Page 42 of A Whisper of Cinders

Oh.

I subtly move my hand up, hiding my heated cheeks behind the little friend I just made, but that is exactly the time it decides to fly away. Aramis averts his gaze, staring at his feet instead. “Shall we continue?”

I clear my throat. “Yes, of course.”

Aramis explains that it’s easy to get lost in the maze of tunnels. Some go deeper below ground, others end somewhere on the domain of the Academy.

Every now and then, a starfly falls down from the ceiling and swirls around my head. One even lands on my nose, making me laugh, its wings tickling my cheeks.

Sooner than I anticipated, I see light at the end of the cave, announcing our time with the little creatures is coming to an end. A strong breeze blows through the cave, a small preview of what weather we might expect once we leave the safety of the stone walls.

We walk into an open space where the ceiling is even higher. A built in, stone closet stands to our right and Aramis opens it without hesitation. “Although you don’t mind a storm or the cold, I think it’s a smart idea to put on a coat, just in case.”

From what I can see, the sky looks pitch black. So when Aramis holds out a coat for me to wear, I put it on without hesitation. I’m not that insane.

We walk over to where the cave ends, a strong gust of wind comes up to meet us, snow blowing into our faces. I take a few steps forward, taking in the surroundings. A forest lies in front of us. Some trees I recognise are the same as the ones on the domain of Anima. Others are new, but beautiful either way.

Various paths meander through the forest, and a longing grows within me, to wander those paths and find out where they might lead me. Since they mostly have been cleared of snow, I assume a lot of students go out for a walk. I can’t blame them.

“Is there a system for who shovels the snow around here?”

He scratches the back of his head. “Uh, sort of. There are a lot of us who enjoy being outside, meaning there are many volunteers. It’s a good exercise as well, great for building muscle.”

He flexes his arms, which earns him a spontaneous laugh from me. Even with the coat on, I see the outline of his biceps. “So you do that a lot, huh?”

He smirks. “I guess you could say that, glad you noticed, though.”

My cheeks burn. Again. Someone save me, the first man to give me some attention, turns me into a shy tomato. All. The. Time. What is wrong with me? I crawl deeper into the coat. But of course I noticed, has he seen himself?

“Being outside gives me a feeling I could never find inside. And since I also help in the healing quadrant, this is my sweet escape,” he admits as we follow the centre path.

I can’t help but notice how he seems to relax even more now that we are outside. “Where are we going?”

“To the greenhouse. You seem like the kind of person who is an expert in tending the garden.”

“I wouldn’t know,” I admit silently. “I haven’t had the opportunity to do so.”

Aramis gently bumps his shoulder into mine. “Ah, then you’ve come to the right place! Professor Bloomhart is exceptional, she knows every plant, what to use them for, which ones are poisonous or have the ability to heal.”

“Are you good with plants?”

“I have a broad knowledge, due to an unfortunate event in my childhood. My twin sister ate a poisonous plant believing it was a delicious snack.”

My eyes widen, my lips slightly apart. “I’m so sorry for your —”

“Oh, no, she didn’t die,” he quickly intercepts. “Although it came close to it and she scared the shit out of me, but we got to the healers in time and they thankfully knew what to do.” I breathe a little easier, relieved to hear she made it. “But watching the healers treat her, it made me want to do the same, you know? And to prevent other disasters from happening, I dove into the books and made sure I recognised every plant on sight alone.”

As we walk out of the line of trees, a ginormous greenhouse rises in the distance, still a few miles in front of us. “You don’t have doctors here?”

“Huh?”

“You talk about healers. In Anima, we had a nurse and a…a doctor too.” I mean, there’s nothing wrong with alternative treatments, I’m just not familiar with it.

His expression quickly shifts from something that looks like panic, to a relaxed smile. “Ah yes, Althea is our doctor, but she specialises in treating a patient without any fancy equipment. That's why we prefer to call her a healer.”

We reach the greenhouse and I can’t help but be amazed by the construction. The walls consist of tall windows outlined in gold metal and at the top of those windows, the moon cycle is etched in tinted glass, from new moon to a waning crescent.

“Wow,” I gasp, my mouth falling open slightly as I take it all in. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Which isn’t saying much, I know.