Warsong | Celeste Academy Series Book #4

Chapter Eight ⚜ Enmasque (pt. 2)

Genevieve and Zevlin greeted them enthusiastically while Brindon automatically latched himself to Keelan's side right after seeing him.

"Bri!" Keelan avidly exclaimed. "I haven't seen you since we came in, how is it?"

"Good. Party." He nodded fervently.

"Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself!" He smiled. "Where's Courtney?"

"Suzanne."

"Who?"

Brindon stared at him blankly.

"Oh, you don't want to repeat yourself. Alright, I want ask any further, let's just enjoy the show!"

Keelan started a casual chatter with the twelfth-ranker—with mostly him talking rather. The crowd gathered before the stage as Aneeka approached Valeriana's side with a somewhat unhappy face.

"Aneeka, how'd it go?" she asked her. When the tenth-ranker looked at her questioningly, she decided to support her previous question. "I saw you and Rowe go out in the middle of dancing, so I thought something went wrong."

She couldn't tell her about spying on the two of them, could she?

"No . . . it's fine, there was just some minor issues about a few things."

Seeing as the other girl wasn't too willing to talk about what happened, Valeriana found herself bringing up something else—not really. "I know I'll make you uncomfortable for saying this, but you two honestly look good together."

Aneeka gave her a pointed look with a sigh. "Don't say that."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Rowe and I aren't like that, alright? I'm supposed to be the family knight."

"Are nobles prevented from being with someone of lower status?" she asked. "Whenever you're together, you seem like you're really happy one moment and you turn a hundred and eighty in a few heartbeats. Like you take one step forward then two steps back. Didn't you ask him to escort you to the ball?"

"Why you—how'd you know that?"

"Isn't it obvious? I may be horribly slow, but I'm not that stupid."

"If you can tell me about you and Corvan, then I'll answer your question."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

Valeriana's face turned sour at Aneeka's statement before it shifted into a look of confusion, then realization, and suddenly embarrassment. "Corvan and, what, me? Haha, holy shiznits, you gotta be kidding."

She fidgeted and found the urge to pick up a wine from the table to calm her suddenly frayed nerves. Aneeka raised her brow and flicked her wrist as though to shoo away the topic with a look of victory. It was scary how this girl could turn the tables so easily.

"Why does everyone keep on thinking that way about me and Corvan?"

Inwardly, she could not help but scream, you people are to blame for my crush! Brainwashers!

"I thought you were slow but not stupid?" Aneeka shot at her.

"Whatever—"

Before Val could finish, bells began ringing in chorus with the beat of the drums. A man covered in thick swathes of silk dyed in green emerged from behind the stage. Metal rings shook around his wrists and ankles. There was a soft hum of bass wind flutes that accompanied the beats.

The movements were wide—each wave of arms, the kick of the feet. The flexibility and grace was astounding that it was almost too mesmerising to watch. He wore a thick and plain, white mask the covered his entire face but his eyes blinked through small holes that even shadowed the color of his eyes.