Chapter Fifteen: Marked | Part 2
The following afternoon, Seerla snuck back to her room for some things while she thought Nephrie was basking, only to find Nephrie there ready to ambush her.
“She says I chose a traitor over her,” Seerla recounted as they huddled on the floor in Thirtyx and Benn’s room, textbooks open but mostly ignored. “I reminded her of of his speech on the way back from the Magic Comp caravan, but she just kept saying, ‘Veriths always find a way.’ Like that negates the airtight things Thirtyx has said, or the expert judgment of his closest friends. Although, in retrospect, I was her closest friend, and I clearly misjudged her.”
“I think they’re all beyond logic at this point,” Rhea grumbled. “A bunch of lunatics who want someone to blame. We just have to hope this thing gets solved quickly so everyone can move on.”
“And, you know, so Grimm isn’t under constant threat of assassination, but that’s a minor issue,” Benn said lightly.
Rhea cracked her knuckles. “We can move your stuff if you need us to. And maybe in the process, we’ll show Nephrie what we think of her implying that we’re idiots for trusting Thirtyx.”
Seerla chuckled. “I appreciate it, but she let me take some things… all while warning me that if I kept sleeping elsewhere, she’d turn me in for a curfew violation. Haven’t figured out how I’ll get around that one yet, but it certainly isn’t by going back.”
Benn and Rhea exchanged a look Thirtyx was all too familiar with. “I’d wager we can take care of that, too,” Benn said with a mischievous glint in his eye. Tell us more about Nephrie’s schedule, and we’ll handle it.”
As the amount of time they spent with Seerla increased and the amount until the Law Comp decreased, Thirtyx heard less and less about the twins’ escapades with Pfah magic. The escapades themselves were becoming difficult, especially for Rhea. Nearly every day, she had Thirtyx pin Seerla down in the library or the dining hall or anywhere else for a set amount of time so she could meditate or hold meetings with Grimmary.
It was during one such not-so-casually-suggested study session that Seerla looked up from her notebook with a grunt of frustration. “But how did they do it? Professor Bavarren somehow traced my essence back to my bed last night and was convinced enough to give Nephrie detention for lying. That’s… well, it’s impossible!”
Her eyes bulged with desperation before she shook her head with a heavy sigh. “That was rhetorical. I know you can’t tell me. It’s just driving me batty. I haven’t been in that room for days!”
Thirtyx answered with a sympathetic smile. “If it makes you feel better, I don’t know enough magic to understand the specifics myself. I only know the broad strokes of their tricks, not the gritty details.”
“It’s just, if they’ve found a way to mimic a person’s essence… that’s powerful. And dangerous.”
Thirtyx tapped her notebook with his pen. He widened his sympathetic smile to make up for the dire warning in his eyes. Rhea had only taken Seerla in under the condition that she remained blissfully unaware of their royal secrets. Thirtyx’s suggestion that Rhea was being too harsh had earned him a bar-long lecture complete with accusations of being too lovestruck to see reason.
He had no desire to repeat that experience, so he tried keep Seerla on her best behavior.
Fortunately, she had little time to ponder the twins’ secrets with the Law Comp now two weeks away. Professor C’s study groups had doubled in length, as had the practice sets she’d assigned them. The workload was so heavy, Thirtyx hadn’t caught so much as a snide look from his classmates lately. That made it easier to convince himself that the test was the only threat deserving of his focus.
“I think I regret letting you talk me into this,” Thirtyx confessed one night. He lay on his stomach on the floor, his face planted in a book, willing his skin to absorb the information so he wouldn’t have to read another twice-damned thing.
Seerla let her head fall back against Thirtyx’s bed and rubbed her eyes with her fingertips. “I may regret talking myself into this. Especially when Rhea and Benn are out for a lovely stroll because they got their Comp done early.”
Were they taking a walk, or was that a cover so they could meditate? Thirtyx had lost track. Every fact not pertaining to Lamiakk’s legal code had turned to mush inside his mind, heaped into a corner to be sorted through later. He scarcely had the energy to entertain his romantic feelings for Seerla these days. They’d been alone in this room for three bars, and all he truly wanted to do with her was drill flash cards.
QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT
Hi there, loyal readers. I’m really sorry in advance to be making this declaration, but…
Beginning next week, Traitor to the Throne will switch from a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule to a Tuesday/Thursday schedule.
I am not behind. To the contrary, I’m regaining my backlog at a steady pace. But I have another project that desperately requires my attention (oh hi there Mobius Drip Volume 2). I’m also gearing up to take a university class in the fall that will eat my time but may also move me toward my eventual goal of rearranging my career so I can make even more stories.
I truly hope you continue to enjoy this story, albeit at a slightly slower pace. It’s difficult to balance a love of writing with a day job sometimes. But I am committed to bringing you this story at its best and with the consistency you deserve. Unfortunately, for this year, that means a decreased frequency.
If you’re reading this, I appreciate you so much, and I’m beyond glad you like hanging out in this little corner of my imagination. Seriously. Thank you for bringing my dreams to life. ♥
Calley Jones 