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Shit. It takes all my self-control not to let my gaze jerk to his face. What has he figured out?
“I can’t think of anything,” I say cautiously. “Why?”
At the edge of my vision, I see Benedikt’s mouth slant at a discomforted angle. “I’ve simply gotten the sense that our lovely group dynamic has been thrown off since that night in a way that doesn’t fit what I do know. Stavros in particular has been acting rather oddly when it comes to you.”
I’m going to have to lay into the former general about how poorly he’s been hiding his hostility. My mind scrambles for an excuse.
“I think he’s a little sore that I tackled the threat without him,” I improvise. “The man does have quite the ego.”
Benedikt chuckles, but he doesn’t sound quite convinced. “You know, if there was anything else going on—we’ve been on this mission together from the start. We’ve looked out for each other. I hope I’ve never given you any reason to feel I couldn’t pull my weight.”
I swallow thickly. I don’t think Benedikt has fumbled the investigation. He’s been a valuable ally… Sometimes almost a friend.
When he kissed me that one time, mainly to give me cover, I could have imagined us being even more.
But he’s also the half-nephew, bastard or not, of a king dedicated to ridding the country of the riven. A king I’ve seen him yearning to impress, as much as Benedikt tries to pretend he doesn’t care much about anything.
I have no idea how he’d react if he found out the truth about me. And taking that gamble would put not just my life but our one current hope of destroying the scourge sorcerers in jeopardy.
“Of course not,” I say firmly. “Although I might start questioning your judgment if you insist on accompanying me right into the college for all to see.”
I give the second part a teasing lilt, but it serves its purpose. Benedikt winces and gives another chuckle that doesn’t manage to hold much humor.
“Point taken, Knives. I’ve got matters to attend to elsewhere anyway.”
He tips his head and veers off to make for the palace rather than the college.
Guilt sits leaden in my gut as I flash my bracelet to the gargoyle at the entrance and navigate the conjured maze to the directions embedded in this week’s absurd password.Flaming roaches lurch for righteous lust.I’m not feeling any better when I step out into the courtyard.
Julita makes a sound as if clearing her throat.I wouldn’t tell him either. He didn’t see Kosmel’s mark on you—that’s what’s kept Stavros from going overboard. And Benny can be a little erratic. This isn’t a matter where we’d want any more excitement than we’ve already had.
Her confirmation takes the edge off my guilt but doesn’t dissolve it completely.
I force myself to duck into the dining hall, because I’m supposed to be assisting with classes for most of the afternoon. Stavros will be incredibly unimpressed if I faint from hunger.
All through the hallways and between the tables inside the vast room, I sweep my gaze in search of furtive creatures sneaking about. I don’t see anything except the usual haughty nobles.
I’m making for the classrooms in the Quadring after my hasty lunch when a prickling sensation spreads across my left palm. I jerk my hand open in front of me.
The prickles soften into an unnerving tingle that seems to crawl across my palm alongside spindly lines even paler than my sallow skin. Spindly lines that form letters before my eyes.
You want more from this world. Tonight at the single bell. 50 paces into the woods. Come alone.
As the conjured writing fades away, my mouth goes dry.
I’ve been summoned.
Thirteen
Ivy
Like with the rat, I wait until the last of the men emerges from his loop of cord in the palace meeting room. Although unlike the rat, Stavros already knows what I need to say, which is how I convinced him that we needed this impromptu meeting.
As Casimir glances around at us with a worried expression, Benedikt sets a plate of pastries in the middle of the table. “Confiscated from the dining hall. I thought we all might need a little refreshment at this time in the evening.”
I guess we know what he was doing when he felt the tug to come. Naturally he’d bring dessert.
The rest of us eye the assortment without making a move to grab one. I know my stomach is clenched too tight for the idea of eating anything to be appealing.
