Chapter 27 #3
Lidia stood and swung her satchel over one shoulder. “What happens when the Council decides what it’s dealing with?”
“That depends on what it decides.”
“I hate politicians.”
“You’d fit in surprisingly well.” Her eyes narrowed. That wasn’t an insult,” Damon said.
“Believe me, it was.”
She looked at me. “I’m late.”
“You were late before he got here,” Raiden said.
“I know.”
“Then technically you’re later.”
Lidia gave him a flat look and walked off.
Raiden turned toward Vareena. “You heading west?”
“In a minute.”
“I’ll wait.” The answer was casual. Vareena’s glance at him wasn’t. Dax caught my eye. I gave him a warning look. He wisely kept his mouth shut.Emrin caught the back of his tunic. “Come on. We’re already late.”
“I blame Lyra.”
“Go away.”
He allowed her to drag him toward the eastern passage, complaining about schedules until the crowd swallowed them.
Damon watched them leave. “Your friends are interesting.”
“That’s a polite word.”
“I work for the Council. Polite words are most of the job.” That got a small laugh from Vareena.
Raiden looked at her. She caught him. “What?”
His mouth pulled at one corner. “You have something on your face.”
Her hand went immediately to her cheek. “Where?”
“Other side.” She wiped there too.
I watched him fail badly at hiding a smile: “There’s nothing on my face.”
“No.”
Vareena hit him in the chest with her books.
He caught the top one before it fell. “You’re an ass.”
Raiden held out his hand. “Give me those.”
She stared at it. “Are you expecting me to hold your hand?”
“I meant the books.”
“Oh.”
She handed him exactly one. A brief softness crossed her face as he took it, there and gone before anyone could call attention to it. Fortunately for all of us, Dax was gone.
“I will.”
She gave Damon one last look. “If you do anything to my best friend, the Council will be investigating something worse than a few stars in the Crucible.”
My best friend.
Irelia had been the last person to call me that.
Vareena was too busy glaring at Damon to notice that she had briefly made it difficult for me to speak. “I wouldn’t dream of getting on your bad side, Kamari,” he said.
“Mhm.” She hooked her arm through Raiden’s and pulled him toward the western passage.
I watched them go.
Damon did too. “How long has that been happening?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Mhm.”
I looked at him. “I don’t like you enough for that yet.”
“That’s unfortunate. I thought we were making progress.”
“We’ve been speaking for five minutes.”
“Six.” I started toward the covered walk. Damon fell into step beside me, which I hadn’t invited him to do. The courtyard had thinned while we talked. Most candidates had scattered toward afternoon lessons, leaving abandoned cups and a forgotten scarf on the wall where Raiden had been sitting.
A groundskeeper crossed toward the Hall of Theory carrying a bucket and stiff-bristled brush.
Apparently my enormous painted breasts had finally offended someone with authority.
Damon noticed where I was looking. “They’ll remove it.”
“I assumed that was the bucket’s purpose.”
“I meant the rumor.”
That made me look at him. “You think someone can scrub off a rumor?”
“No. I think people get bored.”
“You have an optimistic opinion of people.”
“I work in government, remember. I assure you, I don’t.” The groundskeeper set down his bucket and began arguing with another man about whether the black paint required spirits or soap.
“Starborn has survived thousands of years,” I said. “I don’t think boredom is going to save me.”
“No. Probably not.” We reached the covered walk. I stopped there, forcing Damon to stop with me. “Is there a reason you’re still following me?”
“I’m going this way.”
“How convenient.”
“It’s a corridor, Lyra. Multiple people are allowed to use it.”
“So the Council wanted you to look at me?”
“They wanted me to speak with you.”
“You’ve spoken to me.”
“I have.”
“And?”
His mouth curved. “I’m beginning to understand why Halos’s report was twelve pages long.” I stared at him. “I’m joking.”
“I’m not sure you are.”
“Neither am I.” I resumed walking.
He stayed beside me until we reached the turn toward the administrative wing. “At the risk of making our promising friendship considerably worse,” he said, “I’ll give you one piece of unsolicited advice.”
“I thought we weren’t friends yet.”
“Promising friendship. Keep up.”
“Fine.”
His attention moved briefly toward the courtyard. “The Council is going to ask questions. So will the Sanctum. Halos has already put his version of yesterday on paper and sent it to Elyndor.”
“I know.”
“No. You know he wrote a report. That isn’t quite the same thing.” I frowned. “Yesterday hundreds of people watched the Crucible show them what none of them could explain. Today someone painted Starborn across a wall. By tomorrow, everyone who saw it will have decided what they think it meant.”
Damon stepped backward toward the adjoining passage. “You should be careful who teaches you what you are, Lyra.”
My gaze sharpened. “Why?”
He answered without hesitation. “Because eventually you’ll believe them.
” He gave me a small nod and walked away.
I stayed beneath the covered arch. Behind me came the scrape of stiff bristles against stone.
When I turned back, the groundskeeper had already scrubbed away the crown.
Black water ran down the wall, taking half my painted face and one silver hand with it.
STARBORN remained.
He dipped his brush again and started on the first letter.