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"Okay." Mathias lifts it from the table and takes it over to a second smaller table I hadn't noticed before.
"You're not going to question me?" I check. Shouldn't he be asking me whether I'm sure of my choice or if I want to double-check?
He shrugs."We've all been in your position. If you say that's the right choice, then it is."
"Oh." I suppose that makes sense. My new friends did say I needed to trust myself like I did in the grove. "Now what?"
"You do the same again for the head of the scythe." He gestures to the other side of the table where the lumps of metal sit.
I nod, apprehension building within me. The shafts are one thing, but lumps of metal are another. How can I know for sure which is going to be right?
I do the same thing as before, running my hands over the different metals and waiting for one of them to feel right. I don't understand how this process works,
and maybe I never will, but I'm starting to feel more confident about trusting my instincts.
"This," I say softly, resting my hand on top of one of the blocks. I have no idea what metal it is, and even if I'm told the name of it, I doubt it'll mean anything to me. I haven't spent a lot of time learning about the different properties of metals.
Or wood for that matter. I'm not sure whether that will change now I'm at Scythe Grove, but I guess I'll find out.
"Good, the smith is here waiting," Mathias says, nodding to a large man with arms the size of my entire body.
Ish. It's a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. If I had to guess his occupation based on his appearance, a blacksmith would definitely be it.
"Have you decided on your materials, Miss Weston?" the smith asks in a deep rumbling voice.
I nod and pick up the block of metal to take it over to the wood.
"Excellent choices," he says. "I need you to touch both of the pieces and hold still for thirty seconds."
"Why?" I place my hands on the items even as I'm asking.
"It will help me forge them into the perfect scythe for you."
"Ah." I fall silent, counting to thirty in my head while waiting for him to tell me I can stop. I don't want to get this wrong.
"All right, that's everything. I will send a message to your dorm room when your scythe is ready to collect," he says, picking up the wood and metal as if they weigh nothing and heading away.
"I guess that's it, then," I mutter. "What now?"
"We can spend the rest of the afternoon doing what we wish to," Mathias says.
"Would you bring me up to speed on all the things I need to know before class?" I ask before I lose the nerve. "I know it's not particularly interesting for you, but I don't want to make a fool of myself when the time comes."
"I'm happy to," he assures me. "But don't worry about me being bored. I'm happy to help you in any way I can, Syxe."
I love the way he says my name. It's like he sees me in a way no one ever has before. And it isn't just him. Juliet makes me feel the same way too. Like I matter to the life of the academy. It's a welcome change, and one I hope won't go away.
Chapter Eight
It isn't until we're approaching the entrance to the Sakura Grove tower that I realise Tobias is still with us.
"Is Tobias allowed in the common room?" I ask, confused about how this works.
"Of course, why wouldn't he?" Mathias returns.
"You said he was the captain of Ilex Grove, right?" Doesn't that mean he's banned from setting foot in one of the other Grove's spaces?
"Yes, but that doesn't really mean anything. The Groves are more a way of mixing everyone up so students don't always spend their time with the people they've been friends with for years," Mathias explains. "A lot of reapers live near one another as children, so we go to school together even before we get here. The academy wants to shake it up."
