Page 73 of The Amber Sunburst

When they get to everyone else, he begrudgingly puts her down and sits next to Alexander, who is chatting quietly with Kallias.

Against all odds, Kallias is actually responding to him, albeit with frequent eye rolls and almost nothing but insults.

When he settles into his seat, Lazarus comes to an abrupt halt in front of him, out of breath like he’s been running, and yanks him into a hug. “Forms, I thought I killed you,” he says, fast and anxious. “You were going to fail and it was going to be my fault. Forms, I am so sorry. I’m so⁠—”

“Lazarus,” Zeno says, wishing he was surprised that Lazarus was being this hard on himself. “It was not your fault. You tried your best and look at me—I made it out.”

Lazarus exhales harshly into Zeno’s shoulder, then lets him go to fall to the bleachers, head in his hands. Poor guy.

When he turns back to his friends, Alexander is no longer in his seat, but across the room and yelling.

“Half of your team is stuck in there and you’re just going to sit here and let them drown?” he asks at a young Cohort Leader who leans back in his seat with his arms crossed.

Oh, Zeno forgot about that part.

Every Cohort Leader whose team didn’t make it out completely, which is most of them, is on comms, leading their cohort to safety. Except for this one.

“It’s not my problem anymore. I got half the team out. I’m moving on to the next Trial. Now it’s up to them.”

“They don’t know where the exits are. They can’t see anything!”

Alexander looks ready to throw punches, but the kid is fearless. He just arches a brow. “It’s not your team, it’s not your issue. So leave me alone.”

Alexander glares so hard Zeno expects him to just slap the kid right there. Instead, Alexander rips the headset off the kid’s head and starts instructing his team on how to reach the nearest exits.

When another Cohort Leader throws his headset on the floor and stalks off, Alexander makes a pleading face at Kallias, who sighs and sits at the station to instruct that team as well.

A loud timer rings once the caves are completely full of water. Everyone made it out alive, though less than half in time to advance to the next Trial. A whole gaggle of sopping fifteen-year-olds tackles Alexander in gratitude, and another group of them stares adoringly at Kallias, too afraid to approach him.

Zeno closes his eyes to absorb the cacophony around him—relieved sighs and soaking wet reunions and the laughter of the beautiful girl sitting next to him—and decides that things could be a whole lot worse.

TRIAL II

THE CHARIOT, MAJOR ARCANA VII

17

ALEXANDER

By three in the morning, Alexander is ready to leave.

It took him several minutes to make it out of the dog pile of teenagers after today’s Trial, and by the time he emerged Kallias was already gone. Alexander brushed it off without thinking twice. He figured he’d see Kallias in the Library tonight.

But now he is in the Library and Kallias is not and Alexander is thinking twice and thrice, looking back on every instant between his shoving match with Kleitos to get to the exit and his last glimpse of Kallias by the bleachers.

It’s been hours since he picked the lock and took a seat, and at this point, he doesn’t know why he’s waiting anymore. Kallias clearly isn’t coming.

He sighs, shouldering his bag, and the loud screech of his chair scraping across the floor almost disguises a clicking noise of the lock outside being picked.

“Kallias?” he calls out from their table.

The person doesn’t reply, but Alexander’s question is answered when pearly moonlight from the windows sets their hair alight.

He wouldn’t be surprised if Kallias were a star in a previous life. He shines so bright it almost feels impossible.

Kallias approaches further, still silent, and drops into a chair without ceremony, so Alexander falls back into his own. Maybe it’s concerning how quickly he decides to stay, but God knows Kallias is half the reason he comes here in the first place.

Alexander waits for Kallias to talk—to offer an explanation or an excuse—but he doesn’t. He won’t even look him in the eye.