‘I can’t believe that Tarquin and Isadora ran away!’ Fletcher exclaimed through a mouthful of corn.
‘That’s not the worst part. They both had their demons out when I was captured. I suspect it was the sight of them that attracted so much attention in the first place.’
‘Those cowards,’ Othello growled.
‘And their full-fledged demons are inherited from their mother and father,’ Sylva continued. ‘They could have taken several times the number of men that attacked me. If I had been standing closer to them, the men would have never attacked, but I was getting sick of their narcissistic chatter so I walked away for a moment.’ Sylva paused, delicately biting into her own cob.
‘Why did you try and befriend them if you didn’t like them?’ Fletcher asked.
‘I am here as a diplomat. Who would you think it best to befriend if I am to broker an alliance between our two peoples? I know now of course that the best way is to become an officer as soon as possible and make a name for myself in battle, not suck up to spoiled children with no real power. That will get the word out, if it is known that the elves have some fight in them.’
‘Ah,’ said Fletcher. It made sense, yet the way she had treated him before still hurt. Then again, if he were alone in his enemy’s land with such a huge burden of responsibility, being considerate might be the last thing on his mind, too.
‘Right, we should bed down for the night. We’re probably going to get in trouble for staying out all night, but there’s no way we can walk back in this weather,’ Fletcher said, stretching out by the fire.
‘Oh, I don’t know about that,’ Othello said, rolling his jacket into a makeshift pillow and lying back on it. ‘There are no guards or anything at the academy entrance. If we get there before the deliveries, we should be able to sneak in without a soul seeing us.’
As Sylva curled up beside the fire and pulled up the jacket’s hood, a thought crossed Fletcher’s mind. How did Othello know that?
32
‘Where the hell have you been?’ Seraph hissed. Fletcher, Othello and Sylva had just stumbled into the summoning room, attaching themselves to the others as quietly as possible when the students made their way in from the atrium. The trio looked a mess but there was nothing they could have done. They had arrived whilst the deliveries were being made, so they were only able to sneak in after breakfast, just as lessons were about to begin.
‘It’s a long story. We’ll tell you later,’ Fletcher whispered. Isadora turned at the commotion, her eyes widening when she saw Sylva. She prodded Tarquin, who looked around and jerked in shock. Sylva stared blankly at them and then turned to face Captain Lovett, who was waiting for everyone to settle down. The tall woman was wearing a leather apron over her officer’s uniform, as well as heavy leather gloves.
‘Let’s get some light in here,’ Lovett said, releasing several balls of blue wyrdlight into the air. Unlike Arcturus, she allowed them to float around the room aimlessly, casting the room in a bright but eerily shifting light.
‘So, as I understand it, Arcturus allowed those of you who were already practised in wyrdlights to leave early yesterday. This will not happen in my classes. My motto is practice makes perfect, and considering your short tenure here, you should be making use of every second under our tutelage.’ She paced back and forth in front of them, her hard eyes ranging across each of their faces. This was not someone Fletcher wanted to cross.
‘The first order of business will be to teach you the art of infusion. I see that some of you do not have your demons with you, so I assume you have already been taught this. However, the speed at which you can release your demon from within can be the difference between life and death. Trust me, I know. Those of you who have been trained by your parents are to practise on the summoning circles on the other side of the room. I will come and check on you later.’
The nobles peeled off with smug expressions, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Lovett had split the room into two with a large curtain, so they were obscured from view once they ducked through the central parting. After a few moments, Fletcher saw bright lights flashing underneath. What manner of demons did the nobles possess?
Sylva raised her hand and stepped forward.
‘I was self-taught. Would it be possible to stay with the others and learn the proper technique?’ the elf asked.
Lovett eyed her torn dress and dishevelled hair and arched an eyebrow. After a long, hard look, she relented.