Chapter 21

  Imagine The Fire

  “Don’t posture. I can tell you’re really sick.”

  “...Something like this can’t—”

  Cough, cough, cough!

  Silence.

  “Lie down, or you’ll embarrass yourself even more.”

  She obeyed and lay back down.

  “Princess Nora has filed the trade per the agreement,” Dan said, standing by the bed with his shoulder bag. “So for the remaining assignment and the finals, I’ll be with you.”

  “You came… just to tell me that…?”

  “No.”

  Dan went on, “I’m here to ask what I have to do to make your family stop taking an interest in me.”

  “...Reject my father… at the banquet… next Saturday.”

  “What banquet?”

  “The family’s…”

  Rafinya lifted the damp towel from her face; he saw the lower half of one eye.

  “You have to refuse him that day… for your own long-term peace…”

  …Should’ve set my background to Velmount…

  “You want me to walk into your family’s nest?”

  “No one will care about you.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Okay—some might…”

  “Not ‘some,’ I’d say.”

  “Wear your school uniform if you want. Just follow me. You don’t have to speak to anyone.”

  “Okay.”

  Rafinya’s eyes dropped to his shoulder bag. “What notebook is that?”

  “?”

  Dan touched the book. “My lecture notes.”

  “...”

  “There’s no secret art in here, so forget it.”

  “I haven’t said a word!”

  She coughed.

  “I’ve met your type before. I know exactly what you’re thinking. And even if I did keep secrets in here, I wouldn’t show you.”

  “So there is a secret art.”

  “There isn’t.”

  “How much do I have to pay you to make you tell—ugh?!”

  He pressed her gently but firmly back to the pillow, cutting her off.

  Dan took the cool towel from her face.

  “What are you doing to me!?”

  “Hold still. I’ve been watching a while. Seeing your condition is making me itch.”

  “!?”

  He swapped out the towel, then wiped her face with a clean, damp cloth. She struggled, but he kept her steady.

  “Stop it! You—ngh!”

  “Hold still.”

  “...”

  Realizing she couldn’t fight it, Rafinya let it happen.

  Water twisted from the cloth with a soft wring.

  He wiped her face until it was clean.

  “I read that when there’s sweat like this, you have to wipe it off, or the heat traps and makes it worse.”

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  “...You talk so strangely… it doesn’t sound like how people talk to each other… but… thanks.”

  Dan nodded.

  “...Why are you suddenly… talking to me like normal?”

  “There’s no running away from someone like you anyway.”

  “Excuse me…? ??”

  “You’re still just a kid.”

  “You’re just as much a kid as I am.”

  “See you Tuesday.”

  “Monday.”

  “...”

  “We have Professor McClaff’s class.”

  “Ah… right.”

  Dan opened his notebook and jotted it down.

  “Mixed it up again.”

  “...Your schedule is too packed—even for a student.”

  “Add this to it and it’s packed, yeah.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him, scrutinizing; then clicked her tongue.

  “See you Monday. I hope you recover in time.”

  “Before you go… tell me something…”

  “?”

  “How’s Nora?”

  “In the sense of concern or in the sense of satisfaction?”

  “The latter.”

  “...Miss Rafinya.”

  Dan stepped back in, leaning closer.

  “If this were real life, I think Nora would win.”

  “.....”

  He turned and left,

  leaving Rafinya staring after him, speechless.

  “Not that… that won’t work either…”

  Evening in Artheris.

  Dan Burn walked back from the academy, juggling his planner. The schedule was crushing him.

  Next week he had too much on his plate. Casca, stellar wife that she was, could cover some of the homestead chores in the forest—but next week she’d be gone all week.

  He had to go with Rafinya, take exams, turn in Professor McClaff’s assignment, speak with Thomasin, hear the royal guards’ daily reports, and—most importantly—head to Snowhaven on Sunday.

  “Man… it’s been a while since I was this swamped…”

  He struck a few lines out.

  He was still nowhere near sorted when he realized he was walking alone through Artheris at dusk, lanterns lit and the night market alive…

  He drifted along without thinking—until, suddenly,

  he spotted upperclassmen Aaron and Helena at the night market.

  They looked about to sit for some Zentinel-style noodles.

  “Ah—oh.”

  “Oh—”

  The two kind seniors who’d always treated him well paused what they were doing.

  “Dan?!”

  The second-year, almost third, called his name out loud.

  If Freya hadn’t been out today, an introvert like Mr. Fury would never have bothered with this.

  The only reason he was here was that there was nothing to eat at home. Or rather, there was, but he was sick of it—like anyone else.

  Next thing he knew, he was slurping noodles with the seniors.

  “You look stressed. Something up?”

  “...Not really. Just a lot going on all at once.”

  He wasn’t actually stressed—his face just did that when he locked in on something.

  “Yeah, we figured.”

  Helena said, “As penance for putting on that weakling act with us… Even now, I have no idea why you did it. But if you’re doing well in the end, I’m glad for you.”

  “Let it go, Helena,” Aaron said, squeezing Dan’s shoulder. “He has reasons he can’t say. I won’t pry. I am sure the sword isn’t your best thing, though, right?”

  Dan snapped his fingers—correct—and slurped another bite.

  “Right. You could say that.”

  “I still can’t believe I watched someone like Rafinya get knocked clean off the platform by you.”

  “Aaron, don’t reopen that.”

  “What’s the secret? Share a little?”

  “A secret’s a secret. I can’t share.”

  Dan smiled. “It’s in Lady Casca’s contract.”

  “Not smug at all, huh.”

  “Heh.”

  He shrugged.

  “But thanks to both of you… You’ve treated me well. Especially you, Aaron.”

  “No need to say it again. I know—ha!”

  “So, Dan,” Helena leaned in, voice low, her beautiful face close, “Rafinya kept saying you walk into the woods behind the school a lot. What do you do out there?”

  ……

  Dan glanced at Aaron, then answered.

  “She said that a lot?”

  “She mentioned it.”

  “You go to practice your art, don’t you?”

  “I go for peace and quiet.”

  “...Do you.”

  Helena looked unconvinced, but didn’t press.

  “Stop it. A guy wanting his own space—how is that a crime?”

  Aaron said.

  “...Huh…”

  The other two arrived late.

  Dan turned to see upperclassmen Chiesa and Jenny.

  He looked at them; they looked back—not like friends, but like people who felt guilty. Jenny avoided his eyes.

  Dan stepped down from his stool.

  “I’ll get going.”

  “So soon?”

  “More work to do. Like I said—crazy busy right now.”

  He ate fast; his bowl was already empty.

  Aaron nodded.

  Anfield.

  Late night.

  Dan got home, set down his bag, shrugged off his coat.

  “Phew…”

  The door opened.

  He turned.

  Zeedee Lamb.

  “Your Highness?”

  “Back at the same time, huh.”

  Zeedee stepped in and pulled him into a tight hug.

  A loud, satisfied inhale.

  “Ahh—bliss.”

  “Quit acting like Roma.”

  He patted her backside and went to his bag for something.

  “Here. For you.”

  “Grapes!”

  “Correct.”

  “Yay~”

  She let him go and pounced on the purple grapes.

  “Year One’s almost over. How are you?”

  “My project’s nearly done.”

  “I still don’t know how you’ll explain it to the professors, but fine—if you can wing it…”

  Nom nom.

  “It isn’t hard. I just open Mathema’s books and copy them down.”

  “Is that so?”

  Talking with her mouth full.

  “I think you might like Mathema more than here, Your Highness.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Licking her fingers.

  “They’ve got all the weird books you love.”

  Zeedee glanced at the room’s corner—Darwin C.’s Evolution.

  “Chris told me Mathema has tons more like that.”

  “I’ll note it.”

  “Oh, and one more thing.”

  She brushed past him—pinching his butt as she went, making him jolt—and pulled something from her school bag.

  “Ta-da~”

  “Oh!”

  His eyes widened. She held up—

  a film camera.

  “Tristina sent it over. Just like you asked.”

  “You got it…”

  He was so excited his hands trembled without his noticing.

  He handled the camera with the care of Gollum cradling the Ring.

  “For free?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Likely Tristina wanted a good connection with Dan. Smart move…

  “I’ll thank her myself.”

  Dan flipped the lens cap, pointed it at Zeedee. She cocked a hip and flashed a V-sign, a spicy little pose.

  Click.

  A mote of mana leapt; the camera spat out a print. Dan shook it a couple of times, and Zeedee’s picture came out.

  He beamed like a kid with a new toy.

  “You’re smiling because I’m pretty, right?”

  “Mm.”

  “Liar!”

  “You and Casca are always beautiful to me.”

  “Well said, your highness.”

  “I’m thinking…”

  “?”

  He looked up at her.

  “I’ll use the emergency crystal.”

  “Emergency crystal?”

  “Yeah. If I only send a message, the schedule won’t work. Look.”

  He set the camera down and opened his planner.

  “From the looks of it, I need to cut something, or I can’t do it all.”

  “Cut this.”

  Zeedee pointed at Thomasin.

  “No!”

  “You’re stubborn.”

  “That one’s non-negotiable.”

  “Then what will you cut?”

  “I won’t cut. I’m thinking of appointing a stand-in, like…”

  He pointed at the task: Go to Snowhaven.

  “This one.”

  He said, “It’s just a ceremony—teaching them a bit. If I drop it, I can use the time elsewhere. When I head to Velmount to hunt the Shadows, I’ll go for real.”

  “So you’re using an emergency crystal because…”

  “I might ask my little sister to handle it.”

  Zeedee tilted her head. “Seriously?”

  “Believe it or not, she wants to come here.”

  “How could I argue with that?”

  “Heh heh.”