Freedom, Humanity, and Other Delusions (Death's Handmaiden Book 3) by Niall Teasdale (best summer reads txt) 📕

‘Can’t deny it. They’re some of the best mercenaries in the Alliance. Not many of them in the ASF, however. And I’m not really sure a fighter is what we need at the top of the SSF.’

‘Then I–’ Nava began.

‘I think it’d be interesting to see what you did with it, Nava. Yes, you’re an excellent fighter, but you’re on the support stream for a reason. You see magic as more than just a weapon. You want to use it for more than just killing. And you’re not a typical clan-educated girl, so you’ll likely have some interesting ideas about where you could take the SSF. That’s my opinion anyway. Take it or leave it.’

Nava looked across the table at him for a second. ‘I’ll take it under consideration, Kyle.’

‘Well, that’s all I can ask, really.’

236/3/13.

‘He’s only been gone a day, Courtney.’ Mitsuko had some sympathy for the current SSF captain, but Courtney was moping a lot.

‘I probably won’t see him again for four months, Suki,’ Courtney replied. She was on a sofa, curled up around a pillow. It was that bad. ‘Tell me how you’d feel if you had to be away from Nava for four months.’

‘She does have a valid point,’ Nava said. ‘You would be unhappy. You weren’t happy with a couple of weeks over the winter holiday.’

‘Yes, but– I suppose you’re right. It’s going to be quieter around here without Kyle around.’

‘Especially at night,’ Nava said, entirely deadpan.

‘You aren’t sleeping right across the hall from it,’ Melissa said. Her scowl had a smirk in it.

‘Is that why you’ve been spending most of the week in Suki’s bed?’

‘That’s not the only reason…’

‘Hey!’ Courtney exclaimed, finally noticing what they were saying. ‘Are you saying me and Kyle are loud?’

‘Yes,’ Nava said flatly. ‘You’re loud. When you’re living together, buy an apartment with very good soundproofing.’

‘We are not that–’

‘Maybe we should move the bed in that room for Kyle’s next visit,’ Mitsuko suggested.

‘What?’

‘Away from the wall.’

‘Sounds like a plan,’ Melissa said.

‘I concur,’ Nava added.

‘You three are really mean,’ Courtney replied.

‘Suki and I are mean,’ Nava said. ‘Melissa is just sleep-deprived.’

‘Really mean. I’m going to sulk now.’

‘At least you’re not moping.’

236/3/18.

‘She’s good,’ Francis said. ‘Almost as good as you, Nava.’

‘Mm,’ Nava responded. She was watching the screen where Taryn could be seen demolishing her opposition in a battle royal MagiTag game.

‘She’s good,’ Sara Janvier said, ‘but she’s maybe a little too vicious for us to rely on her in competitions.’ Sara had taken over from Francis as captain of the MagiTag Club after Francis became the chair of the EAC. She was a Sonkei, a third year in the combat stream, and she suffered from Francis butting in at a lot of club sessions. It was, perhaps, to be expected that Francis would take particular interest in the club he had run, but he did tend to undermine Sara’s authority a little.

‘Really?’ Nava asked.

‘She doesn’t like losing. She never cheats, but she bends the rules as far as they’ll go to make sure she has the advantage. I mean, she is one of the best we have, so she shouldn’t need to push things as much as she does.’

‘Yet she does.’

‘Yeah.’

‘She’s competitive,’ Francis said. ‘Competitive is what we need in the summer games.’

‘You might be right, Chairman,’ Sara said.

‘What about as captain of the SSF?’ Nava asked.

‘She’s applied for that? I didn’t even know Courtney Martell was stepping down.’

‘At the end of the term,’ Francis replied. ‘She didn’t mention that Taryn Borchardt had applied though.’

‘Taryn has applied,’ Nava said. ‘I expect Courtney didn’t wish to bother the majority of the council until the administration needs a decision.’

‘But she told you.’

‘She had a reason.’ Nava’s gaze never left the screen. ‘And I think she’s won this one.’

‘Huh?’ Francis asked, frowning.

‘Don’t worry about it, Francis. You’ll have far more to worry about if her plan actually comes to fruition.’

~~~

‘All right, Courtney,’ Nava said as the housemates settled down in the lounge after dinner, ‘you get your way. You can put my name forward as your recommendation for SSF captain.’

‘Okay,’ Courtney said, halfway onto her seat. She more or less fell the rest of the way. ‘Thanks. You won’t regret this.’

‘I agree, but you might.’

‘Huh. I’ll tell the principal tomorrow morning. Uh, what made you change your mind?’

Nava considered her answer for a second. ‘I didn’t. I still think I’ll be a poor choice for captain. I did, however, come to the conclusion that I would be a better choice than Taryn Borchardt. She’s a woman who believes the ends justify the means. She can’t be given the job you’ve been doing.’

‘I think you’ll be great at it,’ Melissa said. ‘And, obviously, if you get the job, I won’t have to resign.’

‘A distinct advantage,’ Mitsuko said. ‘I’m wondering what sort of thing you have planned, Nava. As Kyle said, you’re not from the Clan Worlds, originally. Perhaps you have a different take on the way the SSF should operate.’

‘I think it operates quite well,’ Nava replied. ‘Though I have a few ideas which may make it more effective in the long term. I need to talk to some people, so I hope I’ll get a few days before the administration wants to interview me.’

236/3/22.

The principal of SAS2 was wearing powder blue today. Well, his suit was white, but his waistcoat was a pale blue which Nava could have sworn was glowing. She sat opposite him in a seating area in his office, wondering whether she should have brought tinted glasses. Behind Auberon Ewart, his VP stood like a bodyguard, one hand resting on the back of his chair. Joslyn Harris was in the school’s staff uniform and looked just as strict as she usually did. She was noted as a stickler for the rules and Nava was not sure how the VP’s judgement would fall when it came to Nava versus Taryn. With Auberon being a difficult man to read, Nava was faced with a tough audience.

‘As you know, Nava,’ Auberon said, ‘Courtney