Chapter Six: An Unexpected Departure | Part 3
Did knowing the extent of Grimmary’s injuries set the twins’ minds at ease, or did it make them more anxious to get to their father’s side? Thirtyx couldn’t tell—couldn’t separate their anxiety from his own. The king was okay, but just barely. If things had gone a smidge differently, would they be staring down another political upheaval on the eve of adulthood?
“The Legion is teleporting a carriage to the outskirts of the Tixe,” Tyren said. “It’ll take all eight of them to pull it off, but it’s the fastest way to get you here without arousing suspicion. Obelie’s the one coming for you. Much as she wants to be here for Grimm, she’s one of the few who knows to take you straight to a secluded area and look the other way while you, y’know, get here yourselves. Anyway, once she leaves the Tixe, it’s about six bars to the school. She should be there by dawn at the latest. I know it must be hard for you two to wait for her, but Grimm will appreciate it more than you know.”
Both twins wished they could ask Tyren questions. Rhea nearly tried to speak through Grimmary’s mouth, but in the end, she decided against the blatant violation of his autonomy. It would be a long night, but they’d have their answers shortly after dawn, and they could thank Tyren then for this little chat.
Tyren squeezed Grimmary’s hand again. “Obelie is under strict orders not to discuss the event with the school, so keep your lips sealed until you’re back. I’ve told you all I know. You should let Grimm rest now, but I’ll see you soon. Stay strong, michae. It will be okay.”
It took the twins several moments to let go of the spell. The tumultuous whirlwind brought Thirtyx from the existential darkness of Grimmary’s mind to the tangible darkness of the dorm room. He scrambled toward where his friends still sat, hands joined, heads bowed.
Rhea sniffled loudly. “Bloodfire? Benn, what are we going to do?”
“We’re going to stay put and remind ourselves that Tyren wouldn’t lie to us.” Benn’s voice was thick, and he swallowed hard. “If he says they’ve got it contained, I believe him. His— his— his leg, though…”
Thirtyx crouched beside them and put a hand on each of their shoulders. The action seemed to open the floodgates of barely suppressed emotion. Rhea put her hand over Thirtyx’s and wept openly, tears streaming onto the rug where the sigil had been. Benn put his face in his hands and remained still.
Thirtyx guessed they were like that for nearly a full bar, not that anyone was watching the time. At long last, he pulled the blanket off his bed, then off of Benn’s, and settled himself between them, the blankets draped over their shoulders like a massive shawl. Benn stared blankly into space. Rhea fidgeted, drawing inconsequential sigils on the rug with her fingertip.
The silence gave Thirtyx time to contemplate—time he’d have preferred not to have. As a history minor, he knew the turmoil Grimmary had faced in the early days, but there hadn’t been such a blatant attack on the monarch in Thirtyx’s lifetime. Even the Veriths, who never accepted Grimmary, had sequestered themselves instead of waging a war. But Thirtyx was among the few outside the Verith state who knew they’d been biding their time, waiting for the right opportunity. Had they finally found it? Were they behind this?
And if something did happen to Grimmary, were Rhea and Benn strong enough to defend the throne against them?
After a while, the twins swapped coping mechanisms. Rhea sat almost meditatively with her eyes closed while Benn paced. After a while, Benn conjured purple light in his hand and settled at the desk. The sounds of pencil scratches became the background to his mumbling.
“Benn, what are you doing?” Rhea asked wearily.
Benn didn’t look up. “In a book in the Hennes library, in the training camp on Iwabo Pfah, I read about this one sigil. Something about healing and protection. Right now, the healers are limited to Lam magic to help him, but when we get there, we could—”
“Cast spells we have absolutely no experience casting?” She raised an eyebrow. “We want to save him, not kill him.”
Benn dropped his pencil with a huff. “Well, I could at least go to Iwabo Pfah and see what I can find! Ask the healers there for advice. We’re the only ones who can tap into that resource, but we’re stuck here pretending we’re helpless!”
He dropped his face back into his hands, and Rhea curled her knees against her chest. It was silent again for another couple of bars.
Calley Jones 