Page 109 of The Blackened Blade

“Not the academy.” I shake my head, my narrowed gaze meeting his.

“You need to be treated–” His brows pull together, a more stern look taking over his features before I cut him off again.

“No.”

“There's no ‘No’, Micai. You need to be–”

“Not there.” My voice breaks a little, a small vulnerable crack appearing in the armour I wear. One I didn’t even realise was there.

He looks at me, his gaze penetrating as his eyes search my face for something. They slowly soften once they find it, and then flicker over toward the academy again as a new conflict creeps into his gaze.

Maybe we could go somewhere else. Somewhere where we wouldn’t be seen. But where?

Then a thought hits me. “I’ll go to the abandoned training building where we–”

“It doesn't have what you need to be treated.” He counters before I can even finish, his features gentle but voice firm.

“It's either there or my room. And I’d say it's a longer walk to the girls dormitory than to the old training building from here.” I flicker my gaze around us.

“Why–” He starts, but his words cut off when I place my hand back on his chest. His muscles tense below my touch as a slight breath escapes his lips. His eyes meet mine again and I let a bit of how tired and weak I feel seep through into my expression.

“I don't want anyone to see me like this.” I look down at my torn and dirt-ridden uniform with blood dripping from my legs and feet. And then toward the cuts and scrapes that coat every bit of my exposed skin. “Please, Mr. Valor…”

I’m not completely sure what he sees when he looks at me or how much he understands, but he gives me a small nod.

“Gadriel…” His voice is low and brows slightly pinched as he speaks with a strange look forming in his eyes before raising his voice again, “You can call me Gadriel.”

He begins walking again but veers away from the main academy building and toward our training spot.

“Gadriel.”I mumble, the name falling from my lips without thought.

He pulls me in close with the call of his name, his eyes glancing down toward me for a brief second as a small grin tilts his lips. His green eyes twinkle as the moon above us shines on him; his hair like white golden silk against its light. The small smile he wears, for just a brief moment, changes his features into something more warm and…captivating.

But then all too soon it's gone, his normal serious look reappearing as his gaze falls back toward the forest in front of us.

After a few more minutes of walking, we finally reached it. The old training building.

He takes me inside, finding a small old wooden bench beside the dilapidated stairway, and gently places me down.

He flickers his gaze back and forth between me and something in the direction of the academy.

“I’ll get some supplies…will you be okay?” His eyes watch me for some kind of reaction but I give him a small smile and nod, trying to reassure him.

“I’ll be fine.”

He quickly makes his way toward the entrance but stops and turns around for a brief moment to gaze back at me. “I’ll be back soon.”

He's gone in seconds, in a blur of movements and matching the speed I would have had at my normal strength. But his steps are so silent, that if I hadn’t seen him leave I would have thought he had just disappeared.

I’ll have to get him to show me how to do that another day.

A couple of minutes pass as I look down at the rips and holes throughout my uniform and toward the dirt and dried smudges of blood on my body.

I watch on and notice a small cut on my leg slowly closing up and healing. I guess my power was slowly recovering.

I try to stand, and wince from both the sting from my feet and the pain searing up my side.Right, fractured or broken bones.

Hopefully, whatever was in my system would fade faster and allow these injuries to be properly healed by the morning.

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