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I reached out and picked up a spool of black thread, taking up the curved needle to thread it as well. Mallory copied me from the corner of my eye but picked up the green spool of thread instead. Latching my needle into the goat's skin, I pulled it through the other side and over, repeating the action to seal the opening. My mind wandered, and my fingers slipped an inch, making the needle rip at the skin. Dropping it, I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a slow breath of air, feeling it shake my lungs at the effort it took. I knew I needed more sleep or just rest or something. Caffeine, possibly. Oh, definitely caffeine. I hadn’t had time to get to the mess hall this morning and grab a cup because I rose too late. I could feel my insides crumbling with the need to pull myself awake.
“Do you think Carli’s having as much fun as us?” Mallory snickered, but her laugh fell short.
“Forest girl is probably having a blast with that hot instructor of hers.” Olga snorted as she turned around from her table, clenching the edge of ours before leaning a little over it to us. “Do you think he has a wife?”
I wrinkled my nose, but something flared inside of me. I knew the feeling too well from when other girls even side glanced at Timothy. I pushed it down quickly, knowing I couldn’t feel this way. I was taken, and that was that.
“He doesn’t seem interested in anyone, Olga,” Mallory told her in a clipped tone, and I detected the tension in her voice.
Had she also gotten little to no sleep, or was it just that Olga set her on edge? I felt the latter of the options was most likely the reason. Olga even put me on edge when I was fully rested and caffeinated.
Olga shot a sneer at Mallory and focused her gaze on me, her jaw ticking. “You know what I find pathetic? That you’re basically a legacy. That isn’t fair to the rest of us, you know. You’ve obviously been getting special treatment. After yesterday’s show—”
“That wasn’t special treatment, nor do I get it,” I cut her off. “I just work hard. I’ve worked my entire life at this. There is no treatment to be given when I know how to do things.”
Olga’s nostrils flared. “I still believe you’re getting some treatment. You can’t just float through this so easily without some sort of treatment.”
I leaned over my goat, careful to not brush it with my body, and lowered my voice so only she and Mallory could hear me. “If you’re threatened by me, just say so, Olga. Honesty is the best policy, you know. But don’t worry, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m number one automatically. If you keep working at it, maybe you’ll be number five later.”
Her eyes flashed, and she opened her mouth, but deciding not to say whatever rebuttal was on her tongue, Olga snapped her mouth shut and turned away, returning to her own goat.
“If we get to use people as practice one day, I’m so using her,” I muttered loud enough for Mallory, who giggled at my words, to hear.
I glanced at Mallory and picked up my needle, finishing my stitching. I tied off the end and snapped it, setting the needle down. I watched as Mallory followed suit at a much slower pace. As she bent over the goat, I took in her own hourglass necklace, dangling a little, but enough for me to take it in. The black sand sat at the bottom of our necklaces, and I was pretty sure it was the same for Carli’s. Ever since we’d put them on, they hadn’t done anything. I wasn’t sure what they were supposed to do, but if anything, they had yet to do it. It perplexed me more than I wanted to admit, and I wondered if having them on was even worth it. But I didn’t feel like they could be taken off. I knew they could, but it definitely wasn’t an answer.
I reached up and clutched my necklace just as I’d done the night before. Closing my eyes, I saw the boy pleading to be saved, and they flew open again. I was here, not there. I had to keep reminding myself of that. I had to make sure that I understood that. How it had even happened to see the future, I didn’t know, but it bugged the hell out of me. I knew I wouldn’t see it again without prompting because my magic didn’t lie in seeing the future. I was pretty sure it was all Valencia. That alone made me ache to ask her, to beg her to teach me. Foresight was a rare power and only accessible by long bloodlines of witches. The ones of those who used to use have shadow books, now banned to keep our kind from going rogue and trying to take over.
I grimaced at the thought. Grandma had been part of the revolution after shadow books had been banned. She’d said it was like a weight had been lifted from all their shoulders. No one could keep their spells a secret anymore. They couldn’t use them against one another. But it was no secret that some witches had kept theirs, hidden in their family all this time, and still used them. This was a prime example. Foresight was a spell that had been forbidden along with shadow books.
I felt gritty just thinking about it. But there was also something else. A clawing inside of me, a need to know and learn. I didn’t like it. I wasn’t supposed to want more than I was allowed to have.
Pushing the feelings away, I focused back on watching Mallory work. She was finally finishing up and cutting her thread. I smiled in acknowledgment when she turned questioning eyes on me. I didn’t like being the one who she looked up to. If I messed up and she followed suit, Timothy would be furious with me. He was no doubt already ticked off that we’d taken off. If he’d found out yet, that was. If he hadn’t, he was definitely going to lose it. He couldn’t be mad at me forever, though, could he?
I shook my head to rid myself of the unwanted thoughts plaguing my mind. Now wasn’t the time to lose myself in them. I had to focus with the little energy I had. I needed lunch to be here already. When was lunch?
Stop it, Azula. Focus.
I blinked, trying to rid myself of the exhaustion sweeping through me. I needed caffeine and a nap. Both would do me a lot of good at this point.
I looked up as the door to the stuffy room we were holed up in opened, and Ezekial stepped through, Valencia following suit. Something inside of me flared to life, something that I really didn’t like. My eyes shifted to Valencia, trying to focus solely on her, but my heart was pounding in my ears.
This wasn’t right. Even when sleep and caffeine deprived, no one should be taking my attention from my job. I knew that once on the field, I couldn’t stop and ogle any good-looking guy. It would take my attention from saving the rest. Learning how to keep my focus was probably best done here. This way, I knew how to fix the issue before it could even become a problem out on the field.
I slid my finger along the seam of the stitch on my goat and watched as the thread disappeared and the goat reopened, giving me a view of the insides once more. We were supposed to do it over and over again until it was lunchtime. We’d move on after we got to eat. I stitched the goat again, feeling the numbing inside me as I grew bored with what I was doing. But it was for the practice we needed, and I knew that. I didn’t want to get so bored that my mind wandered too badly to things I didn’t want to think about.
I unsealed it again and redid the stitching. For a while, I lost myself in the repeated actions and didn’t even notice anything until a shadow fell over me in the middle of my hundredth repeat, stopping me mid-stitch to draw my eyes up to him. Ezekial’s face was grim, jaw tight, and dark shadows pulled the corners of his eyes downward.
“Can I help you?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow in question.
The corners of his lips twitched, and he shook his head before stepping to the side and stopping in front of Mallory. I watched as he held out a letter sealed with red wax to her. I recognized the return address almost instantly and had to curl my fingers into my palms to keep myself from reaching out and snatching it away from her so I could see what was on the letter within. Their mother was like a mother to me and had also been to Jasper. If anything had happened in our absence, I wasn’t sure I’d ever forgive myself for dragging Mallory behind me, for letting her follow me. I should’ve made her stay, refused her to come along. Why hadn’t I done that? It wasn’t for the company; I had Carli for that. No, no, it was something else. Duty, maybe? Who knew. But she was here, not at home, where whatever happened had occurred.
Mallory looked at me questioningly, and I had to clench my teeth tightly to keep from saying something I’d regret. Instead, I only nodded in encouragement for her to open it. She hesitated a moment longer, and I watched out the corner of my eye as Ezekial departed the room, briefly pausing on the threshold. I turned my head just as he looked over his shoulder and caught my eyes, making my stomach flip.
As the door closed with a snap behind him, I turned to Mallory who was already ripping at the seal and flicked open the envelope. I could see her hands shaking, her chest heaving. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who was thinking the worst from back home. The sight of the letter made my heart ache, but not because I wanted to return home. Jealousy curled through me. I wouldn’t get a letter unless something happen to either Dad or Jasper in battle. There was no one back home to write to me.
“My Dearest Mallory, I knew that you’d do this. A mother always knows. I wanted to write and tell you that I’m not mad, I’m not upset. I miss you very much and wish for your wellbeing. I know that Azula will take great care of you. Listen to her, without hesitation. There are dangers in this world that I wish I had warned you about before. But even if I had, I’m sure it wouldn’t have made a difference. You still would’ve gone. You are a strong girl, but so thick headed sometimes. Just like your father. Just like your father, I know you are doing what you believe is right and I support you in that. Please, just stay as safe as possible. Come home to me when all this is over. To your little brother and sister, they need their big sister. But until then, don’t give up. Stay safe. Please let Azula and Carli know they’re in my hearts. Love, mom.”
ChapterTwenty-Six
