by Hickory Mack
Winry led them away from the house and straight into the woods. Her pace slowed enough that Chiori no longer needed to halfway jog to keep up, but she still needed to extend her stride at the walk to avoid being left behind. Winry turned around and walked backward a few strides.
“This is a pretty basic beginner trail, usually used for a leisurely stroll. I’m sure it’s seen its fair share of romantic rendezvous.” Winry wriggled her eyebrows and Chiori laughed. “It’ll be good to get you used to uneven ground, walking up small hills and over small obstacles. It’ll help build muscles, too. We’ll end every class for the next month on this trail so you’ll have plenty of time to get used to it. If you find yourself wanting to move more slowly and see the sights, come back on your own time, it does have some pretty parts!” Winry said then turned back around.
It wasn’t long before they came to a downhill slope and Chiori had to adjust herself to keep moving quickly without tripping over her own feet. Chiori was fine going down, but her breath started to come more heavily when the ground leveled off and they met a few obstacles. Like a stone the size of her house back in Tallow that they needed to climb and slide carefully down the other side. They crossed a massive rotting tree, placing their steps carefully so as not to fall through soft patches or disturb ant, bee or wasp hives.
Chiori glanced back at Nakia and rolled her eyes. Not one perfect white hair was out of place, her Yukata was flawless, just as crisp and clean as it had been before breakfast and there wasn’t a single bead of sweat on her brow. She couldn’t complain, it would waste what little breath she had for some comment that would change nothing. They crossed a small foot bridge with a pretty, ten-foot-high waterfall not far beyond them. Chiori noted it but had no time to appreciate it. The trail turned and followed the creek for a while and then looped around, crossing over another bridge and heading back.
“Okay, the warm up is over, time to work a bit!” Winry chirped in her ridiculously upbeat way. Chiori groaned inwardly but again said nothing as the trail started back upward. She’d climbed this mountain from the bottom once. She was well rested and far better fed now, she could do this portion of it without complaining. Her thighs and calves burned but she welcomed the challenge. Halfway up her middle was hurting and by the time they reached the top she was wheezing and overheated, but she’d done it. Nakia kept looking at her, a worried expression on her face.
“Don’t stop walking, go straight to the shower. You can relax there. You did well, Lady Chiori!” Winry said, slightly slowing her pace when she saw how red Chiori’s cheeks were. “I’ll see you again on Friday, it will be a tiny bit easier, because you’ll know what to expect. I suggest a long soak in the bath before bed tonight to ease any muscle pain. Enjoy your time with Ichio!”
Winry peeled off from them, heading in her own direction and Chiori followed Nakia through the house to her rooms, embarrassed that so many demons along the way got a view of her looking so worn out. She zombie walked into the shower, shedding clothes once she hit the hallway. Nakia poked her head in the door once the water was running.
“I’m going to go take care of a few things, Mai will be here with tea and a snack when you come out, okay?” she called over the water.
“Okay, thank you,” Chiori gave Nakia a tired smile. She hadn’t been able to sleep at all for the second night in a row. Nakia smiled back, leaving a towel on the rack where Chiori could reach it.
“You’re very welcome, my Lady. You really did do well, I think Winry was surprised. She’ll give a good report of your class today. I’ll see you at lunch.”
“See you,” Chiori said, climbing into the cool water, letting it wash away the sweat.
Chapter 27
After drinking a citrusy green tea and eating some avocado spread on rice crackers Mai and Chiori headed to History class. Chiori’s energy lifted with the snack and she kept stretching her legs and arms, trying to ease the ache while they walked. Mai sneaked sympathetic looks and let her move at her own pace but didn’t offer any consolation. Chiori didn’t want it.
Ichio was already in the classroom, setting a book on her desk when they arrived. He looked up, his multi-hued hair falling over his eyes when he did so. Yesterday he’d been a massive stag, twice the size of Airi’s horse. Chiori tried to imagine how that much creature fit into the person in the classroom and failed.
“Ah, Lady Chiori and Miss Mai. Whom do I owe thanks for sending the two of you, together again, to me?” he asked, his voice lilting with the slightest accent. Chiori was captivated by his pale, golden brown eyes. Mai crinkled her nose.
“Thank you, for protecting the forest yesterday,” Chiori said, forgetting yet again that she shouldn’t be thanking people until she knew them well enough to know who would consider her gratefulness an admission of a favor owed. He lowered his chin slightly, causing a slight distortion above his head. His antlers. Ichio had a full set of antlers in his human form and he was hiding them with a glamour.
“I didn’t do it for you. Please, sit. If you feel more comfortable keeping your companions close to you, I can have a second desk found. Otherwise they can take a seat in the back of the class,” he said leaving Chiori a bit disconcerted when he talked about Mai instead of to Mai. She looked at Mai who shrugged and gave a small smile, leaving the decision up to her. The cushions in the back were set up with a low table and looked comfortable.
“Mai can sit in the back,” Chiori answered. Her discomfort with having them everywhere with her was waning, their presence becoming enjoyable, but she wouldn’t become dependent on having them nearby.
“Good. I’ll expect no interruptions on her part, then,” Ichio answered and Chiori realized too late that he’d been giving her companions the ability to participate instead of watching quietly. She glanced at Mai again but the Swan was already seating herself in the back, a calm expression on her face. “Please be seated, Lady Chiori, and we’ll get started.”
Chiori sat in the desk, holding her long, sunset-orange summer dress to one side so she wouldn’t step on it. She sat straight and set her hands on the desk, an older, wooden version of the desks in Tallow’s school.
She felt a familiar tingling under her skin and looked up to find Ichio studying her, a wrinkle in his brow.
"What have you done since yesterday to increase your power so drastically?" he asked, bemused. Chiori blinked.
"Um..."
"It's like someone left the tap on," he said. Chiori heard Mai shift in her seat behind her.
"I- I don't know," she said.
"I'm sure your magic teacher can help you reign that in," he said.
"I'll be sure to ask him," Chiori said uncomfortably.
"See that you do, it's dangerous to walk around with that much power when you don't know how to contain it," Ichio said. "Now, let's get ourselves on topic, shall we?"
“History is a vast subject, with many races, each bearing their own important events and cultures, tragedies and celebrations. I was planning on starting with the history of the world itself, as far back as science and the written word can tell us of it anyway, because from what I am told you have a very incomplete and biased understanding of pretty much everything. That is not to say that what you learn here will not also be biased, but perhaps mixing the things you learn from both sides will give you a more complete picture,” Ichio said. Chiori appreciated his honesty.
“However, it has come to my attention that with your upbringing, you have no understanding of the traditions, culture and history of your own people; aside from the way they are being used. The humans have not done well by the witches and raising one such as yourself with so little understanding of your heritage is a travesty. We will do what we can to correct that, and I am sure your magic teacher will do his part as well. When you have a firm understanding, we will move on. Is this agreeable to you?”
“Yes, Sensei,” Chiori said.
“Very good. The folio in front of you is for your education outside of class. You
have a day free from classes tomorrow, I presume your other instructors have given their own assignments, however I expect you to find time to do some reading,” he said, turning away from her, his hands behind his back.
Chiori leaned forward and looked at the cover. It was worn leather, dark brown and ill-used, and it had no title. Ichio sat in a comfortable chair in front of the class, his fingers steepled under his chin.
“I think we’ll start with something a little closer to your heart before delving into your history. This will have happened more recently, and it’s a good segue into what your brethren are going through today. Then we will work our way back from there,” Ichio said.
“It was two hundred and seventeen years ago, when humanity and their idiotic wars almost destroyed our world. Many plant and animal species had already been driven to extinction by their self-importance, well before the radiation spread when that war went nuclear. Very few that were exposed to the radiation survived, and a great many of those that did were disfigured, their young mutated in grotesque ways,” Ichio said.
“So far I knew all of that, except for the part about animals going extinct before the wars. My teachers in the nest blamed extinction on the war. And the war itself was blamed on the demons,” Chiori said and Ichio nodded.
“Oh yes. They very nearly killed themselves with chemicals called pesticides and insecticides, took out the pollinator population, and with them a massive selection of bird and rodent species which naturally moved up the food chain. They hunted endangered species into extinction, for trophies. Others were systematically killed through destruction of habitat” Ichio took a drink of his water.
“In the years leading up to their war they’d elected a new president that destroyed the Amazon Rainforest, where Nakia is from. The forest we are in now was once called Superior National Forest, it was almost eradicated by deforestation by loggers, and copper and ore mining. They clear cut hundreds of thousands of acres, leaving nothing in their path."
"The oceans were dying long before those wars. Their militaries practiced sound testing in the water, killing anything in the way. They ran thousands of fish species into extinction through fishing and nuclear waste. Dolphins and whales, some more intelligent than any known species today, murdered. Rubbish patches the size of some countries floated in the ocean, it’s probably still out there today.”
“You will meet some here who no longer have wild cousins. Because of this, they are no longer able to reproduce. When the wild ones reach extinction, their demon counterparts eventually die off, too,” Ichio shook his head sadly.
“If they had not been eradicated by nuclear means, they were only a few short years from death, anyway. There was a powerful demon involved, but the war had already been waged for over fifty years when he joined the fray. Most were content to let them kill each other, there were over eight billion of them at the time."
"The humans claim one of their navigation systems went awry, the day a bomb was dropped on that demon. They begged in every form of their media for a peace agreement with him, but he wasn't stopping to read the paper or watch the news. Whatever happened, the war ended just short of two months later. He destroyed uncounted millions, decimated entire populations, it was wholesale slaughter.”
“His fur turned black, and when his blood rage ran its course he was captured and bound here by his elders, who are Gods, and stronger than he is. They punished him for doing what they should have done, many years earlier. It was cruelty, what they did to him.” Ichio took another drink of his water. Chiori’s eyes were wide, her heart hammering wildly.
“It was Lord Makkai. Wasn’t it?” she asked quietly.
“It was. His actions may seem drastic, but he saved the planet.” Ichio’s eyes were unfocused for a few seconds, remembering his past.
“That boy was already half dead when he fought Haruka for the right to claim the land they bound him to. Makkai introduced himself to me and has made every effort to heal these lands and keep it peaceful. It was a safe place for our kind, until the nests came, which is how we come back to our subject, witch History.” Ichio frowned at his student. She was pale, her fingers unsteady.
“Do you require a break?” he asked, drawing near and touching her forehead. Chiori swallowed and shook her head fervently.
“No, sensei. It’s just shocking to hear these things,” she said. Mai said nothing from the back of the room.
“Hmm. If you’re sure, we will continue. Some among the fae enjoyed toying with and terrorizing humankind, but only three races had any use for the remaining humans; the incubi, the vampires, and the witches,” Ichio said. Chiori leaned forward.
“The incubi find them the easiest to feed from; they’re very emotional creatures. The vampires are a branch of the human family tree, they’ve become their natural predators, needing them for survival.”
“Wait, vampires are humans?!” Chiori asked.
“All but one started their lives as human, yes. Their originator was brought forth from the ethereal realm by an ancient witch looking for a cure to entropy,” Ichio answered.
“What’s entropy?” Chiori asked.
“You’re curious for a young person. That’s a good thing. Entropy is the great winding down, it happens to everything and everyone, eventually. It is death,” Ichio answered. “Miss Mai, if you wouldn’t mind sending for some tea?”
“Yes, of course, was there anything in particular you would like?” Mai asked, coming to her feet.
“Orange and ginger with a touch of maple syrup and cinnamon. Enough for everyone, if you will. Make it a green tea, this one could use the energy,” Ichio said, indicating Chiori and taking yet another sip of his water.
“Now, the witches needed the humans for an entirely different reason, they do not feed off of life sources to survive. However, like the vampires, they’re also a part of the same family branch. Their branch is so close that even with the entire human genome mapped out, their top scientists have been unable to figure out which gene has split. Which means, as far as scientific advances are concerned, genetically speaking, the two races are identical.”
“We of the Earth know it is not a genetic split, but a line trait. All witches come from the Original Seven, long before written history and the rise of man. Few from those times still live, but those that are remember it well. Being that magic is a line trait, it stands to reason that it varies in strength. Those closer to the root line will have more power. Of course, they live longer lives, the stronger the witch the longer her life. Some will live a short, human lifespan, but I’ve known others to live a thousand years,” Ichio said. Chiori’s mouth dropped open.
“A thousand years,” she echoed. Ichio continued, unworried by her surprise. “Wait, you’ve met thousand-year-old witches?”
“I’ve outlived a fair few,” Ichio said, leveling those eyes at her. Chiori pressed her lips together. No more interrupting.
“There is also the trait that gives them away at right around your age, within a year or two, which is magic. The Original Seven were all aligned with an Elemental Spirit. They made a pact and took those spirits into themselves. Earth, air, fire and water are all obvious, but there is also metal, light and dark. Metal magic is also referred to as red moon magic, though that is an archaic use."
"Tragically, the elements have become unbalanced, and it is believed that the main branch of the metal line has been extinguished. Only the smaller branches remain, as no children of notability have emerged within the line for nearly a century.” Ichio took a moment to collect himself.
“Kept secret from the hunters is the fact that for every female child born, there are seven males,” Ichio said and Chiori’s brow furrowed.
“While every female has some level of power, only about half of the male population can use magic. For a time, those who could not use magic were cast out of the coven as unwanted chaff. All of them, however, can pass on the ability to use magic, even if they are incapable themselves.”
&nb
sp; “This caused a few things to happen. One, was mixing with humans. Magical offspring born from such a union were considered full witches, not half-breeds as their powers had the potential to be just as potent as a witch to witch pairing. Which caused some speculation that humanity has latent powers and are simply bloodlines of witches that have lost their way.”
“The other solution was a massive change in the primal magic, allowing the mating bond to be more prevalent among witches compared to other races. It is not uncommon for a female to have two or three mates, with the strongest among them calling more bonds. The most I have seen is four, all bonded to one woman."
"It’s intriguing to see how these families work together, compromise with each other. I spent many years among a coven, allowing me to learn of their ways. Their men will wait decades for a bond before choosing to settle with a human. Not bonding is a sorrowful experience and when they give up on that chance it is after a long grieving period.”
Chiori felt a bit sick. It was exactly as Yuuki had told her and she couldn’t help but wonder what that meant for her. Even if she were to bond with another, she could never accept anyone but Lord Makkai. She loved him too much.
“That is why they needed the humans. It is also why those in the North reside in nests. The vampires and some of the incubi struck a bargain and the humans were rounded up and placed in farms down south. Those the vampires raised live short, terribly traumatic lives. Those the incubus raise are treated a bit more like precious pets. They are well cared for and live much longer, but still have no freedom.” Ichio paused as Mai re-entered the room.
“I didn’t know that the incubus worked with the vampires,” Chiori said, taking advantage of the lull in her Sensei’s lesson.
“Yes,” he said, accepting his cup from Mai. “I suppose that would have been taken out of human history lessons. It’s easier to hate everything about what happens there than it is to have mixed feelings about it.”