Chapter 165 THE LAST NAME AMONG THE FALLEN
Chapter 165 THE LAST NAME AMONG THE FALLEN
CHAPTER 165
EMBER
I walked behind Headmaster Michal toward the courtyard, boots scraping against the stone path. He slowed until we moved side by side.
The morning air hung thick, still carrying the sharp metallic scent of blood and ash from the night before. Michal glanced at me, dark circles under his eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked, voice rough from lack of sleep.
I nodded, though my stomach twisted hard. He placed a hand on my shoulder. “Do you understand why I raised the wards?”
I looked at him, confusion slightly edged in my expression “Why are you talking to me about this?”
His fingers tightened slightly. “I feel guilty. I couldn’t hold my ground about keeping everyone inside. The recent attacks have already hurt a lot of students. I should have stopped y'all from attending the festival. But I didn't.”
I shook my head as realization dawned on me. He's blaming himself for what happened. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t see what was coming.”
He stared ahead, blinking slowly. Up close he looked young—too young for the weight of running an academy full of powerful, restless students. I wondered how old he really was under all that responsibility. Did he have a family somewhere? Someone waiting? Was he in love with someone? Was he even in a relationship? Does he even have a love life aside from managing a school full adult in a teenager's body? The thought slipped away as he kept speaking.
“Raising the wards was the last thing I wanted,” he said, voice low. “But student safety comes first. Even if they see it as punishment, I don’t care. My top most priority is to see to the protection of every child left in my care.”
I squeezed his arm, feeling the tense muscle under my fingers. “I think it was the right call. The Ruihs are cunning. We don’t know their next move. Prevention is better.”
He nodded once and gave a tired smile. We reached the courtyard. Mordecai, Eldon, and Solen stood near the front, faces drawn and sorrowful. Dark stains marked their clothes.
The air smelled of sweat and leftover smoke. Students had already gathered in loose groups. More poured out of the buildings behind us, their voices low and uneasy, shoes scuffing the ground.
Michal joined the three mages. They spoke in quiet tones, heads close together.
A hand landed on my shoulder. “Did you find Liana?”
I turned. Ragnar stood there, eyes searching my face. I shook my head.
Ragnar looked at me, pity flashing across his face before he quickly looked away. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.
"Ragnar? What's wrong? Are you okay?" I asked.
He shook his head. "You'll find out soon."
Before I could stop him, he walked away without another word.
The pity made my skin crawl. I started after him, ready to demand what he meant, but Lance stepped into my path.
He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. His lips felt warm against my skin, lingering a second longer than necessary. “It’s wrong to just run off without telling us where you’re going.”
I rolled my eyes, though my chest tightened at the concern in his voice. “I told you I was going to my room to take care of myself. What’s so hard to understand?”
Lance chuckled, the sound low and warm in his chest, and stayed close beside me. A moment later Kael, Magnus, and Rowan joined us.
Their presence pressed in around me—Kael’s steady heat at my back, Magnus’s quiet bulk on one side, Rowan’s cool fingers brushing my wrist. The blood bond hummed faintly under my skin. I felt safer with them close, but the comfort tangled with guilt. They cared. They stayed. And I still didn’t know how to balance all of it without hurting someone.
Michal climbed the podium with a clipboard in his hands. He looked worse up close—shoulders slumped, eyes shadowed. He cleared his throat. The sound carried across the quiet courtyard.
“Good morning. Or what’s left of it after last night’s chaos. Did everyone sleep well?”
Silence answered him. No one spoke. A few students shifted on their feet. Someone coughed.
He nodded and looked down at the clipboard. Paper rustled under his fingers. “I suppose that’s a strange question. I don’t think any of us slept well. Not when so many never returned.”
My pulse quickened. I watched his fingers tighten on the board until his knuckles whitened.
“These are the names of the students who died in the attack,” Michal waved the clipboard above his head. His voice stayed even, but it carried across every corner of the courtyard. “Some bodies were recovered. Others… only pieces we could identify.”
He began reading.
Each name hit the air like a stone. Soft sobs rose from different sides of the crowd. Someone near me started crying openly, the sound broken and wet. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. I stared at Michal’s mouth, tracking every syllable.
Not her. Please not her.
The list kept going. Names I barely knew. Names of people who had laughed at the festival stalls only hours ago. My chest grew tighter with every one. My breathing turned shallow.
The seer’s words from yesterday flashed through my mind…the dark energy around Liana, the future she couldn’t see. I had pushed the doubt down. Now every second of silence between names made my stomach twist harder.
Michal's eyes lifted from the clipboard. They found mine. He looked straight at me. The pain in his expression was clear, raw around the edges.
“And the last name on the list is…”
My heart stopped.
His voice almost broke. "...Liana Ludovic."
The world went silent.
What!!!
No!!!
My knees nearly gave out beneath me.
He must be joking. He's going to correct himself soon
Michal continued immediately as if he didn't just release a bombshell. “We mourn the loss of these students. We will be holding a night procession in honor of those who fought bravely before the Ruihs took them.”