The whole of Ravencrest watched as Arvei Vross, a guard of the House of Blackthorn, was dragged out by three huge werewolf guards.
Although the incident was considered over, his name became a hot topic amongst the students.
They speculated as to how a guard from the House of Blackthorn could possibly have infiltrated the academy, which had always been believed to be the safest place in Ordovia.
“I still can’t believe he made it that far without anyone noticing,” said one of the students at a table not far from where Elara, Kael, Riven, and Xera sat.
“They say he let himself get caught on purpose.”
“That’s impossible.
Who would do that?”
Elara said nothing, listening to the conversation that wasn’t even being kept quiet.
There were still plenty of questions left about Arvei Vross, but no one actually had the answers.
Not even Kael.
His expression still looked unsatisfied, as if there were things he still wanted to dig deeper into.
He ate in silence, as though the voices around them held no effect on him at all.
Then Riven suddenly asked, “You’re heading back to Lunareth tomorrow, right?”
Elara lifted her head at the sound of a name that was, once again, unfamiliar to her.
“Lunareth?”
Xera turned to her.
“Kael hasn’t told you?”
Elara shook her head.
She glanced at Kael, who looked completely unbothered.
“Tomorrow Kael has to go back to Lunareth before heading to Chap Thallaqui.”
Elara set down her meal, her hand still hanging in midair from the surprise.
“Wow, wait, hold on.
Those are two words I have no idea the meaning of.
What’s Lunareth, and Chap–” She struggled to get the name out, her tongue tripping over it.
“Chap Thallaqui.
That’s where the competition will be held.” Riven paused for a moment, then added, “Lunareth is our home.”
“Are you joking, or do you genuinely not know.” Xera patted Elara’s shoulder from where she sat beside her, her expression stunned by Elara’s ignorance.
Only then did Kael speak up, though he explained nothing.
“I already told you.
She’s been like a different person since she fainted the other day.”
Elara ignored his comment.
She couldn’t exactly tell them she wasn’t from this world at all.
“Isn’t the competition supposed to be held at Ravencrest?” Elara asked.
Riven and Xera exchanged a glance before Xera shook her head.
“No.
Ravencrest is only for training.”
“Chap Thallaqui is neutral territory,” Riven explained.
“The point is,” Xera cut in impatiently, “every Alpha candidate will be there, competing against each other to win.
Every eye will be on them, watching how well they carry their clan’s reputation in front of all of Ordovia.”
Elara tried her best to take all that new information.
Up until now, she’d just seen Kael as her annoying bodyguard, and of course she knew he was a future Alpha of the Rhaen clan.
But Elara had never realized just how important his role would be, that he would have to inherit such a high position within his clan.
Someone who carried the clan’s reputation on his shoulders.
“Hm.” Elara hesitated for a moment, but she wanted to ask anyway.
“Can I come along to Chap Thallaqui?”
“No.” Kael answered immediately.
Elara sighed softly.
She had already known he would say exactly like that.
“You didn’t even have to think before answering me.”
“Chap Thallaqui is different from Ravencrest.
There, I’m not just your guard.
I’m a competitor, and I have to fight carrying the Rhaen name.
I can’t guarantee I’ll know where you are every second.” Kael’s tone wasn’t angry, but it was serious enough to make Elara fall quiet.
Elara wanted to argue back, but the words caught at the tip of her tongue.
Because she knew he was right.
“For a guard, you leave me alone often enough already.
Chap Thallaqui, no.
And Lunareth?
Of course not.
I don’t even need to ask.” Elara went on at length, putting emphasis on certain words.
Kael was still busy chewing food that seemed to never run out.
Xera and Riven stayed quiet, not daring to say a word.
Elara finished with, “Fine, go then.
I’ll take care of myself here.
Don’t worry, I won’t trip over something and die.”
Xera was the first to gently touch the back of Elara’s hand.
“Elara, right now you sound like a little kid throwing a tantrum.”
Elara looked at Xera, then Riven, and finally Kael.
All three seemed to be trying to stifle their laughter.
“Who said you couldn’t come to Lunareth?” Kael shot back.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“We have to leave early tomorrow morning.”
“Seriously?” Elara could hardly believe the rare act of kindness shown by that annoying man.
“Suit yourself.
Xera and Riven are also heading home tomorrow.” Kael straightened his empty plate.
He stood up, but before walking away, he added, “Are you sure you can survive alone in the dorm for a few days without hurting yourself?”
Within a second, Elara shot to her feet.
She looked so eager that Xera and Riven burst out laughing at her reaction.
“I’m coming!”
A smile spread across Elara’s face.
For the first time since arriving in Ordovia, she felt like she might finally get to see the world beyond Ravencrest.
The rest of the day passed at a strange pace.
Class felt like a fleeting shadow, as Elara’s thoughts had already drifted far away to Lunareth.
Yet, in between lessons, she still caught whispers about Arvei Vross that hadn’t died down, about who else might be involved, as if the students were unwilling to simply let that name go.
Elara tried not to dwell on it too much, but for some reason that uneasy feeling lingered in her mind all afternoon, like something that hadn’t quite been finished.
But as soon as class was over and she turned towards the Rhaen dorm, that unease was slowly replaced by her own excitement.
Elara couldn’t wait for tomorrow.
Without waiting any longer, she was already in her room, packing her stuff.
Once in a while she would pop into Xera’s room to ask what sort of clothes she should wear there.
Xera, who was resting, replied, somewhat annoyed and not fully awake.
“Wear whatever you like, as long as you’re not naked.”
In the end, Elara decided to take just enough clothes and a few small items that had become her habit since she’d been at Ravencrest.
As she was putting the last of her things into her bag, a sound from the common room made her hand freeze in midair.
Elara hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but her door wasn’t quite shut.
Riven’s voice was quite clear.
“Are you sure you want to take Elara to Lunareth?”
A moment of silence passed, then Riven’s voice came again.
“Is it really safe?
I mean for Elara.
She has no idea what kind of reaction she’ll get once she’s there.”
Elara froze.
She strained her ears, waiting for the answer.
Her own heartbeat felt louder than the voices outside her room.
A few seconds passed before Kael’s voice finally answered, “I don’t know.”
“Then why bring her along at all?” Riven asked.
“Because I’m not sure whether Ravencrest is safe yet.”
Riven’s voice sounded again as he asked, “But that Blackthorn guard has been caught, hasn’t he?”
There was a fairly long pause, during which Elara could only hear her own racing heartbeat, until Kael finally replied.
“There are many details that I can’t make sense of.
But one thing I’m sure of is that he didn’t do it alone.”