Chương 30: Chapter Thirty

Thirty-nine mithril, one-hundred and fifty-nine platinum, and ninety gold. The total was insane. And it hadn't changed all morning, leaving me no choice but to believe it wasn't a mistake. The shock hadn't worn off, but I had time to examine the numbers over breakfast and wonder why the platinum hadn't rolled into a mithril over breakfast. Mom explained that since the account represented physical coins the bank was holding for me, they wouldn't upgrade coins to the next denomination.

Only break them into a lower denomination. I sighed shaking my head. Not even a couple of months ago a gold coin was so far out of my reach it might have been mythical. And now, I have so many coins that I have to have someone else hold them for me. And gold was the least of them.

"Lyra? Are you ready? The coach is ready." Mom's voice interrupted me staring at the ceiling above my bed. Which has been mine for the past three weeks. And now I was off to somewhere else. Where I would be alone.

"I'm coming." I said, getting up from my bed. My closet was empty. I almost feared Mom would fill it again with me gone, but she wouldn't have me standing in front of the seamstresses if she did. So, I was probably safe. The hallways, stairs, ballroom. It feels like I was just introduced to this place, and I was already leaving. Mom and Dad said I should come back frequently… but that just isn't the same. I hadn't known a place that felt like home since my parents died when I was ten. I just found this place.

And I'm leaving it. I bottled my feelings as best I can before I step outside. Mom and Dad were both there when I stepped out. Mom was bouncing Boyan in her arms. A fancy carriage, nothing like the plain wagons they had traveled in when trading, was waiting for me on the road. Trunks tied to the back. There wasn't any gold or silver worked into it like the king's wagon did the other night. I'm thankful for that. I still can't get over how happy he was to have walked out with that potion.

He spent an adamantine coin for it. The potion I made. In the back of a wagon. Yet, he was overjoyed. So was the qu… Auntie Lai.

"Well, let's go Lyra. Got to get you settled." Dad said, holding his hand out for Mom who climbed in. He waited and helped me up before climbing in himself.

"Are you ready for this? Learning at the academy is a lot more focused than learning from me. Though I tried to give you a good foundation, I'm not a teacher."

"But you're good at it." I protested causing her to smile.

"Wait and see. You'll learn so much." Mom said turning to Boyan as he wiggled free. She let him slide to the carpeted floor where he crawled between our feet. Dad was smiling.

"We're going to miss you Lyra. You have to come back as often as you can." My breath hitched. I forced that into the bottle as well.

"I will. I just found this place. I don't want to lose it yet."

"Lyra, you're never going to lose it." Mom said, reaching down and stopping Boyan from tugging on her boot's straps. Dad was nodding.

"Have you had the curriculum explained to you? I've been so busy at the castle these last few weeks that I don't remember if we've had that conversation." I shook my head. I hadn't been told anything other than I would learn magic and have to move there. Dad sighed.

"Sorry for springing this on you last minute. Let's see. Humans and beastkin have a four-year program set up. They choose two fields to focus on, and at the end of which get rated based on how well they do. Everything else is either skipped, if it's an applied topic, or only taught in generalities. Elves and demons can have up to two fields of focus at a time, like before.

But they can stay in the curriculum until they reach the proficiency level they want at which point they can shift their focus to another field." Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I frowned as I tried to process the difference.

"It's because elves and especially demons, live longer. Four years is a big investment for humans and even more for beastkin. Four decades would be about the same for an elf." Mom hummed and waffled her hand back and forth prompting Dad to admit his generalization.

"Mostly." Dad amended.

"But even four decades isn't much time at all for demons. So, you're free to spend however long you want mastering magic Lyra." Dad completed. I wasn't sure if Dad was describing school or a way of life. The hollowness in my stomach grew at his description.

"Any idea what you want your first focus to be Lyra?" Mom asked picking Boyan back up to his protests. I cleared my throat before I tried to talk.

"Talking with Stella and Beth, I thought I would start with healing and potion making. Both lend themselves to each other, and I know I'm interested in potions." Mom was nodding at my description.

"Most people who start the healing courses don't finish them. So, try to stay with it. The world needs more healers in it." I smiled at the unspoken approval in it. Knowing Mom, she didn't want to sway me one way or the other. But I could have sworn I caught a hint of pride in her eye when I said that. Dad sat back in the seat, taking a fighting Boyan from Mom.

"I'm glad you thought about it. It will make the first couple of days easier. Just remember, we're always here for you if you need us."

"Yes, and come back often. Your room will be ready for you." I smiled, but it felt fragile. I couldn't manage talking past the lump in my throat, so I nodded instead. Boyan lunged in my direction, and I caught him before he could fall to the floor. I rolled my eyes at him and stuck out my tongue. Which he mimicked. I spent the rest of the hour-long trip to the campus making faces at Boyan and answering small questions from either Mom and Dad.

The look I caught between them told me they might have noticed my fragile smile. But I hope not. My feelings are my own, and don't make sense most of the time. They shouldn't have to deal with them. When we pulled up to the Academy, I found it walled off from the rest of the city. I should have expected that. It seemed to be the popular choice among the upper class of the city. But it still didn't make sense.

The gates opened when we approached and we immediately slowed, getting in line with dozens of other carriages of various makes. Most were substantially more decorated than the one we were in. It just goes to show that good taste is not universal. Waiting in lines seems to be the ultimate fate of any carriage or wagon ride. Perhaps I'm being pessimistic. At least I'm not carrying those trunks. We eventually reached the drop off point and Dad helped me out of the wagon again.

A couple of people started unloading the trunks at the direction of a petite girl about my age in one of the maid uniforms worn at the house.

"What…"

"Oh, right." Dad said.

"Narith, come here please."

"Right away, master." The woman said, coming to Dad and standing at attention. She was petite, but that's not saying much since I still had to look up at her, and had auburn hair tied back into a tight pony tail, with strictly human features. I couldn't tell if she was human, or just too young to have gone through her Becoming yet.

"Lyra, this is Narith, your personal maid."

"My what?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss. Lyra." Our words were spoken over the top of each other, and I kicked myself as I noticed Mom's gaze.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Lyra." I said giving the curtsy reserved for family. Mom and Dad only employed family for rolls that would have someone working on the family floor. So, I assumed she was another distant relation. At Mom's nod, I relaxed.

"She's your personal maid." Mom clarified after introductions were over.

"She'll be responsible for your personal needs while you're enrolled here. But she will go through her Becoming in a few months, so starting next term she will have her own classes to attend as well. So, try to make things easy on her." I stared at Mom, my jaw unhinging slightly. Did she think I was a slob?

"I have your room assignment, Miss Lyra." Narith said, bringing my attention away from Mom and to the small stack of papers she was holding.

"Room 5-A, the royal floor. There isn't another royal in the girl's dorm at the moment, so you will have the floor to yourself." My face heated up. Royal? Me? I'm just Lyra. The girl everyone was waiting to die. Why did I have a whole floor to myself? Why was I considered a royal? This joke is going to far.

"It's that building there." Mom said pointing at a building to the left of the one we were standing in front of.

"This is the main office. The classrooms are in the three building behind it, while that building is the boy's dormitory."

"But this is where we leave you." Dad appended. My heart hitched.

"But before we do, here. Your monthly allowance." I tilted my head as he handed me a coin pouch that jingled as it shifted in my hand.

"We'll drop by once a month to give you your allowance."

"But I…" Mom interrupted me.

"Lyra, we haven't had enough time with you. This gives us an excuse to see you. And we're going to use it." Mom smiled, but it wasn't as bright as it was normally.

"We expect you to come visit. Often. But we understand you're going to have your own life. So, this gives us our hook into you."

"We'll keep this up for the first decade. You'll have to figure out how to earn your own keep by that time." Dad said, but his stern expression was broken by the wink he shot at me.

"Somehow, I don't think you'll find that hard." I let out a watery giggle. Watery? I touched my face and found it wet, but my gaze was caught by Mom. Who's own face was watery as she pulled me into a hug.

"You should have had decades with us, not three little weeks." She whispered into my hair, having bent over to grasp me properly.

"We'll make up that time, Lyra. Wait and see. We'll make it up." Dad pulled her away, leaving me standing alone for a moment before Dad leaned over and hugged me as well.

"You'll do great Lyra. Just try not to burn the place down." I chuckled as I hit him in the shoulder while it was still at my level. It didn't take long for them to climb back into the carriage and depart. Making room for the next to move up.

"Shall we go to your room Miss. Lyra?" Narith asked. I could only nod my head as I watched my parents depart.