Billow (2 page)

Dark memories threatened to rise and I shoved them back.

I reeled in the magic. "Just keeping tabs on things."

"Don't worry about me." His expression smoothed and he slipped back to his usual charm. "I can handle my family."

"Who said I was worried?"

"Right," he drawled. "'Cause I'm the guy you don't like."

Julian had become a bit more than my trainer, but I wouldn't call him a friend. I was being very careful about that.

"Maybe you've become a little less irritating." I brought my thumb and forefinger together, leaving a hairline of space between them. "But don't start getting any ideas."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

We turned east and Lumière Academy's grand stately buildings came into view at the top of a small hill. Surrounding gardens and woods were now bare and colorless. Stark tree limbs extended like mournful arms, embracing the complex with a haunted loneliness.

"When's your next mission?"

"I'm leaving right after the ceremony." A troubled look flitted through his eyes. "There's something I want to follow up on."

Envy trickled. Julian was doing my job.

I was the
sondaleur
. I was supposed to hunt the Shadow down. How could I fulfill the prophecy when I was stuck in Haverleau?

"I can't wait until this is over."

It wasn't just the selection process. I couldn't wait until I was inducted and had a chance to do something. Anything.

"It's kind of a big day for me, too." He almost seemed hesitant. "You're the first recruit I trained. When you get into the elite track —"

"You mean
if
I get into the elite track."

"No.
When
you get into the elite track, you'll train with the gardinels." There was a wistful note to his answer.

I halted and he glanced back at me.

"Are you —" I couldn't believe I was going to say this. "Are you actually going to miss me?"

A wicked grin spread on his face. "Since you haven't beaten me yet, darling, it's more like I'll miss kicking your ass."

Damn it. Walked right into that one.

Laughing at my expression, he gently pushed me forward. "Come on. That high-strung gardinel of yours is probably freaking out."

We crossed the Quad and the edgy anxiety heightened.

"You ready?"

Cam Martin, a fellow recruit, caught up with us as we neared the Training Center. The immense concrete structure loomed, more intimidating than usual.

"Are you?" I shot back.

"Please. I got this covered."

Whatever. His hazel eyes, flecked with green, were tense.

I kept my response cool. "So do I."

Hardcore bullshit was the theme of the day.

Recruits, underclassmen, gardinels, and chevaliers milled about the Training Center's main hallway.

Ewan Vellucar, a selkie gardinel assigned to me for the past six months, caught my eye and headed over.

Tufts of short, brown hair stood from his head as if he'd run his hands through it. Tension lined his face and amber eyes gleamed with worry.

"See, Vellucar?" Julian's tone was mocking. "I brought her back safe and sound."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Are you saying I can't protect her?"

"Prince Belicoux assigned me to —"

That did it.

"I don't need babysitters arguing over who gets to watch me."

"I wouldn't exactly calling it babysitting," Julian mused. "But I guess feeding you would count as —"

"Shut up, LeVeq." I waved a hand in the air. "Don't you guys have to get a good seat or something?"

Ewan crossed his arms and gave us a very officious look. "Good luck to both of you."

It sounded supremely pompous. I felt a hysterical urge to laugh.

Julian's breath brushed against my hair. "You won't need it because I trained you."

Smartass
.

They moved into the crowd. Cam and I hung back with the unspoken agreement of avoiding the room until the last minute.

"Where were you?"

"Julian thought I'd feel better if I ate something before the ceremony."

Now that my stomach was doing somersaults, I was beginning to regret it.

Cam groaned. "You went to Rivière?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't bring back any of Stan's éclairs?"

"I told Chloe you two should join us," I informed him. "Didn't she tell you?"

Chloe Moreaux started going out with Cam in the spring and they were usually glued together.

"No, she didn't."

The resentment in his tone surprised me. "What's up?"

He shoved hands into his pockets and wouldn't meet my gaze. "Let's just get this over with."

I didn't press further. I knew better than anyone when someone wanted to be left alone.

We navigated through the crowded hallway, underclassmen and a few of the chevaliers wishing us luck as we passed. With each greeting, the knot in my stomach tightened.

Mind-numbing sounds of drilling and hammering vibrated near the east stairwell. The Training Center had been renovating the basement for months.

"Aren't they done yet?" I muttered. The noise grated more than usual.

"Gabe said they'd finish in the next couple weeks."

Alex Girard waited near the stairs with a perfectly serene expression. He had to be the mellowest recruit in the building.

His usual messy ponytail was tied back a little more neatly today. He made up for it with a bright fluorescent orange sweatshirt that said, "Too Hot for Your Eyes."

I eyed his outfit. "Really?"

He gave a lazy grin. "Made you look."

Cam snickered. Boys.

"It's my lucky sweatshirt," Alex said as we made our way to the second floor. "Makes me feel confident."

He grabbed the handles of the double doors. "Ready for this?"

Cam and I exchanged nervous glances.

I took a deep breath. "Let's go."

Taking up half the second level of the Training Center, the gym
was specifically used for elites. Rows of bleachers lined two walls and mats seamlessly covered most of the wood floor.

Ewan and twenty school gardinels stood on a makeshift stage. Gabriel Renard, Head Chevalier and my uncle, conversed with a few of them.

We joined the other recruits in our class.

"Big audience," Cam murmured.

Hundreds of people sat in the bleachers.

My pulse jumped. "Yeah."

Every November 30th, the selection process decided who would progress into the elite program with the gardinels. Considered the best, those recruits trained to become commanding officers in the chevaliers. Those not selected served in the main body of the chevalier corps.

There were forty recruits in our class. Only five would be chosen.

We stood at attention, hands clasped behind our backs. Sweaty palms slid against each other and I wished I could inconspicuously wipe them on my pants.

Gabriel stepped forward. The gardinels behind him looked like a row of imposing stone statues.

"Welcome to the annual selection of chevalier elites," his low bass voice rumbled.

A white, long-sleeved shirt emphasized Gabe's dark chocolate skin and broad, muscular build. Paired with olive green khakis, his attire seemed formal compared to the workout clothes he normally wore.

"Selection to the elite program is a great honor and responsibility. The decisions you make and the leadership you show is weighted with the lives of your friends and comrades."

Cam stiffened. We were missing someone in this line. His best friend and my first friend at Lumière, Ryder DePaul.

A dull ache twisted in my stomach and it wasn't from nerves.

Gabe continued. "Those who enter the elite ranks join a program of esteemed and well-known members, many of whom have sacrificed before you in this war. Tradition. Excellence. These will be your markers and you will be expected to live up to them."

Hushed silence added to the drama.

My heart pounded so loud, I was sure the audience could hear it.

"The first recruit is…" He paused. "Blaise Aucoin."

Blaise stepped forward, made a sharp right turn, and marched to the front.

On stage, his light blonde hair appeared almost white. Gabe gave a sharp nod of approval.

I managed to take Blaise down a few times in class, but he had a killer right hook most opponents didn't see coming.

"The second recruit is Alexander Girard."

Alex strolled to the stage and stood beside Blaise. Against the backdrop of the stoic gardinels, his lucky sweatshirt was blinding.

Gabe blinked a few times before turning back to the audience. Alex beamed.

"The third recruit is Ethan Fournier."

A tall, lanky demillir with curly red hair loped to the front. I didn't know Ethan well, but he had a reputation for being quiet and serious. He towered over Blaise and Alex.

Two left
.

"The fourth recruit is Cameron Martin."

I heard Cam's sharp inhale.

So far, no surprises. All were the best in class.

Cam joined the others with a fierce expression.

Only one more.

"The final recruit," Gabe's voice rang out.

His eyes panned the room.

Hands clenched tighter. A bead of sweat dripped off my temple.

Please.

Light brown eyes met mine.

"Kendra Irisavie."

My breath came out in a rush.

With shoulders back and chin up, I strode forward and took my place next to Cam. Fingers slightly trembled behind my back.

I caught Ewan's mouth lift in a tiny smile.

Gabe stepped back. "Chevaliers, recruits, and gardinels. I present the new class of elites."

The audience stood and clapped. I looked up into the sea of people and a mixture of pride, relief, and joy surged through me.

I did it.

TWO

Nausea rolled in powerful swells. Muscles locked under tangled sheets. Malignant energy clung and for a few moments, I wasn't sure if I were awake or asleep.

Breathe
.

With each inhale and exhale, my pounding pulse slowed and the residue of blackness faded.

It was a horror that haunted my nights for two months.

When it first began, I asked Nexa about it. As a fellow Empath and my magic mentor, I thought she could help. But she had no explanation and even suggested it was simply a dream.

Not a vision.

Instincts told me it was something more. I had to uncover what was behind the choking dark before I was too late. Again.

By the time I arrived at the cafeteria, breakfast was about to end. I grabbed a piece of toast and raced out to the Academy parking lot.

Ewan crossed his arms. "You're late."

"Sorry. Slept through my alarm."

Sharp eyes caught everything. "How much sleep have you been getting?"

"The usual."

"Are you still having the same dream?"

Ewan approached his job of protecting me very seriously and pried into almost every aspect of my life. It was suffocating and he was probably reporting everything to the person who'd assigned him the position.

The one person I didn't want to think about.

"I'm just tired from all the excitement with elite selection," I lied."C'mon. We should get going."

Doubt lingered in his eyes, but he let it go.

Then he noticed the car.

"We're taking
this
?"

I'd bought it in July, using money I made last spring in a poker game against Redavi guys.

A faded red color, the dilapidated Datsun had copper rust littering the tops of both doors and mismatched, clunky hubcaps. It wasn't as swanky as most cars in Haverleau, but I'd gotten it on my own and was rather fond of it.

"I didn't see Aub so I couldn't get keys to her car."

Aubrey and Chloe left early in the morning with their gardinels, Garreth and Adrian. They were meeting us later.

Ewan loved Aubrey's Lexus and from the disappointment on his face, he assumed he'd be driving it today.

"But—"

"Don't you think you can protect me better if you're focused on the surroundings?" I continued smoothly. "You can't do that if you're driving."

He stared at me for a long moment.

"I can't believe I always let you talk me into things." He gingerly climbed into the passenger seat.

I slid behind the wheel. "You should trust me. I'm an elite now."

"And I'm one of the gardinels training you." The car's engine screeched to life and he winced.

We drove down the main road of Haverleau toward the iron gate. Wheels squeaked and pedestrians stopped to stare.

Ewan sank a little lower in his seat.

"I can't wait to see the Trident," I said cheerfully.

Well-known throughout northern Washington State, the Trident was a huge flea market open every Saturday year-round.

The car's engine sputtered and every dip in the road jarred the frame. But it held out and after a bumpy hour of driving, we entered the city limits of Lyondale.

Ewan gripped the windowsill with white knuckles the entire ride.

It was my first time in the hilly eastern section of the city. With the exception of a factory in the north, professional buildings and retailers dominated the area.

They were going for an upscale feel to this side of town. But the smoke spewing from the factory's smokestacks ruined the effect by turning the sky gloomy.

It was markedly different from the run-down industrial west side.

A series of broken sensations flashed.

Harsh edge of dust and chemicals, the cut of moonlight, body slowly sliding…

Fingers tightened around the wheel.

Don't think about it
.

I refocused on the scenery. Delicate arches and the unusual modern design of a large white structure stood out in the row of standard glass and steel.

Its elegant construction made the neighboring building look like a shack.

"What's that?"