Chapter 4
Elora
The crowded dining hall held a silence deeper than when it was empty.
People filled every chair but one. Elora’s gaze kept drifting to that empty seat across from her.
Arria’s seat. Her laughter used to drown out the hum of conversation.
Now the silence suffocated the entire room.
Every clink of a spoon against a bowl sounded unnaturally loud.
Elora stared down at her portion, the dark broth swirling with pieces of chopped beef. The sight made her stomach clench. The blood-red chunks bobbed in the bisque, drifting in slow circles. They turned and twisted into a shape Elora couldn’t get out of her head: a body. Still and broken.
Her hands tightened around the table’s rim, her fingers digging into the wood.
She tore her eyes away, but the image wouldn’t leave her.
It clung to her vision, a ghostly imprint behind her eyelids.
The sight of Arria’s pale, lifeless face flashed in her mind again.
She could still feel the coldness of Arria’s hand in hers and the way it grew heavier with each passing second.
Elora’s throat tightened, making it impossible to breathe.
She gasped for air, demanding her lungs to listen, to let her calm down.
But it was impossible. The walls loomed closer.
The din of muted conversations pressing in on her ears became a distant, almost distorted hum.
She pushed her spoon through the stew, but her trembling hands caused the broth to slosh over the edges. I should have done more.
She needed a distraction, but everywhere she looked, she saw only grief. The students sat hunched over their meals, their faces pale and drawn. Some stared blankly at their food. Others whispered in hushed tones. But no one dared to look at the empty chair. No one dared to speak Arria’s name.
Elora pushed the bowl away, unable to look at it without her gut twisting.
Her nails dug into her knees beneath the table.
It was a desperate attempt to anchor herself, to keep the grief from swallowing her whole.
She blinked frantically, trying to focus, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw it all again: the way Arria had convulsed, her lips turning blue, her breath trapped, her life fading.
Across the crowded dining hall was the long table where the professors usually sat.
But tonight, it was empty. Her heart raced, willing Tehvan to appear.
She needed him. He had always been there for her.
He would always hold her when she cried, be there for her, comfort her, be a steady constant in the darkness, and chase away all her fears.
He had to tell her that Arria’s death meant something, that it wasn’t just another cruelty in a world that thrived on them. Tell her it wasn’t her fault, that she had done everything she could. If he wasn’t coming to find her, then she’d have to find him.
Elora stood, her legs shaky as she left the dining hall. Her footsteps echoed through the darkened corridors as she hurried toward the professors’ quarters. When she reached the entrance, a tall, overweight guard with a burly beard blocked her path.
“No students allowed.”
Elora opened her mouth to protest, but his unwavering stance told her it was pointless. She turned away, frowning. Tehvan wouldn’t be there to comfort her tonight.
Instead, she made her way out of the Institute and headed toward the woods that bordered the grounds.
Pine and moss hung heavy in the air along the familiar path.
The trees seemed to bend over her; leaves rustling in the summer breeze.
It was as if they knew her sorrow and sought to shield her from the world.
Elora walked until she reached the small clearing she and Arria had claimed as their own over the years.
Through the canopy, the moonlight cast a soft, ethereal glow on the grass and wildflowers they’d planted.
The wind carried a phantom scent of lavender and rosemary, caressing her skin and cheeks. The oils Arria used to wear.
She sank into the turf, pulling her knees close to her chest and wrapping her arms around herself tightly. The ground was damp beneath her, the cold seeping through her clothes, but she didn’t care.
She had been so scared and unsure about what awaited her at the Institute when she first arrived.
They were assigned as roommates, and while Elora was reserved and wary, Arria’s warmth was impossible to resist. It wasn’t long before they were sharing everything, laughing about the ridiculous demands of their instructors, or dreaming about the lives they might have after leaving.
They’d spent countless hours right here in this clearing, playing games, concocting harmless potions, or simply lying back and watching the stars. This had been their place, a refuge from the intensity of their training. A place for them to be themselves.
The callous indifference of the masters twisted something deep inside her. How could they be so cruel? How could those who were meant to guide and protect care so little for the life of someone as bright and full of promise as Arria?
Elora rubbed her eyes, but they were dry, the tears blocked by a wall of shock.
Grief and anger constricted her heart and mind like thorny vines.
Impossible to touch without getting pricked.
So, the numbness remained. Her mind drifted in and out of a haze, barely noticing the soft crunch of footsteps approaching behind her.
“Elora?” A quiet, fragile voice shattered the silence that hung in the clearing. Elora turned her head slightly, just enough to see Rian standing at the edge of the tree line. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her hands fidgeted anxiously. She looked lost.
Elora managed a nod, acknowledging her presence, but didn’t speak.
The words felt stuck in her throat. She wasn’t even sure what she would say.
She couldn’t even hear her thoughts. In the recesses of her mind, she could make out vague questions, like how did Rian know I was here?
But allowing them to the forefront felt meaningless.
It didn’t matter. The numbness inside her had taken root, and she let herself sink deeper into it.
Rian took a small step closer and inspected the dark shadows of the trees before slowly sitting down in the grass near Elora. She could feel the weight of Rian’s need for comfort, for connection, but Elora couldn’t bring herself to offer it.
Minutes passed, or possibly longer; it was hard to tell.
She was vaguely aware of more footsteps crunching over fallen leaves and faint voices whispering in the woods.
Rowan appeared next, his face just as pale as Rian’s.
He hesitated at the brink of the clearing for a second before lowering himself onto the grass beside Rian.
Alfie followed, his eyes darting around nervously. He sat down on the other side, away from everyone else. Lily came soon after, her expression distant, her fingers absently tugging at the hem of her sleeve. She chose a spot further back and leaned against a tree.
The clearing gradually filled with students, some grouping together in twos and threes, others sitting alone.
Every new person made the air thicker with unspoken grief.
There was a collective sorrow pressing down on all of them like a suffocating fog.
Elora sensed their presence around her, but her eyes and mind remained unfocused. Distant.
Then Symond arrived. His footsteps were heavier, crushing twigs and leaves almost purposefully.
He stopped at the tree line’s edge, his eyes sweeping over the gathered students.
His face was missing its usual mask of cold detachment.
Inside, his anger was clear; his jaw clenched, fists balled tight at his sides.
He stood there for a moment, as if deciding whether to join them or turn back. Finally, with a sharp exhale so everyone could hear his frustration, he stepped forward and sat down onto the grass, away from the rest.
Elora felt the simmering heat at the edge of her awareness, yet she refrained from looking at him directly.
The others glanced between themselves, waiting, expecting something.
It wasn’t common for Symond to hold his tongue, especially when he radiated animosity like he was now.
But he stayed silent. Just like Elora. Just like everyone else.
No one could seem to bridge the distance that stretched endlessly between them. Not yet anyway.