Chapter 25
The next few weeks, my schedule is like clockwork with all of the escorts from my team.
The only time I have to myself is in my bedroom.
I’m not used to being so surrounded by Fae all the time.
Every day, I get stronger until I’m finally back to myself, but my cohort refuse to break their schedule of chaperoning me.
They know Chet will make another move if given the opportunity before Celestial Bonding Day. And he won’t make the same mistakes as last time.
Juniper and Fenwick hate me waking them up early in the morning for extra training and my morning jogs, so everyone takes turns now, waking up at the crack of dawn and waiting outside my door for the extra sessions.
I think the only one who ever arrives that early with a smile on their face is Flint.
He enjoys the extra sparring practice, and so do I.
He’s insanely strong—and most days, impossible to beat—but occasionally, I get the upper hand on him.
I also enjoy our silent jogs. I’ve slowly gotten to know him more on our cool-down walks afterwards.
“It’s been weeks now; please tell me you have finally made a move on Rizz.” I arch my brow at Flint, breathing hard next me after our run.
“I’ll ma-ma-make a move when you admit you feel sa-sa-something for S?las.” A coy smile tugs at his lips.
I elbow him in the side, which only hurts my flesh against his marble skin.
I look away, trying to hide my emotions.
His stutter always gets worse anytime I bring up the pretty boy with pink hair, Rizz Pinkerton.
In his quietness, he observes many things and has discovered teasing me about S?las is the quickest way to get me to shut my mouth.
“You need to spa-speak with Winx. You can’t avoid her forever.”
I run my palm over my sweaty face. “I’m not sure I’m ready for her to burn down the entire campus.”
“The conversation won’t go well, but you’re making it worse the longer you avoid it.
Sha-she may love to light things on fire, but she has never burned anyone alive…
No one that I know, anyway.” He shifts uncomfortably at that, his words oddly chosen.
The air becomes stiff between us. Winx is an unhinged firecracker, but surely she’s never killed anyone?
At least, not someone who didn’t deserve it?
“You’re not inspiring me into action with those last words, Flint.” I wave goodbye as I hit the showers to wash off the unsettling thought.
Atlas arranges several sessions to examine Pip, the dragon fire marking on my leg, and the gold woven into my skin.
He appears more and more frustrated after each session, unable to find anything in the archives that explains any of it.
I try to pry information from him regarding his comment about the Wuvon female looking for someone, but he always concocts some riddled answer, like I should know what he’s talking about.
I can’t entirely avoid Winx, but I’m always able to come up with an excuse to stay out of her room. With our busy class schedule, she’s often too exhausted to protest much.
Luckily, Gearin enjoys the heat of the forge, and he spends many nights with me there, teaching me more intricate runes to imbue magic on the weapons I create.
I’ve crafted several more dragon-fang-like daggers but with a flat, T-shaped hilt that wraps around my fingers. It’s also known as a push or punch dagger. One that is held in between the fingers of a clenched fist, landing a punch with a hidden, deadly edge.
I imbue the blade with potent magic from a small creature made of stone.
It lays stone eggs, and not all of them hatch.
I bargained a nest I made out of metal, designed to keep predators away, for an infertile egg.
I ground it up and refined the particles to work into the metal of the blade.
This added ingredient turns your blood to sludge and, eventually, your body to stone, if you don’t get the antidote.
The poison is known as the Petrifying Kiss.
I work with Pip to practice him sheathing a similar type of blade without poison to ensure I don’t kill myself or him during training.
Over time, I’m able to get him to release the blade, sheathed underneath him shaped as my bracer, with the flick of my wrist in a particular way.
I figure it’s a good failsafe to have in case Chet tries to sneak up on me again.
S?las remains broody and distant. He comes to my door every night, standing guard for varying amounts of time, but I don’t bother to open it.
I need to stay focused. The Celestial Bonding event is in just two days’ time.
I still haven’t figured out what my Celestial Gift is, which puts me at an insurmountable disadvantage for bonding.
Surprisingly, no one has noticed. Not sure what that says about the teaching staff here.
S?las seems to have managed to at least keep that secret as promised.
And I’ve discretely found ways to always be helping someone else when Professor Alaric walks by during our Combat Magic course in the Warded Hollow.
Most magical creatures can sense your Celestial Gift, as well as what kind of person you are.
They want to bond with someone they can make stronger, whose magic can be enhanced by them and not get them killed in the midst of battle.
So, it’s not unheard of for an ensign who’s marked as a potential Ellian Knight to complete the day of the Celestial Bonding without finding a creature to bond with.
Last year, this occurred to a male Yassur, who was reassigned to Scouting Rogue regiment.
He was trained without a Wing until one lost their own scout in aerial training when he fell off his Pegasus in a particularly intense maneuver.
I start to wonder where I will be reassigned if I fail. I hope it’s to Ground-Combatant.
There’s also the chance that you approach the wrong creature, and they eat you instead of bonding with you.
My heart aches at the thought of losing the team I have grown closer to in the last few weeks.
I’ve even spent several nights having slumber parties with Juniper, Fenwick, Kissa, Vex, and Orion.
I let Juniper braid my hair and grow numerous flowers through it, while Fenwick did my makeup and Orion dressed me up.
I have to admit, Orion has a wicked sense of style.
I even told them all I’d let them get me all done up for the Dawning Festival event after bonding my magical creature.
Kissa and I went for a few adventures out to the Mysticwoods south of campus. We raced one another through the branches, but with her feline grace, she always wins.
Tonight, we convinced some of the others to join us for a race.
“The course starts from this branch. Whoever makes it to the big tree ahead first wins. Ready? Set. Go!” I shout, leaping from limb to limb as Eko climbs straight up the tree we started at.
I’m swinging to the next limb while Highin flies past me and Eko is gliding down from above.
“Cheaters!” Kissa hisses between ragged breaths as she jumps to the next limb.
My feet slip on the knobby branch, my arms snapping up to grab on to another. I swing, perching on the next branch, looking up to see S?las and Seraph waving at us from the big tree at the finish line as shadows fade away from them. Highin lands next to them, shortly followed by Eko.
Kissa and I let out a string of curses as we tie for last place.
Eko cackles wildly, and I can’t help but join in, followed by Kissa and Seraph. Even Highin smiles and lets out a faint laugh. I tuck the sound of all our laughter somewhere safe, a precious memory. It’s rare we all get to be happy and have fun with how intense our schedule is.
That night, the world doesn’t seem so gloomy.
The light parts left of my soul shine a little brighter, a little stronger.
A sliver of happiness I grasp, nestling it like a treasure inside me.
Happiness to have friends, ones I will spend the rest of military life with.
I let the fear of failing to bond a magical creature slip away, instead focusing on the happy memories with my Zenith as I snuggle Pip tight and fall asleep.
A sea of bright stars glisten around me as I fly through the night sky. I am snatched from the beautiful sight. A shiver prickles down my spine.
The moon howls. Shadows slither around it, suffocating its light with a crimson eclipse. Screams echo all around me. My eyes well with tears as the stars dim and fade before me. An endless sea of black as stars weep from the sky, streaming down like crystal tears.
Their cries pour into my soul. Their heavenly forms shifting into beings of faded starlight, raining down all around me. The air grows thick with their wailing pleas for aid. I try to catch them, but their dimming light fades between my fingers as I beg them to tell me how to help.
Then my wings of pure energy flicker. Flickering again before dimming out completely.
I’m in free fall, joining their tumbling fate to death.
Agony pours from my lungs as my connection to magic rips away from my soul.
The land below grows closer. Closer and closer.
I welcome the sweet relief from the searing pain whittling my bones to ash.
An eerie darkness reaches to me from the skies, consuming all light around it, and suddenly, the ground below can’t come fast enough.
I shift my gaze away. I am heading straight for the heart of the Blackwood. Either direction is a fate I don’t want: a hungering darkness above and, below, a forest of monsters and Wuvon.
As I descend, someone in a small clearing takes shape.
A tall slender figure, with long, metallic black hair, billowing on black mist that emanates off her feminine form.
Her silver piercing eyes become solid crimson, drenched in a bloody night sky.
She’s gazing right at me, smiling with long white fangs.