Page 118 of Vicious Princess
I wouldn’t know. I didn’t try it because I didn’t want anything clouding my mind. Just in case any cadets were planning on drowning meafterthe game.
“Faster, shitheads!” an Ezkai soldier yells. “Leadership is waiting for you!”
Quickly, I shove my feet into my boots and lace them up. I strap all my blades into place, grab my bow, and am shoved out the room by one of the Ezkai. They lead us to the castle, into the war room. To my surprise, this time around, the Ezkai General and Taaslord are not there.
“Finally,” Ezkai Gavriel says. He glances at the watch in his hand before slipping it back into his pocket. “It took you twenty minutes to get here. That’s not as bad as it could have been, but as Ezkai, you’re expected to be ready when called into a mission in under twelve minutes.”
We exchange a glance, but say nothing. Ezkai Gavriel and twelve regular Ezkai are not the only people in the room with us. Behind Ezkai Gavriel stand Ezkai Cassandra and two more Ezkai I’ve never seen before.
“You’re here today to participate in a greatly important mission. During this mission, you’ll be evaluated by all the Ezkai units to determine if any of you are desired by at least one. This is the final test before your graduation. If none of the units want you because your performance is lacking, well…better luck in the next lifetime.”
Not a single kind word. I must admit, I have grown quite fond to this asshole. It’s as if he was born with a dark cloud hanging above him at all times, preventing him from feeling any sort of joy.
“You’ll be joined by twelve highly trained Ezkai soldiers, and four of us—me representing the Scrivener Unit, Ezkai Cassandra representing the Protector Unit,”—he waves at a tall fae with long blond hair and stark features that make me want to stare at him forever, and then at a tad shorter but wider fae with a neatly trimmed beard—“Ezkai Captain August representing theMender Unit, and Ezkai Lieutenant Xander representing the Spy Unit.”
Ezkai Gavriel turns away from the Ezkai representatives to face us fully. “We were supposed to be joined by Ezkai Major Daegel, who represents the Executioner Unit. However, due to professional reasons, he isn’t able to join us.”
My heart sinks in my chest.No.Did the General do something to Daegel? Was he punished for the rumors even though I was forgiven?
All of a sudden, the heartache and anger is replaced with worry gnawing at my chest. The need to see Daegel, to know he’s okay, is overwhelming.
“Don’t worry about it, though. We have Ezkai from the Executioner Unit accompanying us today, so the unit still gets to observe your performance and decide if any of you are desirable,” Ezkai Gavriel says. He turns to Ezkai Cassandra. “Ezkai Cassandra, would you like to walk the cadets through the process?”
“With pleasure, Ezkai Gavriel,” Ezkai Cassandra says and steps forwards. I’m feeling much more confident now that I know she’ll be going with us. “Today’s mission will take place in the criminal district of Jaakii, Kozem. The goal is to tackle an underground gambling parlor run by an influential Caligos family.”
A murmur goes through our group.
“Yes, it is the same mission you had to create a hypothetical strategy for during my lecture,” Ezkai Gavriel says. “Unfortunately, none of you came up with a good enough strategy that we could follow to successfully accomplish our goal today. Instead of failing you, I’ll give you a shot today. Your group will be responsible for strategizing the mission once we arrive at the location. We will not interfere, unless there’s a risk to national security.”
No pressure.I exchange a glance with Roman. He still looks hungover as fuck. The problem is, he’s not the only one. The whole group today is hungover, except for me.
“A lot is at stake today, cadets,” Ezkai Cassandra says. “Not only must you be able to show your strategy skills, but also utilize everything you have learned so far in all your training, emotional manipulation included.” She meets all our gazes. “You must also act as part of a team. Ezkai are not vigilantes. We’re a collective.”
For the second time, I’m grateful Kata is not here with us today… With her out of the picture, it’ll be much easier for me to navigate teamwork.
“Ezkai Captain Aelfric leads the Ezkai soldiers today, and Cadet Wildarrow will lead the cadets,” Ezkai Cassandra says.
I blink at her, taken aback by her words. All the eyes snap to me. I lift my chin and straighten my back.
Ezkai Cassandra arches her eyebrows. “Is that going to be a problem, cadet?”
“No, ma’am,” I say.
I glance at the other cadets. I’m tempted to ask her why me. But I don’t want to look weak, not in front of all the Ezkai who are evaluating us today.
“Just so that there are no hard feelings amongst the cadets, know the reason Wildarrow was chosen to lead the cadet group was her excellent performance during the last mission. Not only did she eliminate the target, she also saved the General’s life,” Ezkai Cassandra says. “Any questions?”
No hands rise.
I flex my gloved hands, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Even without coffee, I feel wide awake despite very little sleep.
Today is the day I’ve been waiting for, when I get to give my all so I can finally do what I came to Ekios for. And I’m ready.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
When we arrive at the location and get out of the merchant carriage into the street, my stomach sinks. The sun hasn’t risen yet, but despite the darkness shrouding the surroundings, I recognize this street.
I’ve been here before.
