Chapter 236 — The Night Before

Chapter 236: Chapter 236 — The Night Before

~ Raven ~

By the time Raven made her way toward the training grounds that evening, Valerius looked as though the entire academy had decided to prepare for a royal visit.

Academy attendants were completing the final arrangements for the Renewal Concord, while students gathered in small groups to discuss the approaching vampire delegation.

Some were excited about the competition, while others were already arguing over which academy would emerge victorious. Raven had even overheard two first-year girls wondering whether vampire men were genuinely as attractive as the stories claimed.

She’d wisely decided not to involve herself in that conversation.

Goddess knew she already had enough trouble with the men at Valerius.

Her own concerns were considerably more practical, especially since Instructor Berry had insisted that all eight representatives attend one final joint training session before the delegation arrived.

Raven had already spent part of the afternoon training with Cassian, and although she wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about another session, she knew better than to complain.

When she reached the designated court, most of the representatives had already arrived.

Adelaide stood with the Fourth and Fifth Seats near the center, examining the training arrangement, while the four Cardinal heirs were gathered near the opposite boundary.

Cassian noticed her approaching and smiled.

"You made it."

"Barely," Raven replied, adjusting the strap of her bag. "I’m beginning to think Berry has personally declared war on my free time."

"It’s our last scheduled session," he reminded her, looking rather amused.

"That’s what everyone keeps telling me, but somehow it hasn’t made me feel any better."

Cassian laughed quietly, although before he could respond, Berry called everyone toward the center.

"Alright, I want everyone paying attention. Tonight, we’re focusing on coordination rather than individual strength."

She activated the training display, revealing several routes surrounding a central objective.

The exercise was similar to those they’d practiced while preparing for Night Pursuit. The four women would defend the objective while the Cardinals attempted to reach it, with restrictions placed on their strength and essence use to prevent the exercise from becoming completely one-sided.

Raven was particularly grateful for that last condition.

After training against Cassian and Dante, she had absolutely no interest in discovering what happened when four Dominant wolves decided to attack her simultaneously.

"You have three minutes to organize yourselves," Berry instructed. "And I expect you to communicate properly this time."

The moment she stepped away, Adelaide began assigning positions.

"We’ll keep Fourth and Fifth near the objective while Rivers and I cover the approaches. If one side becomes overwhelmed, we’ll adjust."

Raven studied the arrangement before indicating the connecting route.

"That should work, but we need to cover each other’s positions whenever somebody tries drawing us away. Otherwise, they’ll just wait until there’s an opening."

Adelaide considered the suggestion before nodding.

"Fine. Just call it before you move."

Raven almost smiled.

A few weeks ago, that exchange probably would’ve turned into another argument, but their recent training sessions had taught them that disagreeing over every decision accomplished very little.

Adelaide was good at organizing defensive formations, while Raven had gradually become better at recognizing an opponent’s movements and reacting under pressure.

They still irritated each other occasionally, but at least they were learning to work together.

When Berry signaled the beginning of the exercise, Raven moved toward the left approach while Adelaide took the opposite side.

Nikolai was the first to advance, approaching Raven before suddenly changing direction in an obvious attempt to lure her away from the objective.

She almost followed him instinctively, but caught herself before moving too far.

"Hale’s trying to draw me left!" she called, shifting into a position that blocked his route without exposing the center.

"I see him," Adelaide answered.

Cassian approached from the opposite side almost immediately, forcing Adelaide to adjust her position while the Fourth Seat moved closer to the objective.

Then Dante advanced.

He approached from an angle that threatened the opening between Raven and Adelaide, forcing them to react before he could reach the central area.

"Rivers, cover the right!" Adelaide called.

Raven was already moving, cutting across the connecting route before Dante could take advantage of the gap.

He was considerably faster than her, of course, but the restrictions prevented him from simply overwhelming her with his full strength.

That gave Raven enough time to recognize his intended direction and intercept him.

Dante slowed when she stepped into his path, a faint trace of approval crossing his face before he changed direction again.

Raven adjusted her footing, refusing to follow his movements blindly while Adelaide directed the others to close the remaining gaps.

For several tense moments, the Cardinals continued testing their formation, but this time the women managed to respond without abandoning their positions.

When Berry finally called an end to the exercise, the objective remained untouched.

Raven straightened, breathing heavily as she glanced toward Adelaide.

The woman returned her look with a small nod, and Raven couldn’t quite stop herself from smiling.

They’d actually managed it.

Granted, the Cardinals hadn’t been fighting seriously, but that didn’t change the fact that their coordination had improved considerably.

"Better," Berry announced, looking over the results. "You’re finally beginning to understand how to support one another. There’s still room for improvement, but this is much closer to what I expect from our representatives."

The remaining exercises passed without any major problems, and by the time Berry dismissed them, Raven was pleasantly surprised by how much more comfortable she’d become working alongside the others.

They weren’t perfect, and Adelaide certainly hadn’t become her closest friend overnight, but Raven no longer felt as though she had to handle every problem herself.

As the representatives gathered their belongings, Dante approached her.

"You handled that interception well," he remarked, stopping beside her.

Raven glanced up, slightly surprised he’d come over.

"Thanks, although I’m pretty sure you would’ve gotten past me if you were actually trying."

"Probably," he admitted, a familiar smile appearing on his face. "But you recognized where I was going before I got there. That’s what matters."

She smiled in return, grateful that they could still speak comfortably despite the distance that had developed between them.

Dante hadn’t been avoiding her exactly, but he was noticeably more reserved than he’d once been, and Raven was trying to respect the time he’d asked for.

"Get some rest, Rivers," he added, glancing toward her bag. "You’ve been training enough for one day."

"Since when did you become concerned about me training too much?"

"Since you started looking for every possible excuse to keep going."

Raven opened her mouth to argue, then decided against it because she couldn’t exactly deny the accusation.

Dante seemed to recognize the decision, and after giving her another small smile, he turned toward the exit.

She watched him leave, feeling a little disappointed by how quickly their conversation had ended.

A few weeks ago, the bastard probably would’ve found some ridiculous reason to remain beside her, but things were different now, and she supposed she couldn’t blame him for that.

"Everything alright?"

Raven turned to find Cassian approaching.

"I’m fine," she replied, adjusting the strap of her bag.

His gaze briefly followed hers toward the exit, although he didn’t comment.

Instead, he smiled.

"You did well tonight."

Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Are you two coordinating your compliments now?"

Cassian laughed. "Would you prefer another criticism?"

"No, thank you. I’ve had enough of those to last until next week."

"Then I’ll let you enjoy the compliment."

She smiled despite herself as they began walking toward the entrance together.

Things between them had become considerably easier over the past several days, and Raven was grateful that they could enjoy each other’s company without constantly returning to the tension surrounding the Renewal Ball.

At the entrance, Cassian glanced toward her.

"Try to get some rest tonight. You’ve prepared as much as you reasonably can."

"I know," Raven replied, although she wasn’t entirely convinced.

He studied her for a moment before giving a small nod.

"Goodnight, Raven."

"Goodnight, Cassian."

She watched him leave before continuing toward Hale Wing, intending to follow his advice.

Unfortunately, that proved easier said than done.

~~ ~~

Later that night, Raven found herself returning to the training grounds despite having spent nearly half an hour convincing herself that she should simply go to bed.

One particular movement from the earlier exercise continued bothering her.

During her interception of Dante, she’d successfully recognized where he intended to move, but when he changed direction, she’d struggled to adjust her footing quickly enough.

She’d recovered only because he wasn’t using his full speed, and Raven knew a stronger opponent wouldn’t necessarily give her the same opportunity.

Cassian had been teaching her how to anticipate movements, while Dante had been helping her respond without retreating unnecessarily. Individually, she understood both principles, but combining them was proving considerably more difficult.

She placed her bag near the boundary of an empty training court and moved toward the center.

The movement itself was supposed to be simple enough. She needed to step aside from an approaching strike, shift her weight and turn quickly enough to counter before her opponent recovered.

Unfortunately, knowing what she was supposed to do didn’t make executing it any easier.

Raven attempted the sequence slowly, then increased her speed.

The first step went well, but the moment she tried to turn, her balance faltered.

She stopped and frowned at her feet.

"Goddess, why is this so difficult?" she muttered.

She tried again, imagining Dante approaching from one direction and Cassian closing in from another, but the result was almost identical.

Her body seemed to move before her feet could follow, forcing her to make an awkward adjustment that left her exposed.

Raven sighed and rubbed a hand over her face.

Perhaps she was simply tired.

Both men had warned her against exhausting herself, and considering how much training she’d done that day, she wouldn’t have been surprised if fatigue was beginning to affect her coordination.

Still, the problem was too consistent to dismiss completely.

She returned to her starting position and repeated the sequence, concentrating on the transition that kept throwing off her balance.

She’d almost completed the turn when an unfamiliar male voice interrupted her.

"You’re moving your shoulders before your feet."

Raven stopped, her eyebrows drawing together as she glanced toward the entrance.

Who the hell was giving her advice?

Before she could respond, the stranger continued in an almost conversational tone.

"That’s why you keep losing your balance during the turn. Your body is already moving before you’ve given your feet anywhere useful to go."

Raven slowly lowered her hands, irritation rising as she realized someone had apparently been watching her practice.

Goddess, was there anybody at this academy who knew how to mind their own business?

She turned toward the voice, already preparing to tell whoever it was that she hadn’t asked for his opinion.

But the words died before they reached her mouth.

A young man stood near the entrance, watching her with an expression she couldn’t immediately read.

His hair was white, almost silver beneath the courtyard lights, and his pale complexion made the striking crimson of his eyes even more noticeable.

Raven stared at him, momentarily forgetting her irritation.

The visiting delegation wasn’t supposed to arrive until tomorrow evening, so what was one of them doing here already?

She looked at the stranger again, unable to mistake the significance of those crimson eyes.

A vampire.