Verra of Wolves

by Blake Thunderport

Before you thought about conjuring a light orb, you had to undergo years of studies and practice. A thing that seemed so small was one of the most difficult spells. Instead of bending the elements visible to the human’s eye, you needed to collect the materials out of the air.

  Even though the chapter had a scientific tone, it made me chuckle when I read the visualisation exercise.

  ‘Imagine you are stirring soup with a fork. A Magician might lift his arm and notice the resistance, how he pushes the air and how it swirls between his fingers, swallowing him.’

  The soup surrounds us, I mocked internally, and let my arms flow through it.

  It was true.

  Afterwards, I tried the first exercise from Studies of a Mere Magician. Perfect for a beginner.

  ‘Put your hands into the soil, do not simply touch it, but detect the decayed leaves and the hummus of worms. Put your hands in water, visualise the chains of waves, how it is pushed just as it is pulled. When you take your hands out, clean and dry, you are ready for the next exercise.’

  I filled up the cauldron and did as instructed.

  My fingers froze and the hair on them spiked up, nothing else. There were no chains. Bloated veins peeked through my skin. I was rushing it.

  I started looking for excuses and decided to pick a dress and join the festival where I would study other Magicians in their craft.

  Tent-like cabins had been built around the gymnasium. Those beside the night tower were occupied by six Magicians, Tonio was one of them.

  When I approached them, they all turned to me and pulled me in.

  “Our newest addition,” a young man announced, “Professor Volkov’s granddaughter.”

  They gathered around to shake my hand, but I bowed instead, hiding my wound.

  “Everything I learned came from him,” the man nodded in excitement. “My name is Cenos Bloum, on paper I’m your alchemy Professor but you can regard me as your Tutor for general magic. We deviate from the curricula when we get bored of brewing.”

  None of them hesitated to ask questions about my heritage and how I looked so different from the red-haired Gerogy. Instead of explaining myself, I said to have found my powers just recently. I tried my best not to lie. “He sent me here, to figure out if I am a Mage,” I said.

  “We certainly will,” Tonio answered, to which Bloum added,

  “I don’t have a doubt about it.”

  The Professor grinned constantly and never missed the opportunity to encourage his students or give compliments while he walked me through the tents and presented their work—mostly potions.

  “What happened to your hand?” Tonio asked. He followed me closely and must have noticed my bandage.

  “Oh, that? A little breakfast accident,” I stuttered and hoped he wouldn’t see the clean cut. Its placement made my explanation sound absurd.

  He tapped Bloum on the shoulder. “I’d like her to see our newest discovery, Professor.”

  “Of course!”

  Approaching a purple flacon, Tonio asked me to show my wound and cringed when he found a straight slit. “Breakfast accident.”

  Afterwards, Bloum let a few drops fall on my palm with a pipette. “In a year, people will laugh about drinking medicine.”

  At first, it burned like acid, but when I shook it off my hand, the wound disappeared.

  “Byorn root,” Tonio whispered to me and winked. As a Doctor, he must have been very proud, and I let him savour his moment.

  We continued the walk while Bloum explained how they distilled their potions, whereas I just cooked the ingredients, sometimes not even put them near water. I figured that it must be the difference between magic and witchcraft. He never mentioned using words or chants until we reached the end of the tent.

  A tiny stage was waiting for us. Beside it, other Magicians were standing. Their presence vibrated through my knuckles.

  “Now,” Professor Bloum said, “our graduates have gathered for a little demonstration. Vigid, Morph, and Luyen studied for fifteen years. Elvora and Tonio graduated last semester. They studied for thirteen years and I may announce that Elvora decided to stay with us and continue the research on campus.”

  Everyone clapped their hands, while Elvora bowed down to them.

  She was striking. Her calm demeanour resembled an empress, and perhaps she was one.

  After they climbed the stage, Luyen took a dried bouquet out of his case and when he mumbled, it bloomed again. He brought the flowers back to life and threw them into the air. Before they touched the floor, Vigid had caught them and let them float to every girl in the audience, except Morph, who in return conjured water over his head and let it drip—while laughing viciously. Tonio stepped forward and sent out a swarm of butterflies over our heads. They were glowing similarly to the alley lights, and Elvora finished the show by making them explode with glistening pearls and shards.

  The crowd applauded and cheered.

  It left me speechless but I’d noticed that everyone besides Morph and Luyen whispered during the performance.

  They seemed casual about it, even though they had studied over a decade and fell into conversations with the new Magicians, explaining how they did it.

  When Bloum spotted me standing alone instead of engaging, he went up to me. “Be prepared to read a lot,” he said.

  It excited me more than it should have.

  The Mage in me surfaced.

  Instead of chatting, we just stood there. I would’ve never guessed that he was a Professor if he hadn’t introduced himself. Not a single wrinkle sat on his face, but he claimed to know my grandfather, even though he had left the academy thirty years ago. Bloum should’ve been the same age as Harriet.

  “Can I ask you something?” I mumbled.

  Professor Bloum nodded.

  “How do you know my grandfather?”

  “Oh,” he chuckled, “I don’t. I wish.”

  “But you just said you learned from him.” My eyebrows pulled to the middle.

  “I did. I’ve read all his books, all two hundred and thirty-five of them.” He looked down at his shoes in shame and added, “As well as the six hundred eighty-six mentioned references.”

  “I guess I really have to read a lot.”

  After talking about Gerogy for a while, he rejoined his students and I left the tent.

  Strolling around, I saw the art, music, and theatre clubs advertising their programs while athletes gathered in the gymnasium.

  The tribunes filled up. Everyone seemed eager to witness the race. I thought of giving it a chance, but when I eyed Kress on the tracks, I turned around and stormed off.

  Before I reached my tower, I got grabbed by the arm.

  “Excuse me, Verra, wrong direction,” Claire was pulling me. “Where have you been all day?”

  “Studying,” I said, to which she rolled her eyes.

  “You’ve got to see Bryon, he’ll run against a graduate today. We’re betting five hundred coins on him.”

  Five hundred, a full chest for one race. It took me two years to save up fifty, which I considered a fortune.

  We took seats in the first row. Tonio had saved them for us. Two seats, not just one, and I sensed that he was trying his best to be welcoming instead of intimidating. I appreciated him, without getting too comfortable and letting my guard down.

  Elvora appeared in front of me as soon as I sat down beside him. “Scoot,” she said, but there was no place I could’ve moved to.

  Claire kicked against her leg. “You’re blocking my view.” She treated her like a peasant, and Tonio observed Elvora’s reaction closely.

  When she inhaled and opened her mouth to speak, he pulled her down by the wrist. “I don’t have time for your drama,” he whispered into her face and pushed her away from us.

  Claire tapped my leg and focused her eyes on him. I remembered how she told me about their meeting at the lover's cross. Apparently, Tonio had fallen out of love while Elvora hung on to it. She appeared to be perfect, especiall
y in the presence of Professor Bloum, but her character changed regarding Tonio. She must’ve been jealous, and Claire enjoyed every moment of it.

  “I kicked her hard, let’s hope she won’t come to the party,” she laughed and made Tonio shake his head with a smile on his face. He loved his sister over everyone else, and I understood his suspicion towards me. It was not because he sensed the witchiness, but because I got close to Claire in one day.

  Unconsciously, I stared at him, compared the similarities between the siblings. They were identical apart from their eye colours and height.

  He caught me in the act. “You look better today,” he said and smiled.

  I nodded to him, hiding my inflamed cheeks behind my hair.

  Was that a compliment or a diagnose?

  The teams assembled, and Claire started explaining every aspect to me. “Graduates against undergraduates, two disciplines.” She pointed at the track.

  They pushed half of it to the side and revealed a pool under the planks. Half track, half pool, I couldn’t make sense of it.

  The musicians started drumming; The athletes took their places. Kress was standing in front of the pool, and Bryon stood behind it. Both had a graduate beside them in the same position.

  For a second, the drums stopped. The frontman blew into the horn, setting the athletes in motion, and Claire began shifting around in her seat.

  Kress jumped into the pool and dove to the ground in no time while his competitor struggled. When he broke out of the water, he swam double as fast as the graduate with a stick in his hand. He handed it to Bryon, who started his sprint.

  After he built up enough speed, he threw the stick into the air in front of him and the audience gasped.

  We sat back speechless while he transformed into a panther and caught the stick with his giant fangs. He was a marvellous creature with sleek fur. The audience cheered his name.

  The graduates did not stand a chance. Claire jumped up, throwing her arms into the air.

  The race had been won, and just like that, the richest girl in town became richer.

  When I saw Bryon running towards us, I shrugged back. Claire crawled onto his back and he took her to the track where the musicians played in an upbeat rhythm.

  The races would not be over, as other grades had their own disputes to settle, but the undergraduate athletes flooded the gymnasium and celebrated.

  Disappointed faces approached them with pouches of coins, some were laughing and some were cursing. It was transparent who hadn't been able to afford the bet in the first place.

  Bryon and Claire collected their winnings and strode past us.

  “We’re going first,” she said, holding the pouches over her chest and shaking them, “drop these off.”

  Bryon roared before he sprinted away, almost letting her fall from his back. I heard her laughter screech in the distance.

  Tonio stood up and offered me his hand. Being close to a panther made my knees shake, but I got up by myself—baffled by the performance.

  I thought nothing could ruin this evening until Kress joined us.

  10. Intentions

  Unlike yesterday, the poised Siren wore a broad grin between his cheeks. Even though he was still wet from swimming, he didn’t shiver, and when I looked at his arms, I found scales—like silver coins that reflected the sun. He stretched his hand out to me and I took a step back, where Tonio’s hand guided me forward and prevented me from running away.

  I avoided contesting Kress’s victorious mood and kept quiet.

  “I’m very sorry, please, forgive me,” he said and stepped closer. He was trying to catch a breath but couldn’t stop smiling. It was like meeting a completely different person, but I didn’t forget the pain he had caused.

  Still, I took his hand and shook it. I understood that to him I looked like a threat. A foreign girl, almost as tall as him, had attacked him while he was enjoying a laugh with a friend. My emotions had spiralled out of control and so did his.

  I nodded at him. “Me too,” I said, and he hugged me.

  “You were trying to protect her, that was your first instinct and I get it.”

  Tonio tapped him on the shoulder.

  “Right,” Kress said, “I‘ll go get dressed for the party, let‘s start over when we meet there.”

  He ran to the pool and jumped in one last time, splashing the gawpers around him.

  Meanwhile, a carriage had been waiting for us outside of the gate. I hadn’t used one before, and it was more uncomfortable than I thought it would be. The wooden wheels rattled against the cobblestones and occupied my ears with excessive noise. It made me sick, but it ended when we rode through a mixture of mud and sand.

  “You talked to him,” I said, and Tonio plunged himself beside me, with his boots placed on the opposed seat.

  “Surprised?” he laughed. “Kress doesn’t need a lot of talking to—only reminders.”

  “To stay calm?”

  “Of his priorities.” Tonio ran through his hair with his fingers and leaned back. “We’re trying to figure out yours,” he added and watched me, prepared to analyse my reaction. This time I couldn’t escape the interrogation.

  “My priorities?”

  “Let’s phrase it like this,” he explained, “we’re like a family beyond bloodline. Instead of identical heritage, we have the same goals. It‘s up for debate if you’ll become part of it. Claire is undeniably fond of you. One of my priorities is to keep her sane and satisfied. Taking you away from her has unpredictable consequences.”

  My throat stiffened, unable to swallow down my nervousness. “That sounds like a cult,” I said and prepared to deny his offer.

  He laughed out loud. “We’re all heirs to big names and positions. You too, Volkov. It’s smart to tighten the knots between us, instead of fighting and dragging each other down. There are ways where all can win. That, of course, depends on your goals and willingness to play by the rules.”

  “I’m not sure if I can help.” I removed myself from the picture. “My priority is to study and stay out of the way.”

  Instead of backing off, he seemed to like my answers and his smile got lavish. “Then you already meet the most important requirement—the ability to mind your own business.”

  He looked like the guy you’d bring home to your parents, but when he spoke behind closed doors he sounded like a criminal. A cult leader, in this case. Without giving out much information, he bought me with compliments and affirmations. I didn’t know if he wanted me to be Claire’s babysitter or get rid of a dead body for him. The secrecy behind his words angered me.

  “Can’t you just say what you want from me?” I asked as my patience ran out.

  He leaned over me. There was no air left between us to breathe. “I appreciate how you take care of Claire and would like to keep it that way. Stay close, maybe remind her to take her medicine. Bring her home, occasionally. That’s about it.”

  Glad he didn’t plan to get rid of me, I agreed to it by nodding. I believed it was a way to make sure no one would leech off them through his naïve sister. It was her first semester, while Tonio had studied for thirteen years, and I figured this must be one of the reasons. Also, I realised that she was not in on this conversation. The action seemed to happen around her, silently.

  “She doesn’t think she’s crazy,” I said.

  Tonio laughed and leaned back with his hands crossed behind his head. “Isn’t that exactly what crazy people do?”

  When I remained silent, he put his arm on the backrest behind me.

  “She’s not crazy. That’s just her way of naming things she doesn’t understand. From a medical stance, she’s disabled. Highly sensitive, easily obsessed and intense when overstimulated.”

  “What happens when she’s overstimulated?” I asked.

  “Meltdowns, followed by staying in her room for weeks, sometimes months. Doesn’t want to talk, eat, bathe,” he answered. The professional in him shone through. “Now she’s obsessed with
this idea of studying on campus, right after I graduate and take over my father’s patients. You understand my worries as an older sibling.”

  I did, even as a single child. It solidified my previous assumptions. “I will watch out for her,” I said.

  “Thank you, I’ll see what I can do for you, too.”

  “Don’t pay me to be her friend.”

  “I see why she likes you.” he laughed. “How about you don’t regard it as payment but as a token of appreciation?”

  The carriage came to a halt and when he opened the door, Claire was already running towards me, covered in a robe. Her hair was wrapped around curlers.

  As soon as I stepped onto the ground, she dragged me to her room.

  “Let’s get dressed. Let’s go, go, go!” She jumped all over the place.

  Her bedroom was messier than usual, I noticed her trouble picking an outfit. One dress laid on the couch.

  “This one’s for me. For you, I have various options, but… .” She brushed her chin with her fingers. “We need to make a statement.” She hovered some of them over my body. “Let’s try the one with the cutout, that will make your legs stand out.”

  Claire’s good eye chose nothing but black dresses, often with lace. I tried it on and she fixed the waist with a broad leather belt.

  “You’re hot,” she said, “you can have whoever you want tonight.” She proceeded to the mirrored table where she painted her lids with shimmering red colour.

  I watched her, learning every move.

  “Warpaint,” she said.

  “You mean makeup?”

  “What’s the difference?”

  While she painted my face, I told her that Kress apologised, which she was pleased to hear. I refrained from talking about the conversation in the carriage. She seemed excited, and I avoided provoking a meltdown.

  When she removed the curlers, her locks bounced in all directions. Perhaps she wanted to impress someone, and I concluded it to be Kress or Bryon, unaware of any background deals. As far as I knew, she was close to both. I bit my lip, thinking about it.

  “You’re smudging the lipstick,” she scolded me and applied it again. “They’re small, your lips I mean, but real pouchy.”