Page 47 of Great Falls Rogue
Whap!
A small rap of pain bites my shin, cutting off my spiraling thoughts midstream. Turning, I find Arisha forcing a smile though her clenched teeth. “You are happy about this,” she mutters. “You aren’t thinking what I know you are. We are allnormal and happy.”
Right.Taking a deep breath, I force a smile onto my face just as Sage raises his arms to call for silence once more.
“I appreciate your enthusiasm and support as we show the continent the true glory of our prestigious Academy.” The self-satisfaction in Sage’s voice thick enough to spread on bread, his bald head gleaming brighter than ever under the vast chandeliers. “While the Prowess Committee has not yet confirmed our request, I have full confidence that we will be victorious—both in the hosting of the trial and the subsequent unquestionable victory.” Despite calling for silence a moment earlier, Sage pauses again for the cheers and applause, speaking only when the last of the voices has died down. “To this end, we are changing the end-of-year exams.”
This time, the general fidgeting has a more cautious tone.
“Our royal visitors, understandably, will expect to see more than just the athletes. They will wish to inspect the quality of instruction Great Falls offers.” A new streak of ice enters Sage’s voice. “The final exams will thus be held orally, during the Prowess Trials’ opening, allowing our esteemed guests to observe the students in action.I expect each of you to bring honor to the Academy and yourselves with your performance. Anyone unable or unwilling to pledge that should withdraw from our rolls now.”
River’s gaze flickers to me for a moment before returning to Sage, and my already churning stomach sinks like lead. Instead of keeping a low profile with the humans, I will now be humiliating myself in front of the mortals’ greatest leaders—and taking the Academy’s reputation down along with it.
Sage raises his glass, his eyes alight with satisfaction. “The next two months will be grueling for both our athletes and nonathletes alike. Yet, I am certain we are all of one mind— Great Falls is the premier Academy on the continent, and we welcome the chance to remind the world as to why. With that, let me wish you a good meal and a good night’s sleep before classes resume in the morning.”
The Great Hall explodes in applause, the walls magnifying each clap as obediently as they did Sage’s voice. Beneath the noise, I sink into my chair, my mouth bone-dry.
“I imagine there will be a few people packing up shortly. It is the responsible thing to do.” The high voice from across the table hits me so squarely between the eyes that I can’t very well pretend I don’t hear it. Vivian—one of Katita’s beautiful hangers-on until the princess joined Han’s team and became sequestered with the rest of them—cuts her gaze to her companions before returning her attention to me. “Is that how you interpreted Master Sage’s words as well, Lady Leralynn?”
I give Vivian an icy smile. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. I’m sure the headmaster didn’t mean you.”
The girl’s cheeks color, but I turn to my food without waiting for a response. I’ve greater problems to worry about than Viv—such as how in the hell to stop the Prowess Trials from happening.
3
Lera
“We are not going to stop the Prowess Trials from happening,” Arisha says from behind a stack of books as she strides out from the bowels of the library, her muffled voice echoing softly against the high-domed ceiling.
Peeling away from the wall, Coal uses his good arm to grab the volumes from her. Gavriel doesn’t look up from his study of a text on ancient fae magics. Without having to discuss it, the four of us found our way here at quarter past curfew, the meeting time having become habitual over the past week. Even Coal’s presence is no longer a surprise, though we’ve not quite worked out how much of the truth we can discuss around him without setting off the veil he wears.
“I was fine with them, sir.” Arisha frowns at her departing treasure. So long as she doesn’t look at Coal, my friend is not shy about challenging him at these meetings—and I’ve a notion that keeping from spooking Arisha is one of the reasons the male never invites himself to the table. “Nothing was falling.”
“Yet.” Coal sets the books down, the pain tightening his jaw so subtle that I’m certain no one but me noticed. “Nothing was falling,yet.”
“I—”Arisha’s foot catches the carpet, and she hops about to regain her balance. Coal watches her with a raised brow. Ignoring him, she sits down and pulls the manuscripts toward her. For the past week, our guild meetings have focused on narrowing down the zero point of the wards’ weakness—which, based on the travel pattern of Mors’s rodents and my Ostera mishap, Arisha and Gavriel now believe lies in the Gloom beneath the Great Falls mountain range. Today, however, the whole conversation is shifting to the new looming disaster.
“I’ve gone through the headmaster’s journals for the past decade, and Sage has been maneuvering for the Academy to host the Prowess Trials all that time. Which also explains why the amu—” Arisha clears her throat and gives me a meaningful look. “Why Sage recruited Tyelor. We are seeing a manifestation of what the headmaster has been trying to achieve for a long time, not a brand-new reality that just came to mind from nowhere. Which makes sense.”
The veil dresses up reality; it doesn’t actually change it.Yes, I got it, Arisha.
“All right, so Sage has always been hell-bent on the Trials happening here.” I tap the table. “That doesn’t change the fact that inviting every mortal royal to an area infested with magical human-mauling beasts could be tantamount to inviting them to death. At the very least, any extra outside scrutiny to the Great Falls area could expose the extent of the magical threat building right outside these walls. Why would Sage risk that?”
“Because the headmaster doesn’t believe thereisa real magical threat, remember?” Arisha says. “Or if he does, he won’t admit it. The Academy’s reputation is too important to him. The moment he whispers about a problem, his precious royal students will be flooding back to their palaces faster than he can say, ‘Don’t slam the door on your way out.’”
I feel my jaw crack under the strain of my clenching. If I’m not careful, I’m going to lose a tooth.More time.I need more time to both figure out what’s going on here and bring back my males’ memories so we can defeat it together. All the world’s royals in one place will be a great temptation indeed, and we’re not ready to defend the Academy from whoever—or whatever—takes the bait. I spin to Coal. “What does River have to say about all this?”
Having retreated from Arisha, Coal is back to leaning against the wall, his good arm crossed over the injured limb. If his dark mood were visible, the male would have wisps of blackness trailing about him. Or maybe that’s my own. I’ve not had a decent night’s sleep since before the dungeon, and it’s hard not to feel all those sleepless hours every time I look at the scowling male.
“He doesn’t like it, but again, his only grounds for argument is the threat of magic,” says Coal. “Which Sage already shut down a month ago, when River wanted to send the royal students home. And, your brew of secrets here aside, to the outside world, things have the appearance of getting better.”
“In other words, my putting downs sclices is actually working against us now.” I shake my head. “Brilliant.”
“What about the Night Guard’s presence?” says Arisha, blue eyes trained on me as if she can pretend Coal doesn’t exist. “That is new.”
“I discussed the dark fae with the deputy headmaster after Leralynn ran into them,” Gavriel says, looking up for the first time. In his worn olive-green robes, he practically sinks into the shadows. “Commander River and I have an understanding that my sources of information are not to be asked after, but my exemplary track record in providing facts has earned me a certain—”
“Uncle Gavriel,” Arisha says gently. “What did River say?”
