Dinner started half an hour after afternoon classes ended. Since Professor Galina had ended the class after the final fight, Orrin had an hour total to explore. He didn’t have the time for a full investigation but Orrin wanted to see the library before he began implementing his plan. He pushed through the double doors and looked around.

The library dwarfed the bookstores in Dey. Shelves lined the walls, with more running the length of the long room, making aisles to either side of Orrin. A single long table sat directly in front of the doors, with easily forty chairs on each side. Orrin craned his neck down one of the aisles and saw another table a dozen yards of books away in each direction. A raised desk lorded over the head of the table, with a bored-looking man in his thirties. He didn’t look up from the book he was reading, his legs propped up to the side of his desk.

Orrin waited to see if he’d been spotted. When the man scratched his long nose and turned the page in his book, Orrin crept to his right. He began searching aimlessly through the stacks, trying not to be suspicious. A set of stairs at the northern end of the library led to a higher floor. His foot touched the first step. How many floors does the library cover?

There was a forced cough behind him. “Students are allowed on the first floor but need a professor’s permission to go upstairs.”

The man from the front desk stood behind Orrin, still holding his book in one hand and reading. When Orrin hesitated, brown eyes lifted from the page to stare at him. “Do you have a permission slip?”

“I don’t. Sorry, I didn’t know.” Orrin took a step back off the stairs. “I’m Casimir. I wanted to get a head start for my classes. I have Magical History and Surviving Spell Attacks tomorrow. I bought the books but wanted to see if there was anything else I should read to prepare.”

The man sighed and slipped a finger up to touch a spot of his book. He glanced up, bored and uninterested. “Novice classes like those don’t require second-floor access. You’re snooping. If you want information on a specific topic, you can ask me but you are wandering the library like you’re casing it for a robbery. What are you looking for?”

Orrin wanted a few different things but doubted this librarian was going to help him find most of the topics he needed to investigate. He needed to surreptitiously find books on slaves and collars. Orrin hadn’t given up on finding a way to free himself. He knew in his heart that Daniel would find a way to get to him but if he could escape on his own, his friend wouldn’t rub his kidnapping in his face quite as much. If he could figure out a way to attune the collar to himself or someone he trusted he might have a chance at getting it off. Of course, that would require finding someone he trusted in this crazy country.

I could ask for books on time or space magic, but I bet those kind of things aren’t exactly common knowledge or given to anyone. I need to figure out a way to stop Lord Sanerris if he attacks us again and Daniel’s space magic could use a boost. Orrin thought of the possibilities, trying to not fixate on the possibility of finding a way home.

He also wanted to study a few odds and ends regarding his own skill. If he could find a book or two that broke down a better way to use [Analyze], he could find a way to drill down more on his own mana production stats. While Orrin had succeeded in finding a way to display the maximum amount of mana he could run through in a day without killing himself, he knew there was way more. Somehow, Orrin had increased his maximum through exposure to extreme use. If he could use [Analyze] to figure out the formula or experience needed to increase his daily mana expenditure max, he could exploit the knowledge to the extreme. A never-ending river of magic to throw at enemies and monsters.

[Merge] and [Way of the Water] were two skills he definitely needed more information on, as well. How to find books on those skills without alerting anyone that he had them was going to be a trick. The way this librarian appeared behind him confirmed Orrin’s fear that students were tracked somehow in here. While Orrin doubted a book on different combinations of magic spells to use [Merge] on was going to be conveniently placed on the first shelf he checked, he was going to keep his eyes open. He was very glad he hadn’t grabbed the book Mordinia’s Favorite Fighting Skills now that he was being interrogated.

Finally, Orrin wanted to find some books on healing. What he’d learned in Dey was different from what the elves said about the field. After feeling Bellamy’s healing magic spread over his body, he was beginning to think this world’s entire health magic system revolved around throwing as much mana at a problem as they could in the hopes that something fixed itself. It wasn’t a terrible idea, but Orrin had some ideas from the not-so-insignificant amount of medical knowledge he’d picked up over the years from his mom.

None of those topics were safe to ask. If this guy told Graem, Orrin was screwed. He was a [Librarian] so Orrin used his big brain to deduce he probably worked here in the library. Anything he researched using another library helper was going to be reported on.

“I just got my ass handed to me in Battle Class,” Orrin started, feeling the kernel of truth morph into the lie he needed. “I wanted to see if there are any wind magic books that could help me get an edge.”

“Section C, row eighteen has wind magic books. My name is Harvey. Please come ask before you waste your and my time.” With that, Harvey walked off holding his book in front of his face. Orrin watched him narrowly avoid the table and bookshelves as he made his way back to his desk.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Orrin was careful to stay in section C, row eighteen for the next hour. He read his way down the entire shelf, pulling three books that looked interesting and helpful from their titles. Introduction to Blowing Away Your Enemies, Lift Up to the Sky, and Dartanan’s Windstorm. He sat down at the side table, out of sight of Harvey and started reading through Dartanan’s Windstorm.

To call this a book was generous, as Orrin counted no more than a hundred pages. The first dozen pages were filled with unconfirmed reports of classes that could gain the spell [Windstorm] or popular ways to unlock it. Unfortunately, Orrin didn’t have the requisite spell, [Wind]. He flipped through the pages but nothing else jumped out. He put it down and started the next book. Lift Up to the Sky contained a single sentence on [Gust].

An inferior version of [Wind], the variable cost is not worth the purchase.

Orrin pulled up [Wind] in the spell store.

[Wind]- push a target with the wind. 5 MP. -3 AP

It took Orrin a minute to figure out the difference, as none of the books so far had said why [Wind] was better. It can’t be that [Wind] pushes a target and [Gust] pushes the wind. Semantics aside, that would be stupid.

Orrin continued to read the book for another few pages before giving up. He pushed the two books away and started Introduction to Blowing Away Your Enemies.

Finally.

The book was also a primer on [Wind] but had two chapters on [Gust] and the best ways to use it. Some of the things mentioned in the book, like increasing the magical vector’s prime or focusing the amulae of mana into a cascading return made Orrin’s head hurt. He didn’t understand the phrases but got the general thrust. [Gust] could be used in attacks and in a lot of interesting ways but it was so mana-intensive that most mages didn’t explore it. [Wind] was better studied, better documented, and all-around… better.

Not that Orrin cared. He’d bought [Gust] because it was cheap. In his next fight, he was going to equip a [Wind Ward] or [Fire Ward] or whatever ward he needed to dominate. It wasn’t that he needed the chit or had to pass the class. Orrin for the first time in his life was strong and had the option to use it. Daniel wasn’t here to protect him and he was going to start using his wards to their full potential.

He snapped the books shut and returned them to their spots on the shelves. He waved at Harvey as he left, despite receiving no acknowledgment in return. His message to Anabella that night was short and to the point.

Lost in Battle Class but made first contact with Finley.

Orrin’s second day at school started off low-key. The new students were still skittish and the older students didn’t try to stir the pot too much. He ate breakfast with Ellis, who was talking about his first class. Orrin listened to every other word.

Finley nodded to him as he passed with a tray of food.

“How do you know Finley Madvarr?” Ellis stopped talking about his class to stare. “Who are you, Casimir?”

“What do you mean?” Orrin put another scoop of the porridge in his mouth. On Earth, he’d eaten oatmeal but the creamy breakfast was quickly becoming his favorite. He pinched a bit more brown sugar in. “We have a class together, that’s all.”

“Willa Cohee tries to get you on a date right after orientation. You get the acknowledgment of Madvarr,” Ellis said, holding up two fingers. “You were shown to your room by Professor Wren before classes started.”

Orrin choked on his porridge. He dropped his spoon into his bowl. “Are you spying on me, Ellis?”

The younger boy’s eyes darted left then right. He leaned in. “I won’t tell. How do you know so many powerful people?”

Orrin picked up his spoon and finished his breakfast. “Professor Wren was the only person awake when I arrived. Me and Madvarr are in Battle Class together and he helped me after I got my ass kicked yesterday. I don’t know or care about Willa Cohee. Does that answer your questions?”

Orrin could tell Ellis didn’t fully believe him but he dropped it. He hurried to his first class of the day, Magical History.

The less Orrin had to say about the class, the better.

Professor Quinn read from the assigned book. After two chapters, he put a bookmark in and walked out of the classroom without ever talking to the students.

Orrin was the only one surprised, as the other students were already up and moving out. The entire class was thirty minutes long.

“This class is a waste of time.”

Orrin turned at the door. A woman in her early twenties was talking with a boy about Orrin’s age. He was putting his copy of the class book into a bag and following after her.

“It’s a prerequisite, Iona. I can’t take any of the… can I help you?” the man stopped talking to his friend and stared pointedly at Orrin, still blocking the doorway.

“Sorry,” Orrin apologized, moving to the side. “I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who thought that was a weird class. I’m Casimir. Nice to meet you.”

The woman slid in front and crossed her arms. “My name is Iona. It was nice to meet you, Casimir, now leave.”

“Iona, don’t be rude,” the man said, exasperated. “I apologize for Iona. She takes her job of protecting me too seriously. I’m Rhys. Are you also a novice? This class might be dreadful but I’m told it unlocks many other classes we can take.”

Orrin pushed his joy down, trying not to smile. Two for two. He’d already made contact with two of his targets on the first day. How lucky was he? “Yeah, it’s my first semester. No apology needed. Nice to meet you both.”

Iona glared at him. If she was from Earth, Orrin would have pegged her as Indian. Her hair pulled back into a tight braid and winged makeup along her eyes, she hovered over Orrin like she’d attack if he tried to move in too close.

Rhys was not what Orrin had expected. When Anabella had described him, she’d given the impression of a weak boy kept prisoner by his mother. Rhys wasn’t tall but he was solid. His loose outfit couldn’t hide the muscles rippling underneath and his bright white smile stood out against his dark skin. Rhys’s friendly demeanor and total confidence in talking with him made Orrin second guess his plans for approaching this target. He needed to get away and rethink his strategy.

“We were going to go get some lunch around the corner, Casimir,” Rhys called out as Orrin tried to make a quick escape. “Would you like to come with us?”

Orrin cursed. He wasn’t sure how much leeway the collar gave him but he wasn’t going to test it out on the first full day of classes. He needed to find Graem and get a clear answer on how far from the school he could go.

“That would be amazing, but I have to meet a friend,” Orrin answered and said a silent thanks to Ellis for making plans already. “How about after the next class?”

“It’s a date.” Rhys smiled. He had a really handsome smile.

Orrin beat a hasty retreat to the cafeteria.