with everyone else after spies were discovered, and then once more upon graduation to ensure she hadn’t changed loyalty. It was a relief when every student and instructor passed. The year had been especially difficult for her, and she wasn’t sure she could have handled any more betrayal.
So it saddened her now to see a possible traitor before her. Like many of her father’s councilmen, she feared rebellions were in the making. There was no evidence, not even a hint of turmoil to give her this idea, yet still she couldn’t rid it from her mind.
She gave the questions to Annah, who answered emotionally as if it pained her to have her loyalty questioned. Her eyes pleaded for her words to be believed, and Alabell dearly hoped it wasn’t an act. Information would be tortured out of the woman—anything they could get about a rebellion.
Fortunately, all psychics were in agreement that Annah told the truth with each answer, giving Alabell great relief.
“Remove her chains,” Kerr ordered, “and bring Reela Worender here. She will ask Annah the questions once again in front of my psychics so we can figure out what has happened for there to be a discrepancy. I’m sorry, Annah, but you’ll have to stay here under guard until this is resolved. Reela should be here by nightfall.”
Annah fell to her knees and wept with obvious relief. “I knew there was some mistake. Thank you, sire.”
CHAPTER NINE
When the first day of evaluation week came to an end, Cleve had won all of his duels without letting his opponents score once. Part of him was proud, but he felt angry as well. Sanya was in the opposite position—she hadn’t scored once, and how could she? She was forced to face the most skilled swordsmen in the school. The opponents chosen for her could stand against the best in the world. Terren would hear about Warrior Sneary’s unjust treatment toward the woman.
Cleve knocked on the door to his uncle’s house at the northwestern corner of the campus, where he had lived with Terren for years before he was old enough to apply to the Academy. Fond memories of training with Terren came back whenever Cleve visited, but he let them out of his mind at the moment to retain his anger.
“Cleve, good. Come in.”
He took one step inside and then stopped when he saw Sneary sitting at Terren’s circular dining table.
Sneary gestured at one of the two empty seats near him as if he’d been expecting Cleve.
“Sit.” Terren punctuated his one word with a gesture of his own and took the seat beside the last empty chair so Cleve would be between them.
He took his place and glared at Sneary.
“Say what’s on your mind,” Terren encouraged.
“It’s not fair to Sanya to make her duel men who’ve beaten Krepps. She’s still a first-year who is yet to be trained at the Academy. It doesn’t matter that she’s a woman.”
“It does matter that she’s a woman,” Terren answered, drawing Cleve’s gaze away from Sneary. “Her gender is the sole reason I told Sneary to pit her against the best.”
A sharp feeling of betrayal made Cleve stand. “You did this?”
Terren folded his arms and gave a look for Cleve to sit back down. He bundled his anger and buried it for the moment as he complied.
“Why treat her unfairly because of her gender?” This was so unlike his uncle that Cleve felt as if he were looking at a different man.
“She needs to be treated harshly during evaluation week, otherwise the rest of the year will be a terrible surprise…if she stays. She needs to see what her experience will be like as the one woman wielding a sword. Her acceptance hasn’t yet been granted, and it won’t be until she proves to be extraordinary.”
“Everyone else just needs to prove they’re capable of keeping up with the rest of the students here. Why make it different for her?”
“New precedents can’t be set by ordinary people, only the extraordinary. This isn’t a rule I created; it’s the
So it saddened her now to see a possible traitor before her. Like many of her father’s councilmen, she feared rebellions were in the making. There was no evidence, not even a hint of turmoil to give her this idea, yet still she couldn’t rid it from her mind.
She gave the questions to Annah, who answered emotionally as if it pained her to have her loyalty questioned. Her eyes pleaded for her words to be believed, and Alabell dearly hoped it wasn’t an act. Information would be tortured out of the woman—anything they could get about a rebellion.
Fortunately, all psychics were in agreement that Annah told the truth with each answer, giving Alabell great relief.
“Remove her chains,” Kerr ordered, “and bring Reela Worender here. She will ask Annah the questions once again in front of my psychics so we can figure out what has happened for there to be a discrepancy. I’m sorry, Annah, but you’ll have to stay here under guard until this is resolved. Reela should be here by nightfall.”
Annah fell to her knees and wept with obvious relief. “I knew there was some mistake. Thank you, sire.”
CHAPTER NINE
When the first day of evaluation week came to an end, Cleve had won all of his duels without letting his opponents score once. Part of him was proud, but he felt angry as well. Sanya was in the opposite position—she hadn’t scored once, and how could she? She was forced to face the most skilled swordsmen in the school. The opponents chosen for her could stand against the best in the world. Terren would hear about Warrior Sneary’s unjust treatment toward the woman.
Cleve knocked on the door to his uncle’s house at the northwestern corner of the campus, where he had lived with Terren for years before he was old enough to apply to the Academy. Fond memories of training with Terren came back whenever Cleve visited, but he let them out of his mind at the moment to retain his anger.
“Cleve, good. Come in.”
He took one step inside and then stopped when he saw Sneary sitting at Terren’s circular dining table.
Sneary gestured at one of the two empty seats near him as if he’d been expecting Cleve.
“Sit.” Terren punctuated his one word with a gesture of his own and took the seat beside the last empty chair so Cleve would be between them.
He took his place and glared at Sneary.
“Say what’s on your mind,” Terren encouraged.
“It’s not fair to Sanya to make her duel men who’ve beaten Krepps. She’s still a first-year who is yet to be trained at the Academy. It doesn’t matter that she’s a woman.”
“It does matter that she’s a woman,” Terren answered, drawing Cleve’s gaze away from Sneary. “Her gender is the sole reason I told Sneary to pit her against the best.”
A sharp feeling of betrayal made Cleve stand. “You did this?”
Terren folded his arms and gave a look for Cleve to sit back down. He bundled his anger and buried it for the moment as he complied.
“Why treat her unfairly because of her gender?” This was so unlike his uncle that Cleve felt as if he were looking at a different man.
“She needs to be treated harshly during evaluation week, otherwise the rest of the year will be a terrible surprise…if she stays. She needs to see what her experience will be like as the one woman wielding a sword. Her acceptance hasn’t yet been granted, and it won’t be until she proves to be extraordinary.”
“Everyone else just needs to prove they’re capable of keeping up with the rest of the students here. Why make it different for her?”
“New precedents can’t be set by ordinary people, only the extraordinary. This isn’t a rule I created; it’s the
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