Page 26 of A Sword of Shadow and Deceit

“Oh, yes, I am.” I dip my head in subservience and plaster a fake polite smile onto my face. “I meant no disrespect, of course.”

Liana strides forward and the small group parts to allow her access as she approaches me and puts a soft hand on my shoulder. She gives me an understanding smile. “No, no, you would never disrespect our Gods,” she says. “You wouldn’t have been accepted here if you were so blasphemous.”

I grit my teeth behind my smile. I’m getting the sneaking suspicion that Madam Brione had managed to work some sort of Divinity herself. I knew my papers were forged, but what the fuck had she put down?

“We are here to serve our Masters,” Liana continues, offering me another delicate squeeze—as if she’s comforting me—before turning back to the rest of the group and rejoining those at the front. “They are capable of great things and what they carry is our society, our very lives, on their shoulders. It is the least we can do to follow their example and carry the minor things for them.”

Several eyes glance from her to me and back again. It’s taken years of practice, but I manage to keep my serene smile in place. I hope that whoever I’m left to trail behind is not nearly as self-absorbed as the senior Terra of the Academy seem to want them to be. It would be just my luck, though.

Liana claps her hands, recalling everyone’s attention to herself. “Now, let’s head this way, ladies and gentlemen,” she announces. “I’ll show you the dining hall meant for Terra and then we’ll direct you to your rooms to allow you enough time to settle in. Tomorrow, your duties begin in earnest and you’ll meet your charges.”

The group of us fall in line, trailing behind her as she continues to rattle off facts and point out paintings and portraits as we pass by them. I slow my gait as we walk, however, lingering more towards the back as I ignore her words and instead, choose to take in all of the hallways and small little alcoves. The corridors are littered with unshuttered windows. The walls are thick, made of strong stone, but there are more than enough exits, should an unforeseen emergency arise.

“It’s a grand place, isn’t it?” Turning my head, I meet Niall’s gaze.

“It’s quite something,” I hedge.

He withdraws a pair of spectacles from his pocket and then rubs them clean before perching them on his nose. Once they’re in place, he lifts his papers from his hands and glances over them as we walk. Reading glasses, I realize. He must be from a more affluent human family if he’s able to afford those—or perhaps things are different in the cities. Perhaps even the impoverished of the God Cities are graced with their basic needs.

“I have one charge,” he says. “A Second Tier Mortal God.”

I hum in the back of my throat and his words incite my own curiosity. I lift my papers, leafing through them until I find my assignment. “I have three charges,” I say. “Looks like a trio of brothers.” They all have the same last name. Darkhaven. How fascinating. I didn’t know Mortal Gods were given surnames.

“What Tier are they?” Niall inquires, his gaze moving to the pages in my hand as we continue forward behind the rest of the group.

I glance back at the sheet. “First Tier,” I answer.

“They must be powerful then,” he says.

“Oh, are the Tiers meant to differentiate them?” Despite the fact that I’ve already guessed the answer, it couldn’t hurt to appear as fascinated with the children of the Gods as the others are.

Niall shoves his glasses up his nose and nods briskly. “Oh yes,” he answers. “There are Mortal Gods within the Academy that are several generations removed—as in they might have perhaps had a grandmother or grandfather as their God ancestor. First Tiers are as close to pure-blooded as possible. They are the true half-Gods. They are also usually the most powerful. The Tiers are set to power dynamics. Those who show the most Divine talent are First Tiers. I’m not entirely sure how they decide who gets put in which Tier. From my understanding, all Mortal Gods are tested once when they begin to show signs of Divinity and then again when they enter the Academies.”

I glance over the names on my paper.

Ruen. Theos. Kalix. Three First Tier God sons. I wonder who their father must have been. The further I read, the more I realize how close they are all in age. Whoever the God was, he had certainly been a busy man. Siring three sons within the same year.

Before I’m finished reading through the rest of my papers, Liana stops the group and we’re introduced to the Terra amenities within the Academy grounds. It would seem that eating and sleeping near humans is something the Gods and their children want to avoid. A clear line has been drawn in the invisible sand. Terra have their own cafeteria, their own sleeping quarters—often close, but never on the same level, as their charges—as well as their own infirmary.

“Time off is rare, I’m sure the orientation included that rule. If you require a visit off the Academy grounds, you’ll need to request permission from Mr. Hael or Ms. Dauphine,” Liana states. “If you’re granted the privilege, they’ll let you know. If, while you are serving our Mortal Gods, you fall ill, please see to it that you visit the human infirmary posthaste. There’s too much to do to allow yourselves time off for something so mundane as sickness and appearing before the Gods and their children in any state of disease is frowned upon.”

My brow pinches down as I force back the scowl that threatens to break free of my careful mask. As if humans plan to be ill. My invisible scowl is followed by an invisible eye roll as well. It seems that the Gods and their children view ailment as little more than an inconvenience to their pampered existence. I’m sure it is. Though I haven’t experienced it myself, I’ve seen the devastation of illness and disease on human lives in the outskirts of the cities. I keep my mouth shut, though, and simply nod along with the rest of the sheep.

We finish going through the rest of the servant amenities before we’re finally dismissed with our room assignments. I check mine and am directed to the northernmost tower of the dormitories for male First Tiers. As time has passed, my bag has steadily grown heavier and heavier and I adjust it, swapping it to my opposite shoulder as I follow the basic map I’d been given during orientation.

It’s a wonder, though, that any of the other servants manage to find their places with the damn thing. The layout is confusing and often incorrect. Thankfully, I recall the more detailed map that Regis had given me. I don’t take it out of my bag, though, and simply use what I can recall to find my way to the correct tower and climb the stairs up to the floor just below the uppermost one.

Using the key I’d been given as well, I open the door to the Terra quarters and hurry inside, slamming it at my back and sagging against the worn wood. To say I’m exhausted by the day is an understatement. I take a look at the surroundings of the room and am unsurprised to find that it’s a narrow closet-like space. A singular slit of a window sporting a crisscrossed grate covering it hovers between two sagging beds where there is barely enough space for a person to stand. The window is big enough that should anything occur, I’d be able to escape from it.

Unlike other rooms, I’d guess, however, the second bed is empty. I must have the room to myself. Another thing to be thankful for. Before heading to the bed, I assess the access points. The window might be small, however, it will not only allow for a second escape route but also a way for Regis’ messenger birds to drop off notes. There’s virtually no place to hide things, though. The floor is bare and creaking with each step. I could try to pry up one of the panels and hide my extra weapons there—I will if I can’t figure something else out. The bed … I’d prefer to move it, but considering the closet-sized space surrounding me, there’s nowhere else for it to go. I drop my stuff onto the second bed and collapse onto the other.

Tomorrow, I think, it begins. Tomorrow will be the first day of many that will either be the start of my downfall and insanity or proof that I have what it takes to kill a true God. Because the longer I contemplate the client and the ridiculous amount of money being offered, the more I’m coming to understand, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my target must be powerful. And it’s too late to back out now.

Chapter 12

Kalix

Metal collides against metal, sending sparks flying into my sweat-drenched face. The hot embers dance along my cheeks. The pain only invigorates me. I still remember the burn of the thief’s blade across my eyes, slicing through my sight and stealing it from me in mere moments. The need to train that weakness away burns in my gut. Across from me, Theos growls, and I grin because I know the angrier he grows, the easier it is to lead him exactly where I want him. Turning to the side as he dives forward, I pause and watch him fly past and spin back to me with a reddening face.

---