Absently, I raised my fingers to my sternum, reaching for a necklace I no longer wore.
“So if you’re not typically training, and not typically standing guard at lectures, what is it that you normally do for the guard, Kieran?” Arken asked.
I winced. Probably should have prepared myself for that one. I didn’t often put myself in situations where people had enough time to try and get to know me better, but here we were…
“Most of my work is confidential,” I admitted. “I run a subsection of the guard dedicated to scouting and reconnaissance, obviously. The reconnaissance side of things was built more for a time when the territories were at war. So in times of peace, that typically means going out and looking for anything that might threaten Sophrosyne or its people. Proactive peacekeeping, if you will. I’m afraid I can’t go into much more of the details.”
“I mean, that was a perfectly good answer on its own,” she said easily.
I supposed she was right, though I felt strangely compelled to tell her more. It would be nice to get out of my head like that, to talk about my day to day, but Arken didn’t need to know what troubles and horrors were brewing behind the flawless facade of the city.
We passed by the Northern Gates, and I nodded in acknowledgement to those on duty as they quickly corrected their posture and attempted to look busy. I managed a straight face, but Arken noticed and could hardly contain her own giggles.
“You’re pretty young to be a captain already, aren’t you?” she asked, tilting her head in careful consideration as we passed them.
“Yeah,” I replied, trying to keep my tone light. I didn’t particularly like talking about exactly why that was. “I worked hard.”
“Can I ask… why? I mean you can’t be much older than me, right?”
According to my ill-gained research, Arken was twenty-two.
“I’m twenty-five, yeah.”
I swallowed the growing irritation and discomfort, knowing that she was only curious. I picked through the skeletons in my closet to find the most authentic answer I could muster to her first question.
“And it’s not as complicated as you might think,” I lied easily. “I love this city. I want to see it protected.”
It wasn’t entirely a lie, but it wasn’t anywhere near the full truth. Regardless, the trusting woman nodded, offering me a soft and understanding smile.
“Though speaking of people who are ahead of the curve, how are your classes going? Learn anything of interest today?”
We had almost reached our destination, but I was eager to change the subject.
“Oh,” she murmured.
The energy in her voice had dropped, just enough to be noticeable. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her bite at her lip nervously.
“No, not really.”
Hmm.
“We’ll have to fix that, then,” I replied, placing my hand on the small of her back to gently guide her as we approached a small entrance in the massive limestone walls that encircled the city, several feet in front of the Western Gate.
From the distance, I caught the eye of my lieutenant who was stationed there and nodded once in acknowledgement. He would give me shit for this later, but then again, Hans Deering would give me shit for breathing if he found the right angle.
“Am I even allowed to be in here?” Arken asked as we stepped inside the wall’s interior, where several flights of stairs ascended within.
“In theory, no. In practice… also no. Remember what I said about sneaking around?”
Her eyes widened, and I chuckled.
“Don’t look so worried, Little Conduit. My men are the ones on guard at the gate tonight, none of them will tattle,” I teased.
“I’m going to kick your ass if this “adventure” ends with me getting tossed in a cell for trespassing again, Vistarii,” she threatened as we began to climb the stairs.
I smirked.
Oh, I would truly love to see her try.