Page 3 of Trivium

LOVELEENA

The Great Wall was a towering, beastly thing looming in the distance.

She didn’t often think of the creatures beyond with their razor-sharp fangs, torturous mind manipulation, and soul-crushing spiritual warfare—but when she did, she was reminded that there wasn’t an atrocity they couldn’t commit. Quickly, she shook the image of their disturbing and cruel magic from her mind.

As enormous and steady as the Great Wall was, it wasn’t enough to protect Jarrians. That’s where The Academy of Creature Defense came in. Renowned for its rigorous training that produced the most talented, expertly skilled Defenders, it was the leading force behind Jarrah’s safety.

Defenders were lethal in taking out creatures.

They were also just as forceful in ensuring that no one, not even the delusional creature sympathizers, put the city at risk.

And right now, they were headed straight in her direction.

Recently, there had been reports of creatures getting past the wall and into the city, dragging blood-ravaged bodies back with them, leaving a trail of horror in their wake. And since then, the Defenders had increased their city patrol, sifting out traitors, setting everyone on edge.

Loveleena wasn’t afraid of the Defenders, but she didn’t want to talk to them either. They were such a buzzkill. She avoided them like the plague. And she had just gotten caught stealing.

Spotting the closest side street, she quickly escaped the crowd and slipped onto the winding pathway.

“Alva.” A rough, deep voice stopped her in her tracks.

Ughhh. She knew immediately it was one of them. She let out an involuntary eye roll that, thankfully, the man behind her couldn’t see, then turned to face him. “Yes?”

“Seen any traitors around here?”

Traitors—Sympathizers—were civilians who threatened their safety or attempted to destroy the Great Wall.

The Defender’s midnight hair fell in loose waves, framing his angular jaw. His almond amethyst eyes gave nothing away as he studied her. He was tall, mysterious, and masculine with tattoos decorating his arms and neck. She stood a little taller as she observed his all-black clothing: cotton shirt, thick woven pants with pockets, leather combat boots and belt. It was the standard Defender uniform, except his was also decorated with chest, arm, and thigh leathers strapped with extra weapons.

A Slayer, then.

The Academy had three specialties, and the Slayers were the most lethal. She shouldn’t have been surprised; it was the Slayers who did patrols, after all.

She met his stare confidently. “No.”

Her mind flashed to the creature sympathizers. “Those filthy bastards deserve to get ripped to shreds for putting us all at risk,” her father would say. He didn’t care what the Defenders did; most of the noble families didn’t, as long as they took care of it.

The man looked past her up the deserted street, before his gaze dragged over her hands which instinctively tightened around the tully. The spice mixture was rare but not impossible to get, especially for someone of her class and family status. But it reminded her so much of Park, and to her, that made it invaluable.

The faintest frown fell between the Defender’s straight brows, but if he noticed her movement, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he dismissed her with a simple nod.

“You don’t need to check in with me. Worry about the rest,” she said coldly. While on patrol, Defenders had a duty to check in with any noble family members first. It was a sign of respect, but it annoyed her. She didn’t need to be babysat. “If I have something to share, I will come to you.”

“I’m sure you will.” Something about the way he said it sounded sarcastic, but she kept her mouth shut as she turned to leave.

“Return home safe, Alva,” the Defender called after her.

Alva. She cursed her own name as she escaped down the street. She hated that everyone in this damn city knew her and her family.

There were many benefits to being a noble, of course, but it was horrible for privacy. She couldn’t go anywhere and just be. Letting out a shaky breath, she reminded herself that this came with being the daughter of a well-respected nobleman. Being the center of attention was nothing new to her but dealing with the loss of her best friend while thousands of people watched made her resent it a little more.

Fifteen families ruled Jarrah, and hers was one of them. But Loveleena was nothing like her parents. She didn’t want respect or wealth or power. She wanted adventure. She wanted to be free to live and explore and quite frankly, just have some fun without everyone breathing down her neck. She wanted to drink too much wine in a dive bar and make out with a stranger. And despite her fears, she wanted to go beyond the wall and see for herself what was really out there.

Whatever would make her feel alive, and not like a chess piece in the game of politics. Which is why when Park told her that he found a hidden breach in the Great Wall a month before his disappearance, she didn’t hesitate to follow him to it. Now, increased Defender presence and her parents’ watchful eye prevented her from doing much of anything. She was like a caged animal, restrained by safety. Duty disguised as control.

She ducked down side streets that had once seemed colorful but now appeared dull and faded, making her way home as quickly as possible. It was sad that so many homes had been left untended due to the widening wealth gap. Nothing made people more afraid of insurrection than poverty. Although, the creature attacks sure helped with keeping everyone in line, including her. She didn’t agree with how the nobles ruled Jarrah. In fact, most of the time she felt like she was living some insane spectacle. But there truly wasn’t much she could do about it.

She skipped through private gardens and tiny alleyways to move quickly and discreetly. The less people saw her, the fewer fake smiles she had to deal out.