Chapter 8

Chapter

Eight

Fiona

M y heart pounded as the figure in shadows stepped into the light. “Tivek?”

The admiral’s adjunct was one of the last Drexians I would expect to be lurking in the shadows of the corridors, and definitely the last I would expect to challenge what Jess had said.

“What do you mean, we aren’t her best bet for honing her cards skills?” Jess asked before I could.

The tall Drexian had light brown hair cut short, and his dark academy uniform was pristine. He looked every bit the tough warrior, even though I knew he’d never graduated from the academy or served in the Drexian forces. There were rumors that he’d washed out of the academy and been taken underwing by Admiral Zoran, but I knew no more details than that.

Despite his lack of military service, the alien radiated intelligence and a certain aura of mystery and danger. Maybe it was because no one knew his whole story, or maybe it was because he served the admiral and was privy to so much information, but I had always gotten the idea that Tivek should not be underestimated.

“I mean that none of you are up playing Drexian cards. Not like I did.”

I gaped at him for a moment, trying to determine if he meant what I thought he did. “Are you offering to coach me?”

He inclined his head ever so slightly. “I am.”

I was struck dumb. Why would someone I only knew in passing want to help me? He didn’t even know details about the game or who I would be playing.

After a few more moments of uncomfortable silence and the other women glancing at each other, he shifted from one foot to the other. “I suggest you accept my offer.”

“Are you good?” Ariana blurted.

He slid his gaze to her, his lips quirked, and he slid his gaze back to me. “I am very good.”

Something about the way he said that made me believe him. I’d heard lots of arrogant boasting at the academy, but never by Tivek. “I accept. When do we start?”

Without answering, he pivoted on one heel and started walking back in the direction from where we’d come. When none of us moved, he stopped, glanced over his shoulder, and released a small sigh. “If you wish to be ready by the staff card game, we start tonight. Are you coming?”

“Yes.” I rushed forward, and the rest of the women fell in step with me. I wasn’t sure if the invitation was officially for all of us, but I would feel better with my friends around me. I also knew they’d never let me go off to be tutored by the enigmatic Drexian without them.

We proceeded back to the main hall and up the sweeping staircase, which would usually be swarming with cadets. Now, we were the only ones walking up, and we could fan out and take up the entire sizable width.

For a moment, I wondered if he was leading us to the cadet dining room, which would be deserted. But we breezed by the tall doors. We kept walking down a dimly lit hallway with vaulted ceilings until we reached a doorway I recognized.

“The Admiral’s office?” Ariana prompted my question.

“The Admiral is not in his office.”

Jess drew in a sharp breath. “Are we breaking in?”

Tivek cut her an amused glance. “He has authorized me to use his private space so we will not be interrupted.”

“And so Vyk will never know,” Morgan added.

Tivek locked eyes on her for a beat, his lips quirking even more. “That would be optimal.”

He pressed his hand to a panel and the door slid open, to reveal a long room. Moonlight streamed in from a far, narrow window that was cut into the stone, and the massive black desk glowed in the blue-white light. The office was large enough to hold us all, but it wasn’t lost on me that there were only two stiff chairs on this side of the desk.

Tivek strode inside, but instead of continuing to the desk, he stopped in the middle of the room and touched his palm to the right wall. A panel I would have previously sworn did not exist, glided open silently.

“Whoa,” Britta whispered, as Tivek stepped through the gap and vanished into the wall.

I hurried after him, any trepidation dwarfed by my curiosity. The admiral had a secret lair.

As I stepped inside, the hidden room embraced me with its warmth and my feet went from tapping on hard stone to sinking into plush carpet. There was a fireplace inset in the wall directly facing us, its dancing flames casting a mesmerizing glow across the dark couches facing each other across a low table.. The scent of woodsmoke, rich and earthy, enveloped us, mingling with the faint aroma of aged paper and exotic spice.

"Are you sure we’re allowed to know about this?” I asked, my eyes widening as I took in the side walls, one which contained floor-to-ceiling glass shelves that held glittering bottles of liquor and the other which was lined entirely in bookshelves jammed with leather-bound books, their gilded spines catching the light from the fire.

Tivek chuckled, his laughter a deep, husky sound and not at all what I would have expected from someone so reserved. “I am sure. Now, shall we play?”

A deck of Drexian cards was already on the table, the emblem of the academy in metallic gold on the tops of the cards. Tivek sat on one of the couches and scooped up the deck, his fingers deftly shuffling the cards before dealing them face down on the table.

I took a seat across from him and slid my cards from the table, assessing them as he briefly reviewed the rules. I knew the basics of the game, but I’d taught myself and had only played against humans.

“You may discard first,” he offered.

I played a card, which he immediately matched and took. That was fast. As we immersed ourselves in the game, Tivek's mastery became increasingly apparent. His moves were calculated, his decisions swift and precise. The firelight danced across my cards, casting an ethereal glow that seemed to intensify the competition.

"You’re really good at this,” I said, as he easily won the game.

Tivek shrugged. “I have been playing for much longer.”

I eyed him as he reshuffled the cards. “It isn’t just practice. You’re amazing.”

He leaned back, his eyes glinting. “When I was a cadet, I was one of you.”

For a moment I was confused, then my jaw dropped. “You were an Assassin? Well, that explains your strategic prowess.”

“Who's in the mood for a drink?” Ariana called out. She’d taken up residence at the bar, pulling down bottles and lining up glasses. The clink of glasses and the gentle slosh of liquids added to the sounds of the snapping fire.

“Count me in.” I probably shouldn’t drink while playing, but it had been a night.

“And us,” Jess said, as she and Britta stood at the soaring bookshelves, their fingers tracing the spines of ancient tomes.

“This place is incredible.” Morgan stood near the fire watching the game as she warmed her back. “How long has it been here?”

Tivek stole a glance at her before returning his eyes to his cards. “A long time. This is the part of the academy that was the original castle, so it must have been a secret room for an ancient Drexian ruler.”

A shiver went down my spine at the thought of the millennia that the walls in the academy had seen pass by. It was enough to make me almost miss another furtive glance by Tivek toward Morgan, his eyes lingering on her for a moment too long. Was it possible that the adjunct had a crush on the cadet? He was older than her, but Morgan was already an officer in the Navy, so she wasn’t a teenager.

I narrowed my eyes at my opponent. Or was he doing this to distract me? I quickly banished the thoughts of a blooming romance, focusing instead on the game at hand.

When I played my next card, Tivek stopped me. “You have gone too high too quickly. Unlike everything else in Drexian culture, our card games reward patience.”

“Then I should be able to win easily against Vyk. He’s all bluster.”

Tivek lifted an eyebrow. “Never underestimate him. His dangerous reputation is not only because of his battle skills.”

I swallowed hard at this, wondering if I’d made a fatal error in challenging the Drexian to cards. Was I the one who’d been too cocky ?

Ariana approached, a dazzling purple cocktail in hand. “A little liquid courage.”

I accepted the drink gratefully, the cool glass a welcome contrast to the warmth of the room. As I took a sip, the flavors exploded on my tongue—a perfect balance of sweetness and bite, with a hint of alien flavors I couldn’t place. I even welcomed the buzz of the booze on my tongue and the heat as it hit my stomach.

After a few more hands, my skills at the game began to sharpen, thanks to Tivek's expert tutelage. The pressure of my impending match with Commander Vyk still loomed large, but I allowed myself to enjoy being in the moment, being in the secret room, being with my friends.

Besides, now that I really knew how to play, I had no intention of losing.