A.N: I know, finally: an update! It's been a month and a bit, hasn't it? I'll be updating regularly once more now that my exams are over.
10 votes until next chapter.
"Are you nervous?" Alaysa asked me. I gazed around at the hundreds of students in Final Training pouring into the converted seminar room. They were using one of the General Science halls to hold the Information Seminar about the first Training Task. I hadn't seen anyone I knew yet - well apart from Alaysa, of course.
"No," I answered her, finally turning my eyes to her. "Why would I be?"
She opened her mouth to answer me, exasperation crinkling the corner of her eyes - but then, cut off all action abruptly, shaking her head as she dismissed her own words, an unspoken sigh between us. But there was nothing to be afraid of. It was an Information Seminar for Sol's sake, not some high-stakes battle to the death.
"Val," she uttered in relief as he passed by someone to us, her hand reaching out and sliding along Valeryan's arm. He glanced towards her, just barely joining the party. His hair was ruffled: a hasty attempt at smoothing down bed hair. There were other scents lingering around him: the heady pull of crimtane and an undeniable tug of sour fruits.
Alaysa's hand slipped away as she took him in. Her voice was a little sharper than necessary as she spoke. "Cutting it a little close, don't you think?"
His gaze flickered over her, his mouth twisted sideways by something bitter. "Lay off, Alaysa. The seminar hasn't even started yet." Valeryan's tone as a physical weapon would have cut her to shreds just then. The two glared at each other, both good natures suddenly at odds in some bizarre trick of nature.
I was considering intervening before Alaysa stalked off. One second, her body was just barely brushing mine and the next, there was a gaping hole where she stood. "Are you nervous?" she had asked me. I'd declared I wasn't incredulously. But maybe I should have asked her instead.
"Sol," Valeryan muttered angrily. He withdrew a cigarette from his pocket and lit up, taking a long drag. As he exhaled smoke, I saw tiny particles solidify into silver ash, already falling to the ground. "Should I even ask what the hell's wrong with her?"
"I don't think she's ready for all this," I told him, holding out my hand for the cigarette. Val handed it to me and I inhaled its power. It wasn't active magic: it was a dead kind - the kind they actually allowed you to smoke. Probably wise. I looked up to the front where a few Sol's Chosen were gathering. The crowd in here wouldn't look kindly on law-breakers.
The hall was fairly packed now: they would begin in a few minutes. To my distaste, Christian Riverane was one of the few Sol's Chosen on the stage. As I watched, he laughed and smiled: quick as a flash and full-throated. It wasn't hard to see why people liked him. Glancing around the place, I looked for his mutant brats - they didn't seem to be here yet. Pity.
"So, who was it this time?" I questioned him. The bed hair, the lateness, the scents... it didn't take a genius to put it together. And Valeryan had always had a track record with this kind of thing.
"Same as last," he replied, plucking back the cigarette.
"Giving Cameron another chance? How generous."
"Yeah, well," Valeryan said, left-over shards of annoyance clipping his tone. "He was there."
"I'm glad you still have your discerning taste."
I reached for the cigarette but he batted me away. "Piss off. You've had enough."
"Asshole."
Valeryan paused for a moment, frozen in thought. "I was going to skip this seminar. Cameron was trying to get me to, anyway. I figured you guys could have told me the information later."
YOU ARE READING
Legacy
Romance"There's a war going on, Katarina," he hissed into my ear. "Remember which side you're on. And know that neither is the right one." This world was built on power, lies and corruption. Our hands were always stained with blood. Our eyes were windows t...
