Chapter 19 #3
“Go.” Mavic nudged me toward Elias’s quarters. His other hand tightened on Mina’s shoulder, even when she tried to shift out of his grasp. Cadets were meant to be safe from other cadets. It was difficult to stomach what Finch had almost done.
Guards glowered at me while I limped to Elias’s quarters, two banners draped over my left arm, then braced myself for the arrogant thief on the other side of the door.
I entered to find him lounging in his chair, arms lazily crossed over his broad chest. His blue-gray eyes widened excitedly at the sight of me. “Well, isn’t this a lovely surprise?”
The mere sight of him flushed away my nerves, replaced by blood-heating rage. I hid my limp as best I could and stabbed through both banners with a blade, pinning them to his wooden desk. I didn’t care that I left a nasty dent. He would have to sand and refinish the surface to get rid of it.
I hoped it took him hours. I hoped it took him days .
Who was I kidding? He’d make someone else do it.
Elias leaned forward, focused on my leg wound. “Are you bleeding on my floor, Fera?”
“Yes,” I admitted shamelessly. “The red team won.”
He cocked his head. “Are you sure about that, Fera?”
“Yes,” I said again, gesturing to the red banner. “You almost had Finch bringing me in here, but he made the mistake of underestimating me, which, as I’m sure you’ve learned by now, isn’t a smart thing to do.”
“Shame.” Elias tsked and shook his head. “Where is Finch now?”
“Limping and moping around in a field, probably. When he returns, he’ll need the infirmary.”
His brow rose. “How bad is he?”
Bad enough to kill someone as harmless as Mina Reed.
“You can go see for yourself,” I said instead. “Bring him some roses while you’re at it. I’m sure he’ll appreciate you warming him up before he kisses your ass like everyone else does.” I imagined the sycophants weren’t any better in the Caves. Worse, probably.
He laughed and wagged his fingers between my eyes. “That fire you have is quite admirable. I’m pleased to have brought more of that out of you today.”
“I didn’t get my fire from you !” I spat defensively. “Take something of mine again, and I will kill you. Touch these again”—I clutched the rings between my finger and thumb—“and I will do it slowly. ”
Elias leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap while studying me with a stare that made my skin crawl. “Are you threatening your commander, Cadet?”
“Yes. Enough with the stupid questions.” I didn’t need a mirror to know my face was red. I could feel the burning under my skin. “If you have a punishment for my insubordination, deliver it. I don’t care.”
When he tapped his fingers together, the glint of a golden ring caught my attention. Either it was new, or I hadn’t noticed it before. Freshly polished with a flat-headed design I couldn’t make out.
“Who do the rings belong to?” he demanded. I looked up from his ring to see him peering at mine.
“That’s none of your business.”
Elias chuckled loosely. “You’re in my fortress. Among my cadets. Everything you do is my business.”
“The rings are mine.”
“Both of them?”
I gritted my teeth. “Yes. Both of them. Why do you wear that ring?”
His eyes dropped to his hand. He pressed his tongue to his cheek in thought. The hesitant silence made my palms and feet itch.
“Two birds mid-flight,” he finally said. “ ‘Winged souls’ is what my grandmother calls them. For my dead sisters, Helena and Willa.” Elias ran his thumb over the rounded center setting where the birds were carved, then looked up. “Your turn.”
I owed him nothing, nor had I agreed to exchange secrets like we had in the woods. My empathy and boundaries could coexist. He could bare his soul to me, and I would still owe him nothing.
“Maybe they were my parents’ rings,” I started, confidently lifting my chin.
“Maybe they belonged to old friends whose lives were taken. Maybe I found them in a Brinnean pawn shop and made up a story of long-lasting love to help me sleep at night. It shouldn’t matter to you. They are not for you to touch.”
We stared at each other, neither of us willing to yield to the other. I wasn’t arrogant enough to think my will could no longer be broken, but it wouldn’t be broken by him . I decided not to give him time to consider my response before I turned toward the exit.
“The lake,” he called out. “I knew you’d find a way. How did you do it?”
I came to a halt, turned halfway, and doubled the strength of resentment in my glare. “The murderous fish were napping, and I’m fast.”
His eyes darted up and down the length of my body. “You’re fast,” he echoed dryly.
“Yes.” Was something wrong with his hearing? Why did he find it necessary to repeat everything I said?
“If you hadn’t made enemies of your peers before today,” he went on, “you certainly have now.”
I scoffed. “I’m sure you’d relish burying my body.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Fera,” he answered immediately. “I knew you’d be just fine. I hadn’t even thought of burying you.” I waited for him to admit he would have just tossed me in a river. Or burned my body along with their waste.
But Elias just smirked and said, “If I wanted you dead, you already would be.”