The buzzing didn’t stop after I woke up and continued for days after. I managed to get to the palace again, climbing the ladder back to the bakery. Lydee sent me off with a slice of cake and the queen’s favorite (a hearty meal of meat and sauteed vegetables), hyping me up to make the trek back to the palace.

Whoever was following me had an easy time of it as I trudged up the path to the palace. Normally I wouldn’t beeline it for the door, but exhaustion was on me like a weighted blanket, and I needed nothing more than to lie down.

I barely made it to the carriages the next morning and slept through most of the ride back. The exhaustion didn’t subside until the day after we arrived at the palace. Shippa wanted to see me as soon as we arrived, but I ignored her request and made my way to my room, where I flopped faced down on my bed and slept for thirteen hours.

Like a spell, I woke up refreshed and ready to tackle the day. In the bathroom, I checked my ear for the first time and noticed what looked like a small tattoo. It was faint, nearly the color of my skin, but I could see the outline of a flower. If not for my necklace, I wouldn’t have recognized the cluster of daisies. Unless someone was looking for it, it’d be hard to spot.

After a quick shower, I found a letter from Lenris delivered to my door. I sat down to read it, happy she’d gotten back to me.

> Madam Kaiya,

>

> I dearly appreciate you keeping in contact despite your busy schedule. You must tell me all about the Fera Queendom when you have a moment. I haven’t been there since I was young, and it was a beautiful place to behold.

>

> I’ve never been to the capital, but I’d love to hear about it. The sturdy clothing is what I remember the most. When my family made our stops there, it was usually to restock up on clothing, since it was the only clothing that could withstand our lifestyle.

>

> Jes is doing well, excelling in school, though he still wants to know when you’ll be his teacher. I’ve reminded him of your promise many times, but he’s still persistent.

>

> I’ll keep this one short so as not to take up too much more of your time. The Festival of the Red Moons is soon. Perhaps you can spend some of your time with us then.

>

> Forever grateful, Lenris of Berra

I sat the letter down on my dresser, smiling. If I didn’t have to hustle, I would have stayed to answer. Instead, I moved it to my bed to make sure I saw it when I got back.

I left to find Shippa, knowing Enri would be busy. She’d already warned me that she would be once we got back, and it was no lie. As soon as we stepped out of the carriage, Zann summoned Enri to talk and the personal guard took off with Eumen, Corek, and Clecia. It was just me against the world today. It was odd, after being constantly surrounded by people for the last month and a half.

Shippa was in the basement classroom looking irritated as I opened the door. She was sitting at the desk, writing something down. She looked up for a moment before continuing. Her hair was pulled back in a fluffy puff ball that reminded me of how my grandma would do me and Sayla’s hair. Her dark skin was marked with sunspots and while I knew she was probably in her sixties, she looked in her early forties at best. The only thing that betrayed her were her laugh and frown lines.

I sat on a desk and waited, kicking my feet.

After ten minutes, she set her pen down and said, “You’re late.”

“Chronically,” I said. “It’s a condition I’ve yet to grow out of.”

She scowled, the lines on her face getting deeper. “It’s a habit you’d better grow out of quickly. If you’re late, I won’t be teaching you.”

“Did you run that by Zann? I think he’d—”

She slammed her hands on the desk and stood with such force the chair screeched back and the desk shook. “Don’t you dare! You will refer to him as His Majesty and nothing less in my presence. I don’t care if Madam Enri lets you get away with it, I won’t. You will show him the respect he deserves.”

“Shippa, he doesn’t care what I call him. If he had a problem with it, he’d have said something by now.” After five—almost six—months, he was bound to have an opinion on it and if he didn’t want to share it with me, I wasn’t going to change it. Even if he had, I would have laughed at him and kept doing it. That’s probably why he never said anything about it. The man knew when to pick his battles.

Her frown grew deeper as her face reddened. I was warned not to antagonize Shippa, but it was just so easy, and she was annoying. I was annoying, too, but it was a different kind. I was at least endearing.

Shippa took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Iljana warned me about your mouth, but you still managed to get on my nerves so quickly.”

I shrugged. “It’s one of my many skills. Also, I should say that Iljana got a talking to about the way he treated me so I would avoid being too much of an asshole if you want to avoid a scolding by His Majesty.” I rolled my eyes as I said it. Even before I knew who he was, it sounded ridiculous to constantly call someone that. Even Forana wasn’t a stickler about it, and she actually fit the title.

Smoke curled off her hair as she seethed. My attitude aside, she had no reason to come out the gate swinging. Even though Iljana was biased because he hated that I could become a Suriqi, he at least didn’t care that I was younger than him like Shippa, and if she was going to be rude, she didn’t deserve my respect. Even Enri was a bit of an ass when we first started training, but at least I knew she respected me.

Shippa clasped her hands together and began to head to the door. “I need a moment.”

“Take your time. I’m just gonna sit here.” I leaned my head back, staring at the ceiling.

It was odd knowing it had only been about six months since the summon. It felt like it had been so much longer, and yet so much shorter at the same time. I had been ready to graduate college and be an English teacher to middle schoolers. I was going to move in with Sayla and by my birthday we were going to have everything we wanted: a place of our own away from our parents.

Instead, we were both whisked away to a magical world where the fate of several countries seemed to be resting on our shoulders.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

I paused my swinging feet for a moment as a realization hit me. I was summoned on March ninth and over five months had passed. My birthday would have passed while we were in Fera, and if my math was right, the day Enri met Sayla was August first. My two favorite people met on my birthday. A great retroactive birthday present.

“Your birthday passed, and you didn’t say anything?”

Enri’s voice rang clear through my head, and I felt the tattoo burn slightly. I felt a bit lightheaded and tried to trace the path of magic the message came from. It differed from the normal magic I felt, but it was Enri. I could follow her anywhere.

“There were a few more important things happening, and it’s not like I know when your birthday is.” I felt a wave of lightheadedness crash over me, and I closed my eyes. I couldn’t go falling off the desk.

Her voice was soft as she said, “You arrived on my birthday.”

“Maybe the forces above did that on purpose. I’m the best birthday gift anyone could ask for.”

Her laughter filled my head, and I could have lived off the sound. “You are a wonderful gift, but I don’t think the gods are that kind.”

I heard footsteps approaching the door. “I have to focus now. Shippa’s done throwing a tantrum.”

She laughed again. “Be nice, but if she tries anything, I’ll set her straight.”

“I’m always nice.”

When Shippa came in, she was far more collected than before. She stood at the front of the classroom and picked up a piece of chalk. On the board, she began to write something. When she was done, she stepped aside and pointed at it. “Read it aloud.”

“Wind comes from the breath. Water comes from the blood. Terra comes from the muscle. Fire comes from the stomach.”

“Good. The basics of all magic, but especially fire magic, is understanding where that magic comes from. It flows through our bodies, but when you begin to do magic for a certain element, the magic will concentrate in one of these four places in order for you to actually do it. You must have felt this while training.”

I nodded, not wanting to lose the momentum. I hadn’t noticed where the magic was concentrating, only that it was there when I needed it. The flow of it was always different, but it didn’t feel like it was being concentrated anywhere.

“As the magic begins to pool in the stomach, it will grow hot and feel like it’s burning. That’s a good sign. When you’ve managed that, let it out. This classroom has taken much worse.”

It hadn’t been since Enri was my magic teacher that I had to consciously move my magic around. It was easier now that I was so used to working with it, but it still seemed to be escaping my grasp. I had awakened my natural affinity to wind and now it felt like it was always whipping around me. If it wouldn’t nearly kill me to use my wind magic to bolster fire, I would have done it. Instead, I focused on the feeling of my magic. It moved with the rhythm of my heart, pulsing, ebbing, flowing. After ten minutes, I’d pooled it in my stomach, and it felt like I was going to throw up. Strange how much magic made me feel ill.

With a slow breath, I let it out. Fire spilled from my stomach, wreathing me in flames, and for a moment, I was terrified I was going to get burned. My leg and arm had healed, but the scars were a steady reminder. I could never forget the white-hot pain of a burn or the way it ate away at Noram’s already poor health.

The flames died just as quickly as they started, only my clothes getting singed.

She stared at me, this time with the critical eye of a teacher. “The flames scare you.”

My heart jolted, and I felt like I was being cornered. It pained me to admit it, so I just said, “I was burned badly about three months ago.”

“Have they healed since?”

“Yes.”

“Then what about it frightens you?”

“…What?”

Her gaze was level and her voice calm. It was an odd switch from her aggrieved tone earlier. She crossed her arms and repeated, “What about it frightens you? You were burned, so what? You’re still standing here, as annoying as ever, having survived it. If it happens again, are you just going to keel over and succumb to the burns? Let them get infected and fester? You can be afraid, Kaiya of Nothing, but know that giving up will not be tolerated. You’re a mage. The elements bend to you, not the other way around.”

When I first met her, I thought she would have been beautiful if not for the expression she had. Right now, she looked every bit as beautiful as I thought she would have. The difference between her and Iljana was that Iljana wanted me dead, or at the very least, evicted from the kingdom, so he’d never have to see me again. Shippa wanted me to sit and obey. I could do neither, but I could at least try to meet Shippa halfway if she was going to teach me.

“Try again.”

We spent the next few hours building magic and letting it loose. I was still scared, but I let it sit with me while I practiced. I wasn’t going to get rid of it anytime soon, but I could at least acknowledge it.

The sun started to set by the time we were done. I felt drained and ready for bed, but I had lessons with Enri to get to. I dragged myself to the training field where she was waiting. Her arms were crossed as she leaned against a pole on the obstacle course. She smiled when she saw me, then grimaced.

“I can tell how tired you are from here.”

“I’ll live,” I said. “Don’t go easy on me because I’m tired.”

“I might kill you if I don’t.”

“It’ll have been an honor, then.” I stretched a bit, working out the stiffness in my limbs. I remembered the routine Vanli had us do well and still had nightmares about it. My lack of sleep would eventually be a problem, but I could make do for a month. With what we were planning for, a little lost sleep would be small potatoes.

I started the routine under Enri’s watchful eye, the only commentary coming when I hit the obstacle course. I was clumsy and slower than normal. It was to be expected, but when I lost my grip on the climbing rope and fell five feet, she shook her head. I could feel her wanting to go easy on me, but I wouldn’t let her. We all had our parts to play, and this was mine. I needed to wield the magic and wield it well. If I couldn’t at least do that, fat chance I was going to protect anyone.

I, of course, got my ass handed to me when we reached the hand-to-hand part of training. If it wasn’t such a normal occurrence, I’d be embarrassed. As the moons reached their peak, Enri released me from the torture and helped me to my room.

“Are you sure you can keep this up? You might not make it.”

“It’s fine, Enri. As long as you can keep up, I’ll be okay.” We made it to my door, and I took my weight off her and stood up straight. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.” She looked around for a moment and rushed up, giving me a quick kiss. “Say the word and we can take a break.”

I smiled. “I’ll let you know. Good night.” She left, her hair glowing in the moonlight, and I went to the bathroom to rinse the day off of me.

I leaned my head against the wall of the shower as the water rolled the suds of soap off me. I was so close to getting into bed. All I needed to do was dry off and—

“—f doesn’t work this time, I’ll cry!”

“Sayla?”

“Kai! Thank God I finally got through to you.” Her voice was a mixture of relief and irritation. “The instructions Enri left were cryptic and nerdy.”

“That’s kinda how she works.” I turned off the water and grabbed my towel.

“Well, I’m sure you think it’s endearing.”

I pulled my hair back and started to braid it. “I do, but I’m glad you finally figured it out. I was worried it didn’t work for you.”

“If it didn’t work, all that pain was for nothing and—sorry, Kai—I’d have to throw hands with your girlfriend.”

So rarely had a bed felt so delightful. I wrapped the blanket around me and barely had the wherewithal to say, “Goodnight.”

She laughed. “I can feel your exhaustion from here. Goodnight. I love you.”

“Love you too.”