Page 129

"The one who fell?"

He nods. "He wasn't seriously injured. The healers released him. He'll be in class today."

Hope flickers. Small. Careful. "If I touch his blood again..." I start.

"You'll know whether last night was the injury or him." Rhyven finishes.

Exactly. "But." I add. Professor Neris immediately comes to mind. "She told me not to test my manifestation again. Not until she reviewed the old sample."

Rhyven nods. "I remember."

"So we'd be disobeying her."

Rhyven's expression remains unreadable. "Yes."

Silence stretches between us. I almost expect him to say it doesn't matter. That the mystery is more important. Instead— "So we don't."

I blink. "What?"

"We don't disobey her." Confusion must show on my face because he continues. "You don't need another assessment. You need consent." The distinction catches me completely off guard. "If the student willingly lets you use your manifestation you aren't repeating the assessment Professor Neris prohibited. You're examining an injury."

I stare at him. "That's..."

He raises an eyebrow. "What?"

"Annoyingly reasonable."

"I've been called worse."

"I imagine often."

"Frequently."

A laugh escapes before I can stop it. Small. Brief. Then— "There's another problem." I say. "I don't know whether my manifestation is working properly."

He tilts his head. "Meaning?"

"What if..." I hesitate. "What if the absence changed me? What if Blood Echo doesn't work anymore?"

He considers the possibility. Not dismissing it. Actually considering it. "Can you test it?"

"I'd need..." Blood. The word hangs between us.

Rhyven follows the same thought. Then quietly says— "Cassian." I look at him. "He trusts you."

"Yes."

"He'll say yes."

"He probably would."

"Would you trust his result?"

Without hesitation— "Completely."

Rhyven nods once. The bell rings. Classes have already begun. Students disappear into nearby lecture halls. The corridor empties almost completely.

"We're skipping History." I realize aloud.