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I straightened my shoulders and tried to channel Cael, imagining how he must have felt when he strutted through the city in his Enforcer uniform.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said.
“Better.” Zenitha smiled and nodded, then turned to Cait. “And you, my dear Lady Lowery?—”
Cait curtsied elegantly, fluttering her eyelashes in a very un-Cait-like way. “Yes, Madam?”
Zenitha leaned down and kissed both of Cait’s pink cheeks. “I wish you the best, my dear. Continue to keep my confidence as I keep yours.” She winked at us both and laughed her deep charming laugh once more before sweeping the curtains open and letting in the sunlight.
“Always,” said Cait. “Thanks so much for everything.”
Zenitha opened the door to escort us out.
After a deep breath, I stepped through the doorway and into the cobblestone street of the Class A Quarter, feeling very exposed.
But there was one thing I knew: if I’d managed to stroll confidently through the city as a lowly Class C girl, I could rule the streets as a handsome mustachioed Enforcer. So I raised my head, along with one snobby eyebrow, and peered down my nose at the first nobleman we passed.
He tipped his hat respectfully.
“Did you see that?” I whispered to Cait.
“My apologies,” she said from beside me. “I’m too busy learning to walk.” Her gown swished elegantly around her enviable shoes, but the grimace on her face told me she was suffering with every step.
Two young women approached next, both pausing to curtsy before they giggled and hurried past.
“I think they think I’m handsome,” I hissed in Cait’s ear.
“Congratulations,” she said. “You’ve reached the pinnacle of human achievement.”
With one noble after another fully convinced by our disguises, my confidence soared and I picked up my strut, every bit as pleased as the proud Enforcer I pretended to be.
Cait strode smoothly beside me now, twirling her parasol with impatient fingers as it rested over her shoulder. To someone who didn’t know better, she looked perfectly poised and confident, but I noticed the way her eyes darted to the ground when someone passed too close or an Enforcer glanced our way. But rather than looking suspicious, the downward glances only enhanced her demure doll persona.
We left Class A without a hitch, entering the wider streets that led us through bustling markets, past grand libraries, and to the base of the road that spiraled up to the Academy. The scents from the fishy market wafted through the air and the crowds seemed extra lively.
I had mixed feelings about being on these streets again. After leaving, part of me had truly accepted the idea of spending the rest of my life outside the walls. I couldn’t be Mara Stroud in this city ever again, not after rising so high and falling so far. And yet, I realized with a jolt of surprise, I’d missed it here.
My hand found my heart as I glimpsed the steps of the Irvine library through an alleyway. Being here made me miss Graham even more. I sighed, then caught myself when I realized it was out loud.
Dropping my hand to my side, I clenched my jaw and reclaimed my rigid Enforcer act.Forget Graham, I told myself.
But it wasn’t easy. Nostalgia for our days in that library—before Graham knew he should hate me—flooded me with an ache that took my breath away.
Cait and I continued uphill,our feet tiring—Cait’s more than mine, I was sure. But my mustache itched and my binder made my ribs ache, so I couldn’t claim to be comfortable.
The way the city was laid out, with the Academy at the highest, most central place, ensured that anyone traversing the city had no direct way through without passing fairly close to the Academy. It was a statement, a reminder to all the citizens that they were always and forever in its shadow, required to pay our respects if we wanted to go anywhere at all. And, of course, going outside the wall, where the Academy would no longer be visible, was not an option unless it was delivered through banishment.
Now and then, when I passed someone, usually those in more ragged clothing, their faces tightened and their gazes dropped. In Class A, I had felt the obvious respect given to Law Enforcers, but out here, among mixed classes, many recoiled as I passed. They feared me, and for good reason. Many of them had likely been severely punished for ridiculous offenses like mispronouncing a word or improperly addressing a noble.
The lower classes, especially Class D, had more difficult and oppressive lives than the outlaws on most of the islands I’d been to. While Ash Island had been the most challenging environment with the highest competition for food and resources, Tramore and Gellor were not so bad. I would’ve rather lived there than in Class D, even if it meant the majorityof my labor would benefit the nobility more than the people who worked beside me.
Here in the city, Classes C and D were hardly spoken of, not given a voice, and forced to do the most menial, unrewarding jobs. Their test scores hadn’t placed them in the favored half of the citizens, so no matter what they did or what they learned, they were stuck with lives that represented their level of education at age seventeen. There would be no changing homes, or jobs, or of getting anywhere. They were forever stalled, underprivileged, and perpetually neglected.
An older man with a weary face passed me, giving me a wide berth as his steps quickened.
I offered a smile, forgetting how that would look coming from an Enforcer.
The man’s eyes widened and he moved aside to let me pass, though there had already been plenty of room. He bowed deeply, no longer looking up at me as he stammered an unnecessary apology. “Excuse me, Enforcer. My apologies. After you, Enforcer.”
