by Eric Vall
“Is that… the monster’s magic essence?” I asked and pointed at it. She held it up to show off a gray substance that swirled and shimmered.
“That is precisely what it is, Mr. Gryff,” she confirmed with a triumphant smirk.
“But isn’t it normally black?” Layla examined the vial closely and tapped on it with her nail. It clinked, just as glass would. She looked back at me, and we shrugged. I don’t know what she expected to happen.
“It is,” Arwyn confirmed, “but I recently read while I did my research that it is possible to purify essence with the use of a certain amount of mana.”
The group of us ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ in unison.
“If what you say is true, then mages can harness the dark energy that spews from the Shadowscape and use it as a weapon,” I said as I helped Nia to her feet. Her body sagged against me, but she would be fine after a few hours of rest.
Arwyn nodded. “Perhaps, but nothing is for certain.” She secured the vial in a pouch attached to her belt. “We will need to run multiple tests and run through as many variables and constants as we can, but the knowledge that we are capable of such a thing is truly remarkable.” As she turned to walk away, her eyes lingered on me.
“We will need to fetch a new ride back to the Academy,” she continued and waved for us to follow her. “Let us not dawdle any longer.”
Having to trudge through what was left of the marshes to get to the Enclave wasn’t the most appealing idea, but since it came coupled with a small victory over the pyrewyrms and for summoners, as well as information about a new way to fight against the monster hordes, it was worth the effort. All in all, I could chalk the day up to being a good one.
Chapter 13
We got picked up by some patrol riders a few miles out from the Garvesh Enclave walls. I was thankful for the lift since I wasn’t sure how much longer my feet could take the midnight hike through the wilderness.
Almasy sweet-talked a few people in the enclave, I hadn’t caught their names or positions, but by the time dawn had settled on the horizon, we were on a small passenger airship back home. I guess being a hometown boy had its perks.
It was late in the morning when we arrived back in Varle. I was in desperate need of a bath, and a good plate or three of hot food was in order. My limbs felt heavy despite the small amount of sleep I’d gotten on the ride home. We were only back on Academy grounds for a few minutes when Braden ran up to us.
“Maker, you lot are a sight for sore eyes.” He smiled brightly at us. I kind of felt bad that we had all left him without any sort of explanation the night before.
“Chat later, big guy,” Layla strutted past him and headed straight for the dining hall. “I’m starving.”
I laughed, and Nia shook her head.
“I apologize for having to leave so abruptly.” She bowed her head politely to my big friend and followed after Layla. “We will have to catch up over breakfast.”
“Uh, yeah!” Braden’s laugh was a nervous bark, as though he was outright shocked that Nia Kenefick was being so friendly with him. Sure, they’d talked before, but I guess it was finally starting to really sink in that she wanted to be his friend. I couldn’t blame him. It was quite an honor to befriend a Kenefick. I should know. I had to physically fight a manbaby just to talk to her.
Ah, good times.
“Keep yourself busy?” I asked and followed after the girls. Braden fell into step beside me as he scoffed.
“It’s boring as hell without you guys,” he admitted as he stared at his own two feet. “But it’s given me time to think about a lot of things.”
“We weren’t gone for that long.” I snickered and opened the door to the dining hall. There was practically no one here at this time, and I imagined they were headed to their first class of the day already. Those that still lingered were the late bloomers.
“Like I said, I was bored,” Braden repeated. He followed me to get a plate, but he didn’t take one. I assumed he already had breakfast.
“Okay, so what revelation did you come to while we were away?” I eyed the fruits. I wanted something sweet and ended up with a bowl of strawberries.
“I’m ready to give it my all,” he declared, and I gave him a sideways glance.
“You weren’t before?” I knew that wasn’t true. Braden, despite his fear of monsters and his own capabilities, always put his best foot forward, especially in times of a crisis.
“I mean, I guess I was,” he started, “but I’m ready to take it to the next level.”
I piled on a few biscuits and topped them off with two heaping spoonfuls of sausage gravy before I responded. “I’m not sure what the next step is after that, Braden. Doing your best is all you can do.” Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Braden shift his weight from one leg to the other nervously.
“I want to be a better summoner, Gryff, and that means I need to face my fears.” His voice was quiet, but I could feel the determination in his words. He was serious. “I’m tired of being left behind. I need to prove to myself that I can be the kind of summoner the world needs.”
I stopped and faced him completely with a happy yet tired smile. I couldn’t believe what I had heard, but I was still so proud of him. Hell, I was proud of all of my friends. They had all grown significantly in such a short amount of time.
“You know I’m going to help you every step of the way, Braden,” I assured him, and he smiled as he nodded. “You aren’t in this alone.”
“I know,” Braden chuckled to himself, “thanks, Gryff. It’s because of you that I want to be better.”
Needless to say, I was flattered.
“Stop it. You’re going to make me blush.” We both laughed and found Layla and Nia seated in the back. It was where we usually sat, but it felt different from normal. It felt like that was just our little spot. It was our one place in the whole world where we could come together as friends and share our lives and accomplishments with one another without any judgment.
As Braden took a seat next to Layla, I slid in next to Nia. They’d held a conversation amongst themselves until we joined them, and it seemed like Layla suddenly wanted to change the topic.
“Gryff! Did you know it was Nia’s birthday today?” Layla asked loudly, and I had to blink a few times to process the information. When I had, I turned to Nia with a very serious expression.
“You have a birthday?”
“We all have birthdays, farm boy,” she snipped and glared at Layla. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Um, it’s a huge deal, and yes, I know everyone has birthdays.” I stuck out my tongue at her.
“We need to celebrate!” Layla declared, and I nodded quickly as I shoveled biscuits into my mouth.
“That really isn’t necessary,” Nia began, but Layla would have none of it.
“I’m sure you have a cute dress stashed in your room.” Layla stabbed a potato and thrust it at Nia as if to accentuate her point. “You’re going to put it on, and tonight we’re going out.” Nia opened her mouth to argue, then looked at me for help.
“Uh-uh. It’s your birthday. Birthdays should be celebrated with friends.” I looked back at my plate of food. The only birthdays I remembered were spent with Maelor, usually in different pubs with lots of alcohol. I lifted my eyes again. “And you, Kenefick, are amongst friends.”
Nia’s cheeks turned a dusty shade of pink as a soft smile formed on her impossibly beautiful face. Her eyes lit up, and I wondered if she had ever celebrated her birthday with friends before. I didn’t know much about her life in Hartmire, but I knew that the Keneficks were made of money and military acquaintances. I imagined that most of her birthdays, if not all of them, were spent with officials and overly expensive finger foods that you had to eat with tiny forks while pretending to be interested in what someone forty years older than you had to say about esoteric politics.
“Oh, fine. I suppose we can venture out this evening,” she relented, and Layla cheered.
&n
bsp; “Okay good. I’ll come by your room after dinner, and we’ll get all dolled up together.” Layla grinned, and Nia tilted her head.
“Very well,” Nia confirmed as a smirk formed on her lips, and Layla’s smile also turned to a deviant smirk. I wasn’t sure I liked that exchange, but I let it roll off my back for now, popped a strawberry into my mouth, and glanced at Braden.
“Guess that leaves you and me to find something to wear tonight.” Braden nodded.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve got something fit for the occasion.” I didn’t know if any of my clothes was considered ‘going out’ attire, but I’d manage something, I was sure.
As we finished up our meals, Arwyn entered the dining hall, and all our shoulders slumped as we looked at her. I hoped there wasn’t another mission already. She must have sensed the tension because she laughed lightly and brushed a strand of red hair from her beautiful eyes.
“Relax,” she soothed, “I’m here as your teacher, not as your squad leader.” When we collectively released the breath we’d subconsciously held, she continued. “I came to remind you that your final exams are but a few weeks away. I know you have been busy, particularly Miss Kenefick and Gryff, but there will be no exemptions from these tests.” Arwyn met my gaze, and my skin ignited. I knew that look, and it was one that I had missed after a long week. “Gryff, since you started later in the year, I would highly suggest some extra study time. If you need a tutor, I would be more than happy to assist you.”
“Uh, yeah. I think I’ll take you up on that.” I swallowed thickly. I really did need the extra tutelage, but I definitely picked up on the connotation of her invitation. If the others did, none of them made any indication. After all, it wasn’t exactly school policy for a teacher to perform extracurricular activities with a student.
“A wise decision.” She smiled, and her perfect lips sent a shiver down my spine. “You know where to find me when you have some spare time.” With that, she left us. As soon as the door was shut, Layla groaned.
“I can’t believe I still have to take exams,” she whined and slithered further down in her seat.
“We all do,” Braden muttered. “You don’t get special treatment because you went on one mission with a squad.”
“Yeah, haven’t you noticed that Nia and I don’t get special treatment, and we’ve gone on a few already,” I interjected, and everyone laughed.
The rest of the day flew by. I’d had just enough time after breakfast to bathe quickly and get to my afternoon classes. It was a task to stay awake. I felt the sleepiness settle behind my eyes and drag my eyes shut several times. I managed to get in a nap before dinner though and was actually feeling pretty refreshed afterward.
Our dinner of roasted venison, creamy potatoes, and cheesy broccoli came and went the same as breakfast. The four of us chatted about classwork, set up a few study dates, and decided on a time to meet before we headed out into town for the night. Braden and I took our time. I figured the girls would as well, so I put in the extra care to make myself presentable. Not that I wasn’t normally, but it was a special night.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t the fanciest of outfits, but if I had run into myself at a bar, I’d hit on me. I donned a sleeveless black tunic with a hood and silver runes embroidered into the sides and a pair of baggy pants and boots. Again, not fancy, but I worked with what I had. After all, farm boys from the wilds don’t exactly have extravagant wardrobes.
Braden, however, had been afforded nicer clothes, and thus wore a collared shirt with a long vest lined in satin. He looked as though he were some sort of butler, but the kind of butler that was higher up than all the other butlers. He was like Petyr, but better, and the comparison made us both laugh out loud.
We waited for Layla and Nia by the carriages and exchanged increasingly cringy compliments with one another until we nearly pissed ourselves with laughter. Braden flipped open a pocket watch. “They should be here any minute.”
Right on cue, I heard Layla’s laughter across the lawn. When I saw them, my jaw must have been on the floor because it took Braden several slaps to the shoulder to get my attention. Both of them were gorgeous, and my throat went dry. Their styles were vastly different. That much was incredibly clear, but they both wore their chosen attire quite well.
Layla’s dress was short, black, and barely covered her cute little ass. There wasn’t much to the rest of the outfit at all, really, with no straps and her midriff exposed. The dress itself was hemmed in a bright purple that really made her eyes pop.
On the other hand, Nia’s dress was a little more modest, but not by much. Her ensemble was silver, and it shimmered to a pale shade of blue as she walked. It was longer than Layla’s, but it was still short enough that I didn’t need to use much of my imagination to know what assets lay beneath.
Oh yes, my hands would be full tonight.
“Like what you see, boys?” Layla winked and twirled as she squeezed herself between Braden and me, and we both laughed.
“You ladies look marvelous,” Braden complimented, and I was shocked at how smoothly he delivered the line. Not a single hiccup or hint of hesitation. Maybe he should be left to his own devices more often.
“Yeah, what he said,” I chimed in and brought Nia’s hand to my lips for a kiss, and the flush that formed on her cheeks and bare neck was worth the stares we received from the other students.
“Ready to go?” Layla asked, already halfway into one of the carriages as she tried to pull the hem of her skirt down so we couldn’t see her underwear.
“Let’s go!” I called back, and Braden and I helped Nia in before we followed the girls within and rode off into the night.
The ride was nice. We laughed a lot, mostly at Braden’s bad jokes, but also at old stories. We talked as though the four of us had been best friends for years, and it was honest to the Maker the most fun I had had in a long time. The bar we planned to be at wasn’t the kind of place I would usually find myself going to, but it also wasn’t my birthday. Nia had chosen somewhere with just a little more class.
“Hologram?” I was the last one out of the carriage, and thus the last one to read the neon sign we had been dropped in front of. “This is the place?”
“You don’t like it?” Nia smirked, and I shook my head.
“I didn’t say that.” It just wouldn’t be my first choice in places. The outside of the building was unlike the majority of the rest of the ones on the block, much less anything else within several blocks, really. White brick that was so bright it might as well have been glowing made the foundation of the place, and it looked like a giant block of ice. As Braden and I escorted the girls inside, I noted that the interior was wild. This was not a typical place for mages like us. Everything glowed a different color, and the music sounded more like pounding beats that echoed off of the smooth surfaces of the tables and bar.
Maelor would laugh his ass off if he ever found out I was in a place like this. He would start to call me city boy and pick on me for my expensive taste.
It wasn’t my scene, but Nia’s face was alight with the aesthetic as she and Layla wandered over to the bar to order drinks. As long as she was happy, then I would find a way to enjoy myself. I was sure that once I had a few drinks in me that wouldn’t be a problem.
Braden and I found a booth in the back corner of the place and waited. They returned with two drinks each and handed one to each of us. Even the glasses had a glow to them. What the hell kind of magic was this? I examined it, and Nia laughed.
“It’s a type of physical magic that allows users to manipulate light,” she explained as she took a sip of the green drink that was in her glass. “Not very practical in day-to-day use, but the ability to bend light is actually pretty useful against monsters.”
“That’s… pretty neat, actually,” I said after I thought about it for a moment, then I laughed and took a swig of the red drink she had handed me. Immediately, my tongue went numb and my head fuzzy. I didn’t want to know what was in t
his drink, but it was fantastic, and I wanted more of it.
By the time I had finished my first drink, we were being presented with more. Shots of something purple, pints of something yellow, everything we had was more delicious than the last drink. Even the music had grown on me. It still wasn’t something that I would go out of my way to listen to on my own, but if someone else played it, I wouldn’t be opposed, though that might have been the alcohol’s effect on me.
The whole night I couldn’t take my eyes off of Layla and Nia. Something about the way they laughed at each other’s jokes despite the fact that they came from very different family lives, and the way their fingers brushed over each other’s when they both whispered in each other’s ears and smiled at me. Even Braden seemed to notice that they had been strangely close because he winked at me every time one of the girls said pretty much anything to me.
Whatever the hell I was about to get into, I was ready for it.
It wasn’t until after I’d sampled the oddly bright pink drink for the seventh time that I thought I might have hit my limit, but then the girls both stood from the table, brushed their fingers over my shoulders, and then made their way past me to the dance floor. I turned to watch them disappear into the crowd, and Nia made a small beckoning motion toward me before she disappeared into the throng of dancing bodies.
Hot damn.
I turned to look at Braden and see if he had seen Nia and Layla flirt with me, but he had already gotten up from the booth to dance with a pretty dark-skinned girl.
Well, I didn’t need any more of an invitation.
I jumped up from my seat, swayed a bit as the booze hit my brain, and then put one foot in front of the other as I made my way to the dance floor. At first, I couldn’t see my two lovers in the crowd, but then the sea of bodies parted, and I saw them both dancing together. Layla had her arms around Nia’s slender waist, and Nia was playing with Layla’s hair. They were grinding their tight bodies together in time with the pulsing music, but both of them were looking toward me.