Page 101 of City of Secrets and Shadows
He considered the question seriously. “I would start by acknowledging that they are people, not monsters. That their territories and customs deserve respect. I would open diplomatic channels, offer trade agreements instead of military threats.” He paused. “And I would grant citizenship to those Talfen already living within our borders, ending the practice of forced labour and conscription.”
The vision he described was so similar to what my parents had died for that I felt a lump form in my throat. “The Emperor would never allow such radical changes.”
A strange smile crossed his face. “Perhaps not. But times change. Leaders change. The Empire has survived for centuries by adapting to new realities.”
“You sound almost hopeful,” I observed.
“I am,” he said simply. “Change is inevitable. The only question is whether we guide it or are swept away by it.”
With that enigmatic statement, he bowed slightly and departed, leaving me standing alone by the pool, water dripping from my hair and a dangerous new complication forming in my heart.
Because for just a moment, I had glimpsed a possible future for the Empire that didn’t require bloodshed — a future guided by thoughtful people like Jalend, who saw beyond the Empire’s propaganda. A future that might make my parents’ sacrifice meaningful without requiring me to become an assassin.
It was a dangerous thought. Far more dangerous than any attraction I might feel toward the arrogant nobleman who had just left. Because it threatened to undermine the vengeance that had sustained me through years of slavery and hardship.
I wrapped the towel more tightly around myself, suddenly cold despite the warm air. Jalend Northreach was either a genuine ally in the struggle for justice or the most convincing performerI’d ever encountered. And I couldn’t afford to be wrong about which one he truly was.
As I dressed and prepared to return to my quarters, I wondered what Tarshi would say about this unexpected conversation. Would he see Jalend as a potential ally for the resistance? Or would he warn me that the privileged rarely surrender their advantages willingly, regardless of their pretty words?
More troubling still was the realization that I wanted to believe Jalend. Wanted to believe that change could come through something other than violence and vengeance. After all the blood I’d spilled in the arena, after all the hatred I’d nursed for a decade, the possibility of another path felt like water to a woman dying of thirst.
But I’d been deceived before. By Drusus, by the Empire, by those who claimed to have my best interests at heart. I couldn’t afford to let my guard down now, no matter how compelling Jalend’s vision of a better Empire might be.
26
The afternoon sun beat down mercilessly as I completed my tenth lap around the academy’s training field. Sweat poured down my face, my lungs burned, and my legs threatened to give out beneath me. Still, I pushed on. The physical exertion was a welcome distraction from the mess of emotions churning inside me since my morning swim with Jalend.
“Faster, Cantius!” Instructor Cero barked from the sidelines. “Dragons don’t respond to weakness!”
I gritted my teeth and found another reserve of strength, increasing my pace for the final stretch. The other cadets had finished minutes ago and now watched me with a mixture of contempt and grudging respect. Valeria and her sycophants smirked from the shade of a nearby laurel tree, no doubt hoping to see me collapse.
I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.
As I crossed the finish line, Cero made a notation on his tablet. “Acceptable,” he said, which from him was high praise. “Your endurance has improved.”
I bent over, hands on my knees, gulping air. “Thank you, sir.”
“Tomorrow, we begin aerial combat drills. Be prepared.” With that, he strode away, leaving me to recover on my own.
I straightened, wiping sweat from my brow. Across the field, I caught Jalend watching me, his expression unreadable. He’d kept his distance all day, our early morning conversation seemingly forgotten in the harsh light of day. Perhaps that was for the best. The ease with which he’d drawn me into dangerous political territory had been unsettling.
The memory of his hands supporting me in the water, the surprising gentleness of his touch, the intensity in his amber eyes when he spoke of the Talfen — these things were better left unexamined.
I made my way to the water barrel, drinking deeply before splashing some on my face. The cool water was a blessed relief against my overheated skin.
“Impressive performance, Lady Cantius.”
I turned to find Jalend beside me, filling his own cup with water.
“I thought you’d left after your own trial. I didn’t realize endurance training warranted your attention.”
A slight smile tugged at his lips. “I make it my business to observe those with potential.” He drank deeply, his throat working as he swallowed.
“Be careful, Lord Jalend, that almost sounded like a compliment,” I said, grinning at him.
“Will you be at the tactics lecture this evening?”
I nodded. “The northern campaign strategies. Required for all first-year cadets.”
