Kurgm’s breathing grew shallow. His gaze darted from Master Ekla, to Demndun, and back. They’d been caught. Of course they’d been caught. Master Ekla had probably known the second curfew had started that he wasn’t in the castle.

“He ratted on us!” Muwen said. “I knew it! Your boyfriend ratted us out!”

“Muwen, shut up,” Demndun said through clenched teeth.

How had Kurgm missed her footsteps? Of course, she was probably using a technique she hadn’t taught him yet. He glanced at Demndun, who had released his arm. She didn’t think he’d told her, did she?

“You four, march.”

Master Ekla waved them in front of her. Kurgm followed her orders immediately, but the others hesitated.

“If you’re thinking of running, I’ll save you some time. You can’t hide from us. And you will face consequences for your actions. Might as well get it over with.”

With a little more prompting from Master Ekla, the four of them started walking back toward the castle. She stayed behind them, her eyes burning a hole in the back of Kurgm’s head. Her gaze dared them to try something.

“I can’t believe you told her,” Demndun hissed, just loud enough for Kurgm to hear.

“I didn’t. I—”

“We’ve never been caught before, then the first time you come, your master finds us. I’m not stupid.”

“When you say ‘before’,” Master Ekla said, “do you mean a few times, or is this a regular occurrence?”

They both looked at Master Ekla, who must’ve been ten feet behind them. Too far to have heard them.

She’s using the same technique I was using. She’s waiting for us to give her more information.

Demndun didn’t talk to him the rest of the walk back. When they arrived, three people were waiting for them. Each one took another of his friends with them, leaving him alone with Master Ekla.

“What’s going to happen to them?”

“That’s not up to me.” She started walking. “I’m only responsible for you. Follow.”

He glanced behind him, but his friends were out of sight. He wished he could go after them and convince them this wasn’t his fault. Maybe it was his fault. Demndun was right. Master Ekla had been the one to find them. His master, no one else’s. She must’ve checked on him earlier. But why?

His mind jumped back to earlier in the library. Roshil had seen them. Had she said something? Why would she have said something?

Master Ekla brought him to an empty study room and closed the door behind them.

“You grew up in this castle. You were raised on obedience and loyalty to the court. The same man raised us, instilled the same values in us. What do you think Our Lord True Knight will say when I tell him that his ward broke curfew? Did you think of that when you stayed out? Did you think of anything except your girlfriend? No, you didn’t. You… you broke the rules on a whim!”

Kurgm fought the urge to slouch, to try and shrink into the background. Everything kept getting worse.

“There is no excuse for this! When Oshal said you’d had a fight with Demndun, I figured it couldn’t have been too bad, since I saw you two sitting together at dinner. But I thought ‘No, I’ll check on him just in case he wants to talk.’ Imagine my surprise when your thread led out of the castle!”

Kurgm had never seen Master Ekla so angry. She didn’t need to keep yelling at him; he was ashamed of himself enough already.

“I’m revoking your free reign privileges.”

“Yes, Master Ekla.”

“What were you thinking, staying out after curfew? Do you realize how dangerous the court can be at night?”

“I… I wanted to spend time with my friends.”

“The friends that pick on you. The friends that harass you. The friends that hate Apprentices Roshil and Nourd. I’m going to guess that your ‘friends’ have nothing nice to say about them. The same friends that pushed you into breaking the rules.” She sighed. “The court can’t be everywhere at once. At night, we walk around and check on people, but there’s plenty that goes on that we can’t stop. That’s why there are places apprentices aren’t allowed to go without supervision. It’s not as bad in the day, but they’re all more active at night. It’s dangerous. You could’ve been killed.”

“I… I’m sorry.”

“You were listening for me.”

Kurgm shuffled his feet. “Yes.”

“That wasn’t a question, but thank you for being honest. I followed you four for a little while before making myself known. I heard you tell them you were listening. You were helping them avoid a patrol. You’re more than just an unwitting victim, you’re an accomplice.”

Not knowing what else to do, Kurgm nodded.

“How were they going to get back inside?”

“There’s…” Kurgm hated saying anything else, but what choice did he have? Were they even still his friends? Maybe he shouldn’t say anything else.

“Forge, school, gardens, library, temples. No one would risk sneaking in or out through the gardens, not under His Majesty’s nose, plus several dozen druids. The forge is the second most secure facility in the court. The library is locked up after curfew to avoid theft. So it has to be either one of the temples or the school.”

“I… I…”

“Fine. I expect you to tell me tomorrow. Go to your room and get some rest. You still don’t have free reign privileges.”

“Yes, Master Ekla.”

He started to leave, then stopped. His free reign privileges had just been revoked.

“Does that start now?”

“Yes, it does.”

Master Ekla walked out of the room and led him back to the north tower.

“Good night, Apprentice Kurgm.”

“Good night, Master Ekla.”

As he threw his pack in his room, he thought of the look of betrayal on his friends’ faces. Were they even still his friends? After that night, did he still have friends?

#VolumeFour #BreakingTheRules

Kurgm ate alone at breakfast. He tried talking to Demndun, but she refused to so much as look at him. He didn’t want to admit to the others that he’d broken the rules the way he had. They’d find out eventually. There was no stopping it. But he wanted to put it off for as long as he could.

Master Ekla escorted him to class. He sat among his friends, but they ignored him. They wouldn’t listen to him, no matter how many times he tried to tell them that he hadn’t done anything. They didn’t believe him.

“I trusted you,” Demndun said after class. “I liked you. I thought… No. I was wrong. We’re done.”

Kurgm couldn’t breathe. His face felt hot, and he wanted to slip away. He wanted to run, but there was nowhere to which he could run. No escape. He was all alone in the world.

When he left class, Master Ekla wasn’t waiting for him. His former friends’ masters were there waiting for them, all talking with Lord Velal. The four of them laughed, then straightened up when they noticed the apprentices.

“Hello, Apprentice Kurgm,” Lord Velal said.

“Hello, My Lord.” Kurgm bowed as Lord Velal himself had taught him to do at a young age.

“Please, come with me.”

Kurgm didn’t want to think about what Demndun would think about him being retrieved by Lord Velal. Was he in more trouble?

“Where’s Master Ekla?”

“She’s busy at the moment, and asked if I’d be kind enough to fetch you. Don’t worry, you’re not in more trouble. In fact, I’d like to discuss what happened last night. Master Ekla told me what she knows, but I was hoping to hear your side of the story.”

“I stayed out after curfew with my… well, they were my friends. They’re not anymore.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. How did them asking you to stay out after curfew make you feel?”

Kurgm tried to remember that night. It hadn’t even been a day, but it felt like weeks. The time he’d spent with Daylarl yesterday felt like years ago. Everyone had been so happy then.

“I don’t know. Confused. Scared. A little sick.”

“I see. Have Apprentices Roshil or Sirshi ever asked you to break the rules?”

“What? No, of course not. I mean, Roshil… well, I mean, I don’t think she’s broken the rules since the incident with the bracelet, and Sirshi doesn’t break the rules. At least, not rules set down by Master Moudren.” Kurgm frowned for a moment, then straightened his face. “Why?”

“I can’t imagine Apprentice Aonva or Oshal breaking rules, unless as an unwitting accomplice to Apprentice Roshil, who I believe knows better than to put them at risk. Apprentice Nourd doesn’t tend to ask anything of anyone. Have any of them asked you to do something that made you uncomfortable?”

Kurgm had to think about it. He couldn’t think of a single time the others had made him uncomfortable. Roshil was… well, Roshil. The most annoyed she’d be about him skipping curfew was either not inviting her, or getting caught. Aonva would be terrified for him, Oshal would ask if he was okay, Nourd would try empathy again (he was getting good at it), and Sirshi would listen without saying anything, so long as she was working. He liked what a good listener Sirshi was.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“I know you cared for Apprentice Demndun, but as you struggle with your feelings for her, remember that she and her friends pushed you into doing something that made you uncomfortable. Whereas Apprentices Oshal, Roshil, Sirshi, Aonva, and Nourd would not. While they cannot fill the hole that Apprentice Demndun will have left, they can provide stability and trust.”

Kurgm nodded. Yesterday had been great until he’d seen Demndun. Daylarl treated them all like they were family. Roshil was warming up to Kurgm being around more often. Maybe he could spend more time with them.

They arrived at one of the practice rooms, where Master Ekla was waiting for them.

“Thank you again, My Lord,” she said, bowing.

“It was my pleasure, Master Ekla.” Lord Velal looked at them both. “Both of you, remember what we talked about.”

They all bowed to each other, then Lord Velal left.

Master Ekla waited for Lord Velal to leave, then closed the door.

“There are reasons apprentices aren’t allowed out after curfew,” she said. “Weaver dens find new victims by weaving happiness into people walking by. When they leave, they can’t experience something like it again, so they go back. They might get another hit for free, but then they start having to pay. They can’t focus, they can’t do anything else. Sometimes they only collapse from an overdose. Something like that happened to… never mind. But sometimes their mind can’t take it, and they don’t wake up.”

“I didn’t know.”

“You’ll be learning about them soon. Then there’s the illegal trading of wands. You remember what those are?”

“A wand is a magical device that fires a beam of concentrated heat.”

“Exactly. All it takes is a word, and you could die. That’s why the court destroys any it finds. No matter what the circumstances, that kind of force should never be used. There are those that don’t agree with that, but the court’s stance on it remains the same. But people can make a lot of money selling wands, so they’ll do that where people can’t find them. And under the cover of night. If you stumble upon a trade on accident, you’ll disappear. Your body will be found, if at all, by a druid sensing it in the river, with a hole burned through it.”

“I… I didn’t know. Um… my… they’re not my friends anymore, they made that clear today in class. But… they were going to get back in through the school. They said one of the doors is always unlocked.”

“Thank you. We’ll have to check the staff. It’s possible someone’s getting paid to leave it unlocked. It could be an apprentice from a rich family, or it could be a kidnapping ring subtly encouraging apprentices to break curfew.”

“That happens?”

“Unfortunately. It’s not common, but… there are apprentices that people might want to get their hands on.”

They stood in silence for a time. How had his life gone so wrong? Everything had been fine before.

“I’m sorry about all of this,” Master Ekla said. “And about Apprentice Demndun. I know how much you liked her.”

Kurgm nodded. He wanted to go back to his room and sleep for the rest of the day. And maybe the next.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” he said. “I… I didn’t meant to.”

“I know. I forgive you.” She sat down and patted the ground next to her. “Come on, little brother.”

Kurgm laughed as he sat down with her. “You haven’t called me ‘little brother’ since I was eight years old.”

They laughed together for a moment. Kurgm felt a little of the pressure of the last day leave him.

“Your friends are worried about you,” Master Ekla said. “Apprentices Aonva and Oshal found me today to ask about you. I didn’t tell them what happened, I’ll leave that up to you. But you should tell them. They’ll be worried about you. Well, most of them will be.”

“Sirshi won’t care,” he said, smiling. “I’ll get a few words into telling them, and she’ll tell me how she doesn’t care. She doesn’t mind if I keep talking, though. She keeps telling me to keep talking.”

Master Ekla smiled at him. “She’s probably being sarcastic.”

Kurgm thought of all the times he’d talked with Sirshi at the Temple of the Rising Sun. Had she been being sarcastic when she would respond?

“I don’t think I can tell when someone’s being sarcastic.”

“You’ll get the hang of it. And you’ll find someone better than Apprentice Demndun.”

“Thanks. I was raised by the best.”

“Our Lord True Knight is pretty great. And so were your parents.” She stood up. “Alright, enough sitting around. Today, you’re learning how to use your ki to move quietly. I have personally made good use of it recently.”

Kurgm stood up and adjusted his glasses. He didn’t have many friends, and he no longer had a girlfriend, but maybe Master Ekla was right. Maybe he’d find someone better. Until then, at least he knew he had good friends.

#VolumeFour #BreakingTheRules

Many Years Ago

“Apprentice Ekla.”

Ekla picked up her head. The library came into focus as her eyes adjusted to the dark. Had she fallen asleep studying? How had she fallen asleep? Wasn’t someone supposed to wake her up if she fell asleep? Where was the librarian?

Someone had woken her up. Who was talking? She blinked to clear her eyes, then focused on the person in front of her.

“My Lady!”

Ekla jumped to her feet and stood at attention for Lady Enrakal.

Stop panicking. Her father’s voice echoed in her mind. Even when he wasn’t around, she could feel his disapproval with every mistake she made. She had to be perfect, and being perfect meant not worrying about anything.

“My apologies,” she said, her voice calm and smooth.

“You have nothing to apologize for.” Lady Enrakal smiled at her. Something was wrong with her smile. It wasn’t forced or condescending. Was she that good at faking it? No one had ever smiled at Ekla before she’d started her apprenticeship. Her father always said smiling was for the lower class.

Ekla waited for her to continue. A child wasn’t to speak unless spoken to, and was certainly not allowed to have opinions, which caused a lot of confusion when Master Velal asked her how she felt. She still wasn’t sure she fully understood the question.

“Master Velal was worried that you might’ve been doing some late night practicing. He says you push yourself too hard.”

Ekla didn’t push herself too hard, she didn’t push herself hard enough. She wasn’t perfect yet, and she had to be perfect.

“You don’t have to be perfect,” Lady Enrakal said. “No matter what your father’s told you. You’re also allowed to express yourself. In fact, I encourage you to do so. It can be good to let your feelings out sometimes.”

“What? Don’t talk to me like I have a problem! I’m fine!”

“My apologies if I’ve offended you.” Lady Enrakal’s smile never faltered. How was she staying so pleasant? “I don’t think you have a problem. I think you’re perfect just the way you are.”

“Father doesn’t think so,” Ekla muttered.

“Then your father doesn’t know what he’s missing.” She started collecting the books. “I’ll help you put these away, then we’ll walk to the north tower together.”

Ekla didn’t understand what was happening. If her father had caught her like this, she didn’t want to imagine the punishment. But Lady Enrakal was helping her. No one had ever helped Ekla. She’d had to do everything on her own.

“Thank you, My Lady.”

“It’s my pleasure, Apprentice Ekla.”

---

Present Day

Ekla smiled at the two sleeping apprentices in the library. Roshil was using an open book as a pillow, while Aonva had at least managed not to fall asleep on one of the books they were reading. She tried thinking of a way to wake them up that wouldn’t send Aonva into a panic, but that didn’t seem possible.

“Apprentice Roshil.”

“You can’t prove anything,” Roshil mumbled. “Was always like that.”

Ekla closed her eyes and counted to five. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

“Apprentice Roshil,” she repeated, nudging Roshil’s shoulder.

“What?” Roshil picked up her head. “I didn’t do it. You can’t prove anything.” She blinked as it sank in that she was in the library. “Oh. What time is it?”

“Past curfew,” Ekla said. “I happened to be in the area and did a sweep of the library.”

She hoped neither of them would realize that it wasn’t her job to do so, nor that it was unlikely that she would’ve happened to be there on the exact night they fell asleep. She certainly hadn’t been anxious after Kurgm had slipped out with his so-called friends.

Roshil reached over and rested her hand on Aonva’s shoulder.

“Aonva. We fell asleep.”

Aonva mumbled something incoherent and lifted her head.

“What time is it?”

Aonva blinked and rubbed her eyes. She stared for a moment, then stood up so fast that she knocked over her chair.

“Master Ekla, we… um… I… we didn’t… did we miss curfew?”

“You’re not in trouble,” Ekla said, keeping her voice low and calm. “You two have been working too hard again. Just make sure you’re taking better care of yourselves.”

Roshil stood up, closing the books.

“Isn’t breaking curfew against the rules?” she asked conversationally. “Like, lose-your-free-reign-privileges against the rules?”

“Have you been talking to Apprentice Kurgm?” Ekla asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yup,” Roshil said, picking up some books. “Are we allowed to check these out, or do we have to put them back? Unless we can leave them here.”

Aonva gathered up as many books as she could, dropping a few in the process.

“We’ll put them back right now,” she said. “I’m so sorry. We lost track of time, and I was so tired, I just rested my eyes for a moment.”

“She was asleep,” Roshil said, “and I was tired.”

Ekla stooped down to help Aonva. “You’re not in trouble. There’s a difference between breaking curfew with intent, and breaking it because you fell asleep in the library. That happens more than you’d think.”

“So we can sleep here?” Roshil asked.

“I’ve changed my mind. Apprentice Aonva, you’re not in trouble.”

“Roshil, stop antagonizing her,” Aonva said as she stood back up. “You shouldn’t be talking to a master like that.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ekla said as they started putting the books away. “I shouldn’t be here in the first place. Master Juoura should be patrolling the library, not me. Although, the librarian usually lets the regulars stay a little late.”

“Right,” Aonva said. “I remember her telling us not to stay too much later. It was almost curfew, and… I can’t remember anything after that.”

“You drifted off,” Roshil said. “You were tired, so I let you rest. Then I… didn’t want to leave you.”

“You should’ve woken me up.”

“I tried, but you were already asleep.”

“Don’t worry about it, you two. Let’s put these back, and get you two to the north tower.”

They put the books back and left the library. Ekla was happy to see them getting along so well. She wished she’d had a friend like either of them when she was their age. Someone to talk to. Someone to spend time with. Someone that had her back. Someone that made them feel perfect the way they were.

“Good night, you two,” Ekla said when they reached the north tower. “Never forget how lucky you are to have each other.”

The girls looked at one another. Aonva smiled. Roshil grinned.

“We won’t,” Roshil said. “Good night, Master Ekla.”

“Good night, Master Ekla.”

“Good night.”

#VolumeFour #BreakingTheRules

“Master Indyur will be visiting today. She’s the head priest of Torpn’s temple. I expect you to be courteous to her.”

“Yes, Master Moudren.”

Sirshi didn’t recall meeting Master Indyur before. The priests from other temples often visited them. It was Master Moudren’s job to escort visiting priests around the temple, and host them while they stayed. It was another part of the job that sounded tedious to Sirshi.

“I know you won’t let me down. Still, Master Indyur can be a little difficult. If you need to excuse yourself during her visit, feel free.”

Sirshi had been present for many visiting priests, but Master Moudren had never given her permission to leave in the middle of one those visits. How “difficult” could a head priest be?

“What do you mean ‘difficult’?”

“I mean, she often tries my patience. If she’s difficult for me to handle… well, I don’t want you doing something you’ll regret later.”

Sirshi nodded, and reminded herself that this wasn’t the same as one of her parents telling her to stay in her room because she was too much of an embarrassment to be allowed around company. As far as most of her parents’ guests knew, Sirshi was the sickliest child in the court.

“I understand.”

“I’m glad we have that out of the way. Carry on.”

That afternoon, Master Indyur arrived. She strode into the temple, looking down her nose at everything. Her spotless robes glittered in the sunlight.

“Master Indyur,” Master Moudren said. “Welcome to our temple.”

“Master Moudren.” She looked at Sirshi. “Is this all? In Torpn, we have a welcoming party to greet important priests.”

“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t important.” Master Moudren motioned to Sirshi. “This is Apprentice Sirshi.”

Sirshi bowed. “It’s nice to meet you, Master Indyur.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Master Indyur turned her attention to the statue. “You still have that old thing? I thought you would’ve gotten rid of it years ago. It was a relic when I was an apprentice here.”

“That statue has been here for generations,” Master Moudren said. “It’s part of this temple’s history.”

Master Indyur approached the statue. She eyed it as if resisting the urge to sweep a finger over it to check for dust.

Sirshi took a deep breath. This woman was starting to get on her nerves.

Master Indyur turned her attention to the windows next. “When did you last have those replaced?”

“Last year. Our Lord High Artisan and his apprentice did it themselves.”

“Really? And they went with those windows? Could they not make nicer ones?”

Sirshi clenched and unclenched her hands in her robe.

“I’m sure they did what they thought was best.”

Unlike Sirshi, Master Moudren showed no signs of frustration. Her composure was calm and careful, her tone pleasant.

“Well.” Master Indyur returned her gaze to Master Moudren. “There’s no shame in being second best, I suppose.”

Keep breathing. She has to leave eventually.

“Quite.” Master Moudren used a tone Sirshi had never heard before. For a moment, her tone lost some of its pleasantness.

While this was going on, people milled about the chamber (“The chamber in Torpn is bigger, but I suppose we have to hold more people.”). Sirshi was so focused on keeping her temper that she didn’t notice when a few pairs of footsteps stopped next to her.

“What is that?”

Sirshi and Master Moudren turned around to find a pair of frightened girls.

“We didn’t mean to interrupt,” Aonva said, her voice shaking. “We were looking for Sirshi.”

Despite her trembling, Aonva didn’t avert her gaze. She and Roshil stood at attention and waited.

“Never mind what you were doing,” Master Indyur said, settling her sights on Roshil. “What are you doing here?”

“The Temple of the Rising Sun welcomes all people,” Master Moudren said, stepping directly between Master Indyur and the girls.

“That thing is hardly a person.”

“What did you say?” Sirshi screamed. “Her name is Apprentice Roshil, and she’s my friend! No one talks to her like that!”

Aonva shrank behind Roshil, whose eyes darted between Master Moudren and Master Indyur.

“How dare you talk to me that way!”

“Enough!” Master Moudren turned Aonva and Roshil. “I’m afraid now isn’t a good time. I’ll send Apprentice Sirshi to you when we’re finished.”

The girls nodded, then bowed. Without saying another word, they left the temple.

“If she ever stepped foot into the temple at Torpn—”

“We aren’t at Torpn, are we?” Master Moudren snapped, keeping her voice down. “I can accept that you think your temple is better than ours, but you clearly still have a lot to learn.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Not even His Majesty would ever speak to or of an apprentice of the court like that. Apprentice Roshil is welcome here any time. Her brother is a valued member of this temple, and Apprentice Sirshi, my apprentice, is her friend. Further, she has touched up every statue, every window, every chip in the floor of this temple. She has done an excellent job, and if you have complaints about her work, you are free to take it up with her master, Our Lord High Artisan. Do I make myself clear?”

For once, Master Indyur had nothing to say. She stood stalk still, eyeing Master Moudren.

“Do I make myself clear?” Master Moudren repeated.

“Yes.”

“Olmgra does not care how shiny the floors are. She does not care how big her statues are. If it doesn’t matter to her, then it doesn’t matter to us. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to have a word with my apprentice.”

Sirshi froze. She’d liked it better when Master Moudren had been tearing into Master Indyur. Now, it was her turn.

“You’ve made it very clear,” Master Indyur said, “that not only do you not run a good temple, but your ability to teach an apprentice falls short as well.”

Master Moudren’s glare an Master Indyur hardened, but Master Indyur smirked.

“How many times has your apprentice had outbursts? Enough that you weren’t shocked by this one. No, I’d say this happens quite a lot. I will be bringing up these concerns with Our Lady Exalted Priest. Good day.”

Still smirking, Master Indyur turned and strode out of the temple.

Sirshi opened her mouth, but Master Moudren shot her a glare.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” she said. “When I told you to excuse yourself, I meant it. I know you—” She cut herself off and took a breath. “Disputes between masters happen often. Even one questioning another’s ability to teach an apprentice. But you just screamed at another master of the court in front of a crowd. Again.”

When was the first— oh, right, Ekla. She doesn’t count.

Master Moudren led Sirshi to her office, then closed the door. Even Sirshi could see the worry on her face.

“What’s going to happen?” Sirshi asked.

“She’ll use these incidents to show that I shouldn’t be your master. Or possibly anyone’s master.”

Sirshi was horrified. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her hand.

“She can’t do that,” Sirshi said, barely holding back a scream.

“She can. But we can argue our case. I will prepare for a meeting with Our Lady Exalted Priest. With luck, I can stop this from going any further. But I’ll need you to talk to your friends. You’ll need people that can vouch for your character. It might not be much, but every little bit helps.”

Sirshi nodded. She wanted to scream, but was wise enough to know that now was a bad time.

“We’ll figure this out,” Master Moudren said. “For now, take some time off to relax. I’ll see you soon.”

Sirshi bowed to Master Moudren, then left the Temple of the Rising Sun. She couldn’t lose Master Moudren, could she? No, she couldn’t. If she did, it’d be all her fault.

#VolumeFour #AssigningBlame

Sirshi left the temple, heading for the library. There were only so many places Roshil and Aonva would be, and the library was the most likely. Hopefully, they’d still be there, and she wouldn’t have to look harder for them.

What would’ve happened if they hadn’t shown up in the temple? Master Indyur was annoying, but until then, Sirshi had kept it together. If they hadn’t shown up, Sirshi would still be at the temple. She’d be having a normal day. Everything would be fine. Didn’t that make this their fault?

No, it’s Master Indyur’s fault. She’s the one that started all of this. This is all her fault.

The more Sirshi thought about it, the angrier she got. Why did Master Indyur visit if she hated it so much? Why couldn’t she have stayed in Torpn and left Sirshi and Master Moudren alone?

What would happen if Sirshi had to change masters? Would she be back with Master Daktra? He was in the Temple of the Known Shadow, where she didn’t want to be. It was always so dark inside. There were other priests in the Temple of the Rising Sun. Would she be stuck with one of them? She didn’t want to be with one of them. She wanted to be with Master Moudren.

She walked into the library, then realized she had no idea where in the library Roshil and Aonva would be. Why did everyone have to keep making her day more difficult?

The librarian whose name Sirshi couldn’t remember looked up at her as she walked in.

“Second floor, back corner near the advanced magic section. Look for a nest of books.”

“Thanks,” Sirshi grumbled, then walked up the flight of stairs to the second floor of the library. Of course they hung out as far from the entrance as they could get. Wasn’t that what they always did? Stayed as far away from other people as they could? Why did they have to go into the temple? Why couldn’t they have stayed away like they always did? And how did the librarian know she was looking for Roshil and Aonva?

Sure enough, Sirshi found the girls huddled in a corner, with books spread out around them. No one else was anywhere near them, almost like everyone was avoiding them. Which they probably were doing.

Roshil was rubbing Aonva’s back. Aonva was trembling and mumbling something.

“Hi,” Sirshi said.

Roshil flashed her a crooked smile. Aonva looked up at her, and Sirshi saw tears in her eyes.

“Master Indyur’s horrible,” Sirshi said, sitting down across from them. “Why does she get to have her own temple? She’s so stuck up. She reminds me way too much of my parents. And all their friends. And Ekla used to be like that too.”

“We didn’t mean to bother you.” Aonva’s voice was soft. “We had an idea for organizing the books in the library.”

“I thought you might want to help,” Roshil said. “If nothing else, it’d mean we’d be spending a lot of time here, and you could fend people off when they bothered us. I thought you might enjoy that.”

Getting to scare away people that bothered her friends sounded exactly like something Sirshi wanted to do. She could start with Master Indyur, then that guy that nearly got Aonva in trouble for cheating, and that one master artisan that kept calling Roshil a monster. Sirshi had a long list of people she didn’t like.

“Master Indyur threatened to get Master Moudren in trouble after I yelled at her.”

“In trouble for what?” Roshil asked. “Master Moudren’s the best. Well, actually, Master Grund’s the best, but Master Moudren’s nice too.”

“Because I guess I’m not supposed to yell at masters,” Sirshi said. “And yelling at my sister counts, and Master Indyur is going to tell Our Lady Exalted Priest that Master Moudren is doing a terrible job of being my master.”

“That probably means a hearing,” Aonva said. “You and Master Moudren are the defendants, Master Indyur is the one bringing the complaint. Master Indyur has enough evidence to start a full hearing. Calling a master into question is important, so everything’s going to happen fast. They’ll probably talk to Master Ekla too, since she was involved in the last incident. Probably Master Daktra, since he was your original master. We can provide our testimonies supporting you, but apprentice testimonies don’t usually weigh as much as a master’s testimony.”

“I’ll talk to Master Grund. He’ll figure this out.”

“No, he can’t,” Aonva said. “This is up to Our Lady Exalted Priest. He can vouch for Sirshi, but he doesn’t know her very well. Neither does Our Lady Arch Mage, otherwise I could talk to her.”

“Won’t Our Lady Exalted Priest take over Sirshi’s apprenticeship? Like Master Grund did after Master Udra messed up mine?”

“Who cares? I don’t want anyone else taking over my apprenticeship.”

“That’s not necessarily what would happen. It’d be up to Our Lady Exalted Priest.”

Sirshi had only met Lady Runslo a few times. She always looked like she was in a different conversation, like her mind was in another kingdom. Sirshi wasn’t sure she liked her, but she didn’t dislike her either. But she wanted to keep Master Moudren as her master. What if Lady Runslo put her with Master Indyur?

“Yet another adult deciding my life for me,” Sirshi growled. “I’m so sick of this!”

“I’m sorry,” Aonva said. “If we hadn’t been there, this wouldn’t be happening.”

“If Master Indyur weren’t horrible, this wouldn’t be happening,” Sirshi said. How was someone like Master Indyur even a master?

“What can we do to fix this?” Roshil asked.

“We can’t do much,” Aonva said. “Sirshi, you might want to talk to Master Daktra and Master Ekla. I’m sure she’ll understand, though. She’s your sister.”

She’d barely talked to Ekla in the past year. She’d barely seen Master Daktra since Master Moudren took her on as an apprentice. Now they held her future in their hands. Them, Master Indyur, and Lady Runslo. No, not just her future, Master Moudren’s future. Sirshi had lost her temper, and Master Moudren was paying for it.

“Thanks. Are you two alright?”

“We’re used to it,” Roshil said. “People are mean to us all the time.”

Sirshi turned her attention to Aonva. Her eyes were still puffy, but she didn’t see any tears.

“I’ll be alright. It was a lot for me. I don’t like yelling.”

“Oh.” Sirshi was sure she already knew that, but suddenly she felt bad about yelling around Aonva. She needed to yell less around her. Why did she feel bad about it now? Because she’d found her friend crying? Whatever the case, she had to get better.

“I’ll start talking to people I guess,” she said. “Thanks for your help, I guess.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Roshil said, smiling.

“Yeah. Friends.”

She had to go find and talk to Masters Daktra and Ekla. She didn’t know where to start searching, but dinner was approaching. Maybe she could talk to them when she got there. She didn’t want to, but it had to be done. It was for Master Moudren. And Sirshi would do anything for her.

#VolumeFour #AssigningBlame

When Sirshi got to the great hall for dinner, she didn’t see her sister or Master Daktra. She didn’t think she was that early, but she did spot Kurgm sitting in their usual spot. Roshil and Aonva went ahead of her and took seats. Sirshi sighed, then followed them and sat down.

“What have you three been up to today?” Kurgm asked.

Roshil and Aonva looked at Sirshi before answering.

“What happened?” Kurgm asked, his glance moving between the three of them. “Did Sirshi punch someone? Did I miss it?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Sirshi said, her temper rising. “Master Indyur started it.”

“You punched a master?” Kurgm said, his voice a little louder than she would’ve liked.

“She didn’t punch anyone,” Roshil said. “She just yelled a bit.”

“She deserved it after the way she was talking about you two!”

“What she say?” Kurgm asked. “How bad could it have been?”

“She called Roshil a thing,” Sirshi hissed. “She said she was ‘hardly a person’.”

“Who said that?”

Oshal took a seat with them, his sightless gaze fixed on Sirshi.

“Master Indyur,” Sirshi growled. “She’s visiting from Torpn.”

Oshal’s gaze moved to his sister. There were times Sirshi wished she had family like Oshal. He was always so nice to Roshil. Were normal families like that? Did they actually care about each other?

“Is everyone okay?” Oshal asked. “Master Moudren must’ve handled it, right?”

“Master Moudren’s capability as a master has been called into question,” Aonva said. “Master Indyur took it to Our Lady Exalted Priest earlier. They’ll likely be holding a hearing in the next few days.”

Sirshi explained the rest of the situation to them, trying not to lose her temper any more than she already had. Just the thought that some stuck up woman could stride in and declare that Sirshi couldn’t be Master Moudren’s apprentice anymore was enough to make her want to scream.

“I’m sure it will be okay,” Oshal said after she’d finished. “You’ve gotten a lot better. Our Lady Exalted Priest will see that.”

“We can go to the hearing too, right?” Kurgm asked. “For moral support.”

Before she could answer, they were interrupted by the officers entering the great hall. Everyone stood up as they took their seats. Before everyone sat down again, Sirshi caught a glimpse of her sister.

“I need to talk to my sister,” she said. “Master Moudren thinks it might help if she’s on our side.”

“Of course she’s on our side,” Kurgm said. “She’ll back you up.”

“Yeah, sure she will,” Sirshi said. “We’ll skip happily through fields of flowers holding hands because we’re such good sisters.”

“I don’t know about that,” Kurgm said. “I can’t really imagine her holding hands with anyone. Or skipping. Even being happy. She smiles sometimes, but I’m not sure I’d ever describe her as ‘happy’.”

Despite Kurgm having completely missed her sarcasm again, she did agree that she’d never seen Ekla happy. Maybe it was just their family that was never happy.

“I need her and Master Daktra, my old master.” She glanced around the great hall. “Where is he? He was always scolding me whenever I missed a meal.”

“He’s on assignment,” Oshal said. “I heard about it from someone at the Temple of the Known Shadow.”

“So we won’t have a chance to talk to him before the hearing,” Aonva said.

It was just Sirshi’s luck that he wasn’t there. Nothing had gone right.

“We should talk to Master Ekla now,” Oshal said. “Let her know what happened.”

“So she can lecture me?” Sirshi said. “Tell me how I need to control my temper, something something something, be perfect like me, something something something.”

“But if you don’t,” Kurgm said, “what happens to you and Master Moudren?”

Sirshi started to yell at him, but realized he had a point. She had to suck it up and take whatever lecture her sister gave her. If she didn’t, Ekla might never agree to help her, and Sirshi needed Ekla’s help.

Sirshi turned around to go talk to her sister, but Ekla was already making her way over to them.

“Hello, you five. Enjoying your dinner?”

Sirshi glared at her sister, then at her friends. Why was her sister suddenly with them?

“So far,” Oshal said. “I think the chicken was better yesterday, though. It’s a little dry today.”

“It’d be easier to cut if I could tear it off with my teeth,” Roshil muttered, glaring at her fork and knife.

Ekla sat down next to Kurgm, putting her across from Sirshi.

“Apprentice Aonva said you wanted to talk to me.”

Sirshi glared at Aonva, who avoided her gaze.

“Thank you, Aonva,” Oshal said. “I hadn’t thought of that. That saved us some time.”

Roshil beamed at Aonva as Sirshi explained once again the situation she was in. Every ti