#Chapter 37 Pressure and Poise

By midmorning, whispers follow me everywhere I go. It appears that word of my promotion has spread quickly and attention follows me wherever I go. Everywhere I walk, I feel it. Not the sideways glances or half-muttered commentary I used to get as the only woman on the training field, this is different. Eyes linger just a moment longer and some watch with something like respect, but other stares are more calculating. Nara senses it too. They’re watching us, she growls, half proud, half wary. I keep my chin up as I walk across the grounds toward the assignment board. My boots crunch in the gravel, echoing louder than they should. I scan the patrol roster. My name’s listed beside two junior guards I’ve worked with before. Standard. Then a voice cuts through the air. “McMann.” The Captain’s tone is clipped, his expression unreadable as he gestures for me to follow. I fall in beside him, matching his pace as we reenter the palace and head down a side corridor near the storage r