Orison | Celeste Academy Series BK #3

Chapter Four ۞ The Blessing of the Skies

The Twelve tried to cope with the cold weather by carving out a cave-like structure, courtesy of Keelan and Brindon, which left Valeriana feeling like the caveman. Inside, the fire was fed and the girl was given new clothes to change into after she finally regained a bit of her strength. The others fetched their remaining, usable resources—their things—that were still salvageable, seeing as some of it was burned, cracked, or sliced because of carelessness. As usual, the brains of the group were gathered, this time, with Valeriana sitting on one corner and the beast by her side resting on its paws. Genevieve was attending to her injuries, applying a bit of medical attention to the mild scratches and other things. All in all, they were evenly divided into groups to get more job done within a short while.

"You know, you're actually pretty good at this. Are you sure you're not aiming to be a healer?"

"Healers don't get to be knights, Valeriana." Genevieve chortled, grabbing a salve and applying it to tender skin that made the girl wince. "I promised Zevlin we'll always be together. I can't do that if I'm not in battle." She exhaled heavily. "Healers are considered too valuable and are protected, so they are not allowed to fight during chaotic times. That means we'll be separated."

"I see . . . so that's the reason." Valeriana nodded. "But, seriously, you should consider improving this. You don't know when it'll come in handy."

The younger twin was flustered by her gracious comments and blushed faintly. "Thank you. Maybe I'll consider that."

Both opted to listen in to whatever discussion the three were into again afterwards. Honestly speaking, whenever they were planning something, they enjoyed leaving everyone else I the dark. Cifaro was keeping silent in the spot he had chosen. His eyes were closed, not to mention he looked asleep, but the quirking of his ears made it clear he was listening carefully.

"So your plan was to lure in the beasts above the frozen lake, crack the ice open and have them all dunked into the water?"

"Perhaps." Corvan nodded, not letting anyone notice his feeling of embarrassment from his lacking idea.

"Don't worry." Rowe gave a small chuckle as he reassured the younger lord. "It's not that bad. It just needs a bit of . . . adjustments."

"Well, there are a few flaws." Charles started, pointing out the lacking areas. "We do not plan to drown the beasts. The ice is continuously mending itself so there's a tendency for them to be trapped underwater. We still are unsure how to permanently revoke this curse and, quite honestly, trying to lure them out will not be an easy task. Besides, how in the world would getting them in water accomplish anything? We will need Valeriana to help in the purification and if she needs to focus on one at a time, they'll all be dead by then. Not only that, seeing as the fifth has not fully recovered from the recent accident, I do not think our personal healer will recommend her submerging herself again."

Corvan now looked like a frustrated child. "I just thought we could work our way around it somehow . . ."

"We can." Charles stated simply as he looked down at his notes. "I say it's a good challenge. However, we need some information to get this going."

As if on cue, the three turned to look at the other three working quietly within their own side of the room. The two girls and the beast all gave them a glance in return, answering their gesture with their own. Charles disrupted this with a sudden statement once more.

"Question number one; is that plasma of yours . . . efficient underwater?"

"It acts like frost. Keeps the heat in, the cold out. I am not quite sure since I've never known of anyone who tried that yet, however, perhaps?"