I watched her as I spoke, standing there, hands clasped behind her back. As always, she looked collected, poised, as though she never had a moment’s fear or doubt. Not even a hair out of place. I’d always wondered how I was supposed to live up to a gerouin such as her. Now I wondered if I’d ever even get the chance.

“You still have more to learn,” said Antos. “If Gitrin believes there is nothing more she can teach you, then we shall simply have to find you another tutor.” He leveled his gaze on me. “You must prove yourself, Nadin. And the best way to do so is to not violate the geroi’s edicts. If you are to be one of us, you must demonstrate that you can work with us—no matter what.”

“Yes, kyrios.”

“All right, then. We will let you rest now. When you’ve recovered, we will see about finding a new tutor for you and Ceilos. Perhaps in a year’s time, you will be ready to take your evaluation again.”

A year’s time. By then, we might all be dead.

As they turned to leave, I realized that the geroi had said nothing about my disappearance from the System’s tracker in the moments before I called for help outside the dome. Surely they must have noticed. Maybe they hadn’t consulted the records yet. It seemed too good to be true that it would slip their notice entirely.

But it would be a glorious mercy if it did. Perhaps Ceilos would even forgive me for being so reckless, if it meant his unauthorized program would remain undetected.

My throat ached painfully now, raw from all the talking. Where was that medic with the water?

I sat up, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment until the wave of dizziness passed. She had probably gotten distracted by the geroi’s abrupt arrival. It had unnerved me, too. I hadn’t expected them to come here. Usually they saved their reprimands for the privacy of our villa, where they could discipline me without risking a scandal. This mystery boy must have been a particularly sensitive issue, if they were willing to risk the rumors that were sure to be flying through the hospital level now.

I have a particular talent for getting into trouble, don’t I?

The stinging of my eyes made my throat burn even more. I glanced up at the timepiece on the wall. Nearly dawn. There was no point in lying around feeling sorry for myself any longer. If the medic wasn’t going to bring me water, I’d go get it myself.