“No thief, however skillful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire.”
- L. Frank Baum, The Lost Princess of Oz
Assistant Professor Carmen raised a dark eyebrow. “So we have three students who are late again. I fear my patience is very limited.”
The class had convened on time in the basement of the academy. The stone biers were empty this time too. The air was chilly and faintly musty.
Ludwig sneered and asked, “Shall I close the door?”
“You may. Then we will begin.”
Alyssa stood together with the rest of the students. They had an uneasy truce that in class they would simply ignore each other. But that was not a perfect solution by any means.
“Today you will form pairs and inspect each other's spell forms. You should be strict and thereby learn something yourself. Switch the role every quarter of an hour. I will assist where needed.”
Whispers accompanied the choosing.
“Come on. We did it together in the water class, why not here too?”
“Chrissy, come over! Don’t you dare choose Ludwig!”
Alyssa hoped for an uneven number of students so she did not have to choose someone but unfortunately, there were exactly twelve students in attendance.
Ludwig grinned at her. “Shall we?”
A small wrinkle showed between her brows as Alyssa nodded. “Might as well. Thank you for taking the initiative.”
The rest of the lesson was mostly practical in nature and they cast the protective spell formula before slowly drawing on the force of the void. Ludwig was highly skilled at this and was more interested in observing Alyssa’s progress.
“That does not look half-bad.” He inspected the whirling glyph cage that contained the void seed Alyssa had constructed. “Now you could use this energy relatively free of harm. But I would tighten up the Xan glyph here.” He pointed.
Alyssa felt as If she was trying to immerse herself in water but there was a thick membrane covering her. There was no coolness no feeling of cold ecstasy. It was highly dissatisfying. Like eating without tasting. And it was slow and powerless in comparison to Vanessa’s teachings. It was probably an illusion but she could feel the crystal warmed by her bodyheat and the tendrils brushing the inside of the cage.
After the class had ended the students hastily departed towards the mensa. Ludwig looked at the petite white-haired girl and asked, "Do you want to get lunch together?"
Alyssa looked up and seemed taken aback, "Nn...no thank you. I promised my friends I would meet them. Thanks for the offer." Then she quickly left the room. Ludwig grabbed his bag and nodded at the teacher before he leisurely exited too. Assistant Professor Carmen raised an eyebrow and shook her head in exasperation.
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The mensa.
During and after lunch, an outside observer looking from overhead into the mensa would have seen a situation like two magnets thrown into shavings of iron. Some oriented towards the one, some towards the other. Few were unaffected and the attraction and repulsion was strong.
On the one side was Carl Askander the ‘soon to be crown prince’ if you could believe his followers, on the other Lieseleta Ophelia von Margrinar, the last princess. The prince got about two-thirds of those that were decisive.
Cliques and groups with differing intentions formed inside those factions and some were amenable to changing sides, for a price.
Melissa stood beside the group belonging to Askander and had a fawning expression on her face while internally she would have liked to be anywhere but here. Vivienne had left her precise instructions. She was to become a member of the inner group around the prince and report as needed. She was highly doubtful that after all was said and done she would still be alive.
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In the training yard during ‘Sword One’ Lessons
Julia Parka von Ulms Wall, the teacher in attendance, rapped the smaller girl on the head with her wooden practice sword. “And you are dead. Again. And you were sloppy with your defense...again. I think it is too early for you to be sparring, you should still be practicing your standard movements.” She sighed irritably.
The rest of the class passed with most students engaged in sparring practice. Julia wandered in between and sometimes corrected and criticized errors with her sword. A rap here, a subtle jab there. In spite of the low temperatures, the students were sweating as they were finally let go. The sky was a cloudy blue and there was a steady wind.
The smaller girl was still practicing her forms a look of grim determination on her face. She had dark brown hair bound to a single braid draped across her shoulders and hanging to the middle of her back. She was probably of Andrian descent and had a darker complexion.
Mireille wiped the sweat from her brow and walked up to the stubborn girl silently regarding her efforts. After a short while she said, “You are Paula, am I right?”
The smaller girl stumbled and coughed before stabbing the longsword into the frozen ground and catching her breath while leaning on the impromptu cane. “Yes.” She gasped. “That’s me. Paula Assernaidis. Do you need something?”
“No, I only think that you are not as bad when you are practicing as when you are sparring.”
“Thanks, I guess?” Paula looked a bit confused. “And…?”
“I don’t think that it helps you much to be only doing solo practice. Want some help?”
The brown-haired girl tossed her braid back over her shoulder and looked at Mireille critically. “Out of the goodness of your heart? Or does it cost me something?”
“Don’t be so suspicious. I profit from training as much as the next person.”
“If you are sure…?” Paula drew out the question.
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“Come on. If I don’t move around I will freeze.”
That settled it for the still doubtful Andrian and they began to seriously spar together. Because of the cold weather, the ground was half-frozen and slushy, dirty snow lingered in the corners and on the grassy areas. Their breath steamed before their faces. The crack of wood hitting on wood sounded rhythmically.
When the sun touched the horizon they stopped. “Puh. That went well. Thank you!” Paula grinned while shaking out her cramped arms. “That helped a lot!” She rummaged in her pocket and unearthed some candy wrapped in oiled parchment. “Here, have some as a reward.”
Mireille laughed and took a few pieces. A small light bridge flared between her fingers and tore the cord wrapping the candy before she peeled and threw it into her mouth.
“How did you do this?” Paula looked envious.
“Practice.” Mireille looked smug.
“That can’t be it. I am very practiced with fire magic and cannot do it so easily!”
“I have a gate.”
“Oh!” Paula looked at her. “Were you born with it?”
“No, I was branded in Rivenlorn and that somehow gave me a gate and it's sort of instinctual now.” She admitted.
“Branded? How come you are here in the academy and not in the army?”
“That’s a long story and it is getting late. Meet again tomorrow after class?”
“Gladly. I will bring some more candy. Thanks again for your help!” Paula smiled and waved at her before they parted ways.
Several students greeted Mireille as she went back to the dorms putting a smile on the energetic girl's face.
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Lieseleta smiled and waved at the departing classmates and as they closed the door she deflated and let her head fall on the table in her luxurious dorm room. Alea, who was still sitting beside her, raised an eyebrow. “Tired?” Butler One stood behind her slightly to the side and in the shadows. The mask lifted and painted eyes followed the movements of the persons in the room. Jera stood beside the entrance.
“Not so much tired as mentally exhausted. I could probably walk a mile but if I have to persuade another person of the validity of my claim and hint at potential benefits I can and will scream. And then I will possibly faint.” the princess grimaced.
She turned her head and then raised herself up. “If the alternative wouldn’t be to leave Margrinar in the hands of a potential kinslayer and after the coronation of said person I would most likely be sold to the cyclops. Or the merfolk. Whatever is worse and brings the most benefit. Perhaps even Ulsolm could be made to pay for me. And that would be the most uncomfortable yet. I am lucky that aunt Heloise and the prime minister are so good in shoring up my faction.”
“My uncle and my grandmother do what they can. Even Max is trying to help you.” Alea patted the despondent princess on the upper arm comfortingly.
Lieseleta rubbed her forehead tiredly and then hugged Alea, “Thank you.” Her eyes were a bit red and she looked to the side. “I cannot fathom what happened to him in Sur Kesh. Carl was always a bit cold but we were the youngest siblings and got along well. He was funny in a dry sort of way. He could always make me laugh. And now I don’t know if the attempt on my life and my brothers’ was his doing. I could never have even imagined saying such a sentence. My father is livid. Carl got that coldness from him and the king will deliberate thoroughly before deciding anything but I think he genuinely loved his son, my brother. When there is evidence there will be a reckoning.”
Alea listened attentively. “The murder of my parents, the death of my grandfather...was probably instigated by my family. I cannot say it in public but you should know. The Nordmarks covet the lands near the mountains hoping for taxes when the Thundersplit Pass becomes more usable and riches in the form of ores and coal from the earth. When you say it like this it is far from unbelievable that your brother has changed.”
Outside a group of students passed and they heard their chatter and muted laughter through the closed windows.
“We should think about integrating sound dampening runes into the windows.” Alea mused. “We would not want to be overheard discussing sensitive matters.”
Lieseleta gave a tired smile. “Might be worth the effort. Jera?”
“I will inquire with the school, my princess.” Jera bowed her head.
“I could do it?” Alea raised her head dark hair swaying. “The necessary runes are not difficult. I would need engraving tools and sorcerer's ink. And some mana dust to prime the runes.”
Lieseleta looked surprised, “You can? I thought applied runic lore would be a subject for third years?”
“That may be true but I studied first with my grandfather and later on my own. There was not much else for me to do and I quite like runes and mechanisms.” Her small hand rubbed her chest where a clockwork heart whirred endlessly.
Later as she left the princess and walked back to the dorm she thought about it. Was she even alive? She had memories now. Memories of dying to the quarrel sent by the young man in that alley on that day. Her grandfather did something. He held her soul in the small clockwork spider while he repaired her body. Her grandfather was not a healer he was a scientist, a magician, a tinkerer and so he removed the defective piece and installed a new one. But for that to work... Her thoughts wandered about how he could create a mechanism that would run for years without being charged, without being maintained. There were other memories still but they were hazy and she had an impression of a knife’s blade hidden in mist and velvet. And she feared to grasp blindly because the cut would be deep and she had been hurt once already.
Butler One followed her, his steps merely soft thuds on the paved ground. His movements were nearly natural with just the slightest hitch when changing action patterns.
Other students regarded the two warily but one or two looked envious. Personal automatons were not unknown after all but because of large shortcomings were seldom used and expensive besides.
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After dark beyond the city walls in a certain cursed mansion.
Vanessa looked up from her work. She had been crafting runes in a somewhat cleaner room in the basement and was now charging them with power. She had forgone the use of mana dust and that was always much more difficult and time-consuming than the alternative.
Iseret leaned against the empty doorframe and looked at her with a slight smile on her face. The room had probably been a wine cellar once upon a time and four columns stood in a square connected by stone arches, empty stone shelves lined the walls. The small vampire was squatting in the middle and cut magical symbols into the stone with a claw of blackened ice.
Vanessa stood up and stretched like a cat. She seemed a bit irritated that she had to look up at the taller snake-girl.
“Do you really get back pain?” Iseret asked curiously.
“No. Not anymore. But before you ask- It is a pleasant sensation to stretch so I do it. What brings you into my humble cellar.”
“This cellar is humble indeed. Why don’t you move into the city? Orpen has not been seen in a while and divinations say he is either no longer in the city or even this world.”
Vanessa wiped some moisture from her cloak and answered, “I have grown fond of the mana-distortions around here. Scrying me is next to impossible and it also is quite defensible. And the void residues won't harm me.”
“I wanted to ask you if you needed anything and the girls would very much like to see you if you are free this weekend.”
“My very active social life thankfully has some vacancies this weekend. I will come to the townhouse- Don’t ask me to come to the academy other than in an emergency.” Vanessa raised an eyebrow.
“I was not going to. The academy staff I talked to had a pretty interesting story about a small person, probably a woman, breaking into the grounds at night shortly after the first assassination attempt. The mage I got the information from bragged he nearly killed you.” She grinned.
“Yes, yes. I was sloppy and had gotten caught.” Vanessa’s tone got softer. “I was worried about Alea.”
Iseret walked up to her and looked into her glowing eyes. “That’s adorable.”
“Stop that! Why are you even still here! You have given the message, and I will come. Shoo!” She gestured strongly.
“Do you really want me to leave so soon?”
Vanessa looked at the slit-yellow eyes and counted the fine scales framing them like the most delicate of inscriptions and became a bit flustered.
“Do what you want but I still have work to do in contrast to a certain very idle person.”
The smile on Iserets lips widened and she radiated silent amusement as she went to stand in a corner. “If you need me to do anything just ask.”
“This is difficult work. I have to align the gathering array with the ley lines beneath the house.”
“You know line-work?” Iseret looked impressed.
Vanessa straightened with subconscious pride, “Yes, I was tutored by the finest line-sculptors in the empire. My father, sadly, was always too busy to teach me but my mother sometimes had the time.”
She extended a claw of dark ice and cut another curving symbol into the stone. The ground had been smoothed and the stone blocks had been fused into a single great slab. On that space had been drawn a half-finished circle of magical runes. After the rune was finished a shimmer ran through the completed net of sigils and the room was illuminated with silver fire for a moment.
Iseret regarded the smaller girl and admired the play of light on her delicate features. Crossing her arms in front of her chest she leaned into the corner and the hood of her cloak shadowed her features as she settled in to wait.