“Oh, I imagine you wouldn’t,” he murmured. “But in time, you will.”
He gripped her shoulders with a force that was certain but not cruel. The pressure held, a solid reminder of something important she needed to grasp, even if she didn’t quite know what it was. She was caught in a mental tug-of-war between pulling away or staying completely still.
“You belong to me now,” he said. “And I intend to make you into something... special.”
The words made no sense. She wasn’t meant to be anything at all now. Just a ward, another lost cause among the broken lives hidden away in the shadows of the Institute. That’s it.
“I don’t...” She shook her head, her voice faltering. “I don’t understand. I failed. I should be—”
“A ward?” His hands pressed down on her shoulders. “Mopping floors, scrubbing pots, washing clothes—that’s the expectation, isn’t it? But that’s notallyou are, Elora.” He flashed a smile that was more predator than friend. “No, no… you’re far more than that to me. There’s a purpose for you beyond mere chores. Something greater, something only you can fulfill.”
Elora’s throat tightened. “Why?” she breathed out, each word sharp and fragmented, like shards of glass. “Why me?”
He reached out, gently lifting her chin with a single finger. His gentle touch had the chilling effect of ice on her skin. “You can thank Tehvan for that.”
“Tehvan?” she echoed, bewildered. “What does Tehvan have to do with this?”
Thorn chuckled softly, as if she’d asked a child’s question. “Oh, you’ll learn soon enough,” he said, a hint of menace lurking beneath the lightness of his words. He let his fingers linger on her shoulders for a moment longer, almost possessive, before stepping back. “But not today. Today, I need to prepare for thesuccessfulstudents’ departure.”
He gestured toward the door with a sweeping motion, still smiling. “You will spend the rest of the day in your room.”
Elora didn’t move at first, her mind reeling with unanswered questions. Thorn waited, his expression patient, as if he had all the time in the world. Slowly, she rose to her feet.
He stepped behind her, his hand pressing lightly against the small of her back, guiding her toward the door. His touch felt oddly... intimate, a chilling contrast to the threat she knew lurked beneath his every word.
She turned back to look at him, still desperate for some kind of explanation, but all she saw was that same unsettling smile.
A guard appeared, clasping her arm with a firm grip, pulling her down the corridor. Elora twisted her head back one last time. Thorn stood in the doorway, his hands tucked neatly behind his back, watching her. He gave her a small, satisfied nod, as if to say,this is only the beginning.
Chapter 9
Symond
Symond sat in one of the common rooms, slouched in a battered armchair near the edge of a group of enchanting students. The room buzzed with the leftover tension from the day, their voices a muddled hum that grated against his nerves. Most of the students had already left for the night, but a handful of them lingered, riding the high of surviving the ceremony.
Renna, Jax, and Mari were seated around him, leaning in close, their tones laced with the unmistakable thrill of gossip. It was all anyone could talk about, Elora’s rejection, the black flames swallowing her future whole. Symond pretended to listen, his expression carefully neutral, though his mind kept replaying the moment Thorn had slashed her hand and the flame had turned dark. He still saw the shock reflected in her pupils, the disbelief that had quickly morphed into fear.
“You should’ve seen Thorn’s face when the fire turned black,” Renna said, leaning forward, her eyes wide with glee. “He looked so pleased. I swear he’s been waiting for this day.”
“Of course he has,” Jax replied, a smirk tugging at his lips. He kicked his feet up onto the table, crossing his arms behind hishead. “Everyone knew Elora was Tehvan’s favorite. She’s been skating by on his good graces for years. It’s about time she got what was coming to her.”
Symond’s fingers drummed against the arm of his chair, each tap growing sharper, more agitated. He forced a tight smile, not trusting himself to speak yet.
Elora was now at Thorn’s mercy, as she should have always been. He knew exactly what Thorn would do, too. He’d been on the receiving end of Thorn’s “lessons” too many times to forget how Thorn could turn pain into something cold and calculated, like a knife slid under fingernails. He remembered the sting of the cane biting into his back, the days he spent locked in the dark, unsure if he’d gone mad or if he was even alive. That wasn’t even the worst of it. And now, finally, it would be her turn to feel it.
Mari, sitting across from him, raised an eyebrow, catching his expression. “You’re quiet, Symond,” she noted. “Aren’t you happy to see her knocked down a peg? I thought you, of all people, would be celebrating.”
He shrugged, trying to appear indifferent. “I am.”Very happy.He leaned forward in the chair, making an effort to be engaged in their conversation. “It was inevitable.”
Renna’s smile widened, leaning in close as if she were sharing a secret. “Can you imagine her scrubbing floors and slaving away in the kitchen?”
Jax laughed, tipping his chair back even further. “It would be poetic justice, wouldn’t it? She’s had everything handed to her. It’s time she learns what it’s like to be at the bottom.”
Symond imagined her as a ward, finally brought so low. He sensed something dark and ugly boiling up inside him, an emotion he was unable to name, unable to control. It wasn’t just satisfactionat her failure. It was a raw, burning need, a desire to make sure she suffered. Not just as a ward, buttrulysuffered, the way he had.
He remembered that time, years ago, when they’d both been caught sneaking into one of the alchemy labs and how Tehvan had arrived just in time to pull her away, to speak a few soft words that somehow set her free. Meanwhile, Symond had been dragged into Thorn’s office, left to endure hours of fury and pain, his pleas—“I’m sorry.” “Please, stop.” “It won’t happen again.”—all going ignored.
He’d hated her for that, hated her smug little smiles, her confidence, the way she always seemed so sure that nothing bad could ever happen to her. And now, she was finally facing the truth, facing Thorn without herpreciousTehvan to save her.
