“Relax, Lex,” he grumbled.
I did no such thing.
“Sir, I apologize for the state of my bunk this morning. I assure you, it won’t happen again. As soon as training is finished, I will fix my mistakes,” I started, and the General took a deep breath as if he was going to interrupt me, but I barreled on. “And I’ll volunteer for extra duties around the Academy.”
Silence hung between us for a moment before the General closed his eyes for a beat before fixing me with his gaze. His eyes were softer when he opened them, matching the tone of his voice.
“I’m not mad about your bed, Lex.” He chuffed a laugh. “You might actually take the best care of your things out of anyone here.”
My ears reddened at his praise.
“Relax, Lex. Please,” the General said again, and this time, I listened.
“If it’s not about my bed, then why are you angry with me?” I couldn’t help the hurt that bled through into my question. Underneath it all, I was still a boy who was scared of being abandoned. Again.
“I’m not angry, Lex.” He rubbed his tanned hands against his face before crossing his arms again.
“Then . . . what is it?”
It wasn’t like the General to be so indirect, and his odd actions had my hackles raising.
“Lord d’Refan has summoned you,” he stated bluntly.
I frowned.
“Why?”
The General sighed heavily again before speaking.
“He has a . . . special project.” His tone was heavy and laced with something akin to remorse—maybe regret?
“Oh,” was all I could think to say in response. “Now?”
The General nodded before placing one large palm on my shoulder. He squeezed reassuringly before gently guiding me to walk beside him.
“We’ll go together,” was all he said as we wound our way through the Academy and down various flights of stairs.
We never said another word, but I could feel the tension thickening around the General like a dark storm cloud the further we sank into the underbelly of the Academy.
He reaction, coupled with the damp chill that seemed to permeate my very psyche the further we descended, had my gut roiling.
What does Lord d’Refan need from me now?
Chapter 5
Lex
After descending for what felt like hours, down countless obsidian staircases and through no less than a dozen hallways, we came to a halt outside a nondescript wooden door. Twice, the General had to press his hand to a glowing orb, allowing it to measure and acknowledge his magical signature before we continued our journey. There had been other doors that lined the hallways we traversed, but those became increasingly sparse the farther we traveled.
As much of the Academy existed in catacombs below ground as existed in the sprawling structure above the surface, but this was farther than I had ever ventured before. I could feel it in the cold and damp air that permeated the space—heavy and oppressive, each breath was like trying to suck mud through a straw.
There was also the distinct feeling of something . . .else.
Without being Awakened, I couldn’t tell if what I felt was magic in the air, the General’s apparent uneasiness, or simply my own anxiety over the urgency of Lord d’Refan’s request.
General d’Alvey paused at the door, glancing once at me out of the corner of his piercing green eyes, before rapping his knuckles firmly against the wood.
He stepped back, his posture relaxed but body coiled and ready, and I tripped over my own feet in my haste to follow his lead. The General’s right hand shot out to steady my body, his fingers grasping my bicep firmly, as I fumbled to regain my footing.
