Page 8

We moved past the busiest part of the grounds and the space opened up. Buildings stood apart instead of being connected by walled corridors, wide paths and roads splitting off in different directions. Trees grew untrimmed beside them, nothing like the severe shapes favored in the inner courtyards.

People were just sitting there. One man had gone further and stretched out under a tree with one arm over his face. I watched him for a few seconds before deciding he was asleep.

Outside. In the middle of the day.

My education covered anatomy, Rift ecology, combat, magical theory, emergency treatment, enough mathematics to calculate crystal decay rates without writing anything down; Nobody had ever thought recreational grass-sleeping deserved a lesson.

That felt like an injustice.

The warmth at my wrist shifted under my sleeve, and I brushed my fingers over Ashter without thinking. He'd stayed unusually still since we left Janus's office, which probably meant he was paying close attention to everything I was working hard not to react to.

"Don't," I said, low.

Alex glanced sideways. "Was that aimed at me?"

"No."

"Good. I haven't done anything yet."

"Yet is doing a lot of work in that sentence I think."

He just nodded with a grim expression.

Corian looked back over his shoulder, eyes flicking to me for half a second before landing on Alex. "Alex. Give her five minutes."

"I've barely said anything."

"You've been talking since we left the office."

"I can stop."

Nykos glanced at him. "Can you?"

Alex looked wounded. "Yes."

Halver spoke for the first time. "Prove it."

A laugh nearly got past me before I caught it, leaving something close to a smile on my lips. Alex caught it anyway and pointed at Halver like he'd just found evidence for a trial.

"You see what I deal with?"

"I've known you all for less than an hour," I said. "For all I know, you're the problem."

Nykos made a quiet sound beside me.

Alex pressed a hand to his chest. "That was fast."

"Was I wrong?"

He opened his mouth, thought about it, and apparently couldn't find an answer he liked.

The distraction held until a group came from the opposite direction. Six of them, most my age, loud enough that I caught pieces of three different conversations. I moved to the side of the path to give them room, but another pair came up behind at the same time. One brushed my arm as he passed.

My body reacted before I told it to. I spun halfway around, pulse slamming, and the man kept walking like he hadn't noticed touching me at all.

Nothing had happened. Nobody threatened me. Nobody grabbed me. He hadn't even looked at me but my hand had already dropped toward my thigh, fingers brushing the loop where my knife rested before I caught myself and forced it back to my side. Halver's eyes cut to my hand and back up, quick enough that I almost missed it. My heart still hammered against my ribs. I faced forward and wiped my palm on my trousers.

This was ridiculous.