Chapter 35

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

LILY headed to Vena's house after dinner. Adrian had left as well—she'd made him promise not to break in and surprise her when she returned in the morning.

She had a dagger and a nightdress, but she couldn't shake the feeling of dread she'd had after Adrian's warning. Hopefully, a night with the girls would change that.

She knocked on the door, waiting a moment before it swung open to reveal Venix, looking positively sour.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked, stepping inside.

He shut the door behind her. "They're kicking me out of my own room," he said, looking grumpy.

"Is that Lily?" Vena's shout came from the inside room.

Venix sighed. "Well, you should go in. The others are here already."

"Thank you." Lily nodded. She walked inside to see Vena, Iressa and Ada sitting on a bed, all grinning.

Vena jumped up as she walked in. "Lily! I was beginning to think you wouldn't come!"

"Close the door, will you?" Iressa said, waving at her.

Lily laughed, closing the door. "Sorry, I got late. Not too late, I hope?"

Vena shook her head, dragging Lily onto the bed. "No, you're good. You should change, though."

"Right." Lily went into the adjoining bathroom and changed into her nightdress. She left her clothes on a chair and sat on the bed beside the others. "So, what are you all doing?"

Vena shrugged. "Just talking, for now."

Iressa grinned, one of the first true grins Lily had seen from her since the attack. "Teasing Ada, mostly."

Ada's cheeks were indeed red, and they grew brighter as Lily looked at her.

"About Venix?" Lily asked, arching an eyebrow.

Ada went even more red. "He's right outside, can we not talk about this?"

Vena waved her hand dismissively. "The door is closed, he won't hear anything if we're quiet."

Ada huffed. "You're all being ridiculous."

"Us?" Vena raised her eyebrows. "What's ridiculous is the way you look at him when he's not watching."

Ada covered her face with her hands.

"For the love of all that's green." Ada groaned, her voice muffled by her hands. "It's not like that!"

"No?" Iressa leaned forward. "Tell us what it's like, then."

Ada sighed. "We're just friends."

"Is that disappointment I hear?" Lily asked, grinning.

"No!" Ada cried.

"Whisper!" Vena hissed. "Unless you want him to hear all this." She grinned.

Ada glared at them. "You're horrible. Can we change the subject, please?"

Vena sighed. "For now. I'm going to get a confession out of you one way or another."

Ada's eyes narrowed. "Oh, really? And what about that soldier you always drool over?"

For the first time, Lily saw Vena blush bright red.

Iressa gaped. "What?"

"No! It's not like that!" Vena said, shaking her head quickly.

"Vena!" Lily exclaimed, her mouth dropping open. "You haven't told us about this! Who is he, tell?"

Vena shook her head. "No one, really!"

"Liar," Ada said, grinning triumphantly.

Vena shot her a glare. "He really is no one."

"I don't believe you," Iressa said, crossing her arms. "Now tell us the truth."

Vena sighed, tilting her head back. "I just think he's handsome, is all. He's a good soldier."

"Have you ever talked to him?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes at Vena.

"She only watches him," Ada said smugly.

Vena huffed. "He seems kind—he's always helping people out. But no, I haven't talked to him."

"You should!" Lily said, nudging Vena's arm. "That's how you'll get to know him."

"What if he turns out to be a horrible person?" Vena said, raising her eyebrows.

Lily shrugged. "Then you'll move on. He's not the only man here, you know."

"What's his name?" Iressa asked quickly. "We can spy on him for you."

Lily's heart jolted at the word 'spy,' but they didn't seem to notice the flash of alarm on her face. She schooled her features quickly and turned back to Vena.

"I won't tell you," Vena said, crossing her arms firmly. "You'll only embarrass me by spying on him."

Iressa's mouth dropped open. "No, we won't! We'll be very discreet."

Vena snorted. "You have no idea how to be discreet. Remember that time you tried to smuggle in more books than were allowed from the library?"

Iressa flushed, but Lily glanced at Vena quickly. "There's a library here?"

Vena's eyebrows furrowed, and she nodded. "Yes. No one told you?"

Lily shook her head. How hadn't she found out earlier?

"Well, I'll show you where it is. Do you like to read?"

Lily nodded, smiling. "A lot."

"I can't read very well, so I don't often go there," Vena said, grinning good-naturedly. "But it's a nice, big place. Lots of books. You'll like it, I suppose."

"Thank you," Lily said, genuinely grateful. She'd missed the quiet comfort of reading that she'd always enjoyed.

"I'll come with you, I like to read as well," Iressa added.

"She topped the class," Ada said, gesturing at Iressa. "The most studious one there."

Iressa's cheeks turned red, and she shook her head modestly. "More like the rest of you were busy playing. And besides, Arianna was much smarter than me. She was just younger, so she wasn't in the same class."

Lily smiled softly, watching them bicker. She'd never gone to school, only studied with Jasmine. She hadn't ever though of it as a bad thing, but seeing them now, she could only wonder what she'd missed.

She was jolted out of these thoughts, however, when the door swung open to reveal a tall woman—the twins' mother, probably. She shared their sharp features.

"Now, girls, I know I can't tell you to go to sleep. But please keep your voices down, yes?"

They mumbled in agreement, and Vena's mother left. Lily glanced out of the window, half-surprised at how dark it was. She hadn't expected it to be this late.

"I think we actually should go to sleep," Ada said, breaking the silence.

Vena scoffed. "Ada, you goody—" She was interrupted by a yawn.

The rest of them stared at her flatly.

She blushed. "Alright, perhaps we should go to sleep. Lily and Ada, you're on the bed, me and Iri on the floor."

They protested of course, but Vena and Iressa were too stubborn, and eventually, Lily fell asleep next to Ada, the other girls' breathing soothing and peaceful.

***

The next day, true to their word, Vena and Iressa took her to the library. It was in the early morning, before their training.

Lily walked into the large building, her mouth dropping open when she took it in.

Tall shelves lined the walls, a ladder leaning against one, hundreds of books stacked there. The wood of the shelves was carved with swirling designs of leaves and flowers. In the center of the room was a white carpet and chairs scattered around, looking soft and comfortable for reading.

"Wow," Lily breathed, taking a full circle. The shelves loomed over her, inviting and stocked full of books in all colors. "This is amazing."

"Let me show you some of my favorites," Iressa said, taking Lily by the hand.

Lily watched, a little bit concerned, as Iressa climbed the ladder to reach a row of books.

"Isn't that dangerous?" She murmured to Vena, not wanting to disturb Iressa.

Vena shrugged, twisting her lips. "We don't go that high, and the bookkeeper's normally here. He's probably just late today. He usually climbs up."

Lily was unconvinced, but she kept her doubts to herself as Iressa climbed down with three books. Lily took them with a grateful smile, her heart already soaring at the though of reading again.

"Thank you so much," She said, hefting the books in her arms.

Vena waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. Now I suggest you put those back and come to training fast. Ulima'll have your head if you're late."

Lily grimaced just thinking about it and turned to the door, only to see a tall, white-haired man walk in.

"Mr. Abalo!" Vena said, rushing to him. "You're late today."

The bookkeeper, Lily assumed, shrugged with a sheepish grin. "Got caught up at home." His eyes swept to Lily. "And who's this?"

"Lily Quilan," she said, walking forward, bobbing her head.

His eyes fell to the books in her hand. "Ah. A reader, I see."

She smiled. "Yes."

He nodded. "Well, let me just sign these books out for you. Come over here." He walked to the desk in the front of the room and took out a roll of parchment.

"Name : Lily Quilan, book titles?"

Lily held out the books for him, and he hummed, writing them down. "Just sign here."

She wrote her name carefully where he indicated, parchment scratching beneath her hand, and straightened up.

"Perfect," the bookkeeper said, giving her a smile. "Be sure to return these as soon as you can. They're rather popular." He glanced at Iressa once.

"I will," Lily promised.

"I look forward to seeing you again then, Miss Quilan. And no taking out more than five books at a time, hmm?"

He shot another pointed glance at Iressa, who blushed.

Holding back a laugh, Lily nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Mr. Abalo."

"Thank you, dear." He waved at the three of them as they walked out.

"You leave those at home, we'll meet you at training," Vena said.

Lily nodded and headed home quickly, dropping the books on her dining table. She rushed back to training, her heart jolting as she realized Colonel Ulima was calling out names.

She came just in time to hear Vena's name being called out, then Ada's. Then, "Lily Quilan!"

"Present!" She said through panting breaths.

The Colonel gave her a suspicious glance before returning to her role call.

Across the field, Lily saw Adrian give her a half-amused, half-sympathetic look. She grimaced back at him before turning to her friends.

"You're right on time," Venix whispered, grinning. "You got lucky."

"And thank the waves for that," Lily murmured, shaking her head. She'd seen the Colonel blow up at some poor soldiers who'd made the mistake of coming in even a few minutes late.

After some more names, they broke up to practice, and Lily was paired with Venix. She was with a sword, not her daggers, so Venix nearly beat her twice.

Nearly, of course. He seemed tired, which was unusual.

"Is everything all right?" Lily asked when they took a break.

Venix leaned on his sword, beads of sweat running down his face. He nodded. "Didn't sleep well, thanks to all of you talking." He shot her a dirty look.

Lily laughed. "We didn't talk for that long."

"You also stole my bed." He glared. "The floor is uncomfortable."

"If it makes you feel any better, Vena and Iri slept on the floor as well," Lily offered, raising an eyebrow at him.

He huffed. "That's their fault. I'm going to hog the bed tomorrow night. I'll push Vena to the very edge."

"Oh, no, you won't." Vena, who had apparently been listening in, put her hands on her hips. "I never said anything when your friends slept over and I had to go to mother and father's room."

Venix shot her a nasty look, scrunching up his nose. "We'll see tonight."

Vena scoffed, turning back to her fight with Iressa.

Lily laughed, watching this. She never thought she'd miss bickering with her sister, but she did. All the time. Especially when watching the twins.

Ada tapped on her shoulder suddenly, and Lily started, turning to her with an inquisitive look. "What is it?"

"There he is," Ada whispered, not-so-discreetly pointing at one of the soldiers in a nearby group.

Lily gave her a confused look.

Ada sighed. "The one Vena fancies. You see him—the one with the longsword?"

"Oh," Lily breathed, taking in the soldier. "She's right, he is handsome."

Ada giggled. "I agree. We have to get them to talk."

"What are you ladies gossiping about?" Venix said, narrowing his eyes at him.

Ada gestured to him, and he took a few steps forward, eyebrows furrowing. "Is it a secret?"

"Do you see that soldier there?" Ada whispered, pointing to the man.

Venix pursed his lips, but he nodded. "Yes."

"Right, well, I need you to ask around and get to know if he's a good person or not," Ada said, giving him a serious look.

"Why?" Venix asked incredulously.

Lily laughed. "We can't tell you. Will you do it?"

Venix straightened. He looked decidedly displeased, but he nodded. "Fine. But you're going to tell me why, understand?"

"Just do it," Ada said, waving her hand at him.

He huffed. "Fine. Come on, Lily, break's over."

Laughing, Lily began to spar with him again.

Finally, it was time for them to patrol the forest. They had the section near the Matawa River. Edra Karnem joined them right after training.

They mostly talked in whispers, but kept their eyes open just in case. If there was an attack coming, Adrian would probably have heard about it, so Lily wasn't worried.

She knew that she had to tell Edra about what Adrian had told her—that he suspected someone high up in the Gongjensu hierarchy was coming to Arrian. Specifically Copsan.

She pulled her aside just as the patrol ended. Venix shot her a suspicious look, but must have understood that it was for spy business.

"Lily Quilan," Edra said, when the others had left. "I assume your spying is coming along well?"

Lily twisted her fingers together. The Gongjensu hadn't called her for days, but she nodded. "Yes. I just wanted to tell you that Adrian's heard rumors that someone important in the Gongjensu is coming here."

Edra's eyebrows drew together. "An important member of the Gongjensu? Coming here?"

Lily nodded. "It's just a rumor, but Adrian believes it true. I can't be seen around Bruto or Arlo too much, so could you tell them?"

Edra nodded. "Of course. Is that all?"

Lily nodded, and Edra walked away in swift, silent steps. Lily followed her a few moments later.

She shook thoughts of the Gongjensu out of her head and focused on the books waiting for her at home. She was ready to curl up with one of them in her chair, to lose herself in the story.

Oh, the joys of reading.

Long chapter, a bit fluffy. Things will heat up soon, though! Don't forget to:

Vote!

Comment!

Share!

And thanks for reading! :)

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net