Page 116 of The Black Witch

Disgust wars with surprise inside me.

Fasting soon to be mandatory? When was that decided?

Losing interest in Tierney and ignoring the storm that’s blown up out of nowhere, Fallon grabs up the package she’s come in with. “Look what I’ve got,” she crows. She pulls off the wrapping paper and brown string.

A new military uniform spills out. The darker gray of a Lead Apprentice; no more lower apprentice gray. Five wide stripes of silver are embroidered around the sleeve.

“Oh, Fallon,” Paige gushes. “You’ve got your new uniform! The cloak, too?”

Fallon hangs her uniform on a wall hook, then unfurls a new cloak edged with another five stripes of silver.

Fallon throws the cloak on and swirls around.

Envy jabs at me as I take her in.

She looks dramatic and powerful and beautiful—the image of everything the Black Witch should be.

Fallon grins smugly. “And they’re promoting me to full soldier at year’s end. Twelfth Division.”

“Oh, and that’s Lukas’s division!” Paige giddily enthuses. “You’ll be together again!”

Of course they will be, I think bitterly.A perfect match in both power and cruelty.

“I’m not surprised they’re promoting you early,” Echo says with approval. “We need our Black Witch. And you’re our best hope. Someone needs to put down that awful Resistance movement before it gets any more out of hand.”

Out of hand?I wasn’t aware the fight against the weak and shadowy Resistance had escalated.

“They attacked the Sixth Division Base only last week,” Echo continues. “Dressed as our soldiers!”

Fallon spits out a dismissive laugh. “Oh, we’ll take care of the heathens’ little Resistance,” she boasts, her hand jauntily on her hip. “We’ll roast a few Keltic villages if they keep it up. The Resistance will be routed out and struck down soon enough.”

My heart thuds high and hard in my chest.

Fallon swirls again, then grows petulant and plops down on Paige’s bed. “He left today.”

“Oh, how can youbearit?” Paige cries.

“You’ll be fasted in no time,” Echo assures her. “All that worry about Elloren Gardner for nothing. I told you to ignore the rumors.”

Fallon glares at Echo accusingly. “Well, you were certainly friendly with her for a time.”

Echo purses her lips at Fallon. “Yes, well, that was before I realized she was intent on being friends with a half-breed.”

A spike of outrage over the slight to Gareth cuts into my debilitating fear.

Fallon pulls out her wand and sends up a puff of ice crystals from it. “What I would give for an excuse to freeze her blood.”

Fear renewed, I shrink back against the wall.

“Fallon!” Echo chastises her sharply. “Don’t joke so. She’s aGardnerian.”

“She smells like an Icaral,” Fallon snipes back with a smirk.

Diana snorts, still asleep, and kicks off her blanket.

Echo eyes Diana with horror. “She’s so...disgusting! Andarrogant!”

“And the way she tosses her hair!” Paige puts in, eager to be included.

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