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Lea’s face perked up as she launched into a story about a couple that had come to her to commission some custom wedding rings. Like me, she was a Varg Anwyn, but she didn’t have the calling to join the guard. She loved metalwork, having apprenticed with a blacksmith before taking over her Master’s forge here in the capital. No matter what she created, a delicate piece of jewelry or the deadliest of weapons, it was considered a piece of art to her.
“That reminds me.” I leaned down, pulling a dagger from my boot. “Can you sharpen this for me?” I dropped it on the table.
Lea didn’t even flinch. “Of course. I should also have your Faction’s arrowhead order finished soon as well.”
“Perfect.” I would have to assign a few Omegas and Fledglings to take on the task of assembling the arrows. “We were hoping to have them before the full moon next week so we didn’t have to worry.”
“I’m jealous.” She stabbed at her chicken. “I wish non-guard people could join your Pack.”
“What are you talking about? Your pack is great!” I pointed my fork at her, shaking my head.
She shrugged. “I don’t have any complaints, I’m just sick of still being referred to asbaby girlby everyone ’cause my Father’s the Beta.”
I chuckled. “Fair, I would hate that too.”
“Besides, most of your Pack is closer to our age.” She smirked. “Are you sure I can’t come once to a full moon? Just to see all you super serious soldiers go wild?”
I cleared my throat. “You know we can’t. It’s a security risk.”
Her shoulders drooped. “Ugh, annoying.”
She never asked me too much about my job, knowing the only time she was allowed on Compound grounds was when she was making a delivery or was constantly accompanied by a Faction member. For the most part, I had no issue with the secrets, but there was one that was difficult to carry around—one that was the most classified part of being a member of the Onyx Guard, and we had to keep it protected at all costs.
Technically, I was no longer a Varg Anwyn.
When a Varg Anwyn or Shrivika joined the Guard, they went through a procedure to make them stronger, to make them the best soldiers they could be. Our country’s Alchemists—those who studied the way the world worked and discovered new ways to advance our way of life—had created a serum that combined the genetic material of a Varg Anwyn and a Shrivika. When injected with it, we changed, keeping our original self but enhancing it with the strengths of the other. When you came out of the procedure, you were no longer called your base species, but an Ibridowyn.
It had always been weird lying to people about it, but it was the decree of the High Faction. They were concerned that if people found out this was possible, they would use it for selfish and destructive reasons. We were made into Ibridowyns because we were meant to protect this country, not destroy it.
We carried on with dinner, keeping the conversation light until we finished and I grabbed our plates, bringing them to the kitchen. I took my time cleaning everything up and making the place spotless before I retreated upstairs, closing the door to my bedroom behind me.
This was my sanctuary, filled with the things that brought me peace. I walked to the bedside table, lighting the oil lamp perched on top. Electricity had only been discovered a hundred years ago by Alchemists, when they found powerful Ley Lines that ran underneath the core of the island. Although they were working hard to make it available for all, right now the High Faction had to regulate it so only businesses and government official buildings had access to it. The Compound was outfitted with electric lights and fixtures, something that was hard to adjust to when I had moved into town a few months ago, but I didn’t care. The peace of mind was worth giving it up.
My fingertips skimmed over the rows of books on the two shelves that sat across from my bed. I considered reading one of my many fiction books, but my mind was still too worked up to focus on it. Instead, I moved to the far corner, sitting on the bench in front of my piano.
My mother had taught me to get lost in the music when I needed an escape. Without even thinking, I placed my fingers delicately on the keys, closing my eyes before I began to play. The melody filled the room, every note and movement memorized from years of practice. It floated around me, through me, bringing me back to my center, to where I felt a whisper of calm.
Chapter Four
My calm was ripped away with the chirp of my portable Comms Unit.
I threw my head back with a groan, hands flattening on the piano keys, a cacophony of mismatched notes clamoring within my bedroom. I leaned down and pulled the palm-sized device from the pocket on my outer thigh, my lips pursing at Eden’s name flaring on the screen. Technically, I could ignore it, but I knew she was probably checking in on me or needed help with something. I wasn’t one to ignore my friends, even when my insides were all twisted up.
I hit the answer button, but the face that appeared was not the one I expected.
“How do I work this thing?” The smooth, velvety voice came through.
My brow wrinkled. “Benji?”
“Ah there you are!” The bartender at the Blood Moon, the Faction’s favorite tavern in the city, said, his tanned face lighting up through the screen connection. “Thank the God, this thing is impossible to figure out.”
“Why do you have Eden’s Comms? And why are you calling?” My heart fluttered, unease slicking my forehead with a thin layer of sweat.
“Well, she came in tonight for a drink and has been throwing them back, so I eventually cut her off, but she doesn’t look like she should be driving that fancy lectracycle home.” Benji’s eyes softened. “I don’t know if something happened at work, but she keeps talking about how she messed something up.”
“Why am I such an idiot?” Eden’s husky voice groaned in the background, a thump following the question. My jaw tightened.
“I’m sorry to have called, but when I told her she needed to get someone to help her home, she threw this at me saying she couldn’t figure it out.” I snorted a laugh, knowing full well that Benji didn’t know how to use it either since only Faction and Government employees had access to them. “I knew you were probably closest since you live in the city.”
