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I fought the urge to sigh audibly. I was getting used to big, intimidating instructors at the Drexian Academy, but the admiral made me nervous. Maybe it was the fact that he held the power to decide who stayed and left the school that made me so jittery, especially since I refused to fail. Not when I’d come so far.
I shifted in my seat, aware that others around me were breathing easier. Morgan’s shoulders sagged as she slid down in her seat, which told me she might think he was hot, but she was also glad he wasn’t going to be teaching us every day. At least it wasn’t only me.
“If you got in the School of Strategy, I have no doubt you’re all clever.” Zoran swept his gaze across the class. “You’re also probably shrewd and cunning. Maybe you were called sneaky when you were young, or maybe you were smart about hiding the fact that you noticed patterns in everything and could spot everyone’s mistakes almost before they could make them.”
There was a smattering of laughter.
I hadn’t been called sneaky as a kid precisely because I’d figured out early on that being smarter than everyone—and letting them know it—didn’t win you friends. It didn’t even impress my parents, who thought I was acting too big for my britches. So, I’d hidden my intelligence until I needed it to get the hell out of there.
“Assassins see things others don’t, but instead of punishing you for it, we reward you,” Zoran continued.
My pulse quickened. I’d found my place. The idea of an entire school devoted to strategy made my fingers buzz as I held them over the surface of my tablet, eagerly awaiting something to write down.
“You are the ones who will have to out-think our opponents, out-smart the enemy forces. You are the future warriors who will help us defend Earth and defeat the Kronock.”
Cheers went up around the room, and Morgan and I joined in. Our first class was turning out to be a bit of a pep rally, and I was there for it.
“I’m not going to start you off with more war techniques or history of famous battles.” The admiral released a small groan and the corners of his mouth quirked. “You’ll have enough of that to come.” He flicked his gaze at Tivek, who stood. “Today, we’re going to play a game.”
A game? If this was the part of the class where two extremely handsome cadets were going to pick teams, leaving me and any other geeky kids for last, then I was going to have serious flashbacks to elementary school and maybe a panic attack.
Now my heart was hammering in my chest like I was being chased. It wasn’t a surprise that Drexians would make everything some kind of competition, but I hoped that it wasn’t the kind that involved serious physical skills. I’d hoped that after going through my basic battle class last term—and after-hours coaching for the maze—I could relax into my Strategy classes, which should have been more cerebral.
“Pair up,” the admiral announced as Tivek produced a box that had been tucked behind the first row of chairs.
Morgan and I immediately grabbed each other’s arms, laughing at how fast and urgently we were grasping. At least I would only be competing against my friend. That couldn’t be so bad, unless this was a Drexian version of the three-legged race and Tivek’s box was filled with rope to bind our ankles together.
When he handed us a deck of cards, I stared at it for a beat. “A card game?”
“You have played Drexian cards before?” Tivek eyed me, and I could have sworn I noticed a hint of a smile teasing his mouth.
Morgan and I both shook our heads as my friend inspected the cards, which appeared to have the four emblems of the academy schools printed on them instead of suits.
“Do you think this is like poker?” I asked Morgan.
She flipped up the flat writing surface that had been tucked between our seats and fanned the cards out, then flipped them over so they fanned out in the other direction. I had the sinking suspicion this was not her first rodeo when it came to cards.
“I fucking hope so.” She winked at me. “Full disclosure, Jess. I did take a trip to Vegas with some college buddies to count cards. Honestly, poker isn’t my game. But if this is anything like blackjack, then I’d like to apologize in advance.”
I laughed. “You’re assuming you’ll win?”
She leaned closer to me. “Don’t tell me you’re an ace at blackjack, too.”
“I’ve actually never been to a casino or bet on a card game in my entire life.”
She blew out a breath as she started to shuffle the cards on the mini table between us, removing and slotting small groups of cards into the deck over and over. Then she divided the deck and riffled the two stacks together at the corners and folded them into each other so neatly that I almost gaped. She tapped the shuffled deck and placed it on the table with the bronze Drexian Academy emblem facing up.
Morgan looked so pleased with herself that I felt I had to tell her. “I’ve never been to a casino, but I have read a decent number of books on card strategy.” When her smile fell, I added. “And I have an eidetic memory.”
She cursed under her breath. “Now I wish I’d known you when we went to Vegas.”
Chapter
Ten
Torq
Iswiped the back of my hand across my forehead, the slickness coating my skin. If I’d thought the introduction to battle class during the first term had been an intense experience, my first official class as a Blade had taught me otherwise. My side ached from the nonstop sparring against the much more skilled and considerably less forgiving Blade instructors, and it even hurt to suck in a breath.
