“True, but the vast majority of us are. And almost anyone attending the Studium is. I’d put money on you being of the majority, as opposed to, you know, the less-than-one percent of the student body that is non-Resonant.”
Us.So he was a Conduit as well. Interesting.
“That would seem like a safe bet, statistically speaking,” I acquiesced, taking another sip of my cider.
“So I’m right then? You are a Conduit.”
His smirk grew, as if he took a certain pleasure in being right. He did seem the type, honestly.
“Yes, of course I’m a Conduit!”
My reply came out more exasperated than I had intended, but surely he could reach such simple conclusions on his own. He gave me a cheeky grin again, as if he could tell he was irritating me. As if he was doing it on purpose.
“What kind, though?” he asked, looking amused and rather pleased with himself after my outburst.
“An observant one, apparently,” I answered sardonically.
At that, he actually laughed—and I let myself appreciate the sound of it in spite of my vague annoyance. It reminded me of the low rumbles of thunder, if thunder could sound so inviting. The warmth in his expression after that laugh left me feeling just a hint more generous.
I raised one hand above the table, slowly wiggling a few fingertips and allowing the Light to flow forth and shimmer just long enough to answer his question, releasing it back into the aether before anyone else could notice. For a moment, his face went entirely slack, though he quickly recovered.
“Holy shit,” he said. “So much for statistics, eh, Little Conduit? You are the definition of an outlier.”
He wasn’t wrong there, either. I had known that Light and Shadow Conduits were rare when I set sail for Sophrosyne, but it wasn’t until I had actually arrived at the Arcane Studium that I began to grasp just how increasingly rare we had become over the last few centuries.
As a few scholars had already pointed out to me, there were only a handful of Shadow Conduits present in the city—and only one known Light Conduit, who split her time between Sophrosyne and the Astral & Umbral Isles, home to the House of Light & Shadow.
There were other Light Conduits in the world, of course—but it was just the two of us in Sophrosyne at any given moment, apparently. I had yet to meet her.
I ignored his question, which was clearly rhetorical.
“So, do you often find yourself tripping over chairs, joining people for their meals uninvited, and then asking them invasive questions without even introducing yourself?” I asked the stranger with an arched brow.
“My apologies, freshling,” he offered with a slight, sarcastic bow of the head. “Kieran Vistarii, Scouting & Reconnaissance Captain of the Elder Guard, occasional babysitter of lectures, and local asshole who trips over the chairs ofvery attractivewomen. At your service.”
“That’s a bit of a mouthful.”
“So I’ve been told,” he purred, eyes glimmering with something wicked and alluring as that smirk slid back into place.
Gods. I was beginning to think that damned expression lived permanently on the man’s irritatingly attractive face. It suited him well, though—curling up the left and exposing the slightest of dimples and his sharp jawline. And if he didn’t think I caught that innuendo…
It’s going to take more than that to make me blush, Captain.
I turned his name over in my head like a smooth stone, studying the way it fit him.Kieran Vistarii.Dark, alluring, intriguing.
“And you are…?”
“Arken,” I answered, pretending not to be flustered by the compliment that had taken me an extra moment or two to process.Tripping over the chairs of very attractive women?I probably was blushing now. “Arken Asher.”
“Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Asher. I really ought to be joining my men now before Jeremiah drinks Hans under the table and I have to carry that poor bastard home again. But I figured it was only fair to offer you some company in exchange for your forgiveness over my apparent lack of coordination,” he said.
Did he really think several minutes of his time was such a gift that he could offer it as currency in exchange for his transgressions? He was so cocky, but I held my tongue. Mostly because I liked it.
As he stood up and slid behind me in order to return to his friends, Kieran leaned over my shoulder.
“I do hope you enjoy your time here in Sophrosyne, Arken,” he purred, his mouth dropping dangerously close to my ear.
That tone of his was far too explicit to be used without intention, and my toes might have curled a bit in my boots.