by Candy Crum
Even without having a familiar of her own, she certainly had a gift with animals—including the familiars of others.
“I don’t know why she likes me so much,” Arryn said, using her blanket to wipe as much wolf saliva from her face as possible. “Most companions don’t go crazy over other people. I’m the only person in the village that Zobig hasn’t tripped, and Luna has attacked me the last three mornings when I wake up.”
Cathillian laughed again. “Maybe Luna senses you’re a loser, and she just wants to give you pity snuggles. Zobig, too. You know, something about not kickin’ ‘em while they’re down and all that.”
“You’re a dick,” Arryn said, punching him in the shoulder. “I’m going to have to wash my bedding now.” There was a growl from the wolf, and Arryn smiled and finished with, “But I appreciate the love, Luna.”
Luna barked once before jumping down and trotting over to the door, lying down like she’d done the last three mornings. It seemed the wolf had sensed her apprehension and came to her aid.
Arryn shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she once again attempted to sit up.
“You ready for this? Or do you need some time?” Cathillian asked.
Arryn shook her head. “Nope, I’m fine. I just want to put on some pants, which I could do if you weren’t here.” She flashed him an annoyed smile.
“Are you sure you’re OK? You don’t have to act all tough with me, you know. That dream seemed pretty terrible.”
Arryn rolled her eyes. “How is it there are two vaginas in this room right now, neither of which are yours, and you’re still the biggest girl in here? Stop asking if I’m OK. I’m fine. It was just a dream. I had that same dream for weeks after I first came here. I got over it—and now I’m having them again because of everything going on. It’ll pass. I’ll be fine.”
Cathillian only nodded before standing and heading out of the room, Luna close behind. Arryn sighed, realizing she’d been a bit rude when all he’d wanted was to make sure that she was OK.
“Cathillian,” she said. He turned, his jade green eyes meeting hers. “Thanks for worrying about me. I promise—I’ll be alright. They’re only dreams.” She gave a genuine smile then. “You don’t have to worry about me so much.”
The corner of his mouth turned upward. “I’ll never not worry about you.” Arryn had almost been moved by that, until he finished with, “You’re a loser, remember? Luna thinks so, so it must be true.”
Before she could yell at him, he bolted out the door, laughing as he closed it behind him.
***
Amelia looked at the mile-long list of things to do sitting in front of her. The biggest of which was hunting down Doyle and the Governor. Doyle had escaped before the battle had ever happened, and Amelia needed to find him. Fast.
It had almost been a couple of months and there had been no luck. She was worried that Doyle would gather an army of all the pissed off people that had been exiled or fled and start another battle. Pathetic as he was, he was loyal to Adrien.
He needed to be found.
The second biggest thing to do was rebuild Queen’s Boulevard. It was to be something much different than before. Something people could feel proud of, but most importantly feel safe to come home to. The problem was she had zero idea of where to start.
Adrien had hemorrhaged a lot more money than people thought. All those high taxes went to paying what was essentially hush money to the families back home when their men disappeared into the factory.
Not only that, but there was an obscene amount of coin going to the rearick for the increased amphorald shipments, which only increased as the time for the flying death machine to be completed drew nearer.
The only thing keeping the city afloat were the nobles and the way they spent money. But of course, many of those people refused to stay when they realized the Boulevard would no longer be the trash receptacle of their great city—that the scum of the city would no longer be segregated. They would be welcomed with open arms in any part of Arcadia they liked.
Good riddance.
Amelia couldn’t give a shit about those people, what they liked, what they wanted, or even where they went. Their money, however, well—that was another story. She would regret losing that.
“Chancellor,” Marie, her new assistant, said as she peeked through the door.
Amelia smiled at the woman. She had a lot of planning to do for the new Hunters—the Guard scouts responsible for hunting down the traitors as well as patrolling the valley for any threats—but she could use a small break.
“Yes, Marie. Please, come in. And you can call me Amelia.”
Marie smiled, seemingly happy to have been given the option. The woman had never had positive experiences with Adrien before. Amelia wanted to keep her around for her knowledge of how things worked in the tower and also in the city building.
Most of the city’s work went on in the city building, but Adrien had always stayed holed up in the tower of the Academy.
Amelia had no plans to do that.
She was the backbone of the city now, and she planned to be in the heart of it. Not in the Academy, sequestered away from everyone and everything. That was why she hired Talia, to deal with all things education, and she seemed more than capable.
Marie was kind and sweet, though a bit mousy. Amelia saw the fear in her eyes when Adrien’s name was mentioned, so she trusted her. Amelia knew the woman was innocent.
“Yes, ma’am,” Marie said in response. “I’m sorry. It’s still so strange working for someone so kind.” Her head shook, no doubt trying to clear her mind of the terrible memories. “Anyway, the reason I stopped in… I hope you don’t mind. I came in here earlier to try to help organize, and I saw that list you’re holding.”
Amelia laughed. “Judging by the look on your face, you found it just as amusing as I did.”
“That’s an understatement. Again, I’m sorry for getting in the way, but I thought you could use some help. So, I rounded up some volunteers, and they’re down there working on the cleanup on the Boulevard. Everything so far is burned or broken. I told them to dismantle everything down to the foundations, and if anything was salvageable, save it. It’s not much, but I hope it helps.”
Amelia stood and made her way over to the woman, slowing her pace when she saw the worry on her face. Amelia pulled her into a hug, and Marie stiffened at the contact.
“You’re amazing, Marie,” Amelia said, pulling away. “Thank you! There are lots of things on that list, but that one is closest to my heart. I wanna rebuild the Boulevard for Hannah. She and Parker came from there; her family died there. So many people lost so much there. I want to see they’re taken care of for once. If we can get volunteers for the demolition, maybe we can get some volunteers to get new wood and supplies. Then, we’d just have to rebuild.”
Marie smiled, her posture straightening a little as she got a bit more comfortable. “I think I can help with that! Why don’t you let me focus on the Boulevard? I know it’s your special project, but I can handle the big work, and we can work on the details together.” Her voice was high, and her words were fast. It seemed she was genuinely excited to do the work.
It made Amelia happy to see that lives were being changed, even with the mess around the city. “I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. It would allow me to focus on the Academy and doing the work I actually know how to do. I need to get some teachers and fast. We have a lot of students pouring in. I try to avoid getting in Talia’s way, but this stuff I kind of need to help with. She’s still a bit new.”
“I understand! Please let me know whatever I can do! I’m gonna get to work,” Marie said, her already impossibly bright smile somehow growing. She turned and left the room then, closing the door behind her.
Amelia made her way back to her desk, sitting down to look over her list again. “Doyle will have to wait for now, I suppose. Back to the Academy, it is. I’m sure Talia will need the help with the applicants anyway,” s
he thought out loud.
***
Elysia leaned on a tree as she watched Cathillian sparring with Arryn. He was smart, not letting her expend any real energy while still showing her moves that would help in the battle. She knew that with Arryn having someone like Cathillian training her, she stood a chance.
Still, over the past few nights, the guilt began to wear on Elysia. Night after night she fell asleep, worried that her son may have been right, that her choices may not have been as noble as she believed.
As she stood there, watching Arryn putting aside her differences with Cathillian to ensure her victory, Elysia wondered just what else she’d underestimated.
“I can’t do this,” she said to herself.
She turned and headed toward the Chieftain’s home. When she found him, he was sitting outside, enjoying the sun peeking through the canopy above.
“You look like a woman on a mission,” he said as Elysia approached.
Zobig, his overly large, black bear, grumbled as he opened his eyes long enough to get a look at her before plopping his head back down on his arms and falling back to sleep.
The Chieftain smiled. “Let me guess…”
“I can’t do this,” Elysia blurted out. “What if Cathillian’s right? What if Nika’s right? I can’t bear the thought of Arryn hating me any more than I can of Cathillian. I feel like I’ve betrayed one of my children and set her up for failure.” There was a pause as the Chieftain’s eyes stared into Elysia’s. “What? Why aren’t you speaking?”
“You didn’t even let me guess!” he said, his amused expression spreading across his face.
Elysia rolled her eyes. “Father, I’m not playing games.”
“Oh, I know. I didn’t need to guess anyway. I knew the problem as soon as I saw your face. That being said, I’m going to relieve your guilt.”
Elysia felt relief flooding through her. “You’ll let me pick another warrior? Thank you!”
He shook his head. “No. I didn’t say that. I simply said I was relieving your guilt. By that, I mean I’m taking the responsibility from you and putting it on myself. Arryn will compete in the Versuch, and she will do it with the warriors you’ve chosen. There. Now, it isn’t your fault. It’s mine.”
“No! It doesn’t have to be either of ours. We can fix this. Just allow me to pick another warrior,” Elysia pleaded.
“Why? So you can insult her again?” the Chieftain asked. Elysia’s eyes narrowed as she thought over his words. “You wanted to deny her the right to compete at all, but it was against our laws. Instead, you underestimated her again by choosing the strongest warriors we have to pit her against because you were absolutely certain of her weakness. So sure, in fact, that you knew without a doubt Arryn couldn’t beat those warriors.”
“That’s not true!” Elysia interrupted. “I just thought if she can beat them, then she can beat anyone! Your words are untrue.”
“Ah, but that is the truth, daughter. If she lost, she’d stay here—where it’s safe. Now, you insult her again by coming to me and asking me to give her a weaker opponent. I won’t. You’re too scared of losing her to see how much she’s grown. She’s exactly the person you brought her here to be. She’s spent more time with us here than she did with her parents in Arcadia. That makes her one of us. She knows who her opponents are and knows who you’ve chosen. The damage is done. If you do this now, it’ll tell her that you really do think she’s weak.”
Elysia was stunned to silence. Her intentions had been good. She’d never meant to hurt Arryn, but one bad decision led her to another.
She only wanted to keep her away from the dangers that Arcadia faced, especially after Ezekiel had come and told them of the horrible nature of his visit. Instead, she’d only managed to act like a child not getting her way and hurt a girl that she’d come to love.
“You’re right,” Elysia said.
He smiled. “Of course, I am! I’m pretty great, you know. That’s why everyone calls me the greatest.”
“No one calls you that,” Elysia countered, trying to hide her smile. “But they should.”
“That’s all I ask,” the Chieftain joked while shrugging his shoulders, his palms in the air. He stood then, walking over to Elysia. He placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. “Now—the time has come. Are you ready to watch our little girl grow up?”
Elysia nodded. “I am. But first, I think I need to talk to her.”
“I think that would be wise,” the Chieftain said before heading west, in the direction of the Versuch grounds.
***
Arryn ducked, only narrowly missing a punch from Cathillian. “Good!” he said. “Remember to keep your eyes on your opponent at all times. Watch her body language. Same goes for Ryel when it comes time to battle with magic.”
She nodded. “I think I can do this.”
“You think?” he asked incredulously. “You’re gonna need to do a hell of a lot better than think.”
She sighed. “Yeah. Very true. Damn it! I hate this. No one else needs to be an expert to leave. They just need to make sure that they don’t die within five minutes of passing through the border. I’m trying hard not to focus on the fact this is stupid and uncalled for, but it’s hard.”
“I know,” Cathillian said, nodding. “I did my best, but she’s stubborn. She worries about you just like she does me.”
Arryn laughed. “Is that so? Then why doesn’t she give a shit that you’re a warrior? You might have to go protect the tribe and you could die in battle. I bet if you requested the Versuch, she’d have no problem. She’d probably give you Jenna.”
“It’s not that,” Elysia said, stepping out from behind the trees. “I would absolutely have a problem with it. And Jenna?” Elysia looked at her incredulously before rolling her eyes. “I’d never assign him Jenna. What’s wrong with you, child? I’d need to make sure he’s strong enough to leave. She’s the weakest warrior we have.”
Elysia stopped in front of Arryn, their eyes locked on one another.
“I just don’t understand why you did this. I really don’t think you would have put him through this. Either you’re scared—and I’ve never seen you scared of anything—or you just have no faith in me.”
Elysia sighed, giving Arryn a sad smile. “He’s my only child, and Arryn, you’re my responsibility. One that I came to care very much for. The problem is with me. I thought I was trying to protect you, but I wasn’t. I refused to see how much you’d accomplished. When I look at Cathillian, I see a druid that’s been trained since he was old enough to walk.”
“And when you look at me, you see a poor, Arcadian orphan that doesn’t belong in either place,” Arryn said.
Elysia nodded. “I think part of me did. But today that changes. Today, you prove me wrong. I want you to go out there and beat their asses. Your physical magic is weak, but don’t be afraid to use it. Use any means necessary. They’re trained for that. They can handle it, and in any real fight, you'd use both, so it's fair.”
Arryn smiled. “Thanks, Elysia. I planned to kick their asses anyway. I wanted a really good rub it in moment. I was working on my victory speech and everything. But now that you’re on board, you’ve screwed it all up.”
Elysia patted her on the back. “No problem. Maybe I’ll let you give that speech anyway. But on the downside, if you lose, I’ll kick your ass myself. Understand?”
Cathillian rolled his eyes. “I think that’s her stubborn way of saying she loves you and good luck.”
“Yeah,” Elysia replied. “What he said.”
Arryn looked to the sky. The sun was directly overhead. “It’s time.”
CHAPTER SIX
Talia had just finished eating the breakfast that she had unfortunately burned and walked out her front door when it started to rain. She groaned to herself, regretting having taken the time to even attempt to look nice. Her hair became a matted mess in only moments, and she didn't have an umbrella, though she did have something el
se.
She felt the energy swirling around her as she lifted her hand above her head, a magical barrier appearing just above her. It certainly wasn't practical like a non-energy-draining umbrella, but it protected her from getting any wetter.
As she walked into the school, she nearly slipped and fell because of a puddle of water that was just inside the entrance on the floor. She groaned again, silently cursing the matriarch, hoping she could hear her swears.
As she moved down the hallway toward the stairs that would lead to her office, she heard someone calling her name.
"Dean Talia!" the voice called out.
Already annoyed, just from hearing the tone of his miserable voice, she closed her eyes and sighed heavily, her shoulders momentarily slumping. She heard the footsteps rapidly approaching, so she gathered herself and pasted on what small smile she could manage.
Turning, she saw Alec, a new teacher at the Academy, approaching her with a student on each arm.
"That face doesn't look very happy," Talia said, knowing that her bad day was about to continue as she saw the teacher angrily look from one student to the other. "What seems to be the issue?"
"We have a little problem with these two. They were fighting." The man looked at her with a matter-of-fact expression, acting like he expected her to do something right that moment.
"And?" Talia asked. She could hardly keep the disdain from her voice. He was a grown ass man that couldn't take care of a couple of students. He could vaporize them for all she cared. Especially right then.
He looked at her incredulously. "Fighting is forbidden. This is supposed to be a safe area for students. Jackson here thinks that the Boulevard students have no right to be in the Academy. Amos here is from the Boulevard. Do you see now why we have a problem?"
