by Jillian Keep
The main hall itself was full of people passing through, great desks and tables about, though even still there were bookshelves, and up above she could see the next level where there were only books on display. It kept going up, though, and she couldn’t really make out the end of it all.
This.
This was where she belonged.
It was as though everything had just been filler until she finally arrived at her place, and that broad smile announced to the world she’d discovered it. All her worries and fears slid aside as she found her place to hide. To live.
“Wow…”
“Wow is right,” mirrored Mae’lin beside her, gaping nearly as much as she.
Their guide tried to break the moment, however, and shooed them both back towards the door. “You’ll have time for this later. The library remains open around the clock. Though introductory students such as yourselves have a curfew. And speaking of… we should head back to your residence so you can get accustomed to it,” he said, sweeping in between them and back off through the garden.
“Curfew?” She almost laughed at the thought. She was a perpetual night owl, as much as she could be with school. Not to mention the idea of being so close to the library and not being allowed in seemed a bit torturous. “When?”
“You’ll know,” he said with another one of his mischievous smirks. “The Academy takes such things very seriously. So it’s not something you’d need to worry about until the time comes.”
With so cryptic an answer he just continued to trot along, heading towards another building. This one looked almost… quaint, when compared to the rest of the great castle-academy. It had a stone and wood exterior, and looked almost like a great, faerie-tale cabin, magnified many fold, of course.
The wooden doors creaked open and she saw a mighty hearth, surrounded by sofas and relaxing seating areas. “This shall be your residence hall,” he said to them, and the inviting warmth and calmness in there was hard to miss.
She still didn’t trust the elf and his mischievous manners, but her curiosity won out over her caution, as it so often did. Stepping in, she inhaled deeply, as if trying to acclimate herself to the new smells and sensations of her “home”.
No matter how strange the whole place had been, and how jarring the experiences of the day, she couldn’t deny how very inviting the place was. How warm and welcoming it seemed.
Until she saw the visage of that well-dressed human she’d seen steal her thunder at the competition. He stood up before the fire, looking so calm and confident, having apparently been chosen for the same academy as she despite everything.
“With that, I’ll give you time to settle in,” their guide said with a calming smile. “You’ll find your rooms at opposite ends of the hall,” he indicated, pointing down each way. “And yours,” he looked to Firia, “is up on the second floor. You’ll know which one, don’t worry.”
She stared at him with a furrowed brow. “And why’s that?”
“Wait and see,” he said with a shrug and a half-smile. “The name’s Gway’lin. Remember that if you need anything!” He abruptly vanished, as if pulled through some pinhole-sized gap in reality itself, leaving them standing there by themselves.
Though the display brought the attention of the sole other human there and the elvish woman he spoke with, the two moving towards her.
“So you’re the one,” he remarked, his dark, hazel eyes studying her curiously up and down. “You put on that big show that had everyone talking, hm?”
Why did she suddenly feel like a cornered rabbit? All of her social anxiety crept back into her and her cheeks already started to redden. “I don’t know,” she muttered, wishing she hadn’t put her black hair into a ponytail. She figured it’d be easier for travelling, but now she wished for nothing more than a veil to hide herself.
She leaned her head down a bit and let her bangs shield her eyes. Just a tad.
“She put on an amazing display,” proclaimed Mae’lin with a smile, as if her accomplishment were as much his as hers.
“So I hear,” he said, brushing back his own hair and scrutinizing her a bit. He took his time, but then he extended his hand, palm-up: “The name is Bran. Bran Thornson.”
This was supposed to be her fresh start, surrounded by others just as passionate as her.
Firia’s eyes slowly dragged their way up his body before resting on his hand. She forced her own palm into it, surprised by her actions. It was pure force of will that she was able to grasp his hand in hers. “Nice to meet you. Firia Tunst. You almost cost me my chance.”
Bran’s eyes went wide with surprise at her remark.
Her mouth gaped with shock. Why had she said that? That was the last thing she should have said, and immediately her cheeks turned beet red. “I mean…” She tried to recover. “I saw your show. It was awesome…”
To her remark he smirked gently and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Ahh, that explains it then, does it? You had to pull out all the stops to make sure you were noticed after my little show, is that what you’re saying?” he questioned with an expectant gaze.
“They thought they met their token human quota,” she admitted, but her voice was so much smaller in her embarrassment. She bit her lower lip as if to forcibly stop herself from saying something stupid again.
Bran gave a derisive curl of his nose then reached out and patted her hand in his. “Well done, all the same. I just wish I was there to see it, instead of in the tent negotiating for my spot here.” He was a confident young man, she had to confess, and it made his own rugged good looks stand out all the more.
With a clearing of her throat, the elvish woman beside him stepped forward and introduced herself. “Ala’nase,” she said in her sing-song voice, so very elvish. She gave a short curtsey. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
What a beautiful name. She couldn’t help but smile at it, though she tried to hide it. Still, it was like a song. Firia tried to curtsey in return, though it was hard to be graceful with the sac still on her back. “You too.”
She almost patted herself on the back for not embarrassing herself again.
The sparkling smile the young elven woman gave made her more endearing than most of her kind. The long white-hair that framed her face accentuating her lovely, delicate features. “I did not take part in the competition, but I must say I am embarrassed to admit that. It seems all the truly promising young magicians were out there, showing off their abilities with daring-do, rather than taking the humdrum tests with me.”
“Humdrum tests?” Firia grinned, “I don’t know… I think that sounds a bit better.”
Ala’nase laughed musically and smiled at her disarmingly, “Kind of you to say. Though I must admit,” she said, leaning in and playfully batting at her arm, “I wasn’t expecting the talk of the competition, who nearly turned her opponent to ashes, to be so… sweet.”
“That’s just gossip,” Firia said, a bit too defensively. “I mean… Mae’lin’s right here, and he doesn’t seem mad so…”
As if just noticing him for the first time, Ala’nase’s gaze travelled up to the lanky elf’s with some surprise. “It was you she burned?!” she asked with more than a little excitement.
Mae’lin looked a bit taken aback at the whole thing. Flustered, he answered, “N-no! She didn’t burn me at all,” he stated as he adjusted the pack over his own shoulder. “We both got carried away in our competition, putting our all into it, and then… well, one of us won and suddenly all that power she’d conjured needed a place to go.”
Ala’nase’s slender eyes went wide and she gasped. “What a battle it must’ve been!”
“It wasn’t really a battle,” Firia smiled bashfully, shrugging her shoulders. “I mean… it was exciting but not a battle.”
“That’s not what I heard,” said Bran with a grin.
Mae’lin shrugged and said, “Well… it kinda was. I mean… a battle of wills, if nothing else.”
Ala’nase looked to F
iria expectantly, as if excitement or disappointment hinged on her next statement.
Too much pressure and attention. Firia’s stomach tightened, and she looked down at her feet. “Well, I mean… if that’s what everyone’s saying…”
The beautiful young elf laughed and put her arm around Filia’s back. “I knew it! You’re a champion, alright. And you even earned the friendship of the one you defeated. You’re brilliant. Both of you!” she added on for Mae’lin’s sake.
To which the lanky elf coughed and laughed awkwardly.
“Well he… beat me. I mean, I was disqualified temporarily…” Too much attention. Too fast! She had to take a deep breath.
Wait, an elf was touching her.
She looked to the other woman curiously, as if she was losing her mind.
The sparkling, silver-eyes of the elven woman met hers as she grinned with some excitement, though the curious moment with the eager elf was interrupted when a loud bell tolled and the hall’s doors slammed shut. At the same moment she suddenly noticed as several other students were seemingly teleported in without notice, in various states of unreadiness. One spilling their books, another toppling over.
“What’s happening?!” said Mae’lin, though they were all looking about in confusion.
Firia groaned. “He said we’d know when curfew hit. I guess this is how.”
The three of her new classmates all looked to her and nodded with some appreciation at her having figured it out first. “That makes sense,” muttered Bran.
“She’s clever as well as powerful!” remarked Ala’nase, her caramel cheeks darkly hued.
It was all so overwhelming. She didn’t think she’d ever spoken to so many people in her life, and her entire body felt so… antsy. She wanted to hide under the covers, but instead she forced a smile. “So we’re bolted in for the night?”
“I guess so,” murmured Mae’lin.
Bran looked around then pointed. “Some of them seem in a rush to get to their rooms.”
Firia saw as some of the other students went off to their rooms, and Ala’nase said, “Do you think they’ll be locking us in our rooms soon too if we don’t go there?” Her silvery gaze falling upon Firia, as if she held the answers.
She groaned. “I wouldn’t be surprised…”
It was so disorienting. Back in school no one paid her much mind, leaving her to the back of the class and her books. Now she was front and center, everyone’s eyes on her.
“We should get to our rooms then,” said Mae’lin, sounding a bit edgy under the new circumstances. “I’d rather not be zapped in there if I could help it.”
Ala’nase looked to Firia and patted her shoulder. “I can show you the way to ours. We’re in the same wing unless I’m mistaken. I’ve already found mine earlier,” she said with a smile.
“Gway’lin said I’d know it. Whatever that means.” She held onto the strap of her sac, waving gently to the other two. “Goodnight, then. Nice meeting you, Bran.”
The two men looked to her and bid their farewells, Mae’lin with a simple wave and smile, Bran with a gentlemanly bow that looked like it was ripped directly from an elven manual.
Ala’nase led her on down the hall towards the stairs at the back, “Oh you’ll know it alright,” she said to her as they climbed up. “It’s a pretty neat system, all told. Though,” she remarked, looking about, “this curfew thing is a bit much. I mean, we only just got here; a bit of a gentle touch wouldn’t go awry, you know?”
“They’re probably just showing us their power. You know, make sure we understand what they can do…” And Firia had no idea the depths those would go. The amount of knowledge she wasn’t even aware that she didn’t know…
As they came to the top of the stairs, Ala’nase led her down the hall, other women – mostly elves – heading to their rooms as they strode on by. “Mine’s here,” said the elf, gesturing to one of the shut doors. “I’d show you it, but… well, I haven’t done anything yet, so it’s the same as yours I’m sure. Now… which one is yours?” she asked, not looking around but directly at her.
Firia didn’t know what to say, but then she caught glimpse of some light out of the corner of her eye and turned to see a glowing orb of light hovering by the door at the very end of the hall.
“I guess that one?” she asked, her finger pointing towards the door. “They do like to show off, don’t they.” Her lips tugged into a smirk despite herself.
Ala’nase’s lips curved up at the corner, showing just how big a mouth she actually had. “You see the light too, huh?” she asked. “Seems like we only see the light for our own rooms. Cute trick, isn’t it?” she said as she guided Firia to her door and stood back half a step, arms behind her.
Firia was paranoid, so far from her own playing field, but she was too excited to hold back as she pushed open the door.
Perhaps an elvish student might’ve been disappointed, but to her? The room was magnificent.
It had the same intricate carved-wood beams in the corners, the smooth stone walls, but it also had a very comfortable-looking bed that dwarfed hers back home in both size and quality. She also had a desk, chair, chest, dresser, mirror and clear area that looked intended for spell practice. All in all, it was more space than she’d had back at home in her own bedroom, and in much finer luxury.
She almost felt like crying, but she couldn’t. Not with Ala’nase at her back.
Firia let the sac down to the floor and turned to look at her new friend, smiling genuinely. Now that it was just the two of them she felt less trapped and overwhelmed. “I guess this is it. Thanks for showing me the way.”
The beautiful elven lady gave a salute while backing away deftly. “Glad to help you newbies,” she said in a mock-pretentious voice, following it with a wink. “I’ll catch you in th–”
With the sound of the bell she was ripped from where she stood, and from out of an open door further down the hall Firia heard the woman’s voice carry out, “Aw damn.”
She closed the door and smiled to herself, though the sense of creeping loneliness struck her before long.
After so much activity, it seemed odd to stand in the room in such complete silence. Her mind wandered to Varuj, her companion that still dwelled with her.
She tried to contact him without even realizing it.
Waited.
She felt that faint, barely noticeable warmth, but he didn’t come. It worried her, she realized. He’d never refused to come to her before.
Maybe he couldn’t, the thought occurred to her.
She had to put it aside though. If what was keeping her in her room was keeping Varuj where he was, it wasn’t likely to be something she’d solve that night.
Chapter 18
The day began with another loud clang of the bell that resonated throughout the campus.
It had been a strange night for Firia, and it had taken a while for her to get to sleep. Despite the rather plush, comfortable bed that so outclassed her own, it was foreign to her, and she felt more than a little isolated where she was.
Though before she could finish preparing she heard a knock at her door. Upon opening it she saw the visage of her new elven associate, Ala’nase, a loose-fitting robe about her as she rubbed her eyes. “I can’t believe they want us to get up so early,” she groaned.
Firia’s sleep schedule was completely screwed up, but her excitement had managed to make her seem a bit more chipper. “I guess we’ll get used to it…” She opened her door to let her new friend in, almost nervously at first. “They didn’t really go over the schedule very well, did they.”
Ala’nase moved into her room with a great deal less finesse than Firia was used to seeing elves move with. She very nearly slumped!
“They didn’t go over it with us at all, as far as I’m aware,” she groggily stated. “Though I assume with how things are going, any moment now we’ll be zipped off to something else without warning.”
Firia let out a bitter laugh, nodding
her agreement. “They do like showing off how little control we have over our bodies, don’t they?”
Ala’nase nearly snorted her amusement. “They probably get quite the kick out of it,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Though I suppose we should make our way to the dining hall as soon as we can, or risk going without. Sounds like the kind of thing they’d love to do to us, to really hammer the lesson home, y’know?”
Firia was quickly getting the impression that Ala’nase was far less formal and eloquent than most elves of her stature.
It was refreshing to say the least, and as she put together the few things she thought she might need, she motioned towards the door. “Hopefully with any luck the food will be as opulent as the… food-a-torium.” She grinned, hoping Ala’nase would get her joke.
The elf stared at her.
Then abruptly broke into a laugh. “Food-a-torium,” she repeated before standing up and fixing her pale hair. “You want to head over with me once we freshen up then?” she asked.
“Sure. I think I remember the way.” She always had been keen with directions, after all.
She could barely believe her luck, though. A friend. Who seemed really nice.
That was almost as exciting as starting her lessons.
Chapter 19
The pair arrived at the dining hall together, the taller elf on the lookout as she wore a rather fancy, elegant dress-robe that hung diagonally from her shoulder. “Hey, there’s your friend,” she said with a gesture, pointing out Mae’lin to her at one of the side booths, eating by himself.
Firia was far less impressive in her simple robe, but she’d done her hair in as elaborate of braid as she could muster. The last thing she needed was to look ratty on her first day.
“He’s all by himself. We should join him.”
Ala’nase set off without delay. “You two are close then, huh?” she asked with a raised brow as they made their way through the increasingly full hall, so many students bustling about for a table and meal.