Hall of Games [ REWRITE ] | The Varya Chronicles #1

Chapter Nineteen

Media: Ales' character banner

Music: We Rise, Sybrid

Cadence entered the Murka common room to find everyone inside giving her a wide berth. The two girls playing a game of snake and ladders by the door glared at her reproachfully, then grabbed a tile near Cadence away, as if afraid it would be soiled by her.

Confused and slightly hurt, she turned to the hearth where Arik and the rest of her Murka friends sat, whispering softly among themselves.

"Hey," Cadence said as brightly as she could, not wanting them to sense the quaver in her voice.

None of the four lifted their heads. Mara sniffed, then flipped a page of her book loudly. Maybe they hadn't heard her. Cadence tried again.

"Hey."

"Why are you even here?" Feathers looked up. His thick brows were furrowed, and his hands were clenched into fists. Cadence took a small step backwards, just in case he suddenly lashed out at her.

"Where else would I be?" she said. What happened when she was recuperating in the infirmary?

"You've betrayed us, Cadence," Misha said. "You were Varya all along. We trusted you, we even took you on our Tradition. Maybe you were just a stupid spy the Swans placed among us to find our flaws and exploit us. We all know how much you Swans hate us."

"This is a misunderstanding. I didn't expect my Affinity to be triggered, I never thought any of that would happen. If I was a spy the Swan sent, I wouldn't be able to go down the well at the back of the Hall. You said that well is warded against Varya right? I wouldn't be able to go near that place if I was Varya."

"It was just a theory," Mara said. "Nothing was ever proved."

"You surely cannot believe I'm a spy," Cadence said. "We're friends!"

"Friends do not lie to each other. Go back to your fancy house and strut among the Swans. Varya and Murka will never be able to work together." Feathers stood up, confronting Cadence. Move, his eyes said, but Cadence remained rooted to the spot.

"Get out." Feathers shoved her hard in the shoulders. Caught off guard, she stumbled, but caught an armchair just in time.

"Arik," she pleaded. "I am not a spy."

"You're Varya." Arik turned to face her. "That's an undeniable fact."

"I didn't know I was Varya. You all know perfectly well that Affinities cannot manifest until they're triggered. I can't intentionally hide my Affinity."

Their shouts have drawn the attention of the other Murka in the room. One by one, they stood by Arik and Feathers, until there was a group of people standing against Cadence.

"I think you should leave," Arik said, his expression stone-cold.

Cadence did not bother to gather her belongings from the dormitory, she had nothing essential there anyways. She fled the common room, feeling every Murka eye drill holes in her back, silently chanting 'traitor!'.