Anastasia smiled, and it seemed genuine. “Well, enjoy the rest of your stay,” she said, looking out across the vast, floating city. “It’s a truly marvelous place.”
Anastasia went one way, and the girls went the other, following the walkway past the message center as it ascended several floors. They diverted onto a bridge which had strings of white lights like Christmas tree lights wrapped around banisters on either side. Little extensions from the bridge made room for small trees to grow along the side, and strings of lights were wrapped around them, too.
“Reminds me of the Lunar Festival,” Lorelei said, smiling. “Or Christmas in Lunar Park.”
“Yeah, it’s all very charming,” Chelsea said tersely, her entire body language suggesting barely-contained anger.
“Will you just let it go?” Lorelei asked. “Honestly. I know she attacked us before, but today we saw a different side of her. And we got out without a fight.”
“Whatever,” Chelsea muttered. She kept casting a glance back the way they’d come, likely scanning for pursuit from Anastasia.
Lorelei’s words about the lights had brought up nostalgic feelings in Delilah, and even as she smiled at the beauty, she also felt a pang of loss in her chest.
How long had she been away from home now? She had estimated they’d spent nearly a full day on Hollow Island, it had taken several hours to reach the Wood of the Wisps, and they’d spent quite a number of hours there as well, then taking a long rest at Gwen’s house…
It had been at least three days, probably longer. November was coming on fast, and with it, the Lunar Festival. Every year, Delilah went all across the city with Shana and Shias and their parents, marveling at the sights, playing games, winning prizes, and shopping for special trinkets, toys, clothes, and specialty items.
Would she even make it back this year? She’d thought getting off of Hollow Island would be it — they’d find the way back to Grimoire and get back to their lives. But instead, here they still were, in a magical world full of wonder and beauty, trying to help a little girl find her way home.
Delilah knew that, given the choice to leave and go straight back to Grimoire right now, she wouldn’t. The more time she spent with Isabelle, the more resolved she was to make sure she helped her first.
But that didn’t mean she didn’t miss home. That didn’t mean she didn’t worry about her siblings, and wonder how much she’d already missed, and how much more she would miss. How much homework had she missed, for that matter? She’d have a lot of catching up to do when she got back home and back to school.
And what about Caleb? Where was his Time Magic training taking place, and how was it going? After seeing her oldest brother on the brink of death, Delilah couldn’t stop worrying about him. His constant smile and easygoing nature had always seemed reassuring and inspiring, but now…
Now it seemed to her more like a mask.
How much pain and trouble had he hidden from everyone? And would he be the same person when he came back? Would the mask still be there, or would he have taken it off permanently?
And if he had, would Delilah recognize the man underneath?
“You know, Caleb asked her out on the final day of the Lunar Festival,” Lorelei said, nudging Delilah and nodding to Chelsea. “Almost five years ago.”
“Which means he has to come back soon,” Chelsea said, seeming to relax slightly. “It’s too important a day to miss. And that also means we’ll find the Library of Solitude and get the kid home soon, too.”
“You mean it?” Isabelle asked, staring with hopeful excitement up at Chelsea.
Chelsea nodded. “Sure do. Don’t worry about a thing. And especially don’t worry about Anastasia. We’ll keep you safe from her.”
“I think you’re the one who’s worrying about her the most,” Lorelei said teasingly.
“Shut up,” Chelsea muttered, shoving her hands into her pockets and walking a few paces ahead of the group.
Delilah smiled. She didn’t know how Lorelei and Chelsea had picked up on the manner of Delilah’s thoughts, but she was glad for it. It perked her up, and she focused less on what she was missing out on, and more on the place she was in right now.
Part of the reason she hadn’t focused so much on the city itself, though, is that Starlight Spires was just… indescribable. She struggled to comprehend the scale and design of the city she was walking through. Nothing touched the ground, and yet the buildings suspended in the air where millions lived and worked and vacationed were larger than any buildings on Earth by such a massive margin that it was unimaginable, something that could only be seen to be believed… and even then, Delilah struggled to believe it.
But in the midst of all the scale and size, Delilah could at least grasp the beauty of it. She’d often loved walking through Grimoire at night, especially on the less-traveled streets where the street lights were spaced farther apart. Ever since she’d started her training, that had been part of what had kept her enjoying it. After a long hour of rounding up and eliminating Snifflers, Delilah often sat on a rooftop in a secluded spot, staring up at the stars and moon, marveling at how peaceful the night was just moments after it was alive with combat and danger.
Starlight Spires was entirely designed to capture the wonder and serenity of the most beautiful of nights. Even in the loudest areas the girls traveled through, things weren’t deafening or chaotic. There seemed an unspoken rule to keep things peaceful — to respect others and the space they all occupied.
They walked across the roof of a shimmering blue spire, passing through a garden of flowering trees with petals bigger than Delilah’s face. So many colors captured the light, and the fragrance was soothing. Delilah noticed several people sitting on stone benches here and there, and she envied them, wishing their group could stop and just enjoy the lovely garden.
They left and crossed a bridge that was sloped, descending downward towards a very wide, cylindrical platform. Unlike the spires, this platform was just a single floor, so it was hard for Delilah to call it a spire or tower, but it served the same purpose, as a place where bridges connected. And what this platform housed was beautiful. A sprawling pool was spread out along the floor, with walkways here and there for navigating between large bodies of water. Men and women in one piece swimsuits — even the men had their torsos covered, which Delilah found quite silly — relaxed in the water, chatting and laughing and occasionally playing, swimming a short distance race or splashing water at each other. There were no water slides or wave pools, despite the sprawling size of the watery haven. This was clearly a place for relaxing, made more apparent by the trio of bars built into the water for patrons to swim up to and order drinks or snacks. Some visitors lounged on beach chairs on the land, and there were a few small flowering gardens around the perimeter.
“It’s weird having a pool when the sun never shines,” Chelsea said. “But, now that we’re here I finally noticed that it’s kind of warm.”
“Starlight Spires has seasons just like most places,” Gwen said. “They’re quite mild, though. Right now is the warmest part of summer.”
“Oh, weird,” Chelsea said, stretching out her arms and eyeing the long sleeves of her jacket. She rolled them up, buttoning them at the elbow. “I was comfortable, but when you put it that way, I feel super overdressed.”
Gwen chuckled. “I should have made us some swimsuits,” she said. “I didn’t think we’d end up here, though.”
“It’s all right,” Delilah said. “We may have time, but we don’t want to waste it, right?”
“Right,” Lorelei said, ruffling Isabelle’s hair. “We’ve got to get this girl home.”
Isabelle giggled. “We should come back and visit sometime,” she said, eyeing the water. “It looks like fun.”
Delilah hadn’t thought about that. She was so wrapped up in helping Isabelle get home, her mind hadn’t even considered seeing the girl again after that. But if it was possible to spend more time with Isabelle, to continue to g
et this group of girls together and go places throughout the Enchanted Dominion from time to time…
Delilah thought that would be just perfect.
Chapter 36: Pressure
— G —
“Come on, Greyson, it’s not so bad,” Midnight said, chuckling as he looked down at Caleb.
Caleb groaned in response, laying on his back as he looked up at his teacher. Mister Midnight, for whatever reason, had decided to stack a number of crates on top of each other, and then sit cross-legged on the very top.
“Is it bedtime yet?” Caleb asked, struggling to take in a full breath, only managing it after four tries.
Midnight checked his watch. “Still got six hours,” he said. “Don’t tell me you’re going to quit after two months. You’re one-sixth of the way through your training!”
“After failing twice and starting over,” Caleb said, sitting up. His head swam, but he didn’t lay back down. He needed to get his equilibrium back. “How much real time has passed so far?”
“Twenty-nine hours. You’ve burned a whole day.”
“Fantastic,” Caleb said with a groan.
On the first attempt, Caleb had passed out after twelve days. He’d needed three hours in real time before starting things up again.
The second time was the worst. After making it a month, Caleb had collapsed in a vomiting fit, eventually having to sleep for a full day before getting his strength back.
He’d rushed into this third run at Midnight’s training, and he knew that. The first week had been torturous, but he’d found his footing. For over a month now, he’d been in a pretty good groove.
Then today happened. Waking up, Caleb had felt sick to his stomach and worryingly dizzy. Terrified that he’d end up hurling his guts out again — perhaps literally, this time — he’d tried to take it easy.
Midnight wouldn’t oblige.
“You know today’s a bad day for me,” Caleb groaned, slowly rising to his feet. He felt queasy, and leaned against the stack of crates, trying to breathe slowly and carefully.
“Well, you shouldn’t have failed to earn your breakfast,” Midnight said, chuckling.
“I shouldn’t still need to earn every meal and opportunity to sleep,” Caleb said. His stomach settled, but his head was still light and airy. It contrasted with the rest of his body, which felt heavy and sluggish. “Are you seriously sticking to that system for a full year?”
“That’s how we do things at Midnight Bridge,” Midnight said. “If you don’t like it, you could always quit. Hawthorn’s not so bad. Slow, but he’ll get the job done. You just might not complete his training until you’re twice the age you are now.”
“You know I’m not quitting,” Caleb said, glaring up at his teacher.
Midnight grinned. “That’s the spirit,” he said. “So? Come on, your lunch is waiting. Show me what you’ve got.”
“I…” Caleb closed his eyes, thinking. “What was the task this time?”
“Ingrid!” Midnight called out. “Greyson’s got the fuzzy brain thing going on.”
“Again?” Ingrid asked, leaning out from the second floor window of Midnight’s house. She actually looked concerned. But she was nice. Unlike a certain master of Time Magic that Caleb knew. “It’s been two months. If he doesn’t get over it soon —”
“I know,” Midnight called back, looking down at Caleb disapprovingly. “If your mind doesn’t right itself soon, I’ll have to end the training for you. Some humans can’t handle the strain like this, and suffer permanent damage. I’m not about to let you —”
“Shut up, I remember now,” Caleb said, waving a hand. “Fifty pushups, right? And then run across the bridge, down and back three times. Easy.”
Midnight snorted. “Show me how easy it is, then,” he said.
Caleb took his time getting down into a pushup position. He still felt a bit unsteady, but once in position, pushups weren’t too hard. They were one of Midnight’s favorite “tasks” for Caleb to earn meals and sleep. Most of the tasks set upon Caleb were exercises and tests of strength, speed, agility, or endurance. It made sense to Caleb. On the one hand, he needed to become accustomed to time’s uncomfortable pressure, and what better way to do that then by pushing himself physically?
On the other hand, Caleb’s training wasn’t just going to be in Time Magic. Mister Midnight was going to make him a proper fighter. Caleb needed to be as strong as he could.
And he enjoyed that challenge. Caleb had always been athletic. He’d been Captain of Grimoire Academy’s Swim Club and the Volleyball Club, and had continued with both sports through college. During his internship and then his career as a Hunter, Caleb had kept up a strenuous workout regimen, and was in many ways in the best shape of his life when he ended up at Mister Midnight’s door.
There was, of course, the added challenge of time’s pressure. Midnight had been right — Locational Time Magic had a whole different kind of impact on Caleb’s body. After two failed training sessions, Caleb had come into attempt three fired up. His body seemed to have adjusted well to the strain.
But two months with no real break from the pressure was a daunting challenge. The heaviness, the pain, the soreness, the discomfort, had all crept up on Caleb.
Of course, if he’d successfully earned every meal that Ingrid prepared for him, Caleb would probably be feeling a lot better right now. Food was important.
And then there was the whole “failing to earn sleep” for two days straight earlier in the week. Sleep was even more important than food, sometimes.
Get your act together, or you’re going to fail. This might be your last chance. Succeed at earning every meal and every rest. You need that stuff more than you realized.
Caleb found running a lot more difficult than pushups. That was likely because of how Midnight Bridge was constructed — where most bridges were flat or arched upward, this one arched downward. The descent and following ascent, along with Caleb’s constant bouncing rhythm as he ran, made his head ache something fierce, and his light-headedness never really abated.
Normally, you stop exercising when you feel light-headed. One of the first rules I learned about working out.
I think there are exceptions, though. Like when a madman makes you exercise to earn your next meal.
Thankfully, Caleb managed all three laps of the bridge, returning to Midnight’s crate tower. He stayed standing up straight even as he panted for air. Leaning over or sitting down now felt like it would mess up the tenuous equilibrium he had.
“Ingrid, is lunch ready?” Midnight asked.
Ingrid, leaning out the window once more, smiled. “All set!” she called back, flashing a thumbs-up before ducking back inside.
“All right, Greyson,” Midnight said, hopping down from his perch. He clapped Caleb on the back, hard enough that Caleb nearly fell over. His equilibrium was more tenuous than he’d realized. “Let’s go eat.”
Getting some food in Caleb’s stomach did a lot of good. Ingrid had prepared “Midnight Mushroom Sandwiches,” which sounded disgusting. Even after cooking them, the strange glowing mushrooms that grew outside Midnight’s house continued to glow. Caleb had never been a fan of mushrooms —the flavor or the texture — so he was delighted to find these to be completely unlike any ordinary mushrooms.
They were crisp and sweet, with a flavor more like some kind of berry than a mushroom. Combined with some meat, cheese, vegetables, and “secret spices,” the sandwiches hit the spot.
“When do we get to combat training?” Caleb asked. “You still just have me running around and doing exercises and stuff. There are only ten months left. I’d like to make the most of them.”
“You’re pretty pushy for someone who almost failed his third round of training,” Midnight said, pointing at Caleb with the last bit of his sandwich before popping it into his mouth. “What do you want to do first?”
“Well… I should learn to use Time Magic properly, right?” Caleb asked.
“I as
ked what you want, not what you think you need.”
“I want what you think should come next,” Caleb said. “I need to learn to fight Void and the other fool’s gods, and other mages in general… but I also need to learn to use Time Magic properly. I don’t know what should come first. You’re my teacher.”
Midnight grinned. “So, you haven’t gotten sick of me yet. Ingrid, is this a new record?”
“It is,” Ingrid said, rolling her eyes. “Most of your students become openly hostile after three weeks. If they make it that far. The longest anyone lasted before Caleb was five weeks.”
Midnight nodded to Ingrid, leaning towards Caleb. “She’s great, isn’t she?” he asked in a whisper, eyeing Ingrid to see if she was listening as she went about washing the dishes. “Best assistant I’ve ever had. Probably best I ever will have.” Caleb noticed that Ingrid seemed to overhear, as a small smile crossed her face.
Greysons of Grimoire Page 42
