“You know what I’m saying, don’t you? I know what you are. You are what I am.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says, turning his back and taking a step toward the door.
“You’re not as good at hiding it as you think,” she lies.
He pauses, his back still turned.
“I knew from the second I saw you,” she continues.
With a thick swallow, he looks back over his shoulder. “How?”
“I can sense it,” she says, holding back any mention of the diary. “Will you teach me? I need to—”
He silences her with a sharp wave of his hand. “We can’t talk about this here,” he says, continuing toward the exit. Runningpast him, she positions herself in the doorway of the classroom and refuses to get out of the way.
“Where can we talk about it, then?”
He scowls. “Nowhere. I cannot help you, Miss Jolicoeur.” He tries to shoulder past her, but she stands firm.
“You have to.”
“I won’t. I refuse to witness the death of yet another one of my kin, nor will I risk my life any further. It is a miracle I’ve survived this long, and I am tired of tempting death.”
“Professor, you’re the only one left who can teach me.” She leans close and whispers, “I know Odette was killed. If you don’t help me, I will be next.”
“If you don’t use celestial magic, you will be safe. Now leave it alone.”
She doesn’t move. “You don’t understand. It’s not optional for me. I’m only here because—”
“You should not be here at all,” he snaps. “You clearly have no respect for rhetoric, else you would not be sleeping through class and then begging to study something else. I do not enjoy having a dispassionate student in my class, and I certainly have no interest in working with you on something that would put us both in harm’s way.”
Her jaw hangs open. “Idorespect rhetoric. I just need you to—”
“NO,” he barks in her face. Stunned, she’s too weak to hold her ground when Lamour finally pushes past her and leaves her standing alone.
Back in her room, Claudia is enraged. She may not be a real rhetorician yet, but she could be. Already she’s started devouring the books that Olivier loaned her, and there’s one more piece of Professor Olivier’s advice that Claudia could followif she’s really, truly desperate: learn from the best, who is also the worst—Cassius MacLeod. He’s the darling of Rhetoric. He’s every professor’s perfect gold star. He’s even the High Sage’s favorite. If she could push herself to his level, or—even better—if she could best him, she could truly earn her place. She could make discoveries that prove her too precious to lose. She could earn the favor of Professor Lamour, and she could crush the man who has made her life hell since she arrived. She can beat him at his own game. All she has to do is watch her rival as closely as possible and then do exactly what he does, but better.
She’ll steal the valedictorian’s blessing right out from under him, and she knows exactly who can help her do it.
“Alistair, what does Cassius do outside of class?” Claudia asks, sitting across from him in the Treaty.
He swallows his bite of bread. “He works.”
“And?”
“And what? He reads. He studies. Practices speeches. Writes papers. Reads some more.”
“What does he read? What’s he writing? Tell me everything you know.”
He wipes the corners of his mouth with a napkin. “We’re in different disciplines, so I can’t say I’m all that familiar with his materials. All I know is this: He wakes up before the sun every morning and prays to Malevimus. I’m not sure why, since gods almost never respond to first-years, but I suppose if anyone were to be an exception, it would be him. After class, he reads either in his room or at the library. He prefers the Lexora over the Caedleian because he likes it dark. He publishes at least one paper a quarter, and he usually works on those either in his room or at his desk in the High Sage’s office. And as far as his apprenticeshipgoes, his duties mostly include paperwork and keeping a watchful eye on us Cygni to report back to Triche.”
“Hm,” she says, sipping her tea.
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I’m going to do exactly what he does, become as smart as he is, and then I’m going to destroy him.”
He arches his brow. “Someone’s fiery today.”
