Page 33 of A Sword of Shadow and Deceit

If I’m going to be forced to remain in this place for an undetermined amount of time with no target, I need something to keep me occupied. Let it be these three. I have no expectations that they will treat me fairly. It can’t hurt to show a few Mortal Gods their place, could it?

“Just … no killing,” Ruen finally says, answering my question. “That’s it.” Deep cold blue eyes steal over my face. Were I an insect, I have no doubt he’d have me pinned under glass and picked apart in less time than it takes for me to inhale. “Everything else is fair game.” What is most assuredly a warning sounds like the ringing of a battle bell in my ears.

I smile wider as I lower myself into a bow before the three of them, feigning the perfect Terra reverence. “As my Masters’ command.”

Chapter 15

Kiera

Like the rest of Anatol, the Mortal Gods Academy of Riviere is plagued by the current of classist egoism that inhabits the rest of the world. It permeates the grounds and those who live within its walls. It doesn’t take me long to figure out the hierarchy of Mortal Gods Academy. Just as the Gods are divided into their own sections—Upper Gods and Lower Gods—Mortal Gods are the same.

First Tier Mortal Gods have the most power. Second Tier Mortal Gods often have power, but whatever their specialty may be, it is either weak or not a combative ability. Third Tiers are merely a step above mortals. Their powers are either incredibly feeble or they have proven to have God blood but individual abilities have yet to manifest.

Gods aren’t the only ones to enable the segregation of those with and without powerful abilities. Terra do too. I’ve already seen it—from orientation to meeting the Darkhaven brothers. The indoctrination is strong here, perhaps more so than in the Hinterlands and outskirt cities and towns since Gods aren’t as common in those parts of the world. Here at the Mortal Gods Academy, the gazes of new and returning Terra are ripe with worship. The casual expectation of such from the Mortal Gods, themselves, is another reinforcement of the idea that they’ve reaped the benefits of their birth without regard for anyone else.

I stand just inside the doorway of the Terra dining hall, a long stretch of a room with few windows and high ceilings. Despite the mass of people that fill the space, the room is still chilled with how wide and tall it is. It’s a monstrosity, almost too big for a place meant for mortals. I watch in both curiosity and disgust as the senior Terra practically shove the newer, less experienced ones out of the way in their haste to grab their food, scarf it down, and sprint off to their next destination. It’s a waste of space in my opinion. If all they're going to do is snatch and go, then what is the point of the multiple long wooden tables scattered throughout the room?

A familiar face catches my attention in the crowd several paces away. His mousy brown head turns as if seeking something and then when he spots me—hovering just inside the doorway—his face lights up and he gestures for me to hurry over. The excitement and welcome in his expression almost make me feel guilty. If I want to fit into this place then I’ll have to at least make it look like I’m approachable to the other Terra. To look approachable, I have to make ‘friends’ and Niall is, so far, one of the only ones to offer himself up, however unknowing, for the role.

I trace the room, working my way along the outer edges as I watch Niall shoulder his way out of the crowd that surrounds the food tables until he breaks free.

“Kiera!” he calls out. If it weren’t for the fact that he’s now holding two plates in his hands, I’d suspect he’d be waving. As it stands, he can’t seem to not wave so instead he wiggles his chicken-like arms up and down in excitement, elbows out. I bite my tongue to keep myself from laughing at the sight.

Niall hurries towards me with a face-splitting grin as he holds up his plates like they’re blocks of gold. “I managed to get you some as well,” he boasts. “It’s a madhouse over there.”

Unable to stop the chuckle that slips free, I lean forward and take one of the plates off his hands. “Thanks,” I say.

He blinks at me for a moment, eyes focused on my mouth before darting up to my eyes. “Erm … right, shall we sit?”

I nod and follow him to one of the tables towards the back of the hall, away from the rabble still yelling and fighting over the food. We take our seats at the end of a table with a small group of Terra at the opposite side. Strangely enough, when they look up and see me, their eyes widen and within seconds, they’re collecting their half-eaten plates and trays of food before they quickly leave. I frown as I lift a fork set over the top of the plate from the food and watch them go.

“Don’t worry about them,” Niall says quickly, distracting me from the other Terra’s odd behavior. “I’m sure everything will work out fine.”

“I’m sorry?” I direct my gaze to him as he shovels in a mouthful of dried potatoes and begins chewing. “What exactly will work out?”

He stops chewing and then gulps down the food in his mouth before tilting his head at me, the fuzzy curls at the ends of his locks shifting with the moment. “You … don’t know?”

“What am I supposed to know?” I ask, perplexed.

“I just thought you would have—I mean, I assume you’ve met your Masters by now.” Niall dips his head in embarrassment.

My fingers close around the fork much like they would the handle of a knife at the reminder of my ‘meeting’ with them. “I have,” I state. “What about them?”

Niall scoops up another forkful of his food, but instead of immediately shoveling it into his mouth, he tips the utensil over and lets it spill back onto the plate.

I sigh. “I’m not going to be mad,” I say, hoping I didn’t just tell another lie. “Just tell me what that was all about.” I stab my fork into a glob of what looks like softened meat.

“Well, it’s because it’s … them—the Darkhaven brothers,” Niall says, dropping his voice into a whisper as he says their name. “The senior Terra gave the rest of us a warning about which of the Mortal Gods to avoid and it seems … well, what I mean to say is—”

“Let me guess,” I say, cutting him off. “I’m tasked with the worst of the worst?” That would be in line with how my luck has always gone. Enter one of the most dangerous places in the world for someone like me and it’s a given I’ll be slapped with the shit end of the stick.

A hint of pink steals across Niall’s slender cheeks. “Yes, th-that does seem to be the case. I-it was after the orientation, but I didn’t see you so I assumed someone had passed along the information.”

“No.” I shake my head. Perhaps Liana had liked me even less than I thought. I spear the strange meat with my fork again. “I assume that means no one wants to associate with me to avoid contact with them.” I look towards the fleeing Terra. There goes my ability to make ‘friends.’

“I-I’m sure that once everyone gets settled, it’ll be easier,” Niall tries to assure me. His kindness almost hurts to hear and it definitely doesn’t do anything for the guilt still lingering within me. I pass him a smile as I shovel a few bites of food into my mouth to let him know I don’t blame him for this turn of events.

If it’s fear keeping the other Terra away then that’s not really anything I can help right away. They’d likely react the same way had the Darkhaven brothers gotten a different Terra. My sudden and unfortunate luck does seem a curious thing, though. As I spear more food into my mouth, chewing and swallowing without tasting a damn thing, I wonder if perhaps Ophelia’s client had anything to do with this. If this isn’t a test but a real mission—and I need to treat it as such in the event that my earlier suspicion is wrong—then I need to consider my placement as one of intent rather than coincidence. Madam Brione had assisted me in gaining entrance to the Academy, but the client had to know that one of the new Terra was the assassin they’d hired.

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