"Oh! I love that book!"

Fiona jumped at the random voice and looked up to see Matius walking over quickly. He leaned down and she held up the cover.

He nodded satisfied. "I thought so! Avicus's Travels of the World, that’s a personal favorite of mine. Passion for geography, eh?"

Fiona was unable to hold back a look of disgust and Matius's smile dropped. "No? Ah well, I'm afraid my boys don't share a love for it either. May I?"

She handed the book over and he flipped through it. He paused at a chapter frowning for a moment and then nodded. "Ah, yes. I'd forgotten I had an expanded copy. The chapters on Aziron are quite sparse in the original."

"Aziron...that's the mage country, isn't it?"

Matius held up a finger. "Ding! Correct! Wonderful place, white beaches, great seafood and of course the Arch Mage's island. I used to live there you know."

Fiona's eyes widened. "You lived in Aziron? I thought only Azir were allowed."

Matius laughed, handing her back the book. "I will admit it's pretty homogenous."

"Homogenous?"

"It means 'all of the same', I was a bit of a black sheep. I was adopted by...well by an Azir. I'd still be there now if I had never met Jayln. I do miss the ocean sometimes though...and the traveling. I did a lot of travelling in those days."

"Did you even come to Valhym?"

Fiona felt a bit homesick herself. Matius sat down and Vai, sensing the lesson had been unrepairable interrupted yet again, settled into his own book, preparing for lessons of the future.

"A few times. Bit cold for my tastes. I spend most my travels in Solis or Dyve."

"Dyve?"

Matius frowned. "Yes, the country north of..." He trailed off. "Oh right, I forgot the borders have changed. What's it called now, land above the original Valhym, up to the west coast?"

Fiona furrowed her brows and reopened the book, pointing at a spot on a map that had not been in Matius's copy. "Dorvaad?"

"Yes. That," Matius said a bit sadly. "My how things have changed. Why, look, there's our little valley! Not much of Solis left before we are in Valhym like the others."

Fiona traced the dotted border. She glanced about carefully and whispered, "Mother says Solis is already over and they shouldn't have bothered to make this map. She said by the end of the year, the map will look like this."

She flipped a few pages until a hand drawn map stuck out. On it was a detailed tracing of En's geography except only three countries were listed. Valhym's bold black name scrawled against most of the mainland. Only two western peninsulas remained: Aziron and Mara.

"So kind of her to leave Aziron on the map," Matius muttered dryly. He pressed the paper back into place and gently shut the book. "Best keep that one a secret for now."

Fiona watched his face carefully. She wasn't sure what, but she learned something then. Even though she'd upset Matius, a bit on purpose to be honest, she found she was liking him more and more. He reminded her a bit of her father on his best days. Just the idea made her eyes water.

Although she thought she was hiding it, Matius placed a hand on her shoulder. "What's this? What ever is the matter? I didn't upset you, did I?"

She shook her head. "No. Sorry, I just..." She was about to confess her homesickness but then pictured her mother's fierce gaze and shrugged off the hand. "Nothing. I'm fine. Excuse me, but I should get back to studying."

Matius paused concerned for a moment but then stood up. "Yes, sorry for interrupting. I'm just off to see your uncle. Good day!"

He shuffled off. It was so hard to picture that girl as the daughter of Lyra, the Iron Queen on Valhym. They may look similar, but there was a soft kindness to Fiona that she struggled to hide. Frankly it broke Matius's heart.

The mage shook the thoughts of Fiona out of his mind and rapped on Fenrin's door. "Fen, you in?"

"Around back!"

Matius walked around the house to find Fenrin shirtless, chopping a large dead tree into pieces. Gnarled scars crossed over every few inches of skin, but they still didn't totally hide the black wolf locked in combat with a raging bear tattooed on his front.

"Hard at work I see."

The splitting crack of wood punctuated the sentence and Fenrin wiped some sweat off his neck with his shirt, which had been abandoned in the dirt.

"I need some advice," Fenrin said bluntly, sitting on a rock and offering its neighbor to his friend who took it.

"Tryst said as much. What's on your mind?"

"They're still out by the river, right?"

"They? Oh! Fiona and Vai. Yes, they are. I had a little chat about geography on my way over."

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Good. Good," Fenrin said distractedly. "It's about Vai. I lost it with him today. Had a bit of an episode. Luckily Fiona didn't see."

"Lost it? He seemed fine to me."

Fenrin let out a half-hearted chuckle. "You've never been observant. Tryst saw him for barely a wink and noticed his face was bruised. You sit and have a conversation and never see a thing."

"Well, I was talking with Fiona to be fair. So you hit him?"

"Yeah. He gave me a look and I just...he gets to me. I don't know if it's because he's Lyra's or if it's the man himself."

Matius nodded. "What kind of look?"

Fenrin looked up, meeting Matius's warm blue eyes. He waved a hand, trying to articulate. "He's so...compliant but also resentful."

"Not hard to imagine given the circumstances," Matius remarked and Fenrin shook his head.

"No, it's not like that. It's not that he's angry he's here. I'd get that. It's almost more like he's angry that he's angry to be here. Like he's mad about not being perfect. Makes it bloody hard to apologize."

"Did you?"

Fenrin gave a half smile. "Managed the best I could. Got him to shake my hand in front of Fiona even though it nearly killed him to do it. Barely had the words out before he was scraping, bowing, and taking the blame. Still, I managed to do him a favor despite himself. I couldn't tell him I wanted to do something to make up, he'd never accept that, so I asked him what he needed for Fiona. Now I'm going to have to teach the girl swordplay, but it was the best I could do."

"That was both clever and kind," Matius said, "but I have to admit, I still am having a hard time understanding what upset you in the first place. Vai does have a grating streak of blind obedience, even I've noticed that. I could see how that could be irritating."

Fenrin stood up and started pacing. "It's more than that. I mean that's always bothered me and I think even more so now that..." he stumbled but then continued quickly and through gritted teeth, "now that I've been there. But the way he—"

"Wait. Wait, back up. What do you mean?" Fenrin gave Matius a pained look but his friend urged him on, "Tell me so I can help. Whatever happens you know Jayln and I are here for you."

Fenrin ran a hand through his hair and breathed deep, shutting his eyes as he continued, "When...when I was with her. I was like Vai. It's more than blind obedience, it's like a drug. It's the only thing that gives you meaning. Please and you're happy, failure regardless of reason is the worst pain. It's a shame that mars your sense of worth. It's sick and he does it of his own accord!"

His voice was shaking and rising slowly. "I hit him because he looked resentful and that wasn't his place then after he looked so pathetic. It should've made me feel powerful—it did in a way— but there was satisfaction in his eyes too. Like he'd tricked me into making his world right. Like he'd asked for it and was satisfied. And to be pulled into that twisted game again...I could've killed him, I was so horrified."

Fenrin pressed fists into his temples. "I ran. Power lust took over and I regressed, imagining beating him into place. After I regained myself, it wasn't...it wasn't the bloodlust that scared me. It was the other bit. That he had so easily drawn me back in. He makes me worse because he wants me to be worse, expects it, needs it."

He opened his eyes, turning to a concerned Matius. "And I can feel it, Matius, one of us is going to crack. We're like two drunkards, one who's been abruptly cut off and one who's fought to resist for years...and to each other we're the drink. I'd blame Lyra, but I honestly think there was no way she'd know the damage she's causing. It would make her day if she did, but she couldn't have known."

He slumped back down onto the lump of grey stone, the same color streaked through his hair.

"You really think you can't coexist?" Matius asked.

Fenrin shook his head. "Not like this. His twisted relationship with Lyra is all he has. He won't be able to break free and I'm...I'm too weak."

"You are not," Matius said in such a commanding and firm tone it made Fenrin start. "It's yet another ridiculously challenging hurdle for you, but the moment you say it's impossible, it is.” He paused. "However, it's a hurdle I think we can walk around instead of over. The trick here, I believe, is in not your head, but Vai's."

"Careful, Matius. You're not going to like what you find there. Tryst already offered that and I didn't bother to warn him since it wouldn't do any good. I know Vai, he lives for Lyra and Lyra alone. He's only here because she asked. I don't think he even has any affection for Fiona."

Fenrin gestured towards the river limply. "Yet another problem. No matter how we crash, Fiona's going to get hurt and that kills me. She doesn't deserve any of this. She's just a kid with an insane mother who's been locked up for years so her mother's enemies won't poison her damn food!"

Matius winced. "Yes, Fiona has not blossomed in a kind world but I think you're right when you say she's not her mother. I can only believe her time here will do her good."

"She deserves better," Fenrin repeated, "better than Lyra, better than Vai, and better than me."

There was a sharp snap. The air pulsated and in a spark of light an apple dropped from thin air above Fenrin's head, plopping on his hair and rolling off his shoulder into his lap.

"Hey!" Fenrin protested, rubbing his head.

Matius pointed a stern finger. "None of that now. You are better. Don't sell yourself short—I think you are exactly what that girl needs. Someone who understands her world but also knows that this one is better. Someone who knows exactly what pains he's sparing her from. Even if she becomes a saint, she will always be Lyra's daughter. You know better than anyone what it's like to have a parental legacy like that. You're her beacon, a member of her own bloodline who made it out. That's an inspiration, Fenrin, don't forget it."

Fenrin bit into the apple. It was sour and tangy, just like every apple Matius had summoned on to his self-hating noggin over the years. Matius stood up and put his hands on his hips. "As for Vai, I'll give it a try, heedless of your warning. After all, let's be honest. It can't possibly go worse than when I picked your brain."

They both laughed a bit darkly. That had been a disaster, not to mention a bit more literal. Fenrin stood as well. "True. Though if you did use that method, I'll warn you I don't think your wife would approve of the show."

Matius gagged. "Goodness, no. That mental image was more than enough, thanks for that," he said dryly before changing the subject. "Now you mentioned swordplay?"

Fenrin bent over, picking up a limb he'd hacked off the tree, examining it expertly. "Yes, I'd refused at first because I figured Lyra wanted it but guess I'm stuck now. Besides, she's going to need to know how to defend herself and it's best we don't teach her the village way."

Nodding Matius, looked thoughtful. "I don't suppose she could learn magic?"

Fenrin began breaking the smaller twigs of the bough. "Doubtful. Bryn only gave Lyra and I a small bit. I learned a few tricks, but never had the knack. Lyra did, and she could never do anything big. She would have if she could."

"Mmm and even with my help, she wouldn't get far without a source." Matius shrugged. "Swords it is. Well, if you want, I'm sure Jayln would teach her the bow if she needs more to do."

"I'll let you know. Thanks, Matius."

"Best of luck to you, Fen." Matius vanished, his form blown away in the wind that was flowing gently towards the village, carrying the Arch Mage apprentice back to his family.