We placed ourselves at the nearest table and gobbled it down without savoring it in the slightest. The things starvation did to your mind… Once I slowed down, I noticed the entire room of soldiers staring at us as if we were beasts. My eyes locked onto a figure passing our table, his red eyes watching me mockingly.
“Didn’t realise they recruited wild animals. Should I fetch you a muzzle or will you be satisfied with a trough?” the Lieutenant taunted with a wicked smirk.
I paused, long enough to swallow the food down, as my eyes narrowed on him.
“Guess hunger makes animals of us all,sir. Some of us just hide it better,” I said with a faux politeness.
He stopped, turning his head back slowly and arched a brow. “Careful, that almost sounded like an insult.” If his eyes could kill me on the spot, I’d be a smudge on the floor about now.
“Only if you’re admitting it applies to you,” I shrugged, feigning innocence.
A beat, silence filling the air.
My four squadmates exchanged quick, wide-eyed looks. Mey coughed into her cup, hiding a grin. Carolyn elbowed Ashley under the table, who was biting her lip to keep from laughing. Nate muttered under his breath,“Damn…”
“Enjoy your meal while it lasts. Your missions won’t be as forgiving,” the Lieutenant threatened, eyes narrowing slightly, but lips quirking.
He strode away, leaving the table buzzing with nervous energy.
“You just said that tohim? You’re insane,” Mey whispered, baffled.
“Insane or brave, maybe both,” Nate chuckled, patting my shoulder.
“Doesn’t matter. He needed reminding I’m not here to roll over,” I muttered, watching our Lieutenant place himself at a table together with his own unit, a familiar figure right next to him.
Rohan.
“Youmight need to be reminded that he’s the Lieutenant?” Carolyn snapped, glaring at me. “Let’s not get kicked out of here on our first day?”
“Eat up, we’ll be fine,” Ashley chuckled, keeping up her pace, not fazed one bit. “Ethalyn is the one biting the owner’s hand, after all.”
I scoffed, but kept my mouth shut. My eyes wandered the room, searching, but found no purchase. Lionel was not back yet it seemed. Instead, I noticed how ragged the place looked, I would’ve expected them to afford keeping it up better. The wallpapers were scraped off at places, spider webs lurked in the corners and the floor had skid marks from all the shoes that had travelled through the hall.
Most of the porcelain had cracks along the edges, not enough to make them useless though. The tables were put together of simple wooden planks, together with some benches to sit on top of.
“Listen up!” a voice echoed through the room, silencing all the chatter in an instant.
It was Rohan, who had risen from his seat, staring everyone down.
“We’ve received news about attacks…” the Lieutenant began after Rohan had silenced everyone for him.
Some of the other soldiers gasped in response.
“The mages!?” someone from another table shouted. Once again, murmuring broke out around the room.
A loud slam sounded, demanding attention and killing off the noise before it got out of control. My eyes darted to the Lieutenant who had pounded the side of his gun against the table, still gripping it, threatening anyone who dared interrupting him again.
The Sergeant sighed, before the Lieutenant continued. “It’s the southern tower.”
“Demons,” Carolyn whispered as low as she could, voice filled with fear.
It didn’t matter how quiet she was, there was a click from the gun, loaded and ready for use, as the white haired man’s eyes swept towards our table, narrowing onme.
Shit, I wasn’t the one who blurted it, yet I had been the one to pick a fight with him. Of course he would suspect me of challenging him again…
“Them,” he demanded low, but loud enough for everyone to hear and turn their heads towards our table. “Everyone else get out and await your orders from Izera.”
“Yes,sir!” I shouted, but the others stared dumbfounded. Slowly, people around the other tables got up and began leaving the room as they had been ordered to. But their glances burned like fire while they whispered. They didn’t think we would be able to make it back, that much was clear.
