Soul of Ice

Chapter Nine

During breakfast the next morning, Astra quickly slid into the seat besides Jemma before anyone else could take it. She flashed a smile at the fire wraith's two companions who stood with their trays in hand... what were their names again? An awkward smile stretched across the male wraith's face while the female clenched her teeth together as she scowled. The dark haired female had been about to set her tray down and had to swing her tray back to prevent it from slamming into Astra. The sudden shift in direction nearly sent the croissant on her plate flying into Astra's face.

"I hope you don't mind..." Astra let the question drift away. Jemma, like she'd expected, immediately defused the situation. She waved her arms amicably.

"Of course not! Here Ciril, sit next to me on this other side. Anja, you can sit next to Calayne." Ciril and Anya, Astra recited to herself silently. Ciril and Anya. There were way too many goddamn names to remember around here.

As Anya set down her tray with a bang, Astra's peripheral vision caught sight of Riviera a distance away, turning away with a scowl. Thank the Seam. Now she only had to avoid the female for the rest of her stay in the army. Riviera moved off to a separate table to sit with the other five members of her ragtag team. Slash that. She'd have to avoid all five of them.

Astra turned back to her tray of breakfast. A small brioche, a baguette, a tiny dish of jam, four slices of peach, and a cup of juice. Auxerre certainly treated its soldiers well. Or at least, the wraiths. She couldn't exactly speak for the regular soldiers.

"Anya, right?" Astra asked the female wraith next to her as she began spreading the jam over her baguette. "My name is—" Anya scowled again as she tore off a piece of her croissant. The expression contrasted sharply with her soft features. Astra stopped.

"I know who you are. Thanks to your little... spectacle... everyone knows who you are." Anya tilted her head up a bit, making her seem haughty. Astra raised her eyebrows at the act. It must be difficult to shred the croissant into pieces when one was looking upward.

"Anyali," Jemma chided from next to her. She leaned to gently touch Anya's right arm. The female stiffened. "Calayne is new to all of this. We need to give her time to get used to this." Anya pushed away Jemma's hand. The latter frowned for a fraction of a second before turning to smile apologetically at Astra.

"After that fiasco last night, everyone will know she's affiliated with us," Anya sniffed, frustration coloring her tone. Indeed, a simple glance around the dining room told Astra that more than a few wraiths were indiscreetly looking in their direction. Those same wraiths quickly averted their gaze once they found Astra staring at them.

"Take it easy." Ciril from the other side of Jemma gave her a crooked smile as he leaned over and shook his bangs out of his eyes. The proximity allowed Astra to finally get a good look at the male. He was devastatingly handsome with his heterochromia eyes—one hazel, and the other a light blue—and chiseled facial structure. Loose blonde hair that framed his face. Astra had to force herself to look away to stop staring. "It's not like your ranking will go down. The others love you!" Anya continued to frown, although a small smile had started to tug at her lips.

"What do you mean by rankings?" Astra asked. She took a bite out of her baguette as Ciril turned that smile on her and began to answer.

"There's a ranking board on both sides of the room." Ciril pointed out the huge board on the wall across the room and the one behind them. White chalk words were scrawled on the blackboard. "They're based off of several factors, but the top ranks are the most likely to be chosen as guests for special events, like the Firelight Ball. Anya is second so far. And I know Riviera is first. Jem, you're third, I think." The female in question smiled brightly and nodded. "And I'm fifth. Not sure who the fourth place spot is, though."