My eyes close to conceal my murderous thoughts. At my side, Saengo gasps. Even Jonyah can’t hide his surprise. This breaks protocol. To be punished by a fellow wyvern is a grave insult, especially in front of nearly the entire Company. Kendara will hear of this within the hour, and she will scrutinize my every action, my every response. So I allow myself only a heartbeat to control my face, and then I nod.

Jonyah and Officit Boldis march me past rows of students who continue to shift from one fighting stance into the next. Their eyes follow us. It never gets any less humiliating.

A single wooden pole stands ominously at the front of the yard, visible to everyone. Public humiliation is only effective when witnessed, after all. Without having to be prompted, I lift my arms and wrap my fingers around a rope knotted to a hook that’s been driven into the wood. I grip it tight and stand so that I’m facing Jonyah.

Officit Boldis steps away to give us room. “Don’t break anything. She still has an assignment to complete.”

“Yes, Officit,” Jonyah says. He slaps the bamboo cane lightly against his leg, testing its weight and where it will fall against my skin. And then—

I inhale sharply as the first strike finds my left thigh, sharp and sudden. I hold Jonyah’s gaze, taking what satisfaction I can in the curl of his lip. His next strike falls harder, the pain brilliant, streaking up my hip. I remain silent although my fingernails nearly tear through the rope. I don’t cry out, and I don’t allow my legs to fold. I am used to pain. I have lived with it for four years, sometimes delivered at Kendara’s hands, sometimes by the Company’s.

When another student suffers penance, I always avert my eyes out of respect. Many students do the same now, continuing in their stances. But plenty pause to watch as well. I can stomach the pain, but the sense of helplessness, of being exposed, never becomes any more bearable.

The third strike nearly takes out my knee, but I wrap the rope around my wrist and shift my weight to my other leg. Kendara’s words repeat like a mantra in my head: “Bite your tongue. Play your role. Do not lose your place in the Company, or you will lose your place with me.”

Less than a month, I tell myself. Just a few weeks more, and maybe not even that, if Kendara makes her decision before the month’s end.

The fourth and fifth strikes fall in quick succession, nearly in the same spot. My lips pinch, jaw clenched. The bruises will be impressive. As Jonyah steps away, I release the rope, willing my legs to hold. When our eyes meet, I lift my chin in triumph over this latest attempt to break me. Jonyah’s nostrils flare with rage.