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)
Serena smirks and tilts her head. "Is she really so good in bed, Raith?"
He walks closer to her until he towers over her smaller form. I notice with satisfaction how she tenses in his presence, like she's already regretting her words.
"Am. I. Fucking. Clear?" he asks, words barely a whisper.
There's a long, tense silence before she lowers her eyes.
"Good." Raith steps back. "Malakai?"
Malakai gives a casual shrug. "Got it. We'll have to kill you and your little soldiers before we can kill Nessa. Did I miss anything?"
"Enough," Bastian says. "Nessa. With me. The rest of you get back to your rooms. Oh, and one more thing... The only people who know about him are in this room," Bastian points to Typhon, who is still chewing on Veeni's arm in a way that makes my stomach twist with nausea.
A twinge of panic rises in me. Even if the people in this room keep quiet about Typhon, I can see the truth will get out eventually. Now all the fires know. Any of Malakai’s people who might not have believed what they heard from Confluence Day have seen Typhon for themselves now, too.
Problems for another day.
"Can you even digest that?" I ask through the tether.
"I am chewing as an intimidation tactic. And for my enjoyment."
Bastian's finger is still aimed at Typhon. "If word about him spreads beyond the people here, I'll know it was one of you. That water dragon is an official academy secret. Speak about it, and I'll find you."
There are some murmurs and shared looks of confusion as Bastian gestures for me to join him.
"Come on, Typhon. Let's get the hells out of here."
"One thing before I go," he says.
Typhon transforms into a flying fish and swims right up to Malakai's face. I think he's about to actually say something to him, but instead, he spits a small jet of water in Malakai's only remaining eye.
Malakai flinches in shocked surprise, reeling back and clutching his face. A moment later, he roars in anger and reaches for Typhon, but the flying fish slips out of the way and weaves back to me.
"Direct hit," Typhon says with smug satisfaction.
Malakai, his shark, and his people try to come after me, but I hear Raith draw his weapon again. "Back the fuck off. I'll cut every last one of you to ribbons. Whatever mysterious punishment the legacy promised or not. Fucking try me."
I spare a glance behind and see Raith and the fires are forming a protective wall to stop Malakai and his people from coming after me.
Once we're in the hall, Bastian sighs. "You alright?"
I nod, though my hands are still trembling with leftover adrenaline. "Thanks. I think. Were you telling the truth back there? About the punishment?"
"No. If there was a bloodbath in that room, it wouldn't have made Empire happy, but the winners would simply go on with a slap on the wrist, assuming they were caught and held accountable."
I frown as we enter the courtyard again, and the wide open fresh air makes me feel like I can finally catch my breath. I nearly died back there. A few more moments and I almost certainly would have.
And even if she deserved it, I still keep replaying the way Veeni screamed when Typhon bit her arm off. Gods…
"To be what you are will require violence, angry human. You must be willing to show your enemies the price of crossing you. If we don't, they will only grow more bold. She should consider herself lucky if an arm was the only price for delivering you to your enemies."
"You're sure it had nothing to do with all her flying fish comments?"
"The comments are why I bit the arm off at the shoulder instead of the elbow. Words carry a price. She learned that tonight."
Bastian stops and gestures to a bench at the edge of the courtyard. "Let's sit a moment before you go back to your room."
I hesitate. “What about Raith? We just left him back there with Malakai and Serena.”
“I’m pretty sure Raith can handle himself. Nothing is going to happen. Not tonight, at least.” He gestures for me to sit.
"Word about Typhon may spread after tonight, regardless of what I said."
I nod. "Maybe it's for the best."
"I doubt that. Within these walls, sure. Students knowing how powerful you are will be good for your safety to a certain extent. But outside Confluence? You tethered an ancient, Nessa. The ancient elementals are known. There are only nine of them, and they're all mad by broken bonds and dead primals. There will be questions. People will want to know how you tethered an ancient. How you cleansed its madness."
"What do I tell them?"
He lets out a long sigh, shaking his head. "Eventually, people are going to find out you're unbound, Nessa. It's simply too big a secret to keep. It might not be this year, but I think by next year, it will certainly start to become known. We need to shift our focus. We can't hide you forever, so we need to gather allies we can trust. Powerful allies who can shield you from those who would rather see you destroyed."