Chapter Sixteen: Burden of Proof | Part 5 Halfway through their last class, the news broke that Ambassador Taravian was missing. Professor Ryik stopped lecturing and let the students do as they pleased. His blank stare and twitching face suggested he was discussing the news with his fellow teachers. That made it all the moreContinue reading “Everyone is Watching”
Author Archives: Calley Jones
Play Offense
Chapter Sixteen: Burden of Proof | Part 4 Rhea pursed her lips. It wasn’t often that her queenly confidence faltered, but she looked haunted now, in a way Thirtyx had scarcely seen. “I’m starting to think we’ve passed the point where persuasion is possible.” Thirtyx looked to Benn, who nodded his agreement. “We need toContinue reading “Play Offense”
Regroup
Chapter Sixteen: Burden of Proof | Part 3 As Thirtyx and Seerla packed their things, they strained their ears for new information. But the whispers, albeit more insistent, had gotten quieter. Especially when Thirtyx was around. All alone, Thirtyx’s fourth class was unbearable. While notes flitted between desks and hushed conversations surrounded him, he awaitedContinue reading “Regroup”
Bombed
Chapter Sixteen: Burden of Proof | Part 2 Thirtyx hated that it was still on his mind the next morning, 64 bars before his Comp and 25 before he endeavored to steal a Selkie’s pelt. While Rhea and Benn bickered about semantics over breakfast, Thirtyx addressed his fingers with a hollow stare. “Thirtyx, you’ve beenContinue reading “Bombed”
Felt Right
Chapter Sixteen: Burden of Proof | Part 1 The Law Comp was in three days, and Thirtyx was sure he’d absorbed as much information as was Verithly possible. He’d reached the tipping point where he wasn’t sleeping enough to retain what he was cramming, and he worried that he’d lose even more information if heContinue reading “Felt Right”
Brave as You
Chapter Fifteen: Marked | Part 6 Mercuria met Thirtyx’s eyes again with what seemed like great effort. “Farish has this big purple splotch down his side, but only in seal form. It vanishes the second he shifts back.” She searched the twins’ faces for understanding. “It started right after the Magic Comp. At first, IContinue reading “Brave as You”
What You Told Me
Chapter Fifteen: Marked | Part 5 It took Thirtyx several fracs of strained silence to realize they were looking to him for a final decision. He inhaled a shaky breath. “I’ll go to the meeting hungry. At the first taste of deception, we bail. There’s not much risk if we keep our guard up—especially notContinue reading “What You Told Me”
Need to Talk
Chapter Fifteen: Marked | Part 4 The next few days passed in a haze of more studying for Thirtyx and Seerla and more plotting for Rhea and Benn. Even if they convinced Azirenne to punish the Selkies, she couldn’t do so without proof. The twins had tried several times to persuade Seerla to pretend toContinue reading “Need to Talk”
Quite Protective
Chapter Fifteen: Marked | Part 3 As if in response to some cosmic cue, an itch in Thirtyx’s head preceded Rhea’s voice. Are you two lovebirds decent? We have an idea we want to run by you. Instead of assembling a reply out of words, he showed her the out-of-focus pages in his field ofContinue reading “Quite Protective”
Powerful and Dangerous
Chapter Fifteen: Marked | Part 2 The following afternoon, Seerla snuck back to her room for some things while she thought Nephrie was basking, only to find Nephrie there ready to ambush her. “She says I chose a traitor over her,” Seerla recounted as they huddled on the floor in Thirtyx and Benn’s room, textbooksContinue reading “Powerful and Dangerous”
Calley Jones 