The Estate (Sacrisvita Book 4)

by Dylan Steel

  Ms. Trynn crossed her arms in front of her chest and cocked her head at him. She narrowed her eyes, pausing for a few more seconds before answering. “Not today, Cal. But this is your last moment of grace. You’re trying my patience with these antics.” Her eyes flitted from him to the rest of the students.

  “Go ahead and get in your groups for research and discussion. Let’s not waste any more time today.” She glared at Cal. “Information on the next estate is already loaded on your databooks.” She sighed and stepped behind her desk. Tugging her sleeve down over her wrist, she used it to brush the footprints off the top of her desk, scowling.

  A terrible screeching filled the room as the students moved their desks to face their fellow group members.

  Inette shook her head. “Cal, you’re an idiot.”

  “Ah, you’re just jealous of my unique, outstanding charisma.” He flashed her a toothy grin.

  Her eyes turned into slits while Sage held her breath, waiting for an explosive reaction.

  “You need to watch yourself.” An edge of caution crept into Inette’s voice. “She just told you that was your last chance. Ignoring that type of warning would be suicide after graduation.”

  “Oh, come on. She was just saying that. I mean, have you ever seen anyone actually get shunned?” He waved his hand dismissively.

  Inette stared at him for a moment before saying another word. Cal squirmed under her gaze.

  “Yes,” she answered quietly, keeping her eyes on his. “I have, actually. And I’d really rather not see it happen again. Not to anyone.”

  “Gee, I didn’t know you cared about me so much, Nettie.” He attempted the joke half-heartedly with a grim smile.

  Sage looked at Inette in horror. “You mean… someone you knew—”

  Inette shook her head, pursing her lips tightly. The conversation was clearly over.

  Sage stole another look at Cal. Inette’s words had clearly struck a chord with him. Over the last five minutes, his demeanor had shifted drastically from flippant to stoic.

  She sucked in a breath. She’d never seen Inette look so serious. While she’d always known shunning was a horrible punishment, she hadn’t actually witnessed anyone being ripped from their friends and society and stuck in isolation for years.

  And judging by the look on Inette’s face, she never wanted to.

  9. THE CLOAK

  “We’re here!” Ms. Trynn announced gleefully, addressing the filled trailers. “I’ll alert the benefactor that we’re here. He’ll be along shortly, but in the meantime, see that over there?” she pointed. “You may go inside and begin looking around. Look,” she added emphatically, “but do not touch anything. And stay in your groups!”

  Sage and the others scrambled down the steps quickly and made a beeline toward the building. She’d been looking forward to this trip ever since she’d heard about it—so had everyone, it seemed.

  Cal and another boy reached the doors first and heaved them open. As Sage stumbled inside, a small gasp escaped her lips. It seemed a hundred eyes were on them all at once.

  Her wonder was interrupted by a loud snorting sound and a wet spray against her face. Grimacing, she turned to her left while raising the sleeve of her shirt to her cheek, wiping it dry. She found herself face to face with a speckled gray and white mare. She could have sworn the horse harbored a mischievous look in her big brown eyes for what she’d just done.

  Rubbing the back of her other wrist across her face for good measure, she took a step closer to the horse. It, along with at least a hundred others, was confined to a small pen, its only opening a half-wall that allowed the horse to crane its head and neck out.

  She felt a hand fall on her arm, stopping her from getting any closer.

  “We’re not allowed to touch them yet,” Penelope reminded her. She dropped her hand and hurried off to catch up with the rest of her group members who had wandered to the other end of the stable.

  Sage sighed and looked back at the horse apologetically. “Sorry,” she said softly.

  As she glanced back over her shoulder, she realized the other three members of her group had already meandered farther down, past more stalls. She rushed over before they had a chance to notice she wasn’t there. Cal was already ignoring the do-not-touch rule, rubbing the white-crested nose of a large ebony horse.

  “Isn’t he a beauty?” he whistled, half to himself.

  “He is, but I’m not getting in trouble for you, Cal,” Inette said pointedly.

  He wrinkled his nose. “Obviously. What’s your point?”

  “Stop touching the horse!” Inette snapped.

  Cal shot her a derisive look. “I’m not going to get you in trouble for doing…” he trailed off and abruptly dropped his hand at his side as he looked over Inette’s shoulder.

  The silhouettes of Ms. Trynn and a man were standing in the doorway. Sage squinted at them, trying to make out their features against the light streaming in behind them. Her stomach lurched when she realized she recognized him.

  Edward Grayson.

  The same man who’d been paired with Rosalind. The same man responsible for her death.

  She shook her head in an unsuccessful attempt to clear the awful memories from her mind.

  Ms. Trynn’s voice carried throughout the stable as they walked inside.

  “This is Benefactor Grayson, and these are his stables and horses. He has graciously offered to allow you all to ride in shifts today—” the students let out a collective gasp of excitement, “—but only if you are all on your best behavior. Any unruly behavior, and you’ll have ruined it for anyone who comes after you, and we’ll simply leave the estate early. Any questions? No?” She didn’t pause long. “Good. Mr. Grayson,” she said, turning to the man beside her, “how would you like to divide them up?”

  He cleared his throat. “Groups of four as you have them will be fine. My assistant will lead the tours.” He motioned toward a young woman who had just entered the stable behind him. “Esther. She’s quite capable. And she’ll give a brief lesson first.”

  Sage was surprised at how deep his voice was. And if she hadn’t known anything about him, she would have thought he was quite handsome. But she couldn’t push the thoughts of Rosalind away. All she saw in front of her was a monster.

  “I’ll start with you four, so pay extra attention. But this is for everyone, so you all need to listen closely.” Esther pointed to the group nearest the entrance and then proceeded to go over safety rules and riding etiquette. After quizzing the students a few times, she led out four horses and helped the first group mount them. Once she was satisfied that they were listening well enough, she led out a fifth horse, easily swinging her leg over his back and quickly trotting him in front of the others.

  “Let’s go!” she called over her shoulder as she kicked her heels into the sides of the animal beneath her.

  The horses seemed almost to have minds of their own, following quickly after Esther’s horse as he trotted away, not needing much input from the student riders.

  With the stable partially emptied, Ms. Trynn and Mr. Grayson meandered through the remaining crowd of students, making conversation as they went.

  Now that they were being supervised, they were permitted to touch the horses and even feed them sugar cubes and carrots that were hanging in bags between every other stall. Cal resumed his earlier stance petting the same horse on the nose again, sticking his tongue out at Inette. She rolled her eyes at him and made her way one stall farther down the row, grabbing a sugar cube and holding it out in her hand in front of a completely white horse.

  Fighting back a grin at their innocent, wordless feud, Sage headed to the center of two stalls to pick out a treat. She was relieved to see Penelope’s group had settled in beside her own. Being close to a friend was a source of comfort when she felt so very uncomfortable on this man’s estate.

  She grinned at Penelope as they reached the treat bag at the same time. Tugging a carrot out of the bag, she tu
rned and held it in front of the horse on the other side of Cal. Penelope grabbed a carrot as well and lifted it toward the horse just beside Sage. The girls giggled at the crunching sound the horses made as they devoured the vegetables.

  Sage raised her hand to the horse’s head, gently stroking its coat between its nose and eyes. She loved looking into the animal’s eyes. So large and dark, but with delicate lashes—they made the giant horse look almost bashful.

  As she gazed intently into the animal’s eyes, she suddenly realized she saw movement reflected in them. She stifled a gasp as she looked closer. Edward Grayson was standing right behind her.

  “Ah, and such lovely young ladies you are. What are your names, dears?”

  The benefactor had finally made his way deep enough into the stable that he was standing between Penelope and Sage. He bent down toward them a little too eagerly. His voice sent chills running down Sage’s spine.

  “Penelope.”

  “Um, Isabelle,” Sage said, ignoring the confused look her friend shot her. It wasn’t exactly a lie, but there was no way she trusted this man enough to tell him her first name.

  “Are you both in the same level?” he continued prodding.

  The two girls nodded.

  “And that would be?”

  “Ten,” Penelope answered honestly, much to Sage’s dismay.

  A look of disappointment flashed over his face for a split second before turning into a slight grin. “Well, perhaps you would like to see more of these majestic creatures after you graduate? I’m always in need of more help around here, it seems.”

  Without waiting for an answer, he straightened, his eyes falling just beyond them on Inette.

  “You should also make sure to come back again when you’re closer to graduating. Rejoin this Interest Society so that I will be sure to see you two again.” Although his words were directed at Penelope and Sage, he’d already started walking away from them and toward the older girl.

  “And you,” he rumbled in a low voice as he neared Inette, “what is your name?”

  “Inette,” she said softly, casting her eyes downward.

  “Inette,” he repeated. “That’s a beautiful name.” His hand reached up and brushed her hair back from her shoulder. “And what level are you in?”

  “Sixteen.”

  Sage felt her heart sink when she heard Inette’s answer. She hadn’t realized that she was going to graduate this year. That the benefactor wouldn’t have to wait long at all to claim her if he wanted to.

  Inette continued staring at the ground, rubbing her arms with her palms.

  “Are you cold?” he asked.

  “Just a little,” she answered. “But I’ll be alright,” she added quickly.

  “Nonsense,” he said as he unclasped the cloak from around himself and stepped behind her, throwing it over her shoulders. He refastened the clasp around her neck and rested his hands on her upper arms, rubbing them for a moment. He lingered for a few more seconds before withdrawing.

  “It would be a shame for something to happen to you—for you to get sick. I simply couldn’t have that on my conscience.”

  “Thank you,” she mumbled quietly.

  “What was that?” He put a finger beneath her chin, lifting her face until she met his eyes.

  “Thank you,” she said, louder this time.

  “You’re quite welcome.” He seemed satisfied with her response. He made a motion to leave but then stopped, turning back to her. “You know, I will want that back.”

  “Alright,” she said, reaching for the clasp.

  He shook his head. “No, no, not now. It’s yours to keep for now. But when you graduate, bring it back to me.”

  “Al—alright. But I’m not sure what my assignment will be—what if I can’t get it back to you very easily? Wouldn’t you rather just have it back now?”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about your assignment. I’m sure we can arrange something to get you back here to me.”

  Inette nodded, unwilling to ask any further questions for fear of how he might answer. Even with the heavy cloak over her, she could no longer hide that she was trembling.

  Benefactor Grayson either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He flashed her a perfect smile and walked away. He’d moved on to the next group of students without so much as a nod of acknowledgment at Cal or Gabby.

  Sage let out the breath that she’d been holding in the benefactor’s presence. She saw Cal shoot Inette a wry smile while Gabby held up another sugar cube for the horse. Maybe there was more to Cal than his goofy exterior.

  The only one who seemed unaware of what had just happened was Gabby. And Sage found herself surprisingly envious of her for it.

  10. TAKE A BREAK

  “You’re so lucky you get to go outside the city all the time.” Pippa looked over the edge of her databook and sighed wistfully as she sank back deep into the overstuffed chair. “Where’s your next trip?”

  It was an innocent enough question, but fire surged in Sage’s chest. Since their visit to Benefactor Grayson’s stables, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the way he’d looked at Inette. The unsettling way he’d insisted she find her way to him after graduation. Of course, there was no way of knowing just how insistent he would be. It would be easy for him to ensure that she had no choice in the matter—he’d just have to ensure that they were paired. For Inette’s sake, she hoped he wouldn’t.

  She shuddered and then realized she hadn’t said anything in response to Pippa’s question. She shrugged “Dunno. We haven’t gotten that unit yet.”

  Pippa stuck out her lip in disappointment. “Well, maybe I’ll just join Naturagre next year.”

  Sage’s stomach turned as she thought about Pippa meeting Edward Grayson. “It’s not as great as it sounds,” she mumbled, hoping a general lack of enthusiasm would discourage her.

  “You’re a real ray of sunshine tonight, aren’t you?” Pippa rolled her eyes and pushed herself out of the chair. She put her hand on her hip. “Well, the guys are helping some of us with our math assignments tonight—if you want to join.” She jerked her head toward Nic and Everett and a few others. She cocked her head, raising an eyebrow. “From what I hear, you could use the help.”

  Pippa flipped her hair and skipped over to the math study group. Sage groaned inwardly. She knew she should join them, but tonight of all nights—she just couldn’t muster the discipline.

  “Boo!”

  Penelope suddenly appeared, popping her head over Sage’s shoulder. She jumped.

  “Penelope!” Sage chided her irritably. “You shouldn’t scare people like that!”

  “Psh. Yes, I should.” She dropped her voice to a low whisper. “Especially when it’s people’s birthdays. People need scares on their birthdays.” She winked. “Ready to go?”

  Sage sighed. “I dunno… I—” she looked down at her databook, “—I have a ton of work to do.”

  “Please.” Penelope shook her head. “You’re not going to get it done tonight anyways.” She paused, tilting her head. “I think a little birthday celebration—a break—is just what you need to be able to do that work later.” A broad grin spread over her face. “Yup, that’s my official diagnosis as an official ambassador. You have to listen to me.”

  Without giving Sage another chance to protest, Penelope grabbed her hand and jetted toward the door, leaving the sounds of the Common Lounge behind them.

  Despite the rare trips to the Institution’s rooftop, the girls didn’t have any trouble finding their way. Though it was risky to visit it too often, it had become a sort of haven for them. It was one of the few places they knew they could go without Eprah spying on them and butting in on their business. It was a glimmer of freedom within their otherwise dark cage.

  Sage pushed open the door, stumbling onto the rooftop. Gravel crunched under her feet. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

  She heard the light grinding of gravel and then felt Penelope’s presence next to her.
>
  “You were right,” she breathed. “I definitely needed this.”

  After a few moments, Penelope broke the silence. “Something’s been bothering you.”

  It wasn’t a question.

  Sage gritted her teeth and ignored her, shutting her eyes even tighter.

  “Ever since Grayson’s estate,” Penelope added softly, glancing at her cautiously. “But you already knew he was awful—you saw what he did to Rosalind. Why is it bugging you so much now?”

  Flaring her nostrils, Sage peered out of small slits in her eyes. She stared at the ground, contemplating Penelope’s question. Why had it bothered her so much? A few theories flitted through her head.

  Maybe seeing him in person had reopened the old wound, renewed her grief about losing Rosalind. Maybe she didn’t want to see the same thing happen to Inette. Maybe she didn’t want to see the same thing happen to her. Or maybe she was bothered by how powerless she was to stop all of it.

  They were all true, but she choked back that last one. It was the hardest to admit. That probably meant it was true.

  Sage’s stomach turned as she looked at her friend and realized what she was about to do.

  “Pen, I need you to keep a secret. One I’m not supposed to tell you.”

  11. DROP THE GRAVEL

  Penelope’s jaw hung open.

  “You’re telling me that Mr. Walsh is a Lawless? Like… not even a sympathizer, but actually Lawless?” she whispered.

  Sage nodded.

  “And you’re thinking about it? Becoming Lawless?”

  She nodded again.

  “I didn’t even know you could be Lawless until after graduation. How in Eprah’s name are you supposed to be able to do anything? We’re just kids. And we’re stuck in here.” Penelope gestured around the building. She had a dazed expression on her face.

  Sage’s brow furrowed. “I’m not really sure.” She frowned as she thought for a moment. “I’m sure he knows and just hasn’t told me yet. Either way, I don’t know if I can sit here for another six years without trying to do anything.” She lifted her eyes to meet Penelope’s. “They’ve taken everything from me. And from you—they just kept you from knowing any better for a long time.” She snorted. “I’m sure they’d have left me in those Cleansings if they’d have known we’d be having this conversation now.”