“Don’t you like it?”

  “It reminds me that I’m not really free. Not yet.”

  “You can leave the fortress whenever you want, Seline.”

  “Yeah, but where would I go? I don’t have an apartment I can go back to, and after everything I’ve seen, why would I want to? I’ve never been the kind of person content to sit on my hands if I know there’s a problem that needs fixing, and Valoel is a problem.”

  “Indeed…”

  We reached the door to my dorm. It was quiet in the fortress, no one was out in the halls. From one door not far away, I thought I heard snoring.

  “Today has been a long day,” I said.

  “That it has been…”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Nice… as far as missions go. It had a little of everything in it, didn’t it?” My mind took me back to that moment in the alley, when I realized Draven was jealous. I licked my lips and grinned at him because I knew, I knew, that wasn’t something he wanted me to have seen. It was something I could use, if I wanted to. Something I had over him.

  Then I remembered the way I’d wanted to kiss him so badly. If it hadn’t been for Romeo, we may have actually gone and done it, too. His hand had come about my waist, like it had again just now. My heart started to pound. I remembered how close his body had been to mine, remembered feeling the warmth of his torso, remembered the scent of his breath—always minty, somehow. I never saw him chewing gum.

  I licked my lips again as I stared at him. This time there was no one to interrupt, no one to smash into this moment and shatter it into a million pieces. I let myself be drawn to him, angled my head to the side, and let my lips slowly part. With a pounding heart, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him, and a flurry of tingles washed through me.

  Draven’s hand squeezed gently against my waist the moment our lips met. I could taste the sweetness on his lips, now. I could feel the warmth of his breath. I pulled him closer to me, diving more deeply into the kiss like it was the last I would ever receive. When the kiss finally broke, I almost reached for him again, but I held myself back.

  Now wasn’t the time.

  Without saying another word, Draven gave me a slight bow, which made for the first time in my life someone had ever bowed toward me. He then left, heading down the hall away from me and disappearing around a corner. When he was gone, I opened the door to my room to find it dark and quiet.

  Ness was asleep and snuffling slightly, so I did my best not to wake her as I undressed and slid into my bed. Sleep, however, wouldn’t come easily tonight. Not after that.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  That I’d been through a lot already was probably an understatement. From the Caretaker, to Draven, to fiends, and now Valoel, I’d put up with a whole lot of crap from a whole lot of people. I’d spent many hours training to use magic, training to kick ass. I’d fallen off rooftops, I’d survived a magic labyrinth, and I’d defeated the Smother.

  But there was one thing I hadn’t done, one hurdle I hadn’t jumped over; that fucking rope.

  Of all the things in the gymnasium, all of the obstacles and training aids we had, the white rope dangling at the back of the gymnasium was the only one that had eluded me. I’d tried climbing it a few times, when nobody was around, but it had always beaten me.

  “Why are you doing this again?” Felice asked. Felice, Fate, and Ness had joined me for a little early morning training.

  “Because,” I said, “I’ve never beaten this thing. It’s literally the only part of this gym I haven’t tackled.”

  “Really?” Fate asked, “You’ve fought the spear dummy?”

  It wasn’t just a dummy with spears mounted on it. It was a dummy that fought back when you hit it, with spears that could grow from any point on its body. You didn’t know where the next sharp blade was coming from. It was only recommended for advanced trainees, and it always left an injury on the person training with it.

  “Yep,” I said, “I’d say I have the scar to prove it, but the doctor did a good job at making sure I got patched up quick.”

  “I remember once,” Ness said, “Okay, maybe I don’t remember. Maybe I dreamed it. But I was pretty good at climbing back where I lived. Uh, we lived in a forest? So, there were always loads of trees to climb and stuff. And these trees were special because at the top there were always sweet fruits to pick. I can’t remember what they were called…”

  Silence followed all those words.

  “So, you’re a better climber than me too?” I asked.

  “I don’t know… probably not.”

  “Have you climbed that thing?”

  Ness’ cheeks burned red. “Yes.”

  I frowned. “Okay, so, I’m gonna do it. Right now. And I’m gonna get to the top, too.”

  “If you don’t, do I get to laugh?” Felice asked.

  “You can laugh if you want, but you’ll have to fight me after.”

  She shrugged. “Eh. I can deal with that. You’re on.”

  Nodding, I stepped up to the bottom of the rope. I did that, grabbing the rope with my hands and pulling myself up. I’d done more dangerous things than this before. Hell, I’d fallen all the way down to the street from one of New York’s tallest buildings and survived.

  So, why is my heart racing?

  “Steady,” I said to myself, slowly starting the climb. One hand over the other, one foot over the other, that was how I was going to conquer the rope in the gymnasium. I only had to remind myself of the stuff I’d been through, and this would turn out to be a piece of cake. Only it wasn’t. I hadn’t made it even a quarter of the way up, and I was already winded.

  “What the hell is wrong with me today?” I said aloud.

  “Late night?” Felice asked.

  “I guess…” grunting, I pulled myself up a little further. “I shouldn’t be this tired, though!”

  “Okay, so, I think that’s because the rope is magic,” Ness called out.

  “Magic?” I asked, hoisting my body up again.

  “I could be wrong? But I’m looking at it, and I’m peeling away the layers of reality around it—or whatever—and I’m sensing a little magic.”

  “Great, so it’s a rope that makes you tired.” I looked down, and my head started to spin. “And gives you vertigo.”

  “Ha,” Felice yelled, “An Aevian with vertigo. Classic.”

  “You be quiet!” I snapped. Staring up at the ceiling helped with the vertigo, but I still had a hell of a long way to go. I took a deep breath and kept pulling, using my arms as much as my legs. I knew I wouldn’t make it with just my upper body strength alone, it would take every one of my muscles working together to get me through. As long as I looked up, I could keep the concentration I needed to make that happen.

  Thoughts of Draven pushed into my mind as my arms worked. I remembered the way we’d kissed. I wanted to make sense of it, I wanted to dissect the moment and figure out what made it tick. Draven and I… I guessed it made sense when you looked at it. He was always getting on my nerves, and I was always throwing off his big-bad-wolf game.

  We also had a shared past. It was inescapable, now. Neither of us could ignore it. We also couldn’t remember it, but that wasn’t important. The fact was, we knew there was something there. Sometime long ago, when we lived in the world of floating castles and magic unbound, Draven and I knew one another. Back then, at some point, in some way, our paths crossed.

  But there was no then anymore. There was only now, and in the now, Draven and I were very different people. We were no longer members of warring houses, but we’d been changed by our time on Earth. Ten years can do a lot to a person. I had a feeling if I looked back and saw myself before I fell through the rifts, I wouldn’t recognize myself.

  By the same token, neither would Draven.

  I was more than halfway up now, but I didn’t dare look down; not while gravity seemed to be pulling much harder on my stomach. Something was happening down there, though. I could hear voices—and not just the three other girls I’d come in with.

  Concentrate, Seline. One hand over the other, I pulled and pulled until I made it almost to the top. With each movement, my muscles weighed heavier and heavier, until it felt like I was carrying another me on my back. Stretching, inching, my fingers moved closer to the ceiling until, finally, they made contact.

  Instantly the weight on my back shifted and disappeared, taking that churning sensation in my stomach with it. I’d made it.

  “Fuck yes!” I yelled, looking down. That was when I saw him. Ferrum. The little shit-bag looked like he was giving Fate a hard time, and even though she could hold her own, the thought of him even breathing at her made my blood boil.

  “Oh, congratulations,” he called out, slow-clapping and rolling his eyes. “You just did something most high-schoolers can do. Feel good about yourself?”

  “Who the hell let you in here, asshole?”

  “It’s a free gym.” He walked over to the rope. Felice went to rush him, but flames leapt out at her from out of nowhere, stopping her before she could get close to him.

  “Why don’t you do us all a favor and leave?” I said, “We’re trying to get a little training done here, and we have a strict no idiots policy.”

  Ferrum grabbed the rope. I felt it jiggle underneath me, and somehow—irrationally—the vertigo returned. “Tell you what,” he called out, “Let’s see how fast you can get down from that thing.”

  By just touching it, he set the rope on fire. I watched the flames rise, burning through the material at the speed of thought. I started climbing down before I realized there was no way I’d make it to the bottom before the flames touched me. Then, like an idiot myself, I remembered something he probably didn’t know.

  I let go of the rope and plummeted all the way to the floor.

  Ferrum had a smug look on his face as I went down, but when my body righted itself and I landed gracefully on my feet, the smugness disappeared. “What the hell?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “Don’t they teach you about other races in whatever fancy douchebag school you went to?”

  “Aevians can’t die from falling, dickweed,” Fate said.

  Ferrum spun around. “You can shut your little mouth, freak! Why don’t you go back to the mountains where you belong?”

  “Hey!” I yelled, “Don’t you talk to her like that.”

  He turned to look at me again and stretched his arms to the side. “What are you gonna do about it, huh? I’ve seen you. You walk the walk, but when it comes down to it, you’re all bark and no bite. And that’s why, in the end, you’re going to prove to everyone just how much of a failure you are.”

  My heart was pounding, my hands clenching into fists, my vision locked on him like he was the only person in the world. I didn’t think about it, didn’t hesitate. I rushed over to the weapon rack, drew a sword, and dashed at him. Felice yelled for me to stop, but I couldn’t do what she asked. I couldn’t stop.

  With the sword raised above my shoulder, I sprinted toward Ferrum who had ample time to prepare a defense. I swung the sword at him in a lethal arc as soon as I was in range, but he’d been ready for that move and he spun off to the left. He was fast, like me. Not very strong, but able to move like fire.

  I turned and lashed out at him with the sword again, and again he managed to dodge out of the way, this time delivering a kick to my ribs for good measure. I staggered a little, shaken by the hit, but when I went for him this time, the sword bit into his shoulder as he tried to dodge out of the way, splitting his uniform, his skin, and drawing a little blood.

  Ferrum stared at the wound, his eyes wide. Steam billowed from the blood sliding down his arm. He snarled and came for me, but this time I was ready for him. I feinted to the left, but attacked from the right, sliding my heel in front of his foot and forcing him to trip over it. Ferrum went down hard on his front, but by the time he’d managed to spin onto his back, I was on top of him, with the tip of my sword pressed against his neck.

  I couldn’t hear my own thoughts over the sound of my heart thumping wildly against my chest. Ferrum’s eyes were on mine, fire burning brightly within them, sweat beading from his forehead. I could hear the others yelling for me to stop, to get off him, reminding me that he wasn’t worth it, but it was like my brain couldn’t register what they were saying.

  For a moment—for an insane, terrifying moment—not even I knew if I had it in me to pull the blade away from his throat. I honestly, seriously thought I would run it through him there and then, be done with whatever this guy had been put in my path for. What the hell had I ever done to him that made him decide to be such a total dick?

  “Seline!” another voice, this one Aaryn’s—it was powerful enough to snap me out of my own head. I blinked, turned my head up, and across the gleam of the sword’s edge I saw her standing there, watching me. “Care to tell me what’s going on?” she asked.

  I drew the sword’s tip away from Ferrum’s neck and slowly pulled myself up to stand. The sword fell from my hand and clattered to the floor, the sound echoing through the silent gymnasium. No one was speaking, not even Ness who usually couldn’t help herself. Ferrum grunted as he pulled himself up, then he pointed at me.

  “She tried to kill me,” he said to her, rubbing at his neck like I’d pierced it. If I had, no amount of rubbing would save him.

  “You probably did something to deserve it,” Aaryn said, approaching.

  “You can’t talk to me like that! I’m—”

  “—a prospect, which means I can and will talk to you however I want. Now, I’m going to tell you to be quiet, and the next words out of your mouth better be yes and ma’am.”

  Ferrum grumbled something that sounded like yes and ma’am, but was probably a little more colorful than that.

  Aaryn ignored it. “Seline, when you’re done terrorizing the other prospects, I need you to come with me.”

  “Come with you?” I asked, “It’s not even eight in the morning.”

  “Duty doesn’t wait for anyone…”

  I could hear the question bubbling on Ferrum’s lips. Duty, what duty? But he didn’t speak. He was afraid of Aaryn, and that was good. If I had to listen to him talk again, I would’ve probably ended up hitting him.

  I nodded at the girls as I went past them. Felice nodded back and took up the role of instructor, telling Fate and Ness to go and arm themselves. They’d be practicing their swordsmanship today. That was something I’d have wanted to see, but Aaryn was already on her way out of the gym, and I had to follow her. I found her waiting for me in the hallway, that was only just starting to stir with the morning hustle and bustle.

  “This way,” she said, and l followed.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked as I shadowed her steps.

  “The fortress is in no immediate danger, either from inside or outside, so I’d say that counts as okay.”

  “Good… why did you need me?”

  Aaryn moved into the courtyard, where the air was crisp and cool, and there wasn’t another soul around. A fine mist had descended on the fortress, turning the sky grey and making even the Aevian statue in the center of the courtyard difficult to see.

  “I’d like to talk to you about Six.”

  “Six?” I asked, “What about her?”

  “She tried to escape last night.”

  “Oh… I guess she failed?”

  “We had her under surveillance, there was no way she’d get very far. I was simply wondering if you had any thoughts as to why she may have wanted to escape her comfortable room?”

  I scratched the back of my head. “I don’t… I mean, I guess I can understand why though… this place is strange to her. Alien. It doesn’t feel like home.”

  “As I understand it, she was in chains when you found her… why would she want to go back to that?”

  I remembered the way I was when Draven found me. When we first came to the fortress, it was probably one of the most impressive things I’d ever seen. Sure, I’d just come face to face with some nightmare beast, but after that, going inside the castle, seeing Fate sitting at that huge dining table, stuffing her face with delicious food. Considering the two of us had come from… not poverty exactly, but something close to it, the fortress was a palace.

  Still, though, I didn’t want to stay there. I wanted to go back home, back to my life, my shitty apartment, my reality TV, my lotto tickets. I didn’t realize I’d actually won the lotto by being brought to the fortress where not only could I do a bit of good in the world, but I could also hone my skills and become… someone powerful, someone who could really thrive on her own, and not just survive like I was doing.

  I sighed. “She may not know anything else,” I said, “Chains probably feel comfortable. And that’s assuming she’d have gone back there. Maybe she was going to escape and make a new life for herself?”

  “You could be right. Still, she strikes me as someone who has been through a great deal of trauma in her life. I would therefore like for you to take a more hands-on approach with her.”

  “Hands-on? I don’t understand.”

  “I want you to train her.”

  I frowned. “You mean you want her to become a prospect?”

  “That’s not what I said, though I wouldn’t say it’s off the table. She may be a fiend, but she’s also under our protection and that means she’s welcome to join the order if she so wishes.”

  “You think she’s under our protection. But trust me, she thinks she’s our prisoner right now. I know I did at first, and I’m sure a whole bunch of other people thought the same thing at the start too.”

  Aaryn looked to the side. “Yes, Draven and Crag have never been subtle about the way they brought new recruits into the Order.”

  “Yeah, whoever let them in charge of recruitment really screwed the pooch.” Crag. Sunglasses. Douche Squad. A smile swept across my face. “I hated him so much, and then I kind of got used to him.”

  Aaryn smiled, too. “Yes, he had that kind of effect on people… anyway, Draven brought me up to speed on what you discovered last night. While that situation marinades, I would like you to go and see Six, talk to her, see if you can get her to open up a little more. And if you feel like she’d respond well to it, train her.”