Chapter 14

Breakfast was delicious, but for some reason, it still sat heavy on my stomach. Maggie, Trent, and Belinda were there with me, and they were as chipper as always, chattering about how the sword would soon be ready, and they couldn't wait to see it.

I couldn't wait either.

After breakfast, Belinda took Trent to do some chores, but the little boy promised to come soon to see the sword, and Maggie and I headed to the library.

There, Abbie stood beside the long tables, passing along lessons to Gwen and Britt. Lacey was reading a book about dragon eggs.

I glanced around, but I already knew Levi wasn't here.

A pang cut through my chest.

No, I wouldn't feel sad or disappointed. He said he would meet me here later, which meant it could be in an hour or five. He was nothing to me. Just a hot body to have fun with.

That was the tenth time I told myself that this morning.

What was it that people said? The more I repeat it, the greater the chances I would believe it.

I let out a sigh.

"Off with you two." Abbie shooed Gwen and Britt away, then smiled at me. "I think your sword is ready. Want to see it?"

"Of course."

"I want to see it," Gwen said.

"Me too!" Britt whined.

"All right, but just for a minute." Abbie lifted one finger. "Wait here."

She walked between two bookshelves.

I glanced at her sisters. "Where is she going?" The way to the greenhouse wasn't through the shelves.

"She's the hall's favorite," Britt said with a little disdain.

"Well, she's the heir," Gwen mumbled.

"That means, the hall gives her shortcuts and magical doors," Maggie explained. "And only Abbie."

The Grand Eternity Hall and its living magic never ceased to amaze me.

A minute later, Abbie returned holding something large wrapped in a black cloth. She deposited it on a cleared part of the long table and pulled the corners of the cloth away.

My breath caught.

The Celestial Sword shone against the dark cloth, its silver blade and white hilt clear of any rust and dirt.

"It's so pretty," I whispered.

"The sword is infused with magic, but there's one more thing we need to do." Abbie beckoned to me. I lay my hand on top of hers. She pinched my fingertip and I hissed when it felt like a prick. She pressed my finger on the blade, smearing it with my blood. The blade shone and the blood disappeared. "There. Now it's attuned to you."

I frowned. "How does it work?"

"With the magic we put in it, the blade is supposed to feel lighter than it actually is, and it's stronger too," Abbie explained. "It will take a lot to break or destroy it."

"It also should cut through almost anything," Maggie added.

"Right." Abbie nodded. "And it will answer your call. Just summon it like you would your first Celestial Blade."

It was too good to be true.

I stared at the sword and wished for it to disappear.

It trembled, as if not used to it, but after another try, it blinked into oblivion.

The sisters and Lacey cheered.

With a smile of my own, I extended my hand and called it. The sword blinked into existence, the hilt in my grip and the shiny blade stretched in front of me.

"This is amazing," I said, my throat closing with emotion. "Thank you."

"Our pleasure," Abbie said, and the sisters nodded.

I stepped away and swung it a few times, feeling its weight, its movement. It felt lighter and quicker than it should and it was awesome.

I smiled wide, so dang happy. "Thank you," I repeated.

Abbie waved me off. "It was fun for us, you know. We love a challenge." The sisters nodded in agreement. She then turned to Gwen and Britt. "All right, done here. You two, go study."

Gwen and Britt stomped away, complaining about not being part of all the cool stuff.

Abbie sighed. "And I wish I had more time." Maggie stared at her, and the two of them shared a look that probably ran deeper than we realized.

As the oldest, they both carried a lot of responsibility for the hall and their siblings.

We heard a ding. Abbie, Maggie, and Lacey checked their phones. I put my gorgeous sword away before reaching for mine.

"It was mine," Lacey said. She looked at me. "It's Levi. He said he had something to do and will be back soon."

Oh.

My chest constricted.

Why did this hurt so much?

I shook my head. Nope, I wouldn't feel anything. I couldn't. I had been the one to push him away, and I was glad he had accepted it.

We were getting too close, too attached.

It was better this way.

It was better this way.

It was better this way.

How many times would I have to repeat those words to convince myself?

Abbie reached for a book on the table. "Ariella, should we continue researching about the dragons, maybe find another solution if the dragon shifter doesn't reach you?"

"Oh right!" A little bit of excitement made its way through my chest as I told them about my phone call with Kaz. "Kaz said that if the council will allow me to go to the dragons, we'll still need a powerful witch to help us out." I looked at Abbie. I knew Lacey was powerful too, but Abbie being the hall's protector had to be more. "Will you go with me?"

She smiled at me, a true, big smile I hadn't seen from her yet. "Of course. Meeting dragons would be a great honor."

"Not fair." Maggie pouted. "I want to go too."

"When Kaz calls back, I can ask him," I said. "It isn't up to me but I'll see what I can do."

Maggie beamed. "Yay!"

I looked at Lacey and she seemed a little sad. "Do you want to come too?" Her eyes lit up and she nodded. "I'll ask about you too. Well, at least I can argue that we'll have plenty of powerful witches to help out." I pointed to the books spread over the table. "He did mention it would be good if the witches involved knew about dragons."

Lacey and Maggie reached for books, sat in chairs, and began reading.

I laughed.

And I stopped when my phone rang.

I reached for it, almost dropped it, and answered without looking at the screen, sure it was Kaz.

"Ariella?"

I frowned, recognizing the voice. "Erin? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, probably," she said. "Sorry, I got your number from Hazel, but I really need to speak with you."