“Say goodnight, little human,” he told her.
“‘Goodnight, little human’,” she parroted.
Roka and Kyia tried—and failed—to hold back more laughter.
“Oh, wait,” Alex said as the guard carried her to the doorway. “What about your cape, Roka?”
“Zain can bring it back to me later,” the prince said. “It’ll keep you warm on your journey to the academy.”
Alex watched as Kyia sidled up to Roka’s side, wrapping her arms around him as he bent to kiss her forehead lovingly. They waved goodbye to Alex, who tried to return the gesture while Zain manhandled her out of the room. Only when the door was closed behind them did the guard set her down, holding her steady until she regained her footing. He then continued bracing her when the Valispath took off underneath them. This time, though, Zain reached out a hand and pressed it against the transparent barrier. Immediately the bitter chill of the wind disappeared.
“Better?” Zain asked, seeing that she was steadier on her feet with the added protection. Not to mention, warmer.
“Much,” she agreed, nodding with enthusiasm. “Why didn’t you do that last time?”
“Our race is much more durable than yours,” he said. “Many millennia have passed since we’ve interacted with humans. I’d forgotten just how vulnerable you can be.”
“That makes sense,” Alex conceded.
She watched the scenery as they were transported back through the palace and out into the city. Once again she was transfixed by the view, which was even more stunning now that she wasn’t being buffeted by the wind.
All too soon they zipped past Meya and ventured above the Golden Cliffs before the Valispath began to speed up again. When they were part way through the Silverwood, Alex turned to look up at Zain.
“So, Roka and Kyia, huh?” she asked. The tender moment she’d witnessed alluded to something much greater than friendship, of that she was certain.
“She is to be his wife,” Zain told her. “And one day, our queen.”
Alex smiled at the memory of Roka’s words about his ‘betrothed’ from their first meeting. “They’re a beautiful couple.”
“They are,” the guard agreed. “I couldn’t ask for two better friends.”
“Will you miss them while you’re stuck at Akarnae?”
“I’ll still see them most days,” Zain said, indicating to the Valispath. “It’s not hard for me to get around.”
Handy little rollercoaster, Alex thought as the scenery blurred by at lightning speed.
Soon enough the Valispath began to slow down and Alex could see the lights of the academy glinting in the distance, along with the moon reflecting off Lake Fee beneath their feet. The ride came to an abrupt end when the Eternal Path moved them straight through the wall of her dorm building and into her room.
“This is where I leave you, little human,” Zain said quietly, not wanting to disturb her sleeping roommate.
“Are you going back to Meya?” she asked, and at his nod she took off Roka’s cape and handed it over. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“You will,” he agreed. “It’s best if you act like you don’t know me, at least not around your classmates. You should also warn your friends to do the same.”
“Is that for your anonymity?”
He sent her another crooked smile. “No, Alex. It’s so the other humans don’t wonder why you’re associated with a Meyarin. But I doubt they’ll figure out my ancestry considering how much time has passed since one of my kind has been recognised by your race. It’s far more likely they’ll merely consider me to be intimidatingly large… and attractive, as you’ve already pointed out.”
“I did not call you attractive,” Alex argued hotly. “I said you’re distracting. That could’ve meant anything.”
“Goodnight, little human,” Zain said with a laugh, ignoring her words. “Get some sleep.”
The Valispath took off again, taking the Meyarin guard along with it.
Alex shook her head at the spot where Zain had been standing, then stumbled tiredly over to her bed.
As she was drifting off to sleep—again—she realised that not only Karter, but now Zain as well, would be teaching her Combat class the next day. She firmly pushed the thought from her mind, determined to enjoy her last remaining hours of sleep without worrying about what the class might bring.
? 1D;
Twenty-One
“Wake up, sleepyhead.”
Alex groaned at the sound of the way too chirpy voice next to her ear.
“Go ’way,” she mumbled, burrowing deeper into her blankets.
“Come on, Alex,” the voice said. “You’ll be late for PE if you don’t get up.”
“Don’t care,” she mumbled again.
Her blankets were yanked away and a rush of cool morning air hit her. She sat up with a yelp, reaching blindly for her lost source of warmth.
A quiet snort turned Alex’s attention to her roommate who began heartlessly laughing at her predicament.
“Not. Nice. Dix,” Alex grumbled, running her fingers through her dishevelled hair.
“But it worked, didn’t it?”
Alex didn’t waste energy glaring at her friend. Instead, she stood up and grabbed some clean clothes from her wardrobe and headed into the bathroom.
Hot running water was a luxury after two days in the wilderness and Alex used the time in the shower to ease her strained muscles and enjoy a few moments of peace before her day began. When she was dressed, she left the bathroom to find D.C. waiting for her.
“Feeling better?”
“Yeah,” Alex said. “Sorry for being such a grump. I didn’t get much sleep.”
“Are you kidding me?” D.C. said with another laugh. “You slept for almost ten hours straight! You should feel on top of the world right now.”
“Actually,” Alex said, thinking quickly about what she was and wasn’t allowed to share, “my sleep was interrupted in the middle of the night because Roka wanted to speak with me.”
D.C. gaped at her. “The Meyarin prince was here?”
“No, Zain was,” Alex said. “He came to escort me to Meya. It was so cool, Dix. The Valispath took us the entire way. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
D.C. was staring at Alex in shock, but then her expression shuttered and she turned her hurt-filled eyes away. “Why didn’t you wake me? I would’ve come with you.”
“I’m sorry,” Alex said, putting every ounce of sincerity into her apology. “You were dead-asleep and when I went to wake you, Zain told me not to disturb you. I didn’t like it, but I also didn’t want to argue with him.”
D.C. tilted her head thoughtfully, her unhappy expression dissolving into a calculating one. “Prince Roka wanted to speak with you privately, didn’t he?”
Alex wasn’t sure how to answer, so she nodded, almost shamefully.
“I saw how he looked at the rest of us the other day,” D.C. explained. “He doesn’t trust us.”