Abery fidgeted on a stool in the room’s corner. Twirling his fingers into knots to ease his tension. No one else in the room seemed the slightest bit bothered.

Mr Rhevier was standing in another corner and glaring balefully at the thin line of light that slipped through the curtains. It wasn’t often he saw the governor’s brother. It wasn’t often anyone saw him. Perhaps only Miss Lancet and Albery’s. The latter only because he cleaned Mr Rhevier’s room once a month.

He was unfamiliar, intense and more than a little scary. Those were the excuses Abery gave himself for not closing the curtain.

Igni meanwhile stood a sharp contest. Clad in quiet greys and a flowing robe. He was a calm weight. Perfectly content to sit by Two’s sleeping form, spending slow hours interspersed with writing in a book he pulled from his robe.

And then there was Abery. Out of place. Rhevier said a familiar place and people would help settle her when she awoke. So Abery had prepared a room in the house’s upper floor. To prepare for the house’s unctuous mistress. He invited Igni because he was the only person he knew she knew who wasn’t under some kind of arrest. All of that he’d done happily.

Then Rhevier had asked in a tone that wasn’t a request that he stay. Objection hadn’t even had the time to kindle before Igni had agreed. There’d been no resisting after that.

So here he was mildly panicked. Waiting as his mind supplied a thousand things he could be doing.

It wasn’t the inaction or the men that truly spurred his discomfort. It was the woman he should be serving.

They weren’t in her room. It felt wrong to let anyone in there. Hence why he prepared one on the upper floor. Still, it felt wrong to be around the unconscious woman. For the short time he’s known her she’d been a pillar of self control.

But you couldn’t present yourself in unconsciousness. He tried not to peek at her unguarded face. It was too much like an invasion.

“She’s waking.” His voice filled the room like a gentle breeze that pulled him from his discomfort. They smiled faintly. Abery found himself staring. They were so strange. Perfect to the point of incongruity, yet the strangeness only added to their presence.

It wasn’t the thought-searing attraction some essence were said to inflict. But something infinitely close to natural. Like perfect was just natural.

He dragged his eyes away to look at his current mistress. Lest he loses more time trying to decipher the feathered mystery.

The young miss stirred with a pained groan. Abery jumped to his feet. Worry trumping anxiety as he walked to get a better look at her. Two was scary, but she was also polite and made a real effort to be nice after their initial meeting. It’d be awful if anything bad happened to her.

He leaned over the bed with Igni while a gruff Rhevier stared from the side.

Her face twisted with pain and his worries grew. Then his eyes snapped open and a wave of intangible pressure rolled across the room. She jolted to a seated position. A cultivator’s aura, raw and weak compared to most he’d felt. Insubstantial compared to the oceans the room’s other occupants, but strong enough that even a mortal like Abery could feel it.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Excitement joined worry, into an anticipatory buzz. This was all so exciting!

Her eyes darted about the room. Pain flickered across her face joined by a litany of other emotions. It was the most expressive he’d ever seen her. Breaking the record pointedly annoyed had set during the week. He got dizzy trying to process it all.

Finally, her gaze landed on Igni, regaining its focused intensity. He waited with bated breath for her first words. What would she say after her encounter with a great spirit!

“Can you be pretty elsewhere? I’m trying to focus.”

Abery stared agape. Had she really? His young miss’s eyes widened to shocked proportions. She had. He swallowed a high-pitched ‘eeee’ and settled for a muffled gasp.

He turned to see the angel’s reply.

Mr Rhevier smothered it with a long-suffering sigh. “Ignore her. Sudden changes are known to cause strange behaviour in the steadiest hearts. And she, ” He turned to the snake doing a wonderful impression of a landed fish. “… is far from that.” He trailed off a touch of amusement split his stern dementia.

It quickly vanished. “Two run me through important aspects of your trial in the Labyrinth.”

Two’s gaze slid past Igni then landed on him. The massage was clear. Despite a pang of disappointment he spoke. “Sir I think I should leave.”

“No,” the instructed declared without turning. “Abery’s assignment was set to become permanent pending your success. Seeing as you are capable of making jokes.” He made an effort of glancing at Igni. “Any madness you may be suffering is within acceptable ranges.” He returned his gaze to Two. “Before you reject, note that servants are allowed in the academy and Abery has more than a passing similarity with noble etiquette and general knowledge.”

She stared hard at Rhevier. Her eyes narrowed and sharp. “Fine.”

She turned her gaze on Abery. Her shivered as that predatory gaze was levelled on him. A shiver ran from his toes to the tips of his large ears. “Do you agree Abery?”

“Yes!” he exclaimed and bounced thrice before the stares filled with various levels of amusement stopped him. He was very conscious of the blush creeping up his face. He bowed. “I mean yes Miss Two. I’d be happy to accompany you to the academy.”

Twin huffs filled the air. He raised his head to find teacher and student locked in a stare of mutual distaste. Igni hummed lightly.

Two broke it with a sigh. “There’s a lot to talk about but only one thing is immediately relevant, I didn’t select loneliness.”

“Then what did you select.” Contrary to his expectations he didn’t sound frustrated.

“I don’t know. It was anger, but it changed after refinement.” Two said evenly. Her earlier gone or at least hidden. It was hard to tell.

Mr Rhevier pulled something from a pocket on his suit. It was a large pale white crystal ring. Wide enough to sit comfortably in a palm. He gave it to Two.

She blinked slowly a him.

He sighed. “Put it in your hand and channel your essence into it. You can do that with focus and a little effort. More intricate methods can come later. For now, that trinket will give us a hint at what you’ve selected and tell me how many of my prepared materials are getting put back on the shelf.”

Two did as instructed a hint of nervous excitement peeked through her calm facade. He took the to mean she was boiling with anticipation, and who wouldn’t this all so exciting!

A bright flame burst into being above the ring’s middle. Flicking and dissolving with Two’s wavering focus. It was the colour of tarnished silver and filled the dim room with light. A pitch-black pearl floated at its centre. Its surface wavering slightly with the flames flickering.

It was strange and unlike anything he’d ever seen. It was-

“Beautiful,” Igni found the words for him.

***

“I have no idea what it is.” Rather than put out her brother sounded pleased. Positively ecstatic. There was a light in his voice. An energy as he paced before his desk.

Lancet made no mention of it. Unwilling to risk spoiling his kindling momentum. “Seems you’ll have your work cut out for you. Mysteries stacking up. Think you figure it out?”

He scoffed all pride. “Of course. I noticed elements of loneliness and passion in her essence. The image is odd but those are too subjective to be reliable anyway.” He ranted and continued down increasingly esoteric pathways.

Until she was left nodding along while desolately grasping for nuggets of comprehension. As he spun tangents from nothing.

She didn’t tear up. Her aura remained tightly coiled beneath her skin. She only smiled.

Her brother was back. A fragile ember, but he was back. She’d need more to occupy him when Two left. Her work clearing the slum and beginning exploration of its underground grew even more important.

After decades of work, she had him back. She be dammed if she let him go.