Page 41 of The Incendiary

“What are you doing here?”

I spun around and faced Captain Valda Hoss. Her sleek black leathers were smoother, more form-fitting than the full armor she’d worn before. She appeared taller and even more intimidating.

“Waiting,” I answered.

She nodded toward the mess hall. “Breakfast is served after sunrise, which was ten minutes ago.”

“Yes.” I didn’t tell her the cooks had opened the doors a few minutes early when they saw someone waiting outside the door. “I already ate.”

When she shifted, so did her thick black locks, plaited close to her scalp, some strands tightened by intricately detailed metal cuffs. She assessed me, tight-lipped and brow furrowed, as if waiting to see if I would break beneath her stare.

“Just eager to get started, Captain,” I replied to break the silence.

Valda clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth three times before turning and unlocked the door to the main hall. I followed her in and saw the main tables had been cleared and replaced with twelve sparring mats, split into three rows of four.

Jittery excitement welled up inside me. I’d spent the last four months practicing for this. I refused to be confined to the identity Simeon forced upon me, and now I had the chance to prove I didn’t need to be.

Here, without my powers, I would be enough.

A few minutes later, cadets began trickling in. Mavic and Mina found me stretching in the corner with my back to the wall to ensure no one could sneak up behind me.

“Good morning.” Mina plopped down on the floor next to me and copied my stretch.

“Fera.” Mavic greeted me and sat down on my other side. “We missed you at breakfast.”

“I was up early.” The memory of a dangling vial of green poison flashed in my mind. I fixed my gaze on the worn wooden floor between my legs. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Lots of excitement,” Mina agreed. I caught them exchanging curious stares but tried not to dwell on it.

When the main doors burst open, everyone stood up and snapped tall and straight. I did stand as Elias strode into the main hall with irritating confidence, but I took my time. One glance was all I needed to confirm everything about him still looked annoyingly perfect. I averted my eyes but felt his cool gaze lingering on me as he moved toward Valda at the end of the hall.

Mina fidgeted with something at her side and muttered to Mavic. He circled around to help her. I shifted to get a better view and saw she was having trouble getting her sheathed knife to sit right on the belt loop of her leathers.

Wait, her knife?

I glanced around the room to see that everyone but me had at least one dagger strapped to their hip. I still hadn’t gotten mine back.

When I found Elias watching me, I refrained from fuming too visibly. Either my early rise caused me to miss whatever meeting had armed my peers or they had deliberately given a weapon to everyone but me.

My fingers compulsively flexed for my favorite dagger that wasn’t there.

Only over my dead body would Elias Winterton keep that dagger from me.

Hushed whispers followed me to the front of the room. It wasn’t smart to approach the two highest ranking individuals in the fortress without invitation, but I didn’t particularly care.

“I want my blades back,” I told him the moment I approached. “The rest of the trainees have been given daggers. I’d like mine.”

“Fera.” Elias greeted me with a stern nod, making a point to look down at me. Which wasn’t hard to do, given my size, but this felt insultingly intentional. “Are you demanding or asking?”

My nostrils flared. “Asking.”

He lifted an inquisitive brow. “I don’t know what manners they taught you in Brinnea, but that’s not a very polite way to ask a question.”

I clenched my fists at my sides. My knuckles cracked a little too loudly.

“Commander Winterton,” I said, infusing saccharine sweetness into my voice. “May I please have my daggers back?”

Beside him, Valda snorted. Elias didn’t smirk, but the twitch in his jaw made me think he was trying not to.