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)
“Don’t look at me,” Arrod protests. “If I was the one trying to get you in trouble, I wouldn’t write it in a bloody book. I’d go straight to Master Jay.”
“I wouldn’t write in a book, either,” Hemmen adds. “It’s terrible to deface something that takes so long to print. You’re ruining it for the next person who wants to learn.”
Both have valid points, but they could just be saying that to save face. I cross my arms under my breasts, my appetite gone, and stare down at the half-eaten food on my plate. “What do I do?”
Kipp pounds his fist into the flat of his hand and makes a frantic motion, like he’s catching a bug.
“He’s right,” Arrod says. “Obviously we have to set a trap.”
“And how do we do that?” I ask. “Whoever this is already knows where I’m going to be at all times.”
And they might know that I’m a mancer. They might already be plotting to use that information against me.
The thought terrifies me. What if they turn me in to the guild enforcers? Will I be burned in the square as a message to all? It’s hard to think straight or control myself when I feel a dead body nearby. Hot panic tightens my lungs, and I want to tear my tunic off and rip away my corset so I can breathe.
“It has to be one of the other fledglings,” Arrod says. “They’re the only ones who would want to take you out of contention. No one else cares if a woman is an artificer or not.” He shrugs, glancing at Hemmen and then Raptor. “So we figure out how to trap the fledgling in the act.”
“How do we do that?” Hemmen asks. He looks skeptical.
I am, too. I also can’t help but notice that Raptor says nothing. He’s just listening quietly to the others. That unnerves me, because I want to know what he’s thinking. For some reason, him believing in me matters more than all the others.
“Whoever it is who wrote on those books clearly has access to the library,” Arrod points out.
“We all have access to the library.” Hemmen shrugs. “I go there all the time.”
We all stare at him. Kipp thumps his tail on the table in a decisive manner.
“What?” Hemmen asks, confused. Then he realizes what he’s said. “It’s not me! I don’t want to repeat again, either!”
“But you are at the library all the time.” Arrod exchanges a look with Kipp.
“I like to read!”
“You could stake out the library,” Raptor says, finally speaking up. “Watch out for people who spend a lot of time there. Talk to the archivists working and see if anyone borrows multiple copies of the same books other than the masters teaching classes.”
Arrod snaps his fingers at Raptor. “That’s an excellent idea. We’ll do that. Since there’s five of us, we can set up shifts.”
“Splitting up is what the accuser wants,” Raptor continues. He leans forward, pushing aside the now-empty soup tureen. “You and Kipp and Hemmen should all stick together. Keep an eye on one another. If the accuser strikes while you’re all together, then we know it’s not one of you.”
Hemmen eyes the Taurian. “And what about you?”
Raptor leans back in his seat. “I’m going to be with Gwenna. I’ll keep her away from the library all weekend and we’ll focus on training. She’s still not very strong or good with her Prellian letters, and now more than ever, it’s important that she pass. I’ll work with her. More importantly, I’ll keep her safe.”
No one argues.
Thirty
Raptor
Hawk (and Rooster),
I suspect our thief is one of the repeaters in my Five. Gwenna has been targeted twice now in a ploy to discredit her. Hemmen is likely, as he seems reluctant to participate in much of the training. He spends a lot of time at the library, one of the sites where we’ve had an incident.
Arrod, I just don’t trust. He’s too friendly with Gwenna. It makes me suspicious.
Kipp seems trustworthy, but he’s also extremely attached to Gwenna.
At any rate, I’m on it and will keep you updated when I’ve narrowed things down more.
—Raptor
PS—My reward had better be mucking worth all this hassle. Jay is a pain in my tail.
Gwenna is quiet throughout the weekend.
It annoys me. A lot.
I don’t know what to make of this newest twist. I’m not a deep thinker, and so I don’t understand the reasoning behind scrawling messages inside books. Every time I ask Gwenna what she knows, she insists she knows nothing. I trust her. I do. But if she is innocent, why get quiet and withdraw from the rest of us?
I hate her silence. I hate it because I want to fix it and I don’t know how.
I try to make her sass me all weekend. I smack her training sword out of her hand over and over as I teach her the basics of sparring. She’s mucking dreadful at combat. She’s a little better on the obstacle course that I make her run while roped to me, but I purposefully keep my pace brisker than I should because I want her to tell me to slow down. I want her to bellow at me or say something sharp and cutting. I want her to be Gwenna.