Kindles of War

by Nicol Terra

  Ahn raised a brow. “What is that?”

  Illevetar blinked. “What, this is a book about the history of the Central Lands.” She said.

  He tilted his head. “Oh, but why do you have it?”

  She sighed. “If I were to defend these people, I should at least know their history.”

  “That reminds me, why do you want to fight with them, anyway.”

  Illevetar said nothing. She put the book back on her shelf and looked briefly at her hands, inspecting them. Her soft, gentle hands had no marks or scabs, clean and perfect. She snapped her wrist and created a flame with her right hand, then extinguishing the blaze with ease. She smiled for a moment.

  “I wanted to escape my comfort zone.” She said.

  Ahn smiled, and then patted her on the back. “I know how you feel.”

  The two got a copy for themselves each and took the escalator up. The escalator climbed upward, wrapping and zig-zagging from side to side, Illevetar leaned on the bottom side of the stairwell rising upward to the top. Ahn giggled.

  “You are telling me your father screamed at you for saying you wanna leave?”

  Illevetar nodded and then frowned. “Opposite to what my mother said, she loved me seeing the world.” She rolled her eyes. “I can see nothing new there, and I am well traveled. I have been to all cities on the Siphor Coast?"

  Ahn titled his head. “How is the landscape on Siphor like?”

  She pondered for a moment, rubbing her chin and then shrugged. “Flat on the coasts, and it gets more and more mountainous the further inland you go.”

  “Any green mountains?” He asked.

  She shook her head. “I hope you like Volcanoes.”

  He snorted. “Oh, come on! I have never met one person who loves erupting volcanoes!”

  “I enjoy watching the hot flames spew up from the rocky tops.” She dropped her jaw.

  “I don‘t! I left Nicux to avoid volcanoes, not to watch them from afar!”

  She tilted her head, leaving the escalator to the top floor, her eyes sliding from side to side.

  “What do you mean?” She asked.

  “Nicux has a lot of volcanoes on the coast; I was raised in Cosmow, a coastal city that was near an erupting volcano long thought dead.”

  She frowned, he then took another drag from his glass piece and exhaled.

  “Although to be fair, I don‘t remember much. I left the city when I was young, just before the rebuilt started.” He said.

  “Where did you go?” She asked.

  “I moved to Gru immediately afterward. Not like Nicux is dependent on the coast anyway, we have a lot of rivers that can be used to travel from anywhere.”

  She raised a brow. “Anywhere?”

  “Yeah, a lot of the rivers darted and carved through the glaciers.” He said.

  ‘‘How do you get past the ice?” She asked.

  He smirked. “In the cities, we have roads that are heated with Crystals or Magic Incantations.”

  “No, I mean the rivers.” Illevetar asked.

  He tilted his head. “Rivers can have ice?”

  She blinked once. “Yeah?”

  “Oh, well, that is new.” He said, his eyes perplexed, dazed and confused. Illevetar remembered the rivers that Siphor had started to freeze the further inland you got.

  Tina slumped from side to side of her bed, scratching her back with her wings fluttering. She then felt her bed shake as Rosa leaned on it, giggling and breathing Tina's ear.

  “Tina, get up!” Rose said, rocking her bed back and forth.

  She grumbled out a curse, and swung around toward the wall, ignoring Rose, who just shook her bed harder this time. She felt her body shook off her fatigue and her annoyance rise.

  “Get up; we are drinking tonight!” Rose said.

  “Girl I have been here for almost three weeks! Let me sleep dammit!” She said. Tina wall disappeared as she saw herself staring at the bottom bunk bed a few feet from her bed. She swung around, Erudite palm glowing a deep black

  “Sorry, had to pull you from your bed.” She said. Tina annoyance became a boil as she dropped a few feet to the ground.

  “Oh ho, I am so getting you back for this.” She said, her voice muffled by the floor.

  “Yeah, yeah, we only get three days off, and this is the first until next week! Wake. Now. I need alcohol.” Erudite grumbled, the two shot each other glares. Tina’s glare was venomous and deadly, while Erudite’s arrogant and friendly smirk both irritated each other.

  "Make me." Tina puffed her cheeks.

  "As you insist," Erudite said. Tina raised her brow as then she felt a sphere of water soak her body. Tina swung her hands around in the air, only to suddenly feel a giant gust of flames spurt across her body, drying her in an instant. She didn't feel pain, as the heat was gentle enough to dry her but also sting.

  Rose smirked as her right hand swiped away the flames.

  "Thank god you are so much stronger than me. Otherwise, that would hurt." Rose cooed. Tina grumbled and floated upward from the ground. She was now awake; for better or worse.

  The six couldn't take a train to the city, and Erudite had to lean next to one of the empty rooms in the Male Dorms. There were more Female Faerie Soldiers at this one training camp. Because of the room being empty, there were no bunk beds. There was nothing in here, just a window to the outside in the front floor. The red sunset in the distance and the blue sun the following suit. A violet horizon always formed at this strange convergence, splitting the sky in half with a light purple and blue before the moons rolled in. Tina leaned across from Erudite, staring at the window as the Dulsa appeared, then Nieth, Huva, Junha, Rasha, Dimir, Zed and finally Jaya. The more she looked, she felt the moons were different compared to Alatorem. All the satellites had a green mega-continent with a faint ocean; something inhabited them, she didn't know. There was a myth in Faerie culture that the eight moons created the Eight Elements of the Planet and manipulated fate, climate, and all natural phenomena. She then looked at her hand, a faint glowing star as she wiped it away.

  “Ridiculous.” She thought. “But, I still wanna go there.”

  “Alright, Eve, did you bring the glasses?” Robin asked.

  Eve nodded as Rose created a red flame and floated it upward, giving the entire room light like a small star.

  “Nice, Rose!” Robin said. Evelyn rolled her eyes

  “Robin just get the bottle, and I am tired of waiting.”

  “Same.” Erudite whispered.

  “I can wait longer,” Tina said, turning her head back to the moons. “I miss being asleep already.”

  Tina and her five friends clanked their shot glasses on each other. They chugged their drinks, wiping away trace drips of wine. Tina giggled as soon as she finished her bottle, looking to Erudite. Erudite raised a brow, a smile forming across her face.

  “What are you looking at?” She joked. She gave a small smirk at Erudite. Erudite with a devilish grin raised her shot glass and raised it up at Tina. She sighed as Tina flew over to pour another shot. The two clanked their glasses and slammed it down.

  "See, you can still drink like a party animal!" Erudite rolled her voice.

  "Yeah, yeah. The only thing I like more than drinking and smoking is sleeping." She said, dropping a hint as Erudite ignored it. "By the way, stop staring! Why are you looking at me?"

  “Nothing, just having a good time.” Her eyes wandered, her vision fuzzy and her head warm. She then felt a small smack her right shoulder. Her gaze turned to Rose, her cheeks red.

  “Come on; let's get this started,” Rose said.

  Tina eye’s drifted downward; she looked to see her drink being filled with beer this time instead. Around her drinks was a mess of cards surrounded around it. There was a single can of beer in the middle, with four playing cards under the can. She then drifted her gaze.

  “Get started with what?” She said.

  Evelyn groaned and shook her head.

  “We are
playing Kings Cup!” Evelyn grumbled.

  “Since when?” Tina slurred.

  “Since now!” Eve added.

  “Tina, you are too drunk.” Erudite said.

  “I am not drunk!” Tina protested.

  “Tina, how many drinks have you had?” Robin inquired

  Tina pondered for a moment, her mind was inebriated, her eyes vacant and drifting. She couldn’t remember.

  “I don’t know.” She giggled. "I think two." She said.

  "To be fair, this is 200 proof," Robin added.

  Rose spat. "200!? What, are you trying to kill us?!"

  "Rose, if I wanted to kill you." Robin stopped, then he shook his head. "Actually nevermind, but alcohol won't kill you even if I got somehow got alcohol purer then 100 percent."

  "What's the supposed to mean?!" Rose said.

  "It means you are an alcoholic." Erudite cooed.

  Eve sighed. “Let's just start.”

  Rose and Erudite nodded. Robin sighed, picking up a card. It was an 8, or vaguely so since Tina couldn’t see straight.

  “I got an 8, Tina; you are my drinking buddy,” Robin said.

  Tina's eyes darted upward for a second, only to see Erudite shooting him a glare.

  “Tina is too fucked up, she can’t even see straight, you seriously think she can keep up drinking with you?” Erudite added.

  “No wait, I got this.” Tina slurred, reaching for her drink, only for Erudite to create a black orb because pinned Tina’s hand in place. Tina grumbled.

  “Nu-uh! You are too drunk, stopping you right there!” Erudite said.

  “Fine, I choose you Erudite,” Robin said.

  “Busted.” Evelyn gossiped.

  Erudite cursed to herself, picking up the next card, pulling a five from the stack. She swore to herself, clinking her glass to Robin as the two took a large gulp from the glass.

  Tina picked the next card up; it was a two. She pointed at Evelyn.

  “You take two drinks.” Tina slurred.

  “How lucid can you be if you remember the rules of the game?” Evelyn raised a brow.

  “Only vaguely so, now chop-chop.” She slurred. Evelyn winked, finishing her drink and pouring herself another one. Evelyn poured herself another glass of beer from the stack of cans and drank from that too, her eyes became fuzzy and vacant. Tina giggled.

  “You are fucked up.” Tina slurred.

  “You are for making me drink twice.” Evelyn retorted, her words slurring as she picked up a card. It was a king. The first king of the game. She slipped on the bottle of beer in the center.

  Rose was next, picking up a Jack. She sighed, everyone, lifting three fingers in the air. “Never have I ever… got into a fight in class.” She said.

  Erudite and Tina both put down a finger and grumbled to themselves.

  “You got into a fight in class before?” Robin turned to Erudite. She nodded.

  “It was when I was in college, rooming with Tina. I clocked a girl picking on her.” Erudite said.

  “Then she came back with friends, and I clocked all of them,” Tina said casually.

  Rose giggled. “Didn’t expect you to punch someone in the face, Erudite.”

  She sighed. “I didn’t either until that day.” She giggled.

  Eve was next. “Never have I ever stole something.”

  Tina, Erudite and Rose let down a finger.

  “How in the-” Eve asked.

  “Both Erudite and I stole a thesis to create a new spell for our graduation.” Tina said.

  “You stole two when I said to take one!” Erudite grumbled. “I almost got caught too!”

  “You did?” Tina said.

  “Yes! I had to lie and pretend it was someone else who stole it.” Erudite added.

  “Who did you say it was?” Tina asked.

  “I said it was Twig.” Erudite said, reaching for a sip of her beer.

  “That mumbly fellah? Dude wouldn’t steal something if his life depended on it.” Tina said.

  “Lucky for us turns out he stole a thesis. Devil was on our side.” Erudite said.

  Tina nodded and smiled “True.”

  Robin thought to himself for a second, his mind deep in contemplation. “Never have I ever used a crystal.”

  No one lowered a finger. Robin shrugged.

  “To be fair, I didn’t expect that to work.” Robin sighed.

  “Humans and Chiseans use crystals more than we do.” Erudite added. “Not that we can't, but we are already fairly proficient in magic.” She said.

  Everyone nodded. Erudite was right- few Faeries used crystals.

  “Never have I ever had no money in my bank account.” Erudite said.

  Everyone except Erudite put their finger down. Tina took a large gulp from her glass and sighed in exhaustion.

  “You rigged that question.” Tina growled.

  “Had fun drinking?”Erudite asked.

  “Can’t remember half of it,” Tina admitted. Everyone laughed.

  Eve was last, her face slamming on the table below.

  “What's wrong?” Tina garbled.

  She turned her card around. It was the second king.

  “At least we have two more kings left to draw,” Robin said, then he pulled a card up from the pile, revealing the third king and slipped it on the can.

  “Well, I guess this game is gonna be short.” Eve said, scratching the side of her head.

  Eve nodded. Erudite was next to draw a card. It was an Ace.

  “Tina is fucked up, so how about we make a house rule instead?”

  “What kind of rule?” Robin raised a brow.

  “Well, usually we pick a topic and ask a question. The person to the left answers, if you can, then you ask a question to your left. If you can't answer it in ten seconds, you drink.” She said.

  Robin shrugged. “Fine by me.”

  Evelyn and Eve nodded. “Yeah, also fine by me.”

  Rose face was ghost white as she stammered out a groan to herself.

  “The topic is Politics.” She said. Tina smirked to herself; this was an easy one for her. “The question is, how many soldiers are stationed in Agall.”

  “4,000,000.” Tina answered.

  Erudite nodded. Tina turned to Evelyn “What is the dominant political party in our senate?”

  “Liberal United Party,” Evelyn answered.

  Tina nodded, she was drunk, but at least this memory stayed with her.

  Evelyn turned to Rose, her face white and her expression devoid of feeling. Evelyn smirked and shook her head.

  “What?” Rose squeaked.

  “What is…the name of our queen?” Evelyn asked.

  Rose face went ghost white. Tina giggled to herself.

  “What do you mean?” Rose face flushed.

  “What is the name of our queen? That is the question.” Evelyn asked once again.

  Ten seconds later, Rose chugged her drink as everyone around her laughed.

  “Glad to know you are doing great at answering questions,” Erudite said snarkily.

  Rose flipped her off.

  Tina picked up a card. It was five.

  “Goddammit!” Erudite cursed.

  Robin smirked to himself, taking a massive gulp with Erudite as he poured himself another drink.

  “And yuuuu know da best part?” Robin slurred.

  “What?” Erudite grumbled.

  “We are doing this again, tomorrow!” He said.

  Tina grimaced. Today was the first day of three that was their only days off. After that, they studied for their exams, and they were placed in the army. She felt her face drain slightly from color- What if Rose fails?

  Evelyn was the next person to pick up a card. It was five.

  “I hate my life.” Erudite grumbled.

  “Don’t worry about it gorgeous, and you will be fine tomorrow. We will get even more booze!” He smiled.

  Erudite shot him a glare and clanked her glass to his as they chugged it down.
r />   Rose picked up the next card; it was a king.

  “FUCK!” She yelled.

  Everyone sighed in relief, not having to drink the last can of beer.

  Rose flicked the can up and slammed it down. Rose eyes turned dazed and confused, her face flushed red as she turned to Tina. Tina gave her a drunken smile in response.

  “Hi, how do you feel?” Tina asked.

  “I felt great until that.” Rose eyes were sliding uncontrollably as she looked like she had three hours of sleep and was operating heavy machinery for a full day.

  The two chuckled together in a drunken stupor. Tina turned to Erudite. She shot her a small glare as she sighed.

  Then, a loud clank on the door.

  “Security!” Someone said. Everyone shot up, quietly shuffling around in a rush. Tina looked back to the window and tried to swing it up. It was locked, from the outside.

  “Fuck!” She whispered.

  “Everyone!” Erudite whispered, holding a small black wormhole just window. Eve and Evelyn nodded and jumped in, running away.

  Then, another series of knocks, as the knob turned. Robin ran in with Tina and Rose following afterward. Erudite jumped in last as the spatial cut closed.

  Rose, Tina, and Erudite moved to run only for them to hear the door swung open. Tina turned Rose down, holding her mouth in place. Rose wings fluttered angrily as she shot her a glare.

  “Shush!” Erudite said.