Chapter 3
Rowan
his feels like a horse market,” I mutter, setting my lunch tray down
beside Ellie’s at the mess hall. Until this year, we took our meals with
the other enchanters studying at Spire East, but now we are officially
in our fusion year so we have to eat with the combat track students. At
present, that amounts to Kai Grayson and his leadership cadre looking over
us before making squad assignments that maximize unit efficiency. Or
minimize liability. Same difference.
And by leadership cadre, I mean the triad. Kai Grayson, Kyrian Sorel,
and Logan Vance—plus two tall blondes from the combat track, who are
perched on each of Logan’s thighs—preside over the mess hall from a table
by the back wall. The girls alternate feeding Logan from a bowl of nuts and
berries, and folding their hands on top of each other, as if touching him
directly is beyond their right as mere mortals. The three don’t just look like
gods of war made flesh, they act like it too.
Grayson shifts his weight and, before I can look away, his ice blue eyes
go right to me. The way they did at formation. Penetrating me. Making my
body heat in response.
I clear my throat and snap my focus back on Ellie. “It’s one step short of
them asking us to smile and check our teeth out.”
Ellie flashes a dazzling smile showing off all her perfect teeth. “What do
you say, will I fetch good coin with the combat boys?” she asks,
summoning a puff of air to make her red curls flounce provocatively. She is
an aeromancer, controlling the wind to help with reconnaissance or clearing
smoke and gas. Lately, she’s been practicing using it to guide her arrows as
well. And, apparently, to flounce.
I slap her shoulder and she snorts, both of us dissolving into laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Collin asks, sliding in beside us, his brows
furrowed.
“Nothing,” Ellie and I say together. She snorts.
Collin huffs. “Can you two act a little more dignified? Squad
assignments are being worked out even now, at least some of us are trying
to make a good impression.”
“Well then you should have put meat on your tray,” Ellie waves her
spoon at Collin’s salad. “I hear Grayson and the gods of combat like
protein.”
“Really?” Collin glances back at the meal line.
Ellie rolls her eyes. “Gods, get the stick out of your ass, Chambers. You
really think anyone cares what you eat for lunch? Or that I bothered finding
out what Grayson eats?”
Color rises in Collin’s cheeks and he stabs his salad with a fork.
I shake my head at Ellie and touch Collin’s forearm, feeling the tension
radiating from him.
“I’m sorry for making light of selection,” I say quietly. “I know it’s
important to you.” Not just to him, either. Collin Chambers comes from a
prominent family with a long history of service in Eryndor’s military, and
their expectations weigh down every step he takes, every test he studies for.
And he’s worked hard for everything, from his grades to the muscle that
now covers his otherwise gangly frame.
“It should be important to you too, Ro,” Collin shoots back. “The way
my career tracks affects both of us.”
“Only if she decides to marry you,” Ellie says.
I hide a cringe. I love the girl, but she has zero tact. Yes, Collin does
tend to act like our marriage is a forgone conclusion when it isn’t, but there
is a time and place for that conversation. A time and place that will be of my
and Collin’s choosing, not the middle of the mess hall on the first day of
fusion year.
“Ah, if I’ve not found myself a whole table of red shirts.” A stocky man
in combat black and Brady on his uniform plops down beside Ellie.
Grabbing a piece of bread from Ellie’s tray, Brady stuffs it into his mouth.
He looks at us while he chews. “So,” he says, his mouth still half full, “tell
me what you all can do, and why I’d want you in my squad.”
Ellie flashes me a quick toothy smile and I choke on my water until she
has to pound me on the back.
Brady frowns at me.
“I’m Collin Chambers,” Collin says quickly, extending his hand. “Healer
track. Top ten percent of the class in all areas except combat—I’m in the top
five percent there.” He grins, laying on his charm. “So I can fight beside
you and save your ass when you take a shot. Twice the benefit for one meal
ration.”
Brady nods his head in consideration. With how thick his neck is, it
looks like half his body nods along.
“I come as a pair, though,” Collin puts his hand around my shoulders
and pulls me toward him. “Ro here is an alchemist. She might not be much
in a melee action, but without enchanters like her, the whole war would
suffer. Protecting her is a responsibility that I for one take very seriously,
and any squad leader should too.”
“There is that,” Brady admits.
I try to slide out of Collin’s arm but he holds me tighter. I know where
he is going to go next, and I really don’t want him to. I kick him under the
table.
“Want to know something else?” Collin drops his voice low, ignoring
my kick. “Her name tag may read Lexington, but that’s her middle name.
Want to know her real surname? It’s Ainsley. As in Commandant Ainsley
and Queen Ainsley.”
Brady’s brows rise, his gaze weighing me with new interest. “Well, that
is good to know.” His attention focuses on something on the other side of
the room and stands. “I’ll consider it. Ainsley. Chambers.” He nods to Collin
and me, ignoring Ellie, and leaves.
“Stop telling people my last name,” I hiss at Collin, pulling his arm off
me. “When I want them to know, I’ll tell them myself.”
“What’s with you?” Collin snaps. “I’m bending over backwards here,
trying to help you, so maybe cut back criticizing my every word? Unless
you imagine you can last a week without me putting you back together, how
about a little more gratitude and a lot more effort? Right now, we have to
sell ourselves to the squad leaders. Get assigned together. I don’t like this
process any more than you do, but the alternative is you getting hurt.”
Collin straightens suddenly, jumping to his feet. “Sir. Good afternoon,” he
says to someone behind me. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
My skin prickles with unease as I sense the piercing gaze burning into
my back, and know immediately who is about to join us.
Unfortunately, I’m right. Pulling a chair out for himself, Kai Grayson
sits at our table and takes us in silently. He has nothing but a cup of coffee
in his hands. Plus at least a dozen daggers sheathed though various uniform
loops. The lone thigh sheath at formation must have been a downgrade for
the ceremony.
The awkward silence stretches, until Collin finally clears his throat.
“Thank you for giving us your time, sir,” he says, taking his seat again. His
hand drums his thigh under the table, but his voice is steady. Smooth. “My
name is Collin Chambers. I’m a healer, in the top ten—”
“That puts a whole tenth of the class as better than you, by my
calculation,” Kai says, cutting Collin off. “Not interested.”
Collin musters a dignified nod and stares at the tomatoes on his plate.
“Let me save you some time, Grayson,” I say. “We are all below your
standard at this table. So go intimidate someone else.”
Collin struggles to suppress a cringe.
Kai stares me down, which makes his strong jaw look even more
pronounced. “You don’t want a chance to be in the flag patrol, Lexington?”
“Not if it’s your flag being carried.” I pop a piece of strawberry into my
mouth. We might as well have this out now, just so there is no
misunderstanding on where I stand on whatever plan he and my mother
may have concocted. Or where I stand with him in general. “Like you said,
you only want the top. So, off you go.”
I pick up another strawberry as if mouthing off to commanders is a daily
occurrence for me, but inside my heart is beating faster with every second
Grayson sits with us. If he is going to throw me into the brig for
insubordination, I’d rather get it over with now though, because I know
there is no way in hell I’m going to spend the year genuflecting to him. I
despise bullies, no matter how gorgeous a package they come in.
Kai ignores me and raises his hand, beckoning to someone. A moment
later, another of the triad saunters to our table, grabbing a chair on his way.
His dark hair is tousled, covering the tops of his ears and his eyes, his eyes
—as blue and piercing as Grayson’s but dancing with a great deal more
mischief—lock with mine briefly. He sets the chair beside Kai and straddles
it, swinging one leg over the back effortlessly to sit. “What?”
“Kyrian, meet Rowan Lexington. The newest member of your patrol.”
He points toward me with his chin. “Top academic scores in her year. So
you’ll have at least one body that can read. Lexington, this is Kyrian Sorel.
Your new master and commander.”
Kyrian shrugs a shoulder, which shouldn’t look sexy as hell but
somehow does. “Right. Welcome to the flag.” He extends his hand, the
sleeves of his tunic rolled up and showing off corded forearms with the tail
of a tattoo I can’t make out peeking from the left side.
His handshake is brief but confident, a subtle show of strength that
makes my already swift pulse rise another octave. “Good to have ye,
Rowan.” Kyrian adds, his words rolling off his tongue with a melodic lilt.
His accent wraps around each syllable like a velvet embrace, the r’s curling
and purring in his throat.
I pull my hand back quickly, but not without feeling his calloused
fingers trail along my palm. Even with my hand safely back in my lap, I
still feel the warmth of his touch.
What in the hells just happened?
Kyrian pulls a patch from his pocket and tosses it onto the table. “Put
that on yer left shoulder. And while you are at it, get yourself a black
uniform.”
“But… Enchanters wear red.”
“So do corpses. I think I’ll do without turning my patrol into a walking
bullseye from a draken’s perspective. Change.”
Ellie chokes on a laugh.
Collin clears his throat. As if I’d forget him. I straighten my spine,
quickly recalibrating myself. “I need Collin Chambers assigned to the same
patrol as me,” I tell Kyrian.
“Not my problem,” Kai answers for Kyrian. “Or his either.”
“An alchemist has to be assigned with a healer,” I protest. “And Collin
knows me best. So either we go together, or neither of us comes. I
personally would really rather you chose the second option.” I’m completely
making up the rule about alchemists and healers, but Collin and Ellie nod
along as if it’s true. With some luck neither of the combat cadets have dug
through the enchanter’s three inch thick regulations codex.
Kai rises and turns away, as if I’d not spoken. “Chambers, rut-off.
Lexington, change your uniform and report to Kyr when he says. We are
done here.”
“Wait.” Collin jumps to his feet, his hands pressing into the table. Kai
ignores him and keeps walking, but Kyrian turns, gracing him with another
moment of his time.
“You are making a mistake,” Collin tells him. “You don’t need an
alchemist in a flag patrol, you need a healer. Lexington is going to be a
liability. Read her performance reviews for gods’ sake. She is a walking
disaster. I—”
All hints of civility disappear from Kyrian’s face. In one fluid motion,
he whirls back to the table, grabs Collin by the collar, and slams his face
down onto the hard wood table with a sickening crunch.
