‘Why not?’
‘Because I’m stubborn,’ I shrug.
Because I can’t face going home empty handed. I can’t stand looking into my father’s eyes and telling him I gave up. That I failed … again.
Curls bounce when she starts to shake her head. ‘That’s not why you would have stayed,’ she says. ‘You would have stayed because you’re the type of person who won’t walk away from something just because it’shard. You could have walked out of that Training Centre the first day and refused to go back after Sebastian warned you off, but you didn’t. You could have chosen Opal or even Agate at the ceremony, but you chose Malachite, the most dangerous unit we have and evenafterbeing attacked, youstillcarried on.’
She reaches forward to take my hands in hers, hazel eyes meeting grey. ‘You could have given up years ago when your element didn’t manifest, but you haven’t. You still persevere, even when it fails and you feel like giving up. You don’t. You’re one of the most determined people I know, even when the odds are against you. And Stars, I admire it.’
Emotion swells in my throat. ‘You do?’
She nods, her voice softening. ‘Which is how I know when you see Sebastian next, you’re going to tear him a new one for treating you that way, because that was bullshit. And then you’re going to decide if what he did is something you can forgive.’
‘And if I can’t?’
‘Then at least you’ll know where you finally stand with him. I saw the way he looked at you that first day, Aria. I can tell you right now, it’s nothing like the way he was looking at you today.’
FORTY-TWO
I’m on my way out of Opal when I hear my name being called from across the Grand Hall. I look up from where I was staring at my feet to find Professor Fern waving me down as she walks past the dining hall doors.
I grimace. No doubt she’s going to scold me for running out of our session earlier and not coming back. The blonde bun on the top of her head bobs up and down as she quickens her pace to meet me, our paths connecting right outside of Agate. Instinctively I step away from the gate. Picturing Headmaster Zain on the other side gives me chills.
‘Miss Nocthare, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.’ She huffs like she just ran over here.
‘You have?’
‘Yes, I was hoping I could have a word with you in private.’ Her tone dips low. ‘In my office if that suits?’
‘Am I in trouble?’ I ask cautiously. ‘For leaving class?’
‘Trouble?’ Humour dances in her eyes. ‘Gosh, no. If I had to chase around students for walking out of my class each time their magic didn’t do what they wanted it to do, I’d have no time to teach the students who stay.’
Oh. My confusion must be written on my face clear as day because she gestures to the doors leading outside and asks me to follow her.
For a moment I hesitate, wondering where this is leading and what she could possibly want to speak with me about if it isn’t to do with my sudden departure from her class. I quickly weigh up the pros and cons and decide that my curiosity weighs heavier than my concern.
We walk across the quad together, heading toward the academic building. There are classes still in session, mainly for second- and third-year students, but we bypass all of them when she darts to the left the second we’re inside the doors. We don’t head upstairs, to the area I’m most familiar with; instead, she leads me to a door at the end of the corridor and holds it open for me.
With a reassuring smile, she nods for me to go on in and follows directly behind me, closing the door once we are both inside. Her office is small; it’s around the size of the room I have in Malachite’s tower. There are filing cabinets shoved to one corner of the room, two creamy wooden bookshelves beside them and a rug beneath our feet that’s like a mosaic of colours. A neat wooden desk sits in front of a large window, where I imagine her working with the sun warming her back as she sits in her low -back chair. It smells like roses and fresh oranges. It’s … cozy.
‘Please, take a seat,’ she gestures to a black leather chair stored in the corner. It’s the only thing in here that doesn’t match everything else. Gingerly I walk over and lower myself into the chair. The leather cracks and squeaks as I get comfortable.
Professor Fern takes off her cardigan and props it over the back of chair before sitting down. ‘I want to preface this conversation by saying whatever we say must remain in this room, do you understand that?’
My shoulders stiffen. ‘Sure, yes, of course.’ Please tell me I didn’t just make a huge mistake by coming in here.
‘Good,’ she gives me a tight-lipped smile before leaning back and opening the top drawer of her desk.
My fingers twitch in my lap. I start to wonder how quickly I could unsheathe my dagger and send it flying toward her before she has time to pull whatever it is out of her desk and use it against me.
To my surprise though, she pulls out the three familiar velvet pouches that she brought with her to our Elemental class. She places each one on her desk then reaches over and grabs a paperweight of a bronze bird mid-flight from the corner of her desk and promptly smashes it down on top of each pouch. One hit for each stone.
I jump in my seat at the crushing sound of crystals shattering into pieces and the thud of the paperweight hitting the desk beneath. What the fuck is she doing?
Gently, she places the paperweight right back where it was and then picks up the first pouch, unties the string and tips the contents out, right on top of the desk. Red, glass-like fragments scatter into a messy pile. She does the same to the other two until there is a kaleidoscope of glass -like shards piled in front of her.
‘W-why did you do that?’ I ask in disbelief, looking between her and the desk.
