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I’ll kill him.Marik replied, his upper lip curling back in disgust. No inflection came with that cold honest reply which should have made his words all the more terrifying.
Okay,I replied flippantly.But can you wait until after dinner? I haven’t eaten all day.
This is no time for jokes, Little Thief. No one is allowed to harm you and live.
The darkness inside me slithered into my words.Who’s joking?
Wow, that was dark. I wasn't sure where that had come from, but I took a strange perverse pleasure from it.
“Indeed Kingston, contain yourself.” Lord Harseth demanded as he exchanged a subtle nod with Corbin. “It’s unclear how the young man died. Miss Ryans is also correct, she did heal Mr. Fitzson’s wounds.”
Ambassador Kingston’s voice dipped dangerously low, “That boy had a future in Boralis. We will not take his death lightly, nor the death of my scout. We are owed restitution for these grave insults.”
“First,” Corbin’s neutral tone could not be confused with boredom despite his outwardly relaxed demeanor. “While he did win the combat trial there is no guarantee he would have chosen Boralis. Ergo, Boralis is owed nothing for his loss.” Corbin allowed his statement to hang in the air for a moment, sweeping his gaze over all those present as if in challenge. “And second it is very likely that while Miss Ryans did absolutely everything she could, some of the venom remained behind. As we all know, the venom of a severed limb or spike is far less potent than the living limb Mr. Fitzson was struck with.”
“Nevertheless, that bitch half-assed her efforts with him. A great healer should have seen to the full removal of the venom. This makes her responsible.”
“Insults are beneath you, Kingston.” Corbin’s censured with a wave of his hand. “Next, the difference between a great healer and a good one is experience. You are asking a trainee to be as good as a healer who has done decades worth of work. They cannot be compared.”
“Well, perhaps she should spend her next decades honing her skills with us,” Kingston’s lascivious storm cloud eyes looked me up and down and he squeezed his chin thoughtfully. “After all we have been deprived of two greatly valued treasures.”
Corbin paused, measuring his next words carefully. “It’s a wonder with such a close familial connection to one of those treasures you didn’t keep him at a closer academy so you could have watched over him as he grew. And his internship was in New Zealand, wasn’t it? The Boralis coven there is quite small if memory serves. Not exactly a hot spot of activity for you, is it?”
“What are you implying?” Kingston’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“I’m not implying anything, Ambassador, but it is enough to make lesser men question if there may be a play to use these tragedies for personal gain.”
“How dare you?” Kingston snapped. “First my scout is murdered and now this girl killed my nephew. It’s enough to have the entirety of Boralis coming down on this place.”
“That’s enough,” power pulsed from Sister Elenna, and all around the room stilled - a neat trick she had employed on many students over the years. She then turned first to Ambassador Kingston and then back to me, her hands still poised in her sleeves. “Ambassador, may I remind you that you are a guest here. These are neutral grounds, and threats upon us shall not be tolerated.”
A psychic tendril ran its way up my back, a cool palm resting on my shoulder as I waited with bated breath for the sister to continue.
“And what Miss Ryans ineloquently said is true: you did arrange for the naga event, which ultimately was the likely cause of the candidate’s downfall. But nevertheless, we will have a full-scale investigation into Mr. Fitzson’s death. Any loss of the next generation of casters is a tragedy.”
“She should be disqualified from the trials and contained until the investigation is complete.” Kingston stewed, as the invisible grip on my back tightened possessively. “If it is found she was responsible then she should be owed to us in restitution.”
Kingston paused, his steely gray gaze pinning me with a look of utter contempt. “It is the only way to appease us.”
Corbin lifted both hands in a placating gesture. “I understand tempers are high, but there is no need for threats. We must remain civilized. That is what distinguishes us most from the rogue demons we protect against.” I didn’t miss the less-than-subtle way he had left out any mention of rogue angels who could be just as dangerous as any demon. “And yes, by our laws if it is discovered Miss Ryans was in any way responsible for your scout’s death, she would be tendered over to you. But only for your scout, not for Mr. Fitzson.” I cringed inside, the crude wording reminding me that I was merely a possession to these men - nothing more. My heart took a nosedive. I don’t know when I’d convinced myself that Ambassador Valerius was different from all the rest, but I had clearly been mistaken. “But I highly doubt that would be the case.”
“Innocent until proven guilty - isn’t that what the humans always say?” Lord Harseth’s tone lightened as he glanced at me before turning to the tables. “Now let’s eat.”
???
Marik
Despite her words to me, My Little Thief didn’t eat anything for the remainder of her dinner. She moved her food back and forth across the plate as whispers and suspicious glances flew in her direction. She didn’t seem to take notice, instead constantly looking up toward the large iron clock perched at the end of the hall.
The greed rolling off the Boralis ambassador had been palpable, carrying a sickly-sweet veneer over a stench of rot. That man felt wrong, his underlying ugliness and selfishness tainting the feast his emotions should have been. Even Felix, who was sustained primarily by the essence of greed, agreed.
I’d had to fight my demon to give her space. He longed to go to her, to pull her from this academy and away from the wretched waste of essences who worked so diligently to control her. It had nearly broken me to contain the demon when she’d been backhanded, the faint pink mark still evident along the soft curvature of her cheek. The only thing that had contained him was that she was no demure little flower in need of rescuing. She had met my demon’s eyes as they’d bantered, a light glowing beneath those silly contacts she insisted on wearing.
Those would be the first things to go. Followed swiftly by her clothes.
Much to my demon’s annoyance, she didn’t look for me after dinner, disappearing from the halls like the thief she was. I followed her down to the infirmary, standing vigil at the bedside of her auburn-haired friend, who’s skin still held a deathly pallor. Despite this, her chest rose and fell in a sure rhythm, a shore fire sign of her survival.
Perhaps we should look to take her with us. Felix thought to me, his blasé tone not fooling me for a moment. He was interested in the girl, and from the way his emerald gaze began to glow with hints of fire it was not simply for educational purposes.Her gifts could certainly be useful.
