Chapter 17
“Savaé, are you coming? I wasn’t sure if you were concentrating really hard or daydreaming. Now I know which.” Kissa sighs, grabbing my arm up, almost as if she’s yanking me out of the dream itself.
I daydreamed through the rest of our morning classes.
“Let’s get some food in you. That hangover is rearing its ugly head, isn’t it?” Kissa remarks.
“Yeah, that green stuff definitely muddled things up,” I confide to Kissa. A strange familiarity growing between us. Is this what it’s like to have friends?
“That’s what makes it fun. Ya gotta let loose! You’re no fun when you’re so serious,” Seraphina teases. I spin to lance her with my glare, but she’s already darting up the steps, her blue war braids slashing between the battle axes crisscrossed against her back.
“Just depends on your definition of fun, Seraphina,” I call out behind her.
“Call me Seraph. As much as I love your ball-busting excursions, there are much more exciting things to fill up your free time with than just more fighting.” She elbows S?las, turning her head to throw a wink over her shoulder at me.
I roll my eyes. I don’t think I even want to know what fills her wild free time. I don’t appreciate her horrible attempts at trying to be a wingfemale for her friend.
We make it to the dining hall. Though no longer decorated for the celebration, it is still incredibly beautiful. The walls are made of sandalwood, with beautiful carved murals of famous battles embellished with accents of gold. Kissa tugs me from my gazing to a table with our entire Zenith Wing.
I plop my ass down, a grumble brewing in the back of my throat as S?las takes the seat right across from me.
A fetching smile grazes his lips. I steel my expression as a wave of warmth courses through my body.
I don’t know what’s between us, but it’s nothing I can’t suppress or stab out of existence.
A subtle sadness falls over his face when I clearly don’t give in to the acknowledgment he’s looking for.
I guess me not fawning over him is hitting him hard.
A golden plate steaming with more food than I can eat in a month appears before me.
Beyond the few cured meats, I don’t recognize anything.
The combination of savory and sweet things has me salivating.
I pick up a flakey, doughy triangle, my mouth bursting with flavors as melted cheese slides down my throat. I savor each bite.
I’m pretty sure I’m full-on drooling as I pick up the next thing on my plate. A small cake with layers of fudge and pink icing, covered with heart berries dusted in edible gold. The eruption of flavors on my tongue rolls my eyes back. Simply divine.
“This is a first. I never thought I’d find myself jealous of a cake.” S?las’ smoky voice wakes me from the delight dancing on my tastebuds.
“If a dessert can do that to her, imagine what you could do,” Seraphina teases S?las. The faintest hint of crimson kisses his cheeks, while shadows swirl violently in his eyes. I cut right through Seraph with an ice-shard glare.
“Yikes. See, this is what I mean, Savaé. No fucking fun. Lighten up. I’m just providing the entertainment for lunch. I’ve been told I’m an excellent wingfemale. Some even beg me to join the liaisons.” She winks.
I’m pretty sure my eyes nearly roll out of my head at her brash remark. I have a dirty mouth, but I’m civil in public in comparison to Seraph. I continue to enjoy my food until I’m interrupted by a kiss planted on my cheek.
Fuck.
Winx and I clearly have very different interpretations of what is shared between us. I’m not looking forward to that clarifying conversation. She slinks her way in between me and Kissa.
Palpable anger radiates off Kissa; she likely would’ve punched her if she was anyone other than the Chancellor’s daughter.
Winx’s hand grasps onto my leg before sliding up between my thighs.
I try my best to muffle the blaze on my cheeks and not cough up my food from how forward she’s being.
I’m more of a giver than receiver, so this is uncomfortable to say the least. Plus, I’ve never had someone show affection like this to me in public. I’m not sure what to do.
I look straight ahead to S?las—to my surprise, he’s glaring at Winx with a hateful scowl.
Is he jealous? Celestials, everything here is far more complicated than I want it to be.
He’s just a flirt; I didn’t think his cake comment had any truth to it.
And we were both high last night, so that hardly counts.
“Winx, you’re not allowed to sit at our table. Fuck off back to your Wing,” Vex grumbles.
“Chet is being insufferable. I need my knight in shining armor to put a smile on my face.”
My fingers rub my aching temples as I pray to the Celestials for it to be sparring time so I can beat the shit out of something and forget everything else that has happened today. And last night.
Winx catches S?las’ scowl, which only emboldens her. She pulls back my hair, tucking it behind my ear as she whispers, not breaking S?las’ glare, “Meet in my room tonight. I’d like to thank you for defending my honor with that insufferable twat my father is set on vowing me to.”
S?las’ eyes are almost entirely black beneath the storm of smoke torrenting through them.
Then I look over to Winx; her eyes are vibrantly flaring neon violet at an erratic rate.
Whatever the fuck is going on between the two of them, I want nothing to do with it.
I don’t want to understand it or be a part of it.
Instead of indulging this madness, I stand up, face cast in steely ice. I’m not going to be caught in the middle of some pissing contest. I head to the door, hearing my Wing erupt into bickering behind me.
A brunette male with short hair stands up from Chet’s table before walking right into my path.
“Hey, cutie, you can call me Lorgan.” He grins. “You left a nasty mark on Chet today. I’d hate to have to mess up that beautiful face of yours.”
I nearly vomit up all that delicious food listening to the words crawl out of his mouth.
He’s strongly built, but something about his appearance reminds me of a hairy gorgon spider.
My skin hums with an insane well of power brimming to the surface again, begging to be unleashed.
I clench my fists at my hips, hoping to quell it.
I lift my lip in a snarl. “I am incredibly hungover. I will only ask nicely once. Please, move the fuck out of my way.” It feels as if I’m holding an avalanche at bay—just the tip of my fingers between me and devastation.
“I’ll move when I damn well feel like moving and when I’m sure you have gotten the message. I could always relay this message to you out of aerial leathers, if you prefer?”
And just like that, I snap.
No longer able to hold back after what that disgusting filth said to me.
There is clearly no room for consent in his tone; thus, my magic believes his consent is not needed for what happens next.
Without even thinking it into being, I watch a whirlpool of food whip around the room, off everyone’s plates as it flies at him, covering him in a mountain of fancy baked goods.
Then I hear the shattering of hundreds of plates against the wall. The fractured pieces swirl in a cyclone around Lorgan, slowly inching forward, superficially slashing across his skin, slowly gashing their way deeper.
I inhale, filling my lungs, releasing the tension in my muscles as the shards fall to the ground on my exhale. I definitely do not want to get expelled for killing someone who isn’t even worth another thought. The dining hall is dead silent as I walk out the door.
I don’t even know what kind of magic that was.
Normally, you need to envision what you want to do in your mind before you move your hands, listening to energy, casting your vision into light.
Sully had never taught me about a type of magic that could be cast without even forming an image in your mind, never mind not using your hands to bring the magic into being.
Unless, of course, you’re a master magic wielder, but I don’t even know what magic I just unleashed.
All I know is, right now, I need to get away from everyone.
When did I become so horrible at keeping a low profile? I’m not sure how I managed to keep out of sight back in Estrella, but clearly, those skills are lost to me here. I don’t even want to think about the trouble I’ll be in for casting like that against another ensign outside of the Warded Hollow.
This will make two students I’ve injured outside of training.
Commander Bragen is surely going to ask for my head.
And to add to my list of transgressions, I’m going to have to tell the Chancellor’s daughter she can’t go around kissing me in public.
The chances of me surviving to graduation are getting slimmer and slimmer, and it’s only the first day.
I find myself outside by Sully’s statue. It’s lightly snowing. The flakes melting against my skin are a cool relief. I didn’t even know my body could get this hot.
“I really wish you were here to tell me what the fuck is going on with me. Although you’d also probably be pretty disappointed. So I guess it’s better you’re not.” I reach my hand out, grazing the rough, frozen stone of his statue’s boot. I could really use some of his wisdom right now.
The wind picks up, breezing a chilled shiver down my spine. Pip must sense it, because the next thing I know, he is scurrying up my arm, around my neck. I nuzzle the warmth of him mimicking a scarf.
“Thanks, Pip,” I say with a small smile. Goosebumps rise on the back of my neck. I figure they’re from the snow gale but turn to find a mass of smoky shadows taking the shape of S?las. I twirl back around towards the statue. Can’t people just leave me alone for five minutes? For Celestial’s sake…
“Are you okay?” he asks quietly, as if he’s afraid to speak for once. Am I okay? No. Obviously not.