Chapter 15 #3
Now I stood here wondering if Aiden would be the one to kill me during these gods damned training sessions.
And speak of the devil, there he was. Aiden stood on the other side of the field, dressed in his black leathers, the early sun catching the angles of his face and setting a soft glow across his tan skin.
Shadows danced like smoke across the tattoos curling up his muscular arms. Why, why did he have to be so infuriating and so attractive?
“Since you two clearly can’t manage to cooperate during an obstacle course,” Professor Firebeard called, “I think I have something else that might work. Rynlee, stand next to Aiden.” Ugh. I obeyed, stepping up beside him. My head barely reached his shoulder.
“What are you—” Aiden started, but before he could finish, a massive stone box erupted around us, sealing us in with a heavy thud.
“Let’s see if you two can escape before the box fills with water,” Firebeard’s voice echoed from outside.
“Did he just say fill with water?” I asked, eyes wide, staring up at Aiden.
“Fuck.” His answer was all the confirmation I needed. Then came the sound of rushing water and a rising tide of ice-cold liquid at our feet. “There has to be a weak point somewhere,” Aiden said urgently, while actively scanning the stone walls with his hands. “Start looking.”
“A weak point? We’re surrounded by solid rock, Aiden!” I snapped, my teeth already chattering.
“You got a better idea?” he barked.
“No,” I grumbled and turned to my side of the box.
The water crept up past my hips now, seeping into my leathers like icy fingers.
I summoned fire into my palms, casting flickering light across the stone when suddenly, a rune shimmered to life beneath the flame.
“Aiden, I found something!” I called, glancing back.
He sloshed over to me through the water, now chest-deep on me, his eyes scanning the glowing rune. “That’s it. Good job, Ruin.” Despite the cold, his praise warmed me.
“Yeah, well, thank me when we get out,” I muttered, placing both palms against the stone. The rune lit up again beneath the flame.
Aiden stepped in behind me, his arms braced on either side, caging me in.
“We need to use our powers together. On three, we push. Got it?” His breath grazed the skin of my neck, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.
I nodded, too stunned to speak. Ice curled from his fingertips and climbed one side of the wall while my fire danced on the other.
“One… two… three!” we shouted and pushed with all our strength.
The stone groaned and cracked. “Again. One… two… three!” We pushed harder, and the wall exploded outward.
A rush of freezing water carried us with it, spilling out onto the field.
I hit the ground with a splash, coughing and realizing Aiden’s arms were still around me.
One of his legs was slotted between mine, with his body flush against me, one hand cradling my head, the other wrapped tightly around my waist. I could feel his heartbeat, the heat of his skin despite the cold, and the bond that linked us flickered to life, warmth spreading through my chest like sunlight.
His fingers tangled in my soaked waves, now loose from my braid. I looked up at him, breathless.
“You, okay?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper. Water dripped from his face.
“Y-yeah,” I breathed, my eyes flicking to his lips, then back to his gaze. We were suspended there for one perfect, breathless moment, until Firebeard’s unmistakable throat-clearing shattered the spell. Aiden jerked back, his expression unreadable. Without a word, he vanished into the shadows.
I let out a sigh and sat up. “Guess training’s over.”
“You both did well,” Firebeard said with a smirk, his fiery beard catching the light. “Apparently, locking the two of you in a box does work. See you tomorrow, Yarrows.”
“Wait, Professor,” I called after him, scrambling to my feet and jogging a few steps to catch up.
He stopped, half-turning with a raised brow. “Yes?”
I shifted uneasily, fingers brushing the hilt of my dagger before blurting, “Have you ever… spoken with Ares? The God of War?”
Firebeard’s smirk faded, his gaze narrowing slightly. He was quiet for a long beat, long enough I regretted asking. Finally, he said, “No. Only in dreams. Fleeting glimpses, nothing more. But Ares doesn’t exactly make small talk. Why do you ask?”
My stomach sank. That wasn’t what I’d hoped to hear. “Professor Quinnell told me I should ask you,” I admitted, forcing a shrug.
His eyes sharpened, studying me with unsettling precision. “And why would Quinnell think that?”
I hesitated; the truth, Hemera, hovering at the edge of my tongue. But I bit it back. “I was just curious.”
Firebeard tilted his head, as though he could see right through me.
“You don’t have to lie to me, Yarrows. But I understand discretion.
” His tone softened, almost kind, before he turned to leave, cloak snapping at his heels.
Then he paused, glancing over his shoulder.
“If you have spoken with a god… listen. Closely. They do not waste their words. Even riddles, even silence, there’s meaning.
And the day will come when you’ll wish you’d paid attention.
” And with that, he strode away into the shadows, leaving my pulse racing and my thoughts tangled in fire and light.
Later that afternoon, after the academy seemed to quiet down and after my second sparring session of the day, I decided to take a moment to breathe.
“Hey babe, you okay?” Alaric asked, dropping down beside me under the old oak tree in the courtyard.
The sun was starting to dip behind the towers of Arcanna, and its warm light filtered through the red and gold leaves above.
The autumn breeze rustled through the branches, and for a moment, it felt like we were kids again.
“Remember how we used to climb this tree when we were younger?” I asked, a smile tugging at my lips. “My mom always worried we’d fall and break our necks.” Alaric chuckled, draping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer.
“Yeah, your mom worried about us a lot.” He smiled, the memory softening his features.
“It’s still strange being here without her. It doesn’t feel right.” I leaned into him, resting my head against his shoulder. He was warm. Steady. But his touch didn’t spark fire in me, not like Aiden’s.
“I know,” he said gently. “But I’m sure she’d be proud of you, Ryn.”