We Three Heroes

by Lynette Noni

  “The offer stands for the drugs. And the talk. Any time.”

  Feeling that settle deep within, Jordan replied with a grateful nod and a farewell wave, before continuing outside. His steps were buoyant as he realised just how many good people he had in his life. It said a lot about the decisions he’d made in the wake of Luka’s death, the risks he’d taken to distance himself from his parents and instead seek his own path in life. He’d lost a lot in making that decision, but he’d gained so much more. Not a day went by when he wasn’t thankful for the choices he’d made that led him to where he now was, despite the hurdles he’d faced along the way.

  Caught up in his inner appreciation as he wandered along the icy path, Jordan only jolted out of his thoughts when he approached the food court and heard D.C. calling out his name. He glanced up to find her jogging his way, her cheeks rosy from the cold and a vibrant blue scarf wrapped around her neck, brightening her eyes.

  Jordan had always loved her eyes. From their very first day at the academy when she’d narrowed her gaze at him and called him an attention-seeking clown—in her defence, her comment had been justified—he’d been struck by the unique blue-green colour. Until he’d semi-met her father in the dungeons beneath the Tryllin palace, Jordan had never seen eyes that could compare. And coupled with her flushed face and the smile she sent him—the shy, secretive smile that he’d only ever seen her direct his way—for a moment he found himself struck mute as he took in all that she was.

  Apparently he stayed staring at her in silence for too long, since her smile fell and she bit her lip as she looked down to fiddle with her mittened hands. “Are you angry with me?”

  That was enough to pull Jordan from his daze. “What? Why?”

  She glanced up at him from under her lashes, her cheeks pinker than before. “I don’t know what happened. I always toss and turn at night, especially now with Lena Morrow still nullifying my gift. It’s unnatural for me to sleep without waking, without wondering what I’m missing out on seeing because of her. But last night, I slept like the dead. And I—I left you out here alone.”

  Suddenly, Jordan understood. And when he did, he couldn’t help his reaction. He reached out a hand—bare, since he’d left his gloves back in his room—and stroked his fingers against the warmth of her cheek. Just the once, just enough to feel the softness of her skin, enough for her eyes to widen and her blush to deepen.

  The two of them had never shied away from physical affection, not since embarking on a friendship at the end of their third year, especially after D.C. had lowered her walls enough to share who she really was. But while in the past they’d freely exchanged hugs or curled up together in the Rec Room or their dorms, they’d always been careful not to cross an unspoken line. Their last week, however, had been different, ever since her emotional reaction upon his return to the academy. That first night she’d been unwilling to let him go—and he’d been equally unwilling to relinquish his hold on her. And then there were their nights by the lake when she cuddled up beside him, staying burrowed into his side for hours at a time.

  Jordan knew what he felt for her. He’d known it for a long time—perhaps from that first moment her narrowed blue-green eyes had settled on him four years ago. No one had called him out to his face before, but if ever there was a soul brave enough to do so, he should have known it would be the heir to the Medoran throne, even if he hadn’t known her identity at the time. Instead, he’d thought of her as a moody princess—not the royal kind—and had never looked deeper into his feelings as the years had passed. Never wondered if the antagonism he felt towards her was really a grudging respect just waiting to grow into something more.

  Now, having spent time with her and learning who she really was, it was no surprise how his feelings had developed; how what was between them had evolved from a forced friendship for Alex’s sake, to genuine affection, and then beyond that.

  But despite how Jordan felt—and how he was pretty sure she felt about him—he still struggled with accepting that they might have that kind of future together. For many reasons—all of which he had trouble recalling while she was looking at him with such bright, hopeful eyes.

  Knowing he needed to retreat before he did something to cross that line between them, making it considerably harder to keep her safe, Jordan lowered his hand and cleared his throat. “Of course I’m not angry. You’ve been out every night with me—you needed to sleep.” Then he added, “And besides, if you had come out last night, you wouldn’t have found me.”

  Her gaze turned sceptical. “You… You slept through the night, too?”

  Jordan wished he could tell her yes, if only because he knew she was worried about him. But he couldn’t lie to her. And he didn’t want to. Even if the truth was hardly something she would have expected.

  “No, I ended up going on an… errand… with Hunter,” Jordan answered. “We didn’t get back until late. Or, uh, early, I guess.”

  D.C. tilted her head to the side. “What kind of errand?”

  Jordan knew diversionary tactics would be needed now, since he had no intention of sharing with her—or anyone—that he’d been out Hyroa hunting and had ended up just steps away from Aven. She would freak. Alex would freak. Bear would freak. And then they would ask all kinds of questions, none of which he wanted to answer while his conversation with Hunter had left him feeling so raw.

  “He needed help with something out in the forest,” Jordan said carefully. “By the time I made it back to my dorm, it was already dawn.”

  He shuffled his feet, aware that D.C. was looking at him as if awaiting more. But then she huffed out a quiet laugh and rolled her eyes.

  “You know I’m not your babysitter, right? I don’t expect you to tell me everything you get up to, especially when it’s none of my business. Just tell me to butt out, and I will.”

  Jordan couldn’t help the grin that settled on his face. “You’re kidding, right? As if I’d ever dare say anything so disrespectful to the royal princess.”

  D.C.’s eyes widened and she looked around fearfully, but Jordan had already checked to make sure the coast was clear. He was always careful when he used her title, jokingly or not. He knew how important it was to her to retain as much of her anonymity as was possible.

  “You’re hilarious,” D.C. deadpanned, turning back to him once she saw that no one was close enough to have overheard. “But I mean it—you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. Ever.”

  Jordan had to resist the urge to cup her cheek again, then pull her closer and wrap his arms around her. Instead, he settled for taking her mittened hand in his and giving a gentle squeeze.

  He already knew the truth of her words. She’d proved them to him over and over again every night for the past week, sitting beside him in the cold rather than coercing him to speak before he was ready. He was more grateful for that than anything else they’d ever shared between them. And it was because of that that he couldn’t stop himself at just the hand squeeze, so he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her beanie-covered forehead, whispering there, “I know.”

  He pulled back just in time to see her throat bob and her cheeks flush again. He knew she hated that—the curse of being a redhead, she’d once complained to him. But while he’d known better than to admit it to her at the time, it was yet another thing he loved about her. That her emotions played out so clearly across her features, her very blood revealing how she felt at any given time.

  “Anyway,” D.C. said, and this time it was she who had to clear her throat, “I didn’t come out here looking for you just to apologise for last night.” She glanced from him to the food court, a furrow between her brow. “It’s late. Have you had breakfast yet?”

  “No,” he answered, “but I’m not hungry.”

  She looked concerned at that, and since he knew she’d been monitoring his eating habits closely over the week, he was quick to explain, “Fletcher dosed me up with a rehydration toffee just before you found me. To
help me recover from the, uh, late night.” No way was he going to admit to the real reason for the toffee—and the rest of the meds Fletcher had given him. “I won’t be thirsty or hungry for a few hours until it wears off.”

  D.C. nodded, sticking by her earlier statement and not asking for more details. “That’s good, since I don’t think we have time for you to eat before the meeting.”

  “Meeting?”

  “That’s why I came to find you,” D.C. said, indicating for him to follow as she headed in the direction of the Tower building, the snow crunching under their boots. “Alex wants us with her when she talks to the headmaster and some of the other teachers. I think she’s come up with a plan.”

  Anticipation swirled in Jordan’s stomach as he thought about the promise Alex had made when she’d Released him—that they would be fighting back against Aven. For the last week, none of them had managed to brainstorm any viable ideas. But if Alex had called a meeting with Marselle and whoever else, then perhaps something had changed. Perhaps they’d finally be able to act.

  Picking up their pace, Jordan and D.C. hurried until they reached the entrance to the Tower, where they found Bear already waiting for them.

  “I thought you two would never get here.”

  Despite the impatience threaded in his words, Bear’s face was lit with eagerness that Jordan felt reflected in his own features.

  D.C. looked between the two of them, her lips curling as she read their enthusiasm. “Let’s go see what this is all about, shall we?”

  Eight

  The meeting in the headmaster’s office had been interesting, to say the least.

  Along with Marselle, the other teachers present included the Combat instructor, Karter, the Archery teacher, Maggie, and the Shadow Walker, Caspar Lennox, along with Hunter and Fletcher. The presence of the latter two had caused Jordan to pause upon entry into the headmaster’s office, particularly that of Hunter. But when the Stealth and Subterfuge teacher showed no sign of mentioning the events of the previous night—any of them—Jordan took that as his cue and, relieved, focused on nothing but the meeting.

  Alex’s plan, Jordan soon discovered, was to visit the most powerful mortal races of Medora and form a political alliance. He wasn’t as surprised to hear it as some of the teachers, since it was one of the possibilities she’d mentioned during all their discussions over the past week. What did surprise—and delight—him was that she intended for him, D.C. and Bear to accompany her. It wasn’t uncommon for Alex to venture out alone on some of her more daring adventures—not always by choice, but nevertheless, it was what happened, especially when her journeys involved travelling through the Library.

  Unlike Jordan, Bear and D.C., not all of the teachers were pleased to hear Alex’s intentions. Marselle in particular was unexpectedly resistant to the idea of a political alliance amongst the mortal races. Or perhaps he wasn’t resistant to the idea as much as not wanting the four of them to travel outside the safety of the academy grounds in order to seek aid.

  Jordan could understand where the headmaster was coming from, but none of them were going to be safe for much longer—no matter where they were—if they didn’t start doing something proactive, if they didn’t at least try to stop Aven before it was too late. This plan would offer the first step of many in campaigning to bring the mortal races together against a common enemy. It was vital if they were to have any hope for the future. And while it took some gutsy words from Alex and some pointed comments from the other teachers, especially Hunter and Karter, Marselle finally acknowledged that it was a good idea and weighed in with his thoughts and advice right along with the others.

  After brainstorming for hours, they were able to end the meeting on a high note, with everyone feeling tentatively hopeful about the following weekend when Jordan and his friends would venture first to the Flips and Jarnocks on Saturday, then the Shadow Walkers and Dayriders on Sunday.

  Jordan didn’t know which city he was looking forward to visiting most. What he did know was that he was looking forward to it—and that was something that, even just a day ago, wouldn’t have been possible. At least not with genuine enthusiasm. He would have acted it, for sure, but it wouldn’t have been real. Now, however… He couldn’t wait.

  Despite feeling freer than he had in weeks, he still wasn’t surprised when he awoke from sleep that night. It wasn’t the same sweaty, screaming awakening that he’d suffered through most other nights, but the nightmares had been vivid enough for him to know he wouldn’t be dozing off again anytime soon.

  So he headed out to the lake. And soon after, D.C. joined him.

  This time, however, when she curled up beside him, he broke the silence they’d otherwise maintained until now.

  “I didn’t just go out into the forest with Hunter last night.”

  She didn’t say anything, just burrowed deeper so he’d know she was listening.

  “I went back to his quarters with him afterwards. We talked. It… helped.”

  A long pause, and then D.C. whispered, “I’m glad.”

  That was all either of them said for the rest of their time together, but it was enough. Because Jordan had learned from Hunter that with time and care, scars could fade. Time, he would have to wait for. But care—that was something he had to give himself. Or allow someone else to give him.

  And despite knowing better, despite his determination to keep her at a distance, Jordan knew that if his scars were ever going to start fading, D.C. would provide better care than he could ever give himself—simply by being curled up against him and offering the healing comfort of her silence.

  The next afternoon found Jordan in the Arena sparring with Bear in their Delta Combat class. He felt more refreshed than he had in weeks, mostly because, for the first time since he and D.C. had begun their midnight lake visits, he’d become tired enough to suggest they return to their rooms long before dawn touched the horizon. He’d then ended up sleeping until morning—something he still couldn’t believe.

  Jordan had forgotten what a good night’s sleep felt like, or at least part of one. His body was thanking him for it now, fuelled with energy he’d been lacking of late. It meant he was meeting Bear strike for strike in their unarmed fight, something he’d struggled with during their last few classes. But today the two of them were equally matched, with neither of them pulling their punches.

  After one particularly vicious uppercut that had Jordan ducking just in time for it to slide past his jaw, Bear paused his attack, stood back and placed his hands on his hips. Panting with exertion, he all but yelled, “I’m sorry—I can’t ignore it any longer. You’re my best friend, you’re like a brother to me, and I can’t—I can’t—”

  Jordan, breathing just as heavily, looked at him in concern. “What’s going on?”

  “What’s going on?” Bear cried in disbelief. “You tell me, Jordan! What’s going on with you?”

  When Jordan just looked at him with wide, confused eyes, Bear jabbed a finger at him and said, “I know you’re not sleeping. I know your appetite is sketchy at best. I know you’re going through the motions and acting like nothing’s wrong so that people won’t notice. I know you, Jordan. And I’ve let it go for the last week because I thought you needed time. But I can’t do it anymore—not if you’re hurting.”

  Jordan and Bear had always had a close relationship, closer than friends, more like siblings, just as Bear had said. They’d always been there for each other, ever since their first day at the academy when they’d been paired as roommates. Through highs and lows, they’d counted on each other—but until now, they’d mostly had many highs and very few lows.

  What Jordan had recently gone through, however, was a definite low. And he was touched that Bear felt so strongly about it that he was willing to scream at him in the middle of their Combat class.

  But for that very reason, Jordan also found that he was mortified. He wasn’t sure whether to slap a hand over his face or, irrationally, burst out into embarr
assed laughter.

  “Uh, mate,” Jordan said, looking around at their fellow Delta classmates who had paused sparring to watch the scene unfold. Even Karter was looking on, his arms crossed, an eyebrow raised over his icy blue eyes. “Maybe we should talk about this once we’re back at the dorm. You know… later?”

  “Will we, though?” Bear cried, throwing his hands out to the side. Then, seeming to realise the attention he’d gathered, his cheeks flushed and he stepped forward to throw another punch, renewing their fight.

  He didn’t, however, stop talking. But he did lower his voice.

  “I’m worried about you. And I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help. Especially if you won’t talk to me.”

  A surge of gratitude spread within Jordan as he jumped over Bear’s half-hearted attempt at a leg swipe and retaliated with a reverse spinning kick. Bear was so distracted by what he was saying that Jordan’s boot nearly made contact with his face, with him bending backwards at the very last second.

  “Good, Sparker!” Karter called from across the Arena. “But more speed next time. Rotate your hips in through the turn and it’ll add extra force. Again!”

  Jordan only half paid attention to Karter’s instruction, focusing more on Bear even as he repeated the move with the changes to his position. His teacher was right: the hip adjustment did allow for more speed and force, but Bear was ready this time and deflected with his forearm, nearly unbalancing Jordan. Bear then attacked with a series of hand strikes that had Jordan backing up quickly and going on the defence again.

  Jordan tried to respond to Bear in between lunges, but his friend was now channelling his concern into emotion-driven attacks and it took all of Jordan’s concentration to keep from being overcome.

  When Jordan eventually saw an opening, he went in low and rained a sequence of jabs to Bear’s stomach and ribcage, causing his friend to grunt and curl in on himself before he lunged upwards and managed to surprise Jordan by grabbing him in a headlock, wrestling him to the hard, frost-covered ground. There, Bear continued his attack, once again yelling at Jordan.