I clenched my jaw and nodded in her embrace. I absorbed the comfort, hugging her back tightly.
“Can you please finish my hair? I look like an idiot.” She chuckled and released me to sit back down on the floor.
I waitedon the front steps of the castle after I finished dinner with Pia and some of the other first years. Most of the students in my class had warmed up to me, but I could tell that many of them still used caution around me. Why wouldn't they? The king had them all terrified that they would be executed if they mis-stepped.
Sebastian’s figure sauntered through the castle doors. He wore his steel chest plate, which concerned and intrigued me at the same time.
“Hey,” he said, bounding down the steps.
I smiled, returning the greeting. “Hey.”
We made our way across the courtyard. It was completely empty aside from the statues of the gods, their figures glimmering in the moonlight and casting shadows on the patio. Light danced off of Blythe’s crystalline body, illuminating our skin as we walked by her.
I reached a hand to my cheekbone, making contact with my constellastones. For the first time since I'd been gifted by the goddess, I felt a sense of ease that there was a piece of the world's most powerful individual inside of me.
Sebastian seemed quiet this evening, but I couldn't say I blamed him after the information we received earlier. I didn't feel much like talking, either.
We walked down past the dormitories, continuing until we reached the academy. We entered the brick building and wandered through the hallways, passing empty classrooms as we went. I skated by Professor Stoll’s classroom—the only one that still had a dim light emitting from it.
Sebastian stopped walking and pulled a book from his rucksack. “I borrowed this from Stoll. I’m gonna give it back to him since he's still here. I’ll meet you in the arena. He likes to chat.”
I nodded and advanced through the academy, untyingthe ribbons of my cloak as I entered the arena. It tumbled from my neck, falling into a pile of cloth at my feet and revealing my training uniform underneath.
Tossing my rucksack down, I dropped to a crouch to tighten the laces on my boots. My heart skipped a beat when I stood up, finding myself face to face with Sawyer.
“Ready for round two, Willawood?” he asked smugly, the corner of his lip curving up.
I glanced towards the entrance of the arena, hoping to see Sebastian close behind me, but he was nowhere in sight.
My airway tightened as I looked back at Sawyer and became all too aware that it was just us here. I'd really solidified some of my fighting skills in the past few weeks, so maybe I’d stand a chance if he tried to kick my ass again.
Standing tall, I puffed my chest out. “Sure. But unlike last time, I have powers now and can turn you into a puppet if I so please, so you may want to rethink that.”
He scowled at me for a brief moment, but then his expression warmed. “I'm just kidding.” He grinned, moving to the center of the mat where his belongings were.
“Why are you here?”Please tell me he's not training with us.
“Just getting an extra workout in,” he called over his shoulder. “While I have you alone…”
Oh gods.
“For what it's worth, I'm sorry about what I did to you in combat training. That was pretty fucked up of me, if I’m being honest,” he apologized as he gathered his bag.
My mouth fell open. “Am I hearing this right?” I scoffed.
Sawyer walked back towards me. “Seb is my best friend, has been pretty much my whole life.” He rubbed his hand over his face, stopping the sweat from dripping into his eyes. “When he told me how you were giving him a hard time, I got defensive.”
I gawked at him, speechless. I’d never expected to evenhave a real exchange of words with Sawyer, let alone an apology.
“Seb is like a brother to me. He's my family, and I get protective over my family.”
“Do you think that giving me a reason behind your motives means that I'll suddenly be okay with how you used me as a lesson for the rest of my class?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
Sawyer shrugged. “No, but regardless, there's no excuse for what I did, and I truly am sorry.”
“Uh. Thanks, I guess.”
He nodded, then with his bag tucked under his arm, marched towards the exit. Sebastian made his entrance at the same time, stopping to chat with Sawyer for a few minutes. They glanced over at me in the middle of the conversation, then pulled the other into a one-armed hug before parting ways.
