Chapter 8
I felt a bit uneasy inside.
"Got it," I said.
After a moment of silence, Sophia spoke again. "We'll head out now. Take care of yourself."
"Okay," I replied.
She turned and walked a few steps away, but Lucas was still standing at the door.
He looked at me, frowning. "Lydia, you look a bit haggard. Haven't been sleeping well?"
"Maybe," I replied.
"Try to get some fresh air," he said. "Now that things are settled, everyone in the sect is happy. The elders aren't watching us too closely, so you can head down the mountain and enjoy yourself. Don't just stay cooped up in your room."
"Got it," I said.
He nodded and walked away.
I stood at the door, watching them as they walked off into the distance.
Sophia was walking ahead, with Lucas following her.
They were talking quietly, so I couldn't catch what they were saying. Sophia smiled, and Lucas smiled back. They looked like a perfect couple.
I closed the door and went back to my room.
Orion was leaning against the pillow, watching me with a crooked smile, looking like he was enjoying the show.
"That girl is your fellow apprentice?" he asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"And that guy too?" he asked again.
"Yeah."
"They look good together," he said.
I didn't say anything.
"Your father wants you to go see him?" he said. "It seems that you are not very close to each other."
"That's none of your business," I said.
He chuckled. "No wonder you locked me up here. No one paid attention to you, no one looked at you, no one cared about you. So you came to me."
He looked at me, his gaze casual, like he was glancing at some random thing. "Aren't you worried they'll find out?"
"Nope," I replied.
"Aren't you afraid I'll shout?" he asked.
"If you shout, they'll rush in and see you chained up on the bed," I said, meeting his eyes. "What do you think they'll say? I'm just a nobody, but you're different.
"If they see you chained up by a Stormblade Sect disciple, what would they call that? Oh, right. A boy toy."
He looked at me, the smirk fading from his lips, his gaze turning cold.
I walked over, picked up the comb, and kept brushing his hair.
"Orion," I called out.
He said nothing.
"You're mine. No one's ever going to take you away from me," I said, twirling a strand of his hair around my finger. "They'll never find out. No one will ever know."
"You're crazy," he muttered under his breath.
*****
On the day of the sect competition, I put on a bright outfit. It was pale blue, the same color Sophia was known for.
I glanced at myself in the mirror. Still, I didn't quite look like her, but at least I looked more presentable than usual.
"Do I look good?" I asked.
Orion was leaning against the headboard, the chains dangling from his wrists as he watched me.
After a few days of me feeding him, he looked a lot better. Some color had returned to his cheeks. He wore pale blue clothes, mysterious and cold, like a sapphire immersed in water.
He gave me a quick glance, then looked away.
"You're so ugly," he said.
"Liar. You looked twice," I teased.
He turned his face away and scoffed.
"It's the sect competition today," I said, sitting on the edge of the bed and tightening my wristbands. "Keep quiet, stay still, and make sure no one finds you."
"Are you scared?" he asked.
"Nope," I said, standing up. "If I was scared, I wouldn't have stashed you here."
He sneered, "Looks like the competition really matters to you, huh?"
I didn't bother to respond.
He shot me that teasing look again. "Is it the competition, or your father you're so hung up on? Or maybe you want to show off in front of your fellow apprentices?
"How long has it been since the Lightwarden last saw you? Think he'd even recognize you now? No one's dropped by to check on you these past few days. Guess you're not exactly close to them, huh?"
My fingers curled tight. I shut him up with a kiss before he could finish.
Finally, I closed the door behind me, leaving him chained in the darkness.
*****
The sect competition was blazing. The action on stage was wild, and the crowd was going crazy.
I was standing way at the back, and nobody noticed I was there.
When it was my turn, my opponent was a girl from the Spirit Blade Guild. She was half a head shorter than me, and her sword was shorter, too.
But I still lost, and lost hard.
When her sword touched my throat, some people in the crowd snickered. Then came a bunch of quiet whispers, barely audible, but I caught every word.
"Lydia lost again."
"Has she ever won, like, ever?"
"She's the Grandmaster's daughter. Who cares if she wins or loses?"
I put away my sword and stepped down from the stage. No one glanced my way.
In the afternoon, it was Sophia's turn to compete.
She won, and she made it look easy. The whole crowd cheered for her.
My father, sitting in the seat of honor, stood up and applauded her.
His eyes were locked on her, like she was something precious he'd been longing for.
All I could do was stand at the back of the crowd, watching his back.