattered pieces of Coal’s soul—and found them as vile and pathetic as he did. The nightmares that were getting worse, the darkness ratcheting tighter around Coal’s neck each day. He could barely look at his own reflection nowadays, knowing his memories had somehow been laid open for Lera to sort through… Coal had barely made it out of the cadets’ barracks before losing what little food his stomach held.
Even if Coal stayed away from Leralynn completely, transferred the girl to another class, and never ever crossed paths, the truth would still saturate the air. He couldn’t do it. Couldn’t face Lera again. Worse still, if that strange bridge between them reopened again, the darkness haunting Coal might assault Lera as well.
A rabid dog, one of the guards had called Coal. How very accurate.
Opening the keep door, he took the keep stairs toward River’s study, two at a time—only to find the man descending the steps.
“Coal?” Stopping on a wide landing with a window overlooking the courtyard below, River arched a dark brow. With his arms behind his back, he made the weight resting on his shoulders seem easy to carry—though the fatigue lining his eyes spoke the truth. Well, at least Coal would shortly be getting rid of one of River’s problems.
“I wished to give you a chance to rip into me properly over yesterday.” Coal slid his hands into his pockets. “I will be leaving after that.”
River pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ve been unable to find Shade for the past bloody day, and you’ve managed to both corner him and somehow wring a clearance to return to active duty from his jaws?”
“No. But I am resigning my commission. You are within your rights to have me arrested over a number of charges by now, but whether I leave in shackles or free, I will be off the grounds by nightfall.”
River surveyed Coal with opaque gray eyes that gave no hint of his thoughts.
A tight band closed around Coal’s chest, the passing heartbeats sounding louder and louder in the heavy silence. Coal had served under River and Shade for as long as he could remember, and the thought of breaking all ties with the men cut as sharp as a blade.
“I will consider your resignation and let you know my decision by nightfall,” River said finally, as if discussing a proposed change of vendor for cleaning oils. Perhaps he had been waiting for this awhile now. Hoping Coal would realize the toxic effect he had. Straightening his already neat coat, River started down the steps. “Meanwhile, I am on my way to discuss Leralynn’s unintended overnight captivity with Master Han, whom I’d expected to release her. You may join me if you wish.”
“Who the bloody hell is Han?” Coal asked, falling in step.
Despite most ofthe cadets enjoying the week of holiday liberty, using the time to ride out to the small town near the school, the training pitch at the far end was in active use. From what Coal could see over the expanse of freshly cut grass, Han was working ten cadets—all royal born, save Tyelor of Blair.
The royals, all dressed in training grays, were holding a plank position along the fence. Sweat dripped from their hair, leaving dark clumps in the sand. Judging by Princess Katita’s trembling arms, they’d been at this for some time already. Unlike the others, Tye was climbing a thick rope rigged to hang from a sturdy tree branch some twenty feet up. Moving closer, Coal noted an iron anvil tied to Tye’s ankles, the metal both increasing the weight to be hauled up the rope and preventing Tye from using his legs to help the climb.
“We are all waiting on you, Tyelor,” Han was yelling as River and Coal made their final approach. Tall and muscular, with neat black hair, the new man had a warrior’s body and a sharp smell that made Coal think of cayenne pepper. Dressed in a tight-fitting gray shirt and black pants, Han moved with a speed and balance that spoke of violence despite being plainly unarmed at the moment. Tipping his head back to watch Tye’s ascent, Han raised his voice again. “Every single damn person in this corral is waiting on your pleasure, Master Tyelor. Your feet will be on the ground in the next five heartbeats, or this training starts over. For everyone.”
Coal gave River a sideways look. Tye’s body was already shaking, and, as Han’s threat registered, the athlete pushed his pace at the expense of control. Not a good combination twenty feet up in the air, in Coal’s opinion—though he trained soldiers, not athletic competitors. Twisting upside down around a bar was not a good idea in Coal’s mind under any circumstance.
“Four,” Han called. “Three.”
