Spycraft Academy B. Miles (new ebook reader txt) 📖

the words poised to come out of Apelles' mouth. Against his better judgement, Sam swallowed thickly and said, "I swear on every god that has ever existed."

Apelles studied Sam, his eyes so piercing and unnerving that Sam had to look away from them. Whatever Apelles saw, it was enough for him to continue.

"Do you know about the Creation Codex?" Apelles asked.

"No," Sam said. It didn't sound familiar whatsoever; he hadn't read a book or heard anybody say the phrase.

"Good. You're not supposed to. You're still a civilian in the eyes of the law, and civilians aren't usually privy to level twenty classification."

Sam's heart knocked painfully against his chest.

"Which is why I'm not going to tell you," Apelles said.

"Wha—"

"If you find out on your own..." The spymaster stood up and dusted his trousers. "Well, then I guess you're simply clever. But as for me, it's not coming from my lips. I gave you the name, so you figure out the rest. The only thing I can tell you is that the Codex is the 'cipher' you were talking about when last we spoke."

"But I don't understand." Sam bolted to his feet. Apelles couldn't leave it at that.

"And, again, that means the government is doing its job. This is a question of national security."

"You've got to give me more than that to go on!" Sam huffed. Apelles was being ridiculous. Nobody was around to hear them, and if Sam was going to help catch the thief, it helped to know what in the bloody hell the man was after.

"Alright, I suppose one more crumb won't hurt." Apelles crossed his arms. "The Creation Codex is not in the administrative building. I'm not going to tell you where it is, just know it's not in the building you've been watching."

Apelles was mad, he had to be. "You had me watching a decoy building? Why?!"

"Actually, I didn't tell you to watch this building. You chose to do that. I just told you to watch for the thief."

He was a cheeky old bugger, wasn't he?

The corner of Apelles' mouth quirked slightly. That was a smile. Sam had no idea Apelles knew how to do that.

The smile vanished so quickly that it could have been an illusion, and Apelles was his stony self once more. Where was the Codex? Where was Sam supposed to be looking? Apelles didn't expect him to actually catch the man, that was obvious. But he could do it, he could help protect the Codex, protect the country, if only Apelles would let him.

"Do you know why I'm so good at my job, Sam?"

Because you're cryptic and crazy. Sam shook his head.

"It's because I do not simply watch my targets. I become the targets. When I meditate, I pretend that I am the quarry. I try to understand how they think, how they feel. I've meditated on our thief, and I think he keeps breaking into the building to find something. A document, a clue, a key, that can point him to where the Codex may be. That is why I haven't told you to stop watching the decoy building. He needs to be caught while he's trying to find the key, not when he has it already."

"Oh," Sam said dumbly. It was a lot to take in. "But what does this Codex do? Why is it so important?"

"I told you," Apelles said, "that's need to know. And you definitely don't need to know. What you do need is rest. So how about you take the night off and I'll take your shift."

Sam wanted to shout 'aha! I knew it! You are the thief! You're just trying to get me to go to my room so you can steal the clue!' But...Apelles hadn't yelled for help when Sam's crew ambushed him, though he could have.  He didn't hurt them, though he could have. He certainly didn't kill them, though he could have. And although Apelles had a severe demeanor in class, Sam could see hints of something soft about him, something Apelles didn't let anybody else see, except for Sam.

"All right," Sam said. Trust. That's what he would have for this man.

"Good lad, off you go. Sleep well, and don't let me catch you on watch tonight. I'll handle it."

Sam nodded and his entire body suddenly felt quite heavy. Used up, like a filthy, shapeless rag. He turned and walked away, dragging his feet without meaning to. His anxious mind didn't conjure horrid images of Apelles betraying him, he didn't see his slaughtered countrymen in his mind's eye. All he saw in his head was his bed. Warm, soft, safe, sleep.

Sam threw a quiet 'thank you' over his shoulder.

"Oh and Sam," Apelles called. Sam turned just enough to glance at his teacher.

"Let Rosin take watch tomorrow night. I noticed she hasn't taken many shifts at all compared to Mattie and Drina. She's more capable than you think."

Sam pursed lips and nodded before he turned and walked away. Sleep.

On his way back to the dorm, Sam spotted a figure moving through the trees. He stopped and watched until his tired eyes recognized the shape of a woman strolling in the shallows of the forest.

After a moment, the candlelight from one of the windows hit her face, and his shoulder sagged. It was just June. Her hair was wet, like she'd just bathed. Why was she taking a stroll at night, in autumn, with wet hair? That couldn't be comfortable. The Widow Baker used to have a score of fits when one of the kids slipped out with wet hair if there was even a hint of chill in the air.

Not only was it chilly, but the school was on lockdown. Why did she make it a point to sneak past the guards? Maybe this had something to do with Delcan. Spirits knew he was never up to any good.

Gods be good, this wasn't his business. Sleep. Bed. That was his business.

His feet wouldn't move, though, and the thought of just leaving her be didn't feel right. He'd watch her for a moment, just in case she was