“Really,” she said dryly. “I’m not so sure about that.”
Admittedly, River wasn’t entirely sure about the kind of things Nikhail and Ryker encountered on a daily basis, but if this was what Nikhail described as sideways, what did he considerbad?
A shiver ran down her spine as her mind helpfully supplied different ways things could be described as “bad.” Death, dismemberment, the loss of limbs, catastrophic natural disasters… The list was practically endless.
Damn her anxious mind for being so willing to spin dark tales for her. It took significant effort, but she pulled her thoughts away from the panicked spiral she was descending into and refocused on the fae in front of her.
“Who were you investigating?” She tilted her head and bit her bottom lip. “I mean, if you’re allowed to tell me. I know there are rules…”
His thumb swept across the back of her hand, and her words dried up. Her entire world shifted, centering on that steady movement. Back and forth, his thumb left tingling sensations in its wake.
The air grew heavy.
Put a stop to this, a rational voice whispered in River’s head.Remember the curse. Remember why this is a bad idea.
The voice was right, but the problem was, River liked the way her magic quieted when Nikhail touched her. She could hear herself think without the rest of the world’s problems weighing down on her.
So River didn’t pull her hand out of Nikhail’s. And thankthe gods she didn’t, because the next words that came out of his mouth threw her world off its axis.
“The Black Night is back, River.”
Every single part of her froze. Her heart. Her lungs. Even her magic stilled, caught in a web of panic.
The Black Night is back.
The rebels had returned.
Her skin pebbled, and the hairs on the back of her neck chilled. Her pink scrubs were suddenly an inadequate barrier against the cold.
Had the temperature dropped, or was it just her? She would ask, but her mouth was no longer capable of forming words.
Suddenly, River was grateful for Nikhail’s hand on hers. Without it, she might’ve fallen over. Fainted, just like a proper lady might do. Tertia would be so proud.
River was aware of the rebels’ existence, of course. How could she not be, as the daughter of a well-known Representative and the sister of a captain in the military?
No, she knew about them, just like she’d known she was different from a very young age. From the day she turned four, she’d attended Highmountain’s School for Young Fae in Golden City. The renowned preparatory school for girls was one of the best educational facilities in the entire Republic, and she had attended it until the Incident.
Iron gates divided the elite educational facility from the rest of the city, including the school across the street, Blue Stream Elementary. The public school catered to the general population who called Golden City their home.
As a young girl, River had often stood at the gate in her plaid uniform, watching the other children. The Blue Stream students seemed so free. They laughed easily, chasing eachother around the yard. They played games that River and her friends at Highmountain never got to play.
One day, when River had been too young to realize that questions like this weren’t very appropriate for young ladies to ask, she’d tugged on Headmistress Hart’s skirt.
“Excuse me, Headmistress?”
Stern, dark brown eyes framed by straight white hair that fell to the Headmistress’s waist met River’s. “Yes, Miss Waterborn?”
“Why can’t we play tag or throw balls like the other children?” She looked wistfully across the street, where the kids at Blue Stream were laughing and playing catch.
It looked so fun, and River had never done anything like that. She had to be quiet at home because Dad was sick, but even at school, they weren’t allowed to play like the other kids.
The earth fae’s mouth twisted into a scorn, and River’s heart pounded loudly. She didn’t like the mean way Headmistress Hart was looking at her. It reminded her too much of her mother.
“Do not be foolish, Miss Waterborn,” she snapped. “Daughters of Representatives do not lower themselves to play childish games like tag and catch.”
“I just thought it looked fun,” River admitted.
“Fun.” Headmistress Hart arched a manicured brow and sneered. “You don’t need to worry about having fun.”