King of Swords (Stormcloud Academy 1)

My last class was the one I dreaded most. Arvo and Solomon were also in the class and chose to sit directly behind me. I could feel their eyes burning the back of my head. One of them continued to sniff as if smelling something foul. No one else seemed to notice, but I knew exactly what they were up to. I raised my hand and asked permission to leave for the bathroom. I was out of the room before the professor granted me my request. Behind me, I heard their laughter.

“Don’t wet yourself again, Biba.”

I hit the wall with my fist. All I could see was red. Rearing back, I went to strike the rough stone again, but something locked around my wrist and held back. Trying to pull away, I was spun around to find Theo. His eyes were empathetic, his face full of compassion as he pulled me toward him and laid my head on his chest. He held me tight and whispered as though I was a frightened animal. Perhaps I was. The tears were out of control.

“Shh…” he spoke into my ear. “It’s okay. I’m here, and I’ll look after you. Just hold on to me, and I’ll take you back to your room. Shh…”

I remember him half walking, half carrying back to the little room at the end of the hall. Inside, he shut the door, folded back the coverlet, and lay me down. He took off my shoes and set them neatly, side by side, next to the door. I curled into a fetal position and couldn’t stop crying.

“Don’t leave? Not yet,” I begged him.

“I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe. Now just sleep.”

I huddled into a tight ball and felt Theo pull the covers up to my neck and tuck them in around me. For the first time since I’d arrived, I felt safe and cared for. As the shaking eased, I gradually fell asleep.

Chapter 7

Biba

When I awoke, I felt drained. Theo was sitting on the floor, his back against my door to keep out anyone who might try to bother me. “Hey,” I said and tried to smile. “I’m sorry for all that.”

He held up his hand. “No apologies. You have nothing to be sorry for—they do.”

“But I let them get to me. I can’t continue to do that. I can’t let them win.”

“Well, we’ll work on that. It’s a dangerous business.”

Theo got to his feet and sat on the bed next to me. His arm went around me, his hand cupped my chin. Gently, he bent down and kissed my forehead.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you, do you understand? Will you do it my way?”

I opened my mouth to object. “Why doesn’t somebody stop him?”

“That’s the million-dollar question, Biba. There’s more to this than—you’ll have to trust me on this.”

I sat up, weary but mustering some strength. I had been through too much bullshit since arriving at this school, and I needed someone to talk to me like an adult for a change.

“Listen, Theo,” I said, taking his warm, smooth hand in mine, “everyone … and I mean everyone has been talking to me like I’m about to be dropped into a volcano as a human sacrifice. I need you to level with me.”

“I thought that was what I was doing.”

“It’s not. You were talking like a spy in a dime novel like everyone else is. I mean, someone dumped urine over my head last night. I have these guys talking to me like I’m a dockside hooker, and everybody I talk to is acting like they are superhuman. But they’re not, right? They’re just rich kids.”

“They’re more than that.”

“Then explain. Don’t just tell me to run and hide. Tell me what I’m really dealing with.”

Theo’s face was all screwed up. He had something he wanted to say, but something was stopping him. If I were a little more experienced, maybe I would have kissed him. I wanted to, but it felt wrong to use a romantic gesture to pry information from him.

“Okay, Biba,” Theo mumbled, “I’ll try to explain. Zephyr, Arvo, Sol—they’re more than just rich kids. Their families have attended Stormcloud Academy for generations.”

“So, they’re legacies. That’s it? I just assumed everyone besides me was a legacy.”

Theo squeezed my hand and squinted in exasperation. “It’s more than that. Much more. Remember when I called Zephyr a king at lunch? That wasn’t a turn of phrase. The Kings are a real thing at Stormcloud. They are a group of four that has existed at this school for hundreds of years. Zephyr is—quite literally—royalty within these walls.”

I listened to Theo’s speech without interrupting. It was as dramatic as the histrionics Buffy displayed the night before, but at least it clarified some things. I had one immediate follow-up question.

“Are your fucking joking?”