Page 18 of Great Falls Protector
Ta da daaa da daaa da dadaa! Ta da daaa da daaa da dadaa!
I push Arisha from the path of a harried-looking young man with a basket of wet towels and bottles of chilled wine rushing to greet their royal highnesses of whatever kingdom is now arriving in a cloud of dust and whinnying. Some royals themselves, having settled into their rooms and changed out of travel clothes, have now joined the crowd in the courtyard, milling about in colorful groups or drifting into the arena for the morning’s entertainment. Their fashions represent every corner of the kingdom, from stunningly simple silk gowns and jeweled tiaras to elaborately embroidered robes with headdresses to match. One beautiful, olive-skinned noble wears what looks like an actual snake coiled around her neck, which she strokes and coos at lovingly. Three enormous peacock feathers jut out of her chignon, waving pleasantly in the summer breeze.
Another set of servants nearly bowls us over, carrying goblets and fruit and messages of personal greeting toward the keep from the headmaster. In the distance, a man with wiry dark hair appears to be yelling at yet another group of new servants, and though I can’t make out the yeller’s face, the way the crew seems to cringe away tells me enough of his personality.
When the yeller sticks his thumbs into his belt in a way that reminds me too much of Zake, I turn my back to the group. The mix of nerves, training, and waiting has done little good for my nightmares, and now I’m seeing the man’s image even when I’m awake.Stop it,I order my mind. In addition to there being no reason for Zake to step foot into Great Falls, the man I saw wore a servant’s uniform, not a lord’s coat.There are plenty of real threats to go around without adding imagined ones to the mix.
“Are you all right?” Arisha asks. Her chances of being tested this morning are high, barring any unforeseen disruption, but unlike the other students, she seems cool and collected, even excited. Though I know she tries to hide it for my sake.
Shaking off the illusion, I rub my face and conjure a smile before Arisha can worry. “Do we really need all these people every time the gate opens? You’d think it would be more efficient to guide the guests to the wine than chase them with the bottles.”
“Protocol.” Arisha fidgets in her pretty cap-sleeved dress, a light blue linen—which I envy just now. The red-and-gold uniform of the Prowess team is smoldering hot, the high standing neckline and thick sash around the waist doing nothing to ward off the sweltering sun. The only one possibly worse off is Coal, who refuses to let go of his signature black just to accommodate the weather.
I stop a frown before it touches my face. Coal, who has been doing nightly patrols, reported the same thing we’ve seen for two months now—the forest is quiet. Too quiet.
“Look over there,” Arisha says, pointing with her chin toward a small group gathered in the shade of the towering arena wall.
As I turn, my gaze lands on a familiar muscled back that draws the attention of every female—and several males—on the Academy grounds. Unruly red hair shining in the bright sun, Tye stands beside Katita and an older man who—as the portrait in every Academy classroom informs me—is none other than His Majesty, King Zenith of Ckridel. Not that I need the portrait to tell me—his thick white hair is perfectly coiffed under a tasteful gold crown, his turquoise eyes and patrician features a thicker, more masculine version of Katita’s. A team of five guards stands at a respectful distance, their sharp attention raking every blade of grass in their charge’s vicinity.
His hands articulating in the air, King Zenith seems to be telling Tye an animated story. The tall male bends down to listen, only to lean back with a full-chested laugh a moment later, the king clapping his shoulder—clearly a bit dazzled by Tye’s beauty, as most people are when they first meet him. Tye’s smile fades, however, when the king points behind him, his hand beckoning …me.
Summoning a polite smile that I hope communicates something other than my desire to be most anywhere else, I approach the group.
“Ah, and here is another gold-and-red uniform I’ve not yet had the pleasure of meeting.” King Zenith smiles welcomingly as I approach. “And who would you be, my dear?”
“Leralynn of Osprey, Father,” Katita answers for me before I have a chance to complete my bow. “Who won’t be wearing that uniform too much longer if she keeps standing out here.” The princess’s sugar-sweet voice drops as if filling me in on a secret. “Didn’t you see the new exam schedule?—You are in the first batch. In fact—we’ll all come with you for moral support.”
My stomach drops. Throwing manners to the wind, I turn my back on the king himself and rush to the board listing the testing roster.
Sure enough, my name is there, right at the front of the list, where it wasn’t only an hour ago. The change is written in River’s own hand. What the bloody hell happened?
My heart hammers. I was supposed to have two days until facing the exams—three if things stretched longer than expected. Which all had a fighting chance of giving me enough time to protect the Academy before being expelled from it. Now… Panic makes it impossible to think clearly. I look around for Arisha, only to catch sight of her back disappearing into the arena, taking her place in the stands as she’s supposed to. The bell atop the keep tolls the hour.
“Aren’t you going in?” Katita asks innocently, her father, Tye, and the king’s bodyguards all closing around me.”Arriving late is an automatic fail.”
Mouth dry, I walk around to one of the arena’s several entrances without bidding the group goodbye and start toward the dais set up in the center. The sand crunches under my feet, the sun shimmering off it in waves. Cadets and groups of chatting visitors cover the benches in patches of color and slowly quieting conversation, glancing at me with mild interest. In the distance, another familiar trumpet call announces a new arrival at the gates.
Yes, after months of work, I’m about to get kicked out of the Academy without anyone even noticing. A sideshow to entertain the early arrivals. To ensure I’m off the Prowess team before the opening ceremonies even start.
I take the stairs toward the platform in the center of the arena on shaking legs, a surreal haze over my eyes.
“Lady Leralynn, you are running late.” River’s voice comes to me hollowly from the dais, as if sounding through a tunnel. Looking up, I find the male standing beside a large slate just like the one we practiced on in Master Briar’s room. His face is somber, his gray eyes unreadable steel as he points to the table laden with questions that have the power to end me. “Over here, please. Select your question and let us get the exam started, please. We’ve over two hundred students to hear from still.”
Somehow, I make my way toward River, my gaze begging his for an explanation and finding none. It’s all I can do to keep my hands from shaking as I reach to draw my question.
The paper crinkles beneath my fingers, the ink swimming before me as I stare at the neat handwriting outlining the question. Mathematics. Something about baking supplies that could be in a different language for how much I understand of it. I may as well forfeit now.
Taking the paper from my hands, River clears his throat and announces the problem to the watching audience. There is a catapult, he tells them. A wall. A required calculation.
The very question I pulled in Briar’s class, the numbers changed slightly. The question that River worked through with me in excruciating detail after the disastrous practice exam.
And one that has nothing to do with the words penned on the slip of paper I pulled.
My gaze lifts, traveling up from River’s chest to his chiseled chin and penetrating eyes, and somehow, without his saying a word, I understand. Without the ability to delay my exam time, he’s taken a different route to help me stay with my mission. One that may get us both thrown out of the Academy, but not yet. Not when such dirty laundry would tarnish Great Falls’ reputation.
The gratitude and relief rushing through me is nearly enough to rattle my balance.
Taking the allotted time, I make notes on the offered sheet, ensuring my calculations will seem smooth when I go up to the large slate and show my work to the predatory eyes watching from the stands. Eyes that, for once, are about to see a competent girl striding across the stage.
