Did she have some kind of special power I didn’t know about? I was briefed on the fact that any venom or poison she consumed gave her the power to excrete it as a venom, but…this was something else.
“Your venom,” I blurted, too fast. “I’d like a sample. Purely for academic, er, research purposes, of course. I’ve never seen basilisk magical energy interact with arcane instability like that. You have to let me study it. Or perhaps your blood? I would be happy with either, though, I am partial to the venom.”
She blinked at me, startled, and then, her mouth quirked upward. “You want me to spit venom in a vial for you?”
“Yes,” I answered, excitement thrumming through me. She was much easier to deal with than Sabine. “Ideally, while your emotional state is unchanged. Or better yet, I could extract it directly. Do you wish to go to my lab with me?”
“Okay!” Gavin’s voice boomed as he entered the simulator, clapping once, hard enough to crack the silence. “That’s enough for this trial, Professor Grimsworn,” he said pointedly, stepping between us. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but my daughter needs to start the next trial.”
Right.
I cleared my throat and straightened my shirt. “Of course. She passed with distinction.”
“Everyone saw through the monitor. I’ll make a note of your…fascination,” Gavin muttered as he herded Rune away by the shoulder, throwing one final glance back over his shoulder.
Rune winked at me over hers. “I’ll give you my venom next time, Professor.”
Fates.
I could not wait to study her venom…and with how willing she offered it to me, perhaps I could convince her to let me study her blood as well.
My lips curved into a smile.
Rune Bloodwyne was interesting.
rune
. . .
My heart hammeredin my chest, drumming against my ribs and refusing to calm after the Arcane Exposure Trial with Drecken Grimsworn. The men I’d met today had a sudden, intense impact on me that I couldn’t explain. Even so, no man could make my heart beat the way a poison could.
Dad stood in front of Apex Simulator 2.0, the same one I’d just been ushered out of by Pops. It was a towering structure of smooth, gray alloy that was shaped like an enormous vault. The building pulsed faintly with interwoven veins of glowing magic and some tech conduits. It was an interesting hybrid of technology and spell-work.
“This is yourfinaltrial for the practical exam,” Dad said. “A four-hour, field simulation designed to push your instincts, adaptability, and judgment under pressure.”
All the applicants around me straightened at that.
He continued, “You will be assigned into squads of eight. Each group will enter the simulator and face a mission scenario with layered objectives, moral ambiguity, and hostile terrain. You’ll have no access to outside equipment. You will onlyhave your natural abilities, knowledge, and field notes at your disposal.”
Anticipation spiked through me.
“These are your roles,” Dad said. “Drecken?”
Drecken lifted a hand. A flicker of an illusion shimmered across the air beside him, casting glowing titles:
Spy
Enforcer
Torture Expert
Arcane Specialist
Technological Specialist
Intelligence Analyst
Healer
