Chapter Eleven:

The Boy and the Cat

Dmitri

The door to Ramah’s office was so intimidating that my legs visibly shook and refused to take me any closer. The wood was painted the same as the rest of the offices, but a large symbol I couldn’t begin to understand was etched into the center of the frame. I held my messenger bag tight to my chest and trembled in my boots, watching as the clock hands ticked closer to the twelve. In fourteen seconds I would have to knock and enter the room. I counted every single one with sweat slipping down my temple, and when the clock struck two, I raised my fist.

Before I could knock the door flung open, scaring the unholy shit out of me. Ramah stood as a human with a huge grin, and sucked his teeth when I stumbled backwards and crashed to the floor. I desperately tried to feel for my heartbeat as he set his hands on his hips and shrugged lightly, “Well, what did you expect? You were standing there for ten minutes?”

“Did you… have to… do that…?!” I huffed.

“I appreciate punctuality, but either be on time or ask to come in early. Stalking my office and disrupting Phidarin is quite annoying.”

“Phidarin?” I huffed; he nodded to the symbol on the door. I tilted my head like a bird as the middle glowed, and an eye appeared to blink at me. “Whoa, what is that!?”

Ramah scratched the lid of the eye, “Phidarin is my resident security guard. He watches for any suspicious activity while I'm performing experiments or spells, like young men who don’t have enough backbone to knock on an old wizard’s door.” He laughed and held his hand out, which I nervously took. He wrenched me up in a swift motion and flicked a speck of dust off my shirt before waving towards the office, “Come along now, we’ve already wasted three minutes!”

“Yes sir!” I chirped, rushing inside as fast as I could to avoid the eye that watched me. Once I crossed the threshold, it was like I had entered into another realm. Bookshelves covered every single wall except for the windows, which, instead of showing the castle grounds, were providing a view of the Caribbean islands. Books floated around the room on their own, and multiple potions and concoctions bubbled in beakers on one of the four desks.

Ramah slapped a box on one of the stations, which made me jump again. “This is your lab uniform. Please bring it to every session. If you need to you can keep it in your desk drawer, but make sure it’s cleaned every time you leave. I don’t want to risk spilling chemicals and having them clash with residue from your apron.”

“Yes sir!”

“To put it simply, Mr. Mortimer…” he stood and slapped his hands behind his back before taking wide strides towards the window, “I am going to teach you many amazing things in this room, things that only your imagination has been able to conjure. You are not to question anything I say, nor try and disprove my lecture before I’ve given it. This is not a trade for the close-minded. Many students try out for magic, but very few see it through. It is very tiring to open your mind to the world of the unknown, and I need your utmost attention and dedication if you are to continue being my pupil. Am I understood?”

“Of course, sir.” I replied, nodding eagerly.

“Another thing; stop calling me sir. I'm not a commander, so Ramah works just fine,” he paused at the window and peered over his shoulder, “What would you like to see?”

“See…?” I prompted unsurely.

“Mountains, desert, ocean?” He questioned boredly.

“Oh, well…?”

“Don’t be shy; anything you’d like.”

I pursed my lips, then smiled a little, “I’d like to see the Irish countryside, please.” Ramah raised an eyebrow before snapping his fingers. The curtains closed, and when they opened again, bright rolling fields illuminated the room. A small village was peacefully going about their day, with kids and dogs running about the cobblestone street chasing one another. The tall grass swayed in the wind, and the sky was so blue it was almost painful to look at. Ramah nudged me forward; I pressed my fingers to the glass and gasped in awe.

“I want this space to be fun for the both of us, Mr. Mortimer. This laboratory is equally yours as it is mine. I am going to teach you what I need to, but I also want you to explore things that spark your curiosity. Magic is very exciting, but a very big responsibility. Anything I teach you must only be used when allowed. As you know, it is currently forbidden in the present standings of this war, and if you were to use it on the battlefield, you would be promptly executed. It also would allow Alexei to use his own, which causes even more problems for us.” I winced at Alexei’s name ever so slightly, but kept nodding to ensure I was listening. “As you are not someone who was raised in the arcane, I must make sure you understand the severity behind improper use of this art. I ask that you take our sessions very seriously. I am not strict, but I am firm. I want you to have fun, but you also need to learn something. One day, what I teach you in this room could lead our country to victory, so always treat each lesson as if it should. Am I clear?”

“As crystal.”

“Fantastic,” Ramah spun on his heel and as he did, his puffed shirt sleeves caught in the wind. I was mesmerized by the way his earrings and necklace glistened, and moved like water against his rich skin. He raised a hand that wore multiple different colored rings and spun his fingertips to make a document appear before me. “Please sign the bottom of this page. It is your promise to treat this laboratory and your instructor with respect, and to follow any and all safety guidelines I provide you with.” I took the pen he procured and scribbled my name, which turned gold before the paper dissipated. Ramah sighed and smacked his arms to his side before pointing to my uniform, “Well then, that was easy! How about we get started right off the bat? I have a few things we can work on! Get set up, then mix me a healing elixir.”

“No probl-… Wait, what!?” I roared.

“I’ll be back in half an hour; don’t blow the place up!” He called, waving as he walked out of the office.

“Wait, Ramah…. RAMAH!?” I bawled as the door slammed shut, and all three dead bolts locked one by one. My shoulders fell slack in defeat, and I groaned before shuffling to my desk. I slid on the thick apron, gloves, and goggles, then sauntered to the nearest bookshelf and began scanning for anything that could help me. I eventually found a book labeled Field Potions and figured it would have to have something about healing.

To my surprise, I located the page on healing elixirs in under a minute, and laughed to myself before moving to the cabinet. Dozens of vials and bottles that glowed and hummed awaited me in the case, but all were written in Latin. I tapped into the small lessons I had received as a child and was able to decipher enough letters of each kind to pick out the right ingredients, which I darted back to my station with excitedly. The problem now was finding out which order they went in, and how to heat them properly without blowing the castle to smithereens.

The instructions were written in sloppy English, but nonetheless it was something I could understand. “Red, purple, blue, green… Stir for seventeen seconds, transfer for twenty five seconds on the burner, twenty five on the counter, then another fifty on the burner; simple enough.” I began pouring the liquids into a beaker, my eyes dead set on making sure the levels were perfect. Then, I found a timer in the drawer, and cranked it to the first twenty-five I would need for the burner. I counted seventeen in my head while stirring before transferring the mixture to the heat, which bubbled and began to turn a hot pink.

After finishing each step, the mixture cooled to a rich magenta, and the bubbling ceased. I proudly smiled in the reflection of the beaker as Ramah came back in with a small plate of black olives that he was popping into his mouth casually. “Well, you’re not dead, so that’s a start,” he teased before blinking at the beaker. “You made it?”

I tilted my head at him, “Well, yes; you asked me to, didn’t you?”

He popped one more olive without taking his eyes from me, then set the plate down and pointed to the shelf beside the door. My jaw slammed into the floor at the case of already prepared potions that I had completely missed, which made him laugh cheerfully. “You’re the first person to not cheat, so good on you! Now, let’s see if it actually works!” He procured a silver blade, winked, then slammed it into his hand.

I shrieked in horror as blood spilled down his palm, and the blade stuck out from the other side. “Why did you do that!?”

“Instead of asking, could you hurry up and hand me the potion? This is a little painful?” I stammered for a moment before rushing around the desk and handing him my mixture. He popped the cork and spit it across the room before pouring it over his wound, ripping the knife out simultaneously. Miraculously, the hole began to close, and within seconds was fully healed. I gazed in awe; he turned his hand twice before whacking the side of my head playfully, “I’ll be damned, you actually did it! Excellent job!”

“Could you not hit me with your rings?” I moaned while rubbing my sore temple.

“You’ll get used to it. I knew I liked you; you’re going to make a fine pupil!” He held his hand out, and when I shook it, his gold eyes burned with excitement, “Welcome to the lab, Mr. Mortimer,” he sang.

“You can call me Dmitri.” I replied with a wink.

╬

“Hey boys, whatchya doing?” Martha’s voice echoed from outside Ramah’s office door.

“We’re waiting for Dmitri; he’s supposed to go to the gym with us.” Michael responded

“Sounds fun! Can I come?”

“If you can keep up!” Stefan mocked, which made Martha fume and Michael laugh. “Oh, good afternoon your highnesses; out for a stroll?” He asked the royal couple.

“Just coming back from a conference. I take it your waiting for Dmitri?” Andrew asked.

“He’s still with Ramah, though it’s pretty quiet in there. I wonder what they’re up to?”

Ramah’s hands shook wildly as he held a white tablet over his beaker. Sweat slipped down both our brows, and our breaths came out in small huffs that fogged our goggles as we stared at the mixture. “What’s the procedure if this goes south?” He asked.

“Dive for the nearest exit or desk to hide under,” I repeated.

“Excellent. Ok, here we go…” he let go of the tongs, and when the tablet dropped, the liquid began to violently bubble. He shrieked and hurled me towards the door, yelling for me to duck as the beaker exploded. Everyone in the hallway screamed at the sound, and when the door flung open, bolted backwards from the plume smoke. I emerged covered head to toe in soot, coughing like a maniac as I crawled for freedom. “SAVE THE BOY, FOR CHRIST SAKES!” Ramah screamed as he tried to shove me towards clean air.

“What the bloody hell is going on out here… RAMAH!” Slane, the castle doctor, roared as she emerged from the hospital with a scowl. I collapsed into the marble lifelessly, which made The Cavalry and royal couple giggle under their breath.

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“Hello, dear! You’re looking as lovely as ever!” He hacked, pulling his goggles off to reveal that his eyes were the only thing saved from the explosion.

“You’ve had that boy for a week and you’re already trying to kill him!?”

“He’s fine, right mate…?” He slapped my back, but I barely winced. “Er, well… I think he’s fine?” He whimpered.

“Oh for the love… Dmitri, can you hear me?” She snapped, nudging my shoulder.

I let out an agonized moan before bringing my hand up and flashing a thumbs up. “HE’S ALIVE…!” Ramah teased, shaking me wildly to make me laugh.

Slane sniffed and charged at Ramah, which made him skitter backwards, “Barely; if you hurt him, I swear to God you’ll sleep in that office the rest of your life!”

“Hollow threats…” he tried to cockily say, but when he saw his wife’s demonic glare, he choked up and pretended to cough on more soot, “I mean, er, yes dear?”

“I mean it, Ramah; clean up this hallway and that young man, then get your ass in my office.” She slammed the hospital doors shut, which made the wall vibrate.

“Ooh, she’s mad…” I giggled.

“She’s just jealous I took you from her; I’ll butter her up for next class.” Ramah sniffed, but he kept looking over his shoulder as if he expected Slane to hear his taunts and come back to publicly execute him. With how mad she was, I wouldn’t put it past her.

“What the heck even happened in there?” Martha asked as I shook my hair out. Black soot cascaded over my lap and the marble floor, and made Cerelia roll her eyes.

“I found an expired tablet under my desk,” Ramah said innocently.

“AND YOU DECIDED TO PUT IT IN AN EXPLOSIVE MIXTURE!?” Andrew roared.

“I mean, now I know what the tablet was? Turned out it was a failed healing pill. Which we mixed with acid, not knowing there was hydrogen in the tablet. A lot of it. A whole lot of it.” Ramah snorted, as if this was truly a game to him.

“I should have taken public speaking instead!” I whined.

“Too late, you’re mine now!” Ramah cheered, ruffling my blackened hair before standing and slapping his apron, “That sure was exciting; let’s do it again tomorrow!”

“Like hell…!” I tried to exclaim, but he ignored me completely.

“See you at two!” He slammed his office door shut; I collapsed again with a loud whine.

Andrew and Cerelia exchanged a few chuckles before Cerelia bent down to smile over me, “He certainly does like you; he never does things like this with trade students.”

“I love being special,” I sarcastically coughed.

“I take it you’re skipping the gym?” Stefan teased.

“I should probably search for third degree burns; I’ll join you guys in an hour or so.”

“Try not to clog the drain with your singed hair!” Michael called as he waved over his shoulder and lead the way outside. I rolled my eyes and bid the couple farewell before sauntering upstairs with a long sigh. It took around twenty minutes to successfully clean myself up, and once I was in a pullover and joggers, I headed out the door. It was disgustingly muggy outside today, and my pullover wasn’t helping my discomfort, but nonetheless I trucked towards the gym.

As I sauntered down the pavement, I noticed that someone was sitting in the field. I could barely see them at first, but after closer inspection I found that it was in fact Gwen, who I hadn’t seen all day honestly. She was sitting crisscross with a notebook in her lap, and a pencil that skillfully moved along the page. Her hair was in its usual long braid, but she had coiled it up into a bun to give her neck some air. She had her back to me, but I could tell by the slight pink on her shoulders that she had been out here for quite a bit. I instinctively differed from my path and walked through the grass until I was just a few feet behind her. She didn’t hear me over the music she was listening to, so when I crouched down and tapped her shoulder, her pencil and notebook shot into the air. “Oh, crap!” I cried, catching the pages before they spilled all over the ground.

“Jesus Christ, Dmitri…!” She hacked, holding her chest with her eyes bugging wildly.

I sat on my knees beside her, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. What are you doing out here by yourself?” I asked in an incredibly loving tone.

She tucked a strand of hair that fell from her bun behind her ear, then shoved the notebook underneath her leg, “I dunno… Just relaxing…”

“Did the boys invite you to the gym?”

“I mean… I don’t think they saw me, or they would have…” she admitted.

I frowned and sat down properly, pulling my legs up to lay my arm on my knee. “You know, you’re always welcome to join us? Even if we don’t openly say it, you’re part of the team, and I really don’t like that you spend so much time on your own, especially if it’s because you think the invitation isn’t extended to you the same.”

She froze; even her pencil stopped midair from where she was tapping it on her knee. I waited patiently for her to collect her thoughts, and when she finally did, she turned away to my surprise. “I'm fine; don’t worry about me.” Her tone was harsh, and made my stomach twist in fear I’d offended her.

There was something, odd, about the way she was acting though. Even with her harsh words, her shoulders trembled slightly as if whatever she was pushing down was trying to burst free. She refused to look at me as well, and when she thought I was standing to leave, even though I was just moving closer to her, she winced. That wince hit my soul, and a moment later, I had slid one arm behind her so I could lean my cheek into her hair. “You know I can’t do that,” I whispered as I played with her outstretched hand. “I know how hard it is to open up to people when you’ve spent your life alone. It’s an odd feeling, but if I have to try, then so do you.”

Gwen nodded slightly, “Yeah, I guess so…”

“You’re very kind to me, Gwen, and the last thing I'm going to do is walk away knowing you’re going to stay out here alone. One thing’s for sure; I'm not leaving this field until I see you smile.” I calmly, yet firmly, declared.

She finally looked up to me, and when she did, I could see tears were dancing along her waterline, trying to find a way to escape. The wind carelessly combed stray hairs from her face as it whisked through the field, cooling her warm skin, but not her flushed cheeks. The sun made her eyes a beautiful ocean blue, though the green burned around her pupil as well. I grew lost in them, and before I knew it, my lips were on hers. She was the one who had pulled me closer in actuality, but that didn’t matter after we had embraced. It was only a second, but when we pulled apart, she finally laid her cheek on my shoulder and moved to hug me back.

I wanted her to feel safe in my arms, because I felt safe when she was in mine. It was an incredibly odd sensation, but feeling the warmth of her sun-kissed skin was like being wrapped in a blanket on a winter night. I could have held her like this for the rest of forever. “You’re a really good hugger,” she whispered to make us giggle.

“That means you’re going to have to let me hug you more often.”

“If you stop wearing pullovers when it’s ninety degrees I will.”

“Yeah, maybe not the best choice…” I grumbled. She let out a full laugh, and squeezed me tighter. I kissed her temple sweetly, then moved down her face to peck her nose. She playfully duct away to make me smile. “Want to go do something together?”

“The boys are probably waiting for you…?” She offered.

“I live with them; I take advantage of every second of freedom I can get.” I teased, standing to hold my hand out. She rolled her eyes and took it, yelping when I ripped her up and bolted down through the grass.

“Hey, wait up! What’s the rush?”

“You don’t want to get caught, do you!?” I said with a wink as we slipped into the stables. “Well good afternoon sir; want to go for a ride?” I asked Archimedes, who neighed and nudged me. I squished him in a hug before going to the wall to dig for his saddle and reins.

“He is such a beautiful horse, Dmitri. How long have you had him?” Gwen asked as she brushed her fingers through his mane. Archimedes, to my surprise, nuzzled into her hand affectionately, which was incredibly odd for him. He didn’t take kindly to strangers, but seemed to understand Gwen was important to me.

“I got him for my twelfth birthday, since I lost my previous horse in battle. Took me years to train him to perfection, but he’s my best friend. He’s always been very patient… Where is this damn saddle… Ha-Ha Ha Ha!” I declared.

Gwen snorted at the weird laugh that escaped me, which made me slap a hand over my mouth in horror. “What, the hell, was that?” She choked out.

I ghosted around Archimedes nervously, but her giggles turned to full blown laughter at my expression. “I haven’t done that in years…?” I whimpered into his neck with a horrific blush.

“Is this a common occurrence with you, then?”

“I mean… Oh God, that was so embarrassing!” I wheezed pathetically.

She danced up and poked my arm, “I thought it was rather adorable, actually.”

“We never speak of this again.” I hissed dramatically.

“And if I should…?” She pressed, wagging her eyebrows.

I leaned down and confidently smirked, “Corporal punishment is in store,” I said, but realized that was probably not as slick as I thought.

In defeat she hysterically laughed, and shook her head as she walked to Archimedes, “I’ll give you points for trying. Now, let’s get going before someone catches us!”

She hopped up first, and peeked about herself as I got on behind her, tucking my legs around hers. She blushed slightly at us being so close, and allowed me to reach around her to take the reins. “It may seem odd, but I’ve taught him a lot of commands based on whistles. It’s so I could ensure no one would use him against me.”

She tilted her head in awe, “That’s, fascinating. Can you show me?”

I nudged her nose with mine, raising an eyebrow with a playful side eye, “This is highly classified information, Gwenevere; are you sure you can handle it?”

“I may use it to my advantage eventually, but for now, I’ll behave,” she joked.

I shook my head and whistled once, which made Archimedes trot into the field. When the sun hit his back he wagged his head happily, and pranced down the path to make Gwen and I giggle. I whistled twice to signify a faster pace, which he took to go down to the field just before the shore met the ocean. Gwen leaned back a little while I nestled my chin into the hollow of her neck, and slid my free arm around her waist. She hugged it to her, and laced our fingers together with a blissful smile. “It’s sometimes hard to find enjoyment in riding horses when you do it for a living, but he is quite the majestic companion.”

“He’s put me to sleep many times…” I blinked in awe as she closed her eyes and fully leaned into me, reaching up to cling to the strings of my shirt. My heart thudded at having her so close, but I tried to play it off casually. We continued to enjoy the ride in silence for some time, just peacefully soaking in the beautiful scenery without a care in the world. She eventually did fall asleep, and turned her head unconsciously to bury herself into my neck. I lightly tapped Archimedes so he would slow down once more, and as he walked calmly through the sand and up the hill towards a secluded meadow beyond castle walls, I marveled over the girl in my arms.

Her braid had fallen out of the bun when we were riding, and now laid across her shoulder loosely. She, at some point, had pulled her elastic free, which released her curls from the braid almost entirely. The dark locks felt like silk in between my fingertips, and contrasted her rosy-cheeked complexion beautifully. She looked as fair as a petal, which was quite odd for Gwen. I’d fancied her commanding presence, and yet, this innocent side of her was almost too innocent. I felt unworthy to be holding her this way, but I couldn’t let go. Her small breaths tickled my neck, and the warmth of her body should have been suffocating due to the addition of the hot sun, though it was the exact opposite.

After staring at her for a few moments, something odd happened; I began to cry.

The gesture made me flinch, especially because I hadn’t cried since I was a child. My body simply could not produce tears, so this event was incredibly rare for me. I didn’t feel sad, oddly enough, yet my eyes spilled tears by the boat load. When I looked back to Gwen they rushed down my cheeks faster, to the point I began to think something was wrong with me. But then it occurred to me; was I just, happy? Was I crying because I was completely content at the moment? I sat still and tried to pinpoint if that was the emotion to justify this response, and after collecting my thoughts, I believed that it was.

I was happy. Better yet, I was elated. I was peaceful, and, and romanced, and… I was in love. I truly, deeply, was in love with this girl. My heart felt like it was only beating for her, and the thought of having to let her go after the day was done was a crushing weight on my spirit. I’d never been in love before. I’d fancied a classmate or two, but this… this was very different. I felt like she was the person I was destined to die with, and as dramatic as that sounded, I couldn’t find a reason as to why she wouldn’t be. The indescribable pull that made me walk across the field alone was anchoring me to this horse, and by the second, I was falling deeper and deeper.

For the rest of the afternoon I held Gwen as tightly as I could and hummed softly as she slept. Archimedes patiently provided the soothing ride, even with the heat being as unbearable as it was, as if he knew how important this was to me. In between my humming, and the bugs chirping, and the birds singing, I silently begged whatever or whoever in the universe was listening to allow me to spend forever with her. I prayed that by the time this day was over they could fulfill my request, to bestow some previously relinquished hope back into my life.