Trial By Fire (Going Down in Flames #3)(59)

“You have my vote,” Ivy said. “Any reason for a day off of school works for me.”

Once they were seated in Mr. Stanton’s class, the restlessness Bryn felt earlier dissipated. She still felt oddly cheery. Would snow always put her in a good mood? That would be a bonus.

The door to the adjoining classroom which was used as a storage closet opened, and Mr. Stanton came out accompanied by a man Bryn didn’t recognize. He had the dark hair and dark skin of a Green dragon, but the look in his hazel eyes wasn’t one of curiosity like most Greens. It was more like suspicion.

Were they having a guest lecturer? While Bryn studied the stranger, she realized he was taking note of every student in the room. One by one, he was making eye contact with each student looking them up and down. Not in a creepy, I-think-you’re-cute way, but in an I-might-have-to-kill-you-if-you-annoy-me kind of way.

The sound of metal sliding against metal caught Bryn’s attention. Valmont had drawn his sword. Gaze locked with the stranger’s, he held the sword down to the side, like he was relaxed, but she could see the tension in the roped muscles of his neck.

The stranger grinned. “Don’t worry, Knight. I’m not here for your dragon.”

“I’m not worried,” Valmont’s tone was calm, even, and oddly threatening. “I’m giving you fair warning.”

“You are delusional,” the stranger said, “if you think your presence here concerns me.”

Fire banked in Bryn’s chest. Whoever this guy was, she didn’t like him. “You have more than my knight to worry about.”

“Bryn, calm down. Akbar is here by order of the Directorate. He is gathering information,” Mr. Stanton said. “Nothing more.”

“What sort of information?” Jaxon asked.

“I have a gift.” Akbar continued to scan each student, studying them like he was waiting for one of them to mutate into a demon or something. “I can see what you don’t want me to see.” He pointed at Clint. “Say what you want to say. I can tell you have a remark to make which you think is clever.”

Clint leaned back in his seat like he wasn’t annoyed at being called out. “I’ve never met a Green who hoarded his intelligence. Some of them act annoyed or superior when they have to explain something, but none of them act…cryptic and judgmental and what’s the word—stalker-ish, maybe?”

The atmosphere in the room shifted as the students seemed to realize Akbar could represent a threat.

“You never answered my question,” Jaxon spoke in a superior my-father-is-the-head-of-the-Directorate tone. “Why are you studying us? What are you looking for?”

“A liar.” Akbar continued to scan the students until he landed on Octavius. “And I believe I’ve found him.”

A low growl came from Octavius’s throat. It was echoed by his mate Vivian. Bryn and several other students also growled.

Akbar approached Octavius. “We need to talk. Come with me.”

“Under whose authority do you demand my cooperation?” Octavius asked.

“The Directorate’s,” Akbar said.

“Then you should have papers,” Jaxon said, “proving you are here on official Directorate business.”

Akbar whipped around to face Jaxon. “I don’t need papers.”

Bryn stood. “If a Westgate says you need papers for Directorate business, then you need papers. Either show us the documents or get out.”

Mr. Stanton stood there, not speaking, not intervening, not doing much of anything. What was wrong with him? Wait a minute. Was he smiling? Suspicion tickled Bryn’s brain. “Teachers don’t normally let guest speakers attack students. Is this some sort of test?”

Akbar’s expression completely changed. His narrowed eyes widened. The hard flat line of his mouth softened and turned into a smile. “Well done, Bryn. And well done to the rest of you, too.”

Clint raised his hand. “What just happened?”

Akbar leaned back against the desk and chuckled. “What happened is something I’ve been writing my thesis on. You all just proved it. Since the attacks, and since students were injured and have actually come back to school, Clan boundaries have softened. Your father, when he was a student here at the Institute,” he pointed at Jaxon, “would never have stepped forward to defend someone from another Clan.”

“You don’t know that.” Jaxon looked as pissed-off as ever.

“Actually, this study has been done for many years by different scientists, and the results have always been the same. Your father didn’t object to a student being removed for questioning. No one did. None of them realized it was a test. They assumed it was business as usual.”

“Why did you pick me?” Octvious asked. He sounded as furious as Jaxon looked.

“You are a minority with the fewest Clan members to come to your defense,” Akbar said. “So you were the perfect choice.”

Octavius nodded like the answer satisfied him.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a thesis to complete.” Akbar headed out the door.

Later that afternoon in Basic Movement, Jaxon came toward Bryn with a smile on his face.

“Is it me, or is that smile annoying as hell?” Valmont asked Clint.

“It’s not just you,” Clint responded.