“So, tell me about yourself, Eldon,” said Willow.
“There’s not much to tell.” He shrugged. “Though I do go by Lee, typically. Harper is the only one who calls me Eldon.”
“The two of you are that close, then?”
“Well, uh, it’s because she knew my sister… we’re not really… I mean, we are close.”
“Ha! You’re so funny.” She poked him in the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll call you Lee. I like the way it feels on the tip of my tongue.”
“Thanks.”
“You must have really stood out from the rest of the initiates for Harper to make you her apprentice.”
Lee was tempted to say something cocky but managed to resist. “I’m sure she had her reasons. What about you?”
“What about me?”
“This is the second semester, and we’re already a week and a half into it. Seems like an odd time for a new student to show up.”
Willow’s smile became an exaggerated scowl. “So, you were lying before! Harper didn’t tell you anything about me, did she?”
He shrugged. “You caught me.”
“I’m a transfer student. I was at Stonepath Academy before coming here.”
“Stonepath? Isn’t that school way more prestigious than Primhaven?”
“Uh-huh,” said Willow. “I can’t really say I mind leaving it, though. I wasn’t a fan.”
“That still doesn’t answer the question of why you transferred.”
She grinned. “To pursue a better opportunity. I have a strong affinity for nature magic, and Primhaven is in desperate need of my talents.”
“You’re a druid?”
“A druid in training. I’ll still be a student here, officially. It’ll take some time before I manage to fill the shoes of your former instructor.”
There was a hint of doubt in her voice, and Lee felt the urge to press her on it. “You think you’re up for the challenge?”
Willow’s eyes lit up with delight. “Oh, most definitely. But like with so very many things in life, only time will tell.”
Her gaze lingered on his. Lee had to look away first, feeling suddenly aware of how close she was standing to him. The silence began to build and fester again, and he took the easy way out.
“Up ahead is the Spell Range,” he said. “Fairly self-explanatory.”
“Fairly boring,” said Willow. “Tell me about those.”
She gestured back toward the First Tower and the massive chunks of displaced earth hovering in the air around it.
“The Zephaphine Islands,” said Lee. “They were set aloft by the sorceress Shay Morrigan when Primhaven was first founded. The view from up there is spectacular.”
“You’ve walked on them.”
“A few times, yeah.”
“Have you ever jumped off?”
Lee snorted. “What do you think?”
“I think it would be exhilarating.” Willow stepped away from him, extending her arms out to either side. “All you’d need is a trustworthy wind cushion spell and the right timing, and it would be no different from an amusement park ride.”
“Well, I guess a mage with that kind of skill could…” He scratched his head. Elemental magic was not his forte.
“A mage with that kind of skill?” said Willow. “Interesting word choice. Don’t tell me Harper’s apprentice is a bit lacking when it comes to casting?”
“I just haven’t considered how that sort of magic would work.”
“Like this.” Willow suddenly jumped into the air, both arms snapping to bend at the martial angles of the elemental casting stance. A gust of wind shot her upward a good twenty feet. She tucked, flipping forward through several somersaults before falling back down.
Even though he understood where her demonstration was going, Lee still had to tamp down on the urge to hurl himself into position to catch her. She caught herself, casting again and creating a plume of air to arrest her fall. A plume of air which also tore her t-shirt upward, revealing a partially see-through white lace bra underneath.
“That was pretty cool,” he admitted.
“Thanks for noticing.” She batted her eyelashes on him. “Care to continue showing me around? The campus is so large and confusing compared to Stonepath…”
He brought her past the dormitories and then up into the Ewix Center to handle Harper’s other request. The administrative office was empty of students, and they had to wait a minute for the mage at the counter to find robes in Willow’s size.
“I hope these fit,” muttered Willow. “Harper wouldn’t stop complaining about everything she thought was wrong with my outfit.”
Lee chuckled. “She’s just looking out for you.”
“So, you agree with her, then?” asked Willow.
“I already know enough to know I won’t be taking sides between the two of you.”
“Oh, we’ll see about that.” Willow accepted her initiate’s robes from the mage. “I should probably go change into these. Wanna come?”
Lee felt the heat hit his cheeks like the sun on a hot summer day. “That’s, uh, probably not a good, um…”
“I mean, would you show me to the female initiates’ dormitories?” asked Willow with a frown. “You didn’t point out which one was which before.”
“Oh, right.”
She laughed, and he blushed even harder. He couldn’t decide whether he wanted to be done with the task of escorting her around campus or not. Harper’s warning was still echoing through his head, but there was an aspect of Willow that was kind of intriguing. Kind of frustrating, too.
He waited for her in the dorm common room while she changed. The grey-and-blue initiate’s robe matched the highlights in her hair surprisingly well. It also fit her rather well, showing off the plumpness of her breasts which seemed to move surprisingly freely underneath the form-fitting fabric.
“What do you think?” She spun around for him, grinning at his reaction.
“It looks good on you.” He scratched his head. “I was going to go get some food if you wanted to… you know. In the dining hall.”
He wanted to track down his tongue and inquire just what had it so tied up around this particular girl. He wished she wouldn’t make eye contact the way she did whenever he started speaking, as though she was hanging on each and every word, listening with her gaze.
“That sounds great,” said Willow. “I’m starving.”
CHAPTER 8
It was near lunchtime, and the dining hall was expectedly busy. Most of the tables were already full.
“I’m buying,” said Willow. “My way of thanking you for being such a gracious guide.”
“The food here is…” Lee trailed off as Willow split away from him. “…Free.”
He shrugged and moved to find them both seats. He spotted Eliza sitting alone at a table in the corner of the room, more engrossed in the notebook in front of her than her food.
“Hey,” said Lee, as he joined her. “Are you studying? At the lunch table?”
“Yeah.” She gave a guilty shrug. “It’s for my spell thesis. I have an idea that would combine my water elemental magic with illusions, but I haven’t quite worked out the details yet.”
“Sounds complicated.” Lee frowned a little as he took in the fact of her sitting alone. “Still no Toma, huh?”
Eliza sighed. “Nope. I asked Lead Instructor Laughton about it, and she gave me a vague answer about him being fine and that he’d be back soon.”
“How expectedly cryptic of her,” said Lee. “Well, I guess it’s better than nothing.”
“Should we be worried?”
Lee was about to answer when Willow arrived with a tray of burgers and fries in each hand. She set them down and smiled, glancing back and forth between Lee and Eliza.
“Eliza, this is Willow, Harper’s younger cousin,” he said. “Willow, this is my friend Eliza.”
Eliza blinked at him flatly, and he wondered if it was because of his word choice. She was c
ertainly more than a friend to him, but it felt strange to call her his girlfriend without discussing it with her first, given how complicated their situation was.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Eliza,” said Willow. She sat down on the other side of Lee.
“Likewise,” said Eliza. “Did you just transfer here?”
“Yeah. Harper asked Lee to help show me around. He’s a really great guy.”
Eliza nodded and her smile twitched slightly. “Yes… he is.”
“You’re studying in the lunchroom?” Willow chuckled. “You remind me of my friends back at Stonepath.”
“The curriculum isn’t that much easier here at Primhaven just because of the school’s lesser reputation,” said Eliza. “We still have to study.”
“Oh, of course,” said Willow. “I’m sure you do.”
There was a pause. Lee tapped his fingers on the table, uninterested in letting the moment linger.
“We’ll each be working on a spell thesis for part of our end-of-semester requirements,” he said. “Eliza’s considering pairing a water spell and an illusion.”
Willow raised an eyebrow. She slid her chair a bit closer to Eliza and leaned over to glance into her notebook. Eliza scowled, face slightly flushed.
“Interesting,” muttered Willow. “Using an illusion to mask an approaching water spell. You’ll have to keep in mind the moisture will interfere with the integrity of the veil if they make contact.”
“I’ve already taken it into account, but thanks.”
“Oh, no problem.”
Lee waited, but the ice between the two girls seemed unwilling to properly break.
“I’ll probably need some help on my own spell thesis,” he said. “I still haven’t even thought of an idea for mine yet.”
“We can brainstorm together,” said Eliza quickly.
“I might also have a few ideas once I see what you’re capable of,” said Willow with a smile.
They both looked from Lee to each other, then back to Lee, as though they were expecting him to give them each a definitive answer on whose help he wanted. He tapped his fingers on the table some more, feeling as though regardless of what he said, it would backfire.
Harper saved him, choosing that moment to enter the dining hall and approach their group.
“Eldon, I’m leaving the college in a few minutes to follow up on the meeting Kukachuk’s messenger requested. You’re coming with me, and so is Willow.”
Lee nodded. Willow seemed less than surprised. Unexpectedly, Eliza’s reaction was the most pronounced.
“Wait!” said Eliza. “You’ll be… taking snowmobiles, then?”
“Yes.” Harper furrowed her brow slightly. “I don’t see how that’s—”
“Three people, two snowmobiles; you’ll have one seat open. I think I should go as well.”
“Out of the question,” said Harper. “This isn’t a pleasure ride. We’ll be heading deep into frost troll territory.”
“But… I can… um…” Eliza sputtered, confidence deflating, shoulders slumping, hope sunk. Lee decided to throw her a flotation device.
“She can help,” he said. “Her illusions are better than yours, Harper, remember? She was critical when we faced off against the Melting Pack over winter break.”
“We didn’t have a choice about it then. I see no reason to expose an additional student to unnecessary danger.” Harper raised a finger as though to punctuate her point, and then hesitated. “Though… I suppose. Would you be capable of using an extended veil to hide our snowmobiles once we’re near the frost troll camp?”
“Against a background of snow?” Eliza chewed her lip. “I think so, it shouldn’t be too hard.”
Harper still gave it a final moment of consideration before nodding. “In that case, you can come. I’d also like you to ensure Willow has proper clothing for this endeavor. It isn’t as cold as it has been, but she’ll still need gloves and a hat.”
Eliza and Willow glanced at each other. It wasn’t exactly a friendly look, but it was a few degrees warmer than their previous conversation.
They finished eating and then split off. Lee headed straight back to his dorm, where he found Tess with her ambiguously gendered kitten. She was on her knees, dragging a small bit of string back and forth and giggling at the animal’s reactions.
“Are you and Helga having a good time?” he asked.
“I’m sure you meant to say Harold, and yes, we are.” She stood up and grinned at him, though it waned a bit as she saw his expression. “Something’s up?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Harper wants me, Eliza, and Willow to head on an outing with her to meet with the frost troll chieftain.”
“Willow?”
“Harper’s cousin.”
Tess hummed her curiosity and stepped close to him. He pulled her into his mystic stream and gave her a long kiss and a longer hug.
“Do you want me to come?” she asked.
“I should be fine on my own. Far be it for me to tear you away from little Helga.”
“It’s Harold!” said Tess. “But thanks. You should still be able to cast your spells, given how strong our pact has grown. Harold is so tiny. I worry about the trouble he’ll get into on his own.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
He grabbed his jacket, boots, and a hat and gloves. Snow pants seemed a bit unnecessary given the weather. He also grabbed his dagger and his pistol, a handy Walther P99 that had been a gift from Toma’s brother. He’d recently managed to place a special order to the Gillum hardware store for more silver bullets, though he could only afford ten instead of a full cartridge.
“Take care, Lee.” Tess gave him a quick parting kiss, mirrored by the kitten, which nipped his ankle as he pulled on his boots.
“I will.”
CHAPTER 9
Lee was the last to join the group at the gate. He fell into step with Harper as he followed her out into the snow, Eliza and Willow following close behind.
“I think your hands are bigger than mine, Willow,” said Eliza. “It’s okay though. I don’t mind if you stretch those gloves out a bit.”
“It’s not that much of a difference,” said Willow. “I’m just glad you’re comfortable with sharing.”
Lee glanced over his shoulder to see the two girls smiling at each other, their expressions as icy as the ground beneath their feet.
They took snowmobiles out and gassed them up. Harper pulled out a small supply sled that hitched onto the back of hers and proceeded to load her bag onto it, along with various bundles from within the shed.
“Are you expecting us to be out overnight?” asked Lee.
“It’s likely we will be,” said Harper. “We’re leaving later in the afternoon than I’d intended, so we have to at least plan for the possibility.”
“You could have mentioned that to me earlier,” said Willow. “I just arrived at Primhaven. I would have preferred some time to settle in, first.”
“I don’t plan on letting you out of my line of sight for more than an hour while you’re settling in, Willow.” Harper folded her arms and shot a downward look at her cousin, who rolled her eyes in response. “Now, Eldon, you have experience on a snowmobile, so you’ll be the second driver. Willow and Eliza, the two of you will ride on back.”
“I’ll ride with you, Lee,” said Eliza quickly.
“On the ride out,” said Willow. “We should obviously switch partners for the ride back.”
“It doesn’t matter,” said Harper. “Stop acting like children and focus on the situation we’re heading into. We’ll be heading north. Willow and Eliza, keep an eye out for any signs of frost trolls or other threats to the east and west as we travel.”
They both nodded, and the four of them loaded onto the snowmobiles. Harper’s was laden down by both her extra passenger and the supply sled, which limited their speed. Still, the snow was perfect for the treads, and Primhaven was soon out of sight behind
them as they sped across the snowy landscape.
Eliza’s arms were gripped tight around his waist, and her presence behind him was a little distracting at first. Even through her jacket, he could feel her soft breasts pressing into his shoulder blades. He tried to calm himself down by thinking ahead about the dangers they might face.
They could be heading into a trap, though it seemed even more unlikely than it had when they’d encountered the frost troll messenger the previous night. If it wasn’t a trap, the question of why Kukachuk would seek a meeting with them was anyone’s guess.
The scenery was beautiful. Mountains jutted out on the distant horizon like giant daggers stabbing toward the sky. Snow-speckled forests grew thick enough to serve as major obstacles, forcing them to take detours around on their way north and adding definition to the otherwise barren landscape.
Eliza gave Lee’s waist a tight squeeze a few hours into the trip. She loosened one of her arms to point at something in the distance. It took him a minute to make it out, but once he did, he signaled for Harper to slow to a stop.
“Smoke,” he said.
“Probably from a large bonfire,” said Harper. “We’re getting close.”
The sun had dipped lower on the horizon, and the odds of them making it back to Primhaven before nightfall seemed slim to none unless they turned around soon. They continued forward at a slower pace, and Harper gestured for Lee to come to a full stop just as the frost troll camp came into full view.
“We’ll leave the snowmobiles and our supplies here,” he said. “Eliza, this is where you come in. Stay here and keep everything under an illusion veil.”
Eliza frowned as though weighing an objection but nodded after a moment. “Okay. How long are you expecting this to take?”
Harper shrugged. “An hour, maybe. No more than two. If we aren’t back by then…”
“I’m not going to abandon you here if that’s what you’re about to suggest,” said Eliza.
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