Page 24 of Of Blackened Blood (The Blackened Blade #3)

GADRIEL

I push open the large black academy gates and make my way toward the main building, glancing around at its grey bricks, the courtyard nearby, and the dormitories a little further off.

You would not think there had been an attack on the academy mere weeks ago. All the damage to the area and its buildings is now fully repaired, and everything is back in its usual place for the arrival of its returnees tomorrow. With not a pebble out of place.

I make my way into the main building and head promptly to the west wing, where the facultys’ residencies reside. I make quick haste and place my belongings inside my room before leaving to check the forest.

Now was the perfect time to examine the barrier and the forest’s boundary. The rest of the faculty would not be arriving until the morning and as far as I was aware, there was only the old grounds caretaker and I here at present.

I make my way discreetly into the trees from the courtyard and head deeper into the forest, hoping to find some clue that the Council’s representatives had missed or see something that their eyes would not have been searching for.

There was something amiss with the attacks on the academy.

They had happened just a short few weeks apart from one another, and each attack having easily slipped through or broken the barrier.

One that had been spelled by the founder of the academy and has been periodically repowered by the Council’s people.

There shouldn’t have been any issue with the barrier. Unless it was tampered with.

I notice tracks and small tufts of fur the further I head into the forest. There were also many beast tracks all around the forest left from hooves and claws of different shapes and sizes and all moving together toward the same destination. Which was highly unusual for wild magical beasts.

My brows draw downward. Different species do not travel together. They’re highly territorial and have been known to attack even their own kind when in too close a proximity.

I scour the forest until the sun sits high in the sky, morning gone as I find no answers and only more questions growing in my mind.

There was a reason as to why I was sent here; my family’s sources and elements whispering words of unbalance pointed toward the academy and its surrounding area. All these strange attacks and bizarre beast behaviour as of late now just confirms that I’ve been sent to the right place.

There were questions rising up from all these incidents, and now I just need to find the answers.

I head back through the forest and toward the courtyard.

The rest of the faculty and the academy’s students would arrive back tomorrow. It would be best to prepare my excuse for arriving earlier than them: setting up the heavier equipment for my Defence class.

And it could take a while preparing all of it without help.

I pass the old, abandoned training building, and my thoughts instantly flow to Micai. Of her arriving back tomorrow and being able to see her and train with her again. Excitement wells inside of me with the thought.

My mind had been chaotic these past few days thinking of her. And I can no longer deny the warmth and joy I feel at just the mere thought of her presence. It’s different than anything I have ever felt for another being.

Her spirit is unapparelled. Her soul is free and untethered to the world.

You could see the excitement in her soft blue eyes when we spar; a fierceness burns in them as we clash and battle one another. It was a look I’m sure I shared, and a feeling I can no longer push down or dampen.

Not as a student, not as an apprentice of some sort ... Micai was special to me. There was no longer any question about that.

My time apart from her has made it blatantly obvious to me now. Each day away, I thought of her and have eagerly awaited the time for our reunion.

But with this realisation, a deep heaviness sits on me. Micai is still my student and years younger than me.

And yet ... I still cannot remove her from my mind. What can I do?

I brush a hand down my face as I continue my journey back to the academy, a heavy sigh escaping my lips.

I can only try to bury these feelings deep within myself and hope that over time they will fade. That her smile will no longer make my own grow wider, and that her presence will no longer hold the importance or joy it does to me now with more time and some distance.

A frown pulls my lips downward as an ache works its way into my chest with the thought.

If only we were Fated, nothing else would matter ... I push the thought away, a scoff and bitter chuckle leaving my lips. As if I would be blessed with such a gift.

I make my way toward the tree-line around the courtyard, but the noise of voices near has me coming to a halt.

There were sounds of laughter and footsteps, with a familiar voice joining them and ringing in my ears. It couldn’t be ...

My eyes widen with surprise and anticipation.

I move faster, my surroundings turning into a blur and my feet only stopping when I’m standing just feet from her, gazing into her widening blue eyes.

“Gadriel?” Micai calls, her voice soft and filled with surprise as my name falls sweetly from her lips. It sends a flutter through my chest just hearing it.

Why was she here? Had she also arrived back early? But why?

I take another step closer, my body moving on its own. But just as I reach her, two figures call her name while making their way out of the girls’ dormitory beside her.

I freeze, my eyes narrowing as they make their way to her side.

The two boys look as tall as me and around Micai’s age or maybe slightly older. One had hair as white as snow while the other had warm shades of brown with bright lilac strands in the front.

They’re gazes meet mine, a slight glare taking over their features as if assessing whether I was a threat or not.

My own eyes narrow further. They aren’t students of mine. I have never seen them attend my class. And I would have remembered students like these.

With their tall and broad physiques—and with light scarring on parts of their knuckles and hands—it seems like they are used to fighting.

But not from classes or training.

My brows furrow as the brown-haired one wraps his arms around Micai, his eyes softening as she turns his way and smiles.

A small ache slides through my chest with the look she gives him, one of pure affection.

And a bitter feeling of jealousy takes root in my heart, taking its place deeper as she looks to the lighter-haired one too and shares that same warmth with him as well.

Micai quickly turns back toward me with some realisation in her eyes, before gesturing to the boys beside her.

“Ezra, Mallyn ... this is Gadriel.” She quickly introduces us all before she stops, her brows furrowing as she glances toward me, a conflict warring in her eyes. “I mean ... Mr. Valor?”

Mr. Valor ... I look at the uncertainty in her eyes at the strange title falling from her lips. Instructor, teacher, mentor ... that’s what I was after all.

I feel a heaviness take hold of me, a line forming between me and Micai as I glance between the three of them.

There is no place for me to belong here. No matter how much I wish it so.

Micai’s brows cinch downward, a look I haven’t seen in them taking hold of her. Was it pity?

Had I shown my disappointment or jealousy in some way? Had the realisation of my feelings somehow shown through?

I open my mouth to excuse myself. There is too much to do and ... I could no longer stay here with this feeling consuming me.

But before I can speak, a figure slides from behind me and quickly stretches their hand out toward Micai. Micai evades the fingers trying to grab her as both I and the boys around her twist around and move her behind us.

It’s only then that I see who the figure is. Imelda.

One of the Council’s representatives. But I had thought they had all left?

Imelda’s dark brows pinch downward as she narrows her eyes at me and the boys beside me. “What do you think you’re all doing?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing.” The brown-haired one, Ezra , glares as his whole features darken toward Imelda, quickly silencing her.

“What’s this all about, Imelda? The investigation should be well over by now.” I take a step closer to her, anger rising inside me with the glare she’s throwing in Micai’s direction. “What do you think you were trying to do in grabbing Micai anyway? That’s no way to behave for a representative.”

“Micai?” Imelda scoffs, her glare growing darker toward the woman in question.

“There was another attack within the academy grounds. One of our representatives, Verod, was attacked by a beast. He was found injured and unconscious in the academy building, and when he woke briefly, he named Ms. Bane as being somehow involved.”

My gaze flits back toward Micai. An attack?

My eyes immediately scan her small frame, checking for any visible wounds or injuries. My fingers begin to itch at my sides, wanting to reach out to her and make sure she is okay.

By the wide-eyed look on the boys beside her, it seems they were also unaware of this.

She meets their gazes and mumbles, “It was Christmas Eve night.”

A look I can only understand as realisation dawns on their faces before a sombre look takes over, then followed swiftly by anger.

I wonder what happened?

My brows furrow as Micai’s words sink in further.

She spent Christmas Eve here ?

But that would mean Micai had stayed in the academy over winter break? Had she not gone home to her family?

I turn back toward Imelda as her lips thin and curl upward watching Micai, a look of pure disdain dripping from every feature.

Why did she dislike Micai to this extent? She made it so blatantly obvious to all around her.

Annoyance and anger swirls in my chest. She was supposed to be a representative. Neutral and unbiased. But instead, she was holding some personal grudge against Micai due to her own prejudice?