Chapter 23 #2
We stepped into the hexagonal building and slid past Valentino’s office.
Several of the adorable cat flags hung along the ceiling as we walked down a short hall, which ended at a simple but thick, closed wooden door.
My heart raced. I told myself I wasn’t nervous about seeing Ezra and demanding answers, but it was a big fat lie.
“I don’t know how people twisted themselves.” Cayden frowned. “But you’ve brought up monsters and BT a few times now.” He side-eyed me.
I kept my mouth shut. I’d escaped the crazy title in this world. I wasn’t going to reclaim it by kicking off about time travel, if that was what I’d done.
“Three monsters not only live here, but also proctored our placements,” Cayden continued. “We’re hitting dead ends with your magic. Maybe we should follow your desire to reach out.”
My heart thumped, and Cayden squeezed my hand as if he could hear it.
People born in BT with no magic survived and were still alive a hundred years later.
Chancellor Morgen, Winston, and Professor Holiday.
In Professor Holiday’s case, I believed it.
But Chancellor Morgen looked to be in her sixties.
I’d watched her sprint across Crown Square to deal with Professor Holiday like it was nothing.
And Winston had that ageless Friar Tuck vibe.
Ages aside, two of the three I knew shifted into something not human. Professor Holiday probably did as well… Was I a monster?
An almost comical memory of when my dad first dropped me off in a forest to ‘let Miss Q out’ hit me hard. I’d spent the first twenty minutes pretending to be a werewolf, because why not? Crazy see, crazy do.
Cayden knocked on Ezra’s office door, and I studied my hand. Although my magic had created a dragon during my testing, I was pretty sure I couldn’t turn into one. But maybe I was on the right track.
The door to Ezra’s office opened.
Cayden walked in first, and I stayed close behind.
Plum-purple light filled the hexagonal room.
On one side, a large metal desk held a pile of multicolored glowing scrawls, bright as a pride parade.
Opposite it, a lone bookshelf brimmed with rolled maps and two leather-bound volumes glowing baby-blue.
Along the far wall, a weight rack and single bench made me smile. The rest of the room was bare.
“Quinn.” Ezra’s gaze bore into me. “What are you doing here?”
I raised an eyebrow. Ezra hadn’t spoken to me in days, and I hadn’t answered any of his messages about meeting at the gym. I might have wanted to, but with my new schedule, I barely had a moment to breathe, let alone train.
Cayden scowled at Ezra before sliding closer to me. “Her TB’s missing. She doesn’t know her time slot to get her family placement.”
Ezra didn’t react to Cayden’s statement. Instead, he stepped to his weightlifting bench and adjusted the back so it created a ridged seat. “Sit. We’ll get Cayden sorted first.”
I reached for Cayden and squeezed his hand before plopping down.
The padded leather pulled up memories of Ezra’s rough hands guiding me in those late-night training sessions.
Heat coiled low, and I wondered if he’d take off his shirt right now, if I asked.
As if reading my thoughts, the infuriating man picked at his tunic before smoothing it back down.
Turning his attention fully to Cayden, he picked up a race-car-orange scrawl.
“You show multiple aptitudes. Imagination, stamina, and fight were your highest marks. And I will be blunt. I would like to see you working on our defenses directly under me. I believe your unique view of the world could broaden our horizons.”
Cayden snorted. “You want to pump me for information and are putting me directly under you because no one will work with a Lawson.”
Ezra didn’t disagree. “What do you want to do?”
Cayden looked at me. “I want to learn.”
I gave him an encouraging nod.
“I want to understand everything.” Cayden continued. “And I won’t fight for you, or anyone, until I understand the full picture.”
Ezra cocked his head to the side. “Understanding everything is an impossible goal, and understanding the full picture is optimistic at best. Every picture is drawn from one point of view.” Ezra also looked at me. “But I understand wanting to learn.”
I wasn’t sure why Ezra looked at me, so I shrugged.
“Go fight, train as an enforcer, and we’ll fill your evenings with learning.” Ezra looked back at Cayden.
Cayden crossed his arms over his chest. “No.”
Ezra looked down at his scrawl again. “Imagination leans toward technology or spiritual. You have training in healing. Is that the direction you want to go in?”
Neither man looked at me.
“I don’t want to go in one direction.” Cayden let out a frustrated breath. “I want to learn.”
Ezra put down the scrawl. “There’s no room for pure academics in our family. Maybe someday, but everyone contributes, or they don’t stay in the family.”
Cayden rocked, and I bit my lips together. He wanted to stay in the family. I knew he did, but he was going through something. I didn’t fully understand it, but anyone could tell by looking at him.
Ezra’s gaze slipped to me again. This time, I met his bold stare, willing him to give Cayden whatever he wanted. I didn’t know what was going on with us, but Ezra needed to help my friend heal. The stoic commander frowned and pulled his shoulders back before turning to Cayden.
“Your mornings will be spent on our defenses, in whatever capacity I need you, and your afternoons are your own, as long as you can show proof of studies. Be it sitting in on others’ training, one of Chancellor Morgen’s lectures, or labor on current projects. Is that acceptable?”
Ezra looked right at me, not Cayden. Was he compromising as a peace offering to me?
Cayden frowned, looking between us.
I did my best to keep my face even. I hadn’t talked to Ezra about Cayden or Cayden about Ezra. They were different, complicated parts of my life.
“Good enough, for now.” My best friend uncrossed his arms.
Ezra inclined his head. The two moved to his desk, where they exchanged scrawls.
“You can go, Cayden,” Ezra said.
“I’ll stay.” Cayden crossed his arms over his chest. “You still need to talk to Quinn.”
Ezra frowned. “Quinn’s situation is her own. Give us a minute.”
Cayden came to my side and offered me a hand up. I took it. “Quinn's situation is my situation, unless you don’t want me here?” He turned to me.
Did I want to talk to Ezra alone?
On the one hand, yes. Desperately.
On the other, I was still trapped in this castle. What words could he say that would change anything?
“Where do you think I should be in the family?” I asked Ezra, pulling myself up to stand at Cayden’s side. “Let’s start there.”
Ezra narrowed his eyes before taking a deep breath. “I’m not placing you. You either failed or didn’t take our placements. You’re unique and na?ve. Until the Architect wakes, you will continue as you have.”
It took his words a few seconds to sink in. “I mean, na?ve feels harsh, but maybe not wrong.” Cayden didn’t step in to defend me, so I guess I had to take that one. “But I can still start learning something? Right? Physical? If nothing else, I’ve shown I can work hard.”
Ezra raised a hand. “No. The Architect will wake. There’s no need to rush. I’ve made sure you’re experiencing everything. Once he’s conscious, he will place you.”
My jaw dropped. “I don’t get a choice?”
“No,” Ezra said firmly. His voice grew tired. “Please, Quinn. You’re not like the others. I know you can see that. I’m not equipped to make this decision. Do not make this more difficult than it needs to be.”
My stomach twisted. “Right. I’m the one making this difficult. I’m a person, Ezra. Not an object you can put on a shelf until someone else wants to play with me.”
“You’re still learning.” Ezra leaned toward me. “I’m not putting you on a shelf.”
“Implying I’m still an object,” I snapped.
Ezra paled. “No.”
“And this object”—I gestured to myself—“won’t be learning alongside my peers, but only from the people you deem acceptable.”
Ezra clenched a fist. “Yes. For now.”
Anger made me tremble. How badly did I want to stay here? Erick said I had other options, but he also said my place was popping out babies. Would I rather be trapped, waiting for someone else to determine my future, or walk toward a fate I didn’t want?
The three delusions I had before getting here hit me hard. My lower back ached. Despite everything, this was still so much better than all of those combined.
Why hadn’t I woken up yet? Or blacked out? The stray thought caught me off guard, and I jerked back. My emotions popped like a bubble, leaving me exhausted.
I locked my hands together in front of me and bit the inside of my cheek, as if pain would answer my question. It didn’t. My plan to exist until I woke up or blacked out started to feel poorly conceived.
“A week, that’s all, right?” I said, still annoyed, but no longer fuming.
Ezra inclined his head.
I pivoted so fast I almost lost my balance, and stormed out the doors with Cayden on my heels. Rain was coming down in sheets now. Cayden cut off my furious stomping and cupped my cheek. “We can leave right now.”
I was angry. It wasn’t fair, but no one was sticking shit in me here.
If I left, I left Brit and Everly. My attempt to go to The Green burned into my memory.
I might do better with Cayden at my side, but we’d still be on the run from someone who could apparently read minds and control thoughts.
The rain turned into ice, pelting my skin.
“A week, right?” I repeated, trying to ease my frustration. “I’ll learn what I can. It’s not like Ezra’s minions can brainwash me in a week, right?”
Cayden sucked in an uncomfortable breath and trained his eyes on the ground. Little rivers ran between the stonework and crashed into his boots.