Chapter 33

The Sacred Seven of Heldra were a brotherhood of seven devout Clerics of the Titan Heldra who are said to have taken on an impossible task: to seal a gate to the depths of the Hells. They died in the process, but they sealed the gate.

Day 329, Smeltesday

I was lucky one of the Mystagogues had folded my clothes and set them on a table that had remained unmolested. I barely had a mind to thank them as I hurried to wipe off the slime and dress.

“It was not meant as kindness,” stated Lucas.

“It was more to keep the room orderly,” said Patrisha.

I winced, noting the layer of slime. So much for orderly. I threw them another hurried thanks before dashing out. I could barely restrain myself from dashing to meet Thallos.

Once out of the tower, I gave up all pretense of self-control. I sprinted from hall to hall. I reached the obscured elevators, jogging in place as I waited. I swiped my B.I.C., and the car began to descend. I tried to collect myself but was twitchy with excitement.

The car stopped, and the doors slid open. I stepped into a black-walled room. At the far end, I spotted my uncle. For the second time in half an hour, all self-control fled. I made a mad dash to greet him.

His back was toward me, but he turned smoothly, a smirk on his lips. As I closed in, I shouted, “I’ve done it! I’ve finally done it!”

He raised a brow, and a figure stepped out from behind him. When I saw who it was, I lost my footing, tripped, and rolled across the floor like a fool, coming to a stop at the feet of Thallos and none other than Roserra Swiftpaw. I looked up at her in shock, having completely forgotten she might join me.

“H-hey,” I stammered.

Rose smirked down at me. “Hey yourself, twinkle-toes.”

My face lit with a blush. I rolled over and pushed to my feet, dusting myself off.

“What’s got you rushing the dragon’s jaws, boy?” my uncle teased.

I half-tried to hide a mad grin. “I’ve finally pulled it off. I figured out how to draw in myst and cast with it.”

“Oh, yeah?”

I held up my hand, displaying the fresh bite mark. “I shorted out almost all of the Zenwels’ equipment.”

“And why, pray tell, would you do that?” he pressed, his look stern.

“Well, for one,” I held up a finger, “they’ve been using me as a guinea pig. Second,” I raised another, “they had me strip buck-ass naked. Third, Lucas said I wasn’t going to live to see graduation. And lastly, they threw me into a vat of chemicals and locked me in.”

With each reason, his brows rose. When I finished, he leaned back. “Well, damned be the names of The Seven if that’s not a good reason to cook some of their toys.”

Rose thumped him across the side. “Master Thallos! Don’t speak ill of the Sacred Seven of Heldra!”

He gave her a speculative look. “You, a Vhenari, a skilled warrior, are a Heldrain?”

She half-turned away. “Hey, don’t judge. Since learning the reality of the Fractured Goddess, I’ve been looking for a good faith. But enough about me. What’s this about scars and finally using myst?” She turned to me.

I looked down. “Well, um, I hadn’t been able to use myst until today.”

“You’re telling me you couldn’t cast even the smallest spell until today?” she asked in disbelief.

I gave a snort and a quick nod. She threw her hands in the air. “So, I’ve been jealous of you and honing my new skills for nothing.”

“Hey,” Thallos gently chided, laying a hand on her shoulder. “Training is never a waste. Now you know you have more experience than he does, so you can mentor him.”

She stayed half-turned for a few moments, then lowered her head and looked at me. I couldn’t tell what was in her gaze. She sighed before asking, “Then what’s this about scars and you dying before graduation?”

“About that…” Thallos started, but I stripped off my shirt and jacket. Rose’s eyes went wide, tracking up and down my chest and arms.

“What in the Hells did this?” she demanded, her tone angry and defensive.

I gave an over-exaggerated shrug. “One scar for every misstep and wrong answer. Yeah, stab training sucks, but it’s helped me improve at an impressive rate.”

“Wait, stab training?” she asked.

“Is that what you’ve been calling it?” Thallos queried with an amused smirk.

“Yep,” was my answer to both.

“Wait,” Rose started, pointing an accusatory finger at my uncle. “He did all that to you?”

“Yeah.”

“But you look like you dove into an oversized blender!”

I shrugged again. “It’s not so bad once you get used to it. And now I have an impressive pain tolerance.”

She turned from me to Thallos. “Is that what I get to look forward to?”

He scrunched his face and held his hand out flat, tilting it. “Well, yes. But not to the same extent. Iver had a long way to climb. You are obviously more talented in combat, so you’ll only have a fraction of the ones he got.”

“This is total madness,” Rose proclaimed.

“Like I said, not so bad after you get used to it,” I chimed in.

“Get used to being stabbed? Iver, that is not something a sane person says.”

“Hey, I’m not going to chop you into kibble from the beginning. I’ll start slow. Besides, we have a healer, and once you’re patched up, I'll explain where you went wrong,” Thallos said, pantomiming with his hands.

As he explained, Rose watched with skepticism. But nearing the end, she didn’t look so sure.

I stepped up. “Hey, you told me Thallos was your hero. He’s only putting us through what he went through to become a legend, right?” I looked to my uncle for confirmation. He gave a proud smile and a deep nod. “Besides, he’s done this before. I vouch for the method, and you know where I started. If he can get me to be a halfway decent fighter, imagine what you’ll be doing by the end.”

Rose’s expression shifted to begrudging understanding. I gave the last push. “Plus, he’s told you the truth about the Order, right? Sapient sacrifices to a heart-eating goddess. Do you really think you can go back to your old training, knowing you’re working for fanatic nutcases? I don’t know about you, but I want to work with the good guys and put an end to the madness.”

Rose’s arms dropped. She heaved a sigh of defeat. “Fine. I’ll give this a shot. But no promises.”

The blade thrust toward my face, forcing me to leap back. As Rose pulled back, I dashed in, low, and slashed with my Veckenna. She deflected it. Before I could retract, she struck me in the head with a snap kick. It landed on my horns, so the damage was minimal, but I was still driven back. I landed flat on my back. The tigress pounced, her shortsword positioned to run me through. At the peak of her jump, I rolled right and spun into a crouch, facing where she would land.

She saw it coming and turned her landing into a roll, tumbling forward. She rolled into a crouch and spun to face me. I sprang up and rushed her, thrusting my blade. She parried and fluidly shifted into a strike. I was too slow to block. I threw my weight backward, preventing me from getting gutted, but I couldn’t get clear. A weeping crimson line appeared through a slash in my ruined shirt.

My back struck the floor hard. I took the momentum to roll into a crouch, jumped to my feet, and flashed Rose a mad grin of triumph.

She looked confused until she saw me wipe my fingers across the cut, coming away with blood. I felt the charged myst and pulled the mental trigger. My hand lit ablaze with scarlet flames. I shaped it into a stream. The result was a fist-sized bolt of concentrated fire.

Rose’s eyes went wide. I expected an ice wall. Instead, she lunged aside. I pulled more blood and tried again. Again and again, I threw bolts as she sprinted and rolled, circling me. When I was out of blood, she came at me in a headlong sprint. I backpedaled. When she flashed a vicious smile, I did the first thing that came to mind: I drew the Veckenna across the palm of my left hand. It lit with flames at the same moment she pounced.

I dropped my weapon and aimed to catch her. The next few moments were a blur. I felt her make contact, my hands on something soft. I rolled backward with her momentum, planting my feet against her hips. The force carried her past me. I saw the shocked look on her face as I kicked her off, slamming her to the floor with a resounding THUD!

I rolled over my shoulder to land on my knees. Spinning, I stepped to my feet. Rose was picking herself up. She shot me a murderous glare. “Really, Iver? I know I let you get lucky, but this is taking it too far.”

“What now?”

She turned and gestured to her shirt. A perfect handprint of scorched fabric revealed a bare breast, the exposed fur blackened. “You just ruined a perfectly good top and sports bra.”

“Shit!” I squeaked, my face burning. I covered my face with my hands.

“Oh, don’t be a baby. It’s a boob, big whoop. Now stop roasting your face and fetch me my jacket.”

I peeked, only to see my hand was wreathed in fire. I pulled it away in panic, then realized my face was fine. I threw Thallos a questioning look.

He was already on his way over with her jacket. “Magic 101, kiddo. A caster can’t be harmed directly by their own cast fire. You can still drown in your own water or be crushed by your own stone. But Fire reacts to intent. You didn’t want to harm Rose, so your fire only consumed her clothes and a bit of fur.”

“Dick,” Rose muttered, folding her arms.

“If you had wanted to cause harm, your flames would have taken her flesh.”

My eyes wandered to her bare breast, now partly covered. I forced my gaze back to Thallos. “Why does Fire work that way?”

He rolled his neck. “It wasn’t always this way. In the First Age, it would devour anything. It didn’t change until the late Third Age. Seven thousand years of natural evolution through casters to develop a safety control wired into our lizard brains.” As he lectured, my eyes edged over to Rose again. This time, I gave in.

I was shaken from my hypnotic state by a hand clenching my jaw, powerfully rotating my head to face forward. Thallos was at my eye level. “Don’t get distracted by free and wild fun-bags, boy,” he intoned. I tried to nod.

“Mystagogue Kiem, what is it with boys and tits?” Rose asked.

Without looking away, he answered, “Don’t blame boys. It’s instinct and hormones. I know men my age who would act the same.”

“I still don’t get it. If he wants to stare, let him. I can appreciate a well-muscled man’s chest. I just don’t get the need for modesty.”

Thallos rolled his eyes before releasing me. “That’s because of your people’s culture, girl. Vhenari see little need for clothing outside of armor. Other Sophic Species consider your people base.”

“Oh, I know,” she huffed. “I just don’t get why.”

“Here.” Thallos stripped off his shirt. “What’s different between you and me?”

She gave him a look. “Breasts.”

“Other than that. That’s gender, not species.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fur.”

“Exactly. Other species use clothing to keep warm. Vhenari have fur. When High Elves found your people, they found your culture primitive because of the lack of modesty. That’s why they enslaved you. To them, you were little better than animals with thumbs.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rose droned. “And then we learned a language, and that brought into question whether we were people.”

Thallos pointed at her. “A pack of Wolfkin picked up Lerrian. They taught it to others until they could speak out.”

“And that sparked a war that led to our freedom,” she said, as if she’d heard it a thousand times.

“Actually, it got worse first. You went from animals with thumbs to slaves who could take complicated orders. But one thing you probably didn’t know was a lot of Humans worked to free Vhenari.”

“What?” Rose’s head snapped to him.

“Yep. This was around the time humans were working out evolution. Learning Humans came from apes, it didn’t take much of a leap to think of Vhenari as a deviant evolution of other animals.”

“I hadn’t heard that.”

“Well, Dwarves and Elves knew they came from Gods, Dracose from dragons. But seeing a kinship with your people, Humans worked in secret to orchestrate their freedom.”

“Why have I never heard this? And why are Humans some of the worst who discriminate against us?”

Thallos looked exhausted. “Not two Human generations after the Rebellion of the Broken Sheers, a radical Human group destroyed all records of Human aid and stirred hatred. One of their key points was how Vhenari didn’t wear clothes. Eventually, those living in mixed-species towns gave in and took to wearing clothes just so they wouldn’t be jeered at.”

Rose spat. “That’s why I need to be covered? Back home, I just had to wear pants.”

Thallos took a deep breath. “I think that’s it for today. Go ahead and get out of here. You too, Tessa.”

The little Gnome, who had been listening raptly, popped to her feet, gathered her things, and headed for the elevator.

I jogged to catch up to Rose as she buttoned her jacket. “I really am sorry about the shirt… and bra. And the staring.” I looked away, scared to see anger.

“Hey, Ive,” her tone was normal. I looked up to find a question in her eyes.

“Yeah?”

“What do you do when your clothes get burned up?”

A grin of pure joy split my face. “I have a gadget to fix them. You can borrow it.” I pulled off my sweat-drenched, slashed shirt.

“Really?”

“Totally. See these scars?” I gestured to my chest and arms. “That was at least one a day for five months. Most of the time, more. If he hadn’t stabbed me over older ones, I’d have a quarter more.”

Rose stared at my body as I pulled on a fresh shirt. Before she tore her eyes away, I thought I saw something in them. I hoped it was appreciation, but I doubted it. I had muscle, sure, but I didn’t look like a wall of steel. The scars probably horrified her.

I was ashamed of them. I wore my uniform jacket at all times. Rose was the first one, other than Tessa, to see what I’d been hiding. I felt like she thought I was a freak.

I reached for my jacket but paused at the scar on my hand. I stared at it, thinking about where I would have been if I hadn’t taken this path. Then I noticed Rose watching me. She wasn’t the kind to worry, and despite that last interaction, I knew we weren’t back to where we were. I snatched my jacket and pulled it on.

Rose turned and finished packing. I hurried to gather my things and made a beeline for the elevators. I called the car down, bouncing my heel impatiently. After a moment, Rose stepped up beside me. I hadn’t heard her. Awkward energy radiated from her. I didn’t dare look.

“So,” she started, her words tentative, “Mystagogue Kiem told me something.”

“He’s just my uncle. You can call him Thallos,” I said, my words chilled.

“Right, Thallos. He told me he only took me on as an apprentice because you asked.”

“So?” I asked, trying to keep the venom from my words.

“Well, um, I wanted to thank you.”

“I only mentioned you. I told him you would have made a better student,” my voice rang hollow.

“Oh, yeah?” Some of Rose’s bravado returned. “Your uncle said you were almost on your knees begging.”

“I was not begging,” I defended abstinently.

“He said you wouldn’t leave him alone about it. After every training session,” she teased.

I turned to her, seething. “Why do you have to press it?” I hissed. “Yes, I pushed for him to take you on. Day after day.” As I spoke, I found it was less of an act than I liked. “I pushed because I felt like a fraud.” Tears rose in my eyes. The floodgates opened. “I only got the role because I was kin and a fluke that lets me bleed fire.” I lifted my eyes to hers. I saw shock, curiosity, and, worst of all, pity.

I threw my arms down. “Rose, I would have picked you over myself every time,” I said, turning away in shame. “You are ten times the warrior I am. I only took this position because I was offered. I was given a chance, and I’ve pushed myself to a point where I question if I’m on the right path.” Tears streamed down my face. What was I doing?

“Iver? Are you okay?” she asked tentatively. I could see the worry, the pity that burned my soul.

I took a deep breath and wiped my tears. I knew Thallos had seen my outburst. “There, Rose. You have seen my deepest weakness,” I hissed, curling in on myself. The elevator arrived.

I stepped in, quietly hoping she wouldn’t follow. But I felt her step in. As the doors closed, I pressed my horns into the farthest corner, trying to hide. I heard her swipe her B.I.C.

“So now you’ve seen this mess,” I muttered. “You’re welcome to mock me.”

“Weak?” she asked, her tone soft. “Iver, you call me ten times the warrior, but you just laid your heart wide open in a way that would have me die of fear.” A clawed hand fell on my shoulder. “You had the courage to tell me your honest feelings after I nearly bit your head off. And you still convinced your uncle to take me on.” I glanced over my shoulder. Rose looked smaller than me at that moment, her eyes cast down.

“Iver, do you still have feelings for me? Even after my outburst?” she muttered.

“What’s it matter?” I snapped.

“Would you be willing to let me think on it? I’ve never had anyone show interest… on that front. You’re a good friend. I just need time to think.”

My head shot up. “What?!”

“Y-you heard me, horn-boy,” she stammered. “Just give me time. You’re a good guy with talent I can respect. You fought for me even after I lashed out. And…” She trailed off.

“And what?”

“And nothing,” she muttered, her ears pressed flat to her skull.

“Come on, Rose.”

“And you are a courageous piece of shit, alright! You kept coming back after Mallrimor, even after he kicked your ass ten times over. You never fucking gave up, and I can respect that!”

I couldn’t help but give her a smile of hope and kindness when she dared to meet my eyes.