Page 72 of Vicious Princess
“Oh yeah? At this time of the night? With Mister Hot Mentor? I want me some of that kind of training.”
I shush him, paranoid that someone might hear Roman. Even if he’s joking, I want none of it. Not when someone could pick the joke up and spread it as rumor. I already have enough stupid rumors going around about me.
This one would be too close to the truth.
“Shut the fuck up,” I whisper. He chuckles. “You know damn well I need to train twice as hard to be half as strong and agile as you.”
“Don’t sell yourself so short, princess. You’re the best human Decarios I’ve ever met.” A pause. “Granted, you’re the first and only Decarios human I’ve ever met.”
I roll my eyes and slide into my linen sleeping shirt. “Thanks, appreciate the support.”
Roman snickers to himself while I pull my sleeping pants on and climb into my cot. The moment my head hits the pillow, I’m gone.
The next morning,I head to breakfast and to the emotional-manipulation lecture. We completely lose track of time training with Ezkai Cassandra and miss lunch. I’m starving by the time the lectures all end, so I run to the dining hall and stuff my face with steamed sweet potatoes and bean stew before I head to the library to work on that damn stack of books for Ezkai Gavriel’s lecture.
“Oh, Cadet Wildarrow,” the librarian says the moment I enter. “I have some great news! Finally, I have the tomes on Phantom Rangers you requested available for you to borrow.”
I approach her desk, where she has two thick tomes stacked neatly one on top of the other. “Thank you, Ezkai Horicia,” I say and lightly bow my head. “Can I take them?”
“Sure thing.” She pushes the books towards me:Phantom Ranger’s Handbook to MasteryandAffinity Secrets Untold: Phantom Ranger. “These two really encompass all the basics you need to know. Apologies it took me so long. It turns out Phantom Rangers interest more cadets than I expected.”
I offer her a polite smile and take the books to the table farthest away from people. Ezkai Gavriel’s readings can wait. I need to find a way to connect with my bow before the damn mission.
The grass was damp beneath my bare feet.
Dad stood behind me. His hand rested steady between my shoulders as I lifted the bow and aimed.
“You’re not forcing it, right?” he asks.
I shook my little head.
“Good. Because the bow’s like a heartbeat—you listen for it. Let it guide the shot.”
I let go of the arrow.
The arrow flew straight. True. Perfect.
I whirled around and looked up at Dad, giddy with excitement. “Daddy, did you see that?!”
He smiled at me, eyes warm. “Told you, sweet bean. Born for it.”
What is an archer without a bow? A godsdamned nobody.
A cloud of dust rises from within the papers once I openPhantom Ranger’s Handbook to Mastery.
“Achoo!” I can’t hold the sneeze in.
With the back of my hand, I wipe away the tears that spring to my eyes and scan the introduction page.
The introduction is thirty pages long and boring as fuck. I can barely keep my eyes on the small letters on the old paper. By the time I finish the introduction, which had barely any value for me, I feel done for the day.
But I push through the discomfort.
I don’t think I have the time to read all these books from cover to cover. It would take me a month to finish this book alone, and that’s if I were to read every single day for a few hours.
A luxury I can’t afford.
Quickly, I scan the index page to see if any of the specific chapters call out to me.
