Midnight's Blossom

by Corinn Heathers

  “Tell me about it.”

  “I'm going to cast a spell to discern the severity of the fracture. Hold still.”

  I could sense the working of magic in the room. Aether flowed from the ley lines imbued into the Academy grounds and into the healer, whereupon they were converted into water mana with scarcely any delay. The surge of magic felt like gentle waves lapping the beach as it washed over my body, but it was neither cold nor warm, nor did it leave my skin feeling damp afterward.

  The healer clucked her tongue in disapproval. “You've got a cracked vertebra.”

  “No wonder it hurts so much.”

  “Hold still and I'll repair it. This will hurt.”

  “It already hurts.”

  The healer let out a sharp laugh, almost a cackle, and I turned my head slightly to see a bemused smirk on her face. “It's going to hurt a lot more, but just for a moment. Then it'll feel better, and you should be able to walk without trouble.”

  “What about the bruising?”

  “That, too.”

  I sighed and turned to lay my head back upon the exam bed. Magic blossomed from within the healer again, but this time it was a torrent rather than a trickle. As she'd warned me, the pain in my lower back intensified threefold and I gasped, gritting my teeth, trying not to cry out—

  And then, as quickly as it intensified, it was gone. I could feel no pain at all, not even any lingering soreness.

  “There. All done. How does it feel?”

  “Good. Better than good, actually.” I levered myself into a sitting position and slipped off the exam bed, experimentally letting my weight fall on my legs and feet. There was no pain at all. “Like it never even happened.”

  The healer grinned. “You're welcome.”

  I gazed at the girl for a long moment. Something about her magic was… familiar. Apparently my thoughts were plain upon my face, because she laughed again and reached up to touch the glimmering blue stone set in her forehead.

  “Reminds you of someone, doesn't it?”

  I nodded. “Your magic feels much like my mother's.”

  “That would make sense. My maternal grandmother was a daughter of Alcyone, before she married my grandfather. The Alcyone line has always produced strong water Aspects.” There was a troubled look on the healer's face and she paused for a long moment. “That strength of magic was our families' saving graces, after the… the—” The healer broke off, refusing to meet my eyes.

  “Don't worry about offending me,” I cut in, keeping my voice as apathetic as I could. “I've heard it all my life.”

  “Sorry.”

  “You don't have to apologize, Lady…?”

  “Oria Aldebaran.”

  I dressed myself quickly, leaning against the edge of the exam bed without any discomfort whatsoever. “I'm more surprised that you're not blaming me personally for all the misfortunes of House Alcyone and its allies.”

  “I would never.” Oria shook her head. “It's not your fault, no matter what others may claim.” She paused self-consciously and added, “Though perhaps the words of a former commoner family don’t hold much weight.”

  I didn't respond to that, instead sliding my boots back on and lacing them up tight before I stood and sketched an apprentice's bow to the healer. She offered a sad little smile and waved goodbye as I left the infirmary.

  *

  By the time I reached my quarters, it was already a half an hour into the next class. I'd been given permission to miss it due to my injury, so that I would have enough time to eat the midday meal. I opened the door using the key I'd been provided—though I was certain Rose would have given me a copy of her passward if I asked—and I was greeted with a tray containing my lunch. It was still steaming, which would have made no sense as quite a bit of time had passed, if not for the fact that Rose was the one who brought it here for me.

  I was alone in the room, but I could feel Rose's presence in the air as if she were standing right next to me. The warmth of her magic kept the food piping-hot and delicious, and the small traces of her enveloped me.

  I sat down at the desk and began to eat. Apparently my arrival had been set as the trigger condition to cancel the spell, and the magical heat faded away. I knew she'd done this so that I wouldn't burn my mouth while eating, but still, I felt disappointed that the departing magic took with it the warmth of Rose's phantom presence.

  Like most everything provided by the Academy, the food was of excellent quality. I relished the grilled meats stacked upon my plate and wondered. Rose sought out significant sources of animal protein when choosing my meal for me, and I felt that warmth return to my chest. She was so thoughtful in these little ways. I hadn't even told her I preferred such foods; she knew already because we typically took our meals together.

  Though I knew little of my fey forebears, I did know that the miinari were more carnivorous than omnivorous. All was built on rumor and myth, heavily slanted by the Empire’s religious opposition to the children of the land. My childhood had been rife with the whispered tales of the “dark fairies” dominating the souls of hapless humans and eating them, flesh and magic alike.

  Those stories seemed silly to me. I'd certainly never looked upon another person with any desire to eat them. At least, not literally. My thoughts promptly drifted in a direction that was not fit for polite company, and I did my very best not to continue down that line of contemplation.

  By the time I'd finished eating, it was already almost time for my last class of the day. I pushed the chair back from the desk and stood up. The tray and the empty dishes upon them vanished with a soft pop of displaced air, returning to the kitchens on their own. I retrieved my satchel containing my textbooks and notes and slung it over my shoulder as I walked out the door, shutting and locking it behind me.

  The hallways of the dormitory were still empty, and would remain so for another few hours. I encountered no other students until I made my way back to the main campus. Even there, only a handful of Solarians were walking from class to class, most of them wearing silken sashes that marked them as teaching aides.

  Of course, class was technically still in session, even though my absence had been excused by Master Vayna's aide. I walked alone and in silence up the stairs that would take me to my next class, which was perhaps my favorite class. I was thankful that my injury hadn't been serious enough to cause me to miss it.

  My last class of the day, which I also shared with Rose, was a course on practical arcane engineering. It was an important subject for all Solarian mages to understand, we'd been told, because the world was in the midst of an industrial revolution. If the new generation of mages were to keep up with the pace of progress, we would need to understand technology and the places where it and magic could intersect.

  The door to the classroom opened as the academy bells tolled. I walked through and picked my usual spot near the front of the class. It was only a few moments before other students began to file in. I didn't bother saving Rose a spot next to me, because none of the other students would come that close.

  After about half the class filed in, I caught sight of Rose. She smiled as our eyes met and she pushed her way through the crush of students before plopping down next to me.

  “Thanks for fetching my meal,” I said.

  “Did you like what I picked?”

  “It was delicious, thank you. And thank you for keeping it warm for me.”

  “Of course.”

  The last stragglers came into the room, followed by the instructor. Of all the masters at the Academy, the arcane engineering instructor was the only one who did not go by the title of “Master,” instead preferring to be addressed by her first name without title. I suspected this had to do with a lifetime of being referred to by rank and House name, for she was a veteran of the Forge War who had fought on the front lines.

  She was also one of my harshest critics, which tended to put a damper on my enjoyment of the class material. I did my best not to let it get to me. Mos
t Solarians could scarcely hide their distaste whenever I was present, anyway, so it was hardly different.

  “We'll be continuing with the weekly project,” she called out from the lectern. “The first-year students will present their results when class reconvenes next week. This is your last day to work on the generators in class, so make good use of the resources available to you.”

  I stood up. “Miss Ria?”

  “Yes, Alcyone?”

  “Rose and I have completed our generator.”

  The instructor's expression didn't change. “Does it work?”

  “Perfectly,” I replied in a confident tone. I had reason to be; Rose and I checked the generator over and over, running a dozen tests to ensure the purified aetherium crystal's mana was converting properly into ordinary electric current.

  “You've tested it thoroughly?” The woman's eyes were entirely focused on Rose. I was ignored, as usual. Rose moved closer to me, fixing Ria with a challenging glare.

  “Yeah. It works,” she bit out. “We checked everything, and it's producing the required power output. Lily just told you that.”

  Ria crossed long arms over her chest as she regarded Rose. “Exactly what I would expect of someone like you, Merope.” Her gaze fell upon me and I could almost detect the faintest hint of a sneer in her expression. “Your arrogance is unbecoming, Alcyone. Remember where you are and what you are. It was your people who plagued the earth with the breadth of their hubris. I won't tolerate that attitude in my class.”

  I let the insult pass without even acknowledging it. Ria—and many, many others at the Academy, students and masters alike—never missed a chance to needle me concerning the miinari's indirect role in causing the Forge War. I was so used to it by this point that I barely even parsed the words themselves.

  Rose, however, didn't, and I realized this too late.

  “You can't blame Lily for what her ancestors did before she was even born. It's not like she chose who her parents were.”

  “That is quite enough, Merope,” Ria snapped. “I will not be corrected by a child who has never served their country on the battlefield.”

  “Seven Holy Stars, did you forget that I'm from Fialla?” Rose's hands trembled as she clenched them into fists tightly enough to whiten her knuckles. “Or did you just choose not to acknowledge the fact that my homeland was nearly wiped out in that gods-forsaken war?”

  Ria's scowl deepened even further. “Not another word, Merope, unless you wish to have another mark placed upon your disciplinary record. You aren't immune to punishment, no matter what protests your Ministry of State may offer.”

  Rose opened her mouth to argue further, but I placed a hand on her shoulder. The physical contact attuned our emotions even more closely and I could feel the rage seething within her. She glanced at me from the corner of her eyes and I shook my head vigorously. With a sigh of defeat, Rose collapsed back into her seat.

  “Alcyone, Merope, you will present your experiment with the rest of the first-year students next week,” Ria continued, changing the subject. “I suggest you take this time today to prepare your presentation.”

  Obviously it wasn't a suggestion, but an order. I pulled a thick sheaf of notes from my satchel and managed a smile for Rose. I was quite eager to leave the drama behind and focus my attention on something that actually mattered to me.

  She didn't smile back.

  Chapter 6

  Entwined

  “I'm sorry, Lily.”

  I blinked. “Why?”

  “I shouldn't have gotten all worked up like that in Ria's class,” she explained. “She was baiting me and I bit down, hook and all.” Rose made a frustrated noise and looked toward the rain-lashed window overlooking the campus.

  The two of us were alone in our quarters. Erika Corvus was gone, as usual—for someone who was assigned to mentor us, she certainly didn't spend much time mentoring us. The rain had started again, cutting our practice time short. We'd spent as much of the afternoon as we could on the dueling field, sparring together until we were soaked to the skin. Rose liked to teach me Fiallan martial arts, though the techniques seemed to be of questionable use to someone so small. Still, she didn't give up, and we worked out ways to augment my offensive magic with martial techniques.

  “Don't worry about it,” I said as I ran my fingertips across the flat of the dagger's blade. The edge itself didn't actually dull, for the magic infused into the weapon kept it preternaturally sharp. It needed far less care than a mundane dagger, but I was still quite meticulous in making sure it was kept clean and well-oiled.

  “You're really good with the blade,” Rose complimented, awkwardly changing the subject. “Have you ever considered training with a sword? You're already small with short arms—the extra reach would help offset some of your size disadvantage in a fight.”

  “I've never held a sword in my life,” I admitted. “I wouldn't know where to begin.”

  “Sure you would. You've already trained with the short blade.”

  “For starters, I don't have a sword.”

  Rose's grin appeared yet again. This worried me.

  “We've no more classes for the next two days,” she noted. “We could… head into town, maybe get something to eat and stop by a swordsmith's shop. If you see anything you like, I'll buy it for you.”

  My jaw dropped open in surprise. “But that would be so expensive! I couldn't possibly accept such a lavish gift—”

  “I told you, my family is absurdly wealthy. Coin is one of the few things I have an abundance of, and I can think of far worse ways to squander it than spending it on you.” White lashes batted just slightly and something shifted in Rose's expression. Was the look she put upon me as avid and flirtatious as I thought? Rose was nearly as skilled at bringing a blush to my cheeks as she was at conjuring fire.

  “I… thank you,” I managed after collecting my wits. “If you insist.”

  “I do insist,” Rose said, and winked at me.

  Warmth spread through my face. “Okay.”

  “It's a date, then.”

  My fingers stopped tracing down the spine of the knife. I took the weapon with trembling hands and set it aside on the bed, before I dropped it on my legs and wound up in the infirmary yet again. The rain continued to pour down from the storm outside, and a gust of wind would occasionally blow a few icy droplets into the room. A shiver ran through my shoulders and back, but the blustery weather was not to blame. The air felt strangely alive, and though that could have been explained by the charged nature of the air in the midst of the storm, I knew better.

  “Are you cold? We can close the window.”

  I shook my head. “N-no, I'm not cold.”

  Rose was already up, though. She extended her long arms over her head and pushed up on the window, sliding it back into place. The intensity of the storm's cacophonous song was abruptly halved, and the air in the room was still. Rose got down off the chair at the desk and sat down on the edge of my bed next to me. I shivered again as she took my hands in hers. Rose’s skin was almost hot to the touch.

  “You are cold,” Rose observed in a curious tone.

  “Y-yeah. A little.”

  Before I knew what was happening, I was drawn up into her arms. Her body was warm, and I could feel the heat of her body and magic together, burning pure and steady. She smelled and felt so good, and I couldn't move at all from the weakness that radiated out from my spine throughout my entire being. A hollow ache filled my chest as I looked up at her.

  “Rose…”

  Our faces were less than a centimeter apart. Rose took my chin between her thumb and forefinger and tilted my head upward. Her breath was hot on my cheeks and nose, and I noticed her dark, freckled cheeks were stained faintly pink. There was a longing, almost pleading sort of look in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.

  “It's okay if I…?”

  “Y-yeah. It's okay.”

  Her lips pressed against mine. A rush of life and warmth and
joy filled me the instant we made contact. My eyes closed of their own accord, and I felt myself become pliant in Rose's arms. Her kiss was gentle, tentative, almost experimental. I had no idea how long it went on, but when Rose drew away, that deep longing began to consume me from the inside out, and I looked up at her pleadingly. Unable to put my scrambled thoughts and runaway emotions into words, I was only able to manage something like a plaintive squeak.

  “Was that good?” Rose asked, almost too quietly to hear.

  I nodded emphatically. She kissed me again, this time with much more urgency. I couldn't hold my eyes open and I moaned involuntarily. I felt the fingers of Rose's left hand intertwine with my right. This time, she didn't break the kiss, but instead let her free hand rest upon my thigh. Her fingertips felt like fire that burned but didn't hurt.

  Warm, velvety softness brushed past my mouth and I opened my eyes to Rose drawing back, her tongue tracing along my lips. Her hand slid along my inner thigh, slowly moving up the skirt of my uniform. Our gazes met and I found that I couldn't turn away from the avid, hungry look in Rose’s beautiful brown eyes.

  “Do you want me to keep going?”

  “P-please.” My voice was plaintive. “Don't stop.”

  Rose smiled, but not her challenging grin or her impish smirk. This smile was something I hadn’t seen on her before, softer and more genuine. She started to rub softly against the softest parts of my thighs, between my legs, and let her fingertips drift further and further up my skirt—

  The door latch clicked and it swung open.

  “Oh, gods,” Erika Corvus blurted from the threshold. “I'm—I'm sorry, I didn't know—”

  Rose had withdrawn her hand at this point, but it was rather obvious what we were on the verge of doing. Not to mention the both of us were beet-red and my skirt was still pushed up around my hips, revealing far more of my lower half than I wished the senior student to see.

  “I'm—it's just—I mean, we were just—” My brain went into lock, and when I tried to continue speaking, I couldn't. Rose, for once, also seemed to be completely speechless. This sort of behavior wasn't permissible between students at the Academy even when they were between a young lord and lady… and our senior mentor just walked in on the two of us only moments before we… before we—