by Rosie Scott
“Ya need any help?”
The voice boomed out from the right. A human of bulky stature but with an aura of friendliness took a few steps forward from a building beside the training yard. It surprised me that he was human, for it sounded like he'd picked up a slight accent and certain dialect from the dwarves. His prestigious armor gave away the fact that he was of some importance here. Warm hazel eyes peered at me underneath copper-red hair that shone with grease from a long day of physical labor. Chaotic facial hair grew from his face to his upper neck like he never found the time to tame it.
“I, uh...” I trailed off. A flash of red pulled my attention behind him. Standing against the wooden pillar of an overhang was a svelte human girl my age. The brightest red hair I'd ever seen flowed wildly over her shoulders and to her mid-back, shimmering in shades of orange and gold in the direct sunlight like the flames of fire. Piercing metallic gold eyes met mine from between high cheekbones and a sharp brow bone. She said nothing, but she didn't have to. The strong bone structure of her face and her confident stance reeked of self-assurance and intelligence, and I felt dumbfounded by the sudden rush of nerves and attraction that rolled through me.
Dear gods. I understood it, now. The glances of desire and attraction my parents shared. I suddenly understood what that was like.
“Magic,” I blurted, the word a hiccup on my rough voice.
The friendly man burst into laughter, and the girl behind him looked away to hide an amused smile. “Yep, we got that here! I can tell you're nervous, so follow me.” He nodded back toward the girl at the forge. “I'll be back in a minute, Kai.”
“I'm not going anywhere,” she called back teasingly, her voice robust with an edge of huskiness.
Kai. A shiver rolled down my spine at her unique voice. Everything—everything about her was unique. Even those golden eyes. I'd never seen such metallic—
“The university is huge,” the man leading me interrupted my thoughts, waving a big hand toward the sprawling building. “The good thing is that it also serves as Sera's castle, so ya won't have to get acquainted with all of it. It'll all come in time. I'm Bjorn, by the way.” He smiled warmly at me just before leading me into the shadow that fell before two gigantic doors.
“Are you a mage?” I asked.
Bjorn chuckled. “Nah. Never learned any magic. Never cared to. I lead armies with a sword and shield, friend. Getting a lil' old for it so sometimes I creak when I shouldn't, but it happens to the best of us.” He grabbed the large carved handle of the door and grunted as he pulled it open.
The entrance hall of the Seran University of Magic was gigantic and open, spanning over five-stories with polished wooden floors that reflected movement and inhabitants, mirroring everything so it seemed even larger. Stone walls and wooden furniture lit in an orange glow from the firelight of chandeliers and perched candelabras. The hall also seemed to serve as a gathering room, for benches around its walls were filled to the brim with people of all races, including darker-complected humans who wore clothing meant for the harsh deserts of Nahara to the south. Many appeared sick and impatient. Perhaps they were here to apply for healthcare from Sera's mages and had waited for a while.
“Sirius!” Bjorn called. I recognized the name of the headmaster and regent and stood up straighter to give a good first impression. A man hurrying down the left hallway skidded to a stop and glanced back at Bjorn with annoyance. When he said nothing, Bjorn added, “New student here.”
Sirius was silent for the moment. Compared to Bjorn, Sera's regent seemed puny and weak. Sirius had a head of dark hair that thinned over his cranium, and wrinkles marred his face from overusing the muscles needed to scowl. Cold gray eyes overlooked me as Bjorn led me over to him. Despite his appearance, I couldn't help but feel intimidated with each step I took to him.
I held out a hand as we neared, prepared to introduce myself despite the pounding of my heart.
“Why would you bother me with this?” Sirius demanded, his voice barely over a hiss. He ignored my outstretched hand, so I pulled it back.
“I apologize. I don't normally bring in students, but he looked lost,” Bjorn defended himself.
“So why start today?” Sirius retorted. “Every year, the new students somehow make it to the right places without your help. No need to start now and make my day harder than it has to be.”
Bjorn said nothing, but a thick exhale blew through his nostrils in a whistle.
Sirius glanced at me. “I assume you've already paid your tuition.”
“No, I have it with me,” I replied, digging through my most protected satchel for the coin purse.
“He needs to go see Regina to pay his tuition,” Sirius told Bjorn as I dug through my satchel. “What's the date today?”
“The 87th of High Star,” Bjorn replied.
“Then make sure he pays his tuition and the costs of three days of additional boarding.” Sirius glanced at the coin purse I brought out and finished with irritation, “He's three days early. Boarding costs are only covered starting on the 1st of Red Moon.”
Sirius turned without another word and stalked down the hallway, a royal green cloak fanning out behind him as he went. A sick feeling twisted my gut. I'd already ruined my chances of making a good impression on the headmaster here, but I had no idea how I could have handled it better.
“Where is Regina?” I asked, clutching my coin purse close to my chest.
“I'll take ya to her,” Bjorn replied, his offer friendly despite the irritation that lined his voice. When he turned to lead me through the entrance hall to the right hallway, I rushed to grab my second coin purse.
“Do you know how much three days of boarding costs?” I asked, hoping to the gods I had enough.
Bjorn cursed under his breath before he said, “I have no idea, but it doesn't matter. It doesn't cost this school anything for you having the decency to come here on time. The dormitories are already prepared. You won't have to pay an extra coin.”
I pondered his words a moment. “If Regina asks, should I—”
“She won't,” Bjorn assured me. “Allow me to be the first to apologize for Sirius's cold greeting, my boy. He ain't easy to get along with. The rest of us work together to put up with him. That man could roll around naked in all the coin he makes. He won't miss three days of boarding.” He huffed dryly as if still angry at the earlier confrontation.
I tried to make myself feel better by imagining that Bjorn's words of Sirius were literal. I smirked at the idea of the regent having an odd and intimate fascination with gold before I put the second coin purse safely back in my satchel.
“I didn't miss that smirk, boy,” Bjorn commented with a smile. “Whenever Sirius is particularly moody I like to think of such ridiculous things to humiliate 'im in my head. Makes me feel better.” He patted me on the back as if to encourage me past Sirius's harsh greeting. “Welcome to Sera.”
Three
23rd of New Moon, 410
Mother/Father:
Almost three years has passed, and yet little has changed. The university claims to have two years of pre-magic training, but we have yet to learn our elements this far in our third year. It's coming up, so they tell us. In a fortnight, we'll have our final class of the year where our predispositions to the elements are tested. Only then will we know how much the next years of schooling will cost us, right when we're in the middle of our second term. How convenient for them.
Forgive me if I sound bitter. It is hard being in Sera. The kids here are awful with few exceptions. They make fun of me for both my quietude and my appearance. The most common rumor is that I'm sick and on my deathbed because they claim I'm as pale as a corpse. I let them think this. Out of six elements, Sera only refuses to acknowledge death. This absurd overblown fear of necromancy will hopefully make my “corpse-like” appearance more intimidating. It works sometimes. Some kids have this irrational fear of me because I look intimidating and do not speak. People fear what they don't understa
nd.
The one bright light through all the darkness is that same girl I've written about before: Kai. I have seen her around several times, but usually at a distance. I think she might work at the forge outside because she is often out there with Bjorn if I pass to go to the inner city. Or maybe she's his daughter. Regardless, my hope that she trains as a mage here doesn't seem to be the case because she is in none of my classes. I find her interesting and beautiful and want to learn more about her, but we are never in the same place long enough to speak. The most we've ever said to each other is “hello” and once she directed me to the library when I wandered around lost. I spend most of my time there now. Partly because I have no friends and read instead, and partly because Kai's immediate knowledge of its location makes me hope I'll run across her there.
I hope father enjoys these rambles about Kai I'm saving up in these letters because losing my mind over a girl I barely know just makes me feel pathetic. Is this what it was like with you two?
I hope all is well and peaceful in Thornwell. I will send this next packet of letters with a messenger later this year, I promise. I like to wait until Red Moon since all the hot weather festivities and chaos is over then and the prices of messengers go down.
Love,
Cerin
I folded up the letter and added it to the pile I'd saved up on my desk. Standing from my chair, I grabbed the aluminum key to my dorm door and hurried through the tiny room to leave, locking it behind me. Other students only treated me with disdain, so I didn't put it past them to break in and steal my things.
The university hallways were thick with stuffy heat even though most windows were open to let them air out. Nonetheless, I pulled the hood of my black shirt over my head, hiding most of my face in shadow. The shirt was one of the few things I'd bought for myself using the spending money my parents gave me. I'd once scoffed at my mother's suggestion to hide my appearance, but I found safety and peace in slipping by my tormentors unnoticed.
I was taller than most students here. My final growth spurt the year before stretched me to an even six feet, probably due to my half-elven blood. Had I been full-blooded Icilic, my height alone could have called attention to me in such a crowd. Thankfully, some humans reached this height as well, and I had no expectation of growing more. My father's human blood was a benefit to my secrecy in more ways than one.
A group of students loitered in the intersection of hallways up ahead, led by a particularly loathsome bully named Kenady Urien. Kenady was in some of my classes, and no matter how successful I was at keeping quiet and alone, he always called attention to me just to humiliate me in front of others. Kenady was loud, obnoxious, and boasted frequently; everyone had heard repeatedly that his parents were rich, for his mother was a healer and his father a prestigious trader. At our impressionable age few peers found this distasteful and instead befriended Kenady for a chance to visit his family's expensive mansion in the upper tier of Sera. Kenady figured out I was poor by virtue of my worn clothing and lack of name recognition in Sera, and he often used this wealth difference between us as a reason to torment me. He'd barraged me with questions asking how long I had left at the university before I'd leave due to a lack of funds, and once he'd even humiliated me by suggesting I exchanged degrading sexual favors for admission. I'd never said a word to the bastard. The last thing I needed was to be reprimanded for lashing back at a student whose parents likely had connections with university higher-ups.
As I approached the intersection where Kenady and his friends chatted and joked, I kept my face angled down in my hood's shadow in an effort to pass them without incident. It wasn't meant to be; Kenady glanced up as I neared. Though the hood hid my face, my clunky buckled black boots announced my arrival like a harsh song of clonking materials and jingling gear.
“Agh!” Kenady screeched, feigning terror and rushing away with his hands on the sides of his face. “The university is haunted!” His friends burst into laughter at the scene as he scrambled around the intersection, calling everyone's attention to me. “There are ghosts! Ghosts!” Kenady stopped his nonsense and grinned cruelly. “Oh, wait. It's just destitute Cerin.” He pointed off to the center of the university. “The graveyard is just out that door and down the street if you're trying to get home.”
As the others snickered, a booming female voice demanded the attention of all. “The prestigious Seran University of Magic sure has gone downhill in recent years.” I glanced over to see a fiery mane of hair that framed metallic gold eyes. My heart skipped a beat as I realized it was Kai, and the air grew thick and energetic as she came to stand beside me. She glared at the still-laughing kids and crossed her arms over her chest. “They're letting in riffraff now.”
Kenady retorted, “Oh, fuck you, snooty bitch. Don't stick your nose into places it doesn't belong.”
“Based on your conduct, I think you are the one who doesn't belong here,” Kai replied evenly. “How unfortunate. Your parents can afford to give you a good education, but their gold can't buy you brains, can it?”
Kenady's nostrils flared as he prepared a retort, but he thought twice and backed up a step in retreat. He glared at me for a moment before motioning to his friends. “Come on. Nothing interesting to look at here.”
I watched them walk away with a mixture of pride and intrigue. Kai's mere presence was intimidating, but I'd always thought it was because of my attraction to her. Her courage demanded attention and respect from even the worst tormentors.
“Cerin.” A pleasurable shiver traveled down my spine as I heard my name on her husky voice. Kai's unyielding golden eyes were already on mine when I dared to look. She smiled warmly at me from her shorter stature and reached out her right hand as if we were two professionals. “Now I know your name after almost three years of wondering.”
My heart picked up its pace as I took her hand for a quick shake. Even holding her hand for a moment was enough to fry my brain.
“I'm Kai,” she offered when I said nothing.
“I know,” I replied, internally grimacing at the awkward response.
Intelligent golden eyes flicked down the hallway and back to me. “Why do you let them treat you like that?”
I hesitated, caught off-guard by the blunt question. “If I argued with them every time they insulted me, I'd have no energy left for learning.”
One red eyebrow raised as if my response impressed her. “So this happens often.”
“All day, everyday,” I replied. Working up the courage to say more, I added, “You saw the way Kenady acted. I needn't say a thing for him to prove he's an idiot.”
Kai chuckled, and the uninhibited cheerfulness of it nearly washed all my nerves away. I felt overly proud of myself for making her laugh. “Kenady is one of those kids who needs a family name to hide behind,” she said with sympathy. “If he weren't rich, no one would like him. It's a wonder his mother didn't glimpse that ugly face sliding out of the womb and push him right back in.” I couldn't help but laugh low at her jest, and Kai seemed happily surprised to have amused me. “Anyway, I admire your patience,” she went on, “but I certainly don't share it. If I were expected to grin and bear it every time I was insulted or wronged I'd explode in a million pieces.”
“That would make quite the mess in these well-decorated hallways,” I jested dryly.
Kai laughed again. “Then I'll hold off on it. I like your dark wit.”
My mind grasped onto that compliment to remember it forever. “Thank you.”
“We have the same class together soon,” Kai went on, to which my heart picked up its pace. “With professor Beatrice Ply. Learning our elements.” She motioned to her hair. “I'll probably learn fire. The appearances of mages rarely lie. Are you hoping to learn any element in particular? Obviously, we can't tame nature's biases, but one can always hope.”
Her incessant curiosity intrigued me. “I'm really hoping to learn life magic,” I told her. “The riches of being a healer would allow me to move my family ou
t of poverty.”
Kai's expression softened. “Oh? Where do you come from?”
“Thornwell. It's a fishing village to the northeast of here.”
“It sounds familiar,” she replied. Kai's eyes betrayed questions she didn't dare ask. She likely wondered how I could afford to be here if my family was poor.
“You don't think I'll learn life magic,” I finally surmised when she'd said nothing else.
“What? Oh, no.” Kai huffed with amusement. “Forgive me. My mind wandered. You do look like a good candidate for the healer's division.” She added with a dramatized lowered voice and mischievous smile, “Either that or the dreaded element we shall not name.”
I smirked at her teasing. Most in Sera regarded the simple name of the death element with fear as if saying necromancy was enough to die from it. Kai's light-hearted mention of it was refreshing. It seemed there was little she feared at all.
“Kai, for the love of the gods.” Sirius Sera approached the intersection with a younger man by his side. The young man appeared to be in his early twenties, with long brown hair and green eyes. The multiple rings on his fingers indicated he was already a mage. A green cloak swept by the back of his royal armor. I assumed he was Terran Sera, Sirius's son and the heir to the Seran throne.
Sirius glared with distaste and irritation at Kai as he came to an abrupt stop just feet away. Beside him, Terran looked over Kai with a much softer gaze, though he was quiet.
Kai said nothing. Sirius's approach stole the cheerfulness from her face and demeanor, and her confident stance faltered.
“Does standing around chatting help your studies?” Sirius inquired pointedly.
“No, father,” Kai replied softly. I felt faint as I connected puzzle pieces in my head. Throughout all my time at the Seran University, I'd never once considered Kai was royalty. She and Sirius looked nothing alike, and every time I'd seen Kai she'd either been traveling through the hallways or spending time with Bjorn. Clearly, Sirius's first heir was his only concern.
