Cara let Ayden use the guest bedroom due to how exhausted he felt, and once the sun sank and he awakened, he decided to go back to his dorm. He needed to have a long talk and drink with Tarmon to tell him all that had happened.

  When he turned down the corridor that led to his dorm, he saw the few belongings he had strewn about the floor. He rushed toward the room and saw his dorm mates tossing his formal boots out. Ayden caught them and glared at his peers.

  They froze and gulped, almost in unison.

  “What are you doing?” Ayden asked.

  One of the students tried to slam the door shut on Ayden. Ayden channeled Red and kept it open. The door groaned and splintered under Ayden’s raw force. The students channeled Red and Green, ready to fight, but fear masked their faces.

  “What is happening?” Ayden asked again, raising his hands, making it clear he didn’t want to fight.

  “We’ve heard the rumors, bastard,” spat one of them, voice cracking midway through his words. He cleared his throat. “You’re a Dire Mage.”

  Ayden sighed, and brought his hands down. “I’m not a Dire Mage. My mentor was one, but I didn’t know.”

  “Think we’re stupid?” asked another student.

  Ayden wanted to say yes.

  Don’t say it, Silk groaned. She already knew him so well and it’d not even been a full day.

  Ayden shook his head. “I’m not saying you’re stupid. I’m saying you’ve been lied to. You’ve thrown my things out like trash. I’m the one that should be angry.” Ayden was angry, but he was trying diplomacy in these desperate times.

  “Says you,” spat one of the students.

  “If I was a Dire Mage, I’d be dead or in chains. Why do you think I’m not?” asked Ayden. “I fought beside Silverstone against these bastards. You think she’s wrong? Do you think she’s stupid?”

  Even they wouldn’t want to contest Cara.

  Ayden started to gather belongings, but they shut the door.

  “What the hell?” cried Ayden.

  “We don’t want you. Dire or not, you’re a suspect.”

  Now Ayden started to bubble with rage. “The door isn’t even shut. It’s broken.”

  “You come in here, we fight you!”

  Ayden yelled a curse at them, and stormed off with his belongings. He eventually repacked them and hiked away, wondering where Tarmon went. To his shock, he found Tarmon sobbing around the other corner on a bench.

  “Tarmon?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”

  Tarmon peered up at him and a storm of emotions swirled in his bloodshot eyes. “They kicked me out,” he rasped.

  “Why?” cried Aydan, dread forming in his gut.

  “They suspect I’m Dire Mage. They labeled me an accomplice.”

  “What? No, Cara cleared my name-”

  “Well she didn’t clear mine!” roared Tarmon, standing, knocking the bench over. He loomed over Ayden and Ayden took a step back.

  Guilt struck Tarmon’s face and he stammered out an apology as he reset the bench on its legs. “I’m sorry… it’s not… not your fault… unless-”

  “I’m not a Dire Mage,” said Ayden. “Neither are you. They don’t think you are either, because you’re here and not in chains. Or dead.”

  “No, but they caught one whiff of Dire on my dirt name, and they sealed me off. They don’t care. Better to ruin a life than to risk ruining everyone else's." He shrugged. “It makes sense.”

  “Wait, but I’m still here.

  “No,” said Tarmon, rubbing his eyes. “Ayden, they said they’re kicking you out as well.”

  “What?” roared Ayden, dropping his belongings. “But-”

  “Cara isn’t the Academy.”

  “When did this happen?”

  “A few hours ago,” said Tarmon.

  “I was asleep. Damn it, I WAS ASLEEP!” Ayden kicked a hole in the wall. “Damn it! Fuck!” What was Ayden to do? Show up as a walking corpse? Would have really helped his case, sleep deprived as he was. The last day had sapped every shred of energy Ayden had, and even then his life couldn’t let him sleep just to survive.

  “Welcome to my misery,” said Tarmon. “I’m headed home tomorrow. I’ll find some place in the city and say goodbye to Silterra in the morning. I suppose I do miss home.”

  “I can’t go back,” said Ayden. “I have to graduate…”

  He remembered Cara’s words. Xavos was not your purpose. It was to be a mage. That’s why he chose you. That’s why you’re here.

  Did Ayden have to be here to be a great mage?

  He had Silk. She could train him. Show him some path with the wealth of knowledge she had. He earned her presence. A thought popped into his head, one he’d ask Silk about later.

  “I’ll join you,” said Ayden. “We can travel together for a while. It’s dangerous out there.”

  Tarmon sniffed and nodded. “One last night in the city?”

  Ayden shook his head. “I have some things I need to take care of. I’ll see you by the north gate closer to noon.”

  Tarmon gave him a nod. He ambled off and Ayden watched him mope away.

  “Silk?” asked Ayden.

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

  Yes, Ayden?

  “Any chance I can find Dana?”

  Unlikely. She will find you first.

  Ayden sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “My life has gone completely off the path.”

  What are you going to do?

  “Get answers,” said Ayden. “Speak to Cara. Speak to Dana if I meet her. Speak to Xavos if… He hasn’t done anything rash yet. Most of all…” He shuddered at the road ahead. “Get experience. Xavos wasn’t wrong. I need to be the best mage I can, and if the Academy is no longer an option, I’ll have to get creative.”

  I’m sorry, Ayden.

  “Not your fault…” He scratched his chin and remembered that sneaking thought he had before. “How did the other mages not detect your power? Someone must have casted Blue at some point.”

  I can choose to emit my power, Ayden. I choose in the moment I saw you, to display what I was. I figured you were looking for me when I saw you sneaking around. Xavos was lost in a conversation with me and I figured it’d distract him long enough for you to notice.

  “Wow,” he laughed. “You caught me like a hook catches fish. Bait and all.”

  Sorry, but you can understand why: I needed to get away from the Dire Mages. I figured whatever you might be wasn’t worse than them.

  “I understand. And now?”

  What do you mean?

  “Do you think I’m worthy?”

  Silk laughed in his head. It’s not like that, Ayden. I don’t think I can choose. The bond happened because of our close proximity. I expedited it to ensure Xavos no longer was attuned, but it would happen eventually.

  “You can choose to leave me,” said Ayden, wishing that she decided to stay.

  I will stay, Ayden. The alternative is being locked in a Silterran library for research. I want to see the world. I know so much of it, yet have seen so little.

  “Good,” said Ayden, letting out a relieved sigh. “Because the road is where I plan to go.”

  And what will you do?

  “I’ll travel to Eleda again with Tarmon. See Janari and Nadi again. Friends of mine. Good people. Maybe visit Bruamat on the way there. Then I’ll keep heading north. Travel Mahar. Help where they need a freelancing mage.”

  Those don’t do the best, Ayden. Xavos kept mentioning it. He wanted soldiers… He spoke of a student. I now know it was you.

  “Well it’s all I got,” said Ayden. “I know everyone would rather have a Silterran Mage, but…” He shrugged. “I’ll charge dirt.” Ayden was dirt after all.

  It will be tough.

  “What else can I do?”

  Retire, Silk said, chuckling. Still travel, but leave this behind. Why venture deeper into danger when the plan is ruined.

  “Xavos isn’t my purpose. Being the best mage I can is. Stopping the threat is. Imagine if I turn my back on the world now.”

  A little arrogant to think that the world needs you and only you.

  Ayden flared his coat. “I have to fake it till I make it Silk.”

  If he could see her, he imagined her rolling her eyes. Lead on, captain.

  “Let’s go visit our old friend.”

  ****

  Xavos had escaped. No one knew how. No sign of magic. No sign of damage to the bars or the walls.

  “I expected as much,” said Ayden.

  The Silterran guard panicked as he realized he’d have to explain it to his superior. “How could his happen? I had Blue channeling the whole night.”

  “He didn’t use any of the Chromas,” said Ayden. “He’s craftier than that. He’s a Dire.”

  “I would have sensed it, boy!” cried the guard, insulted.

  “Maybe,” said Ayden. “He’s out there now.”

  I would watch your back moving forward.

  ****

  “He’s gone isn’t he?” asked Cara when Ayden entered her chambers. She stared out the window, a goblet of wine in her hands.

  Ayden stood in the doorway, and sighed.

  “Come inside,” she said.

  “I’m actually about to leave,” said Ayden. “Just came here to tell you.” He looked down the corridors. “Had to sneak in given that I’m not as popular anymore.”

  Cara turned and gave Ayden an apologetic look. “I tried to sway the council, but… My words bear no more weight. I’m seen as the pompous brat who tried to take on a cult of Dire Mages alone. Not to mention, I lost good soldiers down there. And of all the people other than me to have survived was a suspected Dire Mage.” She shrugged. “What can you do?”

  “Keep struggling,” said Ayden with a chuckle. He stepped inside and closed the door. A patrol was headed his way. “I suppose we can drink to that.”

  She poured him some wine as well. “To what?”

  “Struggle,” he said, raising his cup.

  She clinked hers to his and smiled. “I’m sorry about Vellis.”

  Ayden shrugged. “What can you do?”

  “I wouldn’t test Galeria’s patience. She can and will keep her word, Ayden.”

  “I figured… Vellis hasn’t come to speak either.”

  “She fears for your life,” said Cara. “It’s a favor to you if anything.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Ayden.

  “You said you were leaving?”

  “Back to Eleda. Maybe Bruamat on the way. Find some work for a mage. Charge dirt. Make a name out there.”

  “You have other skills to help keep some money flowing.” She turned and started rummaging through some shelves. She procured a pouch and started adding some silver coins inside them. Cara handed the money to Ayden. “This should help smooth the journey over.”

  “I can’t take-”

  “Shut up, Ayden,” snapped Cara. “You saved my life and…I owe it to you.”

  Ayden hated taking the hand out. However, he needed it, and he’d take it as payment for the adventures he’d shared with her. “Thank you.”

  “Stay safe out there, Ayden.”

  “Stay safe in the city, Cara,” said Ayden.

  She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

  Ayden flustered under the touch and she chuckled at his abashment.

  ****

  “Ready?” asked Tarmon, his belongings in a bag slung over his shoulder.

  “Ready,” said Ayden, tossing the sack of coins up and catching it.

  Tarmon’s eyes widened.

  “I think we earned ourselves a small vacation to Bruamat, eh? The city of innovation!”

  “At least there’s something to look forward to!” Tarmon chuckled and patted Ayden’s shoulder. “Thanks for joining me, Ayden.”

  “Thanks for having me. And forgiving me.”

  “It’s not your fault. We’re dirt. They’d dust us out one day. It just happened to be today.”

  “We got what we could from here,” said Ayden. “No more history lessons,” he laughed.

  Hey! Silk exclaimed. You have the essence of history in your bag, Ayden. Show some respect.

  “I suppose history has its uses,” corrected Ayden more for Silk than for Tarmon. “It’s good for when you can’t fall asleep.”

  I’d kick you if I had legs.

  The men and the book began the journey northward.

  “There’s adventure around EVERY corner!” cheered Tarmon, jumping and clicking his heels.