Seven

KAMARI POV

“What?” The word slipped out before I could stop it.

The hall fell silent.

Commander Silas paused halfway through the list and slowly lifted his head.

Those piercing blue eyes settled on me.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

Every pair of eyes in the hall was on me.

“There has to be some mistake,” I heard myself say before fear could stop me. “I can’t be in the Third Wing. I think—”

“Are you questioning me?” he said.  The words weren’t shouted. They didn’t need to be.

His voice carried through the hall with enough authority to silence even the whispers at the back. It rolled over me like distant thunder, stealing every thought from my head.

My mouth went dry. “N-no, Commander. I only meant…”

“You only meant what?” he asked

The question should have been simple. Instead, my mind emptied. I stood there staring at him while every sensible thought abandoned me.

He started walking toward me.

Slowly. Unhurried. Each step echoed against the stone floor, and with every sound my pulse climbed higher.

Why was he coming over here?

By the time he stopped in front of me, I had to tilt my head back just to meet his eyes.

They were even colder up close.

“You believe you know better than the Elders who assigned your Wing?”

“No,” I whispered.

His jaw tightened. “It is ‘No, Commander.’”

Heat flooded my face. “No, Commander.”

“I didn’t hear you,” he said, his eyes piercing mine.

The embarrassment burned almost as much as the fear.

“No, Commander,” I repeated louder, earning a few muffled chuckles from somewhere behind me.

“You believe there has been an error?”

“I…” I swallowed, trying to force my voice to work. “I’ve spent my entire life training as a healer. I just assumed…”

The moment the words left my mouth, I wished I could snatch them back.

His expression didn’t change. Not even a little; it remained cold as ice. “You assumed.”

I nodded before realizing he hadn’t asked a question. “That was your first mistake.”

The hall was so quiet I could hear my own breathing. “Here  doesn’t care what you think or assume.”

His eyes held mine, refusing to let me look away.

“The Elders placed you in the Third Wing because that's where you should be, Walder.”

A knot formed in my throat.

“If you believe they’re wrong…” His voice remained calm, almost conversational. “You’re welcome to challenge their decision.”

Hope flickered inside me for the briefest second.

Then he smiled. It wasn’t warm. It wasn’t kind.

It was the smile of a man who already knew what my ending would be and he’d enjoy it.

“The penalty for challenging the Elders is death.”

I forze..  “I…” My voice cracked. “I’m sorry, Commander.”

For a long moment, he simply looked at me. It felt as though he could see straight through me. Straight through every lie I’d lived with for twenty years.

“Be careful, Walder.”  His voice dropped just enough that I wasn’t sure anyone else heard it. “You’ve been here less than an hour.”

His eyes lingered on mine for one last heartbeat.

“It would be a shame if your first mistake became your last.”

Without another word, he turned his back on me as though I’d already been dismissed. “Kamari Walder,” he called again without looking around.

My fingers tightened around my token. “Third Wing.”

“You report to me after the ceremony.”

My stomach sank.

Of every commander in Wolfstone… Why did I have to end up with him?