Page 363 of Axis of Fire

His gaze shifted toward Airis.

“Airis?”

“I couldn't leave for Mataarus without saying goodbye to my protégé first,” Airis replied, arching a brow in my direction. “So I'm borrowing her for a little while.”

Whispers immediately erupted around me again.

And I wasn't sure which stung my pride more.

The fact that I'd just proven how weak I was.

Or the possibility that I'd somehow embarrassed Airis after everything he'd invested in training me.

“Very well,” Draksen said, rising from his seat. “Everyone can relax for now, but don't wander too far. We'll prepare your individual training schedules and divide you into groups.”

“We expect everyone back here in thirty minutes,” Eugene added.

And then, right before our eyes, all four of them vanished.

******

Once we reached the garden beside the Temple of Nereida, Airis stopped and turned to face me.

He didn't look cold.

Quite the opposite.

His jaw was clenched so tightly I could see the tension in it.

And there was a storm raging behind his eyes.

I'd never seen him this angry before.

But I refused to let fear lock me in place.

“Did you see everything?” I asked first, unable to bear the chaos inside me any longer. “Were you there from the beginning?”

He nodded.

“Yes.”

“I know I didn't show anything, and I have no idea—”

I tried to explain myself, but Airis cut me off, his voice sharp enough to make me flinch.

“And what do you think caused that?”

I froze.

I didn't have the strength to analyze it.

And digging any deeper into myself felt terrifying.

There were probably a million reasons why I had failed.

But I didn't know which of them I could admit to Airis without feeling ashamed.

“You could start by asking those bruises under your eyes.”