“In first place Team Leo with 34 points. In second place Team Slatany with 33 points. In third place Team Emokha with 30 points. In fourth place Team Lring with 26 points. In fifth place Team Kentare with 12 points. In sixth place Team Elame with 5 points.” The headmaster paused, rechecking the numbers.
“Now for the special team awards. Team Leo gets 3 points for their superlative teamwork. Team Slatany gets 4 points for continuing to function fantastically while their leadership was indisposed. Team Lring gets 5 points for their deft navigation of the evolving tactical environment and calculated aggression. Team Elame gets 10 points for risk-taking.”
He looked at the group serenely before moving on. “That makes the final ranking: Team Leo and Team Slatany are tied for first place at 37 points each. Team Lring takes third place at 31 points. Team Emokha takes fourth place with 30 points. Team Elame is in fifth place with 15 points, and Team Kentare is in sixth place with 12 points. Excellent work everyone!” There was a round of applause.
“We also have a few special individual commendations. These do not contribute to team scores but will go into individual student files. A commendation goes to Jate for his impressive rampage across the battlefield. Another goes to Elame for not playing it safe despite not having a combat-specific ability. And the third goes to Liuka for most improved participant.” Another round of applause.
“Khongratulations Liukha.”
“Well…thank you…but you got screwed!” She was obviously torn.
“Perhaps it was to be exhpekhted.”
“But…”
“Excuse me Ladies.” It was Biur. “Lady Liuka, congratulations on your commendation. Lady Emokha, the headmaster would like to speak to you. If you would come this way please?”
Emokha’s stare lowered the temperature by two degrees in a five foot radius, but she moved to comply. “I will rejoin you as soon as I am able Liukha. Enjoy the party.”
“Hurry back! We need to talk.”
“Of course.” A subtle gesture sent Oresus tagging along behind Liuka rather than following Emokha with Gloe. None of them were going to trust Elame not to try something, despite all the favoritism she’d just been shown.
When she arrived the headmaster was sitting at a table. Mako and Piestro were also there. That boded well. “Welcome my dear, please, have a seat.” Emokha took the proffered chair. It didn’t really have room for her wings so she was forced to lean forward slightly.
“First off my dear, let me congratulate you. You performed quite well for a first year. After a few years of polish we look forward to great things from you.”
Emokha had no response to that, or at least not one she was going to voice at the moment. After a slightly awkward pause the headmaster continued undaunted. “However, I must say, we find ourselves concerned by several aspects of your conduct, and we wanted to address them with you. First, it seems to us you have been perilously anti-social. Part of the purpose of this academy is to promote comity and comradery. Relying on your…bodyguards…rather than making common cause with your fellow students defeats that purpose, and such an attitude could have dangerous effects on the battlefield.”
Again Emokha stayed silent, blinking occasionally as she listened. “Ahem, yes, well, the point is that we urge you to try to befriend your fellows. It is critical to succeeding here and in life more generally.”
When she didn’t respond to that either Mako jumped in. “Additionally your tactics in the latter half of the match were questionable. Going into hiding for the remainder of the exercise was not exactly a shining display of courage.” His tone was slightly acidic, but it didn’t provoke a response.
“Yes quite, quite. Perhaps next time you might consider more bold tactical choices. Moving on. Piestro?”
“Of course. Most alarming to us was the testimony of Jate. He said that when he copied your ability he was overcome with uncontrollable rage. We are extremely troubled by the dual revelations that your ability is so hazardous and that you failed to disclose this. As your teachers and mentors this is something you should have brought to us immediately, and as those responsible for your safety and the wellbeing of the other students even more so.”
Cocking her head curiously Emokha continued to simply blink and watch. “Ah yes, quite. Overall then those are our notes for improvement. Ahem. Yes.” He paused, then continued on. “For the time being we would like you to promise not to use your ability until we can ensure it is safe for you and those around you. We’re going to assign you to a special class on controlling your ability and emotions. We’re also to schedule regular sessions with a psychologist. We believe this is the best course forward for all involved, especially given all the traumas you’ve suffered. We wouldn’t want to let something fester, eh?” He settled back in his chair.
“Ah. Thankh you for informing me.” Emokha stood. “Ah, my dear…” her retrograde was sufficiently swift that they couldn’t be certain she had heard them, and apparently raising their voices or chasing after her was below their dignity.
“I presume you heard?” she asked softly.
“You want me to kill them?”
“Not at this time. But we will need to khonsider our options. Diskhreetly.”
...
The tone of the party was somewhat discordant. The tables where Team Slatany sat were subdued at best. Elame and most of her team had ditched at the earliest possible opportunity. Team Lring was merry enough but they were careful to avoid getting too close to Emokha’s table. Team Kentare had broken up, the individual members mingling as they pleased. Only Team Leo was celebrating without constraint.
In fact Leo himself seemed oblivious to the drama behind the scenes. He circled around the entire room, congratulating everyone in a way that seemed genuine. Only after making certain he had talked to everyone did he go back and spend time partying with his group.
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Once he left Emokha’s table was fairly quiet. Liuka was still uncertain how she should be feeling so she was busying herself with her food. Oresus was simply resting, enjoying the novelty of napping in a chair instead of against a wall. Gloe and Emokha had quite a bit to discuss but without ever vocalizing it they had decided the current venue was not the best place.
The next time Liuka and Oresus went for drink refills an unknown woman approached the table, as if she had been waiting for an opportunity. She was dressed formally but elegantly, and had an air of self-assurance and purpose. “Lady Emokha, may I sit with you for a time?”
Emokha didn’t answer right away. “Of khourse you are welkhome to sit if you have need of a chair. I do not know who you are though.”
“My apologies.” She didn’t seem particularly sorry, but she smiled quite nicely. “My name is Felsora. I’m your new contact with Constellation now that Conrad has returned to the border.”
“What precisely is the role of a khontakht with Khonstellation?”
Felsora looked at her penetratingly, then nodded. “I understand from Conrad and other sources that you are not entirely happy with your circumstances here. As your contact it’s my job to try to do something about that, one way or another. Constellation discovered you, if you will, and sponsored you at the academy. We want to foster a mutually beneficial relationship with you and help smooth your path going forward. In return we hope you will consider continuing your association with us once you have become a full-fledged licensed sojourner.”
“I see. Thankh you for exhplaining.”
When she didn’t go on Felsora bulled forward. “So I suppose the real question is: how can I help you? What do you need? You did fairly well during this exercise but obviously there is ample room for improvement.”
“Thankh you for khontakhting me. I am still khondukhting my after-akhtion review however.”
Again Felsora waited for her to continue, then sighed softly when she did not. “Very well. I do not like to be overly direct, but you leave me little choice. Clearly you are unhappy. What do you want? What are your goals?”
“I wish to be free to depart. I have not made a sekhret of this.”
“But to depart where, for what purpose?”
“I am uncertain why that is relevant, but I will indulge you. My people have been attackhed and are khurrently at war. I would likhe to rejoin and aid them.”
“But that’s simply not possible.” She hurried on. “You have to be realistic and take into account things as they really are, not as you’d like them to be. I understand your need for home, for a place to belong, but you have to face facts. For one thing there is no guarantee your tribe even still exists, and if there are survivors they almost certainly have fled far from your former territory, or been absorbed by other tribes.”
“For another, there simply is no route back to your forest. Trade used to be conducted through Laukis’ territory, but all those paths are closed to you now. For better or worse you cannot return at the moment, but you are safe here. Why not make the best of things? Take your training seriously, graduate with honors, and then join Constellation. I can ensure you are assigned to the teams fighting against the demons. You can help re-open the roads to your homeland.”
“A dekhade or so from now.” Emokha’s voice was flat.
“It’s a terrible tragedy, but wishing it weren’t so won’t change things. This may be a world of magic but it is not a fairy tale, as much as some may wish it were otherwise. I know you’re feeling put-upon and constrained, but the truth is you don’t have a lot of options. You need to make the most of the opportunities you do have.”
“It has bekhome inkhreasingly khlear that I will be allowed no choices.”
“You’re exaggerating. I understand why you’re upset, but you need to be clear-headed about this. Look at…”
“If I have freedom than I choose to return home” Emokha broke in. “If a direkht route no longer exhists than I will takhe a more circuitous one. It is unlikhely it will takhe longer than five years.”
“You do have freedom, but you need to face the truth. There is no route. Not direct, not indirect. To the north is the Deep Wyld. The monsters there would tear you apart quicker than the demons would. It stretches far to the north, so to bypass it you would have to pass through several other nations, all of which would be leery of allowing an untrained sojourner travel through willy-nilly. And none of those nations have a border with Laukis, so when you got stuck you would no longer have the option to fight him.”
“Try to see this from the king’s perspective. He’s in the middle of a war, and he can’t afford to let you throw your life away. You aren’t that high leveled compared to our professional adventurers but you are higher than our students and you already have some limited combat experience. If you died it would be an enormous waste. Worse, that experience would be passed onto your killer. He can’t have a demon, a monster or even a neighbor’s sojourner acquire even that small boost.”
“So he will not allow me to leave, regardless of how khompelling my reasoning is.”
“Can’t you see, your reasoning is built on fantasies. Like it or not you are here, and this is the only place you can actually make a difference. But only if you accept that it’s time to become part of something bigger. This is too big for anyone to deal with alone. Only together can we accomplish something of value.”
Emokha was silent. Felsora sighed. “I’m not trying to belittle you. It’s not fair, and I certainly understand longing for home. But this is the way things are. All you’re really seeing right now are the downsides, and those are real, but they’re only half the picture. If you try to see the other side of things you’ll realize you actual have a bright future ahead of you. Try opening up to your classmates instead of antagonizing them. Listening to your teachers instead of defying them. Even heroes and demon lords can’t go it alone, but working together we can accomplish amazing things.”
“You are not an object but you are not a nobody anymore either. Like it or not, in this world you are an important person, just by virtue of being a sojourner. You need to accept that, no, embrace it. Stop looking backwards and charge forward. There’s so much you can accomplish with the right attitude, a little training and some cooperation. What are you getting done right now? Has your recalcitrance gotten you anywhere? Are you any closer to your goals? Sometimes the only way forward is through.”
More silence, but this time she forced a smile. “I can see this isn’t entirely persuasive. Perhaps the trauma is still too recent. Tell you what, I’m going to talk to the headmaster. The academy has a summer break, and I hear no one is quite certain what to do with you for it. I’ll make certain you have permission to stay at my estate then. We can talk and train. I’ll introduce you to some of your senior sojourners. If you have sufficient context and testimony I’m sure you’ll see that I’m right. You can go into your second year swinging. Okay?”
Emokha blinked. Felsora’s smile became a tad more brittle. “Then it’s settled! Looking forward to it. I’ll contact you with the details after we’ve worked everything out.” She got up. “Enjoy the rest of the party, and congratulations again.” She smiled again and walked away.
The twitch of a claw motioned Gloe over. “Did you khatch all that?”
“Jah. How much of it are you buying?”
“Very little. It lookhs likhe we may need you to takhe that little trip after all.”
“I’m game, but you two will have to watch yourselves. How are you going to explain my absence?”
“I will say nothing. It is unlikhely they will thinkh it within their dignity to takhe notice of you. If askhed I will say you are rekhuperating from injuries inkhurred during the exhercise.”
“Okay. I’ll make sure I bleed some as I’m leaving tonight.”
“That is not necessary. It matters not whether they believe me or not as long as the pretense is khredible.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I do not thinkh this attitude is entirely healthy, but I will move on. I should have the necessary materials prepared before the holiday is khonkhluded. I will have Ori bring them to you.”
“Sounds good. I can be ready by then.”
“Also, Ori will probably have a reqhuest for you. I will not pressure you to oblige him, but I thinkh it is a worthwhile use of time.”
“Tch.” If any of the sojourners present noticed the aberration bodyguard aiming dual fingerguns at Emokha they never said anything.