Page 30 of Tempest Rising

“That’s bullshit, and you know it,” I cut him off, my voice sharp. “Moriyana already set aside time for the project. She wouldn’t have done that if I couldn’t handle it.”

His jaw clenched, the muscle in his cheek twitching slightly. I could tell he was trying to keep his composure, but there was something simmering beneath his calm exterior. “It’s not just about time management, Tess. You have no idea what you’re getting involved in with Garanth Kreel.”

I scoffed, setting the chopsticks down with aclackagainst the lacquered bento box. The emotions from earlier roared back to life inside of me. “So, what? I should just cancel the meeting because you think I can’t handle it?”

“It’s not about whether you can handle it,” Kane snapped. His lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes flashing with something I couldn’t quite place—frustration, maybe. “It’s everything. The Guild, the Riders, Thalon. You’re stepping into a world where one wrong move can end you.”

“So what? You don’t think I deserve to be here—”

“That’s not what I said,” he cut me off, his voice sharp. His hand moved, almost instinctively, reaching out as if to touch me before stopping inches from my arm. His fingers curled into a fist, trembling slightly, before dropping back to his side. “I didn’t say that.”

“Then what are you saying?”

He exhaled sharply, his blue-violet eyes flashing with something raw and unguarded—something I hadn’t seen in him before. “I’m saying...” He hesitated, as if the next words weighed heavily on him. “I’m saying you’re not ready for this meeting, Tess. Not yet.”

The words cut through me, igniting something fierce and defiant in my chest.Not ready.There it was again—the constant reminder that I was somehow lacking, somehow not enough.

I blinked once, twice, in stunned silence. Theron, now Kane. They all seemed so quick to remind me of my inadequacies, to brand my efforts as inconsequential.

“Well,” I said, my voice disconcertingly calm, though I could feel the storm brewing inside. “I guess you're right.” That was what he’d said after all, wasn’t it? That I wasn’t ready. That I wasn’t good enough. I raised my hands, still holding the chopsticks, and made a sweeping gesture, as if swatting away all the carefully laid plans. “I’m probably not.”

Kane blinked, clearly caught off guard by my sudden agreement. His body had been tightly coiled throughout our conversation, but now he shifted slightly, releasing a fraction of the tension that had built between us. He stared at me as if he didn’t quite trust how quickly I’d conceded. Maybe he thought this was a trap, the calm before some kind of explosive outburst.

But no. This was calculated.

I dropped the chopsticks onto the desk, the sound a quiet but emphatic punctuation to my words. "Let’s just move on. I'll focus on interviewing others for the oral project."

The words came easily enough, but inside, the fire still burned.Not ready.I might not be readynow,but I would be. The meeting wasn’t until next month. I had time to prepare. Kane didn't need to know that I wasn't backing down completely. I just wouldn’t tell him about it. Let him think what he wanted, for now.

I sighed, letting the tense energy flow out with the exhale, trying to compartmentalize the gnawing frustration that still itched at the back of my mind.

"Actually," I began, my voice lighter, trying to shift the conversation away from the charged emotions hanging in the air. "While you're here, I wanted to mention... I met with Headmaster Northfall and your father yesterday."

Kane stiffened visibly at the mention of his father. His whole posture—his carefully maintained control—shifted ever so slightly, but enough for me to notice. His jaw clenched, and a cold tension seemed to snap into place within him, like a steel trap.

"What did he say?" he asked.

"Your father? He decided that he'll be overseeing the Guild Trial personally this year. Something about wanting to ensure it was ‘appropriately challenging.’" I shrugged lightly, trying to keep my tone conversational, as though it hadn’t rattled me at all—which, truthfully, it had. Lord Protector Ellesar, with all his cold, ancient Fae grandeur, wasn't exactly a comforting presence. I couldn’t expect him to make things easy.

"I don’t suppose you’d have any insight into how the Trial’s going to go this year?" I asked.

But Kane wasn’t engaging. Not anymore. The moment I mentioned the Lord Protector, it felt like a wall had slammed down between us.

"I need to go," he murmured, standing abruptly, the legs of his chair scraping against the wooden floor. His eyes darted away from mine, those sharp violet-blue orbs suddenly darkened with something heavy, something deep and unresolved. "I forgot I have another... pressing engagement.”

I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift. He didn’t even bother with a proper excuse, just one vague statement and he was out.

"I—" I started, but the words trailed off as he turned his back to me, already striding toward the door. His usual controlled demeanor had fractured in a way I hadn't seen before.

I watched him for a moment, trying to process the shift. Was it something I’d said? Clearly, the mention of his father had struck a chord, but this was… different. This wasn’t just the usual family tension. Something else was going on here.

“Kane…” I called after him, softer this time, almost questioning.

He paused, just for a second, without meeting my gaze. His hand hovered on the doorknob as if he was debating something. Then, without so much as a backward glance, he stepped out and let the door click shut behind him.

I sat there in the stillness he’d left behind. The chopsticks still clutched between my fingers felt inconsequential now. I slowly set them down on the edge of the bento box, my mind spinning far away from food.

What the hell had just happened?

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