Chapter 5 Silver
SILVER
Ibrushed the soft fabric of the black and white A-line vintage marvel I snagged on eBay, about three sizes too big, and a little motheaten at a time.
Thankfully, having introduced my tailor Rin to her girlfriend, my coworker Isla, I got a nice discount on the adjustments.
It looked perfect, fitting like a glove, enhancing my curves and brushing against my knees.
“Holiest of shits, Silver. Where were you hiding those?” Isla demanded, eyes fixed on my tits.
I rolled my eyes.
“Under reinforced gear, like everyone else.”
Half of my fellow trainees graduating tonight gawped like they’d never seen a girl in a dress. And sure, they’d never seen me in one, but that was because I didn’t really socialize with them.
I loved a good excuse to dress up. Sadly, I’d had few of them over the last year.
“You look like a princess,” Irwin announced, sounding far too surprised for my liking.
“At least I don’t punch like one,” I retorted, irritated by his presence.
I couldn’t understand how he’d made it through the trainee program. He pissed himself during half of his missions and hid for the other half. If his father weren’t a protector, I doubt he would have even been accepted at the Guard.
To be fair, Irwin’s defensive magic could come in handy occasionally—when he managed to stay conscious and present long enough to use it.
“Marvil Bones,” Hilda Valesco, captain of the Guard, called loud and clear from the center of the sanded arena where a temporary dais was raised.
Usually this ceremony happened in the Hall of Truce’s forum, but given the events of last week, and the fact that the domed ceiling was still broken, they’d called us to the Guard’s amphitheater instead.
I didn’t mind. It felt more appropriate to officially become part of the Guard here rather than the stuffy politicians’ turf, though the location made me forgo high heels in favor for ballerinas.
Marvil crossed the distance to join the authorities on the dais: Kleos’s aunt, her father, and to her other side, Damian Regis. All were dressed up, which in Hilda’s case meant she’d thrown a tweed double-breasted coat over the black reinforced suit she usually wore in the Guard.
Leander Valesco wore his high magister cloak, red brushed velvet with a dark lining, and heavy gold chains over it.
As for Lucian’s elder brother, his blue fitted suit might have looked impressive, but I knew enough of the Regis clan by now to realize that he’d just thrown on whatever this morning without trying.
If he’d meant to impress, he would have worn regalia, or at the very least, a few diamonds.
Still, he was here, representing the elders to acknowledge our new duties.
Marvil wore a suit too, his ill fitted. I wasn’t surprised to see Damian sneer as he bent a knee before the dais.
“Rise, Guardian Bones, and join the ranks of runners of Highvale.” Hilda extended her hand, offering him his shiny new badge.
He got to his feet, took the badge with a grateful nod, and walked to the left, where the largest group assembled here clapped.
Next, Hilda called Irwin Clover, going in alphabetic order.
There were only fifteen trainees ascending. Three of our original group were held back, five kicked out, and two dropped out, including Kleos, who watched from the stands.
With him.
I couldn’t help looking at my friends, seated next to Cas. In just a few hours, they’d completely accepted the newcomer, despite his dubious assertion of convenient amnesia.
I frowned as I watched them all whisper to each other, visibly concerned with something. From the distance, I couldn’t quite make up the words, but they were all preoccupied.
I’d know soon enough.
I was called right after Isla March.
“Edith Silver,” Hilda said, making far too many people chuckle at the reminder that my first name sucked.
I swept the crowd with a glare that only served to amuse them more.
Kleos’s father smiled kindly, but he was still on my shit list for letting his wife manipulate, control, and emotionally abuse Kleos for the better part of her life, so I ignored him.
In fact, Captain Hilda was also on my shit list, given that her desire to play peacemaker for the family had allowed the evil entity that was Zenya Pendros—may she roast in hell—to attempt an abduction of my best friend.
So I smiled at Damian by default. He seemed nice enough.
Scratch that, he seemed bored and clearly certain that he was wasting his precious time here, but I didn’t have a personal reason to be angry with him right this second.
The beautiful blond man smiled back.
“Rise, Guardian Silver, and join the ranks of your fellow protectors.”
I made my way to Gideon, who bumped my shoulder. “You made it.”
I grinned up at my friend.
After me, Barron Wright was sent to the runners and Francois Zielke, the inquisitors, and just like that the ceremony was over.
I made my way to my friends in the stands.
Kleos, Lucian and that bloody interloper had been whispering all the way through my ceremony, but the moment Gideon and I approached, they fell silent.
I narrowed my eyes. “What’s going on?”
‘Nothing,” Kleos lied, her voice off by an octave. “We reserved a table Zest.”
She was truly awful at deception.
I snorted. “That’s starting to be your go-to move when you want to hide something. Come on, I know that face. What’s up?”
“I’ll have you know that I reserved it before knowing I’d need a bribe.” Kleos pouted. “It was a well done on passing training treat.”
“You’re the best of besties, thank you,” I said dutifully. “Now let me know what’s going on.”
I hated not being in the loop. I hated it even more when they told fucking Cas and not me.
She knew me too well to bother with further diversion. “All right, let’s get going, then. I’ll fill you in on the way.”
It took an inordinate amount of self-control, but I didn’t demand to know why, exactly, Cas was still tagging along with us.
I could allow that he didn’t have any other plans in town, having woken up less than half a day ago with no memory—according to him.
But did he really have to crash my celebration?
I supposed he also had to eat, but still. It was weird enough that he’d been at my ceremony.
Kleos threaded her arm under my elbow. “I don’t want you to freak out.”
“’Cause that’s reassuring,” I grumbled, immediately tense. “’Fess up, there’s no way I’ll relax until I know.”
She sighed. “We popped by the house—my old house—while you were changing. I had a few things to grab. And, well, it’s my magical reserves.
You know, I used to drain my power into whatever I could find—random stones, little objects.
” I nodded, urging her along. “And your crystals, of course, but over the last few months I had to drain myself more. I locked them all in a box under my bed. It’s gone. ”
“Fuck,” Gideon groaned. “What do you mean, gone?”
“What do you think she means, doofus?” Lucian retorted. “Someone took it.”
That wasn’t good.
Magic stored in objects could be used by just about anyone, including completely regular humans—hence why Kleos’s crystal worked as shields for me although I had no magic of my own.
“How many are we talking about?” I asked, just as freaked as Gideon.
“I don’t know exactly, I didn’t keep track—but a lot. Hundreds, maybe.”
I gasped.
Such objects were seriously regulated, not only because of the amount of mischief someone with extra power could achieve, but because using power from an object wasn’t taxing.
A witch or wizard using their own energy knew their limits, and could risk serious harm if they pushed past it.
Draining an object was all fun, no consequence.
That made the practice seriously addictive—more than most dangerous drugs.
“Err—Kley? That’s a major citywide, no, worldwide security issue,” Gideon said. “So head over to dinner without me. I have to report it.”
“I reported it before the ceremony to your mother,” she assured him. “And frankly, they could have been stolen any time over the last week. Might as well eat.”
I exchanged a frown with her cousin, uneasy.
After a second, he shrugged. “Yeah, fuck it. Let’s eat.”
I groaned. “You must be joking. Weren’t you saying, like, five seconds ago that it was a major threat? Rightly.”
He shrugged. “Sure. But that doesn’t mean skipping a delicious meal is gonna solve it any faster.” Putting his arm around my shoulders, he squeezed me a little. “Come on, Protector Silver. Party now, work tomorrow. Or, like, Monday, nine a.m..”
“With your work ethic, no fucking wonder a bunch of gods attacked the bloody city,” I grumbled, following anyway, because technically the idiot was my boss.