by Eric Vall
Varleth nodded though he still looked awful. Nia frowned as she took in his appearance, but she didn’t seem shocked. I suppose that wasn’t a surprise given her extensive family background in monster fighting. She would know what a banisher had to go through.
“Gryff– Maker…” Nia gasped out as she fully took me in. “Are you alright?” I was sure I was a sight covered in all this gore.
“This isn’t my blood,” I said with a smile. “I’m fine, nothing to worry about.”
Nia nodded, relieved. “Good to hear.” Then she crinkled her nose in disgust. “You’ll definitely need a bath.”
I rolled my eyes. “So I’ve been told.”
“That he has!” Orenn chuckled and clapped a hand on my shoulder.
Arwyn smiled. She looked beyond fatigued, which I imagined would be the case after fighting with a sword as much as she did and the healing that she’d just performed on Nia.
“Good work everyone, especially you two,” she said, her eyes on Nia and me. I blushed at her praise. “I think we need to work harder, but overall, not bad for a first day’s work.”
That, we could all readily agree on.
Chapter 6
So our first mission was a success.
As we made our way back to the airship, one of the soldiers from before came running toward us. He was winded, and his short blonde bangs were plastered to his forehead.
“All the monsters are dead, ma’am,” he said through his heavy breathing.
“Excellent,” Arwyn replied triumphantly. She quickened her pace and motioned for the soldier to follow. “Walk with me, private. Give me the full report.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
While they conferred, the rest of us hung back to give them the space they clearly wanted. I was curious, but I was sure Arwyn would share with us whatever it was the soldier had to say.
And she did. Once the soldier was done, he ran ahead to the airship, and Arwyn slowed down to join us in stride again. She was practically glowing with excitement.
“Well?” Nia prompted, maybe a tad too forward, but Arwyn didn’t seem bothered.
“Today was a success,” she announced. “Early estimates of casualties sits at about thirty. Compared to attacks on towns this size in the past, that’s incredibly low, regardless of how relatively weak this rift was.” She smiled. “While I would have preferred to have no one die at all, it’s still a victory, all things considered.”
Practically the entire town waited for us at the airship where the injured were tended to by a few town doctors. Immediately, Arwyn got to work with her magic, doing what she could to help those that had been injured.
“Does it hurt?” she asked as she moved toward a man with bandaged ribs.
“The potion you gave me wore off a few minutes ago, but it isn’t so bad. I’ve dealt with worse.” He gave her a weak smile.
“Well, you won’t have to deal with this at all after I am finished with you. Roll up your shirt.”
He did as she asked. Once he had, she placed her hand against his ribs, eliciting a jolt of sudden pain. He flinched, but then her eyes closed and her brow knitted with strain and concentration as her magic kicked in. Her hands glowed as she pumped a steady stream of magic into the man.
When she was finished, Arwyn pulled her hand back with a smile.
“That is amazing,” I told her, unable to contain my smile as I watched him sit up, good as new.
“All part of my job,” she said with a smile. “And because of that, I’mgonna be here for a while. The rest of you should head back to the academy.”
“What about you?” I asked. Nia looked like she had the same question. “How will you get back?”
Arwyn shrugged. “No need to worry. I’ll return tomorrow with a military escort.”
And then she went back to healing, and that was that.
So we flew again. This time I was far too tired to be enamored by the views though I will say that the view of the sunset from the sky was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my entire life. The way the light painted the clouds gold and the way the sky turned from gold to orange to purple was simply breathtaking.
Varleth seemed to gain more color, but he still looked terrible. If Arwyn wasn’t concerned, I saw no reason for me to be. The pilot gave Orenn the key to the bar, and we all passed a bottle of whiskey around as we flew. I didn’t indulge enough to get drunk, but enough to ease my aches and soreness and to take the edge off, something I needed desperately because I was still wound up from the rift.
The ship arrived after the sun had dipped below the horizon. Our carriage arrived back at the Academy just before dinner, so I had time to take a bath beforehand. Even though I had washed the worst of the blood and gore off in the river at Helvetia, I can honestly say that it was probably the best bath that I’d ever taken.
Dinner was a treat. Venison and fried potato skins, plus an assortment of stir-fried vegetables over rice. We had feasts every night, and I always enjoyed it, but venison was my and Maelor’s favorite, and I’d had a soft spot for potato skins since I was a kid. It was one of the few things I remembered about my parents. My mom used to make them all the time, and my father would often come home with bags of dried potato skins, spiced with expensive ingredients from far-off lands.
So, yeah, it was a great meal.
I was a bit concerned though because Layla didn’t show up to eat, and I’d looked forward to telling my friends about my adventure. Braden, who sat across from me and ate three potato skins at a time, simply shrugged when I asked him if he knew if there was anything wrong.
“She trained all day with us,” he said as he drank some wine. “As far as I could tell, she didn’t get injured during her sparring matches, so I don’t know, Gryff.”
I scratched at my goatee. “Hm, it’s probably nothing then.”
Braden frowned. “I would have thought that she would want to grill you with questions about the mission. Seems like you’ve lucked out.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, that’s true.” That actually made me more concerned. “I think I’ll check on her after dinner, anyway. Just to be sure.”
“I think she’d like that,” he said around a mouthful of venison.
On a normal day, I wouldn’t be worried, but Layla’s intense curiosity wouldn’t allow her to not ask me a hundred questions. She didn’t have the slightest bit of patience. So, if she wasn’t here, then either she wasn’t feeling well, or something had happened. Even if she weren’t hungry, she would have come to interrogate me. Braden, on the other hand, didn’t have Layla’s curiosity, so his questions about the mission didn’t go beyond the “how did it go?” variety.
There wasn’t anything I could do about my worries for Layla at the moment, so I continued to enjoy my delicious meal. I would simply have to check in on her later.
After dinner was over, I walked back in silence with Braden. Halfway to our dorm, he peeled off and went toward the baths.
“I’ll see you back in the room later,” he said over his shoulder. “Let me know if you find out anything about Layla.”
“Will do,” I called.
With that, I was free to seek out Layla. Not that I had to seek hard, for when I approached the dorm, I found Layla sitting on the steps out front. She hugged her knees to her chest and had her chin down, her eyes on the ground. Her amber eyes glowed in the light of dusk when she lifted her gaze at my footsteps.
“Hey,” she said, her voice hoarse. “I see you’re alive, so I assume you closed the rift and saved the day.”
“Hey,” I echoed and smiled. “Yeah, the mission was a success, minimal casualties compared to normal.”
She nodded. “Good to hear.” That was it, no interrogation of what happened, not even a follow-up question. Something was definitely off.
I narrowed my eyes. “Everything alright?” I asked. “We missed you at dinner.”
“I’m fine, I just didn’t have any appetite,” Layla replied. “Training toda
y left me exhausted, and I just wanted to lie down.” I gave her a long stare. Something told me she wasn’t telling the whole truth, though she did look tired, her eyes heavy and her hair a mess.
“Are you sure?” I asked and crossed my arms.
She nodded, her eyes at her feet. “I’m fine.
I blinked at her and frowned. “Layla Bethel, spill it. There’s obviously something the matter.”
She bit her lower lip and sighed. “Fine.” She stood, and though she was up on two steps, she was only a hair taller than me. Layla shook her head. “I’d rather we talked in private. Come to my room?”
I knew it. I didn’t like to see her troubled. “Sure.”
She stepped down and took my hand in hers, lacing her fingers with mine. Then she pulled me after her. I swallowed hard as Layla led me to her room. I didn’t know what to expect, so my nerves were acting up. Would this be good, would this be bad? I didn’t know.
The female dorm was nearly identical to my own dorm. The layout was the same, with similar paneling and decorations, the same doors spaced evenly, the same long corridors. Layla’s room was on the first floor. We entered down the center corridor then took a left and went to the very end of that hall where we stopped at room number 109. She pulled out a key and unlocked the door.
I smirked. “You don’t have to pick the lock?”
Layla snorted. “Very funny, jackass.”
I shrugged. “I amuse myself.”
“I can see that,” she said and turned to punch my arm playfully.
She opened the door and led me in. I whistled. Her room was the same as mine, but the ceiling was slightly taller to accommodate a fancy gilded chandelier. The four-poster beds had extravagant curtains hanging from them, silky and colorful, stitched with gems. It was a tad more luxurious than I’d expected it to be.
We weren’t alone. Sitting on the bed to our left was another woman, Layla’s roommate. She sat cross-legged with her face buried in a book. Her dark brown hair looked like it was almost crimson in the light. She had it tied back though a few strands fell over her bespectacled eyes. When we entered, her eyes snapped up to look at us.
“Oh, hello,” she said in a meek voice. Her eyes were an almost unnatural green, to the point that maybe they’d been altered by magic. All of her features were soft: a slight chin, round cheeks, a petite nose, and thin lips. With her blanket wrapped around her, she was cute in her own way.
Layla put a hand on my shoulder. “This is my friend Gryff.” She turned to me. “Gryff, this is Fiona, my roommate, if that wasn’t obvious.”
I waved at Fiona. “Nice to meet you.”
She smirked briefly though it was gone in a blink. “Same. Layla’s told me so much about you.”
“Good things, I hope,” I replied and scratched the back of my neck.
Fiona blinked, thought for a moment, then said, “Yes, good things.” After that, her eyes were back on her book. I strained to read the title but managed to read it after a second. Physical Magic: The Next Evolution of the Human Body. Interesting. I couldn’t tell if that was a textbook or a leisure read. I wondered if she was an adept.
Layla and I stood awkwardly in silence while Fiona blissfully went about her reading. Layla pursed her lips and puffed out her cheeks.
“She doesn’t talk much.,” she tried to say in a whisper.
“I talk enough,” Fiona sniped without lifting her eyes. “You just flit from topic to topic far too much for my liking.”
Layla covered her mouth. “She’s sassy too.”
Fiona snorted and rolled her eyes. That made me laugh.
Layla hopped onto her bed and patted it, indicating for me to join her, so I crawled onto her bed with her. Layla drew the curtain, cutting us off from her roommate. I laid back on her cushy pillows that were more comfortable than my own. Why did the women get nicer things?
Layla sat cross-legged across from me, her hands in her lap. She grinned and turned in the direction of Fiona. “Don’t worry, we’re not doing anything weird.”
That only elicited a sigh and an “I don’t care, Bethel,” from Fiona.
I slapped Layla’s leg and shook my head. “Now why would you say that? She’s definitely gonna think we’re up to shenanigans.”
She smiled cheekily. “What? You think I’d just cavalierly fuck a man with my roommate being in the same room? What kind of savage do you take me for?”
“We aren’t talking about just some man,” I said with a shrug and a sly smile. “We’re talking about me.”
She snorted, rolled her eyes, and punched my arm, but then she chuckled.
I sat up and put my hands in my lap. “So, what did you want to talk about? Is everything okay?”
Her cheery demeanor evaporated quickly though. It was as if the air suddenly became heavier. It wasn’t something I was used to with her. Layla frowned and shook her head.
“Not exactly.” She leaned over me and reached beyond her bed curtain to the night table next to her bed. She snatched an envelope off it and pulled it back. Her eyes wouldn’t leave the letter, and her hands shook ever so slightly. She gulped.
I reached forward and took her trembling hands in my own. I gave them a squeeze. “It’s okay, Layla. What’s wrong?”
“Here,” she said as she handed me the envelope. “I went to the mailroom for the first time in a month, found this waiting for me.”
I nodded. I hadn’t realized that the Academy had a mailroom though it made perfect sense to have one. I wondered if Maelor had sent me anything. I’d have to give it a look tomorrow when I got the time.
The envelope she gave me didn’t have an address, only her name written in the center. I opened it and pulled out the letter. I started to read it, my eyes skimmed the page quickly. The handwriting was hasty, messy, but legible.
Lay,
It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from you. I hope you haven’t forgotten us while you’re living easy in that damn school. Don’t forget where you came from. You may have some magic now, and you may go to that school, but you’ll always be a Bethel, whether you like it or not. But to business. Logan is getting out three Saturdays from now. It would be nice if you were there to pick him up.
Love,
Dad
My lips curled into a frown, and I dropped my hands once I was done reading it. The tone of the letter was obvious. Layla’s family wasn’t fond of the fact that she had magic and came to this school. They were resentful and envious, that was clear, but I couldn’t see why Layla was upset by it.
“Isn’t this good?” I asked with a hesitant smile, trying to sound encouraging. “Your brother is getting out of prison. That’s what he meant, right?”
“He was in jail, yes,” She sighed. “Logan’s the one with the gambling debts.” She shook her head then. “But it isn’t good.” Her voice sounded almost hoarse with those last words as if it pained her to say it.
“Why?”
She sighed. “Logan and I have a rough relationship. Sometimes, he’s the sweetest human I know. But most others, he’s a thief, a conman, a drunk, and an overall dick. I never know which one of him I’m going to get, so I avoid him. Add to that the fact that it was him that got my other brother into the gang life that killed him, and well, my feelings for him are strained.”
I frowned as I scratched the back of my head. “That’s rough, Layla. I’m… I’m sorry.” That was one damaged relationship. I couldn’t imagine myself having such a dynamic with a sibling. But I understood what she went through was hard.
She offered a slight smile. “It’s okay, Gryff. I appreciate you being here.”
“Anything I can do?” I asked. I scooted closer to her and tenderly rubbed her cheek. She took my hand and pressed it harder against her face as if she was drawing strength from it. If she was, then I was happy to help.
“I don’t know…” she answered in a low voice.
I nodded and gave her an encouraging grin. “Anything you need, I’m there for
you.”
Her eyes locked onto mine. “I want you to come with me when I go see my brother and family.”
“Really?” I asked her, my eyes wide. “Are you sure?” I should have expected that request, and I was flattered that she thought of me well enough as a friend that she could introduce me to her family, but that only made me nervous. I was never good with familial interactions, even if it wasn’t my own, and from the sound of things, her family was a particular kind of handful.
But I cared for Layla and would do my best for her.
“Very,” she said with an exaggerated nod. “Please, Gryffie. My brother is unpredictable at the best of times and the downright scum of the earth at his worst. Please, I need a friend for this.”
“Just a friend?” I raised an eyebrow. I guessed that she had wanted to keep our relationship on a physical level, but I would have been lying if I said that I didn’t want her to admit that she had feelings for me. “Wouldn’t Braden be better if you’re trying to scare your brother straight, so he doesn’t mess with you?”
“You know we are more than that.” Layla rolled her eyes.
“Oh?” I snickered. “Tell me more? Are you going to admit how much you love me and want to show me off to the family.”
“Stop it.” Layla smirked and then hit me on the arm. “I adore Braden, but you and I both know that behind all his brawn, he’s a meek little pup. I don’t think he’d be able to hide behind a tough-guy charade for very long.”
“That’s probably true…” Something else I needed to work on getting Braden to the top of his game. And I needed to do this for Layla so that she could have peace of mind and focus on her summoning.
She flashed her teeth in a smile. “You, Gryff,” she said and poked at the hard muscles of my chest. “You are tough. You’re the strongest person I know, and I don’t mean physically.” She blushed. “Though obviously physically too.”
I chuckled. “You’re not that good with giving compliments, are you?”
“I prefer insults, personally,” she said defiantly, her somber emotions from earlier peeled away to reveal the joyful woman I was used to being around.