‘They’re happy to go with whatever I think is best.’
Kestria tilts her head to the side, and I know she’s thinking the same as I am. It’s easy to see why the Rettlings from Rowell follow Zara. She’s the most vicious by a long way, and her powers have an unpredictability to them that makes her just as dangerous as someone like Mattieu. But Benny? Sure, he’s a brilliant fighter, and I get that the islanders are down to only three of them now, but it was the same even when Jai was around. And in a one-on-one fight between the two, I’m not sure I’d have placed my wager on Benny.
‘Well, I just hope we’ve got Zelle back in charge today.’ Benny makes a clear attempt to shift the conversation.
‘No,’ I sigh. ‘He’s not back, or at least he wasn’t this morning.’
Kestria looks at me wide-eyed. ‘You were up early.’
‘I have a lot to learn.’
Benny’s frowning. ‘That’s two days he’s been gone now. Where do youthink he went?’
Despite the assertion they gave us at the ceremony of inauguration that either Holden or Zelle would be in the battle yard at all times when we’re training, it’s Commander Zelle who’s been most consistently there. Thank the Gods, considering it’s been his siphon powers that have protected me from incidents like yesterday. Not to mention Holden himself. In fact, now that I think of it, I can’t remember a single day when I’ve not seen Zelle there at some point or another. Two whole days off feels unheard of, though undoubtedly deserved.
‘Maybe he went to see his family,’ Seiren remarks. ‘I mean, he has got a family, hasn’t he?’
‘No idea.’ The rest of us look at each other with equally blank expressions.
‘The prince is the only son Zelle considers himself to have.’
Our eyes swivel to the end of the table, where Loch is pushing food around his plate as he stares at nothing.
‘What was that, buddy?’ Benny says. His tone with Loch is growing more and more childlike despite their ages. Though this time, when Loch looks back at us, it’s with perfect clarity in his eyes.
‘Zelle thinks of the prince as his son. He knows about the prince’s marks. The marks. The marks. He knows about the marks.’
And just like that, we’ve lost him again. Tension swirls around us. Easy, laughter-filled meals feel like a thing of the past.
‘Any chance some of you could grab me some food from dinner this evening?’ Llinos’s perky tone does little to hide the strain beneath. ‘Caroline isn’t working, so we thought we’d spend some time together.’
‘I’m starting to worry that you two are distracting each other,’ Benny snaps. ‘You’ve both got jobs to do, remember?’
Llinos’s eyes narrow and her tone is sharp when she speaks. ‘I don’t need reminding of what I’ve got to do. Nor does Caz. And from what Loch’s been saying in his sleep, you’ve got your own job to worry about. So maybe you should focus on that.’
I’ve not managed to pick up on anything in Loch’s ramblings, but clearly Llin’s hit a nerve as Benny’s jaw clicks and he throws Loch a quick glance. The tension has shifted to a point where I daren’t even breathe. Yet before I can work out how to break it, Benny lets out a scoff and rolls his eyes.
‘You’re right. I do,’ he says. ‘Make sure one of us wins the Retterheld. And with the way our numbers are dwindling, I guess I need to doubledown. Don’t worry though. I’ll bring you and Caz some food. After I’ve been training.’
With that, he pushes back his chair and strides away. Ouch.
‘So what was that this morning?’Kestria asks as she sweeps out at my legs, hoping to knock me down. She fails. I already predicted her move and so I hook my foot around her ankle instead, bringing her down to the ground with a thud.
I have no plan to move into one of the empty rooms, but they do provide an extra space to train in, and the moment I saw Zelle was once again missing from the battle yard, I decided not to risk facing Holden again. Kestria kindly offered to come and train with me.
She’s one of the few Rettlings I can fully hold my own against. In fact, I’d actually say I’ve got the upper hand in a lot of situations, but it’s not something I’d rub her nose in. It’s not her fault that her training is frequently derailed by sudden needs to babysit Seiren.
She continues, ‘There was some serious tension there. Are those two always like that? I thought they were friends?’
‘I think it’s come from spending too much time together.’ I try to sound as nonchalant as possible, though the truth is, I don’t believe it. Things have been bubbling between the two since Caroline came back on the scene, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s jealousy on Benny’s part. Or maybe just annoyance that Llin’s not focusing all her attention on the Retterheld.
‘They’ve been together since the boat over,’ I tell Kestria, trying to make my lie as convincing as possible, ‘and sleeping in the same dorm room. They’ve also lost a lot of people, including Suan, who Zara killed on the very first day here simply because she thought her power didn’t have a place in the Retterheld.’
Kestria nods solemnly. ‘The whisperer? I heard about that.’
‘Yeah, she and Loch were close. I think he took it the hardest.’
Kestria smiles with sad understanding. ‘I guess it gets pretty tough. Funny choices, though, the Eastern Isles Rettlings. One who can hear for miles, one who can – could – send messages on the wind. It’s like they came for a lot more than fighting, don’t you think?’ she asks pointedly.
