Chapter 58

Chapter

Fifty-Eight

Vyk

I held my shirt in one hand as I stepped into the corridor and glanced back at the climbing wall that was now empty. Fiona had slipped out first, and I had given her ample time to leave the School of Battle before I’d followed. It had not been long enough for my heart to stop pounding or the sweat to cool on my skin. Every time I started to steady my breath, I thought of Fiona and my heartbeat went into overdrive. At this rate, I would never cool down.

Not that I wished to rid myself of the heat that being with the woman provoked in me. I had never felt as alive as when I was with her. Not when I’d been in Inferno Force battles. Not when I’d interrogated enemy combatants. Not when I’d risked my life by going into Kronock space. Nothing made me feel as electrified as being with Fiona.

“You don’t have the captain in there with you?”

I jerked at the voice from behind, pivoting to see Kann grinning as he approached. “The captain?”

“The human?” Kann raised a brow. “You didn’t challenge him to the wall like you challenged him to the gauntlet, did you?”

I barked out a laugh with such unnatural force that he jumped and glanced uneasily at the door to the climbing wall.

“You didn’t, did you?” Now his voice wasn’t teasing.

“I did not.” I evened my voice, sweeping an arm wide. “But you may check if you wish.”

Kann shook his head and laughed. “I trust you.”

I grunted and resumed walking down the corridor toward the main hall with Kann by my side. At least the Drexian did not suspect that I had anyone else with me on the wall. But who would ever guess that Fiona had been pressed against it only minutes earlier?

“I did not know you were a fan of the wall,” Kann said to break the silence of our walk.

“There is nothing like the wall for focus.” This was true, and it had been the reason I had been climbing. “It helps center my thoughts.”

“I am still surprised that you were not a Blade.”

“Irons and Blades are not always as different as we seem. Both require discipline and focus.” I cut a glance to the Drexian. “I would have been proud to be a Blade.”

He puffed out his chest as we walked under the stone arch with the curved blades carved into it, but the sight of his friend Volten stopped him from saying more about our schools. “Volt!”

The flight instructor was taking long strides with his head down as he crossed the main hall, but he stopped when he heard Kann call out.

“You look like you are on a mission.” Kann eyed his friend. “What has happened?”

“Nothing has happened.” Volten scowled. “At least, not yet. It might be nothing, but it might also be something…”

Kann grabbed his friend by the sides of the arms. “You are not making sense.”

Volten slid his gaze from Kann to me. “Did you know that the human envoy is leaving?”

My breath caught in my chest. “I did not.” I thought of putting him in the surgery and a chill went through me. Was he leaving because of me? If so, there was no one to blame for the fallout but me, no matter what Fiona might think. I had acted rashly, and now the human exchange program would have to pay for my violence. “Do you know why?”

Volten shook his head. “The only reason I know anything is because I found the pilot prepping the transport in my shipyard. He was summoned to return early, and it was done directly by Gorman.”

“I thought he was here to make an assessment of how the humans are faring at the Academy.” Kann sounded confused. “Has he already done that? It has only been a couple of days.”

“He planned to stay longer, but he told his pilot that he hoped to achieve his results sooner.” Volten scraped a hand through his hair. “My instincts tell me that true purpose of his visit here might not have been what he claimed.”

I suspected the flight instructor was right. Gorman had come here for Fiona. That had been obvious when he’d grabbed her and refused to release her, but I could not say that without also revealing that I had knocked the man unconscious for the crime of touching Fiona. I had promised Fiona I would not tell, although keeping that secret might not be possible for much longer. Not if everything so many had done for the success of the human-Drexian exchange was at risk.

“Where is he now?” Kann asked.

I slipped on my shirt, not caring that I was still damp with sweat. “He is with the surgeon.”

Volten and Kann both swung their heads to me, obviously startled by my answer and that I had knowledge they did not.

“At the moment, it does not matter why he is there,” I said, although the moment when it did matter was barreling toward us.

Volten blew out a breath. “Okay, but we need to talk to him. We need to know why he decided to leave early and what this means for the future of humans at the academy.”

I started forward, practically jogging up the broad stairs that curled up to the second level. The two instructors kept pace with me, and we strode in silence up the stairs, past the cadet dining hall, and down a side corridor to the surgery.

My pulse jangled at the thought of confronting the captain again, although he did not remember that it had been me to knock him out. I did not like the idea of hiding the truth. I wanted him to know it was me. I wanted him to know that he had deserved it. I wanted him to know that he had lost.

The door was open, and I was the first through it, sweeping my gaze across the spartan interior of the school’s medical bay. Instead of spotting the human stretched out on one of the beds, the long room was empty. Only a tall, bearded Drexian stood at the far end peering at a tablet.

“The human,” I barked. “Where is he?”

The surgeon lifted his head, studied me for a beat, then looked back down. “Gone.”

Volten sucked in a breath. “Gone?”

“Discharged,” the surgeon corrected himself without glancing up. “He came out of the sedation and was very eager to get back to work.”

Work. I almost laughed out loud. I had a very strong suspicion that work was not foremost on the human’s mind. But I was almost certain about what did consume him, and I needed to find her—fast.