Chapter 24: Tension

Molly’s eyes scanned the contents, her lips curling slightly as she read the words written neatly across the page:

✧ ⋆ ✦ GRENDEL ACADEMY OF HEROES ✦ ⋆ ✧

“Knowledge Illuminates the Shadow”
──────────────────────
OFFICIAL ACCEPTANCE LETTER
──────────────────────

Dear Molly Valto,

We are pleased to inform you that your application to enroll at the
Grendel Academy has been accepted.

Please note: upon your arrival at the Academy, you will be
required to take the enrollment test. Full acceptance and dormitory assignment are contingent upon successfully
passing this test.

Details will be provided at the Hall on the day of your arrival.

We eagerly await your first step through our doors.

With brightest regards,

(Signed)
Archmagister E. Vellum

Office of Admissions
──────────────────────

Molly’s thumb traced the edge of the parchment, the curl on her lips widening the longer she reread the words. Her thoughts drifted back to the last thing Jen had said to her: ‘I’ve prepared everything for you already. The letters I’ve been sending were to a family I trust, one who will ensure you enter the academy without anyone discovering what you truly possess.’

A quiet warmth settled in her chest as the memory surfaced. Jen’s careful plans had begun taking shape, piece by piece, and it seemed the family she had mentioned had already set the enrollment into motion. The proof of it now rested between Molly’s fingers.

She lifted her gaze to Ren, who wore a knowing expression, the corner of his mouth already tugging upward as if he had been watching her reaction unfold. “Surprised?” he said.

Molly nodded, raising her right hand where she clutched the admission letter.

~ I didn’t know you enrolled also?

The tiny black particles swirled and reformed in the air between them. Ren let out a short chuckle when he read the words. “Well, I didn’t know either. Fiona was the one who applied for me at Grendel.”

Molly’s eyes widened, her brows lifting.

~ Really?

Ren nodded, his eyes crinkling with a mixture of amusement and lingering disbelief. “Even Mom was surprised when my enrollment letter arrived at our house along with yours.”

A faint, almost imperceptible flicker of surprise crossed Molly’s face. So Jen had already informed Jasmine about her enrollment. That thought alone eased something small and tight inside her chest.

~ Where’s Miss Jasmine?

A slight crease formed on Ren’s brow as he remembered. “Well… she left soon after dropping off the admission letter.”

~ What about Fiona?

“She’s inside.” Ren gestured toward the storage room with a tilt of his head. “She’s locking up since we’re about to head home. We were waiting for you to get back.”

Molly nodded, her eyes drifting toward the bread storage room just as Fiona stepped out. A frown sat heavy on the young lady’s face, her gaze strangely distant, the rigid set of her shoulders speaking of a tension she hadn’t yet managed to hide.

The moment Fiona noticed Molly, a brief flicker of relief softened her features. “Molly, you’re back?” she said.

Molly dipped her head in a short bow of greeting, and Fiona answered with a dismissive wave of her hand, quick and distracted. Then she clasped her fingers together, the strain in her body easing by a fraction. “Alright.” Her hands retreated to her sides, and her eyes swept the room once, scanning around as if confirming everything stood in its proper place. Satisfied, her gaze returned to the two children, and the ghost of a smile touched her lips.

“Why don’t we get going now?”

*****

Night descended slowly over Sigsug, unfurling across the sky like ink bleeding through cloth. The vast, unbroken canvas of deep indigo stretched endlessly overhead. Low on the horizon, the moon hung heavy, its magical glow spilling silver light across the land and carving soft shadows. The stars flickered like hushed whispers, as though something restless stirred beneath the quiet surface, poised like a blade waiting to be unsheathed.

Inside the cottage perched atop the hill, the warmth of the dining area did little to chase away the unease that had settled thick in the air. Molly and Ren sat at the dining chairs, their bodies angled toward each other, but their eyes followed Fiona as she paced back and forth across the floor. Her boots tapped an uneven rhythm, and though her face remained composed, the tension radiating from her frame betrayed every attempt to appear calm.

“Fiona, is something wrong?” Ren asked, his voice measured, careful, though the worry behind his words pressed through.

At the sound of his voice, realization bloomed across Fiona’s features, and she pulled herself to a halt. “Ah.” The breath escaped her almost silently. She turned to Ren with an expression that tried too hard to reassure. “Nothing,” she said, tilting her head just slightly. “Just a bit nervous.”

Molly shifted in her chair, the fabric of her robe rustling against the wood. Her brow furrowed, and the black orb above her shoulder flickered, projecting her thoughts.

~ But your whole exterior says otherwise.

The words hung in the air. Molly stared directly into Fiona’s eyes, catching the subtle tightness that still lingered around them.

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~ You can tell us if you want. Maybe we might be able to help.

Fiona stared at both children for a long moment, her expression guarded, unreadable. Then something sad flickered across her face, there and gone in an instant. Perhaps she might have confided in them if they were older, if they had already graduated from the academy and worn the insignia of a hero organization. But fate had not been so patient.

A sigh slipped from her lips. They were still children, small and unhardened, with the academy gates not yet crossed.

Fiona lifted her hand in a dismissive wave. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing much,” she said again, her voice a fraction steadier this time.

Neither Ren nor Molly believed her. Their gazes remained fixed on her, unblinking.

Not noticing their persistent stares, Fiona resumed her pacing, though now with deliberate restraint. After a few more minutes, she crossed to the cottage door and pulled it open, peering out into the night. The cool air rushed in. She scanned the path leading up the hill, her eyes searching the darkness. Upon finding no one approaching, another sigh escaped her, this one heavier than the last.