Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 540(@250wpm)___ 450(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 540(@250wpm)___ 450(@300wpm)
I take it, a little surprised at his reaction. I’m even more surprised when he takes the hem of his tunic and untucks it from his belt, then uses it to wipe the mud from my face. “…Thank you?”
“Fucking pricks,” he grumbles. “Are you all right?”
“I’m just fine.” A little embarrassed that he’s fussing over me in front of the others, but I like it, too.
Master Jay blows his whistle again. “That’s enough today. I’ve seen all I can take. Be ready at dawn on Firstday, and if everything goes well, we’re going to start with our first forays into the basic tunnels soon. Take the weekend to prepare yourself, as I’m not going easy on you from here on out.”
And he looks at me pointedly.
Raptor catches that, too. He steps in front of me as if to protect me, and his hands go to his hips. “I’m working with Gwenna all weekend,” he tells our teacher. “No need to worry.”
Master Jay eyes the two of us and then grunts. “Good. You should probably work with Hemmen, too. He could use some assistance as well.”
Hemmen doesn’t look happy at being called out. “I don’t think—”
“No,” Raptor says, just as quickly. “I already promised Gwenna. Someone else can work with him.”
Kipp pretends to study his boots. Arrod clears his throat and glances away.
“It’s fine,” Hemmen says. He pushes his messy hair back from his face. “I’ll just go to the library and study more.”
“Excellent idea,” Master Jay says. “I want no failures in this class.”
No one says anything to refute that. We don’t want to fail, either. In silence, we untie ourselves and leave the obstacle course, following Master Jay back through the heart of the city to the nest. My boots are full of mud and my clothes are sticking to my skin, but I’m not going to complain about any of it. I’m ready for the day to be over. A nice, quick bath by the hearth and a chunk of bread and some cheese for dinner, and I’ll be back to normal. Maybe I’ll even borrow one of Hemmen’s books and see if I can brush up on some Old Prellian. I try not to glance at Raptor too much as we walk. He’s at my side, his body full of tension as if he feels the need to protect me. I don’t know what to do with that. It’s sweet and makes me want to smile far too much, so I keep my face averted.
The walk back to the nest takes forever. The obstacle course is along the side of the large wall that separates the Royal Artifactual Guild from the rest of busy, overcrowded Vastwarren. Master Jay’s particular dormitory is on the edge of the central square, so it’s a fair bit of walking. By the time the massive statue of Sparkanos the Swan comes into view, I’m exhausted. It takes me a moment to realize the others are slowing their steps, and a rumbling growl starts low in Kipp’s throat. He moves to my side and puts a small hand on my leg to get my attention as I almost walk into Master Jay’s back.
The guild master stands in place for a moment, staring at the nest with his symbol flag hanging above the door. Every window in the dormitory is open, trunks and gear spilling into the street as a frantic Marta, the nestmaid, wrings her hands. What looks like a dozen of the guild enforcers with their green sashes are moving in and out of the dorm.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Master Jay squawks.
A man with a gold-bordered green sash and a large symbolic patch on his sleeve holds out a piece of parchment. “We have orders to search all of the fledgling nests.”
My blood goes cold. I bite back a gasp, but I feel faint.
“Did this come from Head Guild Master Rooster?” Master Jay sounds indignant and confused. He strides forward, snatching the letter from the guild enforcer.
The enforcer just crosses his arms over his chest. “It came from the head of investigations in the enforcer department, which has full approval from the guild and the king himself to perform independent searches. We are following up on an anonymous tip about students stealing artifacts.”
“My students would never!”
“Then you’ve nothing to worry about,” the enforcer drawls. “Now let us finish conducting our search.”
Master Jay throws his hands up in frustration. Hemmen makes a whining sound in his throat, dropping to the cobblestones and sitting down, the picture of exhaustion.
“What do we do, Master?” Arrod asks.
Master Jay paces back and forth, then shrugs. “We sit out here and wait until they’re done.”
Great. I’m not going to breathe until then. My thoughts keep whirling. I was right. I was right all along. Someone’s trying to get rid of me. I have no doubt in my mind that whoever dumped that artifact in my bag is responsible for the anonymous note to the enforcers. I just hope that they didn’t somehow plant another artifact during the last few days. The thought makes me want to vomit.