Knight | Celeste Academy Series BK #1

9th Chapter ♣ Ten Hours

"In this ever legendary school exists an equally legendary circle of students known for their skills in battle and alike. Meet the Celestial Twelve."

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CHAPTER NINE ♣ TEN HOURS

Valeriana's eyes shot open when she heard the loud knocking on her door. Out of shock, she rose into a sitting position as sweat broke from her forehead. The bed, the ceiling, and the walls weren't what she was expecting. After everything, she had hoped she would wake up in her room.

She threw her feet out of bed and placed them on the floor. "Oh, damn, I'm screwed. So I really wasn't dreaming?"

Valeriana sighed as she rubbed her face with the palm of her hand. The knocking got louder and more impatient. She raked her fingers through her messy, honey-golden hair that nearly resembled a bird's nest and took a deep breath. She then stood up and opened the door.

"What do you want?" she asked rudely. "It's in the middle of the night."

"It's half past ten in the evening." The boy before her seemed irritated that she had the galls to say that to him. "Valeriana, right?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I was told to fetch you and lead you to Lady Seraphina in preparation for your duel. She is waiting for you in the arena."

Realization dawned on her. "Oh my god. Right." She lightly tapped on her forehead with the bottom of her palms. "I don't know a thing about sword-fighting or whatever. How good is this Courtney exactly?"

"One of the best in the academy," he answered.

Valeriana groaned. "Why is this happening to me?" She rubbed her eyes and yawned noisily, trying to hide the trepidation she was getting from the impending fight. She didn't even know a thing about holding a sword. How was she going to stand up against someone more experienced than her?

Maybe she should just become a slave instead.

"Is it dawn already?"

"No. It's about ten hours before so," the boy answered.

She groaned, feeling her heavy lids dropping back down. She fought the urge to simply fall back down and go back to sleep. "I hate this," she said, whining. "Can I just . . . go back to sleep?"

"I also want to go back to sleep," he told her irately. "I was told there was a letter. Where is it?"

"What?"

"The letter." he repeated impatiently.

"Oh," she said, feeling dense. "There." She pointed at the envelope on top of the table she used a few hours earlier.

He snatched it off the table and slipped it into one of his pockets. "Come on."

She distractedly began twisting the golden band around her wrist, trying to restrain herself from strangling the annoying person in front of her. Her brows were knitting together while she pouted furiously.

Valeriana sauntered behind him and suck in the urge to stick her tongue out.

The boy guided her through a far walk from the girl's dormitories. The distance was really long that Valeriana began wondering how big the academy really was. How much land did it cover anyway?

Valeriana was certain she wouldn't get used to this place any time soon.

"Just how long will it take us to get there? Maybe I should grab a ride for myself," she muttered impatiently under her breath.