Chapter 306: Terms of Trust
Arthur pulled the door shut. The latch clicked behind him.
Amara slid a sheet of parchment across the desk.
"Sign it."
Arthur glanced at the heading. "A silence agreement?"
"It confirms that the official Sector 4 report is the only version either of us will repeat." Amara folded her hands on the desk. "Refuse, and I will recommend that Squad Two be removed from the next joint exercise. I will also submit a formal insubordination report to Instructor Hall."
Arthur read the first two lines, then placed the parchment back on her desk.
"You called me here at seven at night for paperwork?"
"I called you because you lied to an instructor."
"To protect you."
"I did not ask you to."
"No," Arthur said. "You only agreed when Hall gave you the chance."
Amara’s jaw tightened.
Arthur pulled one of the guest chairs away from the desk and sat backward on it, resting his arms across the backrest.
"If I wanted to use the cave against you, I would have done it in the medical tent," he said. "Or this morning, when that second-year opened his mouth. I’m not signing a contract for something I’ve already kept quiet about."
Amara did not reach for the parchment.
"Then why?" she asked.
"Because letting one bad hour erase everything you’ve done would be stupid. And because Squad Two needs its commander thinking clearly."
"That does not explain why you keep protecting me."
Arthur glanced at the untouched parchment.
"You didn’t call me here to argue about a report," he said. "You called because you still don’t know whether to trust the vial—or the man who gave it to you."
Amara’s gaze sharpened.
"You are very sure of yourself."
"Usually for good reason."
"Insufferable."
Arthur smiled. "There you are."
Amara reached for the top drawer. Her fingers tightened briefly around the handle before she pulled it open.
She removed a small, intricately carved wooden box. She set it on the desk and opened the lid. Inside, resting against dark velvet, was a glass vial.
Arthur recognized the shifting colours immediately.
"I didn’t drink it," Amara said.
"Good. You had no idea what it was."
"I had it examined."
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Three alchemists and one of my father’s archivists at the Water Mage Tower," she continued. "None of them could identify it. They could only tell me that it was powerful enough to be dangerous."
"That must have been reassuring."
"It was not."
Arthur nodded toward the vial.
"It’s called an Elixir of Potential. It raises the limit your body keeps hitting."
Amara’s fingers stopped against the glass.
"And the cost?"
"The first few hours will be painful. Your body will need time to adjust."
"Don’t take it alone. That is not the kind of cost I meant."
Arthur waited.
"I thought it was a leash," Amara said. "That if I accepted power from you, I would also be agreeing to become your pawn."
She looked directly at him.
"Was I wrong?"
"You were," Arthur said. "If I wanted a pawn, I would choose someone who didn’t argue every time I breathed."
Amara looked offended. "Charming."
"Accurate."
"Then why give it to me?" Amara asked.
"You keep trying to beat Luna at being Luna," Arthur said.
Amara’s hand tightened around the vial.
"Do not pretend you understand my family."
"I don’t need to understand your entire family. I watched you empty your mana trying to control every part of one exercise."
Her expression hardened.
"That need to prove yourself will make the wrong offer look reasonable one day," Arthur continued. "More power. No waiting. No more comparisons."
Amara’s eyes narrowed. "You sound as though you expect someone to make that offer."
"I expect desperate people to attract opportunists," Arthur said.
Arthur tapped one finger against the wooden box.
"This gives you another choice. What you do with it is still up to you."
Amara looked down at the box.
"And what do you want in return?"
"When Squad Two is deployed, I want the woman who ran that debrief this morning giving the orders," Arthur said. "Not someone desperate enough to grab the first shortcut she sees."
"That is all?" Amara asked.
"For the elixir? Yes."
Arthur smiled.
"Everything else can be negotiated later."
Amara closed the box. Her thumb remained on the latch for a moment before she straightened.
"Terms," she said.
Arthur leaned back slightly. "Name them."
"In public, you respect the chain of command," Amara said. "You do not undermine me in front of the squad."
"If the order is bad, I’m ignoring it," Arthur replied. "If it is merely annoying, I’ll behave."
The corner of Amara’s mouth twitched.
"Then you had better have a better plan."
"I usually do."
Her eyes narrowed. "Do not get used to winning arguments with me, Ludwig."
"I wouldn’t dream of it, Vice President."
Amara ignored the teasing.
"You will never use what happened in the transit hub against me," she said. "You do not tell your sister. You do not tell your squad. You do not mention it during another argument."
"Done."
"And when we are alone..."
Amara paused.
"You do not treat me as though the cave never happened."
"What exactly happened?"
"Do not make me regret this," Amara warned.
"I asked a question."
"I don’t know yet," she admitted. "And you are not deciding for me."
Arthur nodded once.
"Fair."
Amara held out her hand.
"Then we have an agreement."
Arthur took it.
"Deal."
Arthur stood and headed for the door.
"Then we’re done."
"For tonight," Amara said.
His hand closed around the brass handle.
"Arthur."
He looked back.
"You told me not to take it alone," Amara said.
"I did."
"What happens if I lose control?"
Arthur glanced around the office.
"Then I stop you from flooding the Student Council building."
"That was not reassuring."
"It wasn’t meant to be."
"Tomorrow night," she said. "I’ll make sure this floor is empty."
She met his eyes.
"I want you here."
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