Page 112 of On Wings of Blood

At least, I hoped not.

“Professor,” I wheedled. “Please.”

He laughed. “Whining will get you absolutely nowhere, Pendragon.”

I sighed. “Can you at least tell me if there have been any situations like this? Any precedents for consorts who can’t or won’t work together?”

“Oh, there have absolutely been situations like that,” Rodriguez said. “But you won’t want to hear about any of them.”

My heart sank. “Why not?”

“Because when that happens, the consorts usually die. Male and male, female and female, male and female. Whatever the configuration.”

“But it’s not fair,” I said, starting to get angry. “I don’t have a choice. Regan won’t work with me, even if I wanted to work with her.”

“Have you tried asking her? Talking to her about it?” Rodriguez picked up a quill and began to twirl it.

“Not exactly,” I grumbled.

“Try that first. You never know.” He tossed the quill up in the air.

“Fine. I will,” I said. “But let’s be realistic here. She won’t agree. Even if I beg, which I’m prepared to do. Is Viktor Drakharrow really going to let us both die in this game just because we can’t work together?”

“Viktor Drakharrow is a very busy, very important man, who probably has no idea that Regan hates you,” Rodriguez said. “And who is going to tell him?” He tilted his head. “You?”

“Maybe I could get a message to him,” I said desperately. “Send him a letter. I don’t know. Something.”

“Or you could stand on your own two feet and figure this out.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” I shot back. “Sitting safely behind your teacher’s desk.”

Rodriguez’s face hardened. “It’s not as safe as you might think. We’re blightborn after all, Miss Pendragon.”

“Speaking of which, is there a precedent forthat? For a blightborn consort succeeding in this game, I mean?” I asked, leaning forward in my seat.

“Yes, but the consorts usually worked together in those cases. As far as I can remember.” He gave me a look that was almost sympathetic. “Look, there’s only one real way I’m going to be able to help you get through the games and you already know what it is.”

“Practicing thrallguard.”

He nodded. “Exactly. If Regan really hates you as much as you think, then she’ll try to get to you. If she somehow survives and you don’t...”

“Then she’ll get exactly what she wants,” I said hollowly.

And what I didn’t. Blake Drakharrow.

“She hasn’t tried to thrallweave you again, has she?”

I shook my head. Now that I thought about it, I wondered why she hadn’t.

“Good. Blake probably warned her not to.”

I laughed. “I seriously doubt that.”

Rodriguez shrugged. “You never know. He probably doesn’t want his uncle finding out you’re in conflict with one another. It would reflect badly on him.”

“Now that I can almost believe,” I said with a sigh. “Well, thank you. Can we have another session soon please? Maybe we can even double them up?”

“I’m not sure I’ll have time for that, but...” He must have caught my stricken expression. “Fine. We’ll double them up sometimes. I’ll have more time over the Wintermark break. Are you staying at Bloodwing for the festival? I assume so. You don’t have any family in Sangratha, right?”

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