Her fingers weave through my hair as she sections it to twist into a braid down my back. I feel like I’ve barely seen her lately. Sebastian said she was sick when I asked him where she’s been.
‘Nicks paired me up with a second-year student to spar with while the others are in CWM class. And she’s quick,’ I tell Lillian, though the particular bruise she spotted on my neck isn’t from the girl I’m training with, it’s from Sebastian’s mouth two nights ago.
‘Well, you need to be quicker. It’s going to be difficult to find you a dress that covers them up for tonight.’
She’s not wrong. My arms, legs, back and torso are littered with new and old bruises from the past few days. Some of them are a deep purple while others are fading into a greenish yellow. The balm I have on my dresser has been helping, but the second one bruise seems to heal, a fresh one appears.
‘I was actually thinking of wearing pants tonight,’ I admit a little hesitantly, looking over my shoulder at the black knee-length dress she’s chosen to wear. It hugs her body like a second skin, enhancing her natural curves and toned thighs from years of training. She’s paired it with a pair of black heeled boots. Her ceremonial robe is tossed over theend of my bed, next to my own. We must wear them for the ceremony outside, but once it’s over and the festivities begin, we’re allowed to take them off. And according to Lillian, that’s when the real party begins.
Lillian looks at me like I just told her I’m growing a tail.
‘You arenotwearing pants! This is the one night we get to dress up in this morbid fucking place. My best friends are men, Arianell.Men. You are the only person I can do this with, so you will let me do your hair and pick out a nice dress and then we are going to sit through that boring bloody ceremony and come back here for some fun.’
My desire to wear pants is strategic since, while everyone is at the ceremony, I’ll be climbing flights of stairs down to a secret library located beneath the Agate tower. But somehow, I don’t feel like I’m going to get out of this, and so I reluctantly agree and silently tell myself I’ll pick the least restrictive dress possible. That way if I need to make a quick escape with Tilly, I won’t be held back by the confines of a tight dress.
It takes less than half an hour for Lillian to dress me to her standard of acceptable for tonight’s celebration before we’re out the door. The top half of my hair is swept back into a braid, which rests on the lower half of my hair that’s left loose and spilling over my shoulders, like a white cape. Lillian unfortunately didn’t bring many clothing options that weren’t skintight, but I managed to find a dark green one withsomestretch to the fabric. It’s a long-sleeved garment that scoops low over my chest and ends a few inches above my knees. It’s by far the most modest of the pick, but as I walk down the stairs of the Malachite tower, I feel the dress riding up my thighs. My robe is draped over my arm, and suddenly I feel like I should have put it on before I left my room.
‘Are you feeling all right now?’ Lillian asks, just as we reach the door to the common area. ‘Did the tea work?’
I realised as we were in my room that I needed to think of a plan to leave the ceremony if Lillian stayed with me once we got outside. I’ve been slowly hinting at my stomach feeling uneasy, dropping small comments or wincing in pain as she got me ready. It’d be easier to standat the back of the crowd and slip out without anyone noticing, but just to be sure, I thought I’d lay down the groundwork early.
I’m supposed to meet Xavier and Tilly outside Agate’s door after the Offering to the Stars. This is where each unit leader and their respective faculty leaders, including Bartollo Zain, offer a small portion of magic to their Star. Xavier said it would be the easiest time to slip away as everyone’s eyesshouldbe glued to the performance.
‘A bit, though I’m still getting cramps.’ I feel awful lying to her, but I couldn’t think of another excuse to leave the ceremony at the time.
‘Maybe some fresh air will help,’ she offers, pushing the door open.
‘Maybe.’
The common room is busy with students of all years. I spot Isla and another girl over in the corner talking animatedly, their hands flying all over the place with cheerful smiles on their faces. A few second years leave the room, probably on their way to the ceremony to get a spot up front. I scan the faces around me, really hoping we don’t bump into Jed, because as relaxed and easygoing as he seems, he’s extremely perceptive. If he ended up standing with Lillian and myself, I don’t think I’d be able to lie tobothof them.
Luckily, Lillian seems eager to get out of here and takes me by the elbow, pulling me to the exit.
The second we’re outside my eyes trail up toward the moon. It shines bright in the sea of black above us, illuminating the shadows of students in their robes heading toward the cliff face closest to the academy. The cold snap that hit earlier this week has passed, leaving behind a comfortably warm, gentle breeze tonight. Soft chatter drifts in the air as people walk past. Excitement and anticipation swirls around me as I follow the crowd, while I try to keep an eye out for Xavier or Tilly.
Lillian is telling me a story of her first Imber Stellarum celebration at the academy, and how they all got drunk and slept under the stars, when an arm wraps around my middle and yanks me into a hard chest. I’m instantly engulfed in Sebastian’s smoky warm scent and feel my lips tip up as he drags me back toward the side of the building in the shadows.
I spin around in his arms. ‘What are you doing? Anyone could see—’
‘You lookfuckingbeautiful, Ria. I’m tempted to kill half the students here for looking over at you in this dress.’ He leans down and presses a kiss to the corner of my lips.
‘You’re insane.’ I chuckle against the dark stubble that’s grown in over the last few days.
‘Green suits you,’ he says, looking me up and down. Based on the way his hands tighten on my hips, I think he likes what he sees. Okay, maybe the dress isn’t all bad, I relent. Not when Sebastian’s looking at me likethat.
I blush. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be with Nicks getting ready?’ I ask, leaning into his warmth.
‘Yes, he is,’ Lillian interrupts, tapping on Sebastian’s shoulder. ‘Now shoo.’ She flaps both hands in his direction. ‘We’re having girl time and you’re ruining her hair!’
‘She won’t want to see it later then,’ he whispers just for me to hear, planting a soft lingering kiss on my lips before he leaves with a promise that he’ll find me after the Offering. The second he turns and leaves, guilt floods me because he won’t find me. I’ll be beneath Agate. Crap, maybe I should have told him earlier. I hate the thought that he will be worried and searching for me. But I can’t involve any more people than I already have. And I promised I’d keep Lukas and Sebastian separate.
Lillian and I continue walking toward the cliff, our surrounds getting darker as we move away from the lights spilling from the academy windows and deeper into the trees where the moon can’t reach us. I worry that I’ll trip, but Lillian’s arm snakes through mine as I stumble over a small root. With barely a thought she conjures a flame, holding it out in front of us to illuminate our path.
‘Send some light over here, Lillian, this forest is a death trap at night,’ a male voice shouts behind us, followed by a curse and a snap of branches.
‘That sounds likeyourproblem, Garrett,’ she calls back. Then muttering, ‘Bloody air wielders.’
A small smile lifts the corners of my lips as we continue walking, until eventually I start to see pockets of light peeking through the trees. Lillian lets her flame die out once we’re close enough to see dozens of lanterns spread out across the open space between the edge of the trees and the cliff edge.
