I bobbed my head, my eyes watering. “Yeah. I just… I…too much water.”
His shadow darkened the light around me. “Ready to try your luck at wielding?” he asked, not waiting for my answerbefore stalking out of the arena with his cloak draped around his shoulders.
With red cheeks, I pushed myself up from the mat, running after him and throwing my own cloak on. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” He led me outside, past the academy, and along a path that I'd never been on before.
The only light left in the sky was from stars that twinkled over us. A gust of frigid air made me shiver, and I wrapped my cloak tightly around myself to preserve heat.
The further we got from the academy, the more the starlight fizzled away under the network of branches above us. It was eventually so dark that I couldn't see much beyond my hands. I fumbled my steps, almost falling.
“I can't see anything.”
My heart jumped when Sebastian reached his hand behind him. He slowed his pace to match mine, taking my hand and guiding me through the darkness.
“Can I ask you something?” I inquired in an attempt to distract my mind from hyper fixating on his skin against my palm.
“Sure.”
“Why did you ask to be reassigned?”
A deep sigh filled the silence of the wilderness. “Because sometimes I’m just as stubborn as you.”
“I’m not stubborn.”
“Oh, yes, you are.” Sebastian's hand squeezed mine a few times. “And sometimes I just do things out of frustration.”
“Maybeyou should try writing, too. It helps to prevent making rash decisions.”
“Yeah, maybe I should.” He released a huff of laughter, and I shivered in his grasp as we took a turn.
“Sorry. I know it's cold, but we’re almost there.”
“Where isthere?” My teeth chattered as I spoke.
“I find it easier to wield when I'm in a location that relaxesme.” A faint glow of moonlight illuminated his face just enough for me to make out his features. “For me, the castle archives do the trick. For you, however, I think this is much more fitting.”
Sebastian dropped my hand to push apart a thick field of dune grass, ushering me through. I instantly forgot about the cold air when I stepped into the hidden oasis.
Before me was a beach of golden sand—the most beautiful piece of earth I had ever stepped foot upon. The ocean raged beyond the shore, the glow of the cosmos bouncing off of the water. Shells glazed the sand, adding a prism of color to the already stunning ambiance. The entire coastline was hidden by an array of grass and shrubs, concealing it away from the rest of the world.
“Sebastian…” I started, but had no words to describe this. I wandered towards the edge of the water, gazing into it and being reminded of the night I discovered my stones.
“Amazing, isn't it?” Sebastian appeared beside me. The starlight made his features even more alluring, and I found the air gone from my lungs.
I drew in a deep breath, exhaling slowly to gain control of myself. I had to stop. If I kept thinking about him like this then I’d truly fall for him. And I couldn't allow that. The next few years would be miserable if I ruined things by letting my feelings get in the way.
I put my attention back on the waves, watching them bounce off of the boulders to the right of the coastline. “Amazing doesn't do it justice. How did you know I’d like it here?”
“I pay attention. You spend most of your free time on the beach.”
“Oh,” I breathed, my voice shaking. “How did you find this place?”
“I ran away from my father when I was eight. Found myself here. Took them an entire day to find me.”
Though I wanted to ask him why, I learned my lesson from last time. He only shared as much as he was comfortable with, though I wanted to know more of that Sebastian. The version of him that had feelings too large to release. I wanted him to confide in me. To know him at his core. I wanted to know the things he believed would make me sick. What book he was reading, and how he reacted when he found out he was gifted by Caius. I wanted to know every minuscule detail about him. But instead of asking, I changed the subject.
“Maybe we should start wielding. It’s getting late, and I’m cold,” I whispered, sudden sadness sticking to my words like honey.
