Brave as You

Chapter Fifteen: Marked | Part 6

Mercuria met Thirtyx’s eyes again with what seemed like great effort. “Farish has this big purple splotch down his side, but only in seal form. It vanishes the second he shifts back.” She searched the twins’ faces for understanding. “It started right after the Magic Comp. At first, I thought it was a contagious rash, because most of the seniors had it. But it hasn’t spread to anyone else, and it hasn’t gone away, and when I told Dain about it, he said it sounded like a… what did you call it, Dain?”

“A Foe’s Beacon,” Dain said. “Is that what you put on Thirtyx?”

Benn nodded. “Among other things. But we didn’t expect him to be attacked by seals, and we certainly didn’t expect those seals to lose the mark when they shifted.”

“So they did hurt you, then.” Mercuria rubbed her temples, her expression caught somewhere between resignation and anger. “They got you in the river and smacked you around.”

Thirtyx scratched nervously at the back of his neck. “And left me for dead when they were done. Look, I never planned to make a big fuss, but I’m probably still in danger. And as much time as I’ve spent studying for my Comp, I’d prefer to live to see the results.”

“I’ve set up a meeting to try and persuade the headmistress to punish his attackers,” Rhea said. “That’s a hard enough ask, but it’ll be impossible without proof. If you can think of any way to show Azirenne what you’ve seen…”

Mercuria frowned. “Yeah, I suppose getting Farish away from his pelt won’t be easy.”

Benn’s eyebrows flew up. “His pelt? You mean it’s marked too?”

“Well, yeah.” Mercuria scoffed like she was explaining the concept to a toddler. “The spell marked his seal skin, so the mark is on his seal skin.”

“Why didn’t we think of that?” Rhea huffed. “That’s why they’ve been wearing them differently!”

“Yeah, and they look ridiculous. Marina started copying my style, and I want it back,” Mercuria grumbled.

“Selkie fashion statements aside…” Thirtyx looked back and forth between Dain and Mercuria, once again tapping into the power of his empty stomach. “You’d really be willing to help us sneak someone’s marked pelt to the headmistress so she can hold them accountable? Even if it means they could get suspended or expelled or…?”

“Of course,” Dain said eagerly. Mercuria returned her eyes to her lap and went back to picking at her own pelt. Thirtyx still wasn’t drawing energy from her, so he took the conflict in her expression at face value.

Benn exhaled a long breath and rested his forehead against the table. “I honestly didn’t think Thirtyx had any allies left. You guys don’t know how much this means. Seriously, we can’t thank you enough.”

“What do we need to do, Mercuria?” Rhea demanded. “How can we help?”

She looked up from her pelt with a deep, shuddering breath. “Can you put Farish in a trance? It might be the only surefire way to have enough time. Otherwise, he’ll feel it when his pelt moves too far away.”

Benn was already nodding again. “Shouldn’t be an issue. We just need to get him alone so no one interferes. Maybe corner him in the showers before the meeting… pass the pelt off to Rhea to take to the headmistress?”

Thirtyx’s heart pounded with mingled excitement and terror. “We’d have to get him to the showers at a set time. Do we spill something on him, or…?”

“I’ve been experimenting with mental nudges.” Rhea looked far too pleased with herself. “Mercuria, if you tell me where to find Farish on Thirspanes after class, I can plant the suggestion in his head.” She batted her eyelashes at Benn and Thirtyx. “But I need some more practice, so don’t be alarmed if you two start doing weird things without realizing why.”

“Because I don’t have enough to worry about,” Thirtyx mumbled. “Look, let’s all think about potential plans and talk more tomorrow. This plan needs to be airtight, or we could all get in big trouble. Mercuria, are… are you going to be okay?”

“Hmm?” Mercuria seemed to notice only then that she was fidgeting with her pelt again. “I… yes. Sorry. It’s just… he is my brother, and I do love him. She swallowed hard and tried to blink the rising tears from her eyes. “But I can’t stand by and let him get away with attempted murder.”

Benn responded with a smile that was sad and encouraging in equal measures. “Oh, Mercuria. If only half the people around here were as brave as you.”