Page 62 of Mikoto and the Reaver Village
New Moon Night
Sinder saw no reason not to report for trainingexercises at his appointed position. Torloo was taking advantage of the newmoon to push the rookies through more night maneuvers. From what little hecould hear, they were definitely up to something. New code words. Differentteam comps. For some reason, they’d gone to groups of five instead of three.
Fine by him. All he had to do was evade.
Thanks to Tenma and Timur, Sinder was feeling much more likehimself. Refreshed. Elated. Maybe a little keyed up, but he’d have everyopportunity run off the excess energy. Torloo was getting more serious, too.Limiting how much Sinder knew in advance. Forcing more realistic outcomes.
The training wheels were off.
Sinder dodged a swooping owl, only to find his way barred bya lone battler with a crossbow. He dove for cover, but a second archer was inposition. The first dart grazed his shoulder, and he took to the trees.
Sheltering in the boughs of an evergreen, he did a swiftself-check and cursed. A sigil fizzed against the fabric. Improperly anchored,Sinder was able to dispel the thing. For a few moments, Sinder wrestled withthe sting of betrayal. This was Michaelson’s handiwork.
But … not really, or it would have worked.
Which meant they were applying his tactics. Or adaptingthem. Which was the whole point of these exercises.
A wolf howled, and another answered. They were flanking him,and he hadn’t even noticed.
Dropping to the ground, Sinder flashed through the woods at speed.Not quite worried, but no longer comfortable with his chances. He kind ofwished Michaelson was here, but the man had been sound asleep when Sinder stoleaway.
And what good would it do to have him here? Timur wouldn’tbe on his side.
Another dart whizzed past Sinder’s nose, stopping him in histracks. That’s when two more hit his upper arm. They pattered to the ground,having delivered their shimmering sigils.
Sinder caught one up and inspected it as he ran.
Blunt tips. They weren’t meant to break skin, though therewould be more bruises.
Embedded crystals. And that was going to be a problem.
“Are they insane?” he muttered. Hallow was obsessed withtuned crystals, so Sinder had been exposed to every variation known to carry Cadmiel’ssong. That’s why heknewthat this rookie scheme might actually work.But not necessarily in the way they hoped.
Another dart found its mark, smack dab in the center of aspreading sigil. Targeted. Good for them. Bad for dragons. This one bit deep. Scentingthe air with Sinder’s blood. Bowing him over with a pain that wasn’t entirelyphysical.
A red remnant. Hereallyhated the red ones.
Sinder was frightened beyond clear thinking. Sweating andswearing, he stumbled onward. He needed to get away from his pursuers beforeany of them died.
Ginkgo’s phone chirruped impatiently, startling himfrom a light doze. He snatched it up and squinted at the time, already thumbingto accept the call. “I’m here.”
“Where is Sinder?”
“This second? Not sure.” Ginkgo eased from the bed andpadded to the window. There wasn’t much to see in the dark.
Another voice carried along the line. Someone else. Soundingworried. Ginkgo’s ears twitched. “That Hallow?”
“Yes. We have cause for concern. I will need you tocheck. Now.”
Ginkgo lifted the sash on the window and slipped outside.“On my way next door.”
“What about Timur?”
“They’re rooming together. See? I made good on my promise.”
An impatient grunt. An ominous silence.
Ginkgo eased open Zisa’s door and half-stumbled into thetree’s waiting arms.
