“Come on! Quick!”

The Jasper of my new coven motioned frantically for the rest of us to join him as everyone made for the exits. The reddish-black Onyx who’d healed me, however, merely rolled her eyes and didn’t budge.

“What’s going on?” I panted, shoving my way through the throngs with my arm still locked in Erek’s.

“Context clues, Zia. Clearly some kind of tradition,” he panted back.

“First ones to the kitchens get the best stuff,” shouted the Jasper skyborn, already several kobolds ahead of us. “S’good luck to be first in!”

“Proof of superiority!” shouted someone random in the surging masses.

“You wish!” yelled another.

There must have been some rule against using magic in this mess—a fact for which I was deeply grateful. I poured every ounce of Moon-mania I could into running and every bit of focus I had into not getting trampled. Erek and I lost our grip on one another pretty quickly, but it wasn’t so bad. All the nearest skyborn were too far ahead of us to pose any risk of my catching up to them. Besides, having an outlet for all of my wild energy actually really helped.

Considering the way the crowd continued to split into seemingly endless directions as new passageways opened up around us, I could only assume there was more than one route to the kitchens. That made sense, because the longer we all ran and shoved and shouted our way through the corridors, the more the academy proved itself to be a labyrinthine warren of nonsensical arrangement—at least to my outsider’s eye.

I knew we’d neared our goal when everyone ahead of us began to curse, and the masses slowed, congesting outside of a row of squat, arched entryways. I scented the food first, roasted meats and fruits and fresh pastry-things and something fishy and buttery that I hoped to the gods—no, the stars—there was still some left of.

Others began to push their way past those of us cued in and near the entrances, their arms full of bundles and dishes and clay bottles.

“Bit of a sad showing this year,” I overheard one of them say to another, carrying something which resembled an entire suckling pig in his arms. “Suppose we’re already rationing, huh?”

It sure as hell didn’t seem like it to me.

What lay beyond the arches was more of a vast dining area than a kitchen, an array of food and drink laid out on broad stones which passed for tables. Beyond that, though, there were more openings. Through them I glimpsed lots of steam, bulbous clay ovens, bustling kobolds and even bits of night sky beyond bars of iron.

I’d eaten a lot at dinner, not expecting to have any food again until the morning. But it didn’t matter. Insatiable hunger seemed to be another symptom of the Moon, at least for me. So I grabbed some of everything I could get that looked good, which as I had a sweet tooth in the moment was mostly deserts or things I suspected were deserts. His arms full of bottles, Erek shoved his way up to my side.

“You’re doing well,” he said, flashing a look between a few of the nearest skyborn and back to me.

I shrugged, scowling a bit as I hefted my selections and made to brush past him.

“I’m just hungry,” I said while Erek struggled to keep up with me, bottles slipping from his grip.

Catching sight of our Jasper coven-mate—the tallest of the lot—over the heads of several others, I veered his way. The rest were already all gathered around him, each with their own unique bounty. Well, the rest save that dark red one, who was apparently too good for such shenanigans.

The Jasper’s yellow-green eyes darted from one to the next of us.

“All here? Right then, kohai. On we get.”

As we made our slow, confusing way to our shared suite, I began to think I was recognizing things. Then we rounded a corner, and I almost squeaked with excitement.

This is Thors’ floor!

Stopping before one of the sigil-warded doors, the Jasper flung it open and held it for us as the rest of us shuffled through.

In layout, the suite was almost identical to Thors,’ with the stones and the pool at the center and the two levels of doors at the far end. But that was where the similarities ended. There was stuff everywhere—hammocks woven in shades of blue and lime green and teal, wall-hangings made of the embroidered skins of scaly beasts, random contraptions perched on upthrusts of stone and piled against the walls, strings of beads hanging all over the place, potted plants and mushrooms, cushions covered in live moss in some cases, fur hides in others.

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“You can set the food over there,” said the Jasper. With the wave of a hand he indicated the largest mossy scoop in the space, at the center of which the other senior members were already piling their loot. “Your things have been brought in. Usually they make sure to set the deepborn stuff out on the bottom level and the skyborn stuff up top. The rooms on the left are the free ones on both levels, I’ll leave it up to you four as to who gets which.”

Thinking of the pickle-thing in my trunk, I sighed with relief that I’d made sure to repack my things hours before the placement ritual.

Now that we were shut away together in the same space the four elder members had shared for the past few years, I was beginning to sort out their scents. And the Jasper—I couldn’t for the life of me remember his name—he didn’t smell too bad. Like moss, kind of. And damp forest earth. It didn’t make me cringe, but it didn’t make me salivate quite like a lot of the others, either. It was kind of relaxing.

I cleared my throat.

“Um, I am so sorry. But ah—what are all of your names?”

The Jasper laughed heartily and shook his head.

“None can blame you for asking. What a time to have to weather a Moon, eh? That’s Vyr right over there.”

He gestured at the red healer, who scowled.

“And she’ll see you all tomorrow,” she said. “I’m going to bed.”

The Jasper smirked. “Having trouble with their smell, huh?”

Vyr flared her wings, frustration writ across her face. Then she turned and stalked off to one of the rooms at the back—though strangely, she didn’t bother to close the door.

A moment later, I understood why. Something which I hadn’t at first noticed moved amongst one of the piles of stuff. It was the miniature toad-pig thing that had been in the healer’s office with her before, and for a moment I actually felt a spark of joy.

I get to live with a tiny cute thing!

But the toad-pig snuffled off post haste, following Vyr into her darkened den.

Smirking, the Jasper returned his gaze to me.

“That was Pancake, Vyr’s little minion. My name’s Jenner,” he said. “That over there is Imbris,” he indicated the lavender-colored Jade with one hand as she struggled to uncork a bottle. “And that’s Asho,” he pointed to the Diamond as they ripped a leg off a hunk of roast creature they’d brought in. To the other side of them, Destrien eyed one of the remaining legs, his familiar rubbing up against his own and sniffing hopefully at the air. For their part, Reve just sort of stood at a distance from most of the rest of us, peering around.

“N-nice to meet you all,” I managed, actually grateful that the Onyx had distanced herself. Her scent was easily the most distracting of all of them. Imbris freed one hand for a moment to wave it vaguely over at me, and Asho lifted their dismembered roast-beast leg in acknowledgement, their dazzling scales flashing in the light of the sigils. They’d let their lanterns go out in here, too.

Reve turned from us to make for the rooms.

“Not so fast.”

They stopped in their tracks as Jenner’s command rang out. The Jasper’s rich voice was practically made for command.

“Vyr may have the option to bail on us, but you don’t.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re drinking and eating with us tonight. All you kohai, and the rest of us active and engaged members of this coven.” As he emphasized certain words, he rose his voice and angled it toward the back of the suite. There was some movement beyond the open crack of Vyr’s door, and then it snapped shut. Jenner shook his head. Then he looked from one to the next of us and frowned.

“I understand there are matters amongst you in need of settling. We’re dealing with them. Now. Tonight. Before it can poison this coven and ruin everything for all of us.”

Trotting over to the scoop, he sat down on one of the cushions scattered around it. Asho, Imbris, and Destrien were already settled in with food and bottles of mystery booze in their hands. Jenner met eyes with Reve, and then Erek and I, and jerked his head.

“Over here, now. Sit.”

We did as we were told, all of us, though Reve clearly had to suppress a hiss. There was a pile of cups beside one of the upthrusts of stone surrounding the scoop, and the Jasper leant sideways to snatch them up, passing them around amongst us. For the first time, I paid proper attention when his glyphs came into view.

5Gem Jasper

Sight of Stone

Stone Mantra

Earthen Aura

While Imbris the Jade went from one to the next of us, decanting a dark liquid into each of our cups, I reached for something sweet.

“You, Zia,” said Jenner. I froze. Slowly withdrew my hand.

”They say you are a liar, but now it seems your most famous lie may have proven true. They say you killed your sister, but it is known by all that you did not mean to.”

Reve sputtered.

“But she—”

Jenner threw them a look so acidic I was surprised it didn’t burn straight through their softened scales. They went silent.

“And you. Pathmaker, and proud of it…am I correct? All you’ve wished for has come true, and what has it done but given credence to the words of the one you despise?”

Reve stared at him, face blank with shock. Jenner chuckled.

“Let me guess. Surprised at my eloquence, I’m betting? Further proof you’ve a rigid way of thinking. We’ll help break you past that. Starting tonight. With her.” He jabbed a claw in my direction, just as I took a hesitant sip of the black drink.

To my absolute shock, it was light and herbal—faintly sweet, with a hint of juniper.

“Is this…tea?”

“My best mountain blue,” said Jenner, nodding. “We snagged some stronger stuff too, if you’ve a taste for it. But everyone should really try the tea. Really, it’s my best yet.”

Asho snorted.

“You say that every time.”

“Well this time it’s true. What was I saying? Oh right. Zia.”

He turned the full power of his attention back on me, locking me into some very intense eye contact.

“Tell us your story,” he said. “Tell us the truth, tell us everything. Help us to understand.”

I swallowed. They were all staring at me now—except for Reve, who stared at their own hands instead.

“I’m, um…” my eyes wandered from one to the next of them, each with an entirely different expression, each silent. Waiting.

“I’m gonna need something a little stronger,” I said, lifting my cup.