Page 87 of Vicious Princess
“That’s fascinating,” I say, full of awe. “I haven’t gotten to that chapter in my reading yet.”
Daegel smirks. “You just got a crash course. You’re welcome.”
I snort and roll my eyes. But a smile tugs on the corner of my mouth.
“Come on now, let’s get back to quizzing your knowledge. We’ve got plenty of material to get through.”
I groan but pull my chair closer to the table. Then I let Daegel drill me with one question after another, until my mind is mush.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Ezkai Gavriel doesn’t greet us as he enters the room. He makes his way to the end of the long table we sit around, his cape flowing behind him dramatically.
“Who pissed in his coffee this morning?” Roman whispers, and I bite the inside of my cheek to stifle a laugh.
“Someone pisses in his coffee every day, I think,” I whisper back.
Roman flashes me a smile, which drops quickly as we both startle at the sound of a book slamming on the table. Ezkai Gavriel glowers at us.
“You.” He points a finger at me, then at Roman next to me. “And you.”
“Yes, sir,” we both say in unison.
“Tell me, how old are you?”
We exchange a confused look.
“Ah, I’m twenty-one, sir,” I say.
“Twenty-two, sir,” Roman answers.
“Mm-hmm, I see.” Ezkai Gavriel nods to himself. “You both are adults, and yet, you sit at the end of my damn table at my damn lecture, giggling like fucking children. I’ve had enough of you two.”
“Sir—” I start to speak, but he lifts his palm to shut me up.
“Separate,” he orders. When we don’t move, he says, “Now. Cadet Wildarrow, I want you right here next to me.” Ezkai Gavriel taps a finger on the empty seat to his right. Nobody from our group ever dares to sit that close to our instructor.
From the way he stares at me, I can tell I have no choice but to gather my stuff and move seats.
Roman waves goodbye with one hand on his heart as if the separation is heartbreaking. Once I’m sitting in my new space, I realize Kata’s my neighbor.
What a treat.
I’m stuck between a fae who hates my guts and is keeping a secret that can destroy my future and my least favorite Ezkai in the whole Order.
Just when I think it can’t get any worse, Ezkai Gavriel says, “Today you’ll work in pairs to create a strategy for an upcoming mission. I’ll review your strategies and choose the best one that the Ezkai will implement in real life.”
All of us gape at the instructor.
“You’ve gotten a taste of what a mission is like. A lot is at stake here, so be very careful about putting this strategy on paper,” he says and passes down empty strategy sheets.
I glance at Kata next to me, but her gaze is trained on the instructor.
“The upcoming mission involves tackling an illegal underground gambling parlor in Jaakii run by none other than a powerful Caligos family—Tsubo,” Ezkai Gavriel says. “Tsubo’s family head, Fatima Tsubo, is one of the richest fae in Ekios. The family owns a number of legal gambling parlors across the country and a large number of illegal ones, too. That’s all you need to know.”
“In what part of Jaakii is this underground parlor located?” Bloom raises her hand. “Knowing the location may help us put together a plan.”
“As an Ezkai, you don’t always get all the nitty-gritty details to help you develop an effective strategy,” Ezkai Gavriel says. “The sooner you learn how to make the best with what you’ve got, the better. Work with what you have, because I gave you plenty.”
