Page 15 of Immortal Consequences (The Souls of Blackwood Academy #1)

Wren sat down, tucking her trembling hands beneath her legs. “What is?”

He gestured to the glasses with a coy smile. “Requiring glasses in the afterlife. Seems a bit…unnecessary.”

Wren chuckled. “The paradox of our existence.”

Silas nodded and let out a weighted sigh. “Our very existence is full of paradoxes. I strive to clarify as many of them as I can for my students, but…I’m afraid some things are beyond our understanding.” He lifted a steaming cup of tea to his lips. “Even for me.”

Wren shifted in her seat. “Headmaster…I have to admit…I’m a bit surprised to be seeing you again so soon.”

He chuckled and tentatively took a sip. “Ah, yes. Well…I wish our first meeting had been under better circumstances. I’ve never known you to be a rule-breaker.”

That was because she wasn’t. August was the rule-breaker. A notorious dissident who prided himself on doing the opposite of what he was told. Wren was the voice of reason.

She cleared her throat. “I know. It was…a mistake. A very stupid mistake I don’t plan on making again.” Her hands fussed with the hem of her skirt. “I’m not going to make excuses for my behavior. Nobody forced me to go to Bonestrod. I just—I hope you know I take my role here very seriously.”

Silas nodded. “I know. I can feel that inside you. That desire to be good. It’s the reason I asked you to come see me privately…away from the prying eyes of the Housemasters.” He set the cup down and smirked. “They can be a bit nosy.”

Wren straightened in her seat.

He continued. “You see, Ms.Loughty…though I often admire your academic skills and magical abilities…there is something else you possess that is a rarity among our students.”

“And what is that?”

Silas leaned forward.

“Kindness.”

Wren blinked in surprise. “Oh. I—thank you?”

He let out an amused chuckle. “An underrated skill, if you ask me. But highly useful if applied in the correct circumstances.”

“I’m sorry, Headmaster, but I don’t exactly see how kindness is relevant.”

For a moment, Silas said nothing. He stood up from his desk, hand wrapped tightly around the head of his walking stick, and made his way to the arched window that overlooked the Main Yard. He peeled back the emerald curtain, peering out at the crowd of students bustling below them.

“I’m concerned about our newest student.

Louise Nordain.” He paused, letting her name ring out between them.

“Her transition into Blackwood was tainted by the hands of the Demien Order. I need someone who can monitor her. Ensure that she acclimates properly and that there are no other attempts at abducting her.”

The realization dawned on Wren a moment later. “You want… me to monitor her?”

“Perhaps monitor isn’t the appropriate word.” Silas smiled softly and dropped the curtain. “I was hoping you could… befriend her.”

Wren didn’t know what to say. In any other circumstance, she wouldn’t have hesitated.

She wanted nothing more than to get into Silas’s good graces, and befriending a fellow student was a small price to pay.

But the thought of getting close to a student who was targeted by the Demien Order didn’t exactly enthrall her.

Upon hearing her silence, Silas stepped closer. “It’s my understanding that you want to be nominated this Decennial.”

Her head snapped up in attention. “Yes. I…I would love nothing more than to serve Blackwood as an Ascended.”

Silas nodded. “And I’m certain you would serve us well. Which is why I’m hopeful you’ll agree to this simple task. I do believe it would most certainly solidify your chances in the opening ceremony tonight.”

Her jaw went slack. There was no miscommunication happening here. She understood very clearly what Silas was implying.

Her chance at the nomination rested upon her saying yes.

But there was something about Silas’s tone and the secretive manner in which he had called the meeting that led her to believe there was something else. Another condition intertwined between his words.

“I’d have to keep this a secret, wouldn’t I? From the other students?”

Silas nodded, solemn. “I don’t want anyone worrying. We have the situation under control. The fewer people who know that we’re monitoring Louise…the better.”

Wren couldn’t deny that the first thing that shot through her mind was August. She’d have to keep this from him.

Another slab of concrete pressed against the growing wall between them.

But then she felt a sweltering anger at her own resistance.

Why did she care if she had to keep a secret from August?

If their years of enmity had taught her anything, it was that Augustine Hughes cared solely about protecting himself, and even if he wanted her to believe he cared about the greater good, it was more than likely serving some larger, selfish purpose.

“Yes,” Wren blurted out. “Of course. I’ll do my best to befriendher.”

“Wonderful.” Silas guided Wren toward the door. “I’m so pleased we have a student like you among our ranks. You truly are one of the brightest pupils I’ve ever met.”

Wren blushed. “Thank you, Headmaster.”

He opened the door and beckoned her forward, inclining his head as she walked past him.

“Good luck.”

As Wren descended the steps, the door swinging closed behind her, a sense of weightlessness flooded her body. An unabridged happiness that sent a shock of laughter up and out of her throat.

Because the truth was—she didn’t need luck anymore.

Not when the nomination was hers.