10.

I wouldn’t say Jax was smiling when he strode towards us. But neither was he skulking.

His blonde hair was plastered to the side of his face due to the sweat, and his robes hugged his muscly frame, which was no doubt the result of swinging his hammer for years on end.

There was a person hiding behind his rear: Lynne, the little, meek mouse, who I was starting to suspect was so deep in Jax’s pocket she couldn’t see the light of day.

He must have some serious cheese down there, I thought. No other way around it.

Jax opened his mouth to speak when he entered earshot, but his eyes turned to something beside me and widened—

A head popped in front of my face, blocking my view.

I blinked. What?

‘The famous duo, finally face-to-face!’

The boy standing in front of me was tall. Taller than May. Despite his height, he was on the chubbier side, though.

Who the heck was this?

‘Do we know you?’ May said, stepping closer to me and voicing my thoughts like she was my twin.

The boy shook his head.

‘Not at all. But I’m honoured to finally meet the stars of our year!’

He bowed low, his head nearly touching the floor.

‘Ah…’ I said. ‘Us, too?’

He looked up, lips curving and forming a crescent that showed off his teeth. Then, he held my hand.

The sensation reached me before my brain truly acknowledged what had happened…huh? I hadn’t seen him move. Like, at all.

I was still trying to understand what the hell he’d done when he repeatedly threw my hand up and down in a shaking motion, blabbering about how he’d heard so many rumours about us and was glad for our safety. I still didn’t figure it out by the end of his speech.

The boy leaned closer to the side of my head and whispered in my ear.

‘Some imbeciles caused you a lot of trouble this morning. For that I apologise. Please, know that I will have them disciplined them accordingly.’

Two round objects were pushed into my palm. Looking down told me they were monster cores. E ranked ones—one fire and one water.

I wanted to speak, but the boy stepped back and held out his palm.

‘You will experience no further trouble from them or anyone else. That, I promise.’

He turned to Jax, smiled wider, and went away as quick as he’d come, leaving a quiet in his wake.

‘What just happened,’ May asked.

‘No idea…’ I said.

I showed her the cores.

‘I think he apologised?’ I said, slowly pronouncing the words.

‘Apologised for what?’ May said.

‘…the sentry?’

But if he was apologising for the sentry that must mean he—I frowned at the logical conclusion and shook my head. That was absurd.

I looked ahead of me.

Jax’s nose was following the boy’s retreating back, and Lynne had made herself so small her face was no longer visible.

‘That man,’ Jax said, ‘is best to stay away from.’

Jax spoke in a hushed whisper—almost as if he was afraid the other would hear him.

That man, I thought. He hadn’t even told us his name, I realised.

‘Who is he?’ I said, glancing down at my palms again, where the rough touch of his callouses lingered on my hands.

The skin on his face was smooth, and his cheeks with a little too much meat on them made him as cute as a piglet. But…those were the hands of a trained combatant.

‘Son Gaef,’ Jax said. ‘A B rank initiate.’

‘B rank?’ May said. ‘A B rank student is that quick? Ridiculous.’

‘Believe what you want,’ Jax said.

He inched forward and came a stop right outside where my punching range would be if I reached forward.

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‘His father is the overlord of the Free Companies,’ Jax continued. ‘A band of hunters that control the trade routes between the northern and southern continent. They’re dangerous men even without their rank.’

I’d never heard of them before. But then my home island was on the complete other side of the world.

May’s face was a mask as she looked away from Son, so I couldn’t tell if she recognised them either.

‘Dangerous, huh,’ May said. ‘That’s funny, coming from you, Jax.’

The statement brought me back to the here and now, reminding me it was time for some long-awaited revenge.

A theatrical sigh exited Jax’s throat.

‘Don’t be so angry. It makes me sad. I simply did what’s best for my own survival and that of Lynne. We don’t owe each other our lives.’

The most annoying part was that I understood where he was coming from. Two schools could never fully expect loyalty from each other, else why would they be separate schools? And I could respect that. If we hadn’t already saved his hide at the start.

May tried to raise her arms and shrug, but the soreness made her wince instead.

‘Fine,’ she quickly continued. ‘We won’t turn around next time and just let your entire squad die. How does that sound to you?’

Jax rolled his eyes better than I’d seen any sassy girl do my entire life.

‘Please don’t misunderstand me. We saved your hides if anything.’

I frowned. His voice had risen an entire level above the slightly cordial volume we’d been using to speak.

‘Cut the nonsense, Jax,’ I snapped.

He chuckled.

‘Nonsense? You attracted those wolves,’ he said, his tone even again. ‘I should be the one requesting payment. Especially, for Kite’s life.’

My mouth shut and closed. He was right that May and I would’ve died if his group hadn’t been there. That we decided to turn and fight together (and consequently save them) when we decided running wasn’t an option didn’t change that.

None of that logic made me less angry with him snaking us at the end, though. He was a rat. That’s all there was to it.

Something about how Jax mentioned Kite sounded off to me, though, and I studied his face. He was breathing hard, which was more a result from Elder Kang’s training than anything else. I’d go as far as to say he was quite relaxed.

‘You don’t seem upset,’ I said. ‘Weren’t you and Kite friends?’

He was also not asking for payment like he said he should.

Jax closed his eyes.

‘Kite’s family offered him to us as our guard a week ago. I say he did his job.’

I breathed out sharply but remained quiet. Who was I to judge? I used Kite’s sacrifice as much as Jax to survive. Neither had I thought on his death overly much in the last two days.

Jax squared his shoulders.

‘I’m not here to start trouble. All I want to say is that it was my decision to run. Lynne solely followed my lead.’

My head tilted in confusion. Wha—ah, that was his angle. May and I hadn’t gotten the opportunity to ‘speak’ to Lynne yet. But she slept in the same dorm as us. Where Jax couldn’t help or defend her. I shook my head. We hadn’t planned on abusing Lynne. The girl was meek as could be and hurting her would just make us feel bad.

At least, that’s what I thought.

‘Is that so, Lynne?’ May said. ‘You had nothing to do with leaving us for dead?’

May stepped forward, closing the already minimal distance.

‘I distinctly remember you being the first to run,’ she said.

The ends of May’s hair flicked on like a switch, which was when I caught movement in the corner of my eye, causing me to glance to the side.

Heads which had previously been too occupied with sparring were pointed our way. Some of the students were indifferent. But most had a disapproving frown on their face. A frown that was pointed at May and me.

That’s when the connection fossilised in my head, and I finally understood why Jax randomly raised his voice.

He’d drawn attention. Immediately afterwards, he painted himself as standing on a moral high ground—add to that that he was a reject and we accepted students, and we looked just like tyrants. Our image was taking a hit as we spoke. An image we sorely needed if we wanted to recruit more members.

He got us good, I thought. Now that the issue was in broad daylight, the opportunity to resolve it in private had vanished, too.

I stood there, watching May unleash a flurry of borderline insults against the two reject’s integrity. Jax only deflected. He threw up his hands, reminding the growing crowd that he was no threat and trying to defuse the situation. Meanwhile, Lynne shrunk and shrunk behind his back until she turned into a ball, ready to get kicked and launched into the sunset without resisting.

Was she a part of the play, or was her natural behaviour simply aiding his case? I didn’t know, and I couldn’t do anything but admire Jax’s cunning.

‘May,’ I said, walking forward and tapping her on the shoulder. ‘Let it go.’

I discretely motioned around us, and she noticed the crowd.

But the ends of her hair remained aflame. When her gaze returned to mine, the fire on the other side of her lens speared into my chest. It was like I was standing next to a hearth.

May whirled on Jax.

‘May—’ I started.

‘—I understand, Djina,’ she said.

She paused for an instant, then added: ‘But if we allow two rejects to get away with betraying us for free, what do you think happens next?’

That…my lips clamped shut. She was right.

The veins on May’s arm pulsed.

‘I was going to let you off with a punch or two, Jax,’ she said. ‘But we’ll make it a show since you wanted to create a spectacle.’

Her words were a cold, cutting blizzard. To Jax’s credit, he didn’t do something as low as step back in fright or cower or beg.

I found out why a moment later.

‘Just a moment, Mrs. Lightreach.’ A voice I recognised came from behind me.

May and I turned, and I had to stop my face from going sour.

Fahim, the skeleton-thin boy, carried the gourd he hauled everywhere on his back as he walked with two other people at his side.

I said people, because instead of being two boys, the other was one of five girls in our whole academy. She had auburn hair and freckles, which was all I could tell of her. But if Fahim had her in his team, she should be capable.

‘First,’ Fahim said, ‘I’m grateful the two of you managed to return safely.’

He gave us a genuine smile.

‘Losing a single person on the first day is bad enough,’ he said.

I inclined my head.

‘We’re glad to be back,’ I said before May could respond.

Fahim returned the gesture.

‘I caught bits and pieces,’ he said. ‘But could I ask you to explain the situation to me, Mrs. Marshall? I’m interested in hearing more.’

Though I tried to be quick, May was ahead of me this time.

‘No, she cannot. This doesn’t concern you, Fahim. Leave.’

The boy at Fahim’s side stepped up.

‘Watch your tone, girl.’

I remembered where I’d seen him after hearing his voice. He was the one that got assessed right after Fahim.

The A rank student, a pale-skinned boy, had a scar walking the length of his neck. His hair was so thick and wild, had someone put a gun to my head, I would’ve guessed he grew up in the jungle with the apes. His name was “Taran” if I recalled correctly.

May fully faced the newcomers.

‘Pardon?’ she said.

And there it is, I thought.

May didn’t get upset about many things. Yet what she would never allow was someone trying to run their mouth against her. Which unfortunately happened all the time.

I took a deep, calming breath. If B rank Son could surprise me with his speed, what could an A and S rank do? I needed to be ready.

So, my hands went to my side and grabbed air before I remembered I didn’t have any weapons on me. I clicked my tongue.

Looked like I was fighting barehanded again.