Soulbound (15 page)

Mr. Groff snatched the note from his hand with an impatient tug, but as his eyes moved over the words written on it, his mood softened. “Take your seat next
to Kaya, Trayton, and turn to page fifty-eight. We are reviewing common Protocol.”

Trayton turned, without looking at me for even a second, and walked around my chair, taking his seat to my left. He pulled a red book from his satchel and opened it to the correct page. I turned my head slightly, eyeing him with interest. What was he doing here? Surely Trayton had already taken a course in Protocol. He was taking advanced courses. There was no way he belonged in a first-year class.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a small, knowing smile and he met my eyes, his voice a soft whisper. “What?”

Shaking my head, I resisted a smile and turned my attention back to that bold word on the page. Beneath it was a paragraph about duty, and about what duties we had, as Skilled people, to protect the Unskilled from things that they were better off not knowing. Thinking back to my days in Kessler, to the villagers I knew and loved, I couldn’t imagine any of them as ill-equipped to deal with the reality of war and Graplars and Skilled traits the way that the book described. The author or authors—no one took credit on the cover or beginning pages of the tome—had clearly never spent any extended time around the Unskilled, or else they might have known that the Unskilled were a lot more similar to the Skilled than they were comfortable admitting. A bit more relaxed, maybe. And more focused on tilling
the soil and creating items for everyday use than fighting and maintaining the ridiculous decorum known as Protocol.

Tearing my thoughts away from Kessler, I stole another glance at Trayton before turning my attention to Mr. Groff at the front of the class. He stood with his legs slightly apart, his spine tall and stiff, his hands clasped behind his back. Even though his demeanor seemed calm, I got the impression that he was not a Barron who had taken lightly to retirement and a teaching position. I got the feeling, in fact, that he went out kicking and screaming, biting and clawing, doing whatever he could to remain in the war. It frightened me to know that someone could be that way, could be so blind to a cause and so in love with the rules imposed on them. Even my parents, who had been ever loyal to the cause until the day they’d agreed to elope, would have feared this man. Loyalty to anything in such an absolute manner was dangerous.
He
was dangerous, and I couldn’t wait to get out of his stuffy, oppressive classroom and breathe in the clean air. “As I was saying, you should note that the first paragraph best sums up what we have come to understand as the societal need for Protocol.”

Scanning the page, I found words that filled my heart with dread. Things like duty and honor, and not once did I see anything at all about freedom. I went back and read the paragraph he’d instructed us to read, but doing so just made my head ache. This was going to be a
long class—a long school year, a long life—and nothing I could say or do would remove me permanently from Mr. Groff’s Protocol class. Except for graduation, that is.

But at least Trayton was there to keep me company.

Once class had blissfully come to an end, Trayton slowly walked with me to the door, both of us relishing in this semi-alone moment. “What are you doing here?”

“What? In a class I took last year?” His grin was infectious. “Headmaster Quill thought it might do me a bit of good to freshen my memory on the subject matter. He also thought it might help you.”

Leave it to Headmaster Quill to know what would be good for me. My mood deflated some, but I pushed the dark cloud away. Nothing was going to ruin this stolen, all-too-rare time alone. “Well, whatever the reason, I’m glad you’re here. What did you think of the subject matter the second time around?”

“Groff’s a good teacher. He taught me Protocol when I first came here. Of course, I knew him years before that. He and my father are good friends.” Something sour crossed his face then, and it had absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Groff.

Hesitation held my words back, but only briefly. “You don’t like your father much, do you?”

A shadow passed over him then—one filled with doubt and an immense sadness that I couldn’t comprehend. “Does anyone understand their father?”

“I do. I love mine very much. Enough to come here,
just to protect him and my mother.” A familiar lump formed in my throat at the thought of them. What were they doing now? Had they told anyone in Kessler where I had gone? Were they safe? Or, moments after I’d gone, had armed Barrons burst through the door and taken them into custody? Or worse.

His shadows lifted under the strength of curiosity. “Protect them? From what?”

“From the Zettai Council.”

He shook his head, as if I had no idea what I was talking about. “They don’t need protection from the Zettai Council. The Zettai Council is in place to protect people.”

My jaw clenched and the threat of tears made my nose tingle. Turning toward the door, where I knew that Maddox would be waiting, I whispered over my shoulder, hoping that Trayton would hear, and that he wouldn’t follow. “Do you believe everything Quill tells you?”

He might have followed, but I didn’t know. As soon as I pushed open the door and spotted Maddox, I was gone.

M
addox may have been small, but she was strangely intimidating in the crowded hall on the way to the dining hall—especially when breakfast was at stake. Boys much larger than her stepped to the side, making room, and I followed along, marveling at their reaction. The looks on their faces said that they weren’t being polite or treating her a certain way because she was female—it was something else, something oozing from Maddox’s pores that said if they messed with her, she was going to cause them pain. And even though I had yet to see Maddox cause anyone so much as a moment of pain, I believed the looks on their faces as much as they seemed to feel it. An angry fire burned at the center of Maddox. It was something that everyone believed, but no one dared give name to, for fear the flames might envelop them. As we walked toward
the dining hall doors, I found myself enormously grateful that Maddox was on my side.

The room was packed with Barrons and Healers, all hungry for the usual breakfast and socialization that the dining hall had to offer each morning. I scanned the room, grateful not to see Darius, but just as my heart had settled into a calmer rhythm, I spied Trayton sitting at our usual table. Only this time, Melanie was sitting on his lap.

Maddox and I exchanged questioning glances as we approached. I wasn’t about to avoid the situation, and truth be told, Trayton wasn’t technically my boyfriend or anything. He was just a guy…who I happened to be Bound to by blood, ritual, and a hint of forever.

As we approached the table, Maddox’s mouth got away from her, as it had a tendency to do. “So do you two need extra napkins, or will your make-out session be less moist than I anticipate?”

She pulled out my chair and I sat down, catching Trayton’s eye. The shame in his expression was instant. Gently—too gently for my comfort—he pushed Melanie from his lap and turned to face me. “It’s not what it looks like. I swear. We’re just friends.”

Maddox snorted over my shoulder, and Melanie stood to Trayton’s right, folding her arms in front of her, looking indignant. When I didn’t say anything, he looked over his shoulder at her and said, “
Just
friends. Nothing more.”

Melanie turned and stomped off then, shoving her Healer out of the way as he approached with her tray of food, inciting an eyeroll exchange between Maddox and me.

After she’d gone, Maddox’s voice dripped with irritation. “It’s a nice day out. We could always have a picnic if the scenery in here bothers you, Kaya.”

When I looked back at Trayton, he mouthed the words “don’t go.” Then he placed his hand on mine and said aloud, “Please.”

His eyes were large and full of apologies that I didn’t know if I could trust, but what the situation boiled down to was this: Melanie had already proven to be highly aggressive in her pursuit of Trayton, and Trayton had assured me that there was nothing going on between them. For the moment, that was enough. It had to be.

“Maddox, can you get me some breakfast, please? I think I’ll eat inside today.” I could sense the “but” on the tip of her tongue, but Maddox didn’t give voice to it. Instead, she stalked off in the direction of the food line, leaving Trayton and me alone at the table.

He kept his hand on mine, and I let him. After all, I wasn’t nearly as upset by seeing Melanie trying to sink her claws into him as Maddox seemed to be. It bothered me, yes, but technically, Trayton and I had never had the please-don’t-cuddle-with-other-people conversation. I wasn’t even certain I was entitled to that conversation. We were Bound, yes, and I very much enjoyed his
company, but did that give me the right to tell him who he could touch in certain ways and who he couldn’t?

He gave my hand a squeeze, tearing me from my thoughts, but before he spoke, he sighed, running his free hand through his hair in a way that made it seem like whatever he was about to say wasn’t easy. “Kaya, I have to tell you something. It’s stupid, but…”

My nerves twitched a little, and I really hoped that this wasn’t any sort of confession to do with Melanie. “What is it?”

“We’re Bound.”

Um, duh. “That much I know.”

“And being Bound, I feel a real connection with you. Actually, I felt a connection with you even before the binding ceremony. But I feel really stupid having to ask you this.” He held my gaze, his voice soft and eager. “Please don’t feel like you have to say yes. I’m just curious, and if it’s not the case, it’s perfectly all right. I just need to know. Being Bound certainly doesn’t assure a romantic relationship, but…I like you. And if you like me, I think maybe we should set some ground rules. Don’t you?”

My heart felt instantly lighter. “I think that’s a great idea. And just so you know, I like you too.”

He smiled with ease. It would have been so fitting for him to sigh in relief at that moment, but he didn’t. His shoulders, however, did release much of their tension. “I’m going to do everything I can to stay away from
Melanie. I don’t know exactly what’s gotten into her, but lately, she’s become even more aggressive than usual.”

I hated how happy I was to hear those words come out of his mouth. I hated how jealous I was of a girl who had absolutely nothing to do with my life. “You don’t have to stop being friends with her for my sake.”

“It’s more about what that friendship is doing to me. I enjoy Melanie’s company, but I think she identifies our friendship as something that it is not, no matter how often I tell her that we’re just friends, or how many times I push her away. Granted, I shouldn’t let things go as far as they sometimes do, but Melanie is…persuasive.” He dropped his gaze to the table momentarily. “I’m incredibly sorry about earlier. It won’t happen again. I promise you that.”

And I believed him. No matter what Maddox might have to say about the matter. For once, it was me who a boy liked. For once, it was my heart beating for someone. Not Avery’s. Not anyone’s but mine. And I never wanted that feeling to go away. “Apology accepted. So…we’re kind of a couple now?”

When he smiled, that small dimple showed on his cheek. “It looks that way. If you’ll have me, that is.”

The grin on my face made my cheeks ache.

Maddox returned with a tray of food, and breakfast commenced. I tried to keep the chatter less on the mushy side, to alleviate Maddox’s apparent nausea, but it was difficult. Once the tray had been cleared away, Maddox
looked relieved. “Botanical Medicine time, Princess.”

As I stood, Trayton caught my hand in his, his eyes sparkling. He didn’t need to say anything. I could see it in his expression. He cared for me. And I cared for him. Giving his hand a squeeze before letting go, I followed Maddox dutifully out the doors and outside. The sun was shining brightly.

We crossed campus, and I did my best to not even glance in the direction of the training area as we passed by. Within minutes, I was taking my seat in Botanical Medicine at a table that was piled with bundles of herbs, a mortar and pestle, and piles of obviously well-read books. In the seat to my left was a bookish girl who looked a bit jumpy. To my right was a boy with a cleft chin who looked kind of cocky. At the front of the class stood a woman with an hourglass shape. She had curly, strawberry blond hair and sparkling emerald eyes. And, most importantly, waves of niceness rolled off of her. I could tell that this class was going to be a brief reprieve in my time here at Shadow Academy. “Come in, Healers, come in. And welcome to Botanical Medicine. I am Instructor Harnett and today we will learn all about roses and their significance in the Healing arts.”

My interest was certainly piqued. I’d wondered why a school that focused on training individuals for war would have such lavish, expansive rose gardens, but I’d assumed there was a purpose, some method to their madness.

“Now, when I say the Healing arts, I am referring to the act of healing the wounded without the aid of bonded touch, which is something that you share with the Barron to whom you are Bound or Soulbound. But make no mistake—the Healing arts can also apply to aiding your Barron, if you are Bound. As most of you realize, being Bound isn’t as strong as being Soulbound. You may be able to heal with touch, you may not. Nothing is certain. But what is certain is that roses are key in many healing potions, and that’s what we’ll be discussing today.”

Instructor Harnett picked up a bundle of roses and sniffed them deeply, closing her eyes for a moment. “Roses fulfill many needs. Rose hips act as a vitamin supplement and offer anti-inflammatory benefits, while infusions created from rose petals offer cures to headaches, dizziness, mouth sores, and uterine cramps. Properly prepared, they also ease the pain of toothaches, earaches, and sore throats. Rose oil is also a key ingredient in fighting against the bacteria in Graplar saliva.”

That was certainly good to know. It was also good to know that my gardening efforts weren’t being wasted on something that just stood there looking pretty and occasionally jabbing someone.