“I don’t see another solution. We still have more novices to locate. The head injury that knocked her unconscious needs to be looked at as soon as possible.”
“Aimilia-—”
“I know! You don’t like it, but you don’t have to. I’m a commander, that is my order. Do you trust I am making the decisions in everyone’s best interest?”
Marcella took a deep breath and nodded. “I hope I have the strength.”
“I know you do.”
So with that, Marcella, with some help and maneuvering from Aimilia and some precious vitae as a harness, secured the girl to her back and they turned back.
Aimilia was left alone once more.
A snarl echoed in the distance. She flexed her burnt hand.
And she pressed on.
Chapter 19
NIKIAS
Nikias pulled novice after novice out of the hole, each one affirming it had been Commander Aimilia who had sent them. As soon as Nikias hauled them out of the hole, he passed them to Academy teachers that had finally joined them and to the healers on standby. A few academics with knowledge in repairs had arrived, but the majority of the commanders Nikias had were forced to keep their shields up or cast new ones as more and more of the stadium wanted to break apart and fall and they couldn’t afford for anything to hit the ground and cause more collapse.
Nikias wouldn’t let anything cause the already collapsing tunnels to cave in further.
He counted over the novices again.
“It’s still thirty-seven.”
Gavril’s voice next to him disrupted Nikias’ count.
When Nikias looked over at him, Gavril sighed, eyeing the identical rope he had connected to Marcella. “I keep counting too.”
Nikias looked over his shoulder at the families that could be seen outside the stadium, the Runai guards holding them backand everyone else who wanted to gawk now that they were no longer in immediate danger. He lowered his voice so the novices who were around didn’t hear him. “It might not be many more. There might not be fifty to find.”
Gavril shook his head, but also kept his voice low. “The part of me that wants my wife out of danger the quickest would almost hope the same. But for the sake of the families out there waiting, I pray that it’s not.”
Nikias said, “I’m being realistic. While this mess is deep, the novices cannot have ended up much farther than the stadium’s circumference. It is sizable, but I’m sure Aimilia and Marcella will soon have covered all of it.”
“Then let’s hope for a miracle.”
Nikias held his tongue.
As much as he might be tempted, he was determined to remain calm and composed and not lose his head, especially at Gavril who was just as worried as he was. If not more.
Nikias spotted a boy off to the side being healed from one of the chimeras nearly taking off his arm. He was firing every single chimera handler that had been there that day. He was also going to punish whoever had been the one to suggest chimeras be used in an entrance exam in the first place. Then he was going to ban chimeras from the entrance exams forever. Then?—
“Hello?”
Nikias abandoned his scheming as Gavril called back, “Yes! This way! It’s Prince Gavril. I’m here with my brother. We’re going to pull you out.”
After Gavril had arrived, Nikias had quickly seen how much better they responded to him and not Nikias. Which made sense, given Gavril had taken to his role at the Academy quickly and the students almost as quickly. It was for the best since Nikias didn’t have an ounce of skill in such areas as being warm and reassuring or comforting. He especially didn’t have the patiencefor such things at a moment like this. Quick, effective, and cold but alive worked for him.
When the tug came on his rope though, he started pulling. He’d been feeling the strain in his shoulders and back for a while now, growing with each novice that emerged, but he ignored and kept pulling until the first boy emerged. Nikias reached down into the hole, sinking his hand into his chiton and yanking him up the rest of the way and onto semi-solid ground.
With the emergency repairs underway, Nikias had several of the commanders holding up shields under the rubble surrounding the immediate area of the hole to stabilize it as more weight came on top of it from under it.
Gavril started pulling the next one up while Nikias directed the boy over to his teachers and the healers along with the rest of the novices.
