Chapter 21 #2
Firebeard’s gaze held mine. Then, wordlessly, he nodded and motioned me toward the edge of the field.
We stepped into the shade of the tree line, hidden by the trunks and low-hanging branches covered in frost and snow.
“The Eastern Encampment is failing,” he replied finally, his voice grim.
“But not because it’s been breached. It’s being drained. ”
“Drained?” I echoed.
“Word is, the Celetian Mountain is pulling the magic,” he continued. “But I’ve seen it.” His eyes sharpened. “Celetian isn’t only a source. It’s a seal. One that holds things older than the gods you pray to.” A chill slithered down my spine.
“What does that mean?” I whispered. “That we… let something out? Why would the High King pull from it, then?”
“Because kings don’t fear what they don’t understand.” Firebeard’s voice was quiet now. “And power—true power—doesn’t care if it poisons you while it feeds.” He looked off into the trees, his mouth tight. “But yes. I believe we’ve let something free.”
My brows pulled together. “Let something free? Like a shadow plague? The same thing that happened years ago?” I asked, staring up at him.
“You know your history, that’s good,” Firebeard commented before shaking his head “Though I’m not sure if it’s the same thing, whatever was sealed there may be far more darker, and if it’s out, I’m afraid it is draining the Celetian Mountain and once that’s dry it will work its way through the whole rune system. ”
“My father told me about the Rune system, the underground channels of glowing rock, the thing that feeds Arcanna mountain, Celetian, and even reaches all the way to Goetia, a system formed when Celetian went quiet the first time.”
“Exactly, now the gods contained this darkness once before at the bottom of Celetian, hoping it never would be awakened, but with the high king’s digging it was, and it’s stored at the base of our most powerful mountain. We practically gave it the power it needs to destroy us.”
A shiver ran down my back at his words, he was right though, we gave this evil everything it would need to succeed.
“D-do you think the High King is evil?” I asked, peering up at him.
“I don’t know,” he admitted, eyes narrowing. “But he’s tipping the world out of balance. And Soltheris? It doesn’t tolerate imbalance for long.”
I stared at him, my thoughts racing. “Why is everyone else keeping this quiet? None of the other professors will even acknowledge it.”
“They’ve either been paid off,” he replied bitterly, “or they’ve been threatened. But between you and me, I don’t think the High King is acting alone.”
I froze. “What do you mean?”
“I believe whatever was sealed beneath that mountain is whispering to him. Feeding him lies. Corrupting his mind. The high king was supposed to be good, a light of our world, but men’s hearts are easily corrupted.” His eyes locked with mine. “And not all magic is given freely, Rynlee.”
He stepped away, his next words like a blade slicing through the fog: “Some of it must be stolen. Some of it… must be bled for.” And with that, he turned and strolled off into the trees, leaving me standing there alone, soaked in silence, my breath caught in my throat, and a fear I couldn’t shake blooming deep inside my chest.
My mind was still reeling as I crossed the courtyard, thoughts tangling over themselves in a mess of fire, shadow, and truths I wasn’t sure I was ready to carry.
The kiss. Firebeard’s revelation. The way everything suddenly felt like it was shifting beneath my feet.
My chest felt tight, like the world was unraveling in more ways than one.
“Rynlee!” I flinched at the sound of his voice.
Alaric. Just the person I didn’t want to see.
Not because I was still angry about him leaving during my punishment, I’d mostly worked through that but because the weight of what had just happened with Aiden sat heavy in my gut.
I kept walking, hoping he’d take the hint, hoping he’d let me disappear into the crowd.
He didn’t. He caught up quickly, fingers wrapping around my arm and spinning me toward him.
“Hey, are you alright?” His brows knit together in concern.
“No,” I said immediately. “I’m still mad at you.” It was a lie. Or at least… not the whole truth.
“Mad at me for what?” he asked, genuinely confused.
I huffed and crossed my arms. “For abandoning me, Alaric. During my punishment.” I met his eyes, forcing the words to land. “That was a pretty shitty thing to do.” Guilt flickered across his face. He looked down, jaw tightening.
“You’re right. And I’m sorry, Ryn.” He hesitated, then added softly, “I did come see you in the infirmary.” I looked back up.
“I mean, you were asleep,” he said quickly, lifting a hand to cup my cheek.
His touch was gentle. Familiar. And somehow…
hollow. “But after Aiden practically kicked my ass, I went straight to your bedside.” My heart fluttered at the mention of Aiden, completely against my will.
The memory of that kiss flashed through my mind, vivid and unwelcome, and guilt crashed over me all over again.
“Alright,” I murmured quietly, looking away. “You’re forgiven.” Relief softened his expression. He leaned in, resting his forehead against mine, and I let it happen even though it felt… off.
“I’ll make it up to you, okay?” he said. Then he paused, pulling away slightly, his brows furrowing. “Why are you wet?”
“Firebeard training,” I replied softly, lifting my gaze to his.
“So… how do you plan on making it up to me?” His smile returned, easy, boyish.
He lifted me off the ground before I could react, and a giggle escaped me despite myself.
My hands came up to cup his cheeks as I looked down at him, his lips mere inches from mine.
“I have a few ideas,” he murmured, leaning in. I turned my head at the last second, his lips brushing my cheek instead. I forced another laugh as he set me back on my feet, arms wrapping around my waist.
“I hope strawberry cake is one of those ideas,” I said lightly, slipping out of his grasp with a smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes.
“But I should change. Wouldn’t want to catch a cold.
” He gave a slight nod. I turned and walked away, the sound of my boots echoing against the stone, my thoughts still tangled in fire and shadow and the growing realization that something had shifted, whether I was ready for it or not.
I shut the dorm door behind me and immediately slumped against it, spine pressed to the wood as the kiss replayed in my mind on an endless loop.
Shit. Aiden’s mouth on mine. The way he’d kissed me like he’d been starving.
The desperation. The heat. My heart fluttered traitorously all over again. I hated how good it had felt.
Too good.
“You, okay?” Gia asked, glancing up as she finished tightening the straps on her leathers. I opened my mouth to say something but ended up shaking my head instead. “What’s wrong?”
“Everything,” I muttered, pushing myself off the door and trudging farther into the room. I peeled off my damp leathers, the fabric sticking to my skin. “This day has already been… a lot.”
Gia stilled, instantly picking up on the shift. “What happened?”
I hesitated, only for a second.
“Aiden and I kissed during training,” I blurted, grabbing a towel and scrubbing it through my wet hair. “Like, really kissed. Full-on. And it was…” I trailed off, exhaling sharply. “It was a moment.”
Gia’s brows shot up. “You and Aiden? Kissed?”
“Yeah,” I sighed, tugging on dry leathers and avoiding her eyes. “And gods, Gia, it felt like everything. I’ve never been kissed like that before.” My voice wavered despite myself. “But then he pulled away. Said it was the bond. That he still resents me.”
Her expression softened immediately. “Resents you?”
I nodded, sitting on the edge of my bed to pull on my boots. “He says he doesn’t hate me, just resents me. And the worst part?” I let out a heavy breath. “He won’t even tell me why.”
“Mmm,” Gia hummed, brows knitting together. “That’s… weird. Maybe he doesn’t know how to explain it yet.”
“Maybe,” I shrugged. “I don’t know. That kiss just made everything more complicated.” I stared down at my hands. “I feel guilty. I’m still with Alaric. And then there’s this bond. Maybe it really is just that.”
“Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t,” Gia said gently. “But either way, you’re not alone. You still have me.” She nudged my arm, a small smile tugging at her lips. I smiled back despite myself.