Fate Breakers

Chapter 37

Aviva

Gannon sleeps in the morning after the ball. None of us rouse him from sleep. Fox calls Tills, Knoll, and I into a meeting, and already the feeling is off.

"We're heading for Irrenic," Fox says bluntly.

"Irrenic?" Knoll's completely caught off guard. "What the fuck for?"

Tills gives him a look. "Knoll."

"What," he snaps, his arms crossed. "Am I not allowed to be pissed about this?"

"What's the use of getting mad at Fox when there's only so much she can do?" The acknowledgement makes my chest feel heavy. Fox may be our superior, but from everything we've seen, it seems she's got even less power than us.

Knoll doesn't seem to agree. "She can fight for us like an actual captain is supposed to."

The tent seems to freeze. Fox's face goes void as she leans back in her chair. Knoll's face only hardens. "Yeah, you haven't been Specialist Fox in a while. When were we gonna know about this change? Were we ever gonna know, or were you content to just let us follow you around like the kids you think us to be?"

Fox's face stays still, but her demeanor shifts. Her breaths come quicker, and she exhales with a bit more force. Her fingers curl and uncurl on the desk. The sounds of Gannon's screams as he was forced to claim his cloak replay in my mind. Maybe he was faking then, but I feel the force of the tent closing in around us now. Fox kept us in the dark for a reason, and I can feel the weight of the walls that Knoll knocked down crushing my chest.

"I wasn't asked," Fox says finally, not breaking Knoll's gaze. "I didn't want it. I was vouching for Specialist Jasper."

Knoll seems torn. "Jasper was transferred out a month ago..." Any conviction he'd once had is starting to wane.

Fox gives a slow blink. "And when did you catch onto my position change?" Knoll seems to retreat with realization. Fox stands up, her hand still flexing her fingers. "Maybe I haven't done my best," she huffs, choked with emotion. "But I've tried. I treat you like kids, because that's what you are. You're all children, who never should've been here to begin with, and if you take some sort of offense to that, I can take my role of Captain, and be like every other bitchass motherfucker out there, and make you regret breathing in my presence."

Knoll's jaw clenches. I catch the look of regret in his eyes just before he lowers his head. Fox turns away from all three of us. "There's rumors of a Mallacht uprising. Apparently, something was left on Irrenic that they deem worth fighting for. Pack up, and be ready to ship out. Now get, all of you."

Tills leaves fast, Knoll hot on his tail. My feet feel leaden, my lungs still not getting all the air in. "Fox—"

"All of you means you too, Quintero." Fox doesn't even turn to look at me. "Out. Now."

I don't make her ask twice. Feels like wading through mud, lifting up my feet and leaving Fox's tent. But of course, I lift my head just in time to catch the sight of Knoll's head recoiling back, Tills delivering a swift punch to his jaw.

"Hey, you fucking idiots!" I don't know when I got strong enough to manhandle Tills, but I'm grateful that I can. Tills keeps flailing against me, and I try crushing him against my body. "Enough! What is wrong with you?!"

"What's wrong with me?!" Tills worms his way away from me, brandishing his fangs at Knoll. "I was supposed to rise up and act like you, G, and Viva, now you're sitting here taking the place of resident asshole? Fuck's wrong with you, man?"