Page 21 of Realms of Swords and Storms
Ferris nodded slowly. "Practical indeed." He turned to address the entire class. "The rest of you would do well to observe that perfect form means nothing if you're dead. Continue drills!"
As the cadets resumed their practice, I caught Jalend watching me with an expression I couldn't quite decipher—assessment mixed with something that might have been concern or curiosity.
I turned away, focusing on regulating my breathing and calming my racing heart. Valeria and her friends had just made their cruelty and malice explicitly clear. The reminder of that night with Varin—what would have happened if I hadn’t managed to have fought him off or if Jalend hadn’t come to my aid. I had a good idea of who had killed Varin, and I lived in fear of anyone finding out, but my men were good at what they did, and so far, no evidence had been revealed that had led in our direction. Valeria was just trying to rattle me, and I couldn’t let her succeed.
The dining hall echoed with the clamour of cadets at evening mess, the long tables filled with uniformed figures wolfing down food after the day's training. I sat alone at the end of one table,mechanically consuming the bland stew while trying to ignore the occasional glances cast my way.
After my performance in the training yard that morning, the other cadets seemed unsure whether to be impressed or wary. Even Valeria and her coterie kept their distance, though their whispered conversations and pointed looks made it clear I remained their primary topic of discussion.
I was pushing the last of my meal around my bowl when a shadow fell across the table.
"This seat taken?" Jalend asked, not waiting for an answer before sliding onto the bench opposite me.
"To what do I owe the honour, Lord Northreach?" I asked, setting down my spoon.
His mouth quirked in a half-smile. "Perhaps I simply enjoy your company, Lady Cantius."
"More likely you enjoy the scandal your company creates," I replied, nodding toward the table where Valeria and her friends sat watching us with thinly veiled outrage.
He followed my gaze and chuckled. "An added benefit, I admit." His expression grew more serious. "Your performance this morning was remarkable."
I tensed. "Legate Ferris said the same."
"I imagine he did." Jalend leaned forward slightly. "Three against one, and you defeated them using techniques I've never seen taught at any academy or noble house."
"As I told the Legate—"
"Yes, your father's practical training methods." His eyes held mine, searching. "The thing is, Livia, I've made it something of a study to learn about the noble houses of the empire, particularly those from the border regions. And the name Cantius is... curiously obscure."
My pulse quickened, but I kept my expression neutral. "We're a minor house. Hardly worth noting in the imperial registries."
"And yet you fight with the skill of someone trained for combat from childhood. Unusual for the daughter of a minor provincial lord, wouldn't you say?"
I held his gaze steadily. "The borders are dangerous places, Jalend. Those who survive learn to defend themselves."
Something flickered in his eyes—doubt, perhaps, or reluctant admiration. "Indeed they do."
He paused, then continued in a lower voice. “Did you hear the rumours? About the Talfen on the northern borders?”
“I hadn’t. Anything out of the ordinary?” I managed to ask, my voice carefully neutral.
“Yes, actually. Rumours that the situation on the northern border is worse than the official reports suggest. The Talfen tribes are uniting under a single war chief for the first time in decades."
My hand tightened around my spoon. If this was true, Tarshi needed to know this for the resistance. "Just rumours, surely."
Jalend's expression was unreadable. "Perhaps. But I find it interesting that Legate Santius has commissioned early reports on progress from both this academy and the army academy this week. I overheard Ferris talking about it with one or the deans. And they’ve ramped up the dragon breeding program at the farms in the north as well.”
I swallowed, the food I’d just eaten sitting like a rock in my stomach. Since Sirrax had revealed to me that the dragons the Empire used were actually enslaved Talfen shifters, I’d struggled to keep the knowledge to myself. Guilt and shame at what my people were doing swept over me once again, and even though Sirrax had urged me not to say anything for my own protection, I still fought the urge to confess everything to Jalend. There was something about him, despite his arrogance, that told me I could trust him, but I’d learned long ago that trusting as few people as possible was safer.
I forced myself to look up at him, careful to keep my expression neutral even as my heart hammered against my ribs. "What does that mean for us? The academy, I mean."
Jalend glanced around before leaning closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "It means they're accelerating our training. I've heard whispers that the final assessments might be moved forward. They need officers in the field."
"We've barely started the training program," I said, genuinely alarmed. While I'd made remarkable progress, I wasn't sure I was ready to be thrust into actual combat—especially not against the Talfen, not after what I now knew.
"War waits for no one, not even half-trained cadets." His hand moved across the table, not quite touching mine but close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from his skin. "Are you afraid, Livia?"
The question held no mockery, only genuine curiosity. I considered lying, then decided against it. "Only a fool wouldn't be."
