Page 107 of Daughter Of The Ninth Line
Veria.
None of those places meant anything to me. “What in the Goddess’s name is this?” I breathed, and Svenna looked at me with disappointment.
“I thought you were a stargazer, Vylan. Surely, with all your study of celestial space, you didn’t think we were the only people on this rock?” She pointed to a country whose shape I knew well. “Ebrus. History goes that during a catastrophic weather event, the ocean rose exponentially, wiping out half the landforms and life on the planet. Only the very top and very bottom of the globe survived. The ocean in between became uncrossable. No landmass survived in the space between. No islands. No atolls. Nothing but ocean. No boat could carry enough stores to make the distance, and why would they? There was basically nothing left up here but us, and we’re hardly worth the effort needed to cross. We have no great resources. No gems or jewels.”
“We have magic.”
She shrugged. “According to historical records, so did they. So they forgot us, and by extension, we forgot them. Only the maps and histories in the libraries, and here in Boellium, speak of the times before the great flood.” She ran her finger over the landmasses at the bottom. “It could be one of these countries, but why?”
I shook my head; I definitely didn’t know.
Someone banged on Svenna’s door, and she straightened. Gone was the surly administrator and in her place was the warrior who’d once been the pride of the Dawn Army for decades. “Enter.”
There were several members of faculty here now, and not one of them seemed perturbed that I, a conscript, was there too. “Svenna, they’ve alighted on the beach. What do we do?”
There was a fire burning in her eyes now. “Call for aid from Ovl and Eaglehoth. Get word to the Third Line, if possible. They might be our only form of communication. We’ll go down to the shore and see who thefuckdares to invade our island. Someone better prepare the conscripts for the possibility of a fight.”
They rushed off to do her bidding, following her orders. Clearly, no one else wanted the mantle of responsibility.
I needed to find Avalon and Hayle. I needed to warn Shay and the rest of my Line. But Svenna was strapping on armor like she was going to go out there alone, and that wasn’t going to happen.
I stared at the woman in front of me, one of the few people in this institution I respected. “I’m not letting you head out there alone.”
Svenna had the audacity to roll her eyes at me. “You don’tletme do anything.” She strode out of the office and down through the atrium. Hundreds of students were there, looking freaked out, their whispers like a consistent hum through the room. Svenna paused. “We’re under siege. Listen to the instructors and stay within the walls.” Then she moved quickly toward the exit.
Shay appeared at my side. “What’s going on?”
“Invading army, I think.”
She looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Invading from where? How’d they get all the way to Boemouthe without anyone being any the wiser?”
I leaned in close. “In Svenna’s office is a map. Go there now and copy it down. We’ll need it for later. Then get together with the First Line and inform them of what’s happening. I want them to be prepared, in case we have to fight. Talk to Hayle or Lucio; tell them everything you know. Now isn’t the time for Line squabbles.” I hesitated, lowering my voice. “Make sure Avalon is safe.”
Shay set her jaw as we made it to the doors of the atrium. “I’m going out there with you.”
Shaking my head, I tilted my chin back toward the office. “Do as I ask. We aren’t going out there to swing dicks. It’s just fact finding, and I promise to let Svenna speak. Proxius is gone. She’s the best we have for a commander right now, until the Dawn Army mobilizes.” I nudged her with my air. “Go, Shay.”
Glaring at me, she huffed. “If you die, I’m going to fucking piss on your corpse, Vox Vylan.”
I smiled reassuringly at her. “I’ll be safe, I promise.” I hurried to catch up with Svenna, who reached out her one arm as we made it to the gates.
“Stay here, Vylan. If anything happens to me, Boellium will need your strength.” I started to protest, and she quelled it with a look. “You can see me well enough through the gates, and we both know you have enough magic to put them down from here. So just fuckingstay.”
Clenching my jaw, I nodded and watched as she walked down the path toward the shore. She stayed in sight, like she’d said, but I was surprised when a young guy in a black-and-amber uniform climbed up the path from the beach, a smile on his face.
He spoke to her softly, but even stroking the wind toward me, I couldn’t hear what they were saying. I frowned when Svenna turned, though, leading them up toward the college.
What the fuck?
Svenna was smiling as they got to the gates, ushering them through. What the hell was she doing?
“Svenna?” I called, and she looked at me softly.
That wasn’t Svenna. She didn’t have a soft bone in her body.
I pulled my gun and pointed it at the intruder. Up close, he was beautiful, which was an odd thing to recognize about an enemy. He had hair that looked like spun gold, burnished skin, and eyes that were almost black.
“Stop,” I ordered, aiming the gun at his head. “I can kill you in the time it takes for you to blink. Who the fuck are you?”
