I refrain from pointing out that friction already exists as he continues. “Despite our history, I trust you can discern why I cannot make a habit of showing you special treatment.”
“I understand, sir. Caligo first, above all,” I say, using one of his favorite mottos.
He pats the hand that’s still tucked around his arm. “Precisely. Our duty to Caligo must come first. Always. Which is why my mercy ends here, Orelle. The next time you fall out of step, I will not stand between you and the consequences.”
Raised hairs race along the back of my neck. The warning seems a bit extreme, considering all I did was accept some gifted groceries. Unless . . . unless he knows about my attempted escape.
There’s no way. None of the guards got close enough to see my face. If they had, surely the chancellor’s men would’ve come knocking earlier.
“I understand,” I repeat, hoping he doesn’t notice the sweat building on my palms.
“Good.”
When we arrive at the R1 archway, he releases my arm. Fighting the urge to run, I bow once more.
“Do try to get some rest before the ceremony, Orelle. I suspect you didn’t get enough this morning.”
I swallow to keep my voice neutral. “Why do you think that?”
Chancellor Bren gestures beneath his eyes. “The dark circles, dear.”
The pressure in my lungs deflates. With a strained chuckle, I wave a dismissive hand. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m afraid those never go away these days.”
I dip my head and turn to stride down the hall.
Though he makes no move to follow, my neck doesn’t stop prickling, even once I lock myself back inside the cabin.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I amno one in a sea of bowed, cloaked heads as the pulsing wail echoes through the cramped corridor. Sconces flash in sequence with the alarm, creating a bizarre sense of warped time. It’s no different from years past, yet this time the flashing feels personal—like the ticking of a timer about to expire.
“Mama,” a child whispers at my back. “Does the Hunt start tonight?”
“No, my lovey. Tonight, they’ll select this year’s Huntresses,” the woman trills, like the title is some glamorous honor, “but they won’t be sent above until the dawn after tomorrow.”
“Awww,” the little one groans. “The selection is boring. Why can’t they send them up tonight?”
The mother chuckles, amused by her child’s impatience to witness televised deaths. “The Huntresses need time to prepare for their task.”
A scoff escapes me. I lift my billowing black sleeve to my face, rushing to disguise it with a cough.
Thirty hours. That’s how long these women will have to prepare for their mission of eliminating Sols, who are superior to us in nearly every way, with one exception: their intrinsic dependence on the sun.
A shoulder presses firmly into mine, and I know it’s Taurance’s way of offering both reassurance and a warning.
My lips press together as I return to picturesque obedience, sandals shuffling dutifully forward on the polished granite floor.
When we near the fork in the corridor, a guard ahead drones in a nasally monotone voice, “Two single-file lines. All Tier Threes who are eligible for selection, to the right. Exempts, the left. Exemptions include females who are legally wed or have filed an official intent of marriage co-signed by their male partner, females who have at least one living child or have been declared an expectant mother by the Department of Midwifery, females not yet of marital age, and all males of any marital status, parental status, or age. Have your proof of exemption at the ready.”
A bit of animation livens the guard’s tone as he clasps his arms behind his back and strolls up to the fourth female in the line forming on the left, whose trembling increases the closer he gets. “We will be verifying all those who claim exemption, so if you’re eligible and thinking about sneaking into the opposite line, don’t.”
He says that last word directly into the woman’s ear, and she whimpers.
The guard’s thin, chapped lips pull back, revealing a set of too few buttery-yellow teeth.
The child behind me speaks up again. “I wanna be like him when I grow up.”
Bile coats my tongue, but I keep silent and brush my arm against Taurance’s one last time before making my way to the right side of the corridor.
