I tensed, surprised that he’d asked. The fact that the block on my bloodline had produced a curse as a side-effect was common knowledge, but it was also something people didn’t directly enquire about. Arcanus were usually big on etiquette, and other supernals didn’t often give a damn about what my curse was.
“Don’t be so rude!” Clary admonished him, then turned a kind smile my way. “I’m sorry, sometimes Benedict has no filter.”
“Like you weren’t wondering the same,” he muttered.
Dori shot him a glare.
“Fine, forget that,” Benedict said. “Tell us about the tram attack.”
One of the first lessons I’d learned out in the big wide world was to utilize all the resources available to me, and these three were the perfect resources to help me navigate Nightsbridge.
“How in the world did you survive it?” Dori asked.
It was time to make friends. I sat forward in my seat and fixed a serious expression on my face. “I ran.”
I’d been running all my life, but tomorrow I’d begin the path to laying down roots.
At least for a little while.
CHAPTER 8
“We were owed a reset. I mean, how great was the world before, eh? War and famine and all sorts of stuff, weren’t it? Now we have order. Sure, the supernals are mainly in charge, but they’re doin’ a damn better job than us humans, dontcha think?”
MIRANDA STAR (INTERVIEW WITH GLOBAL EVENTS RADIO)
My supper arrived while I was chatting with the Unwoven, and I ate in the sitting room. A meager affair of soup and bread that barely filled my belly, but it was fine because my information meter was nicely topped up. The trio was a wealth of knowledge about the campus and the people who lived and worked here.
Hunters were trained from the age of sixteen and upward, and no one was here by choice. The Academy conscripted supernals and humans from select bloodlines to dedicate their lives to Nightsbridge.
“It’s not so bad,” Clary said. “Once you make friends.” She smiled at Dori and Benedict.
“I don’t suppose you’ve had many of those, have you?” Dori said bluntly to me.
“Dori!” Clary admonished. “Not everyone cares about her lineage.”
Clary was either very naïve or delusional. “Dori’s right. It hasn’t been easy, but the last few years were good. I mean,afterI changed my name.”
“Nice,” Benedict said.
“It was…while it lasted.”
“I’m sorry about your mother,” Clary said.
Disclosure bred familiarity and was important in making these people believe that we could be friends, but the last thing I wanted to do was talk to strangers about my mother. The last thing I needed right now was a trip into memories that would dredge up emotions I’d rather not share.
I offered her a tight smile, hoping it conveyed acceptance of her unnecessary and meaningless apology. “I should get some rest. Someone named Polina is picking me up in the morning to take me to the Main Building.”
Dori made a face. “Good luck with her. Her temperament is about as sour as her face.”
“Only since Vitra dumped her,” Benedict said. “Before that, she was wandering the halls looking like the cat that ate the sparrow.”
My interest was piqued. “Is she a student?”
“Tarrifel, no,” Dori said. “She’s in Domestic under Pip.”
“But spent most of her time under Vitra.” Benedict wiggled his eyebrows.
“It was two weeks,” Clary said. “You know he doesn’t keep them for long.”
