The Burning Flowers

Chapter VI

The morning following their dinner at Morwhat’s Den, Abi, Nigreos, and Album all met up with Eko down in the dormitory commons before making their way to the Academy gates where a gold and green carriage was awaiting them. The dinner spent with her team had more than eased Abi’s anxiety about her upcoming conversation with Grunly, but once she found herself sitting in that carriage, her nerves gradually began to return, and no matter how much she tried to tell herself that she had nothing to fear, she still couldn’t stop the nagging feeling that she had somehow failed to meet the Master of Nature’s expectations. She couldn’t help but absently tap her foot and only stopped when Album placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a comforting smile.

The ride was silent, and the expressions on Nigreos, Album, and Eko’s faces all told her that they, too, were busy thinking about their own meetings. However, Abi found some comfort in Nigreos and Album’s presence, and soon enough, their destination came into view. From almost every part of the city of Erika, one could see the giant white tower of the Citadel reaching into the sky, marking the very center of the Ijirian capital, but seeing it from afar and actually being at its base were two very different experiences. When the carriage arrived at the front gates, Abi stepped out to see the tower just before her, craning her neck painfully to gaze all the way up at its top, only to find it concealed by the lower-than-average clouds.

Jeez… So this is the Citadel, huh? Am I really about to step foot in the Ijirian Citadel?

For most of her life, she had thought of this tower as a place representing the greed and selfishness that was the government of the empire, and while her respect for the Citadel hadn’t necessarily increased, she knew she could no longer generalize her disgust to every single person that dwelled in it. Edwar Grunly was clearly not like the other Masters, and Nigreos and Album, despite being the children of some of the most elite Ijirian families, were respectable individuals. Now, Abi, herself, was about to step foot inside, resulting in a powerful conflict of emotions.

Eko took the lead as they approached the guards at the gate who, upon identifying who they were, promptly admitted them access. Abi could feel their eyes lingering on her for longer than the others, which only increased her discomfort. Unlike her companions, who were all wearing a variety of well-made and fancy velvet clothing, she had opted to wear her school uniform, so she was certainly standing out. The only clothes she owned were her tattered traveling garments, and she decided it would be more insulting to show up in those, so her uniform was what she settled on.

Yeah, this is gonna be a long morning, she thought with a sigh.

But to her relief, her anxiety was briefly eased as she got distracted by the gardens that grew at the base of the Citadel. Due to her love for nature, she was quite knowledgeable about Kalkorai flora, and so she recognized most of the plants on sight, with a part of her wishing they could have just stayed down there and admired the colors. But unfortunately, they only passed through the gardens for a minute before Eko took them through the doors of the tower itself. Abi was once again in awe of the beautiful silver and white corridors of the Citadel, but before she could properly take it all in, she noticed a familiar individual already making his way toward them, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“Ah, Abigail, you’ve finally arrived,” Grunly greeted with a broad grin as he used his cane to maneuver toward them.

Part of her wondered if she should bow, and now being more familiar with Ijirian etiquette, she realized that she probably should have been doing so ever since she met him, but it almost seemed awkward to act so formal after all of the time they spent together on the road, and so she remained upright as Eko, Nigreos, and Album all lowered their heads for the Master.

“It’s good to see you again, Master Grunly,” she replied, and even though she was nervous, Grunly’s ever-cheerful demeanor was yet another piece of evidence telling her that she had nothing to fear.

Once he had hobbled over to them, he looked up at Abi and shook his head. “I wish I could have spoken to you sooner, but it's been quite the busy week. A Master being gone for as long as I was means that there was a lot of work left to be done. Luckily, I had some time today.”

“Oh, it’s no problem, of course,” she quickly assured him. “I’ve been figuring everything out myself, so…”

Grunly nodded a few times to himself then glanced past her to where the others were awkwardly standing, his eyes shifting between Nigreos and Album specifically. “Ah, and it's good to see you kids again. Congratulations on first rank. I was personally at the orientation and I’ve gotta say, it was a very engaging duel. I’m quite proud of you all.”

Once again, the three bowed and thanked the Master, though Abi noticed Album tense up a little, and it was clear that Grunly intentionally avoided mentioning what happened to her.

The old man didn’t dwell on the subject long and instead smiled warmly as he regarded them.

“Anyway, your parents are waiting for you up in Master Viiro’s office so why don’t you head on up,” he told them before turning back to address Abi specifically. “You, Abi, can come with me up to my own office.”

Beckoning for her to follow him, Abi bid goodbye to the Noctalus and moved alongside the Master of Nature as Nigreos, Album, and Eko all headed in the opposite direction. Grunly didn’t speak as they walked and was instead humming a soft and merry tune like he normally did, indicating that he probably planned to wait until they had reached their destination to talk, giving Abi a chance to really take a good look at her surroundings and process the fact that she was in the Citadel.

The bottom level was rather crowded with people all rushing about their business and she could only wonder just what they were all doing. She knew that the Citadel wasn’t just the home of the Masters and the government, but that it also served as a workplace for various departments of science and research. She could only imagine the important jobs of those around her, which made it all the more surreal when they stopped to bow before Grunly and herself, as if they believed her to be someone of greater importance than she actually was. And as much as she wanted to correct them, she remained quiet and allowed Grunly to take the lead as they made their way onto a silver disk that resembled the lifts back in the dorm towers.

“Ortumo,” Grunly chanted, causing the disk to rise toward the upper level of the tower.

The ride was longer than she expected it to be, leaving her wondering just how high up they had gone, and when they finally drew to a stop at yet another silver corridor, they found a woman already waiting there. Immediately, Abi was surprised by her rather bland appearance, with her dark brown tunic and trousers resembling the types of clothes Abi was used to seeing outside of Erika rather than what she would have expected of somebody present in the Citadel. And when Grunly spoke her name, Abi’s confusion only increased.

“Oh, good morning, Master Rihtta.”

Master Rihtta? Wait, is this woman a Master?!

Her dark brown eyes shifted toward Abi and she didn’t bother being subtle about the fact that she was clearly sizing her up. “Yes, good morning to you as well, Master Grunly. I take it this is the famous Abigail we’ve all been hearing so much about.”

Abi forcefully swallowed back the intense anxiety that suddenly shot through her in the presence of another Master of Ijiria and was uncertain what she should say or do, so she was relieved when Grunly responded to her.

“Yes, this is Abigail,” he said with a proud expression. “I’ve been wanting to check in with her now that her first week at the Academy has concluded so I thought I’d invite her to my office for some tea.”

“That so?” Master Rihtta nodded then turned back to Abi with an expression that betrayed nothing of what she might be thinking. There was no animosity in her mature features but neither was there any pleasantness. “A pleasure, Abigail. I’m Koroha Rihtta, the Master of Wind.”

Abi forced a smile and bowed before her. “I-it’s nice to meet you, too, Master.”

When she rose back up, Koroha’s expression hadn’t shifted, but Abi had the unnerving feeling that she was being carefully observed by the Master of Wind, as if she were silently trying to determine something about her. So, Abi instinctually allowed her sense to reach out and analyze her, only for it to come back neutral. Koroha Rihtta was neither trustworthy nor untrustworthy, a rather rare response from her sixth sense. Normally, Abi’s interpretation of such a feeling was that it would depend on her own actions whether the individual became a friend or a foe.

“Well, have a nice day, both of you,” Koroha said after another few seconds, stalking forward to step past them and move onto the lift. “And good luck, Abigail.”

Abi wasn’t sure what she was wishing her luck for, but there wasn’t time to ask before the lift descended back the way they had come. The nature mage stared at the empty shaft but Grunly was quick to continue on his way, so Abi recollected herself and followed.

So that was another Master, huh? I honestly don’t think I’m ever going to get used to being in the same place as such important and powerful people…

After another short walk, she and Grunly finally arrived at their destination. Since she had expected a typical office, Abi was quickly thrown off when she and Grunly walked through the door, only for her to be faced with what seemed more like a classroom than anything. There were rows of desks all facing the front of the room where a much larger desk, probably Grunly’s, was placed in the corner. On Abi’s right was a giant window that spanned the entire length of the wall, and on the other side of the glass was a wooden balcony. Flower pots hung from the ceiling and thick vines wrapped around all of the walls, red flowers growing on them and emitting a strong scent of lavender that was almost overwhelming. As she stood in place and just took it all in, Grunly began hobbling toward his desk, muttering incantations that caused the cabinets on the right wall to swing open, allowing small, ceramic teacups to fly across the room and toward him.

“Uh, so this is your office?” she muttered as she closed the door behind her. “It looks like a classroom…”

Grunly chuckled to himself as he reached for a metal can of tea leaves resting on the desk before scooping some to put in the still levitating cups. Once that was done, he used water magic to fill them then turned back to answer.

“Well, it was meant to be a classroom, but I use it as my office. The rooms assigned to the Masters are just too small and stuffy in my opinion. This place is far more open and just pleasant to be in.”

“And do you use it to teach or…?” she wondered.

“Oh yes I have. Every once in a while, I invite some of the Academy’s fourth year nature mages up here to the Citadel for some rather advanced classes,” he told her. “Though, I haven’t done so in a few years. As I’ve gotten older, it’s become a tad hard to keep up with lesson plans on top of my Master duties.”

As he talked, he continued to use magic to heat the water up and once he was satisfied, he walked back toward the student desks and climbed up into one. At his beckoning, Abi took a seat in the desk in front of his and flipped it around so she could face him. Grunly then handed her a cup of tea and took a sip of his own, smiling as he did so.

“Nothing beats a warm cup of tea, you know?” he muttered happily.

Abi gratefully took a sip as well, surprised to find she didn’t recognize the flavor. “Mmm. This is good, but I don’t think I’ve ever had it before. What type is this?”

“Oh, it’s a wonderful herbal brew that’s quite common in the southern cities. In fact, it was Master Rihtta who first introduced this particular flavor to me. There’s this cozy tea shop down in the market that has brews from all across the continent called, oh what was it? Ah, Holial Aroma! I highly recommend it.”

“Alright, I’ll check it out after school sometime,” she replied, making a mental note to try and convince either one of her teammates or Faye to go with her.

“But anyway, enough about tea,” the Master began. “Tell me, Abi, how has school been faring? Are you enjoying your classes? Are you fitting in? And most importantly, how do you like your team?” He smirked. “To be quite honest, I never expected you to wind up with a group as influential as the Noctalus.”

Abi took another sip as she pondered how best to phrase an answer to his questions. “Well, I’ll admit that I’ve been enjoying myself more than I thought I would. I still get weird looks from my classmates, which I expected, but I think winning my orientation match eased some of the judginess a bit.”

“I would imagine so,” Grunly commented. “And I would also imagine that other students would hesitate to openly criticize or belittle a friend of the Noctalus.”

“Probably so.” Abi had already considered as much, so the fact that Grunly came to the same conclusion only confirmed for her that Nigreos and Album being on her team did, in fact, help her a bit. “And as for the two of them, they’ve been quite friendly. Nigreos is very sweet and though we haven’t talked a lot, I do like him. And as much as Album clearly suffers from her mana deficiencies, I respect how much she’s trying to move past them. They’re both great people, I can already tell…”

Grunly smiled pleasantly. “They're good kids, yes. I do not know Nigreos and Album as well as I would like, but all things considered, I don’t think you could ask for better allies than them. Keep them close, Abi, and pathways will open to you that may not have opened otherwise.”

Keep them close, huh?

She wasn’t really sure what to make of that, for she understood what Grunly meant, but also didn’t want to base her relationship with the two of them on how they could benefit her.

“And Mr. Caeli?” Grunly went on. “What’s your take on him? I’ll admit that he caused quite a stir among the higher mages here in the tower. Before orientation, he was completely unheard of, and then he goes and pulls off a performance like that? I was quite impressed, as well.”

“Yeah, Ryokumo’s certainly something,” Abi agreed, her thoughts briefly shifting to his conversation with them the previous night regarding his past experiences and what he’d been through in his life. “My take on him is that as silly as he can be, he’s already a good and trusted friend, too. I can rely on him—I can rely on all of them.”

She spoke in a confident tone, wanting to assure Grunly that she was already getting close to the team, and she was pleased by the smile that returned to his aged lips as he regarded her.

“Good,” he whispered, almost to himself. “That’s good, Abi. I’m very proud of you, you know? I already had such high hopes for you, but you’ve more than surpassed them in that battle. Yes, I’m already certain that I have not made a mistake in sponsoring your education here in the capital. You are a powerful mage in the making.”

For a moment, Abi wasn’t sure what to say as a surge of utter pride flowed through her body, and so to stall a response, she took another long sip of the tea. Everybody told her she had nothing to worry about, but her nerves still tried to get the better of her, and she was anxious that in some way, she failed Master Grunly, so to hear him say that she surpassed his expectations made her happier than she could effectively communicate. She had pushed back on attending the Academy, believing herself to be a poor fit for Erika and such a high-end school, and in some ways, she still believed that. She had told Grunly she would attend the Academy for one year, but now she had a team that she was growing to care for, and this Master of Nature was somebody she didn’t want to disappoint.

Maybe it’s already too late to back out, she thought wryly. Perhaps it’s inevitable that I’ll be here for all four years…

Yet, that thought was no longer as daunting as it had been mere days before.

“Thank you, Master Grunly,” she said softly. “That means a lot to me.”

Grunly chuckled. “Of course. And I’m glad you have a team you can trust. You’re going to need them, I think.”

“Need them?” Abi frowned, having sensed an underlying meaning behind the old mage’s words that he seemed to want to communicate to her without explicitly stating it. “What for? You mean, just for the assignments or…?”

“Well…” Grunly sighed. “I am currently not allowed to reveal anything just yet, but things are happening here in the Citadel, and I just want you to be prepared for anything. Like I said, I’m proud of you, and I have faith that whatever is thrown your way, you can handle it.”

His green eyes turned stern for a few seconds, and Abi wasn’t sure what to make of his words. At the same time, Koroha’s strange “good luck” returned to her as well, and she couldn’t help but fear what the two Masters were subtly referring to. Yet even so, she was determined that whatever it was, she would continue to do her best to exceed Grunly’s expectations.

“Noted,” she replied firmly. “I’ll be ready for anything, Master.”

Grunly nodded, seemingly relieved. “Good. I’m glad.”

***

After splitting up with Abigail and Master Grunly, Album went with Nigreos and her older brother up to the familiar office of Viiro Noctis. When the three of them arrived at the door, they were promptly admitted with a call from within, and as they entered the black and dimly lit room, they were greeted by the two imposing figures that were the Masters of Darkness and Light. Viiro was sitting at the desk, his large hands folded on its surface as he watched them, and Acostav was standing in the back right corner, though he only made eye contact with Eko and Nigreos, completely ignoring Album—something she wasn’t surprised by in the least. Only once the three of them had bowed with respect did anybody speak.

“Good morning, Father, Master Acostav,” Nigreos greeted immediately. “You summoned us?”

Viiro grunted softly then slowly stood to his feet and smoothed out his black suit. “Yes, we did, and I’m sure it’s no secret to any of you what it may be about. Princess Ilirianna is still quite undecided as to which Academy team she would like to choose for herself and Acostav and I thought it was time we filled you in on what’s been going on.”

Album quickly averted her gaze as Viiro mentioned the team, yet she still sensed the man’s pale white eyes shift her way as he spoke. When Eko had stopped by her dorm room to inform her that the Masters wanted to talk, she had both feared and known that this would be the subject of the discussion, which meant she was almost certainly going to get ridiculed. And within two seconds of Viiro’s statement, her father cut in to do just that.

“Yes, and it’s no damn wonder why she’s taking so long,” he snapped. “Simply put, Queen Toranei summoned me to the throne room just two nights ago to inform me that if not for your failure, Album, Ilirianna would have already selected you four. However, the queen and princess now fear that by choosing you, they would be condemning you to death. Do you hear what I mean, Daughter?”

Knowing that her father would be furious if she didn’t look him in the eye when she addressed him, Album forced herself to raise her head and respond with as much dignity as she could despite the utter guilt she felt at having her worst fears confirmed.

“Y-yes, Father, I understand,” she replied meekly. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t fix it,” he spat, his eyes narrowing in disgust before turning back to the boys. “That being said, I was able to salvage some of this nonsense and managed to convince the queen to give it a second thought.” The Master of Light stepped toward them, clicking his tongue in annoyance as he did so. “Toranei feared that if Album died, it would harm royal relations with Noctalus and I was able to assure her that it would not, so as it stands, Ilirianna may still select you.”

“Father?” Eko quickly cut in. “You assured her it would not? What do you mean by that?”

Acostav snorted. “What I said, Eko. I told Queen Toranei that if Album dies on a royal mission then the Luz family will move past it and place no blame on the throne. As far as Toranei and Ilirianna are concerned, her death is meaningless to us.”

As harsh as biting as Acostav’s words were, Album found she didn’t feel much of anything as she listened to them. In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if her father didn’t even lie when he said such a thing to the queen.

Yeah, he probably wouldn’t care if I got killed while aiding the princess. All he wants is for me to make myself useful, so if I can’t do that, I’m probably better off just dying…

However, even though she didn’t feel too offended by it, Eko’s voice turned sharp as he responded to Acostav’s statement.

“Father, how could you say such a thing?!” he snapped back. “Perhaps her death may be meaningless to you, but I certainly wouldn’t overlook it! Are you trying to give the royal family the impression that the Luz family doesn’t look after its kin unless they’re beneficial?! Is that what you want the Iiji’s to think of us—that we’re a bunch of greedy assholes?!”

“Be silent, Eko,” the Master of Light growled. “I do not care what reputation we have among the Iijis. It is not important to me because they don’t have power over us. The position of Master of Light is our birthright, as is erasure. Queen Toranei can despise us all she likes, it matters not to me.”

“But—”

“Eko,” Album interrupted. “He’s right. Just let it go.”

Her older brother turned a stunned and furious look her way, and seemed to silently demand why she was just going to take it, but she didn’t want an argument to break out in front of the Noctis, especially not one where either party wouldn’t back down anyway.

“R-regardless,” Viiro grunted, albeit slightly awkwardly, “It does, in fact, seem as if the decision will be in our favor, which leads me to a question I wanted to ask of you. What do you make of Ryokumo Caeli and Abigail? How will they fare alongside you two?”

This time, it was Nigreos who stepped in and spoke first. “Well, I’ve spoken a little about them over this past week, but I do feel that they will be powerful allies. I mean, you two saw them at orientation, right? They're a strong duo, regardless of their backgrounds. In fact, I’d even argue that makes them all the more impressive considering where they are now.”

Album watched her father’s features twist in disgust, and she quickly prepared for him to make some derogatory comment about Abi and Ryokumo, but for once, he actually held his tongue and allowed the conversation to go on.

“In addition, while I don’t know them much at all,” Eko added, “If Master Grunly speaks so highly of Abigail, I think that’s plenty to go on.”

“Not necessarily,” Acostav stated. “Edwar’s going senile, in my opinion. I wouldn’t take anything the old bastard says into account. Yes, Abigail had a strong performance, but how will that skill carry over from a mock fight to one that’s life or death?”

“Quite well, I believe,” Nigreos stated confidently. “She’s lived her life in the wild, Master Acostav. She’s more acquainted with life or death than any practice matches, and in some ways, she might even be better equipped than myself. I wouldn’t underestimate her.”

“That so?” The Master of Light shook his head. “Perhaps, perhaps not. We’ll have to wait and see, now won’t we? And perhaps we won’t have to wait too long…”

Album frowned then glanced sidelong at Nigreos and Eko to see if she was the only one missing something, but the two of them also seemed rather confused by his comment.

“Meaning?” Nigreos pressed, but it was Viiro who answered.

“You’ll hear the details soon enough, Son, but what we’re willing to tell you is that Ilirianna will be choosing in a few days simply because her team is needed for an assignment at the end of the week.”

“The end of the week?!” Nigreos exclaimed, baffled.

Inside, Album felt her body go cold, for assignments were never given to first years until they had been at the Academy for at least a semester. Even the royal team had traditionally followed these rules, so she had been under the impression that even if they were chosen by Ilirianna, Album would still have time to pull herself together.

But…if we’re going on an assignment at the end of this week then…there’s no way I could possibly be ready!

“But isn’t that too soon?” Eko asked. “I mean, first years aren’t—”

“Don’t think we don’t know that,” Acostav cut him off. “Officially, this isn’t an assignment. Instead, your team will be under the guise of Ilirianna’s entourage, but beneath the surface, this is a mission. Details will be provided once Ilirianna officially makes her choice, but until then…”

Album swallowed as overwhelming terror enveloped her body.

“Be ready for anything.”