I snorted, flashing Hans a wink as I re-tied the length of my hair back in a quick bun, pleased to have it out of my face—and to give the attractive Conduit more to ogle, should she be so inclined.
“Maybe I’ll go introduce myself first, then,” Jeremiah suggested. I knew from his tone that the man was joking, but something inside me still bristled at the implication.Odd.
“You’re welcome to try,” I replied breezily, shaking off that unusual flare of jealous energy. “Unlike Hans here, I don’t mind sloppy seconds. Or thirds, for that matter.”
The two men continued to volley jests and insults back and forth for the rest of the afternoon, most of them at my expense. Though I had indeed signed us all up for lecture duty as an excuse to observe the golden-eyed beauty I had encountered the other day, it was also just a nice excuse to give my men a break.
The growing number of disappearances across the continent was taxing on us all. It took a great deal of effort and coordination to retrieve intel from other territories while also covering our own tracks, making our work absolutely untraceable as we investigated the issue. It was important that if we meddled in the affairs of the Atlassian Houses, that we werenever, ever caught doing so. The Elders would have our heads for breaking the terms of their treaties.
Much of my work operated under the principle of don’t ask, don’t tell—or, at the very least, that our ends had to justify the means—and so we worked hard behind the scenes. We made our cloak-and-dagger efforts count. My specialized forces were some of the most talented and efficient men on the Elder Guard, and we solved quite a few complex problems over the years behind the scenes.
Which is what made these disappearances all the more frustrating.
We hadn’t figured outshit.
Weeks had turned into months now since the first child had been taken from Samhaven, and westillhad no concreteevidence or solid leads. Even our above-ground efforts to collaborate with the other territories’ military forces had proved useless thus far. It didn’t help that most of them were bumbling fools, playing their part to wield a sword and look scary in exchange for a healthy salary. The continent hadn’t seen war in decades.
Truth be told, I was exhausted. A day of monitoring the Wyldwoods, which were relatively safe these days, was a much needed breath of fresh air. Literally.
And then there washer…
The freshling was more of a figurative breath of fresh air, I supposed. It had been a long time since I felt so immediately attracted to a perfect stranger. For me, attraction often developed over a round of drinks and good conversation. I could find beauty in the mundane, so long as the mind was engaging and clever.
I had no idea whether this little Conduit was clever—or engaging, for that matter—and I didn’t even know her name, much less her mind. Eventually, I would have to find an excuse to run into her in a less formal setting, because unless I legitimately stalked the woman, there wasn’t much I could do with a physical description alone.
Not that I was entirely above the idea of stalking her from the Shadows… but no, not yet.
“You joining us at the tavern tonight, boss?” Jeremiah asked, interrupting my train of thought.
“He fuckin’ better be! You still owe me a drink, Vistarii. I won that bet fair and square,” Hans griped, pointing two fingers at his eyes and then one back towards me. Cute.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be there. Go run a quick lap around the perimeter, will you?”
It wasn’t really necessary. Don’t get me wrong, the scholars had good reason to employ our services out here, but we weren’teven a kilometer deep in these woods, and most of the dangers one might encounter were prowling around much, much deeper. I just needed to buy myself a little more time to be alone with my thoughts, and to catch a few more glimpses of the pretty little Conduit uninterrupted.
The two men groaned, and I gave them a charming smile in response.
“Thatisan order, you two. Get going.”
As the two men left, I stole another glance at the girl with that glossy, dark brown mane out of the corner of my eye, only to find that she was already staring back at me.
Though she was on the complete opposite end of the clearing, I could’ve sworn I caught her blushing as she looked away.
Excellent.
Chapter Eleven
Arken
I kept thinking about that guardsman throughout the day, and I didn’t like it.
Sure, he was devastatingly attractive, but he was hardly the first man that I’d ever set eyes on or even taken interest in since I’d arrived in Sophrosyne. Or woman, for that matter. There were thousands of people to encounter every day here, and plenty of them were attractive. I hadn’t even spoken two words to this man. I didn’t even know his name. Why did I want to know his name?
Gods.
This was absurd. I needed to go eat, or study, orsomething. Clearly, I was out of sorts.
As I made my way towards the dining hall, I busied my mind with thoughts of what I’d actually learned from the lecture.