Page 75 of Riftborne
“Okay… yeah, if it’s really not a big deal. I think we’ll take you up on the offer,” I replied.
“Anytime,” Raine said as we filtered through the darkened streets of Luminaria, still locked in a haze.
Nerves returned, tickling my back as we approached the gates. It was ghostly quiet, but guards still loomed, securing the entrance.
I avoided eye contact as Raine provided her identification. The guard grunted but opened the gates. I could feel the annoyance radiating from him as we passed into the lobby.
We were all holding back giggles as we stepped into the mess hall. Everything was excruciatingly funny right then. My cheeks were aching from smiling so much. I assumed it was a lingering effect of the elixir.
Noticing the silence of the complex made us even more hyper-aware, causing us to dramatically tiptoe and exchange heightened glances that nearly always resulted in tipsy grins.
Just as we reached the stairs leading to the recruitment quarters, Osta’s bag tumbled out of her arms with a loud thud. Her eyes went wide with concern before we all doubled over in silent, hissing laughter.
She gasped as she collected the contents from the floor, and her posture egged on more giggles. Briar let out a screech of a cackle and Raine threw her hand over his mouth.
My body was still heaving from trying to control the onslaught of humor when we heard the creaking of a large metal door in the distance.
My heart stopped as footsteps thundered through the corridor above.
I heard someone clear their throat, and I immediately recognized the sound.
Our eyes shot up to the balcony, but we saw nothing. The voice seemed to echo throughout the room.
“Are you all that inebriated?” he chided. My eyes shifted to the staircase to see a figure emerging. A shiver ran up my spine.
His copper hair sprawled out onto the shoulders of his black shirt. The scar on his face seemed to pulse with anger. All of us gasped in unison.
He stopped a few feet in front of us, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. We stayed quiet, shifting our weight. For some reason, even this situation made me want to burst out in frantic waves of laughter, but I held back. I didn’t dare make eye contact with any of my friends. I knew a single glance would have us doubling over. And now was, perhaps, the most inappropriate time to do so.
“Have you all gone mute?” Laryk demanded, stress creasing his brow. I could have sworn he stomped his foot.
“No, sir,” Briar attempted. A collective jolt surged through the group. I dared a glance at Raine, who desperately held her lips in a tight line.
Ashford looked us all over before rolling his eyes. “Off to bed.” His voice was slick and sharp as a knife.
Relief rushed through us as we started towards the flight of stairs.
“Fia. A word,” he said flatly. I shook my head rigidly at my friends, urging them to keep calm. I turned around and slowly paced towards Laryk. Cries of laughter echoed behind us.
He studied me for a second, clenching his jaw before sauntering off towards one of the windowed gyms.
A spark of anger ran through me as I clumsily followed him. In my peripherals, lights still danced and weaved themselves throughout the space.
He yanked open the door and motioned for me to enter. I didn’t even shoot a glance his way before trudging into the room. It was dark, only lit by the light that filtered in from the mess hall.
“What were youthinking, recruit?” His voice was like ice reverberating through the room.
I made my way to the stone wall in an attempt to balance myself. The proper annoyance made its way into my mind, fighting past the elixir.
“Building comradery,” I said flatly. My back hit the stone less gracefully than I intended.
“Is that what you call this?” His words were sharp as he paced towards me. The sound echoed in my ears.
“It’s what you called it,” I slurred, noticing the light that glimmered around him. I swallowed hard as my eyes found his. A shock ran through me when I noticed their intensity. Something inside me burned.
He roared towards me, stopping only a foot away.
“Fia. You’re high,” he insisted, running his hand through his hair. The heat coming off him was sobering, but not quite enough to kill all of the elixir’s effects.
