Chapter Six – Blood and MidnightSparring with Rynn didn’t go well because she fought with a savagery that Gray hadn’t seen before. It was brutal—she pulled no punches, and it was clear that she was made about the whole encounter with Sindara.

  Gray wanted to talk more with her, but Captain Settie had returned, they had to meditate, run, train, and then spar. Lunch was a quick affair and Rynn had gone silent.

  The only thing that gave him any soce was the kiss she’d given him.

  It wasn’t until that evening, after a terrible dinner and even worse weather, that they finally could talk. A bck sky poured cold rain down. They were all going to meet in the little library up at the bottom of the pink pace. Rynn and Gray would rendezvous there, but the rest of the squad would be joining them.

  Settie had given them big, long coats with hoods to protect them from the rain. The rain coats were green and matched their outfits.

  They were on their way over to the library when Rynn turned and grabbed his arm. Her nails went into his skin. “You didn’t have to like it, Gray!”

  “I didn’t like it!”

  Rynn’s eyes narrowed at the lie.

  Gray closed his eyes, sighing. “I tried not to like it. I didn’t at first, but then, something happened with our cores. I only kissed her for a second. I’m sorry. I should’ve thrown her off me, but then, it was like I could see her past.”

  Rynn nodded. “You delved. What did we say about delving?”

  “I didn’t mean to! If you would’ve been there…”

  “I was there!” Rynn shouted. She blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for yelling.”

  She then marched away, and Gray had to chase after her. Thankfully, she wasn’t using mana.

  They reached the doorway to the library. Rynn pulled a key out of her pocket. “Quinnly won’t be in for a while. We can talk inside.”

  “Quinnly?” Gray asked.

  “Quinnly kind of runs the library. Quinnly Quillswrath. She’s very old, so be nice.”

  “And she just gave you a key?” Gray was always impressed when people actually trusted one another.

  “I’m the only one who is ever here.”

  She unlocked the little door. Inside, it was a tiny corridor with bookshelves on either side. He’d have to stoop to get through. Beyond the tiny corridor was a rger room with tables but all around them were shelves filled with books and scrolls and all manner of texts. Nothing seemed organized at all.

  On a center table was a tiny mp with just a little light coming through.

  Rynn hurried over, made an adjustment, and the light brightened, as did others. In one corner near a dusty window was a coat rack, and that was where they put their big coats.

  Rynn turned on him. “I felt her lust, Gray. I saw a small hut and a dying fire, a woman dying. It was her mother. She grew up so poor. She’s so sad and scared.”

  Gray stood tall next to a table. “So can you see why I kissed her?”

  The elf girl didn’t say anything for a long time. Then she nodded, her mouth opened slightly. Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks flushed. It was a bit chilly in the library, but Rynn was sweating a little. It had been a long day of training, but this was different.

  In seconds, Rynn was on him, pulling him down, kissing him.

  He was surprised by her savage embrace, but he wasn’t going to fight it. She tore off her jacket and her blouse.

  Gray also took off his jacket and shirt, while still trying to kiss her.

  “It got me excited,” Rynn whispered. “I hate that it got me excited. Come on. There’s a little room back here. Gather your clothes. We’ll hear the door open, and we can dress. We have a moment. I need you, Gray. I need this.”

  Gray hurried after her, through more narrow corridors packed with books, and then past an office with a window that showed the field. Way in the back was a tiny reading room with cushioned chairs, tables, chairs.

  Before he knew it, Gray was naked, sitting on the sofa with a very naked, very sweat elf girl on him, kissing him, taking him deep inside of her hot body.

  It didn’t take long before they were both gasping at the unexpected pleasure.

  She got off him in a fsh. “Yes, well, I feel better. You don’t want her, do you?” She started to dress.

  Gray joined her. “No, I want you. I have you. We’re bonded. You saw and felt what happened.” He ughed and found himself feeling bitter. “It seems my core can do all sorts of things except for the one thing I need it to.”

  Rynn shook her head. “It’s happened that sometimes people are drawn to one another…their cores are. They might hate each other but there’s this attraction. I think that was what happened with Sindara. We definitely don’t want to try creating another bond, not with how votile you are.”

  That made Gray ugh. “I never considered myself votile. I was always so very fragile. But you’re right. It was surprising is all. It’s funny, with Ames, it wasn’t like that. I felt the urge to kiss her but—”

  Rynn had her hand on her hip, giving him a very stern look. “The urge to kiss her?”

  “She’s pretty!” Gray defended himself. “And I’m only human.”

  “And a boy,” Rynn said with a sigh. “But go on. I refuse to be jealous.”

  Gray finished buttoning up his uniform jacket. “With Sindara, there was this feeling in my core. It was an attraction.”

  They heard the front door open.

  Rynn scanned the shelves, found a book, and pulled it off. “Come on and Meet Quinnly.”

  He followed back through the maze of rooms and bookcases and back to the main area.

  There was a tiny woman, with bone white hair, undoing her own coat. She turned, and from her pointed features, it was clear she was Fae, but one that was ancient, with wrinkles upon wrinkles. Gray had never seen someone who looked so old.

  Quinnly Quillswrath nodded at him but spoke to Rynn. “Rynnanatha, I’m gd to see you safe and sound tonight. Rumor has it there was some drama today. The Fire Flyers, otherwise known as Squad 49, causing mischief. It’s not all that surprising. You all are so young and full of spit and vinegar, fighting for a spot in this world. Now, introduce me to your bonded.”

  “Quinnly Quillswrath, meet Grayson Fade.”

  Quinnly came over and studied Gray’s face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Rynn has become a favorite of mine. She does have such a good mind. And I have books prepared for you concerning your meridians. She says that you might need help.”

  “Only a little,” he lied. “Thank you for taking good care of Rynn.”

  The little, old fae woman only ughed and waved him away. “She’s been taking care of me, helping shelve, and doing little odds and ends for the library, which no one really cares about. No, it’s all about the Testing now, and once the Testing if over, squads think that First Field has nothing left to offer them. Maybe that’s true. Maybe.”

  She walked away back to her office, where a light turned on.

  Outside, the rain continued to fall.

  Rynn gave him a secret little smile. “I’m gd you didn’t come back early. She might’ve caught us.”

  “Oh, Miss Yes, you are always such a surprise.”

  They sat down at a table, and Rynn handed him the book. On the cover were words in a script he didn’t recognize. But opening it, on the title page, he saw it was called Mind, Body, Spirit. “It’s a study of the Trinity of Avatars, who perfected their mana enough to literally save the world.”

  Gray opened the book to see a figure standing in fire with hands raised above his head. Around him were any number of monsters, but he was facing off with a huge demonic figure with leathery bat wings and three horns sticking out of his head.

  He’d seen that figure before—the three horns, the wings, the towering figure of magic and muscle. “Malchutt,” he said softly.

  Rynn nodded. “Yes, but I hate hearing his name said out loud. Normally, we call him the Whispering One, or the Archduke, or simply the Troublemaker because he has caused Midmere so much trouble. If the legends are to be believed.”

  “And who is that?” Gray asked.

  Rynn smiled, so at ease now, and so rexed. She had been so tense all day long, but now that tension had melted away. Some of it was the sex, but more, it was her love of books and learning and improving herself…and improving him maybe.

  “That, Mr. No, is First Avatar, Zaccai of the Fire, and generally, he is shown standing in fire, surrounded by demons, facing off against the Troublemaker. It’s called the Conflictagato, and it was their first fight. There is another famous image of him standing in the ocean with his hands filled with fire and a halo of fire around his head. That’s called the Marinatus, and it was when he ran over an ocean to confront the Troublemaker in the final battle that saved Midmere. You’ll see it all the time. He saved Midmere during the First God War, when the Troublemaker came to Midmere to destroy it because he hated that the gods had fallen in love.”

  Right then, the door opened, and Midj called in. “Hello to the library. Are we in the right pce?”

  Rynn leapt to her feet. “Yes, come in, but keep your voices down.”

  Midj, Tomi, and Ames came in and immediately took off their wet coats and hung them up. Water dripped onto the floor but there was a nearby drain in the stone floor.

  Tomi stared down at the chairs, her eyes half-covered by the piles of hair on her head. “Uh, so those are wooden chairs. Don’t get me wrong, I can sleep on them, but I’d rather nap on something a bit more comfortable.”

  “Naps can wait!” Midj said. “Now we can talk about Blythe and Sindara. What happened?” She sat down and immediately grabbed Gray’s hand.

  Ames sat down as well, not saying a word, and yet, the dark mana in her core was boiling.

  It was kind of distracting.

  Rynn gnced over at Gray and gestured for him to expin it.

  He knew why. Rynn didn’t want to ramble on and on, especially not about such personal things. Most likely, she might tell them all how they’d just had sex in the back room of the library.

  Gray shrugged. “Sindara has a lust resonance. And she was using it to mess with me.”

  They all gasped, even Tomi.

  Midj tched onto his arm with both hands, shaking him a little. “You can’t just say that! Mother’s oven, it’s not done!”

  “She kissed you,” Ames whispered. “There is no ice there. There is only blood and midnight. A funeral. A funeral.”

  Gray gave her a worried a look. “But not for any of us.”

  Ames didn’t respond.

  He grunted. “Look, I don’t want to talk about them. The Fire Flyers simply don’t matter—"

  “You’re not kidding!” Tomi wrinkled her nose. “Fire Flyers? Just because they have a dragon. Might as well call it Blythe and the Blockheads.”

  Gray continued. “I think they’re afraid of us. I think all the other squads are.”

  “It’s not what Blythe said,” Rynn murmured. “You said the next event might be Sixblood. Or as bad as Sixblood.”

  There was a pause, but then, the elf girl couldn’t contain herself. “I’m not jealous of Sindara. I know my worth. Gray loves me, and I love him, and we’re bonded.” She then looked right at Ames. “If anyone in this room has a problem with that, we need to get it all out in the open. Okay? I’m serious. We can’t work effectively as a squad if there’s this sea cow shit in the air. Not that I know what a sea cow is, but it’s something that Gray says. But I do know that Aunt Florence says that gossip grows fangs. We can’t gossip.”

  Then everyone was looking at Ames.

  The Quelling girl sat still, not moving, but again, her core was going crazy.

  In the silence, Ames said four words. “I won’t. I promise. I understand that the ice might turn to fire, and it might shatter, but the darkness will remain.”

  Midj ughed nervously. “I’m gd we cleared that up.”

  “I’m sorry,” Rynn said, still gazing at the Quelling girl.

  “You shouldn’t be,” Ames said. “You stand in his sunshine, but you’ve known sunshine, so it shouldn’t surprise you. The darkness is fine for me. Whatever happens with the ice, the darkness will remain.”

  Gray pulled his hand away from Midj and reached across the table.

  Ames looked at it, and then slowly slid her hand into his.

  “The darkness might remain,” Gray said softly. “But there is more to life than pain. We have to remember that.”

  A single tear slid down Ames’s face. She nodded.

  Rynn then surprised Gray. She reached out and id her hand on his and the Quelling girl’s. “There is more to life than pain. You’ll find someone, Ames. I know it. You’ll find your own patch of sunshine.”

  Ames closed her eyes and tears leaked down.

  Rynn also had tears.

  Gray felt both of their cores, and he was surprised to feel his own soul well with power. Yes, he could fill it now easily, but it wasn’t like he could do anything with the power.

  “Such drama!” Tomi snorted. “This is why I’m never bonding. Besides, the way I hear it, all that sweaty bed stuff gets in the way of sleeping. Morning, noon, night all the panting and ‘oh, I love you’ and ‘oh, I love you more!’ Whatever. Not for this cat. Now, about my chair issue…”

  Before anyone answered, Midj piped up. “Uh, sorry Ames, about, uh, everything. And garsh, uh, by my mother’s oven, this isn’t easy for any of us. This whole testing business is stressful. But we’re a good squad. No, we’re a great squad. And I just want everyone to be happy. Like me, I guess. I’m happy. Except I miss home and my family and my mother’s waffles. But, uh, can we talk about why we’re here?”

  Rynn leaned back and sniffed back her tears. “Yes, I’m sorry. We were just looking into the Trinity of Avatars, and the way they handled their meridians.”

  “Because hot stuff here can’t channel his mana,” Tomi said, then winced. “Ouch. That came out a little more pointed than I meant it to. Sorry, Gray.”

  Gray only ughed. “Apology accepted.”

  Tomi then sat down. “Yes, I love the Trinity of Avatars. That’s Mind, Body, Spirit, isn’t it? Yes! Love that book. Is it the Dan Ess transtion?”

  It seemed that her nap could wait. Tomi was fully engaged.