Bright, midday sun flooded through the curtains by the time I opened my eyes. I was once again awoken by
that musical, chattering sound. This time, I recognized it instantly as Willaโs voice.
That got me out of bed quickly.
I threw my single shapeless dress back on โ uncomfortably. Iโd had to sleep naked simply because I had no other clothes. I hurried out into the living room, where Willa and Max stood somewhat awkwardly. There was a new, nervous tinge to Willaโs voice.
โโAnd you know how it is, things are just so tense with the invasion of Tairn and all the hostility in Vernaya. Ascended only hope it wonโt go to warโ Oh!โ Willa stopped short. Two sets of eyes turned to me. โTisaanah. Good morning.โ
โGood afternoon is more accurate,โ Max said.
โHow are you feeling? Oh, your hairโฆโ Her voice trailed off. I wondered if it was good or bad that my shortened hair was enough to reduce Willa to silence.
โGood morning,โ I said. โI am much better. Thank you.โ โI meant to make it here last night, but with everything
that happenedโฆโ She let out a breath, her small, plump mouth thinning.
Something was off.
โWhat?โ I asked.
โOur oh-so-great Queen Sesriโs paranoia cost a lot of people their lives last night,โ Max said.
โParanoia?โ Willaโs brow furrowed. โThese are difficult times, Max. We canโt dismiss it as paranoia. Sheโs doing the best she can, under the circumstances.โ
Par-uh-noy-uh.
I knew nothing about the queen of Ara โ until now, not even her name. The most recent history that my books covered was more than two decades old at this point. Still, I understood what Willa was saying before I walked into the room: war. War could destroy all of my plans.
Orโฆit could be a chance to advance faster than I would otherwise.
That thought put a nauseous pit in my stomach, and I hated myself for considering the possibility. I was very young when the Threllian Lords conquered Nyzerene, but some echo of my memory still recalled the smell of the capital burning, the chill of the night as my mother and I fled. War destroyed my home. Scattered my people to the plains. Sent me into slavery.
But it also presented an opportunity. I didnโt have the luxury of ignoring that.
Before I could ask more, Willa shook her head as if to clear the unpleasant thoughts and spoke again. โAnyway.ย Thatโsย not what I came here for. I wanted to bring you some clothes and take a look at those wounds again since you left so suddenly, and all. I wasnโt really expecting her to take you away right then and there, if Iโm being honest. Thatโsโ not normally how things are done.โ
โDonโt bother,โ Max cut in, before I could respond. โSheโs not staying. In fact, this is an excellent opportunity for you to take her back to the Towers.โ
Ugh.ย I didnโt understand why he had to be such an ass about it.
Willaโs fingers played around each other. Max, I realized, made herย nervous. Interesting.
Max gave her a deadpan stare. โIโm serious, Willa.โ โWellโ this poses a problemโโ
โThe only problem anyone should be talking about is the fact that I already told Nuraย no.โ He threw up his hands. โHow come no one ever discussesย thatย problem?โ
โI donโt care who trains,โ I said, growing increasingly irritated with this discussion. โI will train with anyone. I only want to join the Orders.โ
โSee? Anyone could do it.โ
Willa picked more ferociously at her fingernails. โApprenticeships were assigned six months ago, Max, and with everything happening right now, thereโs no one else available whoโโ
โThereโs noย wayย thatโs actually true.โ
Willa looked so startled at being outright accused of lying that I felt bad for her. โItย isย true. I checked.โ
Shit.ย I had still been holding out hope that Max wasnโt
actuallyย my only option.
โIf you donโt do it,โ she went on, โthen no one can, at least not for another five months when the current crop of senior apprenticesโโ
โThen she can wait for five months.โ
I shook my head, fiercely. โIย cannotย wait five months.โ
โBoth of you need to calm down.โ Willaโs voice took on a tone that sounded as if it was meant to soothe cranky children. โI spoke to Nura about this before coming here. Tisaanah, because of your unusual situation, weโre willing to let you do your first round of tests early. The other apprentices have their evaluations in five months. You test with them, and from there, we can see whether youโre fit to move forward more quickly.โ
If this was supposed to be good news, it didnโt feel like it. I nodded and tried not to show how tight my jaw was, or the way my fingernails dug into the flesh of my palms. Who
knew where Serel would be in five months? Whereย anyย of my friends would be by then? And that was only theย startโฆ
Calm down,ย I told myself.ย Youโll prove it to them. Youโll find a way. You always do.
โThis still doesnโt change the fact that I wonโt train her.โ
Gods,ย I wanted toย throttleย him.
โAfter five months,โ Willa said, somewhat pleadingly, โwe can see about switching things around.โ
โI told Nura no.โ
โWell, Maxantarius, as you knowโฆโ She continued to fidget, her voice halting, as if she was very much dreading saying what she was about to say. โYou are still beholden to the Orders. You know what the penalties are for failing to uphold your duties. Especially because ofย yourโโ
Max raised a palm. Fury seeped into every line of his face, drawing harsh wrinkles of tension around every feature. โRight, I see where this is going. Youโre saying I donโt have a choice.โ
โAll of us have obligations,โ Willa said, apologetically.
He let out a scoff, then turned those inhuman eyes on me. โThey picked an unusual battle inย you, didnโt they?โ
I returned his glare with a sweet, accommodating smile. โI will beย excellentย apprentice.โ
Max crossed his arms and went outside without another word, leaving Willa and I staring at each other. I picked up her bag. โThank you,โ I said, then grabbed the skirt of my shapeless dress. โIโm glad to rid this thing.โ
That was good news, at least.
WILLA STAYED FOR A WHILE LONGER, helping me unpack the clothes she had brought. In this case, โunpackingโ simply meant trying to find a clear surface upon which to place them, but I didnโt mind. I was just thrilled to be able to get
out of this hideous dress. Instead, I changed into a pair of close-fitting trousers, paired with a blouse that wrapped around my body and tied around my waist, both rendered in shades of dusky blue. Simple, but worlds better than that awful chiffon thing.
Before she left, Willa looked at my wounds and seemed pleased with how they were healing. She had me lay on my stomach while she hovered her hands over my bare back, muttering under her breath. Whatever she was doing itched, but didnโt hurt, even when she touched open wounds directly.
โCould all Valtain do this?โ I asked her.
โNo, just some of us,โ she chirped. โEveryoneโs abilities manifest a bit differently. Certainly, it is a useful skill to have.โ
Then, before she left, she took my wrist and removed the bandage that Iโd noticed when I first arrived, revealing a tiny, neat wound.
โIโm sorry, dear. This will sting.โ
I winced as she took a small knife and opened the wound just enough to coax forth a few drops of blood, which she captured in a glass vial. I resisted the urge to pull my hand away.
โWhat is this?โ I asked.
โJust for tests,โ she said, as if it were nothing. Then she replaced the bandage. โThere! Now, whatโs leftโฆโ
Max didnโt come back inside at all during this entire encounter. Before Willa departed, she pulled me against her in an unexpected embrace.
โDonโt worry,โ she whispered into my hair. โEverything will come together.โ
โI know,โ I answered, if only because I wouldnโt allow myself to consider any other possibility.
And then, Willa was gone, leaving me alone again in this house where I was clearly so unwelcome.
But, there were worse things to be than unwelcome. At least now I had a goal, a plan. And a teacher who, at the very least, couldnโt kick me out.
I found Max out in the garden, clipping dead blossoms from a shrub. He didnโt even look at me as I approached.
This would be so much easier if I could sense his thoughts. Still, I didnโt need magic to feel the anger that surrounded him like a cloud, tainting the air.
โWhy do you hate the Orders?โ I asked.
โBecause theyโre archaic and controlling and power-hungry.โ
He didnโt look up.ย Clip. A blossom fell to the dirt.
โI only need for you to tell me what I need to know for the test. Only this.โ
Clip.
Max laughed.
โOnlyย this,โ he repeated, shaking his head.
โPlease,โ I said, making my voice small, sweet. โI need your help.โ Men loved that voice. All tiny and helpless. Over the last eight years, Iโd honed mine to perfection.
Maxโs eyes flicked to me only briefly, with a removed coldness that told me he was neither fooled nor moved by my performance.
โI went through a lot to gain my freedom from the Orders. Iโm not about to turn around and hand it right back to them. I don’t want to get myself thrown into Ilyzath, so Iโm not kicking you out, but make no mistake, I donโt plan on making this easy for them.โ
โIlyzath?โ
โItโs aโ prison. Thatโs beside the point.โ
Clip.
Max scooped up a handful of browned, wilting blossoms. He didnโt even look down as fire rose from his skin to consume them in his palm.
It took me a few seconds to find the Thereni translation for โprisonโ stored in my mind, but when I did, I wondered
what Max did to be in such precarious standing thatย Iย could get him locked up.
โYou can do what you want,โ he said, โbut Iโm not participating.โ
I stood up. Crossed my arms. โFine.โ
โIโm glad we understand each other.โ He did not look at me.
I didnโt need him anyway.
I had five months. That was more than enough.