Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 76857 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76857 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
He possessed that same measured, unblinking stare, pouring it over me. A glare that would make a grown man cower. Hell, I had seen him make grown men cower with a glance. Twice, in fact, both watchers—armed men—who had looked away from the general when they were being addressed for some breach in behavior.
Not a clue what that behavior was. Watchers never did anything but stand there silently… unless they were actively disciplining a student.
And I’d gone and met his eye like a fool and was trapped and extremely pensive.
This had to be some kind of test. I just didn’t know what the right action would be. Break eye contact and appear weak and affected? Hold his gaze and be judged aggressive or overly informal?
When instinct failed, I fell back on logic. Focusing on his eyes, unable to look away, I worked to separate the ocular organ from the man. Assessing as coldly as I could. Vorec green, an acidic shade that announced his hybrid status at first glance. It was a common enough color amongst our kind, so I looked for what made him unique. The human limbal ring, darker green than most. There were also flecks of gold in the mix, a sign that his mother must have possessed honeyed eyes. I wondered if she was as pretty as him.
Was it her bone structure that gave him high cheeks and a sharp jaw?
The cruel mouth that never smiled was as severe as always.
But something was very different. Hating that I could not figure it out, I waited, tamping down rising panic, reminding myself that I only had to get through this one last meeting.
Perhaps this was going to be another one of those strange appointments where he just stared at me for a good half hour before commanding me to leave.
“Private Lorieyn.”
Okay, he wanted to speak. I had prepared for that as well. “Sir.”
“Remain at attention.”
An easy enough command to follow. Or so I thought, before the general circled his desk and came to stand before me.
Seldom had he ever come this close. The rare occasions where he had, had been disciplinary and terrifying.
The first time?
A boy had been killed. I had been terrorized.
It was the only time I’d been told to sit on his fancy white couch—only sixteen, certain my death was being ordered and the noose was already strung up.
Over a stupid misunderstanding. Mixing genders after hours was strictly prohibited. It didn’t matter if the reason was innocent or well-intentioned.
And as I mentioned, a boy had been killed.
Because I had tried to secretly tutor Private Cullen in math, so he might pass our next test and not be executed for failure to perform up to standard.
Being caught after hours, pouring over books with me, he was dragged to execution on the spot.
I was towed to General Cyderial’s office for punishment. He’d ordered me to sit on the beautiful couch, yelling me down for a solid ten minutes about the importance of following the rules. I had never seen him so manic, ranting about the dangers of young men and how there was no room for foolish female compassion for unworthy boys.
Meanwhile, sweet Private Cullen was being strung up in the yard.
I’d dared to start crying, and that had sent the man from manic to full-blown insanity.
Tearing at his hair, he gave me such a look. “There had been incidents before I took over this position. Incidents where girls were harmed, Lorieyn. It’s a harm we cannot undo.”
But the harm, the fear, had all come from the general. Life had been better before he’d taken over leadership of the academy and begun disposing of students—my brothers and sisters—as if they were trash. “If he failed trigonometry, you were going to kill him!”
“Has your interference changed the outcome in any way?” He scoffed, letting the question go unanswered. “It isn’t your job to save these kids. It’s mine! This is not a charity. This is a training ground that will decide if you live or die.”
As I was well aware. Dysregulated, angry at the injustice of it all, it was my turn to raise my voice. “Kill me already! I hate it here, and I don’t want to listen to you anymore!”
“You are very young. Lorieyn, you would gain so much if you would just focus and absorb everything we are trying to teach you. This is a dangerous world full of desperate people. Equip yourself with wisdom. Private Cullen could have gone to his instructors for help. Instead, he asked you to meet him in the dark, knowing he was going to die anyway. Do you understand what I am saying to you?”
I understood that this man was horrible. “You killed a boy who did nothing wrong.”
Exasperated, he hardened his voice. “I saved you from rape.”
“I don’t even know what that word means.” And I didn’t care about General Cyderial’s assumptions or brooding. I just wanted to go to my room and cry.