Page 14 of Tears of Tungsten
Wonderful. Why was I not surprised that I was being singled out, yet again? I’d have liked to have one day, a single day during which I could be treated fairly. But apparently, that was too much to ask for.
I didn’t get a say, so I obeyed and waited as the other students trailed out of the room. Some shot me satisfied smirks. Others licked their lips or mimicked sexual acts which I’d presumably perform with the teacher.
It was disgusting, but I was used to it by now. I ignored it, although I did find myself wondering what would happen if Professor Savage saw it. Right now, the angle was all wrong, since the door was behind him. Would it bother him that his integrity was being questioned or would he agree with them and expect me to give him sexual favors? The thought sent shivers down my spine.
Fortunately, the professor had no intention of approaching me in such a way. As soon as the door slid closed behind the last student, he turned toward me and said, “A lot of the treatment you’ve received at the academy has been unfair, and my son tells me the final stage of last term’s tournament was brutal. I take it you’re not going to let that thwart you.”
Distantly, I remembered that the person who’d won the tournament had been Clay Savage. I didn’t know the man, but clearly, he knew me and had been talking about me with his family.
“Of course not, Sir. I’m a Grand Chimera tamer and I need to fully qualify for my position.”
Professor Savage nodded. “Understandable. I’ll be honest with you. I don’t think you should be here. Women aren’t soldiers. They should be at home, raising children. But you’re not like the women I’m familiar with, so I’ll give you a chance.”
Was I supposed to thank him? Maybe. He hadn’t acknowledged my worth as a chimera tamer, but he hadn’t called me a sexual plaything or asked me to have sex with him either.
“I appreciate any help you could provide, Sir,” I offered neutrally.
He smiled, a barely there twist of lips that could have meant anything at all. “For the moment, I can’t help you much, not more than His Royal Highness can. But I will give you a little piece of advice. Keep an open mind. Even things that seem horrible happen for a reason.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from providing a scathing reply. This had been a constant argument between me and most of the men at the academy. General Rhodes had told me something similar, during the conversation we’d had when he’d let me know that I’d have to return to Terra.
My mother hadn’t been open-minded in the slightest during our lesson, but I couldn’t accept the way women were treated here just because she’d hurt my feelings.
“You don’t believe me,” Professor Savage said. “I don’t blame you for it. That’s all right. You’ll learn.” Scanning me from head to toe one last time, he strapped on his phaser and finished, “Dismissed.”
Befuddled by his behavior, I saluted and left the classroom. I didn’t understand what that had been all about. Why did people here have to be so cryptic?
I felt better when I found Knox already waiting for me outside. He was leaning against the wall and studying the display on his tablet. It was an old-fashioned model, like the one Brendan often carried. When he sensed me approach, he looked up at me. “Hey, beautiful. Did the class go okay?”
“Well enough,” I replied. “It could have been better, but it could have been worse. Where are the others?”
Because of the disaster at the tournament, Brendan had pointed out the need to stick together during the school year. We had yet to find a solution for me beyond the use of Tiny Typhon—which wasn’t possible now due to the damage Typhon had received to his heads.
I could accept and admit the necessity of these precautions, but at the same time, I was more worried about them than I was about me. As much as I hated the way people at the academy were treating me, no one had tried to physically assault me. August had been the target at the tournament, and we still didn’t know who was behind the strange shutdown of the Charybdis.
“August and Pollux are in Chimera Technology and Brendan has that stupid Leadership elective this morning,” Knox finished.
Ah, yes, the famous Leadership elective. It was something Brendan had to take this semester because of King Philip. He’d said that, for the moment, the lessons weren’t perfectly lined up and had to be arranged according to his father’s instructions. He was not looking forward to that, or to any part of it.
It sucked, because that meant our schedules would be even more cluttered, to the point where we’d have trouble seeing one another on a regular basis. But complaining would just make it worse, so instead, I forced a smile and asked, “What about you? Are you skipping class?”
He shrugged. “I’ll take you to yours and make it there just in time. It’s no problem.”
It was probably true. He was the fastest out of our small group, and he’d be able to return to the hangars before the lesson started. I still hated being a burden for him.
I opened my mouth to tell him I didn’t need to be protected so closely, that I could handle my own affairs. I didn’t get the chance to utter a single word. An explosion sounded in the distance, making the tachyon lights in the corridor flicker. It was coming from the direction of the hangars.
I instantly understood what was going on. There could have been a million reasons for such a blast in a place like our academy, but I somehow knew none of them were the right one. “August,” I whispered.
Knox cursed under his breath. Without another a word, he grabbed me in his arms, draped me over his shoulder, and started to run.
It wasn’t the most dignified method of transportation, but I couldn’t have cared less about my dignity right now.“Sphinx, what’s going on?”I asked my friend through our connection.
“The tamers from the Harpy Squad remembered that they needed to be taught a lesson. Your lovers are giving them a hand with it.”
She sounded pleased, but that didn’t make me any less concerned. At the end of the day, she was a chimera. Wise as she might be, she didn’t have human sensibilities and didn’t always like following the rules. In that sense, she and I were very much alike, but I also acknowledged the necessity of not starting violent fights unless we had to.
“Hurry,” I breathlessly told Knox. “We have to stop them. It’s much too risky for them to fight now.”
