Chapter 25: Return to Oswalda

Time and space didn’t exist when Hunter kissed me. I couldn’t feel any part of me, and yet, I was the most aware I’d ever been.

This was my first kiss and I was happy it belonged to him. I may not have been his first, which stung a little, but he was mine, and that was all that mattered to me at that moment.

When we finally pulled apart, breathless, he ran his graceful thumb down my cheek and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “You don’t know how much I wanted to do this.”

I hadn’t even considered the possibility of kissing Hunter, or him wanting to kiss me, but now that it happened, I wanted to do it over and over again. His closeness was addictive.

I was burying my face in the crook of his neck and taking in his scent, when it occurred to me. “I completely forgot about Tanner and Celestria! Do you know what they’re up to?”

“If everything went according to plan, they’re probably doing the same thing we’re doing.”

~I knew it!~

“He’s not going to hurt her, is he?” The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.

I liked Tanner and I trusted him, but Celestria was family. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her, ever.

“Romance is a slippery thing,” Hunter told me. “But I do know that he’s never been in love before. All of the women who’ve ever thrown themselves at him can’t even compare to Celestria. I think that’s one of the main reasons why he likes her so much—she has never schemed in order to get his attention, and she treats him just like any other regular person.”

His gentle lips touched mine again, and his hand slowly caressed my face. His fingers ran through the loose strands of hair. “I’m really glad we came for a visit,” Hunter admitted.

I was about to tell him that I felt the same when I spotted the guard who had led me to the stables. He was running toward us. Once he reached us, he leaned over, and pressed his hands against his thighs, breathing heavily.

“Is everything okay?” Hunter asked.

“No,” the guard said once he finally managed to catch his breath. “Something strange is happening at Oswalda. The masters are asking the students to return early.”

Panic shot through me. “I better go find Celestria.”

“And I need to find Tanner and head back to the castle. If Oswalda is in danger, the queen might be too.”

Just like that, the most romantic moment of my life was over.

Celestria and I packed quicker than we ever had. Farah and Bolton had been so excited about our studies, but when they watched our carriage ride away in the direction of Oswalda, tears glistened in their eyes.

“Are you going to spill or should I go first?” Celestria interrupted the tense silence.

“We may have shared our first kiss by the water. After he made me this,” I told her and ran my fingers over the flower crown that still sat on my head.

“I kissed Tanner too.”

If we hadn’t been sitting, and if something terrible hadn’t happened at Oswalda, we probably would’ve been squealing and jumping for joy. I was giddy. I could tell Celestria was too, but not knowing what we’d find once we got to the academy put a damper on our joy.

By the time we arrived, the bad news kept coming in droves. An explosion of a mysterious origin had taken off one of Oswalda’s towers. Some of the staff members were still in the healing quarters. The few unlucky ones were in the ground.

On our way to our dorm, Master Rhoslyn ran up to us.

“What an absolutely terrible time we’re all living through,” she said, pulling us into tight hugs. “I’m just glad you’re all right, and that you decided to come back. The team that has you on its side will surely come out on top. I have no doubt about that.”

Before either of us could ask her to explain what team she was talking about, Master Rhoslyn told us that Kenley had not returned. Celestria and I had sensed she might’ve wanted to take a different path for weeks, especially when her grades were dropping day by day. Still, the fact that she hadn’t opened up to us and said goodbye hurt.

“Make sure you come to my classroom after dark,” Master Rhoslyn whispered in my ear once Celestria dragged her suitcase into our room. “I need to impart my wisdom on you. Now more than ever,” she added.

I promised her I would and followed after Celestria. She cried her eyes out for a good half hour, until eventually, Master Sinnie’s enchanted voice started bouncing off the walls.

“Students are being asked to gather in the dining hall. Master Bavol is going to be addressing the student body shortly.”

“Let’s keep our relationship to ourselves for now,” I told Hunter once we met at the entrance of the hall. “With everything that’s happening at the school and Allyah looking for reasons to make my life miserable, I just—”

“I get it,” he said before I could finish. “You’re probably right. Attention is not a good thing, especially when it comes from people like Allyah.”

“Drake is right,” Celestria said and rubbed her puffy eyelid. “We should probably figure out what’s really going on at Oswalda before we go public. What do you think?”

Tanner’s expression made it pretty clear he wanted to tell everyone who would listen that he was in love, but Celestria looked so miserable that he reluctantly let go of her hand and nodded in agreement.

The students, including what had been left of the first-year class, filled the dining hall. The masters and the administration gathered in the front of the room. Something else filled the space too—

Fear.