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Council isn’t held at the Compound. It’s held at a creepy-ass mansion that sits on a hill at the end of Frontage Street. We call it Temple—it was once the home of a wealthy Valryn named Nacoma Knight, our school’s namesake. A lot of people in town aren’t too fond of the place, say they feel they’re being watched...and well, they are. The mansion’s a little more inconspicuous than an obsidian tower. It’s used to house members of the Order from all over the world, sort of like a
hotel.
On Council, clusters of ravens swarm overhead like storm clouds. People take it as a sign that some really screwed up stuff goes on inside. When I was younger, we used to dare human kids to jump the fence and touch the door. They were almost always escorted off the property by men-in-black types and we were almost always ratted out and made to dust the library, but it was worth it to see the look on their faces.
I stop at the gate, enter a four-digit code and pull around to the back, parking alongside a row of sleek, black SUVs—Roth and I aren’t the only Valryn who prefers wheels over wings.
We exit the Jeep and shift. From this point on, I have to remember my etiquette training—keep one step behind your Elite at all times…unless there’s a door to open.
Freaking annoying.
Inside, Roth and I are escorted upstairs where a set of double doors open into a room where several Elites crowd around an oblong table. Behind them is a wall of windows that overlook a lake at the back of the mansion. I recognize most of the Elites—including my math teacher, Mr. Val—and several of the Shadow Knights who circle the table. Their wings are exposed, weapons gleaming. I’m the only knight-in-training. Everyone else has been ranked, given a specialty—techs, medics, weapons, tracking, commands. I can tell because of the color of their thread and how it decorates their uniforms.
As we enter, everyone in the room stands and salutes. That’s when I realize Roth and I are the last to arrive. I follow everyone’s example, though it causes me physical pain, and salute Roth, falling into rank on the opposite side of the room as my father, and although he tries to catch my gaze, I avoid it.
“Successor Roth,” Elite Cain says. “We are so sorry.”
Roth offers a curt nod and his jaw tightens. It’s the first time I’ve seen Roth react to his father’s declining health and I get the sense this might be harder on him than I thought.
Roth moves to the middle of the table but does not sit down.
“Shall we begin?” he asks, scanning the room, and I recognize his training kicking into gear. He’s assessing, deciding who’s a threat and who’s not—that move sets me on edge. “I’ve called this meeting to discuss the Order’s efforts to locate the Eurydice.”
CHAPTER TEN – ANORA & THE GAME
On Friday, there is an electricity in the air, spreading excitement like a current. Even I find it contagious—and I’m only going to the game to give myself an excuse to look for my coin. The halls are decorated with blue and white streamers, and large butcher paper signs read like declarations of battle. It’s also, apparently, the only day we don’t have to wear our uniforms—a memo I missed. As I walk the hall, black knee-high tights covering my legs, people stare. Two girls continue past me, then turn to whisper to one another.
Did I miss something on Roundtable?
Or is this the result of my friendship with Lily?
Maybe both.
“Hey!” I twist to face Lennon who is dressed in a blue and silver Nacoma Knight shirt, a black skirt, and another oversized cardigan that hangs to her knees. A large, blue bow sits atop her ponytail at an angle.
“Do I have something on my face?” I ask.
She studies me for a moment. “No—why?”
“Because I feel like everyone’s staring at me.”
“Oh,” she says. “You’re probably not imagining that.”
Lennon doesn’t offer an explanation, instead she holds up a handful of ribbons—blue, white, silver—and offers to add them to my hair. I let her since all I did this morning was throw my hair into a ball on top my head.
“How long does this usually last?” I ask as she works on my hair, gritting my teeth when she pulls too hard.
“What?”
“People talking about you?” I say.
“Oh, well…in your case, it’ll probably last until Shy stops paying attention to you.”
At Lennon’s innocent comment, I blush. My body is a traitor. Truth be told, I don’t want Shy to stop paying attention to me. I like him and I like the attention.
I just won’t act on anything.
That way, I can’t make the same mistakes I made in Chicago and I won’t break any rules. Though, I’m pretty sure rules aren’t made for people like Shy Savior. They’re made for people like Thane, who spends entirely too much time watching me and he’s not even trying to hide it. I catch him staring in class and at lunch, and he’s been outside Emerson Hall every day after school while I wait for Mom to pick me up.
