The Burning Flowers

Chapter IV

Abigail was awoken to the familiar sound of the carriage’s wheels rumbling against the forest road and when her eyes flickered open, she glanced through the window to her right to see the large oak trees beyond. The sun had already risen, though based on its rather low position in the sky, she knew it was still early in the morning, with a few more hours until noon. However, her attention was quickly diverted from the nature surrounding her as she noticed the towering walls off in the distance, indicating that after their nearly three-week long trip across Ijiria, they had arrived at the capital city of Erika. It was a city she never even dreamed she would witness with her own eyes, and it was a place she didn’t hold with high regard. All she ever heard about Erika was how majestic and active it was, and that it was the most beautiful city in the entirety of Kalkorai. But to Abi, all it represented to her was a lackluster government who cared little for its citizens. It may have been a haven on the surface, but she swore to herself that she wouldn’t allow its beauty to mask what it truly was.

But then again, she thought with an internal sigh. I suppose it isn’t right to judge them all the same. Clearly, not everybody in the capital is a pompous and greedy fool.

Abi turned her eyes away from the window and instead directed her attention at the old man sitting in the seat across from her, his wrinkled hands folded in his lap and his eyes closed as he softly hummed a merry tune to himself. Ever since the Master of Nature, Edwar Grunly, had found her up in the small village of Koraashik the previous winter, he had been traveling alongside her as her companion. At first, she had been quite opposed to having somebody so closely linked to the Ijirian government at her side, especially after she so harshly slandered it in his presence, but Grunly had assured her that he merely wanted to get to know her—to determine whether his decision to invite her to the Academy was a good one. In addition, he expressed great interest in learning her magic so that he could do his part in crushing the Nolaria epidemic.

And so, still not sensing any deceit in his words, Abi begrudgingly decided to allow him to stay with her, and for many of the past eight months, the Master of Nature had been at her side, acting as her assistant as she traveled from village to village, supplying her healing to anybody that needed it. As time went on, she began to realize that yet again, her sense had not led her astray. Grunly was charming and upbeat, his smile rarely leaving his face. He didn’t complain about his role as her helper, and instead he provided her with the aid she needed without question or complaint. All the while, he asked her more questions about her own life and motivations, though despite growing to have some trust in him, she still avoided telling him anything too personal. However, Grunly didn’t seem bothered by this and was simply content to learn anything she was willing to share.

During their travels, Abi was also convinced to teach him her spell, and to no surprise, he picked it up really quickly, expressing how impressed he was by her talent. In fact, he only seemed to grow more impressed by the day, and his compliments started to make her uncomfortable after a while. In her eyes, there wasn’t anything all that special about what she did. She might not have had a master to teach her nor did she have any family name she could take pride in, but to her, she wasn’t much different than any other mage, if she could even call herself a mage. Like anybody, she studied to learn what she had, and having personally interacted with those who had caught Nolaria, she was able to experiment on what aspects of nature magic could combat the new variant of the disease. It wasn’t remarkable at all, she told herself. Had the mages of the Citadel simply cared even a little about the common people then a spell far more powerful than her own could have been created, and even fewer people would have died.

But, if I’ve learned anything these past few months, it’s that Master Grunly wasn’t the problem.

Almost immediately after she taught him the spell, Grunly declared that he would return to Erika and spread Abi’s knowledge to the healers so that they could properly begin to combat the epidemic. With plans to meet up at the port city of Olik at spring’s end, Edwar Grunly departed, and part of Abi truly didn’t think she’d ever see him again. It seemed to her that all he really wanted was her magic, and now that he had it, there wasn’t much of a reason to return. The offer of attending the Academy had almost certainly been a method of gaining her attention and trust. Yet, if it had truly been a trick, she didn’t mind. Him teaching the Ijirian healers Nolaufero would accomplish exactly what she had wanted: The Citadel actually doing something for the commoners. If she never saw Edwar Grunly again, she wouldn’t care, and she genuinely debated not going south to Olik and instead continuing her travels in the north. But the possibility of Grunly actually showing up resulted in her taking the detour as the end of spring reached the horizon, and to her genuine surprise, Grunly did exactly as he said he would, and the two of them reunited at a local inn.

“Now, I have spoken to Headmaster Tykon at the Academy about your attendance, and though he seems quite hesitant to admit a nameless commoner, I have managed to convince him to give you a chance,” Grunly had said to her that night in the inn. “With both my letter of recommendation, as well as the fact that you have created a spell on your own, he would be a fool not to listen. Which is why I implore you to take me up on my offer.”

“Look, Master Grunly,” she had replied in an exasperated voice. “I truly do appreciate the effort you’ve put in, and I will admit that my image of the Masters clearly doesn’t apply to you, but I just can’t abandon the north. I do not care about attending the Academy and I do not wish to go to Erika of all places. My mind hasn’t changed.”

Grunly clicked his tongue, leaning back in the chair he had been sitting at, then glanced around the empty tavern on the inn’s first floor where they had been having their conversation. “You would not be abandoning the north. Before I left the city again, I succeeded in creating a task force to deal with this epidemic. The Citadel is finally acting and your spell is what enabled us to do so.” Grunly then smiled warmly and he turned his eyes back to her. “And if this is what you’ve accomplished on your own, could you imagine what you could do with proper education? Could you imagine all of the people you could help?”

At the time, she turned him down once more, but all through the summer season, the Master of Nature remained with her, never once conceding his point and doing his damndest to change her mind. And in the end, he succeeded because of two reasons. The first was that, as they continued across the Ijirian northlands, Abi began to hear more and more about how Erika finally started sending healers to the villages, and by midsummer, every place she arrived at already had Ijirian personnel taking care of the citizens. Grunly had told her the truth and her magic was being used to help. As she was faced with this fact, Grunly then offered up a compromise.

“Attend for one year,” he suggested. “And if you then decide that you do not wish to continue, you can leave. But give the Academy a chance, Abigail. The professors there can teach you even more than you already know. And when you form your team, you’ll be able to meet other students of high renown, and with certain contacts at your disposal, you’ll be able to do even more good than you already are.”

Despite hating the idea of attending the Academy alongside the arrogant Ijirian nobles, she couldn’t deny that Grunly’s offers were gradually getting more appealing, and with the situation in the north firmly in the hands of the government, Abi finally decided to do as he asked and attend the Academy for one year. Grunly had been beyond ecstatic at her decision and within the day, he sent a letter to Erika confirming her attendance. So, after wandering throughout the rest of summer, once the time came, she and Grunly returned to Orik and rented a carriage to take to Erika. Now, after all that time, the capital city was coming into view as the carriage rolled up to the massive, black-iron gates at the northern wall.

Here we go, she thought with apprehension. Gosh, I still can’t believe I’m actually doing this. Me? Attending the legendary Academy of Erika? What kind of pathetic joke even is this?

The Academy was famous for being the school of the most powerful and influential mages ever since its formation at the dawn of the Age of Ascension. Almost every single Master in Ijiria’s history attended the school, and those who managed to graduate were almost always guaranteed a life of luxury.

But commoners rarely attend. Not only do you need a letter of recommendation from somebody of importance, but people like me rarely even know the first thing about using magic to begin with. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was the only person without noble blood in this entire school.

There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that she would be ostracized almost immediately. Not only did she lack a name of power or significance, but she lacked a surname completely. There would be no concealing her social status and thus, she was certain she was in for a year of isolation.

But then again, it's not like I’m not used to that. I’ve never really had friends to begin with, so I’ll do as Master Grunly requests and attend for at least a year. That should be enough to repay him for all he’s done for the north.

The carriage slowly rolled to a stop as they approached the gates, and when Abi glanced back through the window, she saw two guards in full green and gold armor approaching the coach, both of their hands already gradually shifting toward the long swords at their hips. The visors of their helmets were pulled down so Abi couldn’t make out their features, and that only added to the imposing presence they had. Despite knowing there wasn’t any reason she would be turned away, Abi still tensed as the men approached the carriage driver.

“What business do you have in the city?” one of them demanded, his voice muffled but still clear enough for her to hear through the carriage’s walls. “Please produce the proper documentation immediately.”

At this, Grunly’s eyes opened and the old man glanced over his shoulder and toward the small, semi-circle window that enabled them to see the driver’s seat. The Master then reached up and rapped his knuckles against the glass a few times, drawing the attention of the two gatekeepers. With that, one of them stepped away from the driver and walked around the side to stand before the window on Abi’s right. Grunly then flicked his wrist, uttered a soft incantation, and the window unlocked with a click, enabling the guard to pull it open. But before the man could say anything to them, Grunly had already reached into the inner pocket of his tunic and produced a small, silver coin.

“Please do not give my driver a hard time, Mister Gatekeeper,” Grunly said with a smile. “I am Master Edwar Grunly. I imagine this is more than enough?’

“Uh, yes, of course, Master,” the guard immediately replied, his back straightening so quickly that it appeared like he’d been electrocuted. “We will have the gates open right away.”

He then stepped away from the carriage and barked orders at the other guard who had remained with the driver. Within seconds, the gates were being pulled up and the carriage continued on its way into the city of Erika. Grunly chuckled to himself, pocketing the small coin that served as proof of his identity as a Master of Ijiria. From what he had told her, each Master had a silver coin bearing the symbol of their affinity, and they were required to have it on them at all times outside of Erika to prove who they were. Upon first seeing it, she had asked what would happen if it were stolen, but Grunly merely brushed her concern aside, informing her that it was charmed to melt with a simple incantation regardless of where it was lost, and that if he misplaced it, he would cast the spell and request a new one from Citadel officials.

“You know, these guards are always so aggressive to new arrivals,” Grunly mused with another laugh. “So it’s always quite fun to flash the coin and see their stern faces so abruptly shift to embarrassment.”

Abi chuckled softly as well, having found some amusement of her own at the guard’s reaction to seeing the coin. However, she didn’t dwell on it for long as she turned back to the window to receive her first look at Erika. Despite her poor opinion of the capital, she reluctantly admitted to herself that everything she had heard about its beauty hadn’t been exaggerated. The houses and shops on either side of the road were far from the handmade buildings of the northern villages. These were two to three stories tall, having been meticulously built with magic by the mages of the Age of Ascension. The stones were white and beige, giving the city a brighter appearance as the sunlight reflected off the walls.

Even the windows were made of the sturdy liquet as opposed to the more fragile glass she was used to. Despite being far from the center of the city, she could see the sidewalks full of people heading off to work or perhaps going out to do some shopping at the famous market. There were people of all different nationalities, representing the diversity she knew Erika contained. But even with so many sights to take in, she was quickly distracted by the giant, pure white tower looming over them as it reached up into the clouds. That was the famous capital building known as the Citadel, and Abi was struck in awe of it, having always partially doubted that it could be as big as the rumors claimed.

“See,” Grunly said with a wry smile. “It isn’t the shithole you thought it was.”

Abi smiled and shook her head, forcing herself to tear her eyes away from the view as she turned to regard the Master. “Yes, well, maybe I stand corrected. But I still haven’t met any of the people yet, and they’re the ones I’ve heard such poor things about.” The young woman shook her head, her smile turning slightly sad. “And I’m sure the reception at the Academy won’t exactly be warm.”

At her comment, Grunly’s cheerful expression faded as a rare moment of seriousness came over him. “No, it most likely won’t be. I’ve been as honest as possible with you, Abigail, and yes, the Academy of Erika probably has fewer commoners than I have fingers on my right hand. And of those commoners, you are almost certainly the only one without a name. These people are accustomed to nobility and to people of high status. The teams of the school are formed out of a desire to make contacts that could benefit the student in the future. You provide nothing that the Academy’s student body will value. In fact, aligning with you could very well harm their reputations.”

“Yeah, I’ve deduced as much,” she replied softly. “But what happens if I don’t get a team?”

The Master of Nature smirked then folded his hands neatly on his lap. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that. There is a method that the headmaster uses to determine teams, and in my opinion, it is a rather clever one.”

“You’ve mentioned that before,” she said, leaning forward with interest. “But refresh my memory. How do the teams form?”

“Well, it’s designed to be both a mix of luck and personal decision,” Grunly explained. “You see, the headmasters of old wanted to watch how their students both reacted to pure luck, as well as what they would do when they did have a choice. Therefore, you have no control over one of your four team members. When you walk into your dormitory today, whoever it is you share your room with will be one of your teammates for your entire stay at the Academy, regardless of how much you like each other or how well you get along. And there is nothing you can do about that.”

Abi nodded, recalling that the Master had said such a thing before. No matter what the students of the Academy thought of her, her roommate would be stuck with her. In a way, she almost pitied that person, for as Grunly already said, association with her could hurt their reputation.

“And after that,” she began, recalling the rest of what Grunly had told her. “The randomized pair will select another pair of their own choosing to create a team of four. One team member is picked through luck, the other two through reasoning.”

“Precisely,” the Master of Nature confirmed. “So while you may have trouble with the selection part of the team formations, you will at least have one partner whether they like it or not.” His earlier wry grin returned, as Grunly found some amusement at the thought of her future partner’s disappointment. “But I have faith in you, Abigail.”

“Faith?” she parroted. “What do you mean?”

“For the majority of this past year, I have traveled beside you, so I like to think we’ve come to understand each other,” he said. “You are resilient and you are talented. Anybody disappointed to be your partner will soon learn that, commoner or not, you could put some of these noble bastards to shame. Show this Academy why you are one of the few who received recommendation from a Master, for that is not common. Make your mark on this city, Abigail. I believe in you.”

Despite all of her anxiety for the coming day, Abi couldn’t deny that Grunly’s words comforted her. He was one of the few traveling companions she had ever been with, and she couldn’t deny that she had grown fond of his presence. For the first time in her life, she had somebody who believed in her, and even though she didn’t want to go to the Academy, a part of her wanted to live up to Grunly’s expectations.

“I’ll do my best,” she told him firmly. “I promise.”

“Good. Very good.”

As their conversation wrapped up, the carriage once again began to slow, indicating that they had arrived at the Academy. Abigail swallowed back her nervousness, and when they came to a complete stop, Grunly reached off to his right and grabbed the cane leaning up against the seat.

“And so, we’ve arrived,” he muttered. “I’ll accompany you to the admissions office to make sure you get settled in, but then you’re on your own, my friend. I’m sure the King will be impatient for me to meet with him after being gone for so long.”

The King…

There were times that she forgot just how influential the man was, and the fact that he could just casually go talk to King Markreas himself left her recalling just who it was she had been traveling with. He was a Master of Ijiria, and that wasn’t something she should forget.

Abi went first, pushing open the carriage door and stepping out before turning back and giving the much shorter man a hand as she helped him exit the carriage. Grunly then thanked the driver before both he and Abi turned and approached the wide open front gates of the Academy of Erika. The school was constructed in the western residential district of the city and was at the end of a rather upscale neighborhood, full of massive estates and mansions—buildings that Abi had never thought she would witness even the exteriors of. And yet, they barely held her attention for longer than a few seconds before she turned toward the Academy itself.

A few students were both exiting and entering through the front gates, and already, she felt herself standing out. They were all wearing expensive green and gold suits and ties—what Abi assumed must have been the Academy's uniforms. Their hair was well kept and they walked with a confidence that she knew almost certainly bordered on a level of arrogance. As for her, she wore her usual handmade brown tunic and trousers, with her tattered cloak hanging from her shoulders. Her hair was poorly braided, and the flower crown probably looked tacky to them. And to make her stand out even more, Master Edwar Grunly was happily standing at her side.

“Come, Abigail,” he muttered. “Let’s get moving.”

“Er, right.”

Trying to ignore the occasional glances the passing students sent her way, Abi followed Grunly through the black gates and into the courtyard. The Master of Nature had already given her a rundown of the school’s layout, so she had a decent idea of where to go. The eastern section of the Academy was where the dormitory buildings were located, with separate buildings for each of the four years all surrounding a common area in the middle. To the north was the giant coliseum that was both used for student sports and events, as well as rented out to the city for tournaments and other occasions. The west was where the class buildings were located, with each one dedicated to an affinity department. Part of her wanted to go and see the Nature Department but knew she would have to wait until she had more time. The south was where the library was located, as well as a massive lawn with various spots to sit down and study, eat, or just relax. In addition, the extra space could be used for training, and already, as she and Grunly walked down the cobble path, she could see two fire mages dueling off on the lawn, bright red flames erupting from their hands before getting launched at the opponent.

God, I hope they don’t burn anything down or something, she thought with apprehension before reminding herself that if anything did catch fire then they almost certainly knew some water magic to put it out.

The further into the Academy they got, the more populated their surroundings became, and as more people noticed them, Abi felt more discomfort. She couldn’t tell if they were looking more at her terrible appearance or at the presence of Master Grunly, but either way, she didn’t like it. If she didn’t think it would make her stand out even more then she would have long since pulled her hood up to hide her face. But to her relief, it only took a few more minutes before the two of them reached the center of the Academy grounds where the three story admissions building was located. Grunly continued to lead her down the path which, once they got closer to the building, had thick green hedges on either side of them leading toward the front door. The Master then pulled open the liquet doors and stepped inside with Abigail at his back.

Right away, Abi concluded that it must have been the nicest room she had ever been in. Off to the left was a seating area with plush chairs and couches surrounding a rather fancy liquet coffee table. A giant chandelier hung from the ceiling, its fire magic lights currently extinguished in favor of the natural sunlight pouring through the windows. Just ahead of the door was a large dark oak desk with a well-dressed older woman sitting at it, and behind her was the entrance to a hallway that led further into the building. The woman’s narrow eyes immediately shifted toward Abigail with unbridled suspicion, indicating already what her interactions with the faculty would be like.

“Can I help you?” she asked sharply.

“Yes, good morning, Madame,” Grunly greeted with a smile, already reaching into his pocket to produce his identification. “My name is Master Edwar Grunly and I am here with Miss Abigail to help her check in. I'm sure Headmaster Tykon has explained our situation?”

Recalling what Grunly said about the guards at the gate, Abi did internally laugh at the abrupt shift from suspicion to shock as the woman’s eyes turned from Abi to Grunly then to the silver coin in Grunly’s hands.

“M-Master Grunly,” she stuttered as she tilted her head in a bow. “Y-yes, of course, the Headmaster informed us of the matter. Abigail, you said? And her family name?”

The woman pulled open a drawer on her left and was rummaging through various files when Grunly responded.

“Oh, no family name,” he answered. “Just Abigail.”

“No family name?” She looked up from the file drawer and once again, Abi was fixed with a stern stare. “And, forgive me for asking, but has Miss Abigail already paid her tuition?”

“Actually, I was the one who paid, but yes, everything is taken care of,” Grunly said, speaking as if oblivious to the hostility in the woman’s voice. “After all, if she hadn’t had her tuition paid then we would not be here, would we?”

The old woman was yet again gazing at Grunly in surprise, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Abi couldn’t imagine what must be going through her mind since Grunly had already said in the carriage that it was rare for Masters to endorse Academy students.

And so for him to be endorsing a commoner… Well, I guess I can’t blame her for being so confused.

“I suppose not, Master,” the woman murmured. “Yes, let me check her in.”

The two of them waited silently as she produced a file and scanned through its contents, her disbelief seemingly increasing. From there, she then reached back into the file and pulled out a small, rectangular card before placing it on the desk. After that, she opened another drawer and grabbed a single bronze key, as well as a folder of papers. Once everything was on the desk, she turned and regarded Abi.

“Well, Miss, this folder contains everything you need to know about Academy rules and regulations,” she explained, tapping the green folder. “In addition, it will have a map of the school grounds, as well as schedules for meals at the dining hall, among other things.” She then placed the key on top of the folder and went on. “This is for your dorm room but you’ll only need it to get in for the first time. Once inside, register with the charm and the door will only admit you and who you allow inside. As for this…” The woman then lifted up the small card. “It’s your student ID. You’ll need to go and get it registered as well at the identification office and after that, you’ll need to go to the tailor to get your uniform. You’ll need that by tomorrow’s orientation. Extra details on orientation will be in the folder. Now have a nice day.”

Abi listened intently as the woman rambled through her instructions before dismissing them, clearly wanting to be rid of her presence. And since Abi was more than happy to depart, she thanked the woman, collected the stuff, then turned and followed Grunly outside.

“Well she was pleasant,” Abi murmured once they were back on the cobble path and heading away from admissions.

Grunly snorted. “Yes, I imagine that will be common for you here. You’ll just have to smile at them and put up with it. But no matter, come, Abigail. I’ll take you to the dorms, and then I’ll have to get going. Do you think you can handle everything else on your own?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine. Thank you, Master Grunly.”

Abi took a deep breath, already feeling overwhelmed and knowing that it was only going to get worse from there. But she was committed to giving this a try and so, she silently followed Edwar Grunly toward the dorms.

***

Once they reached the commons at the center of the four dormitory towers, Grunly bid her goodbye and good luck before departing back toward the school’s gates so he could return to the Citadel. Abi stood silently and watched him go before taking a deep breath, knowing she needed to prepare herself for the busy days ahead. The Master had told her he wouldn’t see her again until the orientation the following morning, so for the rest of the day, she was on her own.

And not only do I have to meet whoever I’m sharing a room with, but I’ve gotta go get my uniform and my ID before tomorrow. Gosh, this is going to be a hassle.

The dormitory commons was a large courtyard set up with paths leading in all four cardinal directions to the six-story towers that contained the students’ quarters. Each was dedicated to one of the four years, starting at Year One in the north and going clockwise to Year Four in the west. The commons themselves were outside but they were covered by roofed paths that kept all of the benches and tables covered should it rain, and at the moment, she could see numerous students gathered at the various places, chatting and laughing as they caught up with each other after spending the summer apart. And just like with the rest of the school, her clearly commoner clothing stood out from the fancy and pristine uniforms the students were already wearing.

I hate being watched like this, she thought with discomfort, deciding there wasn’t much of a reason to stand around.

Clutching the red folder to her chest, Abi began to walk in the northern direction, toward the Year One tower. The building was rectangular, with a darker brick chosen for its construction in stark contrast to the lighter colors outside the Academy. She could see windows on all six levels and already feared that there were some peeking down at her as she arrived at the front door and stepped into the lobby. She was met with the same lavish appearance as the admissions office with another seating area full of students and a reception desk just ahead. The walls were green with gold trim in honor of the royal family, and the lobby contained the same style of chandelier above her.

Sighing internally at the presence of more people, she picked up her pace before the man at the desk could call out to her like he clearly was thinking about doing, then made her way down the hall.

Alright, the key said I have to go to Room Sixteen on the third floor, she reminded herself, recalling the inscription on her room key. Okay, then I need to find the lifts.

After taking a few wrong turns, Abi finally found the correct hallway with two circular disks built into the walls that one could stand on and use to rise into the tower’s upper levels. They were both green and gold as well, and as Abi stepped onto the one on the lift, she took a deep breath.

Okay, what was it that the Master said I should use? Ortumo, right?

Having never used wind magic in her life, Abi was nervous that she wouldn’t be able to raise the disk, but knowing that she couldn’t just walk up to another student and ask for help, she clenched her teeth in determination and chanted the spell Grunly had given her.

“Ortumo!” she whispered, sticking her hands out before her and turning her palms face down. And to her horror, the disk didn’t move.

“Ortumo…! Ortumo…!”

Yet no matter how many times she repeated it, the lift didn’t so much as shake, and she could feel her panic growing.

Come on! Let’s not start the day out with this!

She could feel her mana properly moving to her hands but, having only ever used nature magic, she was struggling to harness the wind mana within her body to do as she wanted. And to make matters worse, she could hear footsteps coming down the hall, indicating that somebody was on their way to the lift.

“Ortumo!” she chanted one last time, but to no avail, and soon enough, a student appeared from down the hall.

It was a young woman dressed in the gold and green button-up shirt, blazer, and slacks that was the school uniform, her dark brown hair tied back in a ponytail with a red ribbon. Since she was in this particular tower, Abi knew she must be a first year as well, and the moment the two of them made eye contact, she saw the newcomer’s brown eyes quickly shift to the tattered clothing she was wearing. Abi was certain that she would soon give her a look of disgust, but to her surprise, understanding seemed to dawn on her pretty features and she smiled.

“Need help with the lift?” she offered sweetly.

Thrown off guard by the first pleasant expression she had received from somebody that wasn’t Grunly, Abi wasn’t immediately sure how to respond. Given how she’d been regarded thus far, she couldn't help but hesitate, but as soon as her sense kicked in and informed her that this young woman could be trusted, Abi reluctantly let her guard down and nodded.

“Er, yes please,” she murmured. “I’m, uh, not the greatest with wind magic.”

She chuckled as she moved to step onto the lift beside Abi. “Yeah, I get that. I’m a rock affinity so it took me forever to master even a spell as basic as Ortumo. What floor are you going to?”

“Oh, er, the third floor,” Abi stuttered.

“Really? Well that’s perfect. I am, too.” Sticking her hands out in the same gesture that Abi had used, she then chanted, “Ortumo!”

Then, unlike during Abi’s attempts, the disk began to rise from its still position, briefly startling Abi. She had never been on a lift like that and the strange feeling of rising into the air unnerved her.

“Thank you,” she managed to say, though despite the positive signal from her sense, Abi still refused to look at her. “Just isn’t my day, I guess.”

The young woman laughed cheerfully. “Sorry to hear that, but if you want advice, it’s all in the way you say it. I could hear you from down the hall, and I think you need to add more emphasis to the ‘tu’ part of Ortumo. You’re adding too much to the beginning ‘O’.” She then shrugged. “For some reason, focusing more on the second syllable makes it easier. Not sure why, though I’ve never really understood the relationship between spells and actions. I just say what I’m told to say.”

Abi nodded, taking the advice into consideration as the lift passed by the second floor and came to stop on the third. The young woman beckoned for Abi to step off first, and once she did, the other girl followed suit and canceled the spell, allowing the lift to glide back down and out of sight. Abi watched her for a moment, surprised that she was still being as nice as she was, and when the girl turned her smile back to her, she still didn’t show any further signs of reacting to Abi’s appearance.

“I’m Fayela, by the way,” she introduced. “Fayela Rio, but you can just call me Faye.”

Faye stuck out her hand and Abi fumbled with her folder to free up her own hand to shake it back. “Er, I’m Abigail… Just Abigail, but you can call me Abi.”

A flash of confusion crossed Faye’s features and Abi feared that her lack of a surname would be plenty to offput the girl, but just as before, she seemed only confused rather than anything else.

“I figured you weren’t noble based on your attire, but…no family name?” Faye inquired. “Then, with all due respect, how did you get into the Academy? My mother works with the miners guild here in the city and I barely managed to get a letter? What sort of secrets do you have up your sleeve?”

Abi wasn’t really sure what she should tell the girl, but since Faye was thus far being really nice and Grunly hadn’t told her to keep anything secret, she decided to rely on her sixth sense and continue to trust her.

“Well, it's a long story,” she admitted. “But let’s just say it resulted in me getting a letter from Master Edwar Grunly. He’s pretty much sponsoring my studies here.”

Faye’s eyes went wide, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard, and part of Abi suspected that she was about to be accused of lying, but to her relief, Faye merely grinned. “Well, you and I will have to meet up again, Abi. That is certainly a story I want to hear.”

With a pleasant pat on her shoulder, Faye continued down the hall and Abi hurried to keep up with her. Already, she felt a bit of relief at the fact that Faye seemed like the type of person she could befriend, and regardless of who her roommate wound up being, if she could convince her to choose to team up with Faye and her roommate then perhaps her time at the Academy might not be so bad.

Though I don’t want to get my hopes up yet. Stay on guard until orientation is over, Abi. Your roommate could dictate everything here. She took a deep breath, watching the numbers on the room doors on either side of the hall.

So please let her be as nice as Faye!