Ashes in the Blood
962 Words
A storm brewed over Blackthorn Academy—not just in the sky, but in every whispered corridor, every wary glance. The Council’s presence lingered like smoke, even though their emissaries had supposedly left. Selene felt it in the chill that crept through her bones, in the way her name tasted like danger on other students' tongues.
She stood at the edge of the training grounds, her boots sinking slightly into the mud from last night’s rain. Matthew was beside her, silently watching the horizon. Neither spoke for a long while.
“They’re still watching us,” Selene said at last.
Matthew nodded. “Let them.”
She turned to him, noticing the cut along his jawline from yesterday’s sparring session. It had already begun to heal, but the bloodstain still clung to the collar of his shirt. “You’re reckless,” she murmured.
“I was protecting you.”
Selene’s eyes narrowed. “From a spell that wasn’t even aimed at me.”
He smirked. “Doesn’t matter. I’d still do it again.”
She hated how her heart stuttered at that.
Before she could respond, a voice called across the grounds.
“A charming display of loyalty,” Aurelian said, stepping out from the shadow of the archway. “Almost touching.”
Selene turned stiffly. “What do you want?”
“To walk,” he said simply. “And perhaps to offer insight. You two attract trouble like moths to a flame.”
Matthew’s eyes flickered with restrained distaste. “Funny coming from someone who spends his nights haunting libraries.”
Aurelian ignored him. “Selene, the tome—have you read the next passage?”
Selene hesitated. “It spoke of awakening. Blood rites. And something called the Ashen Veil.”
Matthew frowned. “What’s that?”
Aurelian’s gaze darkened. “It’s a forgotten barrier—magic buried deep beneath the academy. Older than the Council. Some say it was built to keep something out. Others, to keep something in.”
Selene felt a chill crawl up her spine. “And you think it’s connected to me?”
“I think it’s connected to your bloodline,” Aurelian replied. “And it’s stirring because you’re here.”
Matthew stepped closer to Selene. “We don’t even know if he’s telling the truth.”
“No,” she said quietly, “but we can’t ignore it.”
Aurelian looked at her for a long moment, then gave a small, respectful nod. “The tome responds to you, Selene, but if it’s opening pieces of the past, we need to find out what they’ve buried.”
With that, he turned and left them, his cloak billowing like smoke.
Silence fell again.
Matthew finally sighed. “You don’t trust him, do you?”
“No,” she said, “but I think he knows things the Council won’t tell us.”
“I just don’t like how he looks at you.”
Selene blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Like he sees you as a puzzle. Not a person.”
She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Her entire life, people had looked at her like she was something to decipher—or destroy. But Matthew… his gaze felt different. Like he saw the parts she tried to hide and didn’t flinch.
They walked back toward the dormitory, but Selene paused at the threshold. “Come with me.”
Matthew raised a brow. “Where?”
“Just come.”
She led him up the west stairwell, past the sealed corridor where the fire had been, and into a small attic room she had claimed as her own retreat. It was dusty, filled with old furniture draped in sheets, but the window overlooked the entire valley. The rain had stopped, leaving behind a shimmering mist.
She closed the door behind them.
Matthew turned to her. “You okay?”
Selene hesitated, then said, “No. I’m not.”
She walked to the window and leaned against the ledge. “I’m tired of pretending I’m not terrified. Of the Council. Of the prophecy. Of what might be inside me.”
Matthew crossed the room slowly. “Then stop pretending.”
She looked at him. “You say that like it’s easy.”
“It’s not. But it’s real.”
He reached out and brushed her fingers with his. “When I was a kid, I used to think I had to earn my place. That I had to fight for every breath. But with you, it’s different. I don’t feel like I’m fighting to exist.”
Her throat tightened. “I don’t know how to be close to anyone. Not really.”
“You’re already doing it,” he whispered. “With me.”
Selene turned to face him, and for the first time in weeks, she let her guard fall.
“You scare me,” she admitted.
Matthew looked startled. “Why?”
“Because you make me want things I’m not sure I’m allowed to have.”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stepped closer, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Then take them anyway.”
She didn’t mean to lean into him—but she did.
And when his lips found hers, there was no hesitation. No mask. No performance.
It was a kiss full of unspoken truths and silent promises.
When they parted, Selene rested her forehead against his. “I don’t know what happens next.”
“Then we find out together.”
They stood in that quiet, dusty room as the mist outside thickened into fog, shrouding Blackthorn Academy in eerie silence.
Neither of them noticed the faint pulse glowing beneath the floorboards.
The Ashen Veil… was beginning to stir.
- Writer
