Page 57 of War Hour

Ardis quips, “Do you plan on pulling any more stunts like you did today?”

His tone is hard, and I can’t help but recoil from the disposition shift.

But Sar smirks, taunting him. “Oh, you didn’t like that? Makes you think I’d be better off if someone wanted to train me so Icouldhold my own.”

Ardis stalks past her into the living area before perching on the arm of a chair, crossing his arms as he leans back. “It would bebetter offif you stopped getting into fights you know you can’t win.”

Torryn clears his throat, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his thighs, hands clasped. “Ardis, enough.”

Ardis twists his mouth angrily, looking off to the side.

Sar shifts higher in her seat, grinning in triumph.

Noticing, Torryn mutters to Sar, “I get it. You know I get it. But with everything going on right now, we can’t be stepping over any court lines. You know how precarious of a situation it can put us in.”

Sar frowns but nods once.

“I have a meeting with the Crowns, but I wanted to check on you first,” Torryn announces as he stands abruptly. Turning to look at Sar and then Ardis, he adds, “I will see you both later.”

In a moment’s decision, I follow Torryn from the room, dress flaring around my ankles. I struggle to catch up with him, his paces far longer than my own.

“Torryn, can I have a minute?”

My voice echoes in the empty corridor, stopping Torryn in his tracks.

His shoulders sag, and I have to stomp down the flicker of hurt at his desire to avoid me.

Before he can dismiss me, I blurt, “I’d like to do some training while I’m here. My automatic defense is my shield, but I can’t use it without giving away the only advantage I have. After what I saw these people do during War Hour—”

Torryn practically snaps his neck turning to look at me, a bite in his tone. “War Hour. You went to War Hour? Are you insane?”

My head rears back, Torryn’s sudden shift giving me whiplash.

Shifting on my feet, I fold my arms in front of me. “Evander brought me. He thought it would teach me more about the other courts... and the capital. Why—what’s wrong with that?”

“Evander.” Torryn barks out a cold laugh, rolling his eyes. “Of coursehedid.” Torryn runs a hand down his face, then brings a balled fist to his mouth as if forcing back what he wants to say.

I frown.

What doesthatmean? Evander seems harmless enough and nicer than anyone else has been—although I guess that could be a facade. My brows knot together.

“You—you seemed to trust Lord Gennady... I thought his son—”

“I told you not to trust anybody.”

My eyes bulge, and I can’t look at him, shaking my head. “That’sallyou told me. The only thing you felt the need to tell me before bringing me someplace where they literally fight like war for an hour, every freaking day.”

Torryn opens his mouth but nothing comes out. His hand moves to rake through his hair as he stares at me in burning disbelief. Stalking toward me, Torryn closes the distance between us, pointing at my chest and whispering in a tight voice, “Entering the arena during War Hour means you are available for challenging. Even if we have healers, people have died on that field, and if you don’t think Lord Drytas has friends in the capital...” Torryn trails off. “A lot of people’s problems would disappear if you were to end up tragically killed in an ordinary Tuesday War Hour.”

I choke on a gasp, staring at the dark look in Torryn’s eyes.

How could he not have told me something that held so much risk?

“You should have told me.”

Torryn laughs, backing up enough that I can safely breathe again. “You’ve been here a day. I didn’t think the first place you’d go traipsing around would be a battle arena!”

Leaning on opposite walls of the hall, I glare at Torryn, and he reflects every bit of irritation back at me. I refuse to be the one to break the silence. For a moment, I think I catch the corner of his mouth curving, but it’s gone before I blink.

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