Chapter 108: Selection [3]

Leon sighed. "We’re leaving, Legion."

Legion shrugged. "So?"

"So you’re staying."

Legion laughed softly. He crossed his arms. "I still have two years left. And I’m ranked eighth." He looked at both of them with an easy, certain smile. "If I don’t make it this year, I’ll make it next. So stop making those faces."

Alden raised his fist.

Legion looked at it. Then Alden’s grin came through.

"You’d better catch up soon. Otherwise when we come back we’re going to kick your ass."

Leon burst out laughing and hit his fist against Alden’s immediately. "Yeah!"

Legion laughed and pressed his fist against both of theirs.

"Deal."

He looked up at the open sky. His smile settled into something quieter and more determined.

"Next time we meet," he said, "it’ll probably be on a battlefield."

___________

In the Headmaster’s office, the medals were small and polished and heavier than they looked.

Darius pinned them onto Nicholas, Roselle, and leon one at a time, taking care with each one. When he finished, Roselle stepped forward and bowed.

"Thank you, Headmaster."

Darius smiled warmly. "You’ve all earned them. After everything you went through, every single one of you deserves this."

"We’ll always remember you," Roselle said.

Nicholas nodded. "Thank you for everything."

Leon gave a thumbs-up. "Thanks, Headmaster!"

Darius chuckled and moved to Claire.

He pinned the medal carefully and looked at her.

"Congratulations on earning a seat in the Upper Academy, my dear Claire." He smiled. "I suppose I’ll miss having you around."

Claire looked back at him with a completely straight face. "I’ll probably be better off without you."

Darius blinked.

"You never stop babbling, day in and day out." Claire continued, casually. "It’ll be a lot more peaceful."

Darius clutched his chest. "How rude!"

Claire rolled her eyes.

Darius giggled, and when his expression softened again he looked around the room.

"By the way. Where is Alden?"

Roselle answered right away. "He said he was going to check on Senior Seris."

Nicholas nodded, looking toward the window with a faint smile. "Of course. He went from saving us to a cell to the trial without once getting a moment to breathe. Checking on her was naturally the first thing on his mind once everything settled."

Leon leaned toward Nicholas and lowered his voice. "Hey. Don’t you think those two are a little... close?"

"What do you mean?" Nicholas immediately looked uncomfortable.

"I think they’re definitely more than friends," Leon said, grinning.

"Come on, Leon," Nicholas said, rubbing the back of his neck. "They might really just be good friends."

Roselle nodded along. "Exactly. Also..." She hesitated. "That dead prince was publicly engaged to her."

"I mean, now that he’s dead and they might become closer and, who knows?" Leon said, grin widening. "I might be right."

Roselle shook her head firmly. "You won’t be."

"Why do you sound so certain?"

She looked away. "Because you’re Leon."

"Hey!"

_________

The infirmary corridor was quiet.

’Damn it still hurts.’ Alden walked slowly. His body reminded him with every other step exactly how much had happened to it over the past several days. He kept his pace easy and didn’t push it.

He stopped outside the door. Pushed it open.

"Stop right there."

A healer appeared immediately, moving to block him. "No one is allowed to enter right now."

"Vampire," Alden said simply.

The healer froze. Her expression shifted entirely. "You know?"

"Yes. I’m here with permission from Headmaster Darius."

She studied him for a moment, then stepped aside and opened the door properly. "I see. Come in then."

The room was quiet and clean and warm. At the far end, thick curtains enclosed a bed completely, floor to ceiling.

The healer pulled them back gently.

"We kept these closed for additional security," she said. "No one can see through from any angle."

Alden looked at the bed.

"She’s doing well now," the healer said. "Once we gave her blood her condition improved significantly. The physical injuries from the fight required time to heal, but she’s stable." She paused. "We’re keeping her here through the rest of today as a precaution. She will be discharged tomorrow and will likely arrive at the Upper Academy by the end of the day."

Alden nodded.

"She was awake a little while ago when Headmaster Darius came to tell her about graduation. She fell asleep again just after he left."

"I see. Thank you."

The healer smiled. "I’ll give you some privacy. Don’t stay too long. She needs the rest."

The door clicked shut behind her.

Silence left over the room.

Alden walked over and sat down in the chair beside the bed.

He looked over at Seris. She had returned to her human form, though her fangs still showed slightly longer than normal because she had not completely undone her vampire transformation.

The last time he had seen her she had been pale and bleeding in the snow, her hand broken under Augustus’s boot, her lip split, her whole body running on whatever was left after a week without feeding and a fight that should have killed her.

Now her color was back. Her breathing was slow and steady. She looked completely peaceful, silver lashes resting against her cheek, her expression carrying none of the weight she wore when she was awake.

Alden’s eyes stayed on her face.

’No matter what state you are in,’ he thought, ’you still look beautiful.’

He sat with that for a moment.

Then the memory surfaced, and his ears went slightly warm.

He had said something on the battlefield. While she was unconscious and couldn’t hear him, he had said things out loud that he had not planned to say. He had told her he started caring about her. That seeing her smile was something he wanted to protect. That she didn’t have to carry things alone anymore.

Which was, functionally, a confession. To someone who was not conscious to hear it.

He looked away from her face toward the wall and cleared his throat silently.

’Alright. Let’s not think about that right now.’

He looked back at her.

The thing was, he wasn’t going to take any of it back. He had decided that in the forest during the hunt, in the long stretch of hours before she woke up from her confession and he had to give his answer. He had decided it again standing alone in the mountain pass after Augustus disappeared. He was done running from things that were true.

He wanted her to be okay. He wanted to see her wake up and put that composed expression on and say something sharp and slightly teasing the way she always did. He wanted to be there when she did.

He wasn’t going to pretend otherwise anymore.

His hand rose toward her face, hesitating just inches from her skin. It hovered there for a single, breathless second.

Then he froze, caught himself, and drew his hand back.

’Not yet.’

He stood up from the chair. Took one last look at her sleeping face. Then he turned and walked toward the door.

His hand found the handle.

He paused there for a moment, the infirmary quiet behind him, the corridor quiet ahead.

Then, very quietly, just for himself.

"Until we meet again at the Upper Academy, Seris."

He opened the door and walked out.

(End of Vol 1)