Total pages in book: 214
Estimated words: 195876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 979(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 653(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 195876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 979(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 653(@300wpm)
"Fuck the legacies. I don't want their privilege. I have no interest in winning."
I raise an eyebrow. "I heard they get comfier beds, though."
"Comfy beds. Lighter class schedules. Favoritism from Empire.” His lip curls slightly. Yes, they get it all. And the only cost is being a dog on someone's fucking leash. I'll pass."
"That, at least, is something we can both agree on."
"I want you to try to win the Crucible."
I squint at him. "You just said fuck the privileges of being a legacy."
"For me. Malakai wouldn't be able to touch you if you were a legacy. Not even he would dare. Raith's voice drops lower, more intense. They won't admit it aloud, but Confluence protects legacies like they're royalty. Nobody here wants their primal parents and grandparents showing up asking why their child was killed. Honorary legacy or not, you'd be safe if you were one of them."
I fold my arms. "So I'm just some fragile princess you want to protect? Put me in the gilded tower where all the privileges and connections in the world can keep me safe?"
My comment earns a rare smile from Raith. "Fragile princess? Fuck, no. You're deadly, Nessa. You've proven that several times over. But you don't realize what you're up against. This is bigger than Confluence. It's bigger than Malakai and Serena. Becoming a legacy would dramatically improve your chances of surviving to graduate your fifth year."
"Will a siphon care if I'm a legacy or not before it tries to drain me?"
Something dark passes over his eyes. "No. But the training we're doing. That might help you against one of them."
"Typhon could handle one, right?"
"Honestly? I'm not sure. Siphons are extremely powerful. They can summon a kind of void elemental. Its bite can be deadly to elementals, just like a siphon's touch can drain the life of a human. If you find yourself against a siphon, all I want you to think about is running. Do whatever you can to get away."
"And what will you do if you find one?" I hate that part of me is watching and listening to his reaction so closely—that some part of me is actually wondering if Raith is a siphon himself. Even if it feels like a stretch, it would at least explain why he's so adamant that I can't know the truth about him.
"I'll fucking kill it."
The pure venom and hatred in his voice almost convinces me there's no way he's a siphon. That, and his tether with Pyrin. I can’t say for certain, but I’ve never heard of siphons being able to tether elementals in any old stories.
"I've got to get back to the fire tower," Raith says suddenly. "I'm trying to train them up as much as I can before the Crucible."
"Why do they all treat you like some kind of leader? Even the original aspirants seem to look up to you."
He shrugs. "I'm good in a fight. They recognize they can learn from me. It's just survival instincts."
"Then what's in it for you?"
"Maybe I'm not the monster you like to assume. Maybe I just want to help them."
I put a fist on my hip as he heads for the door. "I never said you were a monster. I don't think—"
He turns, half a smile on his mouth. "I know. You've never looked at me like I'm a monster. It's… one of a few things I like about you."
And then he's gone, leaving me alone in the training room, blushing like a complete fool.
"I shall follow the fire touched. If he reveals he is a siphon, I will destroy him. This is a sound plan."
"I need you with me, Typhon. What if somebody looks at me wrong? Who will threaten to eat them?"
"Hmmm... Perhaps you speak truth."
"Was what he said about siphons true? They can summon void elementals?"
"This is not what we would call them. But in a sense, yes."
"You didn't think this would be helpful to tell me sooner?"
"My knowledge runs more deeply than a well. If I allowed you to jump into those depths, you would surely drown."
"On knowledge?" I hope he can hear the dry annoyance in my response. Conveying emotion into thought conversations is a skill I'm trying to learn.
"If I believe my knowledge will aid in your survival, I will share it, as I’ve already said. If I believe it is a distraction, I will withhold it."
I pause, waiting for him to share something. When nothing comes, I turn to face him as he lays calmly in the corner of the room. "Well? Do you have any knowledge that will aid my survival?"
"Yes."
"Which is?" I prompt, biting back annoyance even though I'm sure he feels it through the tether.
"The fire touched is correct. If you see siphons, you should run. And I trust him. My suggestion would still be to perform the mating ritual. Humans are highly emotional creatures. Letting him enter you would improve his dedication to keeping you safe. This would be a sound strategic decision."