Chapter Fifteen: Marked | Part 5
It took Thirtyx several fracs of strained silence to realize they were looking to him for a final decision. He inhaled a shaky breath. “I’ll go to the meeting hungry. At the first taste of deception, we bail. There’s not much risk if we keep our guard up—especially not in a public place. And if they can help us…”
Rhea and Benn responded with satisfied nods. Seerla sighed. “I really want to help, but Dexy wants to meet tomorrow morning. He’s got more case files for me to index, even though I asked him to cut back my hours until the Comp.”
Thirtyx raised an eyebrow. “You sure he’s not torturing you for hanging out with me, just like our classmates?”
“No… but what am I supposed to do about it? He practically promised me an apprenticeship if I do a good job—an apprenticeship for a nonprofit rooted in Troll culture and values. It’s like my dream walked straight into me.” She rubbed her eyes with her fingertips. “I don’t need to sleep, right? There’s coffee and alertness potions and stimulants rooted in ancient Troll medicine.”
Rhea put a hand on her shoulder, and Thirtyx wished he was close enough to do the same.
That evening, Benn dragged out his potions set to brew Seerla some alertness potions as a show of gratitude for her help. Thirtyx eyed him with trepidation. “I don’t mean to be rude but… are you sure your potions are exactly a… gift?”
“Yes, I know potions aren’t my strong suit, but I need to practice, don’t I?” His words were accented by the clattering of silver as he set up his scales. “Rhea won’t have time to make them while she’s running the world.”
“When she’s running the world, won’t you two have staff for that?”
“If they’re not fighting on the front lines of a war,” Benn mumbled.
As Thirtyx had deliberately skipped dinner in preparation for the next morning, he knew there was a lot Benn wasn’t saying, but he didn’t press him. Instead, he pretended not to notice as Benn produced a pot of liquid that was the lavender of calming potions rather than the reddish orange of a stimulant. Even with Thirtyx burning the midnight oil to study, Benn was still working on the promised alertness draught when Thirtyx went to bed.
And given that Benn had completed his morning meditation before Thirtyx rose early to meet Dain and Mercuria, he wasn’t positive that Benn ever truly slept.
The area around the coffee stand was sparsely populated, save for a few seniors frantically cramming for the morning’s Literature Comp. “Where are they?” Rhea hissed. “If I got up this early for them not to show, so help me…”
Thirtyx scanned the seating area again and spotted a blue Dragonfolk and a brunette Selkie who reminded him of Dain and Mercuria. It was odd that he didn’t recognize them—odder still that they sat on the same side of a four-top at which they’d placed an extra chair.
With a wry grin, Thirtyx nudged Benn and pointed them out. Benn gave a single bark of a laugh. “Maybe Dain should apply for DHS. That’s pretty good.”
Rhea went to grab coffees from the stand while Benn and Thirtyx approached the table. Dain watched them sit with a guilty expression. “I hope you can forgive the glamour. You know what it’s like to be seen with you these days.”
The disguises prickled Thirtyx’s defensive instincts, but Dain’s apology sounded—and tasted—genuine. “I get it,” Thirtyx sighed. “I have to be seen with me all the time, and it isn’t pleasant.”
Rhea returned with the coffees so quickly Thirtyx wondered if she’d stolen them. “Now, what’s this about helping us?”
Mercuria shook her head firmly. “I never said anything about helping you. I said I had information I didn’t understand, and I hoped you could fill in the gaps.”
Benn pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please tell me we aren’t here this early for a gossip session.”
“We’re not,” Dain said quickly. “We just want to know… did you put any protection spells on Thirtyx before you left for the Magic Comp?”
Rhea and Benn looked at each other then back at Dain. “Of course we did!” Rhea cried. “You’ve seen how our classmates look at him—and between you, me, and this table, our classmates weren’t our biggest concern.”
“But did our classmates attack you during the Magic Comp?” Mercuria leaned in, her eyes wide with desperation but her eyebrows drawn together with concern.
Thirtyx allowed himself a deep breath and a scan of his hunger before he answered. “Why do you want to know?”
She bit her lip. Her fingers picked at the seal skin draped over her legs like a blanket. “It’s okay,” Dain muttered. “Tell him what you told me.”
***
REMINDER: Traitor to the Throne is now posting on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule.
Calley Jones 