Chương 14: Fiery Reception

The boy approaching them had a discordant face. He had a hooked nose, thin lips, and eyes that looked slightly sunken in. Yet, he walked with an air of importance, the fine cloudsilk of his robes announcing him as Noble born. The robes didn't look like the standard-issue ones Arielle had been given. Yes, they were black with a white trim and a single golden braided cord at the left sleeve, authenticating him as a first-year.

However, the material was different, and the hems had dark brown detailing on it, like tiny shaved rocks stamped onto the fabric. His uniform isn't the same as mine or Lyra's, Arielle thought. Noble-born students must have a different uniform, or they might be allowed to alter their uniform to better indicate their clan. Ari could tell immediately that the boy had a Massa lean, simply from the color of the orbs dancing around the tip of his drawn wand. Massa-Calor to be specific.

As he walked, he ticked his wand from side to side, and tiny sparks set off on the end. Lyra moved quickly, standing beside Ari as she faced the other boy. She executed a quick bow.

"Good afternoon, Faulkey."

"Lyra. Who's your friend?" Lyra was slow to answer, so Arielle responded in her stead.

"I'm Arielle Blacksoil," she said distractedly, while observing Lyra. Why had the other girl bowed? Was Faulkey a Master? He didn't seem like one, and he was only a first-year. She wished she had activated her EPUQ so she could pull up his preliminary screen to know for sure.

"Arielle Blacksoil." Faulkey tested the name on his tongue.

"You're a new student?"

"Yes. I arrived today."

"Where are you from?"

"Fenway Basin." He made a face.

"You're a swamp rat? A bog blood?"

"Technically, yes, but those words are slurs for Mossbornes. You shouldn't use them, and I won't answer to them again." His lips twitched with humor, but it didn't seem to be the pleasant type. Or perhaps he simply didn't have a pleasant face. Most distractingly, Lyra shifted to stand in front of her as though using her body to shield Arielle. Strange.

"Well, Arielle," Faulkey said.

"Did they not teach you to greet your superiors at the swamp?"

"They did. We greet our superiors with a firm handshake, a hand over the chest, or a bow, depending on their station. The bow must also have the right hand over the chest as a sign of utmost respect."

"Well?" He gestured lazily with his wand.

"Go ahead." She blinked.

"There are no superiors here." His nose flared, eyebrows cutting down over his eyes like harsh bushy slopes.

"You're looking at a superior," he said.

"No," Ari said.

"I'm looking at you." That got a cough out of one of Faulkey's companions, which caused Faulkey to glare at the boy. The boy grinned and put two hands up, and Faulkey turned his glare back to Arielle.

"My father is Elias Stonewarden. Do you know who that is?" She refreshed her memory of social studies at the school yard. The Stonewardens were an important noble clan in a place called Stonehold, a race of wealthy merchants who controlled much of the commerce in the city and protected the periphery, controlling the flow of goods in and out.

She didn't know who Elias Stonewarden was precisely, but if he was a member of such a wealthy clan, then it made sense for Faulkey's robes to be made of such expensive material. The boy seemed to be waiting for her answer, so she offered a lucky guess.

"Is he the Patriarch of the Stonewarden clan of Stonehold?"

"Precisely." Ari nodded. She was happy she'd gotten it right.

"I'm his second son," Faulkey said.

"And third in line to take over the High Seat."

"Okay," Arielle said. Faulkey raised his eyebrow.

"Okay?"

"Yes."

"So..."

"So what?"

"Just bow." Lyra suddenly bit out.

"Why? He's not a Master or an Archmage."

"Not yet," Faulkey said.

"But I'm going to be." Ari assessed him from head to toe, trying to sense his power. She couldn't really detect his core capacity and refinement just from looking at him, but nothing about him signified Archmage potential, and since there were such stringent limits on the number of Archmages, the odds were certainly not in his favor.

"Probably not," she said.

"Adept seems like a more likely goal for you." Suddenly, his face reddened in fury.

"How dare you?" His words exploded out of his chest, and Ari flinched. She glanced from his flaming face to that of his wide-eyed companions and finally to Lyra's slack jaw. Ari felt like she was missing some important context.

"Did I say something wrong?" she asked.

"You insult me and ask if you said anything wrong?" Faulkey's voice echoed, and Ari cocked her head. Strange. She hadn't insulted him. She had merely shared her assessment of a situation. Was he upset by her stating facts? But the facts weren't wrong. Although Celie often told her that it didn't matter if something was wrong or right, as even the right thing could hurt feelings. But she hadn't even said anything hurtful. There was no insult, no name-calling in any single statement she'd made.

So what had set him off? This is so frustrating. I wish I could read minds. She should probably just stop talking and leave the scene for everyone's good. But when she tried to walk away, he grabbed her arm and spun her back.

"Faulkey," Lyra extended a hand.

"She... she didn't mean it."

"Didn't mean it?" His dark eyes blazed brighter with his obvious fury.

"You think I'm just going to let that go?"

"She's all arrogant because she's a mid-year admit." The words were drawled by the same boy who'd laughed at Faulkey.

"She thinks she's special."

"I am special," Ari clarified. Elric had told her extensively, by definition, how special she was. Faulkey scoffed.

"Oh, you're special, alright. I'll show you something special." He swung his wand to her face and said the words, "[Emberstrike]." There was a two-second hold before the sigil sluggishly formed in the air. The orbs danced into a pattern, a star surrounded by a Massa-ring stabilizer, incorporated with another Luxa ring for targeting. This level of complexity indicated it was probably a Tier 4 spell, which was impressive for an initiate. Or whatever he was.

"Duck!" Lyra screamed and grabbed her wrist, pulling her out of the way. Right as she did, Ari visually tugged one of the Massa particles from the spell form. Thwack! The backlash knocked Faulkey off his feet, and he landed in a sprawl on the ground. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Faulkey!" His companions shouted as they surrounded him. Ari was worried for a second that she'd injured him grievously, but then he groaned, and she gave a sigh of relief. She would need to adjust her methods when it came to spell disruption. Backlash could be very harmful not only to the casting mage but also to the people around them.

Obviously, Faulkey's spell wasn't powerful enough to harm anyone except himself, but the backlash from the Phasewalker's spell, for example, could have injured quite a few people in the market if they'd been present. Ari could disrupt the spell while holding the essences in place, or if there were too many, she could otherwise shield innocent bystanders from the effects.

"Blast it!" Faulkey exclaimed as he got to his feet, pushing off his friends.

"Did you just mess up the spell?" one of them laughed.

"No, I didn't." He glared at Ari.

"You must have done something."

"How? She didn't even have her wand out."

"She was staring at me."

"Yeah, staring at you being an idiot and messing up your spell." The third boy laughed, and as they bickered, the air between them shimmered and rippled. A tall woman in an exceptionally fitted white robe appeared out of nowhere, causing all of them to jump back.

"Children…" The stern-faced woman walked forward as she assessed them.

"Did I just happen upon an unsanctioned duel?"

"No," Faulkey answered quickly.

"I was just…"

"You were what? Attempting to bully the new student." Her tone was soft, but her grey eyes were cold, and her features severe enough that she was incredibly intimidating to look at.

"That kind of behavior is unacceptable, Young Lord Stonewarden. Not to mention utterly disgusting to any rational mage's moral code."

"She insulted me first!"

"Did she?"

"She called me an untalented hack."

"And you decided to prove her right by failing at a spell that's merely an extension of your bloodline trait." His face flushed.

"You will receive four demerit points for your actions today," she said.

"What?" Fauilky exploded again.

"All that for a bog blood who probably won't make it past the next severance trials anyway?"

"An additional demerit point for the slur you just used. We can keep going and make it an even number." He fused his lips, but his nose continued to flare like a bull. Then he spun around on his heels and stormed off, his friends following him. The woman turned her gaze on Ari and Lyra.

"No dawdling in the halls," she said pointedly to the girls, and they nodded and continued their way.

"You got lucky," Lyra whispered as they hurried away.

"I've been hit with [Emberstrike]. It stings a lot."

"Why would he attempt an unsanctioned duel when it's against the rules?" Ari asked.

"Because he's a jerk and he thinks he's better than the rest of us smaller sect students. Don't get on his bad side again. His demerit points will only be added to his report at the end of the year, and he might get a temporary suspension of magic, a badge of dishonor, or a punishment assignment. But he won't get kicked out. He's too skilled and his father's too important." Ari was about to ask what a badge of dishonor was, but Lyra kept talking.

"I accidentally got on his bad side." She stopped in front of a room door, but she didn't unlock it yet, her hand resting on the wooden surface.

"The way things work at Erynwall is by a loose hierarchy. The nobles at the top. The sect kids in the middle. And those who are neither are at the bottom. I didn't know this before I arrived. No one else in my family has been to Erynwall, so I didn't know what to expect. I saw Faulkey picking on another student and tried to get him to stop, but that only made him turn his attention to me." Her features darkened.

"Usually it's not too bad. He doesn't typically get violent, and he'd only used Emberstrike against me in a sanctioned duel. But his words can be very hurtful." Her eyes dropped.

"I thought I could report him, but..."

"But what?"

"Unfortunately, one of my brothers works for a man his father knows. Faulkey told me, in not so many words, that if I ever reported him, my brother would lose his job." Ari blinked.

"That's blackmail. You should add that to the report."

"Didn't you hear what I said? If I report it, all he's probably going to get is a demerit and petty punishments. Even if he gets expelled, my brother's career will be ruined. It will be hard to prove that it was a result of Faulkey's threat."

"I don't think it will be that hard. There are truth potions and truth seekers who facilitate people to confess to their hearts' intentions. After you make your report, the Dean can use that on Faulkey, and it will reveal everything. Then your brother can be protected." She stared at Ari.

"I don't know if you're really that naive or if you're pulling my leg right now. Obviously, my brother's employer won't come out and admit the real reason he sacked him. They will use other words like downsizing or shifting around, or they might simply make life unbearable enough for him to leave. The world is not some straightforward place where justice prevails."

"Yes, but isn't that the point of our being here?" she asked.

"What use is power if justice doesn't follow?"

"Just drop it." Lyra sighed.

"Faulkey's just an occasional annoyance, but it's not bad enough for me to risk everything. He'll get bored with me soon anyway and move on to someone else." She finally pushed open the door and walked into the room. The interior stone walls matched the rest of the building, worn smooth in places, their gray softened by age and the faint warmth of candlelight. A tall, narrow window let in pale daylight, its glass slightly uneven, bending the view of the courtyard beyond.

Two wooden beds stood on opposite sides of the room with sturdy frames and simple quilted bedding, a heavy wool blanket neatly folded at the end. Ari was surprised to see her box in front of one of the beds.

"Your trunk arrived before you," Lyra said.

"That's how I knew to go to the Dean's office."

"Ah." Ari walked in. The room was nice, bigger than the room she'd shared with her sister. Two beds on either side. Two desks. A narrow wardrobe stood against one wall, its door slightly misaligned, creaking softly when opened. A door leading to the privy. It all felt very mundane. There was little overt magic in the room, only subtle conveniences: the air was the perfect temperature, without a distinct scent, and the candle flames burned a touch steadier than they should.

Oh, and the vases of plants dotted around that had green orbs lazily orbiting around them.

"I wanted to brighten the place up," Lyra said after she followed Ari's gaze.

"But I can remove it if you'd like."

"No," Arielle said.

"I like the plants."

"Good." Lyra sighed.

"About Faulkey, don't try to provoke him again. If you see him, just bow and be as respectful as possible. And apologize for what you said. He'll probably leave you alone once you do. Also, don't say any more offensive stuff to people, especially not to the seniors."

"What exactly did I say that was offensive?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes." Ari really wanted to know.

"I can't know what I don't know." Instead of answering, Lyra asked, "What's your first class tomorrow?" Arielle took the schedule from the pile of things she'd been holding tucked underneath her armpit and checked it.

"Spellcraft and Casting with Professor Valeria."

"Ah. You're in Group B just like me. Professor Valeria is the woman we just met. Her class is one of the toughest classes here, and she's not going to go easy on you, just because you're new. Actually, she's going to expect more from you. Every session starts and ends with her calling people at random to perform three surprise spells, and if you can't do it, she's going to call on you for the rest of the year until you can. So trust me. Learn as many introductory spells as you can.

Don't just focus on your lean essences because she won't just pick the ones you're supposed to be good at. Professor Valeria is very big on balance, so she might actually test you with whatever your weakest core is. You'll probably get picked tomorrow to perform the spells since you're new, so study as much as you can and, even if you can't cast the spell yet, at least learn the spell scripts so she knows that you're making an effort. She likes that." Ari nodded.

"Thank you for the advice."

"No problem." She went over to her desk and picked up her books. She threw out a casual, "I have class now. See you."

"See you." Ari wondered as Lyra left if she was still mad at her. She wasn't, right? She wouldn't have said 'see you' if she was mad, would she?" She sighed. She wished Celie were around to answer her question, but it was probably for the best she wasn't, or Ari would obsess over whether or not Lyra hated her the entire day. Better to spend time on something she could understand implicitly. Spells. She put her robe on her bed and moved to her desk.

As she sat down, she finally touched her EPUQ and received the prompt. SYNCING EPUQ TO SYSTEM LOADING... SYNC COMPLETE. — EPUQ STATUS — Student: Arielle Blacksoil Status: First Cohort Total Mana Capacity: 1000 Units Current Reserve: 500 Units Elemental Ratio: Calor 20% Massa 20% Luxa 20% Vacu 20% Vitae 20% Core Stability: 100% Equation Closure Rate: 99. 8% Residue Output: 0. 0 Units Internal Lattice Stress: 8% Microfracture Risk: Low EPUQ-Lean Sync: Disabled for Cohort 1 Environmental Diagnostic: Stable.

— STUDENT'S ELEMENTAL DISTRIBUTION — Calor – 20. 00% Vacu – 20. 00% Vitae – 20. 00% Massa – 20. 00% Luxa – 20. 00% Deviation Margin: ±0. 02% Equilibrium Index: 100% There were other buttons Ari could press for Environmental Diagnostics, Storage, and even Academy grades. She felt a thrum of pleasure when she saw all that. She'd explore what it all meant later. For now, she reached over and grabbed her spell book from her box. According to the index, there were a thousand five hundred and sixty beginner spells.

It was nearly evening. She had to learn all of that before bedtime? Well. Challenge accepted.

In the meantime, Elric was outside in the courtyard waiting for his griffins to descend from the sky. He looked back at the Academy for the final time, fondness mixing in with dread. They'd done it. They'd successfully gotten Arielle enrolled, but he was still worried. He was worried about how she would perform, if it would be too good not to draw attention. He also, strangely, worried about whether she would be able to make friends. Something else nagged at him.

He felt as though there was something significant he was forgetting. But there wasn't. He'd taken care of Phineas' memory. It would have been too taxing on Davenport to rework his memory and incorporate the new details about how they'd discovered Arielle's 'fairly normal' magical affinity. So he'd just dropped by and mentioned that he'd gotten Ari tested, just in case, and not only did she have some magical affinity, they were related.

He'd been searching for his long long lost cousin for some time and found her by such fortuitous coincidence. It was a miracle. Davenport wasn't all that interested in the details and seemed mostly surprised that Elric bothered to tell him all this. But he wasn't suspicious at all which as the important thing. Mycella was slightly skeptical that he'd never mentioned this long lost cousin before, but he'd smoothed that over too with an 'I thought I would never find her and it was too painful to talk about.'

He'd even planted some leading clues and information in case anyone looked into Ari's heritage. He'd covered his tracks. Yet something told him that everything was about to go very, horribly wrong.