Page 60 of Lies That Bleed
We’d totally missed the power reveal, but Tetra told me that she and her creature had discovered she had the power to shield people, and eventually with practice, buildings, from harm. It was an incredible power that would make her useful to the Fleet. Jace had apparently revealed he had the power to project illusions, which could confuse someone or lead them astray. His father would be thrilled. It was an amazing power to use in time of war.
My muscles burned, my lungs felt like they were on fire, and I had mud up to my knees, but I kept running. Someone beside me fell and I slowed, reaching down to pick them up before the instructor could yell at them. It was Anika.
“Thanks,” she muttered, looking miserable.
Tetra told me that Anika had the power tomanipulate the wind. With practice, it would be an amazing gift on the battlefield.
“I don’t know but I’ve been told!” I shouted, trying to boost morale.
“I don’t know but I’ve been told!” half of the cadets around me echoed.
“It’s cold as hell and I feel old!” I yelled, and was rewarded with chuckles from my fellow cadets.
“It’s cold as hell and I feel old!” they said.
“I don’t know but I’ve been told!” Tetra yelled between push-ups in the middle of the field.
We echoed her.
“Punching an admiral is pretty bold,” she said, and I couldn’t help the grin that slipped over my mouth. My gaze flicked to the admiral, who was now glaring at Tetra.
“I don’t know but I have heard!” Kohen said and we echoed him. I was curious what he might say.
“I have regrets about punching the admiral. I should have just flipped him the bird!”
More laughs echoed around the field, including my own, and I noticed the admiral glare at Kohen, but the corner of his lips twitched as if he was fighting a smile.
Sahiri beat her chest in response to that and we all shut up and ran for another hour until most of us were puking our guts out, or had fallen so many times we couldn’t get up. Me included.
Stick a fork in me. I was done.
The next day,everyone walked into the mess hall on three hours of sleep wincing with pain—everyone but Kohen and I. It seemed the Imbrian and I shared the same gift of rapid healing. My muscles should be killing me right now after all the running, but I didn’t feel a thing. Kohen’s face, previously bruised and swollen, was looking as normal as ever.
“Aisling!” Alek strode up to me as I placed food onto my plate from the self-serve bar. I was starving from the middle-of-the-night workout.
“Hey, what’s up?” I peered at him.
Alek’s power had been revealed as the ability to control metal. A huge help in the war when the enemy used swords and other metallic weapons. He’d need to practice it though.
“Are you going to the karaoke thing tonight at Club Sleuth?” he asked.
I frowned. “The what?”
“Yep, we will be there,” Tetra peeped beside me, and Alek broke into a handsome grin as we walked over to the table we had taken to sitting at every day. Our little Wilds alliance crew, plus Kohen.
As Alek took a seat on my left, Tetra dropped her cane to the ground and kicked it under the bench, folding her bad leg in first and then sitting on my right.
“You were in the brig when we planned a karaoke night at Sleuth to celebrate revealing our powers,” Tetra said.
I nodded, popping a French fry in my mouth.
Alek reached out and grabbed one of my fries. “For those of us that did reveal our powers.” He winked at me and I smirked.
“Too soon for jokes about that,” I told him.
Suddenly a hand reached over my shoulder and grabbed another fry. I followed the hand to see Jace casually smiling down at me. “Hey, Aisling.” But when Jace’s gaze flicked to Alek, he glared.
What Jace didn’t see was Kohen looming behind him. I opened my mouth to say something just as Kohen’s hand snaked out and wrapped around Jace’s wrist, shaking the fry loose of his grasp.
