Chapter 22 #3
“It’s not your fault,” she said softly. “It’s mine. I just don’t know how to—”
A sound from the corridor made her freeze. Footsteps, slow and deliberate, coming closer.
No one should be down here at this hour. The bonding chambers were locked after evening sessions ended. She’d had to get special permission to practice late.
Cassara quickly pressed her palm to the Aether Shard, recalling her creature in a flash of silver light just as the chamber door opened.
The man who entered was no one she recognized. Middle-aged, unremarkable in appearance, wearing clothes that suggested money but not nobility. He moved with the quiet confidence of someone who belonged wherever he happened to be.
“Miss Allencourt,” he said, his voice smooth and cultured. “Forgive the intrusion.”
“How did you get in here?” Cassara’s hand drifted instinctively toward where Spireglass would have been if she’d brought it.
“I have my ways.” He smiled, and it wasn’t entirely pleasant. “This isn’t my first visit to Vallemont, I assure you. Though the security has improved since my student days.”
“You’re not supposed to be here.”
“Many of the best solutions involve things we’re not supposed to do.” He stepped further into the chamber, hands clasped behind his back. “Word is you’re having some difficulty with your bonding process.”
Cassara’s blood turned to ice. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you don’t.” His smile widened. “But perhaps you’d be interested in a solution to a problem you definitely don’t have.”
He reached into his coat and withdrew a small leather pouch. From it, he produced six Aether Shards, each one pulsing with a different colored light.
“A-rank and S-rank beasts,” he said casually, setting them on the stone ledge where her creature had been sitting moments before. “A simple swap, and your troubles are over. No one would ever know.”
Cassara stared at the shards, her heart pounding. Each one represented everything she’d dreamed of. Power. Prestige. The kind of beast that would make her father proud, that would silence every doubt and whisper.
“You’re talking about cheating,” she said, though the words felt hollow.
“I’m talking about practical solutions to unfortunate circumstances.” He gestured toward the shards. “Take your pick. The fire drake is particularly impressive, bred from champion stock. Or perhaps the storm hawk? Magnificent in aerial combat.”
Her fingers twitched toward the shards almost involuntarily.
A fire drake. She could picture it now, sleek and deadly, breathing flames that would make the entire academy gasp in awe.
Her father’s face when he received word that his daughter had bonded with an S-Rank drake.
The look of shocked respect in Julian’s eyes.
The way Verena’s smug confidence would crumble.
“The storm hawk,” she whispered, almost to herself. “What can it do?”
“Lightning strikes. Flight speeds that put pegasi to shame.” The stranger’s voice was hypnotic, painting pictures of glory she could almost taste. “Imagine walking into that gala with such a creature at your side.”
She could imagine it. Could see herself standing tall as the crowd fell silent, watching her storm hawk spread its magnificent wings. No whispers about disappointing bonds. No pity or laughter.
No more marriage contract hanging over her head like an executioner’s blade.
“My father,” she said quietly, her voice barely audible. “He expects me to fail. He’s already planning my wedding.”
“Ah.” The stranger nodded with understanding. “Family expectations. Always so… limiting. But this could change everything, couldn’t it? Success has a way of rewriting the rules.”
Did it? He wasn’t wrong, it would change everything, but at what cost?
Her hand moved closer to the shards, hovering just inches above the storm hawk’s crystal. The light within pulsed like a heartbeat.
But then another memory surfaced. Small paws tucked beneath a tiny chin as her creature slept in her lap. The innocent questions. The way it had apologized for not being what she wanted, as if its existence was somehow a burden she had to bear.
“What happens to my current bond?” she asked.
The stranger shrugged. “Released back to the wild, most likely. Or used for training purposes. Does it matter? It’s clearly unsuitable for your needs.”
I get lonely. Can we practice now? I want to learn.
Cassara frowned, suddenly feeling defensive of the creature she didn’t even want. “It’s not unsuitable. It’s just… different.”
“Different doesn’t win competitions, or impress fathers, or silence critics.” His voice grew softer, more persuasive. “You know what they’ll say when you reveal your current bond. You know how they’ll look at you.”
She did know. She could already hear the whispers, see the barely concealed smirks.
Poor Cassara Allencourt, reduced to bonding with something so disappointing.
Her father would read the reports with that familiar expression of resigned disappointment.
Julian would comfort her with false sympathy while secretly reveling in her failure.
The marriage contract would be signed within the month.
“I could be powerful,” she said, more to herself than to him. “I could be everything they expect me to be.”
“You could be more than they expect,” he corrected. “You could be legendary.”
Her fingers trembled as they moved closer to the storm hawk’s shard. Just one touch. One moment of decision, and everything would change. She would walk into that gala as the tamer she’d always dreamed of being.
But even as she reached for it, she heard her creature’s voice again. I’m sorry I’m not what you wanted.
The memory stopped her cold. When had anyone ever apologized to her for simply existing? When had anyone ever tried so hard to please her, despite getting nothing but coldness in return?
“He chose me,” she whispered.
“I beg your pardon?”
“My creature. He chose me.” She pulled her hand back slightly, staring at the shards with growing uncertainty.
“Sentimental attachment,” the stranger said dismissively. “Hardly a basis for strategic decision-making.”
But it wasn’t sentiment, was it? It went deeper and felt suspiciously like integrity.
She wanted to win on her own terms, she’d always wanted that. The storm hawk might bring her victory, but it would be a hollow one.
A lie she’d have to carry for the rest of her life.