Ingrid and Otto had waited for Velaya to catch up to them just outside the Tower’s door and together they returned to their dormitory.

They spent the remainder of the afternoon soaking in the cool late summer air with their fellow classmates on the grassy grounds behind the Mage’s building overlooking the Sea. They had retrieved their crystal balls and books from earlier and used their free time practising drawing and expelling Dark magic, or pouring over the tomes from the day and working on their assignments.

Despite her age, Velaya was easily the most experienced of their group and she sat with Ingrid for a long while helping her as best she could. Ingrid could reach into her mana pool but had trouble drawing from the Dark, only managing to stir the clouds around within the crystal but was not able to pull from it. When she looked exhausted after a few failed attempts, they put the crystal aside and focused on their theology homework.

At one point the Maellstorm twins, Victor and Devon, had left to gather some snacks from the Great Hall and brought them back for the group to enjoy so by the time dinner rolled around, Velaya found she wasn’t overly hungry and politely declined to join them.

Instead she spent the evening in her room, reading from the SHADOWS OF THE MIND tome. Velaya had always preferred drawing from Elemental and Light magic but found herself fascinated by what the Dark was capable of. Most of her tutors back home had shied away from Dark magic so she found herself blissfully lost in her studying, her magic purring as she read through the pages.

It was well after dark, having to study by torchlight, when Otto knocked on her open door and walked in. She was leaning back in bed, propped up against the headboard, when she looked up from her book perched on her knees and smiled at him.

“How was dinner?” she asked.

“I had some pan-fried grouper and it was incredible. Emilie thought you may like these,” he said, taking a seat at the end of the bed and holding out a handful of powdered beignets on a violet napkin for her.

She cast the book aside on her nightstand and sat up eagerly, grabbing a few of the little pastries.

“How thoughtful of you both, thank you,” she said. She had to refrain from moaning at how delicious it was and Otto chuckled watching her.

“That’s the same face I had when I first bit into the grouper. Back home, we’ve only got a small stream that feeds our fields, so fresh fish isn’t something we eat often.”

“Where in Trelladain are you from?” Velaya said.

“It’s called Pecotra. A small little place not worthy of a spot on a map,” he said, chuckling as he popped a beignet into his mouth.

She frowned, trying to recall the maps of the vast Kingdom she had studied countless times at home, but came up blank on where his town was.

“It’s near Silverthorn,” he said amused.

“Hm, I think I recall seeing Silverthorn on your maps.”

“Do you suppose there’s anything in that book of yours that helps with memory?” he said, nodding towards her nightstand.

“If there is, I haven’t gotten that far. Seems Dark magic is more focused on how to influence other minds, and less about your own.”

“You said Magus Tessa thought that if you knew how to influence others, you could use that to protect your own, right? I wonder if there’s a way to -”

“What?” Velaya cried out, letting the powdered dessert in her hand fall onto her blanket. “Shit,” she said, trying to wipe the powder off, but making more of a mess.

Otto laughed.

“Sorry, but what did you say? Magus Tessa?” Velaya asked hurriedly.

Otto cocked his head, laughter still echoed on his features, his nose ring sparkled in the candlelight.

“Yes, she was our Magi this afternoon. I suppose she didn’t introduce herself, did she?” he chuckled. “The boys and I were talking about her at dinner. Apparently she’s fairly new to the role.”

“Do you know her family name?”

He squinted his face in concentration, “I think Athone said it was Firetree or something. Has family working at his Castle.”

“Fyree?” Velaya said, and Otto nodded.

“Yes, that sounds about right. Do you know her?”

She shook her head, slowly. “Her grandmother is a housekeeper for them. I knew she was here at Manatide but I thought she was a student.”

“She graduated recently. Top of her class. Achmagus Ena had asked her to stay on and had her promoted to teach the first-years Dark magic.”

Velaya leaned back into the headboard, stunned. It was no wonder there was a familiarity to her, and yet she was the complete opposite of her grandmother.

“She’s beautiful. Terrifying, but beautiful,” Otto said, eating the last beignet and folding the napkin up.

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“Who is?” Rose asked, appearing in the hallway across from them on her way to her own room.

“Tessa, the Sorcerer Magus,” Otto stood up and deposited the napkin in a bin below Velaya’s desk.

“Yes, she is,” Rose said. “I like her.”

She didn’t say anything else as she entered her room and closed the door.

“Of course she would,” Otto said, his eyebrows raised. Velaya couldn’t help but smile.

He left then, bidding her goodnight and closing her door. She spent the next few minutes changing and getting ready for bed, eventually tucking herself under the blankets. When she turned to extinguish the candle on her nightstand she paused and opened the drawer.

The little package that Nora had given her was still there, along with two letters she had written for Doriel. She eyed the package.

Magus Tessa had been correct, she did need to work on shielding her mind, but she still felt violated from her experiment. Perhaps it was only fair if she opened the package to get a small glimpse into her life too.

She could feel her heart beating as she held the small but surprisingly heavy parcel. Her mana was quiet, as though watching in anticipation.

As she began to unwrap it, a wave of guilt rolled over her.

“What am I doing?” she said quietly.

Sighing, she returned it to her drawer and blew out her light.

She felt drained from the continuous use of magic all afternoon and her head was full of spells and names and places and Gods and Goddesses. Sleep found her quickly.

~~~

Velaya awoke in the middle of the night to stomach pains and a blistering headache. She lay in bed for a while, listening to the sounds of crickets hoping they’d be able to lull her back to sleep.

She was hungry and her mouth was dry with thirst. Using mana was a costly endeavour. It was part of a spellcaster and needed to be fueled as much as her muscles and bones did. A few beignets was simply not enough. She knew better than that, but in her excitement to study she had neglected to take care of herself and was now suffering the consequences.

Groaning she dragged herself out of bed and into a fresh pair of Tides, draping her cloak around her shoulders. She had another full day of classes ahead and knew if she didn’t eat something she would risk becoming ill and wouldn’t have the strength to keep up with the lessons.

Quietly she exited her room and made her way downstairs. After a futile search for any snacks within she resolved to trudging out in the night across the grounds to the Great Hall, hoping there was still some food remaining.

She left the dorm and was greeted by a blast of chill, crisp night air. Manatide Island was located off the northern coast of Ayradora which meant the cooler Fall weather wouldn’t be far off now. She pulled her hood up over her head to help keep the bite of cold at bay.

The grounds were eerily quiet. Ahead she could see the lights of the Great Hall glowing across the plain. As she passed the Paladin and Sorcerer buildings she saw a few windows flickering with candlelight from rooms on the second story. The Tower’s windows always seemed to glow blue, like a lighthouse beacon for all spellcasters. There were likely many students and Magi up through all the hours of the night studying or conducting research within.

Guided by the glow of the moon, she arrived at the doors to the hall. During the day they were often left wide open but at this time of night they were closed. For a moment she worried they would be locked and she’d have to wait until breakfast to return, but as she pulled on the doors they opened with surprising ease given their massive size.

She needed a minute for her eyes to adjust to the brightness as she slipped inside the door, allowing them to close softly behind her.

Taking in the room, it was mostly empty. There were a few lone bodies scattered around and towards the far end, near the last set of windows was a table where three people sat huddled together.

The individual tables were empty of any food, but there were a few tables set up near the windows that thankfully had an arrangement of wraps, sandwiches, soups and further down another with juices, coffees and teas.

Velaya crossed the hall towards the food. She only intended to grab a few bites and head back to her room, so she kept her hood up hoping to avoid getting caught in any conversations. No one looked up or paid her any attention. Most of them were bleary eyed, snacking on small plates of food and pouring over scrolls and texts.

She grabbed a turkey wrap and some sliced raw vegetables before heading to the drink table. As she approached she could hear the quiet conversation of the three people sitting together near the window. Not wanting to appear rude, she avoided looking at them and kept her focus on the drinks.

“No, but we have been working tirelessly,” came a slow, deep voice. It was familiar. She’d heard it before but at the moment she couldn’t place it.

“He said we were running out of time,” said a male’s voice that Velaya didn’t recognize.

“We’ve been studying this for a decade to no avail. He cannot possibly expect us to have something ready. Certainly not without any trials,” said the first voice again. Velaya suddenly recognized it as Magus Ossacus, the Druid healer from the infirmary.

“I’m just relaying what I heard,” came the second voice.

“Did she pass along my message?” the voice of Magus Tessa said as Velaya stiffened.

“Yes,” the unknown speaker said.

“And?” Magus Tessa asked. Her voice was strained, unlike during their lessons when it had seemed so relaxed.

“He wants her to look into it further,” the male said.

“Do they believe it’s related?” Magus Ossacus asked.

“Ena is convinced of it, but Barrett is unsure.”

Magus Ossacus scoffed. “So she’s been granted time to chase after ghosts and I’ve got my staff working through the night.”

“Yours is the bandage, hers may just be the cure,” the male voice said.

Velaya wanted to linger but felt she’d already overstayed. She couldn’t pretend to pour drinks forever. Taking her tray, she turned and walked away from them. She could feel their eyes on her back, but none of them said anything. She heard them continuing their conversation a moment later, having not recognized her.

It was a curious conversation. The old Archmagus and the new one appeared as though they were still in communication with each other. If Velaya had to guess it was regarding the Corruption. Were Ossacus and his team of healers looking for a cure for it? It didn’t sound as though they were any closer to finding it. And what message did Magus Tessa have for them?

Velaya mulled these thoughts over as she left the Hall and made her way back to her room. Her head was still throbbing from her headache, and adding this to the mix didn’t help. Even her mana thrashed around inside her, uncomfortable.

She was so lost within her own head that she didn’t hear the hurried footsteps behind her until it was too late.