Page 38 of Axis of Fire

I ignored it.

“You mentioned a Selection. What is that?” I asked, crossing my legs—his gaze instantly dropping to them.

“What?” I shot back.

“Do women’s legs look different in Istarus?”

He snorted.

“Yeah... this is going to be a real pain.”

Then, more evenly:

“The Selection is a public initiation ceremony for new arrivals—officially making them students of Istmond.”

“Like an exam?” I asked, feeling the warmth of the steam against my skin.

“Something like that,” he said slowly, pressing his lips together—as though he were choosing his words carefully.

Hiding something.

“Didn’t your director already accept me without exams?” I asked.

“The Selection serves more than one purpose. It’s not just about evaluation.”

Again, that pause.

I hated pauses.

“You realize ignorance is more dangerous to me than enemies,” I said, locking eyes with him.

“You may not care about my safety. But you care about Istarus. And I’m an unstable fire mage. I can cause a lot of damage.”

“You can start eating, unstable fire mage,” he replied calmly, nodding toward the food.

Unimpressed.

I didn’t move.

“You’re not refusing to eat out of stubbornness,” he said, watching me,

“or because you think I poisoned it?”

Silence.

He picked up one of the cups and drank from it.

Then from the other.

The one closer to me.

“How do I know you didn’t take an antidote beforehand?”

“You don’t.”

He rested his chin against his fist, tapping the table lightly with his fingers.

Thinking.