Chapter 928: To The Eastern Ravine (2)

For one unwelcome moment, Celia wondered why someone like him had not been made commander.

The thought corrected itself almost immediately.

Liam could move people through pressure, practicality, and the threat of consequences. Sheila could hold people together. Those were not the same. Liam was suited to a small group running through danger with no time for feelings. Sheila was suited to keeping a hundred tired, frightened, proud second-years from turning into competing pieces. Liam might get things done, but he would not make people believe they belonged in the structure he created.

Celia looked down through the shifting leaves.

Liam ran below with Asher, dark hair tied back in a rough bun that made him look different from the academy image she had kept in her head. She had usually seen him with his hair trimmed or loose around a medium length, never long enough to be tied this way. The style should have made him look careless, but somehow it only revealed more of his face. His features were refined in a way she had refused to pay attention to before. Sharp without being harsh. Striking without effort. Handsome in a colder, prettier way than she wanted to notice.

Celia blinked.

Then looked away sharply.

’Get your act together,’ she thought, disgusted with herself. ’He is not even all that.’

The thought did not land with the certainty she wanted.

Beneath her, Raven turned one eye back.

Celia stiffened.

The shadow beast’s gaze shifted from Celia to Liam below, then back to Celia. A low huff left Raven’s throat, not quite a sound and not quite a laugh, but the meaning was clear enough to be insulting.

Celia stared at the side of Raven’s head. "Do not."

Raven’s ear flicked.

"You are not judging me."

Raven huffed again, deeper this time, with the unmistakable air of a creature suggesting Celia was unworthy of being distracted by her precious master in the first place.

Celia’s face warmed with offense. Not because of the implication itself. Absolutely not. Because she was being laughed at and judged by a bird-cat creature made of dark magic while being forced to sit on its back.

"I am beginning to hate both him and this darn bird all over again," she muttered.

Raven’s shoulders shifted in what might have been agreement that her own dislike had never left.

Celia rolled her eyes and forced her attention forward.

The eastern ravine.

That was what mattered.

The name dragged a memory to the front of her mind, one she had been pushing aside since the task screen first appeared. Eastern ravine path. Realm-Touched activity confirmed. The guide had not been vague about some of the threats known around ravine routes. Narrow stone, wet channels, vibration-sensitive predators—

Her stomach tightened.

"Descend," she said to Raven. "Now."

Raven dipped without hesitation, folding her wings and cutting through a gap in the trees with controlled speed. She landed several paces ahead of Liam and Asher, forcing both boys to slow sharply before they reached her. Liam stopped without complaint, eyes moving from Raven to Celia. Asher looked immediately irritated.

"What the hell is this?" he asked. "We stopping because the bird got bored?"

Celia dismounted quickly, landing on the forest floor and stepping toward Liam rather than Asher. "There is something you need to know before we enter the eastern ravine."

Liam stared at her for a moment. "Go on."

"The eastern ravine is known territory for Mordcoil Vipers."

Asher’s face shifted with recognition. Liam’s expression did not change.

Celia continued, keeping her tone steady. "Large serpentine Realm-Touched. Cobra-like posture when they rise, aggressive once disturbed. Dense metallic hides that resist ordinary blades and weaker spells. They move through ravine stone, wet channels, and shadowed gullies in sudden bursts. Their venom is highly corrosive. Leather, metal, stone, flesh—it eats through almost instantly on contact."

"We know," Liam said.

Celia glanced at him.

Asher folded his arms. "Yeah. Mordcoyle Vipers."

"Mordcoil," Celia corrected automatically.

"That is what I said."

"It is not."

"It was close enough."

Liam ignored Asher. "What is your point?"

Celia opened her mouth.

Then stopped.

For the first time since she descended, the confidence in her posture thinned. It did not vanish. She was too disciplined for that. But hesitation cut through her expression, sharp enough that both Liam and Asher noticed.

Asher’s eyes narrowed.

Then his face changed.

"No," he said, a grin already forming. "No way."

Celia’s jaw tightened. "What?"

"You are afraid of snakes."

She stared at him.

Asher laughed. Not politely. Not quietly. Fully, openly, and with far too much enjoyment. "That is what this was? You dropped out of the sky like the forest was on fire because you are scared of poisonous oversized noodles?"

"They are not ordinary snakes," Celia snapped. "Their venom can corrode stone."

"Still noodles."

"They can move through ravine channels faster than most students can react."

"Angry metal noodles."

"They can kill someone before healing is even possible."

"Very rude noodles."

Celia looked as if she was considering whether throwing something at him would violate task discipline. "You are an imbecile."

Asher smiled. "And you are afraid of snakes."

"Mordcoil Vipers."

"Snake enough."

Her face flushed, mostly with anger this time. "You are impossible."

"You are the one warning us about danger while trying not to say you hate the shape."

Liam watched the exchange for a few seconds, then decided it had reached the edge of usefulness.

"Enough."

Asher looked at him, still grinning. "Come on. This is funny."

"It will be funny after the task."

"No, it is funny now."

"It is less useful now."

Asher clicked his tongue but quieted.

Liam turned to Celia. "You do not need to worry too much about the Mordcoil Vipers. If they appear, Asher and I will handle them. Your job remains the same. Locate the anchor. Read its activation. Activate it when we clear the opening."

Celia looked like she wanted to argue but held it back.

"If the anchor is near water or inside the wet channels, we adjust," Liam continued. "I will do what I can to keep you from getting close to the vipers. But control the fear. Time is still falling, and the ravine is not close enough for us to stand here discussing your hatred of serpents."

Her eyes sharpened at the bluntness. "I did not say hatred."

"You did not need to."

Asher muttered, "Snake trauma."

Celia shot him a glare.

Liam walked past her before the exchange restarted. "Move."

That was all.

No comfort. No reassurance dressed in soft words. Her fear was a factor. Factors were managed. That was Liam’s approach, and Celia could either be insulted by it or use it to steady herself.

Asher followed, passing Celia with one last grin. "Try not to scream if one hisses."

"I hope one spits venom on your boots," she snapped.

"My boots have survived worse opinions."

He moved after Liam, still looking far too entertained.

Celia stood in place for a breath, embarrassed, irritated, and regretting that she had allowed herself to think bringing up the vipers had been wise. It was wise, she corrected herself. The warning mattered. She had simply failed to keep the reason buried properly.

Her gaze shifted to Raven.

The shadow beast sat nearby, watching her with obvious disappointment.

Celia clicked her tongue. "Do not start."

Raven’s look did not change.

"I said do not."

Raven lowered herself just enough to let Celia climb back onto her back, the motion carrying the bare minimum of cooperation. Celia mounted with a stiffness born more from wounded pride than disgust this time, settling into place and forcing her attention toward the east.

Raven rose, wings spreading through the broken canopy.

Below, Liam and Asher resumed their measured pace.

The group continued toward the eastern ravine, the task timer falling steadily ahead of them, and the danger waiting there still out of sight.