Page 79 of Forcing Fate

“No, this is a storage closet. However, it is where you will sleep. Now, you look as though you have wallowed with the pigs. Let us find Niehm.”

As I trailed her out, I couldn’t help but notice all the stares. We rushed out and Elenor gave a terse nod to Ethan, the secretary, before heading out the door. Outside, Niehm turned with us, and we walked together.

“Are you allowed in the barracks because you’re Masters?” I asked. Niehm and Elenor were tense, walking quickly and with purpose. Niehm’s hand didn’t leave her sword.

“Yes. If any dare touch us, they would bring the wrath of all the Masters on their heads,” Elenor said lowly as her eyes flashed to the surrounding soldiers. “Our title offers us protection, but not you.”

My muscles ached from today, and I had to force my feet to keep up as they sped through the roads and paths. “Are we headed to the springs?”

Elenor cast a sharp glance at me, keeping her pace steady. “If you want to bathe with the men, you’re welcome to it, recruit.”

“I would rather not.”

“I didn’t think so. We were able to locate a place where you might bathe in peace.”

“Thank you.”

Elenor’s face softened as she lifted her chin at someone approaching. I turned and grinned when I saw Willhelm joining us.

“Willhelm!”

“She sounds so much more excited to see him,” Niehm grumbled.

“He didn’t help her in the least,” Elenor stated, looking between us. “Perhaps he should take her to bathe.”

“I, eh–” He rubbed his neck, slowing his pace while he eyed Elenor.

I sensed the sarcasm in her voice, but Willhelm seemed to have missed it.

Her piercing blue gaze lightened. “We could use a man like you if someone tries to follow us,” she said in a gentler tone.

“It would be my pleasure to assist.” He picked up his pace to match ours. “Where exactly are we sneaking off to, Master Elenor?”

I looked at him, surprised, though I shouldn’t have been. Of course, he would know who they were. There were very few on the King’s grounds who didn’t.

“To a spot where Miss Avyanna can once again resemble a human being. Not a–” Elenor drifted off, inspecting me.

“A slug,” Niehm offered with a carefree grin.

“A slug?!” I choked out.

“An awfully smelly one,” Willhelm added. His eyes sparkled with mirth, giving me a small smile.

“What great friends I have,” I muttered, feeling happier than I had in a very long time. I was surrounded by people who truly cared for me. My life felt as if it once again had purpose, like I was finally moving forward.

“We are fantastic friends. It would be terrible of us if we let you walk around, smelling up the barracks.” Niehm crinkled her nose, feigning a sniff.

We all chuckled at that, and I walked with my friends toward the King’s Lake.

The King’s Lake, also known as the Great Northern Lake, was a good distance from the school grounds. There was a passage from the barracks, and it took us through a thin stretch of forest to a clearing at the lake’s edge. Elenor insisted Willhelm stay in the woods and watch the path. He took up position, angled away from the water, and leaned against a tree with a clear view down the path.

As Elenor led the way to the lake, the sparkling waves beckoned me. What I wouldn’t give to get off my aching feet and feel weightless in that water. I looked around, and whereas no one was in sight besides us, the open expanse offered little privacy. A steep hillside flanked the clearing on the left, and a cliff towered on the right. Anyone above who happened by could see someone bathing.

Elenor and Niehm moved straight to the water’s edge, before taking a hard right around the cliffside. We formed a single file line on the narrow, raised path—the edges slick from the kiss of waves. Water lapped at my boots and I placed a hand on the wall of earth to steady myself as we rushed along.

“Here we are.”

I glanced up at Elenor’s words, and my jaw dropped. There was a cave inside the cliffside, hidden from all views except the water. The chamber was so deep that when I followed Elenor inside, it easily concealed us from all views. The light reflecting off the water illuminated the cave, showing off the sparkling stone walls and a clear pool near the back.

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