Passing through a hallway with a shadowed staircase, Iryana followed Pyetar into a great hall. Dark wall coverings divided wood paneled floors and the high ceiling. The hazy light of dawn filtered through the tall windows, standing along the side wall like soldiers. Lanterns glowed overhead.
The people in the hall seemed a mix of sharp alertness and grogginess. Some were so miserable looking they could only be horribly hungover. Porridge and cheese pancakes filled the tables, and Iryana’s stomach growled.
Her gaze carried over the room and instantly found the man from that night: Karvek. Sitting at a table on a raised dais, his height and athletic build were once again clear even from across the room. He looked far more put together than he had in the forest, like he had been uncaged when she saw him before. Now, his wavy brown hair was neat and contained. Those gray-blue eyes were tamer. Another dark-haired man sat at the side of his table, but she paid him little notice.
It became obvious who Karvek was. He was the military brigade’s major, in charge of this whole fortress. Only outranked by the general of the entire 18th Brigade. He wasn’t looking at her, but at Pyetar, eyes seeming to follow him carefully.
Iryana took the moment beforeMajorKarvek noticed her to steel herself, adjust to the new information. Ifhewere in charge of Myura River, perhapsthis would be easier.
Abandoning her, as expected, Pyetar walked to one of the two rows of tables and benches, passing soldiers who seemed to sit a little straighter when they saw him. He sat on an empty bench with a bored look on his face.
Iryana pushed her headscarf back to hang around her neck and stepped forward. Karvek turned to her, a small smile turning up on one side of his mouth. The rest of the room seemed to follow his attention.
She crossed the room slowly, taking her time. The chatter dropped to sinister whispers, and she could feel their eyes sizing her up. She must have looked a mess. There were undoubtedly dark circles under her eyes from the night of walking through the forest, and the cold had likely chapped her cheeks and left them red. Mud and ice crystals stuck to her boots and the end of her cloak.
Karvek tilted his head, ran his tongue between his teeth, and watched her approach. The intensity unsettled her like it had that night under the trees. Was this the power of leading so many soldiers?
“What business do you have with the 18th Brigade?” A man stood and placed himself between Iryana and the dais. He was built large, with light brown hair and beard, shorn short. His square jaw was clenched tight as he stared at her, arm held out at his side, ready to form some kind of weapon. He held himself like someone important—but he wasn’t the one on the dais.
It was all a game,she reminded herself. And she had to play.
Iryana slipped the military coin from her pocket and flicked it toward the man. He stumbled as he lunged to catch it, snatching it out of the air with a meaty fist.
“Where did you get this?” the brute growled.
Her eyes flicked to Karvek and she raised her brows. An amused smile softened his features.
“Captain Darish, let the lady through.” Karvek stood slowly, hands resting on his hips. “This is Gyena Iryana, a little guardian I met in the woods.”
He used the honorific openly, acknowledging what she was. Iryana could have heard a pin drop for how quiet the room grew, and the man who was sitting with Karvek frowned at her.
“What is a guardian doing here?” Darish grumbled as he reluctantly backed away from Iryana and took his seat again.
“I invited her.” Karvek smiled at Iryana like he was greeting a long-lost friend. “I didn’t expect you to come so quickly, but I’m glad you did.”
“It was an opportunity I found I couldn’t pass on.”
He grinned at this. “What have you come for then? A tour? A glimpse of what life is like on this side of your walls?”
She swallowed. “I’d like more than a glimpse, if you’ll allow it. I don’t want to go back.”
“So you want to work for me? Join the brigade?”
She nodded, trying to read his reaction.
“Despite our… eventful meeting, one can’t be accepted into the 18th Brigade like that. You have to prove yourself first, like all the other initiates.”
She could hear the grumbling around her, their disbelief bolstering her own. Iryana bit down the panic.
“I look forward to it.”
“Sit down, get some food, and you’ll start training tomorrow.” Karvek was already turning back to his breakfast companion, dismissing her. She’d expected more from him, given he’d invited her in the first place.
Iryana turned to the sea of unwelcoming faces. A wave of dizziness swept over her. She would have no friends here, but she didn’t have any back home either. And she didn’t need any.
“Captain Antar,” a man greeted with an extended hand. He was maybe a decade older than her, with a long face and a stern look. “I train the initiates and the new recruits. We start at first light. I hope that guardian training has been worth something.”
Despite his harsh words, he didn’t seem overly hostile; just curious and perhaps a bit intense.
