Skwyr Court

breakingtherules

“It was great to see you all again,” Daylarl said as he hugged his children. “You two stay out of trouble. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

While Kurgm found those two orders mutually exclusive, he stayed silent for Roshil and Oshal’s sake. Mostly Oshal, since Roshil wouldn’t listen to him anyway.

“Aonva, Nourd, it was nice to talk to you both as always.”

Aonva avoided eye contact, but still smiled.

“I enjoy knowing that you are still alive,” Nourd said, “as it makes Oshal happy.”

“It does,” Oshal said. He smiled and put his arm around Nourd for a moment.

“Sirshi, if anyone gives them trouble, rough ’em up.”

Sirshi grinned at Daylarl. He was one of the few people that Sirshi seemed to like.

“Kurgm, keep everyone on the straight and narrow.”

Kurgm adjusted his glasses and looked at his group of friends. They were unlike anyone he’d ever met, but he wouldn’t trade them for anything.

“I can only promise to try.”

Daylarl smiled and patted his shoulder.

“That’ll be good enough.”

They left Daylarl’s house and walked through the court back toward the castle.

“Thank you everyone for coming out with us,” Oshal said. “Father likes it when he has company.”

“I like him,” Nourd said. “He is nice to me.”

“He’s nice to all of our friends,” Roshil said, beaming at Aonva. “Right, Aonva?”

“He is pretty nice.” Aonva smiled back at Roshil.

“What does he do all day?” Kurgm asked, glancing back the way they’d been. “The court must have him doing something.”

“Who cares?” Sirshi said. “We just got free food on our day off.”

“Just because we all have the day off, doesn’t mean we can’t go back to the castle to eat,” Aonva said. “They still let apprentices eat meals.”

“But then we would have to eat in that large room,” Nourd said. “I do not like it there.”

They all talked on the way back. Kurgm couldn’t help noticing that Aonva was talking much more than when they’d first met. It was still about something she’d read, or the court, or magic, but she didn’t talk as loud or as fast as she used to. He wondered if that was Roshil’s influence. At least something good came of them being friends.

“There you are!”

When they returned to the castle, he immediately ran into Demndun. She glared at him with her arms folded.

“I thought we were going to spend our day off together,” she said.

Behind him, Sirshi had moved in front of Roshil and Aonva, and Oshal stepped up next to him.

“He told you he was spending his day off with us,” Oshal said. “Remember?”

“Stay out of this, Oshal. This is between me and Kurgm.”

Oshal backed up to stand with the others.

“I told you last week that I was going to spend my day off this week with them,” Kurgm said, remembering what Master Ekla had taught him about deescalating a situation.

Stay calm. Think carefully about what you’re saying.

“What about next week?” he asked.

“Next week? Next week! What about today?! We were supposed to spend the day together! Or would you rather spend it with a bunch of children?!”

Whatever the other person says, don’t let it get under your skin.

“But…”

Sometimes, you have to be ready to take the fall, even if you think you shouldn’t.

“How can I make it up to you?”

Demndun glared at him. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

“We’ll talk during dinner.”

She turned around and walked down the corridors.

Kurgm sank a little. He wanted to collapse. He’d been having such a good day. What had he done wrong? Why was Demndun so upset about him spending time with his friends?

“Are you okay?” Oshal asked.

“Need us to rough her up?” Sirshi added.

“I’m fine.” He turned around and checked on his friends. Aonva was shaking and almost clinging to Roshil, who was glaring at the corridor down which Demndun had left. “Are you okay?”

“I’m alright,” Aonva said. “A little… no, I’m alright.”

“I don’t know why you people think dating’s so important,” Sirshi said. “I don’t want to deal with any of that.”

“I know I told her,” Kurgm said. “I kept reminding myself so she’d know. She said she was fine with it.”

“Sirshi has been trying to explain sarcasm to me,” Nourd said. “It is when a human lies to another on purpose. Oshal says it is to hide a person’s true feelings. Could she have been using sarcasm?”

“No, of course not,” Sirshi said, “Kurgm never ever misses sarcasm.” She gave him a significant glance. “Ever.”

Kurgm wasn’t sure what surprised him more: that Sirshi would go out of her way to explain something to Nourd, or that Nourd would’ve picked up on Demndun being sarcastic when he hadn’t. Also, why was Sirshi talking like that?

“Maybe she just doesn’t like us,” Roshil said. “Most people don’t.”

“I’m sure everything will be okay,” Oshal said. “It’s just a misunderstanding, that’s all. She did say she wanted to talk to you, and not like she was going to break up with you.”

Kurgm hoped that was true. Demndun had been more annoyed with him lately, but she wasn’t planning to break up with him, was she? He had to do something to make it up to her. Maybe he should’ve spent the day with her. He did enjoy being with her. There were few things he liked doing more, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to spend time with his other friends, as odd as they were.

“Aonva and me are going to the library,” Roshil said. “We need a break from people before dinner.”

“I… um… I’m sure everything will be okay,” Aonva said before she and Roshil left.

“Thanks,” Kurgm said. He liked how smart Aonva was, but it was hard to talk to her sometimes. Then there were other times when she didn’t want to be around people, apart from Roshil.

“We need to go too,” Oshal said. “We’ll see you soon.”

“I enjoyed spending the day with all of you,” Nourd said. “Please continue to be alive tomorrow.”

“Will do,” Kurgm said, giving him a thumbs up.

“What are you doing?” Nourd asked.

“Oh, I’ll… um… explain it later,” Kurgm said.

“Okay. I am sure I will enjoy learning more about human hands.”

After they walked off, Sirshi turned to him.

“Bye.”

With that, all his friends were gone. Kurgm turned his thoughts to dinner. He hoped that whatever it was Demndun had to say, it wouldn’t be too bad.

#VolumeFour #BreakingTheRules

There wasn’t a lot of talking at dinner. Demndun hardly said a word, leaving Muwen and Zifor to pick up the slack. Even then, they mostly talked to each other. The longer the silence dragged on, the worse Kurgm felt. What had he done wrong?

After dinner, Demndun told him to wait with them.

“Come on,” she said.

The four of them walked through the corridors. He spotted Roshil and Aonva up ahead of them, then realized where they were all going.

“Are we—”

“Sh,” Demndun said. “Stay quiet. Don’t draw attention to yourself.”

Kurgm didn’t like the sound of that, but he did as he was told. He was willing to do anything to avoid upsetting Demndun even more than he already had.

They walked into the library. Roshil and Aonva disappeared up a flight of steps. He spotted Roshil glancing back at him before they disappeared from view.

The four of them sat down at a table not far from the door to the court.

“We’re gonna let you in on a little secret,” Demndun said. “But you have to promise never to tell anyone.”

Kurgm looked from face to face, and they were all serious. Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to disappoint them, not again.

“I’m not going to tell anyone. I promise.”

Zifor and Muwen narrowed their eyes at him. He wondered if Zifor was trying to read him. He often forgot that his friend was a weaver.

“He’s telling the truth,” Zifor said.

Kurgm knew it wasn’t entirely possible to tell if someone was lying, only what they were feeling. But he was being honest like always.

“Good.” Demndun smiled at him. It felt like years since he’d seen her smile at him. “Told you we could trust him.”

Kurgm smiled. Whatever it was, it wasn’t bad.

“They leave one of the doors in the school unlocked every night,” Muwen said. “No one knows why.”

“But that means we can get back into the castle,” Demndun said. “All we have to do is slip out through the library, where apprentices go all the time after dinner, then sneak back in through the school.”

Kurgm felt a little nauseous when he realized what they were suggesting.

“You’re talking about skipping curfew,” he said, keeping his voice at a whisper.

“Yeah,” Demndun said, smiling at him. “Don’t worry, we’ve done this before. We never get caught. Besides, who cares if we stay out a little late some nights?”

Skipping curfew was strictly forbidden. Lord Velal had taught him that every rule was in place for a reason. Surely this one was too.

“But… Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“I knew it,” Muwen said. “Told you. Too goody goody to do it. That’s why Cremwa kept saying no.”

“Back off,” Demndun said, shooting a glare at Muwen. She slid closer to Kurgm, her eyes on his. She was close enough that he could smell mint on her breath. “We’ve never been caught. No one’s gonna know. Besides, this way, we can spend all the time we want together.”

Kurgm’s heart pounded in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to spend time with Demndun. They wouldn’t be out all night. Just a little more time with her wouldn’t hurt.

“I’ll do it,” he said. “And I won’t tell anyone.”

Demndun leaned in and kissed him. She took his hand and they stood up. The four of them walked to the entrance to the court, and left the library.

“The hard part is avoiding other people,” Muwen said. “That’s what Zifor’s here for.”

“Not because I’m your friend or anything,” Zifor said, shoving Muwen.

“Yeah,” Muwen said, shoving him back, “who’d be friends with you?”

They both laughed as the sun dipped below the court walls. Demndun was still holding Kurgm’s hand. They were together. That was the important part.

“Really, it’s not a big deal,” Demndun said. “If people see us, they might ask where our parents are, or tell us to get back to the castle, or something. Most people just ignore us, though.”

“But if it’s a master or something, we’re in trouble,” Muwen said. “So Zifor senses for other threads around us and gets us to cover before we have a problem.”

“What about the officers?” Kurgm asked. “Oshal says he can’t sense their threads.”

“No one can, but they won’t leave the castle this late at night,” Zifor said.

“What do you do all night?” Kurgm asked.

“Explore the court,” Demndun said. “You grew up here, you should know how big the court is. All those places they don’t let apprentices go. Aren’t you curious what’s there?”

Kurgm had to admit, he was a little curious. Master Ekla had told him about the several parts of the court that were off limits to apprentices. Areas where houses had been built, but weren’t in use often attracted people who didn’t want to be found. She had also mentioned weaver dens, and told him to stay far away from them.

“Master Ekla told me—”

“Here we go,” Muwen said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone other than you say something nice about her. Don’t you get tired of being her pet all the time?”

“What? I’m not her pet. I was just saying—”

“Something she told you not to do?” Demndun asked.

“Well… kind of. Do you know what a weaver den is?”

“I do,” Zifor said. “It’s where a weaver pushes emotions into people for money. Seems like a good idea to me.”

“No! People get addicted to emotion like that. Master Ekla said it messes with their heads.”

“That’s stupid,” Muwen said. “How can people get addicted to emotion?”

“Well… I… don’t know.”

Demndun wrapped her arms around his. “Just forget about Master Ekla tonight. We’re here to have fun.”

All of their identification orbs buzzed, signaling the start of curfew.

“Alright, stay on guard,” Muwen said. “They’ll start sweeping the court for apprentices out after curfew soon.”

Kurgm focused his ki on his ears. He heard quick footsteps not far from them. Several of them, walking in step with one another.

“I hear a patrol,” he said. He nodded his head. “That way.”

Zifor stopped them. “Yup, that’s a patrol.”

They ducked between a few buildings. The patrol walked by them a few minutes later without noticing them. A few minutes later, the four of them left their cover.

Demndun pulled Kurgm in and kissed him.

“How’d you do that?” she asked. “Hear them coming?”

“You know those practice sessions that I’m always at?”

“Yes,” she grumbled.

“A lot of it’s ki practice. It’s one of the techniques Master Ekla taught me.”

“That’s a good trick to have,” Zifor said.

“You know what else is a good trick?”

Kurgm felt sick. He knew that voice.

The four of them turned around.

Master Ekla stood before them, arms folded.

“Masking one’s thread while tracking someone else’s.”

#VolumeFour #BreakingTheRules

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