Page 23 of Feathers of Ash and Hope

Chapter

Seven

ARA

We waitfor what feels like forever in the line for questioning. It seems everyone chose to keep this part for last. We spend the time talking and joking, and the small group we formed allows us to wander out of line without losing our spot.

The last time I checked, the scrape I inflicted on myself had dried into a scab, hiding every sign of what lay beneath.

Calix excused himself a few minutes ago, and I’m listening to two other candidates talking while trying to stay calm. My nerves get worse the closer I get to the door.

A rider walks down the corridor, lighting the torch-like fixtures on the wall. They have a steady golden glow, nothing like the violet-bluish flicker of magic flames. Since Ian is fire gifted, we use a lot of magic flames at the fortress. According to him, anchoring his gift to an object—charming it—is easy, making it accessible even if he’s not around.

Lighting a whole building like this solely with magic seems excessive, but not surprising, considering how many gifted live in these buildings.

A tall blond girl walks down the hallway like she owns the place. She strides forward, pushing two candidates out of her way, heading directly to the front of the line. I step to the side, letting her pass, but glare at her back when a red-haired girl, who didn’t see her coming, stumbles over someone else and falls after being pushed aside. The arrogant bitch simply keeps going, not even sparing a backward glance to see if she harmed her.

I help the girl up, still staring in disbelief. The bully arrives at the front, going straight for the skyrider guarding the door. He shakes his head at her while he points at the end of the line, and she starts to argue.

I turn away from the pending drama to assure the girl I helped up is unhurt.

She is rubbing the wrist she landed on, her eyes on the bully.

“That’s Livia Vaccari,” she mutters. Seeing my inquiring look, she gestures to the girl who pushed her. “If you look up the word entitled bitch, I’m sure you’ll find her picture.”

I snort. “Which one ‘entitled’ or ‘bitch’?”

She grins. “Both. I’m Mariel, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m A…” I stop.Shit.“I’m Grayson.” I try to cover up my fumbling with a smile.

That was close.

I have to be careful until I’m used to my new name. While Mariel seems nice, I’m still troubled by my near slipup and head back to the people and the conversation I abandoned before.

“My brother is bonded to a Strix. When he visited us, his bird stared like he wanted to take a bite out of me. Thankfully, he didn't.” The speaker chuckles, and others laugh with him. I’m searching my brain for his name but come up empty.

“They say their scream can kill a man if he isn’t healed in time,” he continues.

I hope not. Otherwise, I’m fucked.

“Night Ravens are great, and they have night vision. How awesome is it to be able to fly at night, too?” a candidate says.

“Good luck with that.” Another snorts. “They’re incredibly picky. No, you better go for a Rukh or Strix. Rukhs are a little smaller, but they are unbelievably agile.”

I listen to their arguments, but it isn’t like we have a choice in the matter. The birds will choose us, not the other way around.

A person steps close, drawing my attention away from the discussion next to me.

“Hey, darling, you don’t mind if I slip in front of you, do you?” I find myself face-to-face with the bully and recognize her also as the blond girl who buried her blade in her opponent earlier. She is currently invading my personal space and drags a finger down my neck, batting her eyelashes.

What the fuck?

I’m caught between irritation about her earlier behavior and being stumped as to why she comes onto me and not one of the men around us.

Ah fuck. I’m Grayson now. I forgot again, but at least it means my ruse is believable.

My eyes wander over her while I decide how to handle this situation. She is pretty—I have to admit—and she knows it. Her cold, calculating look also tells me she’s used to getting her way, no matter the cost.

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