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

‘I’ve heard of Nava Greyling,’ Myron said. He looked past Melissa to Naomi. ‘You know her?’

‘We’re acquainted,’ Naomi replied. He waved a hand toward Courtney. ‘Courtney Martell was the captain of the SSF until this term. She recommended Nava as her replacement. Melissa has, I believe, been Nava’s friend since they both started at SAS-squared.’

‘We met on the first day of last year,’ Melissa confirmed. ‘I hope you haven’t been hearing bad things about Nava, Colonel?’

‘Not at all,’ Myron replied. ‘If you’re going through SAS-squared with her, I think it will be very interesting to see what you do after graduation.’

Melissa swallowed. ‘N-no pressure then.’

Shinden Alliance School of Sorcery.

‘Which rooms are left?’ Mitsuko asked.

‘Basically, the bedrooms,’ Nava replied, ‘but I think we should avoid Mel’s and Courtney’s rooms.’

They were in the lounge. The kitchen floor had been a little uncomfortable. They had had to be quiet in the garden, though it was not overlooked, so that had been fine. Nava had drawn the line at the mudroom beside the bath; that was a little too much.

‘We could probably do both showers.’

‘Okay.’

‘And what about the corridors?’

‘Uh…’

‘And there’s that service room. Might be a bit cramped. The front hall?’

‘Suki, I think you may be taking this a bit far…’

Admiral Aurora Trenton Advanced Training Centre.

‘How are we supposed to dance after that meal?’ Melissa asked. ‘I’m sure my stomach looks three times its normal size.’

‘It does not,’ Naomi said. ‘It looks just as it usually does, except with a little less fabric over it.’

‘You’ve never seen her in a bikini,’ Courtney said.

Seeing Naomi’s cheeks colour was both unusual and worth any hardship. ‘I… have not.’ On the other hand, he rallied well, ‘Something to look forward to in the summer, perhaps.’

‘My birthday is the first Monday of the summer holiday,’ Melissa said. Her eyes widened a little at how brazen that sounded under the circumstances.

‘I’m aware of that,’ Naomi replied. ‘I was hoping that I might join you to celebrate. Perhaps we could go out to Le Jardin Magique again.’

‘That would be nice, but I expect Nava and Suki, and maybe Courtney will join us there. This time.’

‘I’m sure that will be acceptable. I enjoy their company.’

‘Maybe Kyle could–’

‘I… won’t be there,’ Kyle said. ‘I’m deploying to Beherbergen for my first year.’

‘Oh. That’s…’ Melissa glanced at Courtney. The ex-captain was clearly not happy, but she was doing her best to hide it.

‘I may be going out to join him for a couple of weeks,’ Courtney said. ‘I’ve never been to Beherbergen and it’ll let me meet the prospective in-laws. It, uh, depends on my finances.’

‘I’ll be able to help,’ Kyle said. ‘I’ll be getting a second lieutenant’s salary from now on.’

Courtney flashed him a smile. ‘I know. We’ll see what’s happening. Right now, we’re going to dance and hope no one steps on my skirt.’

‘Sounds like a plan.’ Offering Courtney his hand, Kyle led the way out onto the dance floor.

Naomi offered his hand to Melissa. ‘My lady, would you do me the honour?’

‘Okay,’ Melissa said, ‘but I should warn you, I’m not very good.’

‘Then I’ll just have to make you look good.’

~~~

Melissa had a feeling she was now intimately familiar with the problem Nava had when dancing with Mitsuko. Even in heels, Melissa’s eyes were about level with Naomi’s throat. It was still romantic, dancing in his arms to something slow played by a military band – which, incidentally, trained at the same base. For a military band, they seemed quite capable of playing non-military music.

‘You know, I have no idea how we ended up like this,’ Melissa said. It was sort of an off-hand remark, but it was also what she had been thinking ever since Naomi had shown an interest in her. Even the comments she had received from her housemates had not clarified things for her. ‘I really don’t see what you see in me. I don’t think I’m your type.’

There was a pause long enough for Melissa to wonder if she had said something wrong. ‘If I am entirely honest,’ Naomi finally said, ‘I don’t understand it myself.’ That was not a good start. ‘To clarify, I don’t believe I have a “type.” I’m aware of a number of rumours which circulated at school to the effect that I was gay. I did not have a girlfriend while at school, though I have had a couple of… summer flings.’

‘Oh.’ So was this a ‘summer fling’ with an extended courtship?

‘I am also aware of another fact which pertains.’

‘Oh?’

‘Yes. You described me as intimidating. More than once.’

Melissa blushed, though she doubted he could see it with his eyes all the way up there. ‘I did. You are. Maybe less so now.’

‘I suppose that I am. Under the right circumstances, I find it useful. However… I began to find it utterly intolerable that you found me intimidating. I couldn’t tell you why or when I began to feel that way, but that became the state of things and I had to do something about it.’

‘That’s…’ Melissa smiled and leaned closer in to Naomi’s chest. It was a good chest for snuggling against, when you got right down to it. ‘That’s possibly the oddest romantic impulse I’ve ever heard of. But I can’t deny the romance.’

Shinden Alliance School of Sorcery, 236/7/13.

‘We’re back,’ Melissa called out as she walked in through the front door, trailed by Courtney and Kyle.

‘Welcome back,’ Mitsuko called out from the lounge. Melissa was planning on going to her room anyway, so she pushed through the door. ‘If you hurry and get changed,’ Mitsuko went on, ‘we can all go to breakfast together.’

‘A military ball one night,’ Nava said, ‘and back to lessons in the morning. Good morning, Kyle and Courtney. I hope you all enjoyed your evening.’

‘It was good,’ Courtney said, nodding. ‘Now I have Kyle for a week before they ship him off to Beherbergen.’

‘I enjoyed it,’ Melissa said. She sniffed, frowned a little, and then shrugged. ‘I’ll get into my uniform and we can go