Arcane Dropout 2

by Edmund Hughes

  “I’ll be heading home for a few days,” said Harper. “I already spoke with Mattis about it. The Order of Chaldea is reluctant to send another Arcane Striker to the school while one is already here, given how valuable of a resource we are. I’ll be helping Daryl with a few things at the prison while I recover.”

  “How long is a few days?”

  “Will you miss me?”

  She asked the question like an interrogator going for the neck, her tone sharp and accusatory. Lee had no idea how to respond, at least not until that small, reluctant, and teasing smile played across her lips.

  “Of course not,” he said. “I can start slacking off again in earnest now.”

  Harper let out a single exhale through her nose and shifted into a different stretch. The silence returned with a vengeance, and Lee could only handle a few seconds of it before it finally drew the question he’d come to ask out of him.

  “Harper,” he said. “What about Zoe?”

  She tensed visibly, taking another deep, meditative breath. “What about her? From what you told me of your encounter with her last night, she’s chosen her own path. Just as you’ve chosen yours, and I’ve chosen mine. It’s not for us to force her to do anything.”

  “I understand that, it’s just… I don’t think we should give up on her. Not yet.”

  Part of him wanted to tell her about the note, but it felt like pouring gasoline onto the coals of a dying fire. He’d seen the way Harper had reacted the previous night. The change in her was pronounced, and maybe it was also necessary. She seemed like she needed to move on. Was it fair for Lee to pull her back into his family drama? Was he being selfish, trying to feed her worst emotions to bring her and her copious magical talents on board with his plan?

  “I’m not giving up on her, Eldon,” said Harper. “The door will always be open. Your sister taught me a lot about who I am, and that might be part of why I feel the way I do. Closure is hard to come by. I may have to accept not getting any for this particular chapter of my life.”

  Lee let out a small chuckle, despite everything. “You can say that again. It used to be my job to give it to people. Closure with a capital fucking C.”

  “Oh?”

  “I… uh, worked at a funeral home for a while,” he said. “Part time.”

  “Is that so?” Harper pursed her lips, letting her stare sink into him. “Well, then I’m sure you can also make peace with how this all turned out.”

  “I hope so.”

  “If finding Zoe and achieving a happy ending was your only reason for coming to Primhaven, then you made a mistake by enrolling. With that said, perhaps it was a happy little mistake.”

  She was right on the mark, which made Lee feel naked in front of her, and not in the good way.

  “A happy little mistake,” he said. “Are we going to add some white onto the brush and turn it from a bird into a cloud?”

  “…What?”

  “Bob Ross? You know, the painter from TV? Tell me you know that’s one of his catch phrases.”

  Harper simply stared at him and shook her head. She stood up, as did Lee, and walked over to the bag she’d brought with her.

  “There is one other thing I wished to address before leaving,” she said. “Mattis searched Gabby’s body before having her bonded animals bring her out into the wilderness and bury her. She found this.”

  Harper handed Lee a small scrap of notebook paper. Three words had been written on it, stacked atop one another as though a part of a list. The bottom two were smudged beyond recognition, but the top one was still legible.

  “Ophelia?” he read. “Is this a name or something?”

  “I suspect it’s the name of one of the lamias she commanded. It could be useful to someone trained in monster summoning. I know you’ve been helping Instructor Escher in that field. Perhaps it might hold some value to her?”

  Lee’s hand went up to his neck on reflex as he remembered the odd mixture of emotions the lamia pile-on had stirred within him.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “I should get going. Take care of yourself, Eldon. I’ll be back in a few days.”

  She picked up her bag, nodded to him, and left.

  CHAPTER 40

  The afternoon had warmed up enough to make Primhaven’s campus feel comfortable, cozy, even. Lee took his time as he headed for the Seruna Center, doing his best to tame the tempest of his roiling thoughts.

  “You never told Harper about Zoe’s note, in the end,” said Tess. “Even though you had plenty of chances to bring it up.”

  “That’s true,” he said. “I didn’t want to burden her with it. She seems like she’s made her peace.”

  He pulled Tess into his mystic stream. She stepped in closer to him, letting her shoulder brush against his as they walked.

  “Is that the truth, Lee?” asked Tess. “Or is it more about how stubborn Harper would be if she came with you? She might not be willing to hear Zoe out, especially, maybe, because she suggested something about… you leaving the school. To go with her.”

  Lee could see where her line of thinking was taking her. He’d already been down that road dozens of times, though each circuit of it brought him back to where he’d started.

  “I’ve thought about that,” he said. “A little bit, at least.”

  “She seemed like she believed in what she was doing, Lee. She probably views the situation in the same way you do, except in reverse.”

  “I don’t want to leave Primhaven,” he said. “But… I will have to, eventually. I can’t become a mage, Tess. I physically cannot. Even with your help, they’ll catch on to the fact that I can only cast a few spells per day sooner or later.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault, you dork,” said Lee. “In fact, you’re a huge part of why this is so conflicting for me. If I leave, Tess, I was hoping you’d be able to… come with me.”

  Not just hoping. He’d been tearing himself apart over the possibility of his time at Primhaven coming to an end and having to leave her behind. There was a terrible, poetic justice to the ending in which he came searching for his sister, found someone else, and then left feeling more alone than he’d arrived.

  “I should be able to go with you,” said Tess. “Our pact is a little stronger now and constantly growing stronger. As long as you go slowly and stay within a few hundred miles of Primhaven, I should be okay.”

  “So Canada, then?” He smiled. “I think I can manage that.”

  “Then I’ll be by your side. I won’t leave you.”

  Her words hit him far harder than he’d been expecting them to. Lee kissed her and pulled her into a tight hug, heedless of any students or mages that might be watching on campus. Tess had a broad, dimpled smile on her face, but it faded slightly as she saw the look in his eyes.

  “You like it here,” said Tess.

  “Good food, good people, what’s not to like?” He shrugged. “Really good people. People I’m going to miss. But I’ll still have you.”

  She grinned at him and took hold of his hand, intertwining her fingers through his. Lee pulled her along with him, skipping slightly, much to her delight. Rather than letting himself continue to dwell on nebulous “what ifs,” he focused on a definable problem he still needed to solve.

  The mages from the Order of Chaldea who’d arrived to help secure the school and reassure the students were already hard at work. Lee saw four or five who were actively patrolling the inside of the college’s wall, along with a rotating group of three in heavy winter gear that presumably were guarding directly outside the gate.

  The lockdown was still in effect. He’d have as much luck making it into Gillum for the meeting with Zoe as he would making it to the moon if he merely asked for permission. Luckily, Lee was forming a plan.

  The true name of the lamia that Harper had given him felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket. He knew that Instructor Escher would be extremely interested in getting her hands on it. The
question was, what did she have that could help him in return? Her permission wouldn’t be enough to get him out through the gate, which meant he would need to get creative.

  Lee knocked on the door of Escher’s private office. He heard a small commotion of crashing metal and muttered swear words, and a minute later the door opened. She raised an eyebrow at him and frowned.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. “I appreciate you being so eager to assist in my research again, but the little stunt you forced me to participate in set us back a few days. I won’t be able to summon another monster girl until sometime later in the week.”

  “I need a favor,” said Lee.

  “I already did you a favor. You have no idea how far back it sets my work to introduce Widow—and especially Naka—into a violent environment again. I’ll be lucky if they don’t destroy my lab the next time I bring them through the portal.”

  “Look, all I need is a potion,” said Lee. “I didn’t come empty-handed. Can we sit down and talk about this?”

  Escher looked none too pleased, but she sighed and gestured for him to enter. She sat down at her desk and Lee took a seat across from her. He pulled the scrap of notebook paper out of his pocket and made a show of carefully inspecting it.

  “What do you know about lamias, Instructor?” he asked.

  Escher’s eyes instantly locked onto the paper in his hands, though he had it turned so she couldn’t read the name. She looked like a child eyeing a particularly desired sweet, and one of her hands fidgeted across the knuckles of the other.

  “I heard reports of the prisoner, may she rest in peace, summoning a group of them,” said Escher. “Of course, I can’t fathom you would bring that up now, so randomly. Might I see that scrap of paper?”

  She reached out for it. Lee set it down on her desk and covered it with his hand.

  “I need a sleeping potion,” he said. “The most potent one you have.”

  “After last night? You’re insane if you think I’d let any of my stock out of sight.”

  “Really?” Lee gave an exaggerated pout, followed by a sigh. “Well, I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll show myself out.”

  He slid the piece of paper back into his hand, stood up, and headed for the door.

  “Hold on!” Escher’s legs thumped against her desk in her haste to rise to her feet. “Maybe if you, uh, explained the purpose you needed it for, and we came to some simple terms. I’m sure you understand how cautious I must be in relation to the release and usage of my supplies.”

  “It’s better if I don’t tell you what I need it for,” said Lee. “It’s nothing nefarious, but what you don’t know can’t hurt you. You wouldn’t be giving the potion, either. You’d just be leaving it out and misplacing it.”

  “Yes, of course,” said Escher. “Just a small mistake on my behalf. Everyone makes mistakes. May I see that paper now?”

  “Oh, this?” Lee held it up, pretending to read it again. “It has the true name of one of the prisoner’s lamias written on it. The names of all three of them, actually, though two are illegible.”

  Escher clutched a hand to her breast and let out a moan of longing. “I’ll leave out several potions! As many as you need. Whatever you want! Please, Initiate Amaranth! This would be so valuable for my research.”

  Lee chuckled. “Just the sleeping potion, for now. Along with an open favor, in case I need anything later.”

  “Done!”

  They shook on it, and Lee gave her the lamia’s true name. Escher immediately began mouthing the syllables and pacing back and forth behind her desk.

  “The sleeping potion?” asked Lee.

  “Oh. Right.” She took a random vial off the shelf behind her and tossed it to him. “A teaspoon should render a grown man unconscious. Two teaspoons will induce vomiting. Protective measure to keep the stuff from being as dangerous as it would otherwise be. Mind your dosage.”

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “I’m eager to put this true name to the test,” said Escher. “How does, say, this Friday work for your schedule? I’ll still need your help in regard to keeping my summoned monsters engaged.”

  “If I’m around, I don’t see why not.”

  “Where else would you be?”

  Lee shrugged. Where else, indeed?

  CHAPTER 41

  It was late in the afternoon when Lee made his way back out on campus. Zoe’s note hadn’t specified an exact time for them to meet, so he figured he’d drop by the dining hall first to make sure that regardless of what happened, it would be on a full stomach.

  He was pleased and surprised to find that Toma, Eliza, and Jenna were already there, sitting at a table of their own. Lee loaded up a plate with the evening’s offering: surf and turf with steak and chili lime shrimp, along with salad with a light poppy-seed dressing.

  “There you are,” said Toma. “You all but disappeared after Mattis’s illusion primer. Which was strange, given how bad you are at casting veils.”

  “Pot calling the kettle visible,” said Lee with a grin. “I had some errands to run.”

  “There’s fun on the horizon tonight,” said Toma. “Jen-Jen, would you like to explain?”

  “Uh… Jen-Jen?” asked Lee.

  Toma grinned and batted his eyelashes at Jenna, who leaned in close and planted a kiss on his cheek.

  “It’s just a little nickname that To-To likes to call me,” said Jenna.

  “Is that right?” Lee suppressed a grin. “To-To and Jen-Jen.”

  “It makes me feel like throwing up,” whispered Eliza.

  “Hey!” said Jenna. “I heard that.”

  “I meant for you to,” said Eliza.

  “They’re clearly just jealous,” said Toma. “Anyway, shnookums, would you care to explain, since you’re helping organize it?”

  “Sure!” Jenna grinned at Lee from over Toma’s shoulder. “Me and some of the other female initiates felt like it was a major bummer that the Equinox Ball ended up, um, the way that it did. So we figured it would help cheer people up and get their mind off the situation if we hosted a little party tonight!”

  “A secret party on campus, at the girls’ dormitories,” said Toma. “Is that the best idea you’ve ever heard or what? We planned on heading over to help set up as soon as we finished eating.”

  “Are the instructors alright with it?” asked Lee.

  “Don’t be a square, Lee,” said Toma. “We haven’t run it by them, but we’re assuming there’ll be at least a bit of leeway, given how somber the mood was this morning. They’d be cracked to not let us have a little fun after what we’ve been through.”

  Toma and Eliza stared at him expectantly. Lee furrowed his brow and shook his head.

  “Tonight isn’t the best night for me,” he said. “I figured I’d just turn in early.”

  “You can’t be serious,” said Toma. “Eliza, tell him.”

  “You’re on board with this, too?” asked Lee. “Aren’t you typically more concerned with following the rules and avoiding the instructors’ ire?”

  “If last night taught me anything, it’s that we need to spend more time living in the moment.” Eliza slid a little closer to him, smiling shyly. “Do you know what I mean by that?”

  “Of course I do. I just…”

  Lee felt a hand settle on his knee, and then slowly slide further up along his thigh. He blinked in surprise, suddenly seeing Eliza’s smile in a new light.

  “Listen to her, Lee,” said Toma. “This is going to be so much fun.”

  “We were completely blindsided by what happened last night,” said Eliza. “I took it as a sign. We should be more honest about what we want, and how we go after it.”

  Eliza’s hand slid further up his leg. Lee had to keep his reaction in check as he felt her begin to trace a finger around the edge of his cock through his jeans.

  “We can’t just stand around and let things happen to us,” said Eliza. “We have to take a firm grasp on our destinies and enj
oy every second for all it’s worth.”

  Her hand caressed even more insistently. Lee stared at her, surprised by how good her poker face was. She’d already gotten him hard, and the public nature of the situation made her touch that much more exciting.

  “Uh, is this really the time for that sort of attitude?” he asked. “Not that I don’t appreciate the sentiment, if you catch my meaning?”

  “Why not right now?” asked Eliza. “Isn’t it a long time coming?”

  She stroked faster, like a carpenter polishing varnish onto a bed knob. Lee tried to keep from letting the pleasure show on his face, but knew he was doing an abysmal job of it.

  “Lee?” asked Jenna. “Is something wrong?”

  “Yeah, you’re acting kind of weird,” said Eliza.

  “I’m acting weird?” He blinked. “You’re the one…”

  He trailed off as a small, mischievous giggle came from underneath the table. A quick glance confirmed it, and he realized he still had his mystic stream extended from earlier, with Tess, the real culprit, embodied within it. He ran a hand over his face and shook his head.

  “I’m fine,” he said. “Just tired.”

  “Not so tired that you’ll skip out on this party, right?” asked Toma.

  The hopeful faces of his friends were too much for him to withstand. Lee nodded, even though he knew he was making a commitment that he would never keep.

  “Sure,” he said. “I’ll be there.”

  ***

  Lee headed back to his dorm room with Toma once he’d finished eating. He was in an introspective mood, made worse by the nagging thought that he might be in the middle of his last encounter with someone who’d come to be one of his best friends.

  “Hey, you want to use some of my body spray?” asked Toma. “It might help you with Eliza tonight.”

  He tossed a garishly decorated can of deodorant to Lee, who ran a finger over the marketing slogan printed in a generic, extreme font.