Lloyd put his arm over Yaric’s shoulder and led him deeper into the campus. Neither spoke as Lloyd led them down a number of paths and up to a nondescript building. It was two stories, and had a balcony around both floors, but there was nothing to indicate its purpose. It also stood alone, separate from the other buildings in their long rows, and entirely surrounded by a large garden. There was even a pond and fountain. Most surprising to Yaric, were the two armed men standing guard at the doors. Both of them stepped aside when they saw Lloyd, and Yaric followed him in.
The entrance was small, with just a tiny counter in front of the wall immediately opposite the entrance. Two open doorways stood at either side, and Lloyd walked straight through the right-hand door without pause. The next room was far larger and looked like some kind of common room for the excessively wealthy.
Small tables with richly adorned high back chairs sat scattered at one end, while the majority of the room was furnished with plush leather armchairs, each with their own small table beside them. Several fireplaces were scattered around, and many had low tables in front of them with a selection of books. From what Yaric could see, the upper floor looked to be much the same, as did the balcony surrounding the room, clearly visible through the glass doors and ceiling high windows. Bookcases and ornate paintings covered every wall. The entire room had an air of luxury and relaxation.
Lloyd led Yaric to one of the dining tables, and after sitting with his back to the windows, he nodded toward the bar counter over Yaric’s shoulder.
“Welcome to the faculty dining and rec room.” Lloyd said, smiling as he raised his arms outward, gesturing to the room. “I thought it would be easier to talk where there are no students, we won’t be disturbed here. And I don’t want you to miss out on your dinner!”
“How bad is it?”
“How bad is what?” Lloyd asked, leaning forward with a hint of concern.
“My standing with the Academy? What's going to happen to me now?”
Lloyd leaned back into his chair with a sigh. “Truthfully? He paused for a moment, deep in thought. “Nothing. Nothing is going to happen to you. Nothing was ever going to happen to you. You are a normal student here just like any other, and you have been from your first day of classes.”
Lloyd leaned forward again, a slight smirk playing at the corner of his lips. “Ok, well, you’re not exactly normal. You’re still a bit behind everyone else. And you’ve already had more one on one lessons than would be possible for even a 6th year student who managed to win every tournament from his first day. But if you’re talking about the things Prospect Christopher said, no, you’re just like everyone else.”
“Then why is the Council having people in my class spy on me?”
“They’re not. Even if they had wanted to, it would be your instructors who would be collecting information. They have both the ability, and are in the position needed, to be able to get any information they desire. No one would ever use a fool like that Christopher fellow.”
“Council Member Eli Collingwood did.”
“And I can promise you now, he is already regretting it. Deeply. But you need to understand that what he did was entirely of his own accord. It had nothing to do with his duty as a member of the Council.”
“Then why is he watching me?”
Lloyd looked up over Yaric’s shoulder, and a moment later someone walked past to stand beside the table.
“A full spread please. Thanks Ron.”
The man nodded and turned away, all without ever having uttered a word.
“Unfortunately, you’ve been caught up in the vilest, most corrupt, most despised activity in all of Malvec,” Lloyd said with some venom. Yaric was startled for a moment, unable to think of what he could be tangled up in that was so terrible.
“Politics!” announced Lloyd with firm authority. “The bane of any organization. And it doesn’t even center on you.” His gaze softened as he paused briefly. “Eli’s target was me,” he added sadly.
“I don’t understand though.”
“And I wouldn’t expect you to. Now, be silent for a moment and just listen, you can ask questions when I’m finished.”
Lloyd paused again as three staff members made their way over, carrying precariously balanced trays laden with a large variety of dishes. A fourth quickly followed with drinks. They left as soon as they finished placing the food, and Lloyd looked up at Yaric to continue, ignoring the spread in front of him.
Yaric was shocked. If he hadn’t already been concerned before, he would have been now.
“Eli has always been someone who butts heads with those who don’t agree with him. He never tries to convince others to see things his way, nor does he try to explain the merits of his argument. If you don’t agree with him, he will try to use rules or laws to go around you where possible. He will just bypass any objections. And if there are no legal avenues he can use, he will try to attack your character instead of your argument.”
Lloyd took a sip of his drink as he gestured for Yaric to start eating.
“For people like Eli, nothing is more important than your reputation and your own personal power. And it shows in how they conduct themselves. As much as Eli wants to get his way, every method he uses will always be an attempt to push his power over yours. He will either demonstrate his ability to do as he pleases despite your objections, or attack you personally to push you down. Down and 'in your place’, as Eli would say.”
Yaric could think of someone else who liked to use that exact same phrase...
“You will come to learn that many people believe that everyone else shares the same values as themselves. And unfortunately, those people are often the ones who are self-centered or underhanded. It makes sense that it’s usually self-centered people who believe that all others think as they do, I suppose. People who are always unjustly suspicious that others are lying to them are frequently compulsive liars themselves. A conman will always be suspicous that he is being conned.”
Lloyd leaned further forward to look pointedly at Yaric, “And if such a person desires power and prestige, if their motivation for everything they do is to grow their reputation and influence; those people are often incapable of seeing anyone else as having any other motive. Every interaction is a fight for dominance.”
Lloyd sighed deeply, nibbling on his food as he stared at the table for over a minute, deep in thought. His glass was empty when he finally leaned back for the second time, gazing intensely over the table at Yaric.
“It’s not supposed to be like this you know.” he said softly. “All those tales you hear growing up – the stories of Grygoriy the Great, Malakai the Undefeated, Emilia the Savior of Sofia, of High Mage Jones and how he sacrificed himself to hold back the tsunami long enough for unconnected to get to safety – that is who we are meant to be. That is what Lekton Academy is meant to be.
“I learned this first hand when I was just a boy,” Lloyd continued. “Mage Emmerson used his position and wealth to provide rooms for homeless children. Any child with no home would get a bed, blanket, a wash basin - even soap! Don’t get me wrong, the rooms were small, but they had everything you could need. And the small size let him squeeze in more rooms for each of the buildings he had constructed. No one went hungry there, no child went without clothes that fit. No one was ever sick for longer than it took Mage Emmerson to notice.
“And every night, Mage Emmerson would tell stories for all of the children. Great tales of the arcanists from Lekton. Mages fighting giants, Arch Wizards saving a town from a rampaging leviathan. Stories that took place all over the kingdom, in fantastical cities and unbelievable forests or mountains. And in every tale, there was the Mage or Wizard who heroically stood up for the people, who saved the homeless children and kept their streets safe. Unstoppable. Unbeatable. A shield for everyone who could not wield the power of an arcanist. A shield that every child in his care wished that they themselves could one day be, even if it would take a miracle. A shield like Mage Emmerson was for them.”
Lloyd refilled his drink and sat back again, sipping slowly and staring into the distance. Yaric left him to his thoughts and focused on his food. He didn’t want to intrude. Besides, he’d been told to keep quiet and listen, so that was what he would do. This was a side of Lloyd he had never seen before, and there was clearly much left unsaid.
“My point is, arriving at the Academy yourself, seeing what goes on behind closed doors - how some arcanists are only worried about their own fortunes - that can be… disappointing. But many others are exactly who you expect them to be. Who you would hope they would be. And Lekton Academy helps every single person across the entire Kingdom, in one way or another.
“But those who are only interested in themselves struggle to understand those who want to be real Mages, real Wizards. Any actions you take are always met with suspicion. It confuses them if they can't see how your actions benefit you. They can’t understand what you are doing or why, nor can they control you. People are afraid of things that they can’t understand. And people in power are even more afraid of things that they can’t control.
“Which leads me back to Eli. Eli has grand plans for himself. He even has open ambitions to one day ascend as Council Head. And he will do anything to get there. That makes me a problem for him, as sometimes others choose to recognize me over Eli. Sometimes, just from doing my job, I accomplish things that he couldn’t be bothered with, and only cares about when he sees the reactions of others and how they could have benefitted him.” Lloyd let out another deep sigh. “Sometimes I purposely mess up his plans because it’s fun. I don’t like him,” he shrugged.
“Eli works constantly for titles and promotions, and he truly does work hard. Even if his efforts don’t benefit anyone but himself. Whereas I actively avoid responsibilities and titles, yet people seem to offer those opportunities to me all of the time, at Eli’s expense. His go to response in these situations is to try to discredit me or make me look a fool. That never goes in his favor,” Lloyd smirked.
“Which now brings us full circle, and back to your part in all of this. Which is quite simply, nothing. Eli is not targeting you; he’s targeting me. I’m your sponsor. I found you and brought you here to the Academy, and I did it personally. Moreover, I killed a serial killer at the same time. You likely aren’t aware, but Eli had been in charge of tracking down Den Virgo right from the beginning.
“You’re also the only one I’ve sponsored besides Rebekka, and she's become too well known for Eli to try and make any more attempts on her character. So he goes after you, to get to me. You’ve joined very recently, so you’re understandably behind the others of your age. You also kind of embarrassed him in front of the Council, even if unintentionally,” Lloyd laughed.
“If he can raise questions about your loyalty, or create doubts as to your character, he indirectly raises questions about me. That is far easier for him than going after me directly. It’s also much harder for me to prevent.” This time Lloyd started picking up food as well, and he looked expectantly at Yaric as he started to eat.
“So, Chris has had it in for me because Council Member Collingwood doesn’t like you?”
“Ahhh… No, that’s a completely different issue,” Lloyd said as he swallowed, “although Eli definitely has much to answer for there as well. No. Christopher was found when Eli went on one of his scouting trips. Many of the more politically inclined Mages do that. They feel that being the sponsor for a young arcanist buys them some kind of loyalty, and whatever positions those arcanists hold in the future are to their own benefit. The more arcanists they can bring in, the greater the chance there is of having an arcanist that they brought in turning out to be someone who achieves great things. Or having arcanists, that they believe owe them loyalty, sitting in positions of power.
“Christopher Reynolds was found by Eli when he was only 7 years old. There was a lot of time between when Christopher was scouted and when he could join the Academy, which Eli used to groom him as a future investment. You have to understand, Christopher has spent most of his life being told how special he is, how great he will one day be. He believes that he was personally scouted by the greatest arcanist in the kingdom, and that he has a great destiny. Eli has been teaching him and providing training ever since they first met, in the hopes that it will build both greater loyalty, and firmer foundations for Christopher to really make a name for himself. Which simultaneously makes a greater name for Eli as Christopher’s sponsor.”
“Wait, Chris was getting training before he joined the Academy? He was ahead of everyone when he joined?”
“Yes to both.”
“Then why does he get so upset when he sees me getting one on one training? He had the same! He's had even more than I’ve had!”
“Hmmm… If I had to guess, he might feel that the training he got was his own special advantage. He might even feel that it was something that made him special to begin with. I don’t know, I don’t know him very well. Either way, he’s been raised to believe that he’s not only special, but that he’s special relative to other arcanists as well. It wouldn’t surprise me if he got upset when he sees someone else getting something that he isn’t.”
"He doesn't just get upset though." Lloyd raised his eyebrows, prodding Yaric to explain further.
"Ah... you know how little kids pretend to be a bad guy? With an evil laugh and everything?" Yaric started feeling stupid as he heard himself put his feelings into words. "Well, Chris acts like that all the time. He's completely over the top. When I first met him, I thought someone was playing a prank at first."
"Ha! Some people are so self-absorbed that they aren't capable of understanding how others see them."
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
“So Council Member Collingwood didn’t send him to target me?”
“Hehe, no!” Lloyd chuckled. “Eli and others like him scout for talent to improve their own standings, but that actually sacrifices the potential of many of those arcanists. Their methods tend to create very self-absorbed and narcissistic Mages and Wizards. Having so much just handed to them only makes things worse. Christopher is a great example of that, and the events from earlier this evening are a great example of how spectacularly these methods can backfire.
“I have no doubt at all that young Chris was not supposed to say a thing to you. Eli doubtless wanted for Christopher to quietly gather information – anything that made you look bad, even if the truth needed to be twisted a little. His goal would have been to collect large amounts of anecdotal information, and the more the better. Many people will unfortunately feel that where there’s smoke, there’s fire, so Eli usually aims to present a large number of accusations at once. Because obviously, how can someone with so many allegations against them be entirely innocent? Surely at least some have to be true? And how can you ever know for sure?”
“But Eli is blind to his own mistakes. With Christopher, he’s created an egotistical and arrogant fool, who seems to feel that anyone with any kind of privileges are simply stealing what is rightfully his. I don’t know if young Christopher misunderstood what was required of him, or if he simply saw an opportunity, but there is no doubt at all that his confrontation with you and Hiawatha was absolutely the worst possible outcome for Eli. Eli must be spitting mad right now!” Lloyd laughed.
“Kids your age make so much drama out of such little things. Every little thing is a huge deal. Any small slight demands an overreaction. I hope you learn from this! If you think something is wrong, mention it to people who know better than you. Don’t make some grand speech in front of a large crowd. You don’t always know what is going on. You don’t always know how important something is or isn’t. And when someone your age does try to make a stand, especially when they really have ulterior motives, it never works out well. Look how Christopher ended up cornering himself and insulting Hiawatha. Eli is likely in a rage at this very moment!”
Lloyd became much more serious as he leaned forward, looking firmly at Yaric. “And that might be a problem for you in the future. I don’t want you to worry about any of the things that have happened, or anything that was said this evening. None of this has anything to do with you. But what you’ve told me this evening about Christopher merits caution. Eli is going to be mad. Actually, he’s going to be furious. He is definitely going to be having words with Chris, and they won’t be friendly. Hell, he might even cut Chris off. There's a good chance that Eli will write Christopher off as a disappointing mistake. It would certainly be his easiest option. He will already be looking for a way to start digging out of this mess that he’s made for himself. If Eli hadn't invested so much time and effort in Christopher, I wouldn't have any doubts as to that being the eventual outcome.”
“But whatever he does, how do you think Christopher will react? If he gets punished for doing what he feels Eli wanted, but Eli stands by him, that won’t be so bad. But if Eli punishes him as well, would he blame you? You know him better than I do. I only ask because of what you’ve just been telling me, and I think that makes it likely. Even worse, how would he react if Eli were to go so far as to disown him? I can’t see him accepting this as his own mistake, even if what you’ve told me about Christopher is only partially correct. I’ve seen too many students like Christopher come through this Academy. The way that people like Eli teach those arcanists molds them into the worst of us. You will need to be on your guard and watch out for retaliation.”
Yaric felt his stomach drop. 'If this is how he acts when he’s jealous, how bad will he be if he loses everything?!'
Lloyd immediately noticed Yaric’s reaction. “Relax! You just need to keep your eyes open, that’s all. Don’t forget about what has already happened today. There is no way that Christopher would dare to do anything too openly, not after Hiawatha has dealt with him. Trust me, you don’t want to be Christopher right now.”
“I don’t want to be Chris anytime,” Yaric mumbled to himself.
“Ha!” Lloyd laughed. “No, I’m sure you wouldn’t. Now it’s your turn to tell me what’s going on. How has your training been? Are you still friends with the students I met last time?”
Lloyd and Yaric had a much more relaxed meal after that, talking mostly about the normal day to day training, with Lloyd adding in some of the things he had gotten up to when he was still a student. Yaric was very interested in the advice Lloyd gave him on his fighting abilities, and they spent almost an hour going into detailed analysis of his last tournament. Not everything was about the Academy, as Lloyd also had quite a few suggestions for what Yaric should do when he had weekends off. Some of those suggestions were things he definitely would not do, as he would prefer to continue as a student in the Academy and he didn’t want to risk getting kicked out, but there were some good suggestions as well.
They finally finished almost 2 hours after arriving, and Lloyd walked back with Yaric. Yaric was feeling much better about what had happened earlier, and the conversation was much more relaxed now that they were talking about other things. That changed when the dorm building came into view, and Yaric realized that he would be walking into a room filled with all of his classmates. They didn’t know the things Lloyd had just explained, they only knew the things Chris had been telling them.
“Come on, don’t slide backwards now. Everything will be fine, you’ll see. Just act as you normally would. You can answer any questions they have now, I’ll leave it to you to decide what you can tell them and what you can’t. Though I would suggest that you don’t mention where you’ve just been eating, not to Christopher at least,” he laughed.
"Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, you should feel sorry for Hiawatha. I thought old Faruk was going to tear him in two!"
"What?"
Lloyd started laughing, and had to take a moment before he could speak again. "You should have seen it. That crazy old healer apparently recieves updates on everyone he sits with, so he got a report on your punishment like I did. When he found out how everything happened, and how Hiawatha handled it, he came marching right into our breakroom. Hiawatha is famous for winning battles against impossible odds, and here was this ancient dwarf shouting at a cowering giant! Ha! I've never seen Hiawatha look so scared!"
Yaric smiled, thinking fondly of his therapist taking down a Battle Mage while Lloyd brought his laughter back under control
Lloyd stopped talking at that point, as they both walked through the front door and into a room filled with students. The loud hum of conversations quietened as more and more students noticed the newcomers, eventually cutting off completely.
“Well, here we are,” Lloyd announced loudly, “your dorm rooms, home to the deadliest, most dangerous 4th year this Academy has ever seen! I beg you, don’t kill us all in our sleep!” he said in mock seriousness. “Lekton Academy is at your mercy!”
There were laughs and snickers all around the common room at that, though most were clearly trying not to laugh while in the presence of a High Wizard. Everyone stood, but no one moved from where they were as they watched Yaric and Lloyd, waiting to see what the High Wizard expected of them.
“I’ll leave you here, goodnight Yaric.” Lloyd turned to face the rest of the room and raised his voice to talk to all thodse present, “Goodnight to all of you as well, and good luck! It was nice to have met you all. If any of you survive the deadly threat that is young Yaric here, I will be there to help pull you out of the smoking ruins of this Academy.”
Everyone laughed as Lloyd waved and walked out, with most going straight back into their own conversations, now focused on Lloyd and his surprise visit. Only Lauren and Li Na moved forward, followed shortly after by Sven. Everyone else was acting like this was just any other evening, and they mercifully ignored Yaric. No one showed any concern when Yaric started walking between them to meet Lauren and Li Na.
“Where did you go?” Li Na asked immediately.
“Lloyd wanted to talk to me in private. He took me to a faculty only building so we wouldn’t be disturbed.”
“Ah, we were worried that you’d been hauled off to some kind of disciplinary hearing, with Chris.” Lauren said with relief.
“No we weren’t! I just wanted to know if you’d eaten yet? If you haven’t had a chance to eat yet I’ll go with you.”
Lauren threw a glare Li Na’s way, but she was completely ignored.
“Yes,” Yaric laughed, “I’ve already eaten. But I could do with a snack and something to drink…”
Li Na started bouncing on her feet while Lauren turned her glare toward Yaric.
“Let’s go get something quick. I still have my ribbon!” Yaric said with some pride, pulling out his ID card to show them. He hurriedly put it away though, realizing that others might notice that he still had his ribbon.
“Don’t encourage her!” Lauren said, exasperated. “She’s bad enough as it is!”
Li Na just bumped Lauren’s shoulder. “You guys love me.”
“You should know that the Council Head herself came to talk to us, Yaric,” Sven interjected. “She assured everyone that Chris was out of order and that there were no suspicions held against you. She also pointed out that having the Council Head come in person should show everyone just how seriously they are taking the false accusations. That will likely stop anyone from continuing with Chris’s crazy story. Everyone now knows it’s a load of crap.”
“Chris’s crazy crap,” Li Na mumbled, snickering to herself.
The four of them headed out for the food hall, practically dragged along by Li Na. Nothing seemed to have changed, and Yaric listened to them as they filled him in on what had happened since he had left with Lloyd.
“Most of us went back to our rooms, only a few went to eat at first. I think they had someone checking where we all were, because no one came to our building until everyone was back. One of the teachers came in and asked us to all wait in the common room, and 10 minutes later Council Head Sandy Ivers came in.”
“She sponsored me!” Li Na butted in.
“Yes, yes, we know. You’ve mentioned it before.” Lauren replied.
“Maybe once or twice,” chuckled Yaric.
“Well, we were all surprised when the Council Head herself walked in. I think it initially made quite a few people assume you really were guilty. There were lots of people who looked shocked, saying things like how they couldn’t believe that Chris had been right.”
Yaric was taken aback at this news. He stared at Lauren in shock.
“Only because Council Head Ivers hadn’t said anything yet! They’d heard what Chris said, then they heard that High Wizard Chen came to fetch you personally! And now the Council Head herself was in our dorm building, and you hadn’t come back yet! It’s only natural that some people assumed the worst!”
“Yeah, and don’t forget that they were all surprised when they thought Chris was telling the truth. So none of them had believed him before then!” Li Na added brightly.
“But the Council Head quickly made it very clear that Chris had things twisted completely around. She actually didn’t blame him though, she made sure that everyone knew that Chris had been deceived as well.”
“What?!” Yaric exclaimed.
“She said that Chris was just repeating the lies that he had been told, and that we shouldn’t blame him for being fooled by someone he should have been able to trust. She did also say that the person responsible would be dealt with harshly though. And that the same would happen to anyone who tried to further the lies.”
Sven jumped in, adding to Lauren’s explanation. “She also said that she stood fully behind you, and that the rest of the Council did too. Council Head Ivers warned us that treating you as if you were guilty would put us in the same camp as Chris.”
“And everyone believed her?”
“Well, not everyone. Devin made a scene after she left, asking everyone what would happen if you had just fooled her.”
“Everyone laughed at him! Like you could fool the whole Council!” Li Na snickered.
“Yes, but I don’t think Devin ever believed what he was saying. Not much of what he said made any sense at all. He stopped talking when he realized he’d talked himself into a corner.”
All four of them laughed at that, making their way inside. It turned out that no one was really that hungry after all, so they all had a few drinks and a couple of snacks, laughing at some of the more ridiculous conspiracies that had been thrown around. Even Yaric found them funny. He saw the same stories in an entirely different light when sitting with friends, listening to them making fun of the crazier ideas. It had been a long evening though, and it was already getting late, so no one wanted to stay out too long.
The weather had been cooling for weeks, and there was a definite chill in the air when they left. The sun had set hours earlier, but the night was darker than usual with the heavy clouds that were blocking the moonlight. The cool breeze didn’t help things either as they all hurried back. It was a relief when warm air greeted them as they made their way inside together.
Devin greeted them immediately after.
“So you’re back again, and Chris is still gone, huh? Don’t think we can’t smell a cover up when we see one!” Devin stood near the entrance with Ming Yu and Yusaf. No one else was nearby, and a few actually stepped even further away. Devin didn’t seem to notice.
“You smell cover ups when you see them?” Li Na laughed. “You’ve seen Chris’s crazy crap… what does it smell like?”
Sven stepped forward before Yaric could say a thing. “And what cover up are you talking about?”
“You already know what I’m talking about! We all do! They’re covering up how dangerous Yaric really is!”
“Dangerous to who?”
“Dangerous to Yusaf’s face in the tournaments maybe?” Li Na asked cheekily. Most of the students in the common room laughed.
Devin was undeterred. “Dangerous to this Academy! We don’t know what mind magic he was taught! He could be selling secrets to anyone! How easy would it be for him to sabotage something when the whole Council just turns a blind eye?”
“So you think he’s a danger to the Academy? And to some of the Council members?”
“I know he is! He’s a danger to every Council member!”
“And tell us then, who is covering this danger up?”
“The Council! They’re…” Devin trailed off as everyone started laughing. Devin turned red as his mind caught up with his mouth.
“So you think that the Council, the most powerful group in the entire Kingdom, is in danger? Because of Yaric? And that this same Council is now covering everything up? Covering up the danger? To themselves?” Sven asked sarcastically. “Remind me again, what did Council Head Sandy Ivers say regarding those who continued to spread Chris’s lies?”
“Chris never lied! Even the Council Head admitted that Chris was only passing on what someone else told him!”
“My mistake. So what was it that Council Head Sandy Ivers said about spreading the lies that Chris, knowingly or unknowingly, passed on?”
“Or are you saying that it’s the Council Head who is lying?” Li Na asked innocently. “I’ll be sure to pass on your theories next time I see her.”
Devin ignored Sven to turn on Li Na. “Next time you see her,” he echoed mockingly. “What, you want us to believe that you have tea with the Council Head?”
Li Na was completely unphased, and her voice kept the same innocent tone as she replied. “Of course. Who do you think sponsored me?”
Devin looked cornered - things were spiraling out of control. He had planned to back Chris up, hoping to maybe convince a few people that Chris had been right all along. Or to at least sow some seeds of doubt. But now he found himself looking like a fool, and far, far worse, his ploy had come across more like he was turning on the Council. Instead of portraying himself as concerned for the Council, he sounded like he was insulting it. Which, he now realized, he was. On top of all that, Li Na was actually in a position to genuinely do something about it. Yusaf and Ming Yu looked just as panicked.
“Well at least I’m asking questions! I’m not just taking everything I hear as the truth! Am I the only one here who cares about the safety of the Academy?” he asked, trying to recover.
“You don’t take anything you hear as the truth, unless you hear it from Chris, you mean?” Li Na asked lightly.
There was barely a pause before Lauren chipped in, “So you question the Council, but not your friend? Do you really think you're asking the right questions?”
“Yeah, and I would worry more for your own safety if I were you!" Li Na turned to her side, "What Devin is saying sounds a lot like what a traitor would say, don’t you think?” Li Na asked Lauren.
“It sure does.”
“Devin,” Sven interrupted, “go to bed. You’re worried about your friend, we can all respect that. But starting a fight with everyone is not going to help him. Especially if you’re doing it by questioning the Council. The choice is simple. Either you accept the obvious: that Chris was lied to and that Yaric is innocent. Just like you’ve already implied when you called me out for saying that Chris lied. Or you call the Council liars. You call Council Head Sandy Ivers a liar. Which will it be? Just keep in mind that neither option makes Chris guilty of anything. Worst case, he was overenthusiastic when someone he trusted fooled him.”
Devin said nothing, and neither did Yusaf or Ming Yu. The three of them just turned and left, slamming the door to their corridor on their way out.
“Sorry about that Yaric,” Sven said. “I really thought the Council Head had got through to them.”
A few other students approached Yaric as well.
“Everyone knows Devin is an idiot, just ignore him.”
“Don’t worry about Chris and his friends, they’re just being stupid.”
“None of us believed anything they said!”
“No one thinks you’re a traitor like Chris said.”
There were a lot of students talking at once, all of them trying to reassure Yaric. And it worked. His biggest fear had been his classmates turning on him, but almost everyone still in the common room were very open in their support, and within a few minutes there was no one left who wasn’t openly on his side.
It was late, and it had been a really, really long day. Yaric finally got to bed once everyone started moving on from Devin’s confrontation. The peace and quiet in his dark room was welcome. Yaric still had mixed feelings about everything that happened, and his stomach was in knots when he went through the day's events in his head, but he also knew he wasn’t alone. Constantly running through everything that had happened kept him up for hours, but it was when he was thinking through all of the support his friends had given him that he finally fell asleep.