Chapter 18 Caelan Feanor, Escort Extraordinaire
Caelan Feanor, Escort Extraordinaire
ANNA
Ididn’t think it could get any colder, but as the ice formed outside my window, I knew it was going to be a long winter.
Blake was nowhere to be found and I was beginning to have doubts about that night in the tower.
Maybe I wasn’t as interesting as he thought I’d be.
The whole thing had me fully giving myself over to my classes.
The semester was quickly drawing to an end, and I was buried in assignments. Isabella and I had been studying night and day, skipping meals in Veynara Hall, instead opting for the delivery option to the dorm that was available during the two weeks leading up to finals.
When we finally made it to the hall for dinner, I was stunned by the transformation for the Year’s End Celebration.
Evergreen garland was strung throughout the hall, and candles were burning along every table with beautiful table centerpieces of garland and small red lingonberries.
A violinist played a festive and beautiful melody near the fire, the gentle draw of their bow in perfect sync with the movement of their body.
The grounds had been lit to welcome the new year.
The trails through the gardens were cleared of snow, while the pristine white snowflakes glittered in the light of thousands of candles lining the paths.
The village was lit long into the night, and live festive music could be heard if you listened hard enough.
In classic Nightfall tradition, a gathering was held on the rooftop to celebrate the coming winter break—a final event before finals and the Winter Ball.
I questioned my sanity for agreeing to go as I tugged my fur-lined cloak around my shoulders.
The cold was brutal. But when I saw the glow of hundreds of tiny golden lights flickering against the vast landscape, it took my breath away.
The flames glowed against the backdrop of mountains silhouetted beneath a starry night sky.
The scent of fresh pine and melted wax warmed me from within.
Fresh garlands adorned the archways and wrapped the railings while snowflakes fell like glitter across the terrace.
The candles were clustered everywhere I looked, some within lanterns, and others in varying heights as they burned bright.
Students huddled in groups, laughing and staying close for warmth and conversation. Many sat around the great stone hearth with a crackling fire burning with glowing embers that would ensure a long evening of warmth.
Isabella joined me and handed me a steaming mug of hot chocolate. I took a sip, and it immediately warmed me from within.
“Could you have imagined this moment at the top of that waterfall?” she asked.
I chuckled, my lips still at the edge of my mug, but stopped the moment Cody’s face came to mind.
The cheer was palpable, and she was right—it was jarring. How could somewhere with such brutal requirements for entrance have such spirit and culture? Surely he was okay, somewhere out there, right? I set my hot chocolate down, no longer wanting it.
Isabella had certainly decided to embrace the moment. She was dressed like a winter catalog cover model with a fuzzy headband holding her hair and stretching over her ears. She shook her head, eyes looking into the distance.
“I wonder what Adept will be like,” she mused.
I’d wondered that too.
“What’s different about it? Some of them strut around here like they’ve been anointed the newest Aurkai,” I muttered.
Isabella glanced at a group of them. “You’re right.
I’ve hung out with some of them and they act like they own the place.
I did hear something, though—Jared was talking to Eli and me the other day and he said that once you get to Adept everything’s different.
He said it as if it were a secret or something. ”
My brows furrowed. “Different how? Don’t they take more advanced classes and train in a different hall? Do they tell them about the secret ingredient in the meatloaf?”
Isabella giggled. “I don’t know, but they get access to the village—after that, I can visit my dad more.”
I smiled. I knew it’d been bothering her that she wasn’t allowed to visit him except with special permission.
Despite that, Isabella became the most popular Initiate in our group.
She seemed to have friends in every clique in the school.
I was always impressed with how easily she made conversation with everyone we encountered.
Only recently had I started to notice how much information she’d been gathering.
Nothing she spoke about was random. Her greetings and conversations were targeted and rooted in fact-finding.
It made me wonder how much she remembered and I wanted to ask her, but Blake’s warning was going off in my head like a siren.
Revealing that their little mind trick hadn’t worked on me might get me kicked out and then I’d never figure out what was going on.
I glanced around for Blake, not really hopeful I’d see him—and I was right. Where was he?
Giving up on him showing up and asking me to the ball, another thought entered my mind—beneath Isabella’s detailed makeup and infectious smile was a sharp mind constantly assessing her surroundings.
I wanted to tell her the truth, to warn her—especially about Malakai.
Ever since that moment on the cliff, we’d naturally stuck together through classes and had each other’s backs.
Still, I didn’t feel like I knew her. She kept a pristine facade up that was hard to see through and it was only in rare moments like this one that I was certain there were layers deep underneath that never saw light.
I wanted to know that I could trust her with this, but I wasn’t there yet. I’d have to keep an eye on her.
“Anna?” she called.
I blinked. “Sorry, got lost thinking about the tasks.”
She scoffed. “We need to stop talking about that. This is supposed to be a fun night! Look, here comes Eli and Ji-Han. Maybe one of them will ask you to the ball! Don’t forget, if you get asked here, tradition says you have to say yes or it’s considered rude.”
My stomach did a backflip as I snapped my head towards the guys as they came over.
“Are you serious? What kind of tradition is that?” I asked, looking around for any excuse to bolt.
“What’s the big deal?” Isabella asked. “Don’t you want to get asked?”
“Honestly, I don’t know if I want to go,” I said.
“Bella, Wonder Woman!” Eli said, pulling each of us in for a brief hug.
“Hey, Eli,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Ya know, if you’re going to keep calling me that, I’m going to give you a nickname too.”
He grinned from ear to ear. “I already got one! Captain America, at your service.”
I smiled, recalling his motivation during the tasks.
I glanced at Ji-Han, remembering how determined he was, and a sense of ease swept over me.
Perhaps one didn’t need some tragic purpose for wanting to be here.
Seeing their spirit and determination gave me hope. Perhaps, one day, I could be like them.
Ji-Han was giving Eli a skeptical look before he smiled politely, briefly waved his hand, and nodded.
“Eli, you’re ridiculous,” he said before turning to Bella and me. “How are you both?”
I bowed as Ji-Han did, recalling the traditional greeting from my days in Taekwondo. The familiarity was refreshing.
“Ji-Han, let’s spar again after the ball,” I said.
He grinned. “You’re on!”
Eli put his hands up. “Hold on, you two are talking about sparring? Let’s not forget there’s a ball tomorrow. Or more like, after party! Who’s taking you ladies? I need to know. I have to give them the rundown on how they treat my friends before they try and do somethin’ that’ll get them hurt.”
I laughed partly because of how ridiculous he was and how sincere he seemed.
“Now look, I’m serious,” he said. “There are some fools up in here. Like that wiry vampire-looking guy that’s always brooding. Ya’ll best watch out for that one.”
“Are you talking about Malakai?” I asked.
Eli nodded, and Ji-Han made a face.
“Yes, he’s bad news,” Ji-Han said, nodding.
“Whatever,” Bella said. “He’s one of the Aurkai. He can’t be that bad. Are you two bringing dates?”
“Oh, we secured our dates weeks ago,” Eli said. “I’m taking the cutie with the really nice—”
“Kayla,” Ji-Han interrupted, giving Eli a stern look.
“Yeah, yeah, Kayla,” Eli said. “And Ji-Han and Riya are going. As friends. You know how those studious types are.”
I snorted, trying to keep my laughter to a minimum.
“Hey, do you know any guys that haven’t got a date yet? Anna here is sans a man,” Isabella said.
“What? Well, we’ve got to fix that,” he said. “Hang tight.”
I gave Isabella a sharp look and glanced at the stairwell to the common room.
“And that’s my cue to head to the dorm,” I said to myself, as I watched Isabella chatting merrily with a group of Adepts including Everson and Corinya.
I paused, seeing his hand around her waist.
So, he wasn’t frozen solid. I let my lips pinch at one side, amused the man thought about anything other than his job.
Seeing Isabella glance at me, I bolted from the rooftop, refusing to get stuck with her choice of date for me. When I got to the bottom of the stairs and was back inside Meridian Hall, I crashed into something hard.
“Woah!”
Strong arms steadied me, and I found Caelan watching me with a bemused smile.
“Going somewhere?” he asked, his lips twisted in a half-grin.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry; I was just, well, yeah, I was heading out.”
“I am glad I caught you then; I was coming to see if I could find you,” he said.
“Oh,” I said. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, scratching the back of his neck and looking idly across the room as the others mingled and laughed. “I wanted to know if you would like to be my date to the ball?”
His request completely floored me. Caelan was asking me? My lips parted, and my voice completely failed me.
“Uh, I,” I stuttered, trying to get my mind to focus on saying something, hell, anything other than sounds.
“And I know about that stupid tradition and everything, but you do not have to worry about that at all,” he said, shaking his head with a nonchalant expression. “I will not be offended at all if you had other plans in mind.”
“No,” I finally mustered, thinking of how Blake had been gone for so long. “It’s not that at all. I wasn’t expecting you to ask me, that's all. I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to go, to be honest.”
Caelan’s soft expression fell, and my heart pounded painfully in my chest.
“Oh, yeah, of course,” he said.
“But I’d love to go with you,” I said, forcing a smile, ignoring the hollow ache in my chest. “I thought you’d ask Saryna, though.”
Caelan’s smile was the medicine I needed. My heart calmed and my mind cleared.
“Saryna has been seeing someone,” he said, shrugging. “Being rather mysterious about it, too.”
“Oh,” I said.
“Besides, the ball is about escorting someone you respect and admire; that way, you usher in the new year with someone of strength and resilience to lean on,” he said.
Heat rose to my cheeks and I watched Caelan try to maintain his composure. He’d been a true friend to me throughout my training, and of all the Aurkai, he was the one I related to the most. I smiled warmly, deeply grateful for his companionship.
“Thank you, Caelan,” I said. “I’d be honored for you to escort me to the ball.”
He grinned from ear to ear. “Great. Sorry for keeping you. Would you like me to walk you to your dorm?”
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” I said. “I wouldn’t want you to miss the party.”
He smiled. “Night, Anna.”
A loud sound from a group of Adepts who’d had too much to drink roared from across the room.
Caelan glanced at me with a mock look of worry and I peered over at them, seeing them goofing off with one of the guys riding around on another’s shoulders.
As I watched them for a moment, the door to the hall opened.
It was Blake. He had to be kidding—how could he show up after Caelan asked me? He watched me from the shadows, his expression tight.
Swallowing painfully, I smiled at Caelan, bid him goodnight, and slipped away.