Next to Mel, Austin walked with long strides and Mel had to grab his arm and stare at him to make him stop running in front of her. Austin blushed, but during the entire walk to the Last Stance on the other side of town, Austin had a hard time keeping his pace slower. He kept walking two steps in front of Mel, then noticing himself and falling back one step behind her.

Mel couldn’t help but smile at this. He was trying after all and it wasn’t really his fault his legs were like an ostrich. When they got close to the western gate and the mountain pass, Mel broke the silence they had been enjoying and decided to ask him before they got to their destination about her thoughts.

She didn’t want to give anything away by making the questions too precise or explaining why this was on her mind. She still didn’t want to put that much trust in him. But he was the only one she felt like asking these questions to.

“Can I ask you something stupid about magic?” Mel started. “Maybe this is completely moronic and you will just laugh at me. But I’m still new to this and I don’t want to ask Professor Dereey in class when everyone can laugh at me.”

“Sure,” Austin said. “I promise not to laugh at you.”

“Thanks,” Mel said, licking her lips. “So, why can’t you have two elements inside one item? Like a double imbue. No one seems to talk about that and I don’t know if it’s because it’s not possible or something else.”

“It’s not possible,” Austin said, his voice very factual. “They’ve tried. I think mostly with water and wind inside a titanium and silver mix, since there is plenty of titanium in the mountain and it’s really strong. But it just crumbles into dust and blows away. Like the two metals seem to take each other out or that the elements do, I’m not sure. But it doesn’t work.”

“But if you were to put, for example, fire and earth into iron?”

“You can’t,” Austin said, glancing at her with a skeptical look. “How are you going to get the earth inside?”

Mel bit her lip, considering. “Maybe using a tuning fork?”

“Then the element would be drawn out from the dragon stone and into the tuning fork,” Austin said. “It’s the item or thing that emits the note that the magic is drawn into. And the tuning forks are rarely made of copper, so the earth element wouldn’t stick. But we’re going to go through this in basic material class soon.”

Mel nodded thoughtfully and slowed her steps even more. She could see the Last Stance now and the door swung open to the entrance, emitting light into the cold night.

“So, a double imbue is impossible?” she repeated.

“Yes,” Austin said. “Very much impossible.”

“Hmmm. But okay, let’s say it was possible, theoretically, would the item respond to the earth note or the fire note? Or something else?”

Austin looked out into the night, staring blindly at the darkness stretching around them. A long exhale escaped his lips, and Mel saw a white puff of air forming in front of his face.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “I guess it would be something else. No, it must be another note. Maybe… I mean, they’ve tried to use the clank from iron to lure fire out and then a clunk of copper to lure earth. But a mix of fire and earth… What would that be? Maybe some other of the twelve notes can be considered a mix. I’m not sure. It really doesn’t matter though, since there is no material that can hold fire and earth together.”

“Oh,” Mel said. “So the true problem is that there is no metal for crossing elements into?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Austin said. “But like all this is so advanced, Melissa. You don’t need to learn this or even consider it. If you only learn the four notes by heart, that’s going to be enough for a long time. Only researchers and professors of magic will care about if a double imbue is possible or not. And that will probably never be you, or if you want to take that route, it’s going to be years before you can test out your theories. No one is going to let you carry a magical item just like that or let you test around with it.”

They had walked up to the entrance now, and a man opened the door before them. Mel’s gaze turned inside and at the man in the doorway, holding a glass of beer. He stared at them, startled for a second, then walked past, elbowing Mel in the side.

Rude, she thought.

Austin looked at her with clear dark eyes and then pushed the door open again, revealing a full pub with customers. They walked in and Mel immediately saw Marcus staring at her with wide eyes. A thin smile formed on his lips and Mel made her way through the bar with Austin at her tail.

Marcus stood up from his seat and pulled out the chair next to him.

“You came,” he said.

His cheeks were red and his eyes a bit dazed, like he had been drinking a few beers already. Mel slid into the chair and gave him an appreciative smile. She turned her gaze to his two friends.

“Hi, I’m Mel,” she said. “This is my friend Austin.”

Mel pointed to Austin, and he looked at her with sparkling eyes and a shocked expression. At first, Mel thought it strange that he seemed to care so much about what she introduced him as. But a feeling dawned on her that Austin might not have a lot of friends. Maybe this was a big deal for him.

“So great to meet you, Mel,” the black-haired woman said. “I’m Catherine, and I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Yeah,” the man next to her said. “Marcus won’t shut up about his girl who studies at Falden. I mean, it’s impressive, but Marcus takes his pride in you a bit too far.”

The man chuckled, and Catherine looked at Mel with an expectant expression on her face. Mel felt herself growing pale and her heart jumped in her chest. She felt Austin’s leg brush the side of hers as he sat down on the chair next to Mel. It startled her a bit and dragged her back into reality.

“I’m Leeroy, by the way,” the man said. “We’re in the army with Marcus, if you guys haven’t guessed that already. So, Austin, are you from here or from the valley?”

“I’m from Aldrion,” Austin said. He turned to Mel. “Do you want me to buy you something from the bar?”

Mel saw from the corner of her eye how Marcus tensed. He stared at Austin like he would hurl himself across the table and kick his ass. Mel swallowed and opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

“No need, my man,” Leeroy interrupted. “Catherine here is a smartass, and she lost a bet at church this morning. So she’s buying. What do you want, Mel?”

Catherine rolled her eyes at Leeroy, but then focused on Mel, giving her a warm smile. She seemed really nice and Leeroy too.

“A beer?” Mel said.

“A beer it is,” Leeroy said, standing up from the table. “Hey Austin, come help us carry another round for the table?”

Leeroy didn’t wait for Austin to answer. He walked to the bar, with Catherine following him. Austin stood from his seat and looked down at Mel. Mel bent her head to meet his gaze. He gave her a nod and walked after Leeroy toward the bar.

Mel waited for Austin to walk away before she leaned into Marcus, sitting next to her. He stared at her with anger in his eyes, but when Mel leaned closer, his frown fell. He regarded her hesitantly. Mel was only inches away from his face, looking into his brown eyes. Close enough to see the small spots of yellow that lined his irises and smell his scent mixed with earth.

“I have something to talk to you about,” Mel said. “It’s important.”

Marcus stared at her, but seemed to relax.

“I’ve been practicing with the tuning forks I borrowed from Austin and I think something is different with the dagger my father gave me. The one from my great grandfather, Rowad Hellius. Anyway, it’s not reacting to the fire note.”

Mel held his gaze, waiting for his pupils to dilate, for his mouth to form an oh. But nothing happened

“Okay,” Marcus said.

“Well, it’s not glowing,” she said, slowly realizing Marcus knew even less than she did about magic. “It’s supposed to glow if it’s a fire imbue and it didn’t. It doesn’t glow on any other notes either. It’s something else. I think it might be a double imbue. But Austin says it’s impossible, but I don’t know… something is telling me it’s possible.”

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“The dragons?” Marcus asked. “You heard them?”

Mel released her breath and felt annoyance creep against the back of her neck. Like an unwelcome guest, she wanted to shrug off but didn’t seem able to.

“No, not the dragons,” Mel said. “But like, my intuition. Austin showed me the notes in my dorm today, and I’m sure the dagger didn’t respond to any of them. It’s hard to explain, but I think that proves the dagger isn’t magical like other magical items. It’s something else.”

Marcus’ eyebrows dipped and a sullen expression covered his face.

“Aren’t you supposed to study for your test? Not inviting Austin to your bedroom? At least tell me Gabriella was there.”

Mel pulled back from him, feeling more than annoyance course through her veins now.

“I am studying,” she said. “That’s how I realized this, by studying, and Austin is helping me to study. And I thought you hated Gabs?”

“I do,” Marcus said. “Or not hate, maybe a strong dislike. But I dislike Austin more. I don’t trust that guy.”

Marcus’ eyes wandered over to the bar where Catherine was paying for their drinks.

“I don’t know,” Mel said. “He seems to be trustworthy. I’ve even played with the idea of telling him about my great grandfather and showing him the dagger.”

Marcus’ eyes flew back to Mel.

“No,” he said. “Don’t. Whatever you do, don’t tell him. Fine, if you want to use him as your study partner. But don’t tell him anything. He will turn you over to the Governor.”

Mel heard a glass thump against the table as Leeroy and Catherine sat down. Leeroy handed Marcus another beer and Austin placed a glass in front of Mel. Austin took his seat next to Mel and took a sip of his drink.

“So, how’s school?” Catherine asked.

“It’s…” Mel started and glanced over at Austin. “It’s hard. But Austin here is a self-proclaimed genius, and he is helping me out, so...”

Austin choked on his sip of beer and coughed loudly.

“What?”

“Yeah, you are,” Mel said, flashing him a grin. “I heard you in the administration office, remember? On my first day at Falden. You were telling Greta that you wanted to skip the first semester, maybe even the first year. Because we were so beneath you and all.”

Austin flushed, and Mel saw him wince.

“Oh, shit,” Leeroy said. “Man, you’re kind of a jerk.”

“Can we please talk about anything else than me?” Austin said.

“Well, I can tell you about Sergeant Dick,” Catherine said.

Mel let out a snort and leaned in across the table.

“Who is unfortunate enough to be called that?”

“Oh, no one, just our superior officer,” Catherine said with a dubious smile.

“His name is Sergeant Tick,” Marcus said.

“Oh, no,” Mel said. “It’s clearly Dick.”

Catherine chuckled, and Leeroy broke out in a wide smile. Mel looked up at Austin and he seemed amused and a little surprised by her sense of humor.

“Tell me all about him,” Mel said.

“Well, he is this unsecure middle aged man, who seems to find his only sense of accomplishment in the army. A real geek, but looks like a piece of A grade beef. It’s sad, really, that all those muscles haven't made him anymore secure in himself. He’s probably single and lonely without kids. Enjoying screaming at teenagers and making them puke.”

“One time,” Leeroy said. “It was one time.”

Mel laughed and took a sip of her beer.

It felt nice to be out. To be laughing with friends again. She saw Austin looking at her, smiling, watching her intently throughout the night. It should have made her uncomfortable, but his presence made her feel calm. Almost safe.

#

Austin bought a lantern from the Last Stance before they left to walk home. They walked with Catherine, Leeroy, and Marcus down to town square before saying goodbye by the statue in the center.

Marcus gave Mel a hug, and she felt him lingering a bit too long. She pulled away, feeling herself growing more annoyed with him as time went on.

Leeroy whistled at them.

“Get a room,” he said.

Catherine laughed, but Marcus’ face was red and hot. His eyes were hooded and Mel felt herself growing stiff under his gaze. Austin stood like a statue behind them, waiting patiently for Mel to be done with her goodbye. When Mel met his gaze, it was stony and expressionless.

She wondered what he thought about all this. About Leeroy and Catherine referring to Mel as Marcus’ girl. About Marcus hugging her for too long for what was appropriate as friends. But Austin didn’t show any signs of caring. He just walked up the road toward his eerie mansion and Falden.

They walked like that for a while, side by side, in the cold night. Mel pulled her red cloak tight around her body and focused on the white mist her breath made in the air. The lantern lit the road ahead, but overall, the feeling of danger was ever looming around them.

When they got to the start of the road up to the Taveck mansion, Austin kept walking. Mel felt her body tense, and she poked Austin in his upper arm. He looked at her like she’d startled him.

“What?”

“Where are you going?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you head up there?”

“We’ve only got one lantern,” he said. “You didn’t buy one. So I guess I will have to walk you home first.”

Mel winced. “I’m sorry, I should probably have bought one too. I didn’t think.”

Austin lifted one eyebrow at her.

“So ,this wasn’t your plan to lure me into following you all the way home?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Ah,” Austin said. “So I guess your shivers and jumping at every little sound is just you acting scared then?”

“No,” Mel said. “I’m… I’m not scared.”

Austin gave her an incredulous look.

“Okay, I’m scared at night,” Mel said, shrugging. “Who isn’t? But that doesn’t mean you have to follow me home. Just hand over the lantern and I can make my own way.”

Mel reached for the lantern, but Austin raised it higher.

“Oh, no,” he said. “I won’t go home without a light. That’s not fair. I bought the lantern. I should just leave you here on the side of the road alone in the dark.”

He stared at her as he said this, and Mel couldn’t help but flinch. Really, it was completely involuntary. She just hated the dark, especially outside of Windbrook. At home, it was different. She knew every single turn in the road. Every bump and every rise. But here everything was new and strange. It just wasn’t the same.

Austin chuckled at her reaction and turned back to the road.

“I guess I will follow you home then,” he said with a finality in his tone.

Mel murmured that he was a jerk under her breath, but loud enough she was sure he heard her. She felt grateful for not being left out here alone on the road in a city that was still foreign to her, though.

After they had been walking for a while, Mel saw the gates to Falden stretch in the distance in front of them and she let out a relieved breath of air. She was finally home. Next time, she would bring ten lanterns, just to make sure she would never have to walk home in the darkness.

Austin followed her inside the gate and together they walked to her dorm. Once outside, Mel turned to him to say thank you, but Austin spoke first.

“So you haven’t told him yet?” he asked. “Why?”

“Told who what?”

“Marcus,” he said, averting his gaze from hers. “You haven’t told him you’re not interested in him romantically?”

Mel swallowed. So he had noticed.

“No,” she said. “I told you before that I don’t want to hurt him and I did promise him we were going to date when we arrived here in Aldrion. But we haven’t exactly started to date yet, I haven’t said anything. So eventually he should figure it out on his own.”

“So what do you call tonight, then?” Austin asked, turning his gaze back to Mel.

“What?”

“Tonight,” Austin said. “I would call that a date, maybe a double date, but still. And you invited me along. It seemed… ”

He dragged his hand over the back of his neck.

“I think Marcus thinks you two are dating already. He refers to you as ‘his girl’ to his friends. To you. You don’t correct him and you said yes to go on a double date with him tonight. But yeah, then you showed up with me. He seemed annoyed at this, and, well, you hugged him for a long time at the end. Melissa, I don’t mean to be rude, but you are totally dating Marcus.”

Mel took a step back from him, surprised by his bluntness.

“No,” she said. “I’m not. I haven’t said we're dating yet. I haven’t agreed. I… He…”

She took in a deep breath and then exhaled in a long sigh.

“What if he thinks that we’re dating? Why should you care? Why should I care?”

Austin took a step away from her.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset. I guess I just felt it was a bit strange. The hug and all. But sure, if this is what you want, I won’t bring it up again.”

He turned his back to Mel and raised his head toward the sky. It was cloudy, even at night, and the stars couldn’t quite shine through.

“I just don’t know what I want,” she finally said. “Maybe I want him later. Maybe my feelings will grow and I will want to date him for real. I just want to wait and see what happens. Right now, I’m just too confused. Too busy with Falden and magic to know what my heart wants. I’m not like you, so brutally honest and direct. Always knowing what’s right or wrong and what you want.”

Austin turned to her and gave her a strange look. His eyes were dark and shiny from the light of the lantern.

“I’m not always honest,” he said. “Or direct. I don’t know what’s right or wrong all the time. I can’t believe you think I’m so sure of things. I’m not. I just feel like you’re stringing Marcus along, waiting for your own feelings to reveal themselves. Maybe that’s not exactly wrong. But maybe you should make sure he is okay with that. Waiting for you to decide.”

“He is okay with that,” Mel said. “He hasn’t said those exact words. But I’ve told him it’s not time, and he’s always been up for waiting for me. So I don’t think that is a problem. I think the only one who has a problem with this is you. ”

Austin turned away from her again. He nodded.

“Okay. I’ll drop it. Hope you two will be happy then… Good night, Melissa.”

He walked away from her, leaving her in the darkness outside the dorms. He didn’t wait for her to answer him or say goodnight back. He just strolled out, looking unperturbed with his long strides. Mel felt angry at Austin, a feeling she thought she wouldn’t feel around him after they’d become friends during the recent days. But here it was.

She was angry at Austin, again.