She set down a steaming cup in front of me.

Breale and I sat around the small table in the centre of the room, cross-legged thanks to the complete lack of chairs. Gideon sat on the bed behind us with our luggage, looking mightily peeved.

“Do you drink dwaran?” The girl asked.

I smiled and took a sip.

“I do, thank you.”

She nodded and sat down in front of me.

“So.” My new roommate said. “Why don’t we do that again?”

“Eh, thanks.” I took a deep breath. “So you’re an [el-!”

I yelped as Breale’s hand impacted with the back of my head.

“What?!”

“Really?” She asked. “You’re starting with nonsense again?”

“It’s important!”

She doesn’t even know what that word means, Ryder. Gideon yawned. Elves are not a thing here.

“I’m Lmeri.” The girl interrupted. “As human as the rest of you.”

Thankfully, my new roommate didn’t seem particularly offended by my outburst. Instead she seemed almost amused, as if it was far from the worst she’d seen.

“I’m so sorry.” Breale bowed her head quickly. “Saphry can be thick-skulled sometimes. I’m Breale, by the way. Breale Mav-”

“Maverick, I’ve heard your name a few times on the rumour mill.” A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “I’m Hosi, and as you can tell, my ancestery’s Mistren.”

Mistre, eh? So that’s where all the [elves] lived… wait, wasn’t Andril’s fiance from there? This might even be her relative, which certainly wouldn’t be a bad connection for Saphry to have after I left. There certainly couldn’t be that many foreign nationals walking around in Minua.

“I’m Saphry Astrian, of Summark.” I said, careful not to start saying ‘Ryder’ this time. “Do you by any chance know Amelia Allarv?”

Hosi frowned.

“Why do you assume I know her? I never said I was from Mistre. I’ve spent way more time with my family in Doux-Burgund than that monarchal hellscape.”

“Monarchal…” I grinned. “A republican then?”

Could this be ‘my people’? A fellow lover of freedom?

“Of course! And I’m not afraid to say it.” Hosi met my eyes, obviously daring me to object. “The ancient traditions of the republic are far superior to the rule of tyrants.”

We stared at each other for a long minute. Beside me Breale and Gideon looked like they were watching a car crash in real time, caught off guard as they were from Hosi’s sudden tone shift.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I reached forward to grab her shoulders.

“Saphry?” Breale whispered.

“I’ve been waiting so long.” I said. “To listen to another sane person.”

Ryder?!

“Saphry?”

…

“And he didn’t even get charged!” I giggled. “He just abdicated and had his replacement pardon him! Lord, the newspapers still compare everything to it.”

Hosi laughed.

“That’s nothing! You should’ve seen Arton when Councillor DeNule brought his mistress into the cabinet. You’d think he threatened to kill someone!”

I joined her in laughter as I imagined the outcry that must’ve erupted from that. It seemed to me that some things didn’t change no matter what planet you were on.

“I hate to, uh, interrupt.” Breale said from beside me. “But shouldn’t we be getting some sleep? I was told there were classes tomorrow.”

Hosi and I glanced towards the window, and I was surprised to find that it was pitch black outside. Had we really talked that long? It only felt like half an hour!

“By the Star, I hadn’t realised it’d gotten so late!” Hosi cried. “We’ll miss homeroom at this rate. Why don’t we head to bed now? I can help you guys finish unpacking tomorrow after class.”

Breale sighed with relief.

“Thank you.”

I stood up with the rest of them and faced Gideon on the top bunk behind me.

“You don’t mind if I take the top, do you Bre-” I stopped as I turned around to look at her.

She looked idly back, halfway through taking off her shirt.

I jerked my head back towards the bed, my cheeks burning bright red.

“Saps? You alright?”

What had I possibly expected! Of course this was going to come up! You couldn’t share a room without this happening! [Christ], I’d been so stupid!

Ryder, get a hold of yourself. You’re making it weird.

“Weird?!” I moved a hand up to block my peripheral as I hissed at the drake. “How the [fuck] could this not be weird! This is illegal! God, I’m a criminal!”

It was wrong, so wrong! It was little better than just sneaking into a locker room!

“Oh?”

I froze as Breale appeared behind my shoulder, way closer than I was currently comfortable with.

“Is something wrong?” She asked. “Are you not used to seeing a human body?”

I practically jumped out of my skin as I scrambled up into the top bunk, all the time averting my eyes.

“What the hell! Are you some kind of pervert?” I cried. “Go get changed in the bathroom or something!”

Breale giggled madly.

“I never knew you were so pure! How has this never come up before? Are you sure you don’t want to share a bed?”

“H-how degenerate are you?” I sputtered. “Do you have no shame?”

“It’d be more shameful to use the bathroom.” I could hear a smile in Breale’s voice. “Seeing as we share one with the entire hall.”

“The entire…”

“Doesn’t Verol use public bathing houses?” Hosi asked. “Shouldn’t you be used to nakedness by now?”

I felt the blush return even stronger.

“N-nakedness? I’ve always had a private bath!”

From as long as I could remember, Saphry had always had her own bathroom and space. Though the memories of her time in Andorlin were fuzzy, I think I would remember if something like a naked bath had ever come up. That wasn’t really a nugget of information you’d be likely to forget!

Nor did I have much experience with such things back on Earth. The farthest I’d gotten with the one girlfriend I’d ever had was a kiss, and that was back in high school. Juggling magic, a part time job, and school didn’t really leave much time for anything else.

I stiffened as I heard a creak on the bed behind me.

“How privileged!” Breale said. “Maybe you need extra lessons?”

I felt every hair raise on my neck as I felt her hand touch my arm. Finding that to be too much for my senses, I whirled around to push her away only to realise that she was fully dressed again in a long nightgown.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“You… You degenerate little.. [Fuck] off!”

Breale laughed as she fended off my half-hearted fists, only stopping when I brought a pillow around to hurl into her face. She lost her balance and tumbled backwards, landing on the floor below with a yelp.

“Aren’t you going to change too, Saphry?” Hosi asked, ignoring Breale’s quiet curses. “In fact, why are you wearing that travelling getup in the first place? Didn’t you bring a uniform? And what’s with the tiara?”

I frowned as I remembered that little problem.

“Eh, no actually. I’ll have to buy one tomorrow. And the tiara’s a long story.”

“Ah, that won’t do, will it? You’ll be late for homeroom.” Hosi fell silent for a second. “Why don’t you just take one of mine? You can return it later.”

“You don’t mind? That’d be great.”

Hosi nodded.

“I’ll lay some out then. Now, why don’t we get some sleep? You have a long day tomorrow.”

As if on cue, I felt a yawn break out of my lips as a wave of exhaustion washed over me. I slumped down over my remaining pillow, not seeing a need to take my travelling clothes off. That’d be a worry for tomorrow’s me.

“I suppose that’d be best. Good night Hosi, Bre.”

…

I jolted up in the top bunk breathing like a freight train, adrenaline pulsing through my veins. The vaguest hints of memory seemed to bubble up in the depths of my mind, revealing nothing more than a deep unease.

My breathing remained quick as I looked around, finding nothing out of the ordinary. Had it just been a bad dream? The only problem with that was that I didn’t remember having anything of the sort. I probably just felt a chill or something.

Gideon stirred at the end of the bed and raised his head to look at me.

Bad dream? The demon again?

I shook my head, now wide awake.

“No, It’s…”

Actually, I haven't had any dreams for a while now, have I? No memory transfers, no demons, no anything really. They had just stopped at some point during the trip, and I hadn’t even noticed in the rush we were in at the end of it. That was probably significant, wasn’t it?

I probably just needed some fresh air, that was all. It’d be easier to calm down if I could talk with Gideon.

I glanced at the bunk across from me as I slid my legs over the side, only to find that Hosi’s bunk was empty.

Strange. It was a bit early to be awake, wasn’t it?

Finding that Breale was still playing her game of blanket twister on the bottom bunk, I gestured towards the door for Gideon.

That important? By the Star, you’re lucky I don’t need sleep.

I climbed down carefully and put on the uniform carefully laid out on the tea table, not seeing any point in walking around in my pyjamas. I’d seen way too many movies and TV shows to risk a scene like that.

We crept out, closing the door with a small click behind us. Gideon plodded beside me as we walked down the hallway, his wing still covered in bandages.

“It was just a bad feeling.” I said. “Not sure what.”

Gideon snorted.

Is that it? Don’t you think you should be getting some sleep for tomorrow?

“It’s already tomorrow.” I gestured towards the windows to our right where the twin moons could be clearly seen dipping towards the horizon, filling the valley with their dim pale glow. “The actual feeling isn’t anything special. It just made me realise that I hadn’t had any dreams for a while now. A week at the least.”

Wait, what? Gideon’s eyes snapped up. Nothing? Not even the memory transfers?

I shook my head as we passed into the common room. It was empty this early and its colours were bleached grey in the dim.

And you didn’t think to mention this why?

“I didn’t think about it. We’ve been kind of busy the last week, if you haven’t realised…”

But no memories? There’s no way something like that just slipped from your mind! That’s like saying you lost your sight last week and didn’t notice!

“Hmm? They’re not really…ah, well I don’t have the really long ones like you.”

Gideon had mentioned living through full days of memories at some point, in contrast to the clip show of assorted garbage that Saphry had seen fit to give me. Or had been important enough to be shown to me. Even after a month we didn’t really know the reasoning behind the order of what we saw.

Still, it was somewhat soothing to blame Saphry for something like that.

Even with small ones, I can’t see how… Gideon shook his head. You don’t think you’ve seen all of Saphry’s memories, do you?

“Absolutely not.” I said immediately. “I still don’t know what her mother or Andorlin look like very well, let alone every memory she’s ever had. It’s only been a month, after all.”

There were way too many holes to even think of something like that. No, they’d ceased for some other reason. Perhaps I had seen everything Saphry or the soul binding had thought was important? Or maybe Saphry’s soul had just gotten tired of me berating her every time it showed me another romance novel Saphry had happened to read.

We stepped through the empty main hall and out the front doors of the dorm. A cool wind bore down from the mountains, bringing flocks of cloudfish and assorted birds with it.

Hmm. Do you know when they stopped?

“Eh…”

I tried to remember when my sleep grew restful again, but I truly couldn’t think of it. We’d been busy fighting, running, or wallowing in pain for most of the last stretch, and I had never been the kind of person to remember how each night went after I got up.

“Can’t say. Maybe around our encounter with the Izavelo? I definitely had a couple before that.”

So you didn’t have any after the Walker?

“I think so.” I frowned. “I hope that light didn’t mess up my brain any more than it already was.”

Now that’d be a feat. Gideon snorted. But wouldn’t it be more likely that it’s related to the gift then? Perhaps that tiara blocks you from having dreams.

I touched the glass around my head, suddenly remembering that it was there. It had been getting easier to ignore it recently, only becoming a nuisance when I brushed my hair each morning.

Well, that and whenever someone thought to rib me over it.

“You think so?” I clicked my tongue, secretly disappointed.

I’d been hoping that it had some sizable ability locked away, what with the whole ‘enchantment given by a living myth’ thing. Simply blocking dreams was quite a bit lamer than something like giving me fire magic or granting me the ability to turn invisible. Sure, the appearances of the fire guy in Saphry’s memories were more than a little terrifying, but I would easily choose to have them if it meant I could have some cool power.

You don’t have to be so disappointed, you know. Gideon chided. It was a gift by a legend tailored uniquely to you. If we are to believe Fredrick, that is.

“I didn’t say anything!”

You don’t have to, I’m not blind.

“Well, I’m thankful.” I sighed. “I’m just sure that Breale’s and Fredrick’s are gonna turn out to be stupid powerful weapons like yours is while I’m stuck with a dream catcher.”

Perhaps it does more, then.

I led us further into the gardens outside. It was still pretty dark outside, so the shadows still covered the paths ahead. Much like the capital, a fog had started to roll down off the mountain cliffs to pool upon the stones before flowing over the cliffs into the valley below. Unlike the capital, however, Minua’s was a wet, wispy fog, nowhere near as blinding as I had seen it before.

Where are we going, anyway? Gideon breathed in the mountain air as he telepathed. Or were you just wandering?

“I was thinking that it might be good to explore a little.” I admitted. “You know, find some shortcuts, the plazas, and I-”

And you wanted to find the library. Gideon finished, practically reading my mind. To see if you could find the magic section.

I gawked at him in mock surprise.

“How did you know?”

There was literally no reason not to try to advance my knowledge of magic while I was stuck here.

Well, there were a few reasons, but I somehow still had a high enough opinion of my sneaking skills to think that I wouldn’t get caught.

I have a better idea. How about you spend your time searching for gold? We need a route of advancement other than me beating my head against the wall until I randomly find the exact combination for that potion.

“How exactly do you suggest I ‘search for [gold]’ in a library?”

Scour maps, geological reports, first hand accounts of ‘skysteel’, as the dwarves call it? Gideon scoffed. There are countless ways.

“Except that sounds boring as [fuck].” I turned us down another abandoned avenue towards the main campus, passing fountains and white-grass shrubbery. The rectangular building loomed ahead, blue in the morning dew. “Will I not be suffering enough in having to go through a fifth school?”

I frowned as I thought of something.

“Wait, haven’t I been confronting the vast majority of our suffering so far? Why should I have to dive through dusty geology tomes?”

I go through literal hours of dragon memories every time I go to sleep. Gideon deadpanned. And you’re complaining about reading a few books? And what, a little bit of ‘acting’?

“To simply call it ‘acting’ is a little bit of a misrepresentation of my trauma…”

Trauma? The drake snorted. But you’re right about one thing. To call it ‘acting’ would be an insult to actors everywhere. You might as well just call yourself Ryder for how much you’ve tried.

Unable to think up a valid response to that last part, I refocused my attention forward again.

“Did you happen to see where Hosi went, by any chance?” I asked after some time.

Nope. Just that she left about half an hour before you woke up.

“...and you didn’t follow her?”

I’m not a stalker, Ryder. Not like you.

“I prefer ‘investigator’.” I stopped as we rounded another hedge. “And there she is. My salvation!”

Ahead of us, the library loomed.

It was a stout structure, nothing like the gargantuan bookhouse back in the capital. It was shaped like an ‘L’, with dozens of thin windows embedded in the wall like arrow slits. Huge semicircular doors lay closed in the front, flanked by stained glass windows in the shape of the Star. White and blue glyphs blinked on the walls, twinkling like a brilliant constellation of stars. Somehow, it felt homely and inviting to me, as if it wanted me to walk inside and plunder its magical secrets.

“Just one look wouldn’t hurt, right?” I asked myself. “Maybe just a few spells.”

I skipped up the short steps to the front door and pulled, but they didn’t budge.

Why would the door just be unlocked?

“It happens more than you’d think.” I shrugged. “Let’s go around and try the-”

“Hello, madame. Can I help you with something?”

I froze for a second and turned around. Behind me, a charming blonde lad flashed a smile from the bottom of the steps. A small book was tucked under his arm, and he wore the same uniform as I did, though with pants.

“Miss Astrian, right?” He grinned. “I’ve heard a lot about you already.”