Perhaps the new Green would be amenable. If she or he wasn’t, Gavin could structure the vote. His father would have already sent in his vote on war as a no, but if Gavin was tricky and quick, he could make there be votes on issues that the Red hadn’t sent his vote down for. By not calling a straight up-or-down vote on declaring war, Gavin might be able to outmaneuver the old spider. Difficult, but possible. He would turn the old man’s proud disregard for the Spectrum on its head.
For all the satisfaction you get out of despising us, father, there are costs.
Lunna Green, though? She wouldn’t have gone wight, would she?
But if she hadn’t… Dear Orholam, the murder of a Color? Surely the Order wasn’t that good.
This wasn’t the right way to do this. He knew that. He wasn’t prepared for this meeting. Not that it was his fault-they’d called for an emergency session weeks ago, to be held as soon as he got back. So he couldn’t wait, couldn’t put it off. The longer he spent with these people, the more opportunities they had to notice that something was wrong with him. His eyes had still looked prismatic when he’d only lost blue-he’d asked Corvan. But then, his eyes’ natural color was blue. Now that he’d lost green, wouldn’t his eyes start changing color?
This was all madness and stumbling in the dark.
There was conversation from the hall and, wearing a luxurious green silk cloak, in came none other than Tisis Malargos, the astoundingly beautiful young green who’d sabotaged Kip’s test. The woman who hated Gavin, because her family had reason to hate the real Gavin. The woman whose father had been murdered on Felia Guile’s orders, because he could have exposed that Gavin wasn’t really Gavin.
She laughed at something her interlocutor said outside, then shot a look at the Prism. Hazel eyes, heart- shaped face, pale skin, the preciously rare blonde hair, generous curves. An exotic beauty who hated him for nothing he had actually done. Perfect. Very, very young to be on the Spectrum, though. How had that And then her interlocutor stepped into view, wearing large blacked-out spectacles under a crimson hood, and robes the color of blood.
“Father,” Gavin said, his heart icing over. “What a surprise.”
Chapter 75
Trainer Fisk was running the scrubs through takedown drills when Karris White Oak came in. Teia immediately took notice. For one thing, she wasn’t very good at the throws they were practicing-it was one area where her lack of body weight made things much more difficult for her. She could still throw a boy who weighed twice as much as she did, but she had to get the leverage perfect. Getting things perfect seemed beyond her right now.
Second, Karris was her hero. Everyone respected Karris. She was known to be one of the best fighters in the entire Blackguard. Fast and tough, mentally and physically and magically. Smart, confident, and beautiful on top of it all. She was everything Teia hoped to be, even if some of those last things were out of reach.
Third, learning that Kip was a full-spectrum polychrome had kind of frightened her. And it had scared Kip, too. Attending Blackguard training? That was normal. She could handle that.
“Watch Captain White Oak, it’s an honor to have you come,” Trainer Fisk said.
“I wish I could visit more often. I hear this is a very talented class.”
She had? They were? Everyone perked up at that, even Kip.
“I wonder,” Trainer Fisk said. “Would you be willing to show us a quick takedown? Some of the girls have been very quietly grumbling that these drills are too hard because they don’t have the body weight.”
“Really?” Karris said. “ Very quietly, I might imagine. Or at least I hope.” She arched an eyebrow at one of the girls, who withered. “I’d be happy to. Who’s the best fighter in the class?”
“Cruxer,” someone said. The rest of them mumbled agreement.
“Cruxer, defend yourself,” Karris said.
She walked toward him and he got in a ready stance, one foot forward, hands lightly balled and held up. She snapped an attack, a knifehand, right at his eyes. His hands shot up to block, palms out.
Then his hands and hers entwined, and Cruxer dropped to his knees as fast as he could, yelping. He had barely touched them to the dirt before she was moving in, sweeping him off his knees to the ground, rolled over, facedown, one of his hands still clasped in hers, her knee on his neck.
Unhurriedly, she drew a pistol from her belt and put it to the back of his head.
It was over that fast. Against Cruxer. Teia looked over at Kip. He had the same wide-eyed look she did.
Then Karris tucked her pistol away and got up. The class started breathing again. Karris made it seem so effortless. She hadn’t even gotten dirt on her knees.
“It’s one of those tricks that works well against those who’ve never seen it,” Karris said. “It’s instinctive. You go for the eyes, and your target will open his hands to fend off the strike. A quick fingerlock, and you can drop him. From there, you’ve got all the leverage you need. Less weight and less strength just means you need to be smarter.”
“Nicely done, Watch Captain. I haven’t seen that one in years. I’m afraid it would have worked even on me,” Trainer Fisk said.
“Mm, maybe,” Karris said. She smiled. “Although I’m not too eager to reenact our last fight.”
He shrugged. “Extenuating circumstances,” he said. “You were tired. Not many people trade five fight tokens.”
“Can I take one of your students for the afternoon?” Karris asked. “I’ve got some private training to brush up on.”
“But of course.”
Karris looked around the room. Then, finally, she pointed at Teia. “You, you’ll do.”
For some reason, Teia was sure that she hadn’t been picked randomly. But that night, Karris just trained. She said nothing except to give instructions about how to hold the kick bags or which exercises she wanted Teia to do with her.
“Excuse me, Watch Captain,” Teia said finally. “But why are you training with me? I can’t hold a candle to a lot of the fighters you work with every day.”
Karris said, “Sometimes it’s good to fight people who don’t know what they’re doing. It reminds you how most of your opponents in real life flail. It’s less predictable.”
Oh. Well then.
Neither of them said anything else.
Chapter 76
Gavin had almost forgotten the visceral effect his father had on people. Andross Guile had sequestered himself by degrees starting almost a decade ago. Most men would be diminished by their absence. Andross had grown in people’s minds, in their dread. He’d become the bloated spider at the center of the web. And now, returning, weak, near blind, somehow he was still a titan. He was old. Drafters never got old. Becoming old meant you’d done the impossible. The casual destructions of age-the sagging translucent skin, the liver spots, the frailty- these had become badges of honor, proof of godlike will, self-discipline, power.
With the assistance of his lapdog slave Grinwoody, Andross Guile sat. He ignored the greetings of the other Colors and lifted his chin as if staring in the direction of the White, who alone seemed unmoved.
Well, if Andross Guile’s presence swayed everyone else in the room against Gavin’s proposal, at least it swayed the White toward it. But though her instinct would be to oppose anything Andross wanted, she wouldn’t let that override her concern for what was right, what was best for the Seven Satrapies and the Chromeria. Even she couldn’t be counted on.
Trying not to let how utterly furious he was show on his face, Gavin looked at his father. The bastard sat there, basking in his own excellence. The rules didn’t apply to Andross Guile. He was above them. The world bent to his will. Ridiculous.
