“And you were filling her with rainbows and sunshine while you lost your mind not ten minutes ago?” Heidi challenged, and Selene responded with a deeper and louder growl, “At least I’m giving her the truth,” Heidi finished.
“I think I need to lie down,” I said.
“There’s no time for an existential crisis. Selene’s idea to whisk you away is best for now. Discredit Sanguis Academy as thoroughly as possible and slow the spread of information—keep the truthfulness of everything questionable, as much as possible until the Royal Conference confirms it all,” Heidi said.
“My plans precisely,” Selene concurred, as if it had been obvious that those were her intentions from the start. “And how do you propose to help?” she questioned Heidi.
“I will return to my House and speak with my grandmother. Coactus have always allied ourselves with Borealis, but perhaps such an alliance is not as strong as it once was?” Heidi asked, tilting her head in a way that communicated something privately between herself and Selene.
“Perhaps not,” Selene agreed. “Ardens are a strong ally, comprising the entire northwest.”
“I don’t mean to disrespect you, friend, but can you hold Ardens and what was Vouna together? There was much trouble brewing in the North before this summer’s fiasco,” Heidi asked.
Selene turned her gaze away from Heidi and to me, her jaw tensed, as she swallowed. “Yes, I am certain I can join and hold the lands. It might be chaotic for a time, but manufactured chaos is better than its wild cousin.”
“And much more useful,” Heidi nodded in agreement.
“We will return to Ardens, and you to Coactus. Give your Lady Coactus my well wishes,” Selene said, ending the conversation. Heidi nodded, signalling that the conversation over.
“Goodbye, Selene.” Heidi hesitated, half-turning towards the door before turning back and rolling on the balls of her heels for a moment.
“Just get it over with,” Selene snapped, looking back and down at me before stepping aside.
Heidi smiled and lunged forward, wrapping Selene in a hug and kissing her cheek. Selene was rigidly still, and I held my breath, a fleeting feeling of panic. Heidi was a madwoman. She quickly released Selene and turned her affections towards me, bending down to hug me.
‘Flower girl is a title given by the people of the land, Percy. Sometimes, the common people choose their own,’Heidi said through her power before releasing me and waving as she made her way down the hall to the staircase.
“Did she say anything to you?” Selene asked once Heidi was gone, and her rigid stance relaxing only fractionally, “Telepathically,” she explained at my blank look.
“Only to question if it was safe to be around you,” I answered, unsure why I had lied. There was just something about Heidi’s parting words that seemed private and secretive; they were only for me. I wasn’t sure of their meaning and purpose, but it felt like a strangely important message. And I couldn’t be sure if Selene was truly trustworthy, not after what had happened. She might have been afraid, she might have thought she was acting to protect me, but her choice to have President Minerva test me felt like an unforgivably betrayal.
Selene took my hand, entwining our fingers.
“We shall not be returning here, my dear. Do you wish to say goodbye to your garden?” she asked as she pulled me up from the sofa.
“Do you think someone will take over its care?” I asked in return.
“I suspect not for some time,” she replied.
“I think I’d rather not see it again,” I answered, swallowing a sad lump in my throat. The rooftop garden was more than a garden. It was a gift from Selene, my Princess; it felt like ours, and I felt a grief at its loss that I did not feel for my garden at my father’s home. Its memory seemed tainted now. Before, it was a private space for only us—safe—until Selene allowed the Academy guard to invade it.
Selene nodded and did not ask my permission before scooping me up into her arms. I was weak and past protesting. She was strong, and I didn’t think I had much more walking in me.
I was cold and she was warm as she cradled me tenderly. I pressed my face against the heat of her neck as she carried me from the mansion.
Part of me felt like I was giving in when I should have continued to fight. Another part of me welcomed feeling safe in Selene’s arms again.
I wanted so desperately to be connected to her. Wasn’t that why I was so upset that she was blocking our connection with enchantments? I wanted to be close to her; I wanted to know what she felt and thought.
To be kept at such a frightening distance—to the point that I questioned whether I could trust her—made my heart ache.
The car was waiting for us when we exited the mansion. Selene placed me inside, closed the door, and entered through the opposite side before swiftly pulled me across the backseat towards her as she leaned forward and closed the divider between us and the driver.
Once again, I gave in and allowed myself to lean against her—to be held firmly to her.
President Minerva stood like a sentinel at the gates, watching as a line of vehicles waited for the Sanguis Academy gates to open. Her features were neutral, but I found it intimidating that she had come out to watch all the Borealis and Ardens noble and servant students leave.
“Ardens is further northwest than Vouna, pet. The journey is long. We will travel to House Aqua and then switch from vehicle to train. We should arrive in just over a day,” Selene explained, pulling me closer to her while the gates to Sanguis Academy opened to allow us to exit.
