WWDtS Chapter 141 (Patreon)

The first time I’d seen my room at Avalon, I’d been fresh off the road, covered in enough dust to bury a small giant rat, and still not quite able to believe that the mage outside the gate had decided to give a half-starved, filthy, penniless peasant a chance to take the admission exam, much less that I’d passed. It had taken my last few coins to just buy entry into Armouth––the city-state that had hosted the portal at the time––and I’d been forced to go without food for two days and sell the vast majority of my few remaining possessions to cross the four rings of high walls between the outer gates and the square that had been set aside for Avalon. 

When I’d stepped into the clean, pleasantly cool, furnished room with its own bathroom that was all for me, just mine alone and no one else’s for as long as I belonged at Avalon, I’d been completely overwhelmed. It had seemed almost palatial, both in size and quality. You could have fit the entire house I’d grown up in with my mother and father into the main room, and the enchantments in the bathroom and the quality of the bedding and linens was far beyond anything Kala’s family could have afforded. I’d wondered what one person could possibly need so much space for.

Well, three years later I finally understood why the mage who’d led me down to my room had mentioned off-hand how useful spatial-expansion magic could be. A room that felt much too big for a single person got a lot more cramped when you doubled the amount of furniture, collected some specimens, acquired a live-in servant, brought in a friend to live with you, and then invited over a few guests. 

Miranda was the last to arrive at the impromptu meeting I’d called, slipping through the door less than a minute before two o’clock. I watched out of the corner of my eye as she scanned the room, then glided over to where my cows were bound and perched herself neatly on Verdan’s back, one foot just barely touching the ground while the other kicked loosely in the air. I knew from experience that elves made for surprisingly comfortable seating, though it wasn’t like Miranda had had too many other options.

In hindsight, perhaps my room was not the optimal place to do this. There was a reason I typically found somewhere in the library or reserved a training hall. However, I wanted to include Lea in things as much as possible and as my group of…trusted associates grew, it became both harder and more important to hide that mutual association from other students. It wasn’t strange for me to meet with Miranda, nor for me to meet with Camille, nor for me to meet with Briella and Cayla. All at once however? That bore looking into, and I wanted to minimize scrutiny as much as possible. 

There simply weren’t enough good places to sit for a group of our size, much less table space if we wanted to do anything more complicated than talk. With me in my chair, that just left my bed and stool, neither of which worked particularly well with my desk, which couldn’t easily be moved from its place against the wall. It was fine for today, but if I wanted to make this a recurring thing, I’d need to make some changes.

At least Lea was content––more than content really, from the glazed look in her eyes and the soft sounds she was making as my fingers moved across her scalp––to sit on the floor at my feet, her head resting against my leg and her hands on her thighs. She almost certainly had nothing to contribute to today’s meeting, but I still wanted her to have the option to participate if the fancy struck her. It was much safer to give her the illusion of involvement than actually involving her in any Avalon business. 

With a soft sigh, I reabsorbed the mana I’d been working with while I waited, the invisible circlet around my wrist vanishing under my skin. I was practicing rapidly converting my mana between the types needed to cast different circles of spells. First through third was all easy, but the way you had to sort of twist things just right to mimic higher-dimensional aspects of spell forms still made my head hurt after too much practice. 

Eventually I’d be able to produce the appropriate ‘quality’ of mana on demand, my soul fully accustomed to manipulating it just like regular mana, but that day was not today. For the time being, I needed to make the conversion manually every time, and untwist it back if I wanted to reabsorb the mana afterwards. It was a very frustrating exercise, but rewarding in the progress I could both see and feel with each passing day. 

I closed the book in my lap with a soft snap, mentally noting my page number, then silently scanned the faces around me. Camille, the first to arrive, sat perched on the very edge of the stool. Her eyes darted furtively around the room, lingering on the other girls but quickly shifting away whenever one of them caught her looking. It was obvious that she was very deliberately trying to avoid focusing on Nettle and my cows and just as clearly failing, flashes of fear and stress shooting across her face and coloring her magic like a drop of hibiscus tea in a cup of spring water. She looked as skittish as one of the otterfoxen I’d hunted with my dad, ready to bolt at the slightest sign of danger. 

In contrast, Briella and Cayla both looked like there was nowhere else they’d rather be. They were sitting side by side on my bed and had been speaking in hushed voices until Miranda had arrived. Briella sat with all the poise of a queen, but her shoulders were loose and her face as tranquil as I’d ever seen. Cayla looked almost slovenly by comparison, arms braced behind her back and one shoulder pressed up against her friend’s for support. 

Finally Miranda was…Miranda. Effortlessly elegant and seductive in that oh-so-dangerous way that came naturally to her. Her dress, a familiar little red number with tiny golden bells hanging from the short sleeves, fit her like a glove and rode up slightly around her hips, teasing at what lay beneath. It was bold of her to sit where she had. Not long ago she’d been petrified of ending up just like her current seat. 

I brushed the bond between us and she shifted in her seat, her thighs rubbing together briefly before she leaned back and spread her legs a scant few inches apart that nonetheless gave me a clear view of her bare, glistening womanhood. I raised an eyebrow and she shrugged, sweeping a strand of hair back behind her ear like ‘what did you expect’. 

I took a firmer grasp of the bond, feeling a mix of satisfaction, contentment, and all-consuming hunger echoing down the connection between us. A moment later I recognized the flavor of another mage’s mana interlaced with her own and realized what I was feeling. Miranda had been out hunting again, taking advantage of the break from classes and major population centers to feed deeply and often. 

“A productive hunt?” I asked conversationally, setting my book down on the floor beside me.

Miranda’s smile had a few too many teeth––pearly white and perfect––to be seductive. “Extremely,” she purred, fluttering her eyelashes. “Thank you for asking, master.”

I was just about to get on with things when Camille spoke up.

“Um. Hunt?” Camille asked, only a tiny quaver audible in her voice as her natural curiosity won out against her survival instincts.

Miranda delight was like a spring breeze blowing through the room as she eagerly turned to face the newest member of my collection, subtly positioning herself to give the suddenly blushing Gulivinian girl an eyeful. She rose languidly to her feet and crossed the space between her makeshift seat and Camille’s stool in three unhurried steps, her hips swaying hypnotically with each step.

She stopped a pace in front of the stool and bent over at the waist to straighten the hem of Camille’s much more practically cut dress, giving her another eyeful in the process. Then she plopped down onto Camille’s lap, straddling the brunette’s legs such that the shorter girl’s face was all but buried in her half-naked breasts. 

Camille tried to stammer something, but her words were total gibberish. Miranda took a firm grip of Camille’s hair and pulled her head back, then paused and glanced back towards me, a flash of nervousness in her eyes. 

I smiled tightly. “Just a taste, pet.”

Miranda captured Camille’s lips with her own and Camille practically melted against her. Miranda’s magic rose to fill the air, sweet and thick as syrup, yet possessing a subtle fragrance that brought to mind rose water and vanilla. Beside me, Lea’s breathing turned labored. Rea had stopped mid-step and was staring at Miranda, one of her hands drifting unconsciously to slide beneath the flimsy fabric of her sundress and cup one of her breasts. Even Briella and Cayla, both skilled mages and not the immediate targets of Miranda’s magic, looked entranced by the display. 

The moment ended as quickly as it had begun. Miranda released her grip on Camille’s hair and broke their kiss, allowing her to slump fully forward and nearly spilling both of them to the floor as the stool tried to skid out from under her. “Like that,” Miranda said simply. “A hunt.”

Camille blinked uncomprehendingly, her blush turning the lightly-tanned skin of her cheeks and neck as red as Miranda’s dress. She reached up to touch her lips with two fingers, then drew them away and stared at the traces of crimson lipstick clinging to her digits. 

A moment later, her other hand flew down to clutch her chest and she tried to scramble away from the girl still straddling her legs. She’d have had nowhere to go, but Miranda was polite enough to stand up, allowing Camille to practically throw herself backwards onto the floor and half slide, half crawl until her back was pressed up against the far wall of the room. 

“What the fuck was that?” Camille exclaimed, still clutching her chest with one hand. Her eyes were wide and frantic, her magic roiling dangerously.

I glanced between Camille and Miranda and stayed silent, though my magic was primed to move at a moment’s notice. 

“I told you already,” Miranda answered with a smile. “A hunt.” She licked her lips, “You’re delicious, by the way. Much better than my breakfast. It's a shame Orion likes you.”

“Miranda.”

Her body froze for an instant and her smile lost a few teeth. “I’m sorry if you did not enjoy the demonstration. I didn’t take much, the mana should regenerate fully in an hour or two.” She turned around and returned to her seat on Verdan’s back, this time not bothering with the over exaggerated hip motions. 

I turned my attention to Camille, who was still frozen in her corner. “Camille, you’re embarrassing yourself. Anyone and anything, no matter how beautiful or alluring, can be a threat. You must be ready to defend yourself at any moment. We’ll discuss defenses against manavores and similar predators later. Now, take a seat so we can get started.”

She nodded jerkily and started to climb to her feet, stumbled, then let Rea guide her back to the newly righted stool, this time positioned much closer to my chair and considerably further from Miranda. 

I waited for her to regain her seat, then turned to Briella. The fire mage was watching Miranda with a newfound respect, her fingers moving as though doing sums in her head. “Briella, let's start with you. Report.”

She snapped to her feet, curtsied, then folded her hands behind her back with her head bowed as she spoke. “I submitted the last of my class registrations yesterday as you commanded, master. I registered for three classes required by Avalon, as well as the class with Professor Shrike that you recommended and an additional brewing class with Professor Meadows.” She paused. “The male Professor Meadows, I mean. Concoctions and Decoction Two.”

“Very good. Any difficulties?” 

“No, sir.”

“Very good,” I repeated. “Add your finalized schedule to the calendar once you have everything approved.”

“I will, sir.” 

I turned away from her and she sat down so fast she bounced a little, the bed shaking beneath her. “Camille?”

“Um, I. I finished signing up today. Professor Laushring put a puzzle lock on his box and it took me a few days to decode it. He’s teaching Intermediate Enchanting with Dwarven Runes this semester. Then I still need to take Evocation Fundamentals for the year, I signed up for that class Professor Williams is teaching, and I’m also going to be taking On the Construction of War Wards. Professor Samvald is leading the seminar this year.”

“Only four classes?”

“I…” she squared her shoulders and met my eyes, “Yes, Orion.”

I hummed noncommittally. “Then I expect you to excel in your personal studies.”

She swallowed heavily and looked away. “I will.”

Good enough. “Cayla?” 

Cayla stood up and curtsied, then hunched in on herself as though she was wearing a lead jacket. Her voice was quiet and she spoke quickly as though trying not to think about what she was saying. “I’m taking the same three required courses as Briella is, and then Introductory Healing and Anatomy and Introductory Tailoring with Non-standard Materials.”

I considered her choices for a moment, then nodded slowly. I’d met with Cayla a few times over the past month to discuss her future at Avalon. Namely, the fact that, as it currently stood, she was almost certainly going to fail out before she ever had the opportunity to leave at the end of her fourth year. As much as it pained me to admit, she was simply a deeply inadequate mage and was not responding particularly well to the training regimes I’d prepared for her. She was getting better, but not nearly quickly enough, even when she spent a reasonable portion of the day training. 

Was I happy about her signing up for two classes populated primarily by first years? Not particularly. It wasn’t technically against the rules as long as the majority of her classes were year-appropriate, but it was definitely frowned upon. But if it meant she could finish out this year and perhaps even the next before needing to vanish, and learn some useful magic in the process, I could live with it. 

“Adequate.” Cayla collapsed back onto the bed. “Miranda?” 

She shrugged languidly. “Same four we discussed last semester, and I added That Which Cannot Be Destroyed with Professor Dwarevi instead of the next class on veils. Professor Molls isn’t teaching it this semester and I don’t like the man they have leading it instead.”

“Calendar?”

“Updated it when I came to get breakfast.”

“Good.”

Miranda leaned forward, the bells on her sleeves filling the air with a musical tinkle. “What about you, Orion? Any exciting plans for the semester?” There was a teasing note to her voice, and it was a sign of how much more comfortable she’d grown around me that she dared ask the question at all. 

I rolled my eyes, I’d been getting there. “Mana Stabilization for Barrier Rituals, The Secret Strength Inside, Spheres, Advanced Introductory Artifice, and On the Purity of Annihilation,” I rattled off. “No particularly terrible professors, no classes before nine. Hopefully a nice relaxing semester.”

Miranda stared at me for a moment, then thumped her knuckles against Verdan’s head three times

“Um, Orion,” Camille began hesitantly, “aren’t…three of those fourth-year classes?”

“Only two of them,” I corrected. Only Spheres and On the Purity of Annihilation required fourth-circle spellcasting, and I was confident I’d be able to make things work. I was really looking forward to being back in one of Professor Zim’s classes, he was a demanding teacher but utterly brilliant and genuinely invested in his student’s success. The other class was another lecture series, and one I’d been looking forward to taking since I’d first heard about it. It was only offered periodically so there was no guarantee it would be available next year when I was supposed to take it. I’d be a fool to not sign up. 

“Are you sure you should be––”

“It is not our place to question the master’s choices,” Briella interjected sharply. 

Camille rounded on the other girl with more venom than I would have expected. “I have every right to worry about Orion! First of all, he’s my friend and I want him to be safe! And secondly, what do you think is going to happen to the rest of us if he kills himself trying to pass classes he isn’t ready for? Nothing good, that’s for sure! Maybe I didn’t know everything I was getting myself into, but I chose to hitch my future to Orion’s for a reason, not so he could throw his life away!”

Lea raised her head to look between me and Camille, then silently met my eyes. I smiled reassuringly and she relaxed back against my side. 

When I looked back up, Briella was half out of her seat and glaring at Camille. “What happens to us is immaterial. Master has made his decision, and it is our purpose to assist him in carrying out that decision, not to question its validity. Master––”

“Peace, Briella,” I told her softly, and her mouth closed mid-word with a click of teeth. “Camille, I understand why you might be worried and appreciate your concerns, but you have nothing to fear. I spoke with Liam on the topic and am confident I will be able to get through the classes I have selected with no significant issues.”

She didn’t look fully convinced, but said nothing. That was good enough for me. “In any case, with that out of the way let us figure out how we’ll all be getting to classes next semester. I don’t want anyone moving around alone if at all possible and it's important to know where you’re running to if you need help. You all do me no good if I’m attacked between classes and you’re nowhere to be found. Cayla, Briella, you two are sharing most of your classes. Let's start with you.”