CHAPTER TWELVE #3
I made a fast beeline for a divan near the firepit, intending to absorb as much of the warmth from it as I could. No doubt having the same plan, Lear, Reeve, and his friend Finian quickly joined me.
Sipping water from the pouch that I dug out of my knapsack, I watched as Ajax and Quillen readied the pit while Talon watered the dogs.
The fire did chase some of the chill from the space. But my hunger pangs got worse when the stew began to heat—the divine smell was mouthwatering.
Soon, food rations were handed out. The dogs were also fed; they happily chomped down chunks of meat before settling down on blankets that Talon pulled from a wall-niche.
After we’d finished eating, we were shown—and invited to use—the waste disposal system before then being taken to the ‘Ob-room.’ Inside were chairs, a table, and four periscopes that showed outdoor activity.
Each periscope was aimed in a different direction.
Ajax explained that we would each be asked to monitor a particular periscope when it was our turn to go on Ob-duty.
He then assigned three candidates—including Atticus—to start right then with Quillen.
The rest of us were given a tour around the tunnel system.
The remainder of the day went slowly, but we were kept busy.
We scrubbed the dirt, moss, and pine needles from our boots.
We swept and mopped the floors. We cleaned the pots, pans, and kitchenware.
We took note of what supplies were in storage.
After we’d eaten lunch—another small ration of stew—we cleaned away the mess once more.
Every now and then, people were called away to go on Ob-duty. My turn didn’t arrive until shortly after dinner. I was put on duty with Talon, Reeve, and Seneca—who subtly and immaturely gave me a dirty look. I would honestly have thought she’d be bored of doing that by now.
We were each assigned to a certain periscope that gave us, despite the fog, a perfect view of outside. I could only assume they were somehow enchanted to be unaffected the fog, since the same applied to any telescopes at above-ground observation posts.
Each hour, we rotated; moving to a different periscope.
None of us found any activity worthy of note.
I’d half-expected some officiates from the Order to stage some sort of ‘incident’ to give us a taste of what it was like.
But then I realized they wanted us to experience the boredom; to become accustomed to what it would be like to stare through a scope for hours on end with nothing to report.
Ajax and three candidates took over from us once the four hours were up. We returned to the living area … just as Quillen announced that people would now be learning who they’d ‘bunk with’ while here.
“The four currently on Ob-duty will share quarters with Ajax. You three”—he pointed at some officiates—“will bunk with me. Anara, Talon wants you with him. The remaining four of you will share a room.”
I blinked, my mind stuck on: Anara, Talon wants you with him.
I knew he’d chosen this arrangement so that I’d be protected from any kind of sneak attack, and I appreciated that he’d bother. But … I didn’t want to sleep in the same quarters as him. If I did, I’d only keep thinking about the last time we slept in the same space.
I looked his way, finding that he wasn’t paying me any attention; wasn’t interested in how I might respond to Quillen’s announcement. Nope, he was busy fussing over the dogs.
Quillen skimmed his gaze over my fellow candidates.
“Follow me and I’ll show you which room you’ll be bedding down in.
You should get what sleep you can before you’re back on the periscopes.
” His focus switched to me. “Obviously, you’ll follow Talon.
” He gave me a quick nod and then disappeared down a tunnel.
The candidates hurried after him … which left Talon and I alone, aside from the Laelaps.
Turning away from them, he caught my eye, gestured at my knapsack, and hefted up his own. My belly doing a series of nervous flips, I shot the dogs a quick smile, grabbed my knapsack, and then followed him down a different tunnel.
He stopped at the first door we came across and shoved it open. As he lit each of the candles and sconces with a wave of power, I entered behind him and reluctantly closed the door.
The room was pretty basic. The bunkbeds were positioned near the back wall, a large trunk positioned at the base of each one.
A chandelier of candles hung from the domed ceiling.
There was some wood shelving here and there, along with several wall niches.
A bench was pressed against the walls nearest the bunkbeds, and there was a wash basin opposite them.
There was also a huge spiderweb in the corner of the ceiling, which was not a reassuring sight.
Talon went straight to the bunkbeds on the left hand side and dropped his knapsack on the floor. He sat on the bottom mattress and began unlacing his boots—all without acknowledging my presence.
All right.
A whistling sound came down one of the small holes in the walls as I made a beeline for the bunkbeds parallel to his. It was chilly in here. Though the burning candles provided a little warmth, it wasn’t much. Still, their scent gave the musty smell of the space a “lift.” For that I was grateful.
I sat gingerly on the mattress and grimaced. Gods, it was freezing. And thin. And lumpy.
Still, it was an improvement on hay bales.
As his boots hit the floor with a thump, I removed my own. I heard a rustle of clothing, and then something else met the floor. My peripheral vision told me that it was his tunic.
I was honestly proud of myself for resisting the urge to get a good look at that chest I’d once had the pleasure of ogling up close.
I tucked my boots beneath the nearby bench and then snagged a blanket from a wall niche. It was old, thin, and scratchy. But it was better than nothing.
I hesitated in removing my breeches. I’d planned to sleep in my tunic—it was nearly as long as my slip, not to mention thicker, so I preferred wearing it when sleeping around others. But if I took off my pants, would he think that I was trying to flash him some skin to tempt him?
Ugh, who cared?
Besides, no way was I sleeping in breeches that had bits of burr sticking to them.
I stepped out of them and, without once looking in Talon’s general direction, slipped into bed. A little shiver raced down my spine as I sank fully onto the cold mattress. I dragged the blanket over myself and lay on my side facing the wall.
There was a slight whoosh of sound, and then the room went dark.
I closed my eyes and huddled beneath the blanket.
Warmth seeped into my body in slow excrements, but that didn’t help relax me.
I shifted repeatedly, trying and failing to get comfortable.
It wasn’t the mattress, or the temperature.
It was that my entire system was tense from being in a confined space with Talon.
I did that thing where I went somewhere else in my head. I dived into my memories. Memories of my time with my parents—of our modest little hut, of the times I’d fenced with acolytes, of the amazing bread my aunt baked, of how sweet and happy my parents had been together.
Soon, the images in my head swam, changing from memories to the first stirrings of a dream. Eventually, I drifted off.