Gates of Thread and Stone(58)

Tariza and Grene talked excitedly about something I didn’t care to overhear. Avan sat close enough that his shoulder warmed mine. I let his touch anchor me in the moment instead of reeling forward to chase after Reev in my mind.

A few minutes later, a Watchman called for Avan. We stood with him, offering encouraging pats on the back. The Watchman ushered Avan through the entryway, while the three of us were directed toward a separate exit.

We walked down a hallway and then emerged in an outdoor arena. Our viewing box was at ground level directly in front of the fighting area, sectioned off by a waist-high partition. Three other cadets occupied a similar box across the arena.

The arena itself wasn’t much larger than Irra’s courtyard, with high walls that cut us off from the other matches. A mass of yellow clouds provided our only ceiling. About ten feet in front of me, Avan stood with his back to us, his feet apart and shoulders relaxed. In seats across the arena I spotted Reev and the two sentinels from the prep room.

Like the other sentinels, Reev was dressed all in dark leather. Practical pieces of clothing that would offer some protection and movement. He looked far too much like them.

I pressed my palm to my racing heart. Reev was watching the two in the arena. It was hard to read his face from here, but I didn’t see recognition. He knew Avan. He had to recognize him. Reev was smart, though. He was probably pretending so he wouldn’t give Avan away.

Look at me. I wanted him to see me so badly.

Then he did. He looked right at me.

Reev held my gaze for the span of a breath. My body went numb. Then his eyes slid away as easily as if he’d been looking at a stranger.

I bit down on the insides of my cheeks, letting the physical pain override the ache in my chest. Reev was pretending. He had always been good at hiding his thoughts. Even from me.

He had recognized me. Of course he had.

I had to get Reev alone.

A voice boomed around the arena, and we looked up to see the announcer, a plump woman in a red-and-white tunic, standing on a platform jutting from the wall. “Match number six: Elsin versus Savorn.”

She struck a bell to signal the beginning of the match. I searched for Avan’s opponent, angry with myself that I hadn’t bothered to check sooner.

He was a young man, similar in build to Avan, with dark-red curls. I wasn’t sure what to make of him. He sized up Avan as they circled each other.

Elsin attacked first. They were both fast on their feet, blocking and striking and unable to get in a clean hit as they moved around. Elsin dodged a kick and then stepped in for a punch. Avan blocked, grabbing Elsin’s wrist and twisting it around to plant a knee in his back.

My attention darted between the fight and Reev. Reev watched the match with complete focus. I’d seen the way he was at work, when he had to be menacing to ward off the desperate folks who haunted the docks. But this was different. Colder. Emptier.

He couldn’t already be rebranded. Irra had said whatever Ninu did would take months.

Tariza leaned over. “What are you so worried about? Savorn is winning.”

I glanced back at Avan. Elsin lay on his stomach, his nose bleeding into the packed dirt of the arena floor. Avan had him pinned, his arms secured painfully behind him. A layer of dirt covered them both.

The bell sounded again. Avan released Elsin, and Elsin slumped into the dirt with a groan. His chest moved with rapid breaths, and blood still oozed from his broken nose.

Avan straightened and dusted off his tunic.

Tariza and Grene whooped, shouting “Savorn!” and pumping their fists. I tried to smile for Avan’s sake, but his triumphant grin slipped a fraction when he saw me.

“Nel, come on!” Grene tugged my arm, and I reluctantly went with them through the corridor. I took in one last glimpse of Reev before the doors blocked my view. He hadn’t even glanced my way.

After a hearty round of congratulations, Tariza announced he was going to train, and Grene wanted to explore the arena grounds.

“Want to come with me?” she asked, turning her wide blue eyes on Avan. When she realized I wasn’t going to run off the way Tariza had, she glanced at me and added, “You, too, of course.”

“I need to talk to Savorn about something.”

“We’ll see you back here at three for Nel’s match,” Avan said.

Grene looked embarrassed. “Oh, okay! Sounds great.”

We waited until she’d cleared out with an energetic wave. More cadets streamed in for the next round of matches. It didn’t look like Reev was returning, so we finally left. We found a quiet alcove down the hall, and Avan pulled me inside.

“Reev didn’t recognize us,” he said.

My jaw hurt from clenching it so tightly. “He was pretending.”

“Kai,” Avan said.

It made me angry the way he said my name, as if I was something delicate. Breakable. After everything we’d been through, he should have known better. I wasn’t weak, and I wasn’t giving up, especially not with Reev right here in front of me.

“You have to consider the possibility—”

“No,” I said louder. I jabbed a finger against his chest. “And don’t you dare, either. I just need to get him alone.”

Avan regarded me. Then he nodded. “Okay. How do you plan on doing that?”

I scowled. “He saw us. He’ll come looking for me.”