Chapter 24 Ro

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Ronan

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Ronan

There were exactly 25 wooden bars with 34 dark wooden holes and furthermore 67 lighter wooden holes on the ceiling.
I had learned that the hard way last night.

Not being able to sleep was a familiar feeling. While the insomnia used to add to my desperation in the beginning I had learned to use it. The hours deep into the night and sometimes even the early morning were used to file important documents or make up strategic plans. Sleep had become an afterthought since becoming a general.
And although at the moment I had my head full of things to do I hadn't been able to form a single helpful thought.

Instead my mind had been filled of memories of the last days, pondering over the things I had said and the ones that had been said to me. Most importantly one person had polluted my mind with heavy words and images.

My plans were falling apart. Striking her name from my life was easier said than done when each and every move of hers didn't go unseen by my eyes. It was as if my mind was solely focused on her, eliminating more important matters.

Instead it had taken every ounce of strength in me to ignore her when I had watched her get hurt fighting the bison.
The occasional wince and limp the hours following the second part of the tournament had all but clouded my mind. It had been hard to decide whom to eliminate from the tournament when my attention had been stolen until the last moments.
Only then I had been able to secure my own dinner, a kangaroo large enough for me and Davian whom I had invited as a distraction.

Instead he had made the whole matter worse. Apparently him and Aurora were already as thick as thieves, leaving an odd aftertaste in my mouth.

During the whole dinner I had had to reassure myself that everything would be over the next morning. But now that it was the next morning nothing had worked out as planned.
The third challenge was supposed to be impossible for her. She had already been hurt before the tournament had even started so how was it possible that she had still managed to somehow smuggle herself past the winning line?

I had been annoyed when Blayze and Juliette had returned with Lilac even though I had already given them a pass.
Out of the whole group I thought that Aurora was the most troublesome so it only made sense that I had immediately taken notice of her absence.

I had been furious at her friends for leaving her and being so careless. The slow and unsure steps of Lilac in the forest had only infuriated me further.
Aurora would be lost against a forest monster and if Lilac couldn't even tell where to search we'd never find her. I hadn't been able to shake the thought that we'd only find a corpse when we'd finally reach her.

Not all blame could be given to Lilac though. The idea of running into the forest could've only come from Aurora. Everyone knew how dangerous forests were or essentially any places that were secluded from humans where magical beings could flourish.

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