Page 29 of Rising

Given that the day had already been long and traumatic enough for everyone, I pushed meeting the families and helping with funeral arrangements to the next afternoon. Coming to the conclusion that it was best to at least give loved ones a night in private grief. It hadn’t been too long ago that I’d appreciated the privacy everyone had given me, allowing me to grieve in my own space, on my own time.

I’d deal with Alexiares’ assessment in the morning if I felt up to it, otherwise he could wait as long as I cared. There was no desire to start my day with such negativity, though, I found it to be more refreshing than a morning coffee to start my day with a good fight. Maybe I’d hop in there myself. I could use the practice. I’d been banking on muscle memory, and it’d be good to step in with training, offer guidance or provide a demonstration without revealing myself to be an uncoordinated idiot. Not to mention it’d probably feel good to smack the smug grin off his face as well.

I entered my study, slumping onto one of the chairs as Harley greeted me with licks to the hand, my skin cold against the touch of the soft leather. I closed my eyes for a moment, one hell of a day, and it wasn’t even my first official one back. I was exhausted, but more than exhausted, I washungry.Realizing the containers of food that now sat in my lap, I took a long sip of my now warm coffee and savored the bitter yet sweet taste. The thought of that excited me, suddenly realizing what had taken her so long.

Opening my tray of cornbread, I grinned, taking in the slightly undercooked center of the pan. Elie had gone back to request a fresh pan be taken from the oven, just to appease me. Give me something tailored to my liking. To make my day even after hers had likely been terrifying as she awaited news of her loved one’s being okay on the other side of the attack. A tear slid down my face and I made a mental note to thank her later as I dug in.

Halfway through the pan, I remembered the soup I’d set down on the table nearby, using it to wash down the thick bread. My stomach hadn’t been this full in ages, and I couldn’t help but admit that it felt good. Sipping the remaining broth, a knock came to my door, startling me as I wiped my lips and made my way towards the door. Harley stood alert, ready to defend me if need be.

A soldier stood there holding a large backpack, the sizing of his gear odd for someone who’d been traveling for the time the journey to the coast would have taken. I took the bag, thanking them and closing the door, sitting it down across the room near my desk.

Swiftly, I cleared it from all the backlogged paperwork I had to catch up on. His heavy book bag thudded against my desk as I dropped it down. I cursed, remembering my friends seeking rest in the next room.This thing is heavier than it looks.

The first zipper contained the typical items I’d stumble across when opening every pack: a compass and a few maps. There weren’t any markings on the maps worth noting, nor were there any words along the sides showing where he came from and where he was trying to end up. Either he was truly just putting his life in fate’s hands and seeing where the wind took him, or he was smart enough to never mark his comings or goings. Which would make sense if he were another territory’s spy.

Especially one from The Expanse. They were not gentle or innately kind people, everything there was about survival, and their soldiers were highly trained to ensure that they would. Or their secrets would die with them.

While most occupations up north were friendly with us, if not allies or within our trade network, everyone had their own secrets. Riley was living proof of that. Not a single soul outside these walls knew of his gifts, and I had to imagine there were more like him out there. There were probably a million other gifts or research discoveries out that we’d never know of, unless an ally felt the need to disclose it, for reasons of their own.

I moved on to the next zipper in the middle, yet again finding nothing to be surprised at. A few throwing knives sheathed in their respective covers, an extra holster, some ammo. An emergency tent, rolled up cargo pants, some extra socks, a balled-up camo jacket, and a bunch of individually packaged dried meats and fruits. The only thing nagging me in the back of my mind was that there were no clothes in here that would sustain him in a colder climate, especially the one he claimed to hail from.

My skin warmed as anger burrowed into my chest at the thought of being lied to.The Expanse my ass.I tugged at the final zipper; toilet paper, soap, a canteen, two guns, gas mask, a small blanket and, at the bottom lay a notebook.Gotcha.I took a seat in my chair, ready to get comfortable as I read through it, but found myself irritated instead. Not a single word was written in English.

They were dated, and I thought back to my undergraduate European Archaeology course,Greek. The son of the bitch speaks Greek, perfect.I thought, both impressed that the asshole was bilingual, but annoyed at the extra legwork it would take to decipher this. That explained the accent. No one I knew spoke Greek. Though there was bound to be someone, it would take a while to get the message out and have it read through. Would probably take just as long for Tomoe to divert her own research, and spend time using books to translate it. I could just ask him, but it would be naïve to take a stranger by their word, especially one that had been this cagey.

Slamming the book shut I let out a deep sigh, throwing my head back on the chair’s headrest. Closing my eyes, I tried to drive out my frustrations and center myself in the now. It’d been a long day, and I was drained. My head felt lightheaded and my heart palpitated every few minutes under the weight of all the stress.

It was time to call it a night. Glancing at the clock on the edge of the desk, I noted the time.Eleven p.m.I groaned, realizing I would be up in less than six hours. Before heading to my bathing room, I opened the main door, letting Harley out to relieve herself while I took care of my own needs in the tub. As I brushed my teeth, the loud, dramatic howl of my girl came from outside my door, begging to be let in for bed.

“You’re so dramatic,” I said as I rushed to open the door. She pranced in, oblivious to the fact that she just woke up half The Compound. “As if I would ever leave you out there all night. Please.” My final words were muffled as my mouth filled with saliva and toothpaste.

Minutes later, I slid into bed between Riley and Jax’s untouched side of the bed, letting out a quiet huff. Riley’s breathing was back to normal, and I heard Moe’s snores from across the room.

“Night, Jaxy,” I mumbled pathetically to his side of the bed, before turning towards Riley and letting myself surrender to sleep.

* * *

Birds chirpedoutside my window and my eyes shot open. It wasn’t unusual, I’d always been a light sleeper. In fact, I banked on them being present in the mornings as a natural alarm. Even when it was too cold or rainy for the birds, my internal clock shook my body awake.

The sky was a beautiful mix of pink and purple, letting me know it was time to start my first official day back. My stomach turned at the thought of being under all the pressure once more, but my duties were my duties. I surveyed Harley as my feet hit the floor. In typical fashion, she didn’t budge. I smiled. No matter how well I trained the girl, early hours would never be instilled in her stubborn mind. Whatwasunusual was the fact that Riley had managed to sneak out during the early morning hours without my detection. Hs feet often moved as quiet as the creatures he commanded.

The floor of my bathroom chilled my toes as I sent fire to my feet to keep them warm, knowing my magic wouldn’t dare betray me and turn me into its victim. Definitively deciding I would take advantage of the opportunity to train myself this morning, I slid on some leggings, a sports bra, and a black tank top before putting on the rest of my gear and sneakers. Not bothering to check whatever horrid version of me reflected back in the mirror, I pulled my hair up into its typical bun and headed out the door.

Still pissed from my revelation of his lie, starting my morning with a bit of chaos sounded like the best course forward. The guards I’d posted outside the door took one glimpse at the sinister smile on my face and the bucket of water in my hands, and moved aside before I opened my mouth.

Moving faster than even I expected, I swung the door open and tossed the water directly onto him and his cot in one quick movement. In the next motion, his bag followed, swinging from my shoulder and onto the floor on the other side of the room.

His eyes blazed with fury and surprise as he let out a feral scream shooting up from his bed and onto his feet.

“Up and at ‘em. Time for your assessment,” I said, tossing some training clothes towards him. Turning on my heels to leave, I passed on the chance to give him a moment to process what had happened or a chance to respond.

His heavy footsteps sounded as he made an angry beeline towards me as I sat on a nearby bench minutes later, picking at my nails.

“What the fuck is your deal? Huh?” he spat, not afraid to enter my personal space or paying mind to the soldiers that were once guarding his door now closing in, ready to intervene on my behalf.

I moved my hand up, gesturing to them to let me deal with it myself. Rising to my feet, I took a step closer towards him, closing what little gap was left, making my breath nearly his.

“I don’t appreciate being lied to,” I said frankly, not interested in holding back.

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