We Three Heroes

by Lynette Noni

  And with her words, a tightness left his shoulders and he pulled her even closer, the two of them descending into healing silence as together they watched the moonlight travel across the night’s sky.

  Once again, Jordan returned to his dorm from the lake with enough time to get a decent amount of sleep—mercifully dreamless sleep. Like the previous day, his body was grateful for the rest, his energy levels improving and his mind feeling clearer than it had since before Aven had Claimed him.

  He was a little nervous upon entering the food court at breakfast that things would be strained between him and D.C., fearing that despite holding her close afterwards, she’d still misinterpreted the reasons for him pulling away. When they’d parted ways at her bedroom in the early hours of the morning, he hadn’t been able to resist kissing her on the cheek, his lips lingering on her skin before he’d forced himself to leave. But there had been enough time since then for her to dwell on what had happened by the lake. Or rather, what hadn’t happened.

  Jordan knew he needed to find a way to tell her soon. To share with her—everything. To show her his scars so that she’d understand why he hadn’t closed the distance between them last night. That was what he’d decided in the time since they’d last seen each other. And he was determined to follow through, no matter how hard it would be. He just had to figure out the best way to go about it.

  All of this he was thinking about when D.C. entered the food court with Alex by her side, the two of them chatting happily as they made their way over to where Jordan and Bear were seated. Or, D.C. was chatting happily. Alex, on the other hand, looked as tired as Jordan had felt over the previous week, and around her yawns she kept mumbling under her breath nonsensical things like, “slave-driving Meyarin” and “way too early” and “still can’t feel my toes.” Added to that were her even stranger ramblings of, “I’ll show Mr. Mystery Man what he can do with his ball of yarn” and “I’ll never eat another banana again.”

  By the time they’d all ordered their breakfasts and the food had arrived on the table, Jordan was genuinely considering escorting Alex to the Med Ward. Bear and D.C. appeared just as alarmed—with hints of amusement, too. But after Alex downed a meal large enough to feed a small family, she managed to come back to herself enough that her mutterings ceased. Only then did Jordan feel like he could turn his attention to D.C., and he breathed a sigh of relief when she caught his nervous gaze, understood it for what it was, and sent him a warm wink along with his favourite quirky smile.

  Seeing her reaction—the comfort she offered him without asking anything in return—he was more determined than ever to follow through with his plans to share everything with her. But he still was no closer to figuring out the best way to do that.

  As it happened, it was later that night during his Stealth and Subterfuge class that the answer came to him. And yet again, it was Hunter to the rescue.

  “Jordan, a word?”

  Their class had just ended, and since it had been a particularly gruelling two hours filled with avoiding—or mostly untangling from—some of Hunter’s more devious traps, Jordan and his classmates were all covered in icy forest grunge and moaning with pain. The last thing he wanted was for Hunter to resume their heart-to-heart conversation from the weekend, but it was the only reason he could think of for being asked to remain behind.

  Despite wanting nothing more than a hot shower and to curl up in bed for as long as he could before the nightmares overtook him, Jordan did owe his teacher for giving him a much-needed kick up the psychological backside. So instead of leaving the forest with the rest of his classmates, Jordan waved Alex, Declan, Pipsqueak, Blink and Tom onwards—they were down to just the six of them now, with Kaiden still absent from the academy and Skyla never to return—and waited to hear what Hunter had to say.

  Hunter, however, didn’t speak. Instead, he reached into the folds of his cloak, withdrew something small and tossed it towards Jordan.

  Not expecting a game of catch, Jordan’s fingers fumbled, but he managed to close his hand around the glass vial before it fell to the ground. A short, sharp whistle drew his attention back to Hunter just as another vial came sailing towards him, which again, he only caught just in time to avoid disaster.

  Looking down at the items now in his hands, Jordan furrowed his brow as he recognised them as Bubbler vials.

  “What…?”

  “They’re both authorised,” Hunter told him. “Use them well. And whatever you do, make sure neither of you are caught.”

  After that sage, if unexpected advice, Hunter spun on his heel and, with a whirl of his cloak, disappeared into the dark of the forest.

  Jordan, however, remained in place for a long moment afterwards, amazed yet again by the irrefutable proof that his SAS teacher always seemed to know everything.

  But this time, especially, Jordan was grateful. Because Hunter had offered him a gift and an answer all at once. And even if his palms were sweating at the very idea of what he held and all that it meant, there was no way he wouldn’t take advantage of the opportunity he’d been presented with.

  “Thanks, Hunter,” Jordan whispered into the night, confident that, wherever his teacher was, he’d heard him. And that he understood exactly how grateful he was.

  Ten

  Jordan was distracted for most of Wednesday, enough that it caused him more problems than usual during his classes.

  In PE, Finn punished Jordan’s inattention by making him stay back at the end and sprint an extra two laps around the field, followed by a gruelling sequence of push-ups, sit-ups and lunges. Due to his delay with the Taser-wielding psycho of a teacher, Jordan was late to Equestrian Skills, which started him off on the wrong foot with his instructor, Tayla. He intended to fly under the radar for the rest of the class, but while riding out in the snowy forest on a cross-country team-building exercise, he didn’t realise Tayla was only one horse-length behind him when he whispered an ill-timed comment to Blink and Pipsqueak about the properties of glue. The normally easygoing teacher was fiercely protective of her beloved equines and took offence on their behalf, which resulted in her giving Jordan a lunchtime detention to muck out every stall in the Stable Complex.

  By the time he reached his Combat class, Jordan was sweaty, smelly, achy and hungry. He knew he wouldn’t be able to make it through the rest of the day in his current condition. He wasn’t even sure he’d make it through the entirety of Karter’s class.

  “What’s your deal today?” Bear asked, pulling back his wooden staff just before it could crack open Jordan’s head. “Are you even here right now?”

  “Sorry, mate,” Jordan apologised, trying to focus. He was lucky Bear was paying attention, otherwise he’d be unconscious—or worse—after that last attack. Combat class was always more dangerous when they sparred with weapons, so Jordan knew he had to get a grip on the distracted thoughts that had plagued him since Hunter had given him the Bubbler vials the previous night. Even D.C. had noticed his inattention when they’d been out by the lake in the midnight hours, the two of them having returned to being silent once more.

  “You’ve been getting more sleep the last couple of days,” Bear stated, swiping forward again, a solid thud echoing around them when their two staves met mid-air. “Your appetite seems to be coming back, too. And you told me yourself the other day that you’ve been doing better. So, what gives?”

  “I just have a few things on my mind.” Jordan clenched his teeth when a particularly jarring strike reverberated along his arms.

  Bear’s lips quirked. “I’m guessing one of those things is redheaded?”

  Jordan almost didn’t block Bear’s next attack in time. “What?”

  Bear laughed. “Oh, come on. You said last week that nothing has happened between you and Dix yet, but we all know it’s only a matter of time. You’re as bad as Alex with Kaiden.”

  “Not true,” Jordan said, going on the offence with a powerful upswing followed by a downward strike and then spinning arou
nd and going low to swipe Bear’s legs out from underneath him—all of which Bear managed to defend against, including jumping over the staff for the final move. “Alex is still firmly in denial, while I have no problem admitting how I feel for Dix.”

  “Then why aren’t you doing something about it?” Bear asked, his staff grazing Jordan’s hipbone when he didn’t deflect it fast enough. “I get that you’ve been working through some stuff, but now that you’re starting to improve, maybe…”

  “You don’t think I’ve already considered that?” Jordan returned, panting now as their fight picked up speed and strength. “Why do you think I’m so out of it today?”

  “Ah-ha!” Bear cried, before following up with a pained “Ooof!” sound when the end of Jordan’s staff jabbed him hard in the stomach.

  “Ah-ha, what?”

  “Ah-ha, I knew it,” Bear wheezed out, winded from the blow. He bent at the waist and held a hand to his middle, miming with a finger for Jordan to give him a second. Once he straightened again, his face sported a slightly pained but still wide grin. “So you’re gonna go for it, then?”

  The answer to that was more complicated than Jordan was willing to say, so instead he replied, “If I can figure out how. And when.”

  “At least you have the who,” Bear said, still grinning. “Do you have the where?”

  Jordan nodded but didn’t elaborate.

  “Then it’s simple.” Bear leaned on his staff, his expression open and full of encouragement. “If it’s distracting you this much, then you need to do it soon. Today. This afternoon.”

  “Easier said than done,” Jordan said, circling a finger to remind Bear that they were in the middle of class and still had another one to go afterwards, and by then it would be dinnertime. The winter sun would already be close to setting, and for what Jordan had planned, both he and D.C. would need to be able to see by natural light. That meant that, despite Bear’s ‘simple’ answer, Jordan couldn’t follow through today—he’d have to wait for the weekend. But then, he also couldn’t do that, since they were all heading out to begin their diplomatic mission on Saturday, and continuing on Sunday.

  Time was not in Jordan’s favour.

  At least, that was how it seemed, until Bear snorted and reminded him, “Since when do you have a problem skipping class?”

  Jordan stilled as he thought it over and a rough plan came to mind. Perhaps it really was simple, just as Bear had said.

  “Would you cover for me with Maggie?”

  Bear looked offended. “Of course. By the time I’m through with her, she won’t even remember your name, let alone that you’re in her class.”

  Jordan didn’t think Bear would need to use his gift to that degree, but all the same, he was grateful. “And Dix, too? She’s meant to be in PE with Finn.”

  “Eugh, I hate charming Finn,” Bear grumbled. “He’s so stubborn. Takes me forever to break through and I always have to get creative with my suggestions.”

  Likely noting Jordan’s face falling with disappointment, Bear quickly continued, “But you know I’m all over this—I’ll have Finn eating from the palm of my hand. Team Jordix for the win!”

  Jordan, while grateful, also found that he was questioning his friend’s sanity. “Team… Jordix?”

  “You know—Jordan and Dix. Jordix.”

  At the ‘what the hell?’ look Jordan sent him, Bear ran a hand through his already mussed hair and said, “I think I’ve been spending too much time with Alex. She keeps trying to explain this Freyan obsession with ships and canons and—you know what? Never mind. Just blame her for the name. She came up with it.”

  Jordan wondered what watercraft and ancient weaponry had to do with amalgamating his name with D.C.’s, but he decided against continuing his line of questioning. Instead, he said, “You’re the best, Bear.”

  “You can thank me by naming your firstborn child after me.”

  Jordan’s breath seized in his chest, but he didn’t have a chance to figure out whether what he felt was amusement or panic, because Karter chose that moment to stalk over to them and bark, “When you two windbags are done yabbering, maybe you’ll think about breaking an actual sweat.”

  Since Jordan now had a clear afternoon thanks to Bear, he wasn’t willing to risk getting slapped with another detention that day. Bear, too, seemed disinclined to chance Karter’s bad temper, so together the two of them picked up their staves and began attacking each other with renewed fervour.

  With Karter watching them closely for the rest of class, they didn’t have a chance to continue their conversation—something Jordan was almost relieved about, given Bear’s firstborn child comment. He might have been willing to acknowledge he had strong feelings for D.C., but he was in no way ready for… that. And while he was fairly certain Bear had only been kidding, he didn’t want to fan that particular flame. No sir-ee.

  When their Combat class finally finished, the two of them parted ways, with Bear hurrying off to work his charm on Finn and Maggie, while Jordan headed straight to the dorm building. Usually D.C. stopped off to change out of her riding clothes after her Equestrian Skills class, so he hoped they’d cross paths without him having to hunt her down at the Stable Complex or on her way to PE.

  Apparently the stars were aligning in Jordan’s favour that day, since he all but bumped into her outside the entrance to the dormitory. Alex wasn’t with her despite having come from the same class, and Jordan hid a smile, certain that the other girl was likely sprinting to the Arena with the hope that the still-missing Kaiden would finally turn up.

  “Forget something?” D.C. asked when she saw him, a warm smile on her face.

  It was a mark of how nervous he suddenly felt that he nearly blurted out ‘You’ without offering any context—something that would have sounded corny to no end. He never would have lived it down. So he was relieved when his brain managed to kick in enough for him to reply with a full sentence. “Actually, yes. There’s something I need to grab from my room, but then I was hoping that…”

  D.C. cocked her head in question, her red hair spilling down her shoulders. “Hoping what?” Before he could answer, concern flooded her face. “Are you feeling all right? You look a bit flushed.”

  Offering a smile that he prayed didn’t show how ill he was feeling all of a sudden, Jordan replied, “I’m good. Just… I was hoping… Uh…”

  D.C. laughed, the sound like bells in the air. “Spit it out, Jordan.”

  Finally pulling himself together, Jordan stepped closer and said, clearly, “I want to take you somewhere. Today. This afternoon.” He quickly added, “Bear’s covering for us both, so you don’t have to worry about—”

  “Just give me five minutes to shower off the horse smell,” D.C. said, no questions, no arguments, no need for any further details. That in itself touched Jordan, knowing that she trusted he had a good reason for asking her to skip class.

  After agreeing to meet up again shortly, the two of them took off to their separate rooms. Having worked up a sweat in Combat class after all, and still reeking from cleaning out the stables beforehand, Jordan took a quick shower as well, before changing into clean, warm clothes. He grabbed the two Bubblers and, at the last second, rifled under his bed until he found something he hadn’t sought in a while, pocketing it along with the glass vials. He then left his room and wandered down the hallway, trying to steady his breathing and keep his heart from beating straight out of his chest.

  Part of him wondered what he was doing, wondered why he was doing it. It was so much easier to keep his walls up, to keep his scars hidden. But then he remembered the way D.C. had thrown herself at him when he’d returned to the academy, free from Aven’s Claim, and cried so hard that she’d needed to be sedated. He remembered how she’d sacrificed her sleep night after night to sit with him by the lake, somehow knowing he wasn’t ready to talk and giving him the healing comfort of silence. He remembered how she didn’t fuss over him during the day despite the performance she’d
clearly seen through, instead treating him as if nothing had changed. And lastly, he remembered how she’d shared a story about a lonely little girl whose heart had been broken by betrayal, yet she’d learned to trust again. To love again.

  As Jordan remembered all that, he knew exactly why he was now standing in front of her door. And that was why he didn’t hesitate to knock, nor did he falter when she opened it and stepped out beside him, a curious smile on her face.

  “So,” she said. “Where to?”

  He felt his mouth hitch up into a half-smile, amazed that this beautiful girl wanted to go anywhere with him. Full stop.

  “You’ll see,” was all he said, knowing that he’d never be able to explain—not until they arrived.

  Shrugging her acceptance, D.C. started following him down the hallway a half step behind, allowing him to lead the way. But Jordan didn’t want her behind him—he never wanted her behind him. Her place was at his side, just as his was at hers. So he reached for her hand and linked their fingers together, drawing her closer until they were in perfect step with each other. She looked at him with a question in her eyes, and a hopeful light as well, and gave him a tentative squeeze as they walked side by side along the rest of the corridor then down the stairs and out onto the grounds.

  Jordan didn’t want to release her hand, but it was cold out, and he knew it would only be marginally warmer where they were going. It was only for that reason that he let her go so they could both don their gloves and tighten their coats. Once they were better protected from the cold, Jordan led the way around the side of the dorm building until he found a relatively secluded spot and, after checking that the coast was clear, withdrew one of the Bubbler vials and threw it onto the snow.

  D.C. made a surprised sound but she didn’t ask any questions as Jordan took her gloved hand in his, and for that he was grateful. Mostly because his throat had tightened with nerves and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to speak even if he wanted to.