Scattering Fear
They set off before dawn. Uniformed, cloaked in their class robes, Ty and Sel were the ones who left first.
Before leaving, the tactician checked the single tomecart stationed at the front of the school; unsurprisingly, the Headmistress met her there. Donning her intimidating coat with her arms crossed, any onlooker would have surmised that the cart had been inappropriately ordered. But what was exchanged were simple words before they parted, the royal clearly the reason little else but typical courtesies were uttered.
Like any other day, the two walked down the hill and into the village. And, like any other morning, there were only a handful of people around: some were preparing to open shop, some were having breakfast before going to conduct research at the school library, and some listless individuals were on a simple morning stroll.
At their brisk pace, they arrived at the end of the village in no time, where the magnificent Academy of the Graces was still clear in the distance, though its details blurred. Dawn was still shy, hiding behind the horizon when the botanist stood at the end of the path to wait for the tactician to finish casting her spells.
“Do you feel okay?” Ty murmured, getting up from her crouched position to survey the landscape. The Lycean Plains to the west were beautiful as they always were, even in the light blueness of the morning. Immaculate, lush viridian stretched for as far as the eye could see, only interrupted by the sandy road leading west to Syarktos and the Uphesian Steppes. It was a shame they didn’t have the luxury of witnessing daybreak today—it never got old, sitting on the steps of the workshop and watching the morning rays slowly drive away the shadows of the night to reveal the sparkling, dewy blades of grass.
“Mhm.” Selene rubbed her fingers together, eyes on her gloves. “Feels weird.”
Ty, still focused on the plains, nodded absently. “You’re never without Korinna.”
Selene did not reply, adjusting her cloak and hood instead. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Taking that as her cue to begin casting, the tactician took a deep breath before beginning the Swiftness and paired Object Illusion spell she had modified for undetected travel. Selene joined in after the first word, effortlessly catching up as Ty held back a secret smile.
She didn’t have much time to memorize that.
“Why are you looking at me like that.” Selene’s words were more of a statement than a question as she turned to the east. “We should hurry so I don’t miss morning blessing.”
Ty kicked her feet, feeling the weightlessness of the Swiftness as she held her hand out in front of her classmate. “I know you don’t know how to read support script, that’s why,” she replied softly.
Hand still pinching her hood to keep it lowered, Sel didn’t hesitate to snap back at her. “I don’t. And if you think I’m going to thank you or that insufferable runaway, don’t hold your breath,” she grumbled before taking Ty’s hand.
The paired spell sealed as Ty clasped the small hand, her smile gentle and unhidden. “Careful not to let go, okay? We mustn’t be seen.”
“Yeah, I know.”
* * *
Four hours passed before they finally arrived. Near the entrance to the woods leading into the southern marshlands bordering Lake Lachesis, they had stayed far off the path, but close enough to make sure that the roads were clear of any trouble. Selene had struggled about two-thirds into the run, so they were slightly behind schedule, but making sure her classmate had a moment to stop and breathe was more important to Ty than being late.
In silence, both students sat side-by-side at the edge of a small river while facing the entrance. There weren’t many who passed through, but those who did, like the rest of the wildlife around, couldn’t help but notice them.
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“They’re afraid of us,” noted Ty under her breath after the third traveler passing them gave the two uniformed students a double take. “Do we look too casual?”
“Are you sure you’re not just acting dense to be cute?” replied Selene dully as she kicked her feet in the river. “We clearly don’t fit in.”
Ty uncrossed her folded legs and hugged her knees, taking some time to think of an answer. “We’re somewhat close to the Academy—surely people should expect to see students around here? They look at us as if we’re not normal.”
“That’s cause we’re not.”
“That’s not true.”
Selene sighed loudly and impatiently, kicking her feet more vigorously and scaring off what tiny fish hadn’t already skirted away. “Who do you think you’re kidding?”
The question perplexed Ty as she walked through her thinking process aloud. “Chloris is roughly 90 percent commoners, 7 percent sorcerers, and 3 percent Ancients. The highest concentration is here in the Central State, the only one that’s not controlled by commoners. The second highest is in the west, which was recently won over by the Faluntides, who aren’t completely pro-magic and pro-MATS despite the headquarters being there. Shouldn’t we be the most at-home here?”
“It doesn’t matter where you are. Nothing stops them from imagining you tearing them apart or setting their villages on fire.”
“We wouldn’t do that.”
“It’s the same fear that drove the commoners to assimilate the Ancients, the same fear that stripped the royals of their powers. It’s a tale as old as time.”
“That’s not entirely true, either,” countered Ty almost immediately, about to state more facts she had memorized by heart for exams when Sel groaned with disgust.
“Ugh. Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Let’s be honest—commoners are too occupied right now with MATS and the Ancients that they haven’t got the time to overthrow them. Once they get the chance, I’m sure they’ll find a way. Most top royals treat commoners like shit, and the queen’s technically the oldest Ancient ever, so take your pick.”
Ty’s thoughts came to a skidding halt. “Is she now?”
“I met her once as a kid, and the Ancient old hag couldn’t shut up about the Graces.”
The tactician would have laughed if she didn’t just come to a grave realization right then and there. “And the other royals who treat commoners badly? Is that where you get it from?”
“Everyone just sucks.”
Ty let out a sigh and admired the Graceful Selene, the beautiful long blond hair under her hood that she had ascertained was unaltered ages ago. A color that did not belong to the original royal line, a color that reminded her of Luci. “Yeah?” she prodded softly.
“They could all die, for all I care. Royals, commoners.”
“Your father is a commoner, right?”
Pause. “Yeah. So?”
“What about MATS? Do they deserve to die? The Ancients?”
Silence.
With a small sigh, turning her head away from the solemn botanist, Ty continued the conversation from earlier, before her curiosity got the better of her. “At least for the magic-practicing commoners, no one could tell from appearances alone. They’d have no reason to be afraid.”
Selene snapped back with ease, though the seriousness in her expression did not waver. “And what are these robes we’re wearing supposed to be?”
“They enhance our abilities during missions.”
“You really don’t want to see it, huh?”
Just as the words finished leaving her mouth, two armored state soldiers entered the woods, a horse-pulled caravan in tow. They glanced at the girls as they passed, as most did, but these two, unlike others, stopped.
“Hey, you two,” one soldier called, wearing the amber color of Eletia.
Ty cocked her head expectantly, waiting. After all, Selene wasn’t completely wrong. She knew now, how easy it was to kill. The frailty of flesh.
Selene’s thought process was the opposite. “What do you want?” she barked.
“H-hey! How dare you talk—” the woman snapped again before being cut off by their partner.
“Easy.” The other armor-clad individual put a hand on their comrade’s shoulder before taking off their own helmet to address the two students. They had striking green eyes. “Where are you two from?”
As young as you, spoke the Earth Mother. As young as Theo.
Disgusting commoner’s hair, spoke the Auramancer.
Kill them both, spoke her sword.
“We don’t answer to you,” Selene continued to growl with hostility Ty didn’t know she had.
The anger was ineffective against the young man. He offered a neutral, false smile. “These parts aren’t safe for people like you. You shoul—”
“People like me?” scoffed the tiny royal without a second’s hesitation, getting up and pulling a book out. She walked forward slowly, menacingly, book in hand, her voice a mixture between amused and threatening. “People like you aren’t safe whenever people like me are around.”
Noticeably flinching and backing away at the sight of the tome, the young man quickly put his helmet back on and hurried away with the woman and cargo.
“L-let’s go, Aze.”
When the clatter of their wagon was nothing but an echo, Selene clicked her tongue and walked back over, dipping her feet in the river once more and setting her book down beside her. A quick glance was all it took to see that it was a field book containing gathering and foraging magic.
The botanist arched her head back to gaze up at the lightening sky. Breathing deeply, closing her eyes, letting her hood fall to reveal her long, angelic hair, the same color as the young man’s. Exhaling. Smiling. “That’s right. Let them be afraid.”
