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)
A heavy arm loops around my shoulders, and I’m dragged backward a half step against Raptor’s big body. He leans over me, so big he blots out the late-afternoon sunlight. “Calm down. They’re not going to find anything.”
“We don’t know that.”
“We do. We gave it to Aspeth, remember? She’s going to stick it in a box in the archives and tell them it was misplaced in their records and not to worry.” He rests his muzzle atop my head in a friendly manner and, when I don’t relax, leans in. His muzzle moves near my ear and he continues. “If you stand here all white-faced and stiff, they’re going to suspect something is wrong. Try being a little more relaxed.”
Oh sure. Relax while enforcers turn our nest upside down looking for an artifact I know was planted to get me in trouble. Relax.
Relax and hope no one dies nearby and I start hearing the dead babbling.
Raptor presses lightly on my shoulders, and I drop them, releasing some of the tension in my body. He’s right about one thing—if I look guilty, I’m going to make them wonder. I turn to the slitherskin, who has set his shell on the ground and perches atop it with an inscrutable expression. “What are your plans for this weekend, Kipp?”
Kipp looks over at me and then proceeds with a flurry of gestures that I can’t make out. Something about dancing. Or fishing. I’m not entirely sure which. But I nod brightly, as if he’s told me something charming.
“What do you want to practice this weekend, Gwenna?” Raptor asks, keeping that lazy arm around my shoulders. “Any particular skills you feel the need to brush up on?”
“All of them?” I manage to sound like my normal sarcastic self with that and relax a bit more. “In all seriousness, I need help with a great many things, but I’m open to suggestions.”
Raptor squeezes my upper arm. “Could probably work on your strength and endurance before anything else. As a woman, you’re going to need every advantage possible when it comes time for the test.”
I bristle at his words, though I know he’s saying it from a place not of sexism but of brutal honesty. I do need to be as good as I possibly can at everything. Better than good. Excellent. Because no one’s going to cut me any slack at all. “I don’t mind working on fitness.”
“I do love it when a woman wants to get sweaty with me.”
Shoving his arm off my shoulders, I step out of his embrace. “Don’t be repugnant.”
Kipp huffs with amusement.
Arrod joins our group, a curious look on his face. “What are you three talking about?”
“Sweating together,” Raptor drawls. “You weren’t invited.”
Kipp huffs again, his lizardy version of laughter.
Arrod isn’t deterred by Raptor’s commentary. He just grins at me knowingly. “Is that how it is, then?”
“Is that how what is?” I ask, voice icy.
“Getting a little extra tutoring in?” He gives me an obvious wink.
“You’re disgusting,” I tell him. Then I turn to Raptor. “You are, too.” I turn back to Arrod and point at him. “But you’re worse, because I know you mean it, and he doesn’t.”
Kipp falls off his shell, clutching his sides and wheezing in that silent slitherskin laughter of his.
By the time the search is done, the sun has almost completely set, and Master Jay is furious at how long it’s taking for the enforcers to move the trunks and boxes of goods back into the nest. “I have somewhere to be,” he says, voice as shrill as his namesake. “What are the results?”
“You’re clean,” the enforcer captain finally says. He twirls a finger at his men. “Wrap it up, boys. We’ll move on to the next one.”
I manage to remain stone-faced at this announcement, though my insides have turned into a puddle of mush. They found nothing. I eye everyone around, but no one seems guilty or annoyed. Kipp is watching with a bored expression as the men pick up trunks. Hemmen is cleaning under his nails with the edge of a knife, and Arrod is busy flirting with Marta, the nestmaid, who looks fluttery with delight at his attention. I’ll warn her about him.
Once I give myself a moment to collapse in sheer relief, that is.
Twenty
Raptor
Rooster:
Our nest was searched recently due to an anonymous tip, which is ironic. Someone’s investigating my team at the same time I am. Nothing was found, given that we handed the artifact over to you. Makes me wonder what their goal is, though.
Still monitoring the situation. I have it all under control.
—R
Iplan on waking Gwenna early the next day for training, if for nothing else than to see the sleepy, grumpy expression on her face when I rouse her. She’s normally the one who wakes up earlier than all of us, and says it’s been brought on by years of working in a household and rousing before dawn. So today I get up while it’s still dark outside and give her bed a quick shake.