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“All right. Ask me.”
“Were you out in the woods that night because you were trying to escape?”
The world narrowed, converging on a single point and crushing around it... until I stopped breathing.
“Answer me.”
“Alexander—”
“Answer me,” he whispered.
“It can all be simple from here on. You and I will know where we stand.”
Yes, we will.
“Yes.” The word singed leaving my tongue. “I was looking for a way past the barrier spells. That’s why I was out that night, and why I ultimately crossed paths with that demon.”
His hands slid down the wall, swinging down by his sides. I couldn’t say why the move left me feeling exposed. His stepping back and peeling off my body was the same as him removing my clothes.
I was bare before him, and neither one of us liked what we saw.
“Thank you, Aella.” His tone was dull—emotionless. “You found the last shred of honor in your soul and told me the truth. Now, I will do what I promised.”
“What does that mean?” I squeezed my arms where he grabbed me. My only shield in the face of that true still lake within his eyes.
“People have guessed what you are from the armed escort that had to bring you through the doors, but I haven’t confirmed it because even though you think I’m a bastard, I believed you deserved a chance to prove yourself without the chains of your mistakes holding you back. Making you do your duty was punishment enough.
“And you know what? Maybe a soft-hearted part of me felt responsible for locking you in the dark and dirt with Nico Xenakis. Leaving you be for the next four years was my way of making up for failing in my duty.”
My lips parted but nothing came out. Alexander felt guilt over Nico’s attack? How could I have known that when immediately after he sentenced me to this place?
“All of that’s changed now.”
“Why?” I didn’t mean to sound so stricken. “Yes, I was trying to get out, but that doesn’t change the fact that I didn’t know what that baby really was. It was an accident, and I won’t let myself stop paying for it.”
“No.” Bright green pools glowed through the dark. “But I’ll do a much better job.”
My body went cold. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you killed my brother,” he growled. “Any guilt is gone. Any soft-heartedness is dead. Any sense of duty is over. I will no longer hold back what’s coming for you.” He laughed. “Hold it back? I’ll be leading the charge.
“It is my solemn swear and promise to you, Aella Galanis, that I will make the rest of your days hell. Anything and everything you love I’ll personally and with great pleasure grind beneath my boots. I hope you do find that way out,” he said, turning to leave. “Run away until you hit the border and throw yourself off so many times you finally snap your neck. That’s where I’ll find you to say our final goodbye. Otherwise, I’ll never stop.”
Alexander disappeared around the stacks, his awful promise lingering behind to keep me company.
I never got those books or finished that paper. I didn’t leave the lonely archives at all until the torchlight paled under the sun.
***
ITRUDGED INTO THEdorm late the next morning. My friends were all inside—exactly where I didn’t expect them to be.
“Hey. Shouldn’t you be in class?”
Ionna poked her head out of her alcove. I guessed it was the familiarity of being around friends that made her comfortable walking around in nothing but her breast band and undergarments. “None of us should. There’s a memorial for Galen Teresi today. We’re all required to attend.”
“I know what you’re thinking but no,” Theron spoke up. He was also bare-chested while he chose between formal tunics. “Morning lessons aren’t canceled. They’re pushed back. Did you get to finish your scrolls?”
I shook my head. “Hopefully Hondros punishes me and just me this time.” A flicker of movement drew my attention to the space beside mine. “Where’s the memorial?”
