by Eric Vall
“What did you think of Lieutenant Jovic?” he asked as he effortlessly cracked a crab claw in half and sucked the meat out of it.
I shrugged. “He definitely had some interesting things to say.”
Layla stretched her arms and yawned. “Did you ever see freelancers when you moved around the wilds?”
“Sometimes,” I recounted. “Lots of the ones I saw were rather scummy, but I wasn’t even sure what it was they did other than being mercenaries.”
Braden nodded. “It’s an interesting career choice.”
“A necessary one too,” I said in agreement.
“I’d do it maybe,” Layla said, and though she had come to terms with risking her life in battle, it was still a bit of a surprise to hear her say that. “The money is good, and I’d get to travel. I want to get as far away from this enclave and my family as I can.”
“Your home life is that bad, huh?” Braden asked with an eyebrow raised.
She snorted and took a bite of the broccoli on her plate. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“I thought you didn’t want to risk your life helping people,” Braden asked as he cracked open a crab leg, fished out the meat, and dunked it into a vat of butter.
“I’m better with that now,” she said as she gave me a sidelong glance. “Other people have helped me out a lot.”
“Oh?” Our big friend asked as he smirked at the two is us. “You both going to start breaking up city gangs now along with saving us from monsters?”
Layla glared at him as he shoved the hunk of crab into his mouth and chewed contentedly.
“I didn’t like being forced to join the Academy and made to risk my life. I don’t appreciate my life being dictated for me.” She sighed. “But I’ll do what I can to help. And if I can also make a bunch of money, that’s fine. I would choose that life.”
I raised my glass of orange juice. “I’ll drink to that.”
“Cheers,” my two friends said, and we touched our juice glasses together.
“What about you?” she asked me as she leaned forward on her elbows and gave me a mischievous grin.
I thought about it for a moment, then shrugged and took a bite of my pork. “I’d probably do the same as you. Travel, help people, get paid handsomely for it. If I stayed with the military, I’d have to stay in an Enclave or near one most of the time, and I’d rather be free.”
Of course, it was hard to know where life would take me in the future. Where would my relationships with Layla, Nia, and Arwyn go, or friendships with Braden and others take me? Maybe I’d fall in love with being on a military response squad. Perhaps I would teach since more summoners needed to learn how to unlock their true potential, and who was better to teach them than me?
There was always the possibility that I would settle down somewhere and pick up a trade, or maybe return to Maelor and continue our general labor work. I’d enjoyed it immensely so I couldn’t rule it out. The options were endless though, so it was hard for me to nail down what I wanted to do in the future.
“Freedom is always the best way to go,” Layla added with a smile. That much was certainly true in her case.
I folded my hands as I looked at Braden. “What about you, Mr. Flint? Any plans for your future.”
He shrugged his massive shoulders. “I don’t know. I may not have a choice, honestly. I suspect my family will have a say in the matter.”
I frowned. “What kind of say?”
“My father is a powerful man, Gryff,” he said with a sigh. “Trust me, he can get his way if he so chooses, and he usually does.”
Layla and I shared a concerned look. Braden never talked about his family, and frankly, I wasn’t one to pry. Layla was, but there was a mutual understanding between the two of them that family talk was off limits unless they offered the information. Layla had offered hers up to me when we’d pranked Gawain a few weeks back, and she’d taken me to meet her parents when her brother got out of jail, but Braden had yet to volunteer his back story. His family life clearly bothered him, but I knew he wouldn’t budge.
Again, another item on my list of problems to solve. Of course, that wasn’t even the most pressing one for Braden. The biggest problem was his fear of monsters, which as one might imagine, is a problem for a mage who summons them.
It felt like all of us had family issues. Nia had a demanding father and all the pressure in the world. Layla’s family was a train-wreck of magnificent proportions. I simply didn’t have a family outside of Maelor, and Braden had some sort of familial strife of his own. We were a mess, that was for sure.
Braden sipped his cider. “It’s all a moot point for now, anyway.”
My brow furrowed. “Why is that?”
“None of this will matter if we don’t survive through our service to make it to our future.”
“Cheery thought, Flint,” Layla said as she shook her head.
Unfortunately, Braden wasn’t wrong. We lived in a dangerous world, with the threat of monster attacks always present. We were mages and would be at the front lines of the fight against the forces of the Shadowscape, so the odds were good that we could die. Everyone in school knew that though it was the best-kept secret there was. So, Braden was right. We had promising futures ahead of us… if we survived to get there.
But I had no doubt that we would. We were strong, and there was nothing that could stop us. I’d make sure of that. I’d also make sure they were strong enough to overcome anything.
Chapter 14
The final day before the summer holiday was here. We took our exams, and I aced them or, at the very least, I felt like I did. For Arwyn’s class, it was a comprehensive assessment of all we’d learned that semester. I’d started behind the rest of the class, but with the intense studying I did, the amounts of extracurricular books I’d read, and Arwyn’s extensive… tutoring, I felt like I was fine.
It certainly helped that I could focus all my efforts on that exam. Our training classes with our archery and firearms teacher Gerelda and the Major were simply training. They did grade us on our effort and attendance, but there was no final exam to pass in the traditional sense.
As for Rori’s class, he’d thrown out the usual test completely because we had completely overhauled the class to teach my style of summoning. Along with that, Braden and Layla had made such progress that Mr. Brevens decided to pass us for the semester. We’d more than proven ourselves.
Dinner that night was full of an excited buzz for the pending holiday break. Alcohol flowed more freely than usual, and the feast of baked chicken, pot pies, and cooked corn was bountiful and delicious. I was as excited as I’d been in a while, aside from when I beat Gawain. Tomorrow, I planned on journeying to Tallington to visit Maelor. My adrenaline was pumping for the coming days. It would be hard to get any sleep, that I was sure of.
Layla and Braden were not as enthusiastic. They played with their food and didn’t speak much. I stared at them as they looked sullen. It was a real bummer, so I cleared my throat, which got both of their attention.
“You two look a little glum,” I said with a raised brow.
Braden snorted and shoveled a spoon full of the pot pie into his mouth. “It’s just going to be a long and boring break without you.”
Layla pushed her food away and laid her head down on the table. “Yeah, you can’t expect me to hang around this oaf for two weeks, huh?”
Braden grumbled at that but kept eating. I thought they’d gotten along fine before I’d arrived, but I supposed I never actually got to witness the two of them alone.
“Neither of you are going home?” I asked.
“You know I’m not,” Layla snorted and picked at her corn.
“I know, sorry, that was dumb of me to say,” I replied since I doubted she would speak to her family for a long, long time.
“It’s okay,” she said as she smiled at me. “You already helped me a bunch with them.”
My eyes flitted to Braden, who shrugged. “Father’s
been pressuring me in his letters to quit the Academy, so I don’t want to deal with him, frankly.”
I took a long swig of my ale. “Why would he want that?”
Braden chewed for a moment. “I’m the heir to the company, so he wants me to come home and start learning the ropes. Obviously, he’s also terrified that I’ll get killed in combat, and the company will be left without an heir for years to come.” He said that so bluntly that it made me think his dad only cared if he lived to better the company.
“You make it sound so… cold and calculated,” I pointed out.
Braden feigned nonchalance with a shrug, but I could see the way his neck and jaw tensed as he tried to suppress a frown. “I may have been too harsh. Don’t get me wrong, he loves me, but he cares deeply about the business my grandfather created. He feels it’s all he has left of his brother too.”
I chewed on that. “Well if you put it that way, then I guess I understand it.”
“Still,” Layla began as she sat back and groaned, “this is going to be a long holiday. I can’t keep pranking only Flint the whole time.”
We all chuckled. As we settled down into silence, a brilliant idea occurred to me. “Wait, why don’t you two come on the road with me?”
They both perked up at the suggestion. Layla didn’t even hesitate. “Yeah, that sounds better than staying here.”
Braden looked less than sure. “I don’t know…”
I smiled. “Come on, Braden. You get to see the wilds, the beautiful landscapes, meet the incredible people of the wilds. You can meet Maelor, who I’m sure will love you too.”
Layla snickered. “That didn’t sound sincere.”
“Well, he’d like Braden. He might get sick of you,” I told her with a wide grin.
She laughed. “I would be honored to annoy the hell out of your mentor and father figure.”
We both turned our gaze on Braden. “How about it, Flint?” I asked. “It will be a hell of a time, some fun bonding. It’s that or stay here alone.”
He pondered it for only a moment before he cracked a grin and nodded. “Alright, I’m in too.”
Layla cheered and practically bounced in her seat. “This is so exciting!”
We were all smiles as we clanked our drinks together and drank our fill. I was glad to have them come with me. The journey would be long, and I appreciated having company. Plus, I figured the adventure would do them some good.
Once I gulped down my drink and belched obnoxiously, I smiled at them. “I hope you two can ride horses because we won’t be able to take a train the whole way there.”
They both nodded. “Horses don’t like me, but I know how to ride,” Braden clarified.
“Well, they sense the monsters in our essence crystals and that spooks them,” Layla pointed out.
I chuckled and clapped. “Very good, Miss Bethel.”
She rolled her eyes. “I pay attention in class, thank you very much.”
We all shared a laugh again. If this was what our nights at inns on the road were going to be like, then I was looking forward to this trip even more. That was saying something because I had been ecstatic enough already.
After dinner was over and after Braden and I had bathed and packed, I left the dorm once more to try to find Nia, though I had a pretty good idea of where I could find her.
I wouldn’t see Nia for another fortnight, so I was eager to spend some time with her before we departed for the holiday. I strolled down the breezeway on the side of the main building, my hands in the pockets of my robes. It was an unseasonably cool night, pleasant against my skin. It had been very humid lately, so I appreciated this pleasant reprieve from the mugginess.
As I neared the courtyard where Nia and I trained, I could hear her before she came into view. She grunted and breathed heavily, so I knew she was in the middle of drilling herself. She really never knew when to take some time off. On the other hand, that relentless drive was also what made her so skilled and amazing, and one of the reasons why I and so many others admired her.
I rounded the corner and stood in the archway to the small courtyard. Nia stood at its center, her back to me, as she jabbed and kicked at a training dummy. Her pale skin glistened with sweat, and her ashen hair fell down her back in a stringy tail that was also streaked with perspiration.
Nia showed off more skin than I was used to. She wore a sleeveless top that seemed too small for her and rode up her back and stomach, revealing the toned muscles beneath. Her feet were bare, and she wore shorts that cut off almost half way up her thigh. I’d never seen the skin of her legs before, and I marveled at the smooth curves of them. Seeing her now just solidified the fact that she was perfect to me.
Still, it was odd that she was so exposed. Maybe she wouldn’t mind me seeing her as she was, but I knew she didn’t want to be seen so bare in front of others. Anyone could have walked by at any moment and seen her.
I cleared my throat and then chuckled when she spun around with outrage on her face.
“You really need to learn to pay attention to your surroundings.” I walked toward her with a smile. “Anyone could sneak up on you.”
Nia let out a deep breath, but surprisingly, she didn’t give me a chastising or sarcastic response to that statement. Instead, she wiped the sweat from her face and smoothed down her messy hair. She sucked in some more air, looked at her toes, then back to me. She seemed so exhausted, but not in a physical way.
“Hey there,” she said simply with only the slightest twitch of her lips.
I crossed my arms and frowned at her. “Everything alright with you?”
It was her turn to frown. “I’m fine, Gryff. Thanks.”
That was a lie, but I let it slide. Nia liked to vent, needed to vent, so that’s what I’d let her do. I knew my presence alone was enough to relax her a bit.
She didn’t offer any more words before she started back at wailing on the poor training dummy. I laid in the grass, arms behind my head, and stared up at the stars and the waning moon. I took in some deep breaths and let the majesty of it all wash over me. The sky was dimmer here in the city, the glow of the city lights fading the brilliance of the night sky. It was still gorgeous, but seeing the sky out in the wilds… there was no comparison.
We stayed like that for a while, together in presence but our minds and actions apart. Her grunts, breaths, and occasional curses, as well as the sound of her blows on the burlap and straw dummy, set a steady rhythm over my mind as I stared and thought. It was peaceful. Sometimes, I didn’t need anything more than this from Nia. I liked her a great deal, but for now, I didn’t need another kiss or her love or anything. I was content to just lay here and enjoy the moments we could spend together.
Eventually, I pushed myself up onto my elbows and watched Nia work. Her grunts had grown angrier, her breathing heavier, and her strikes weaker. Nevertheless, she beat the dummy so hard that its seams tore, and straw began to spill out in clumps. It would be worthless before long, and that only seemed to make Nia madder.
“Nia,” I called.
She ignored me and punched at the dummy’s head. Once, twice, thrice, each time more vicious than the last.
“Nia,” I tried again. That annoyed her, clearly, but she kept on punching. This time, after a few punches, the last of the stuffing fell out of the dummy’s head, but Nia was either to blind with stubborn anger to notice or to care. She swung, and I knew this would hurt.
“Nia!” I barked. It was too late though. She punched the now sagging, hollow dummy’s head. Her fist went through the fabric and punched into the wooden post beneath that the dummy was fastened to. She hit it without a hint of resistance, with a loud crack. She sucked in a breath and immediately recoiled, shaking her hand and holding it gingerly at her side.
“Son of a bitch!” she yelped through gritted teeth. Nia dropped to her knees and clutched her hand to her, wincing and cursing all the while.
I took a knee beside her. “That looked like it hurt.”
“That would just leave you in the same predicament, Nia,” I replied with a smirk. “It’s a well-known fact that my head is as hard as a rock.”
Nia grunted with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. I tried to reach for her hand to give it a look, but she snatched it away from me and stubbornly shook her head.
“Let me see it,” I demanded.
She shook her head even hard and pouted like a little girl. “No.”
I didn’t know if I should be angry or laugh, so I tried to stay neutral. “Nia, you’re acting like a child. Just let me see the damage. You might need to go to the infirmary.”
“Fine,” she groaned. Begrudgingly, she released her hand from her side and let me take it. She sucked in air through her teeth as I took it a little too roughly.
“Sorry,” I said sheepishly. I gently inspected Nia’s hand. Her knuckles were bright red, and her fingers trembled, but they seemed mostly spared except for her middle finger which was already swelling. As were the knuckles of her ring and pinky fingers. Maybe not broken, but she definitely needed to see a nurse.
I knew I should have been more tactful, but I was too frustrated with how stubborn she could sometimes be. “Why did you do that?”
Nia averted her gaze, her eyes more embarrassed than angry. “I needed to blow off some steam.”
“Blowing off steam and hurting yourself are two different things, Nia.” I shook my head and sighed. “You push yourself too hard.”
I remembered back to when I’d first discovered her in this courtyard. Hours after we’d fought for the second time in the sparring arena and I’d won, the first person to best the great Nia Kenefick, I found her here, practicing as she was now, injured and tired. She didn’t take that loss lightly at the time.
She could go overboard in her quest for perfection, with good reason, I knew. If she didn’t finish in the top three of her class each year, her father would marry her off to Gawain, and that was a fate I wished on no one. But still, she was so far ahead of everyone in our class aside from me that she didn’t need to go this hard all the time.