Spycraft Academy by B. Miles (little readers .txt) 📕

room packed with twenty-somethings stuffing their faces and talking loudly enough to cause a small roar. Instead, when they breached the chamber, a room full of silent twenty-somethings stared at the lot of them as they passed. Sam decided that his sort of people—the ones that stole things and quietly watched the world around them—were a creepy bunch.

He ignored the stares and kept his arm around Mattie. Gyna disappeared without giving them any further instruction on where they were supposed to go. As the rest of them glanced around to try and figure out where to go and what to do next, Sam opted to claim an open table and simply watch the others figure out where the food was. He'd let them explore and experiment.

Sam led Mattie to one of the empty rectangular tables toward the far corner of the room. They were large enough to seat eight comfortably.

It didn't escape his notice that Drina was right on his heels as well, probably trying to avoid Delcan after her little game. He had no idea why she didn't destroy his expectations like she did his own, but it was none of his business, so he didn't ask.

He and the two girls sat down. To his surprise, Fletch plopped himself in the chair directly across from Sam. Some of the other first years claimed tables as well, four or five of them per group. A few of the others went to the front of the room to try and find out where the food was.

As it turned out, the mess hall wasn't self-serve.

A silent woman appeared at Fletch's shoulder and the nobleman startled, holding a hand to his chest and grinning crookedly at her. "You know, it's polite to make at least some noise when walking behind somebody."

She didn't answer. Instead, she placed four wooden goblets on the table and pulled out a pitcher that Sam didn't realize she was holding before pouring cool water into each goblet. She curtsied and backed away silently. Moments later, two more people arrived at the table bearing baskets of bread and plates of meat and vegetables.

"What on earth is this?" Fletch poked his roast with a fork.

"Buck flank, looks like." Drina tore into her meal and smiled around her food when Fletch made a face.

"Well, the food isn't supposed to be good." Mattie cut into her meat. "Remember that you're training to be in the military. There might be days when you get no food at all, and you'll be lucky to catch a rat to roast over a spit."

Fletch put his fork down and threaded his fingers together, propping his chin on his knuckles. "Rats, you say?"

"Or worse." Sam nodded. "Bugs."

Fletch considered the three of them quietly. Sam dug into his food with abandon. If the food didn't taste good to Fletch, he had to wonder what sorts of decadent meals he was used to at home.

"Well," Fletch spread a linen cloth over his lap, "better not waste this opportunity again. Who knows when I'll be forced to eat rats and bugs."

The table went quiet as they shoveled food in their mouths. They must have looked like complete savages to Fletch, who was carving each piece and eating it slowly, bit by bit. He didn't comment on their table manners at all, and Sam decided that maybe this nobleman was alright by his measure.

Sam polished off his plate rather quickly. He learned to scarf down his meals at an early age to prevent the other kids from nabbing it.

"So, I have a theory." Sam pushed his empty plate away and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Fletch scoffed and handed him a napkin. "What? That you're more barbarian than man?"

Sam rolled his eyes but wiped his mouth with the napkin in a show of cooperation. "No. Mattie and I think people are forming crews."

"Really? You think they know to do that?" Drina glanced around doubtfully. "We didn't have any in my village, but I've heard of them in the cities."

"What, pray tell, is a 'crew'? Not literally, but in the context of what you're referring to." Fletch asked.

"You need a crew for hits." Mattie said, counting with her fingers, "One, to watch your back. You can't really be a lookout and nab things at once. Two, for baiting, if anybody catches you, you'll need people to lead the hunt away. Three, to consolidate resources. Four to consolidate skills. My talent is sound manipulation, Sam has shadow magic, and we had three more guys who could do other things. Jobs are much quicker and easier when you have the talents of five people rather than one."

"Teamwork makes the dream work," Drina chirped.

Fletch raised a doubtful eyebrow at them and then flashed a cocky grin, "Oh, I don't know, I've been getting along fine on my own."

Mattie snorted. "Oh? And what did you do before this?"

"That, my dear, is classified information."

"Anyway," Sam placed his palms on the table, "we should start a crew. The four of us."

"Invitation accepted, and just in time. That tool is eyeballing me again," Drina said.

"You should have told him you were messing with him." Mattie said, shaking her head. "Now he's not going to leave you alone."

Drina flicked her thick hair over her shoulder. "While that’s true, you should never throw away an untapped resource. I might need him for something in the future. I could use him as bait. Or he could get me information. Or he could give me money."

"After you sleep with him," Mattie countered.

"Ha." Drina leveled her fork at Mattie with a sly smirk. "No, sleeping with me is the reward for doing my bidding. And you'd be surprised at how long you can lead people by the nose. That is, of course, before you trick them into thinking they slept with you, then they are a tapped resource."

Sam wanted to ask Drina why she'd so thoroughly burst his bubble but not Delcan's. He didn't ask, though. He had more tact than that.

"Fletch,