Immortal Consequences(25)
Truthfully, Wren had never put too much thought into it. The Council was made up of a group of Ascended and Housemasters, all of them selected for one sole purpose—to protect Blackwood Academy. They were in charge of all defensive wards and strategies against the Demien Order, and their membership was kept strictly anonymous. It was like a secret society among the academic elite…something Wren couldn’t help but dream of joining one day.
August stepped closer. Too close. That familiar scent flooded her nose—peppermint and something else…something warm that reminded her of storm clouds and thunder. “Are you really willing to trust a group of people who refuse to show their faces?”
“I don’t know.” Wren took a slow and deliberate step away from him. “But I do know I’m not willing to trust you.”
August flinched. It wasn’t a trick of light or a momentary hallucination. He looked…wounded. But just as quickly as the hurt had appeared on his face, it vanished, replaced by the cold and apathetic mask he often wore.
“Good.” The wall was back up between them. Solid and resolute. “I’d keep it that way.”
And then he was off, sulking deeper into the grounds, until he was nothing but a speck in the distance.
* * *
“Ms. Loughty.” Headmaster Silas glanced up at Wren from behind his glasses. “Please. Come in.”
Warm earth tones and the orange glow of firelight spread over Silas’s office like spilled ink, the corners of the room dappled with shadows. Six paintings adorned the wall closest to the entrance, portraits of the Housemasters—Birdie, Russo, Wesley, Violet, Marigold and Calligan. Each exuded the shimmering power of ancient magic, a sense of wisdom in their stares. The students were never taught how Housemasters were selected, nor how Silas came to be the Headmaster. Wren had always assumed they had simply been there since the beginning of time. When she had first arrived at Blackwood, Wren had considered asking Marigold, though her idea had been shut down by August almost immediately.
You don’t question the higher powers that govern Blackwood, he had told her. And trust me…sometimes it’s better not to know.
Wren approached the large mahogany desk at the center of the room. Silas slid his glasses off and placed them upon the desk.
“Comical, isn’t it?”
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.”