Page 24

I frowned at him. "What?"

"You looked happier when he said training starts at six."

"At least that's information."

"You've been given an afternoon off."

"Yes, and nobody will tell me what I'm supposed to do with it."

That only made him laugh harder.

Nykos rubbed a hand across his mouth, not hiding his amusement.

Corian seemed to take the problem more seriously. "What do you want to do?"

I looked at him.

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be asking."

"Fair."

The irritation returned. "What am I allowed to do?"

That stopped Alex laughing.

I hated the question as soon as I heard it aloud.

Corian's expression changed.

"You can use the house, any of it. You don't need permission for the common room, kitchen, garden, or upstairs. Your room is yours. You can leave whenever you want, and you don't need permission to walk around Residential or the open Citadel grounds. I'll get you a whisper-stone so we can reach you if we need to."

I let that sink in.

"What about food?"

Alex looked personally offended. "You don't need permission to eat."

"Communal food is communal," Corian said. "Take what you want. If there's something specific you like, put it on the supply list."

I nodded.

"And if I want to train?"

"There's equipment in the rear training yard. Use it."

"Menagerie?"

"You know its access rules better than we do."

True.

"Citadel?"

"As long as you aren't entering restricted areas you weren't cleared for before, yes."

I looked down at the control crystal in my hand.

"So you're telling me I can leave this room and go wherever I want."