Page 74 of City of Secrets and Shadows
I hesitated, then nodded. As we walked to the table, I could feel the weight of stares following us, recalculating social equations and potential alliances. Jalend seemed entirely indifferent to the attention, seating himself with the casual grace of someone accustomed to being watched.
“You fight well,” he said after we’d eaten in silence for several minutes. It wasn’t a question but an assessment.
“You’ve been watching my training sessions?”
He shrugged one shoulder elegantly. “I watch everyone. It pays to know the capabilities of one’s peers.” He took a careful sip of tea. “Most noble-born fight with textbook precision but no instinct. You fight like…”
“Like what?” I asked, gazing into my own tea, not daring to meet his eyes.
“Like a soldier.”
I looked up to find his steel grey eyes boring into mine, then looked down to my meal.
“I thought that’s what we were supposed to be? Isn’t that the purpose of all this?”
“It’s the purpose of the Academy, but you haven’t passed the trials yet, and you fight as though you have years of real experience.”
I stiffened, my spoon freezing halfway to my mouth. “What makes you say that?”
“Your footwork. Your awareness.” He tore a piece of bread with precise fingers. “And the fact that you carry yourself like someone who’s survived worse than Valeria’s pathetic attempts at intimidation.”
I set my spoon down carefully and met his gaze. “You're very observant.”
“A necessary skill when one grows up in my household.” Something dark flickered across his face before vanishing behind that careful mask.
“And how do you fight, Jalend Northreach?”
“To win.” His eyes met mine, dark and unreadable. “Always.”
Something in his gaze made my skin prickle with awareness. I broke the contact first, focusing on my bread as if it required my full attention.
“The water trial,” he said after a moment. “Your form wasn’t the problem.”
I looked up sharply. “What?”
“Your approach. You’re fighting the water like an enemy.” He set down his cup with deliberate care. “Water isn’t like solid ground or a blade. The harder you struggle against it, the faster it claims you.”
“And you’re an expert on water combat now?” I couldn’t keep the edge from my voice.
His lips curved slightly. “I’ve been known to stay afloat.”
“How fortunate for you.” I stabbed at the fruit on my plate. “Perhaps next time I’ll simply imagine myself as a feather and float away.”
“Mock if you wish,” he said, unperturbed. “But there’s a training pool in the east wing that’s empty before dawn. No observers, no judgments.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And why would you help me?”
“Because watching you drown a second time would be tedious.” His voice was dry, but something in his eyes suggested another motivation entirely.
I leaned forward, lowering my voice. “And what do you get from this arrangement, Northreach?”
“The satisfaction of thwarting Valeria’s petty machinations?” He took a deliberate bite of his bread, chewing thoughtfully before adding, “Or perhaps I simply enjoy watching people defy expectations.”
Before I could respond, a horn sounded across the courtyard — the fifteen-minute warning for morning assembly.
“Consider it,” Jalend said, rising from the table with fluid grace. “East wing. Two hours before dawn. Or drown again in three days. Your choice.”
He walked away without waiting for an answer, leaving me staring after him with equal parts irritation and curiosity.
