The Rage Eater

Chapter 16: A Whisper in the Wind

Sadie stared at her breakfast: white fish burned black and a side of cauliflower, soaked in butter and seasoned with thick grains of salt. Hardly what she'd choose to eat, but after skipping dinner last night, she was ravenous. And so, she ate with gusto.

"At least it's n-n-not eggs," Tim said, grinning.

"Tim!" Aubrey said. "It hasn't even been a day."

"I'm trying to heal her with l-l-laughter," Tim said. "Besides, you feel better, right?"

Sadie smiled. It was true. After spending the night in infirmary, she had woken up with her headache gone and strength restored. Plus, she liked Tim's gentle teasing. It reminded her of George.

"I'm almost as strong as you now, Tim," Sadie said.

Tim laughed. "You w-w-w-wish!"

"Do either you know much about Master Joan?" Aubrey asked.

Sadie shook her head. Master Joan taught Geography and Reconnaissance, which was their next class. But Sadie knew nothing about her, other than the fact that her field was essential for Warriors. Which meant that, if she had any hope of getting a Warrior's beastly, she'd have to make a good impression—and fast.

"Not much," Tim said. "Just r-r-rumours."

"Well, I don't like gossip," Aubrey said, taking a small bite of fish.

Tim put his fork down, then stared at Aubrey as if catching her in a lie. "E-e-everybody likes gossip," Tim said.

Aubrey sighed. "Fine, I like gossip. But I don't like liking it."

"Then think of it as a working theory," Tim said. "Anyway, I heard she's a veteran of the Badlands War. Spent sixty days behind enemy lines, spying and stealing intelligence. Spoke only to her b-b-b-beastly, and only through their minds. She came back with valuable information. Some say it helped w-w-w-in the war. But all that time without human contact left her a little crazy. And she's n-never really recovered."

Sadie gulped. She had left Master Dao's bleeding and exhausted, on the verge of passing out. And yet all her efforts had amounted to nothing. Of the two scholarship students, Fran was clearly the better fighter—more ruthless, more practiced, more confident. So, if Sadie wanted to prove herself worthy of a Warrior's beastly, Master Joan was probably her best chance. But that raised another problem.

How do you impress a crazy person?

#

Master Joan sat cross-legged on the grass, small twigs and dead leaves scattered around her. Her dirty blonde hair was long and unbrushed, her face marred by a pink scar that ran across her cheek and down her chin. She wore fitted green pants and a long-sleeved tunic of the same shade, both of which seemed to blend with the grass below.

Camouflage, Sadie thought.

The sky was a light gray, and there was a chill in the air. Sadie rubbed her arms as she looked to her friends, hoping for some sign as to what was happening. But Aubrey and Tim looked as clueless as her. A minute passed, then two, as Master Joan sat silently, watching them.

Suddenly, a hawk pierced the sky, zooming over the students, then circling around Master Joan, until it came to a rest on her shoulder. One of its eyes was black, the other a sickly, milky white.

Finally, the Master spoke. "Through Ramsey's eye, I saw Master Padwe toiling in his greenhouse. I saw Master Dao teaching swordplay and Master Sanders reading an old book in the Great Library. I saw it all, the entirety of Barrett's Academy, and no one saw me. Or even knew they were being watched."