Page 12 of A Dawn Of Blood

He takes a deep breath and clears his throat. “Jaeger and I got separated as we ran from the castle. Once I realized you weren’t coming back, I went into hibernation. I took one of Raven’s sticks with me so I’d wake up once you were all back. That was around two weeks ago, so I’ve been coming to the secret entrance to wait for you.”

“And why the hell are you in Baldur’s uniform?” Lorcan demands.

“When I first awoke, I came across Baldur’s troops. They forced me to join them. And now, I’m aspiring to be a sort of double agent for the Resistance.”

To this, Raven turns anxious. Just as she leans in to whisper something in Alaric’s ear, I hear footsteps, I turn around and I see Jaeger and de Groot walk in.

I spring to my feet. De Groot is looking at me with a cold expression on her face, but there’s relief written all over Jaeger’s face. “Jaeger. You can’t even imagine how happy I am to see your grumpy old face.”

She scans me. “You’re well.”

“I am.” And there are so many things I want to ask, that I end up silently nudging her to talk.

The two of them both take their seats so I lower myself back into my armchair as well.

“I couldn’t stick with Sieger,” Jaeger tells me, “but I made my way out of the castle. I found the Resistance, I joined them and so on and so forth.”

Despite her coldness, I turn to de Groot. “And what happened toyou? I feared you never ended up waking from hibernation.”

“I did.”

The impatience makes me want to yell at her, but I collect myself. “And then what?” I insist. “What happened to you, de Groot?”

She lets out a sigh. “I came this close to fulfilling my promise. I became the Pied Piper, you came to work at the Academy, I used the Flute on you…”

I nudge her to keep talking. “Then, just as I was walking to your room that night, to have a chat in private, someone knocked me unconscious and dragged me into a cell. It was only months later that…” I think I catch the briefest glance in Jaeger’s direction. “That I was found and released.”

It’s just at that moment that this fierce-looking woman in her early fifties walks into the room.

“Nuala,” I hear Lorcan whisper.

“It’sEmberlord MacArthurto you,” she says, coldly, as she takes a seat next to Dryden. Lorcan’s shoulders slump.

My eyes widen and I exchange a glance with Alaric and Raven. Is this his daughter?

Nuala turns her attention onto me. “As the leader of the Resistance, Aurora, it’s my honor to welcome you to the Academy. Will you be staying the night?”

The night? Wouldn’t they want me to join them?

To my surprise, Alaric looks as if he’s been expecting this. “Nuala…”

I signal to him that I’ve got this. “Well,” I start, looking her straight in the eye, “what I’d like to do is hear about your operation and lend a helping hand.”

It almost makes me jolt, when Dryden leans forward to speak. “Nothing I’ve heard about you so far, and I’ve heard plenty, makes me believe you’d be of any help to us, Aurora.”

For a moment, I just look at him, confused by the anger in his voice.

I glance between the gathered people, frowning. Then I take a deep breath, lock eyes with Dryden and say, “I guess my reputation precedes me, and rightly so.” I let out a sigh. “Look, I’m not one to shy away from taking responsibility for my actions. I know it’s basically my fault, what’s happening right now. But I’ll do whatever it is in my power to fix it, and I know that, if you only give me a chance, I’ll prove to be an asset.”

“Really?” Nuala drawls. “You’d doanythingto help?”

Frowning, I nod. “Yes.”

“Even if it meant joining as alow-levelEmber?”

I quirk an eyebrow at her. “Ember?”

I catch de Groot roll her eyes just as Nuala explains, “That’s what we call ourselves. We’re the last Embers in a world turned to ashes.”

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