Meera didn’t give it to her, launching another attack that sent Viri scrambling backward across the large gray mat while trying valiantly to refill her lungs.
“You’re like a newborn fawn stumbling around on fresh legs,”Meera said, her dark features set in a frown.“I haven’t seen you fight this poorly since you were a novice.”
That was harsh, Viri thought, though not untrue.
It was Wynter’s fault—Wynter and her stupid alchemy.
All too vividly, Viri recalled what had happened the previousnight after she’d been dragged to Wynter’s lab in the undercity, the memory playing out in quick flashes:
“I call it ‘zingzest.’ It’s an elixir to boost energy,” Wynter declared, shoving a vial of shimmering orange liquid into Viri’s hands. “The name works twofold: increased vitality and a citrusy taste. Zing and zest—get it?”
“What’s wrong with coffee?” Viri asked, swirling the vial suspiciously.
“When I say energy boost, I meanboost,” Wynter emphasized. “No coffee in the world will hit you as hard and fast as this will.”
Despite herself, Viri was intrigued. It was dangerous to hunt reapers with depleted energy, but sometimes unavoidable. An elixir like this could be the difference between life and death.
Even so…
“How long does it last? I want to getsomesleep tonight, Wyn.”
“I’m still refining the formula, but it should fade fast,” Wynter assured her. “It’s only meant to be a quick hit, like for a surprise attack. Swallow this, and BAM! An instant shot of adrenaline straight to the veins.”
Viri had trusted her friend and downed the vial, with Wynter’s words proving true almost immediately—both the citrusy taste and the violent awakening of every nerve in her body. Pure energy had slammed into her, making her believe she could take on all the reapers in the world without breaking a sweat.
However, while itdidfade after a few minutes, as promised, Viri had been left with a jittery feeling forhours, her heart beating rapidly, her head pounding, her body shivering and feverish, almost like a drug withdrawal. Her symptoms had eased with just enough time for her to manage an hour of sleep before she’d had to leave for dawn training. And to add insult to injury, Wynter’s only comment upon Viri bursting furiously into her bedroomthat morning had been, “Interesting. I’ll adjust the formula for the next time you try it.”
Viri had wanted to throw something at her. Instead, she’d stormed off to meet Meera, fueled solely by irritation, but that had long since burned away, leaving her barely conscious as she sparred sluggishly with her mentor.
On the plus side, they were only practicing unarmed combat today, so she didn’t have to worry about bleeding out from a stab wound. A small mercy.
“If you were going to waste my time, you could have at least had the decency to tell me beforehand,”Meera said when Viri failed to dodge another easy attack—a quick leg hook behind her knee that sent her sprawling onto the mat.
“Time is a construct, so ‘waste’ is subjective,” Viri panted from the ground, wincing when she realized she was semi-quoting Reeve, of all people. She winced again at the look on Meera’s face. “I mean”—Viri scrambled back up to her feet and hurried to correct her mistake—“you’re right. I’m sorry, I’m not at my best today.”
Meera’s hard expression softened a fraction. She didn’t renew her attack, but instead squared her stance and crossed her arms.“Talk to me. What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I just didn’t sleep well.”
“Is this about you being stuck on desk duty?”Meera asked.“If we’d been alone yesterday, I would have been more lenient.”
“It’s fine. I get it.”
Meera continued as if Viri hadn’t spoken.“You’re one of my best hunters—I’d much rather have you out saving lives than cooped up with paperwork. But the Underlock falls within Darik’s purview as captain of the Nox. My hands were tied.”
“I know that,” Viri said, though she didn’t have tolikeit. “It’s tedious, but no one has ever died from boredom. I doubt I’ll be the first.”
“Then what’s bothering you?”Meera pressed, her jade eyes pinning Viri in place.“You’re not just tired—you’re distracted. I know the difference.”She cocked her head to the side.“Is it Ashton?”
Viri gave a slight jerk, and Meera pounced on the reaction.
“I didn’t push you to talk yesterday when Darik was with us, since you’ve always been a little scared of him—”
Viri spluttered. “I’m notscaredof him!” She just didn’t like him, and only becausehedidn’t likeher.
“—but you and I are close enough that you can be open with me. Argue all you want, but I know it must have been hard confronting someone so loyal to your parents’ killer.”
“Ofcourseit was hard,” Viri said, still smarting over Meera thinking she was afraid of Darik. “But as unpleasant as it was to talk with Ree—Ashton, that’s not the thing about yesterday that’s bothering me.”
