The Chronicles of Faylon : Saahira | Chapter 22 (Patreon)

Saahira sat in the hot bath, her long braid resting on the tile behind her. It was the middle of the night, so the usual sound of footsteps on the second floor was absent. The tall stone columns in the corners watched over her while the mosaics of demons dancing along the walls seemed to taunt her. She’d already scrubbed her hands clean twice, but there was nothing to be done about her emotions that cycled through her chest in a whirlwind.

Shame. Curiosity. Frustration. Awe. Denial.

She’d let them in and reveled in it. Lillith’s warnings of the black moon had done little to give her pause. While she hadn’t summoned them, she’d wished she could. The desire to see their faces and feel their touch had consumed every nerve, and if they had asked her to draw another circle…

She shivered.

Saahira slid down deeper into the bath, letting the water rise over her lips. Steam drifted across the water’s surface and over her head.

At the very least, the choir had shown her that there was nothing wrong with her energy. She’d called on it and expelled it twice. The glintsphere hadn’t shattered in either instance. That made two separate instances when her energy had manifested—once when she was frustrated, the other when she was…stimulated. Trying to replicate the latter situation in class with similar circumstances would be dubious at best. However, forcing her frustration seemed just as poor an idea.

And then there was Nia. Had she seen what Saahira was doing? Who would want to room with someone who couldn’t control their own urges?

She exhaled through her lips and watched the bubbles rise to the surface. Echoes of fingertips pressed into her skin, and she ran her hands across her thighs. Despite pleasuring herself, there was still an undeniable yearning for more.

‘Your lust is not our doing.’ How long would she keep pretending that she didn’t crave their demands?

Saahira forced herself to stand, keeping her hands at her sides. She had a full day of classes ahead of her. She needed rest.

As she grabbed a towel from the shelf, she was certain that she felt a tongue travel up her spine. Trembling, she dried herself as quickly as she could, then snatched a robe from the stand.

They could wait for another black moon.

The next time Saahira awoke, she found Nia sitting at her desk, plaiting her hair.

Saahira licked her lips and pushed herself to sitting. Her throat was parched with anxiety, and she tensed as if bracing herself for a physical impact. “Good morning, Nia.”

“Sun’s greetings, Saahira,” Nia replied with a small smile.

Silence. Saahira squirmed against the blankets. “D-did I, erm, wake you last night?”

“Why? What is it you were doing?” Nia looked over her shoulder. Her eyebrows were raised, and her lips were pursed with curiosity, but her eyes glittered with reproach.

She knew. Saahira buckled under Nia’s gaze.

Nia sighed and returned to braiding her hair. “Is this perhaps a…task, your demons will ask of you often? Or did the black moon influence this?”

“I-I don’t know,” Saahira murmured numbly.

“Does that mean there is no way to warn me?” Nia continued. “Lemae has her own room with a second bed that I could borrow for an evening. Otherwise, I could request another room?”

Saahira’s fears came to fruition with Nia’s suggestion, and it struck her in the stomach as acutely as a fist. “No! That’s not necessary. I’m sorry, Nia.” She grabbed two handfuls of blankets and shook her head. “Please, I won’t let it happen again.”

“You are certain?”

“Yes. I promise.” Shame returned in a flood. “I… I don’t know what came over me.”

Nia finished her braid and leaned back in her chair. “Desire is a flame that comes for us all, Saahira,” she said slowly. “All I ask is that you consider my comfort in such situations.”

“Of course.” Saahira released the blankets and clasped her hands in her lap. “I’m really sorry.”

“I know.” Nia stood and crossed the room, then sat on Saahira’s bed. “Now turn around. I’ll fix your braid.”

Saahira faced the wall and tucked her feet beneath her, smoothing the shift over her thighs. Nia set to work unfastening the braid, then brushing Saahira’s hair in smooth, gentle strokes. A silence passed between them while she worked. Nia was the first to break it.

“I cannot find it within me to remain angry with you,” Nia said softly. “During our first class with Lillith, when she held my face in her hand, I would have given my life for her. Do your demons influence you similarly?”

“It’s difficult to say,” Saahira admitted. “I’ve felt persuaded and pressured, but Lillith told me that, in the end, the choir can’t force my hand.” She looked up, studying the small blooms along the vines crawling near the ceiling. “But that doesn’t mean they don’t try.” A shudder rocked through her as she recalled their screams two mornings before.

“I wonder if the Wall inhibits their powers,” Nia said while she separated Saahira’s hair into multiple parts.

“I guess that’s possible.”

Nia hummed in thought, then moved the conversation to another topic. “Was that the glintsphere I saw sparkling on the ceiling?”

“Yes.”

“Does that mean you successfully channeled your energy?”

Saahira frowned. “In a way. I don’t know if I can call on it without assistance.”

“Why not try it now?” Nia gestured to the small box near Saahira’s pillow.

I guess there’s no reason not to. Saahira reached for the box and retrieved the glintsphere. She held it between her fingers, steadying her posture while Nia worked, and closed her eyes. This time, Saahira didn’t search for a strange entity within herself. She let her mind rest on Nia’s fingers shifting the thick tendrils of her hair into a tight braid, then she inhaled a deep breath.

Come to me.

A tiny thread of sensation warmed her stomach. If she hadn’t recognized it as a fragment of her magic, it would have passed unnoticed. It wasn’t the overwhelming burning that itched for release like she’d experienced the night prior, but it was there. The thread wound its way through her chest and arms; the barest spark in a sea of black.

Now into the sphere, she commanded when the tingling reached her fingertips. She opened her eyes to find two slivers of white light swirling at the center of the glintsphere. They looked so fragile and delicate. Saahira held her breath, afraid a sigh might extinguish them entirely. After a time, the slivers expanded to the orb’s shape and emitted a gentle glow.

“Look at that!” Nia exclaimed. “You’ve done it!”

“I guess. That just seemed so…weak,” Saahira murmured.

“You are like a babe learning to walk, Saahira.” Nia tied off the braid. “Many of us have had years to practice control. Celebrate your achievement, and continue your studies. Preferably unaided.” Saahira blushed. Nia laughed dryly as she hopped off the bed. “Now, did we have any homework today that I should be aware of?”

They dressed and went to the dining hall together to eat breakfast. After checking her notes, both Saahira and Nia spent their meal skimming through their hexlation textbooks. The list of qalen’rua was long, and their potential intents even longer.

“I wonder if he will test us on each one,” Nia grumbled.

“I hope not,” Saahira replied. “We were supposed to read the first chapter of our fate and arcana textbook as well.”

“Ah, fate. A class where I have an advantage at last.” Nia chuckled and picked through the last of her breakfast. “I will glance over it between classes, but I should have enough basic knowledge to answer any questions.”

“That makes one of us.” Saahira grabbed her fate and arcana textbook and quickly flipped through the pages. It was a hefty chapter in a heftier book. “I’m glad we have the next few days to study.”

Nia looked up from her book and clicked her tongue. “Come now, you can’t study every day!” 

“Why not?”

“There is so much to do in Odalric! Performances at the Final Bar, eateries to try, shopping to be had. Besides, it will do you no good to hide from the sun for so long.” Nia gestured animatedly while she spoke.

Each suggestion weighed heavily on Saahira’s light coin pouch. For a few moments, she wondered if students of the sanctum were permitted to hold jobs in Odalric. Maybe one of the restaurants could give her work on her free days. However, that would conflict heavily with her studies, and her class performance would suffer greatly for it. Saahira touched her braid and nodded. “We’ll see.”

“‘We’ll see,’ you say. All of these firsts await you, yet you do not seem the least bit excited,” Nia said.

Saahira shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “I don’t have much money, Nia. Remember?”

“Of course I remember. Join me on any of these adventures, and I will gladly pay.” Nia crossed her arms over her chest. “It is an honor to be a patron of firsts.”

Embarrassment flushed Saahira’s cheeks. “Only if you’re sure.”

Nia waved her hand and reached for a bread roll. “You never have to ask if I’m sure.”

Saahira couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you, Nia.” She flipped through her notes and landed on the page reserved for necromancy. “By the way, do you have a bottled light ready for Professor Lawrence’s class?”

“Ah. Right.” Nia frowned.

“You can use my glintsphere. I made more bottled lights a couple of days ago,” Saahira offered.

“Is it…clean?”

Heat swarmed Saahira’s throat, and her eyes widened. “Yes!”

“It never hurts to ask.” Nia flashed her devilish smile and shrugged one shoulder. “Thank you for your assistance. I suppose studying and alchemy will be more prevalent over the next few days than I expected.”

“Did you not expect to study at the sanctum?”

“Not during the first week!” Nia pouted. “Everyone says to enjoy your first week at the sanctum. However, Professor Cardaimont certainly put a damper on that.”

They talked until the first bell rang, then walked together to Professor Lodovico’s class. Saahira caught sight of Melony and Cyprus lingering outside the door from across the courtyard. Melony was still her animated, chatty self, while Cyprus leaned against the wall and peered out across the grass.

“Would you like to sit with us today?” She asked Nia.

Nia hesitated, then shook her head. “Not just yet. I will give him another chance soon.”

“That’s alright,” Saahira said quickly. “Take your time, Nia.”

Nia relaxed and canted her head to the side in a small bow. “Your patience is appreciated. I believe I will sit with Alexis today. Perhaps I can divine some of her hexlations expertise with proximity.” She laughed. “We’ll meet again in necromancy.”

They parted ways, and Saahira hurried to Cyprus and Melony. It was good to see their smiling faces, though they didn’t have much time to talk before hurrying inside the classroom. They took their seats at the back left table, Melony on the very end, Cyprus in the center, and Saahira on his opposite side, leaving one final chair open beside her. Just as she’d finished preparing her notes and textbook, Leon snatched the final empty chair beside Saahira with a grin.

“Looks like this one’s free,” Leon said.

Cyprus and Melony leaned forward, looking past Saahira with furrowed brows.

“You want to sit there?” Saahira asked. The question sounded far more foolish after she’d set it free.

“Yeah. I do.” Leon set his satchel down and retrieved his book and parchment.

“Why?” Melony and Cyprus asked in tandem.

Leon chuckled. “You keep amusing friends, Saahira.” He flipped open his hexlations book and gave Cyprus and Melony a little wave. “I’m Leon, by the way.”

“Melony Truefang,” she said, though her tone sounded unsure.

“I know who you are,” Cyprus said flatly.

Leon shrugged. “Great. That takes care of introductions, then.”

Cyprus opened his mouth, but the final bell interrupted his reply.

Professor Lodovico took the podium and raised a hand. “Terr’lith siro.” The bolt clicked on the door, locking any students from entering or leaving. Lodovico watched the door with his unnervingly steady gaze and a silence he wore like a cloak.

The door rattled, followed by an exasperated, “Damn it!”

Kaylee. Saahira recognized with a smug satisfaction.

“Miss Erikson aside, congratulations to the rest of you for arriving on time,” Lodovico said. For a man whose life’s work was words, his delivery was impressively monotonous.

With one final tug on the door, Kaylee groaned and left. Lodovico wrote in the leather tome on the podium, waited a few more seconds, then addressed his students.

“I trust you’ve returned with a greater knowledge of wind element root qalen’rua since our last meeting.” Lodovico peered over the class, settling on an uncomfortable-looking Melony.

Oh no.

“Miss Truefang, what is a potential intent for the root qalen’rua ‘Ery’?”

“Oh!” Melony brightened. “Speed!”

A frown twitched the corner of Lodovico’s mouth downward. “Correct,” he said slowly. His features held the accusation of a lucky guess, but he moved on. “Miss Anahid, which wind root qalen’rua is most used when conjugated with flame?”

“That would be ‘Rau,’ wouldn’t it?” Celeste replied.

“Yes, it would.”

While Lodovico continued to question the class on the root words and their intentions, Leon’s quill moved swiftly over the parchment in front of him. Saahira watched as the lines and curves took shape into her profile, complete with Nia’s new braid and the final dress she had remaining in her wardrobe. It was uncanny how well he captured her image in ink, and so quickly.

Once Saahira was rendered, the strokes of his quill grew larger, blocking in shadows that stood behind her, before her, and beside her. Six different forms in total, their heights varied; their features blurred into darkness.

A chill seeped into Saahira’s limbs. The choir. He could see them.

Leon’s hand shifted below the drawing, and in an elegant penmanship, he wrote, ‘Do they all speak to you?’

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, and she nodded.

“Mr. Iosava,” Professor Lodovico called. “Give us a potential intent for the root qalen’rua ‘Sylph.’”

Leon smirked. “Flight.”

“And if I conjugated ‘Sylph’ with ‘Lyr,’ what would I accomplish?”

That wasn’t in the first chapter! Saahira looked between Leon and Lodovico.

Leon’s smile widened. “You would change the weight of the bearer before sending them flying.”

“Right. Very well, then. Let us move on.” Seemingly satisfied, Lodovico stepped in front of his podium and clasped his hands behind his back. “As you learned in your reading, qalen’rua were first perceived and utilized in Réimse na Sleachta, hence their elven namesake. It takes a particular magical sense to find the words interwoven inside living things, and a dedicated tongue to name and manipulate them.”

Saahira copied the information into her notes as quickly as she could. It was difficult to concentrate with the questions spinning at the forefront of her mind about Leon and his sketch. Just who, or what, was he?

Lodovico’s lecture continued. “The first recorded root qalen’rua uttered was ‘Zeph,’ by Ailuin Nardacci in Lasairfhíona one thousand nine hundred and fifty-two years ago. She was not an officially ordained sorcerer at the time, though it is said that she observed aspects of nature beyond the capabilities of mortals. She herself claimed the word was whispered to her by the wind.

“The lands of Lasairfhíona were suffering from a great drought, and Ailuin’s intent was to bring the storms to their farms. However, what she did not understand was the nature of hexes. While spellcraft may have assisted her in pushing the rainclouds over the lands, hex words must bind to the living. Ailuin indeed summoned a storm—she forced herself to cry until the garden at which she stood was sufficiently watered.”

The class shifted uncomfortably.

Lodovico paced the front of the room. “She was lucky to survive, and her discovery spawned the study of the qalen’rua.”

The lecture continued, and the professor recounted the sorcerers, locations, and dates of the other wind root qalen’rua from their textbooks. Saahira skimmed through the first chapter while she took notes, copying down any information not readily available in the book. Does he expect us to memorize all of these? There were still five more elements to cover. It would be one thing to remember the words and their intentions, but would knowing their founders and locations really help them in the future?

 At last, Lodovico reached the end of the list. He looked at the clock and nodded. “We have time left for a practical exercise. Today, you will pair together and break the hex cast upon you. This will require the caster to pronounce the qalen’rua correctly, and the receiver to also have perfect pronunciation of the counter hex.

“We will discuss the craft of counter hexes in our next class. For this exercise, I will give you the words to speak.” He moved to the right side of the classroom and wrote ‘Klar tor’vyn’ in the air with his pointer finger. “This will be the caster’s hex to speak. It is a conjugated hex that uses the root qalen’rua ‘Klar’ from the dark element, and ‘tor’vyn’ from wind. As we’ve learned, ‘tor’vyn’ is spoken with the intent to take, steal, or move. The intent of ‘klar’ is the absence of light. Using this conjugation, your intent should be to blind. This will temporarily disable your partner’s sight.”

A few whispers sounded throughout the class.

“‘Klar’ is pronounced with a hard ‘K’ with a soft resolution on the ‘R.’ Tor’vyn strikes the ‘T’ as if almost enunciating ‘Door.’ The latter half is simply ‘vin.’ Klar tor’vyn.” The words glowed in the air, and he underlined them.

Saahira copied the words into her notes and silently sounded them out on her tongue.

Lodovico walked to the left side of the room and carved more words into the air. “To break this hex, you must speak the words ‘Xenesthis klar tor’vyn.’ The ‘X’ is approached with a ‘Z’ sound”—he added ‘zen-es-this’ beneath the first word—“then a gentler ‘this’ at its end. After, you will repeat the hex as your partner did, and your vision will return. Yes, Miss Folayan?”

“What if we can’t break the hex?” Nia asked, lowering her hand.

“Then you must wander the sanctum grounds blind until you can,” Lodovico said. The class stiffened. A wry smile turned the professor’s lips. “I will break the hex before you leave class. Now choose a partner.”

Leon rested a hand on Saahira’s shoulder. “Won’t you be my partner, Saahira?”

Cyprus shook his head, but said nothing.

Saahira looked between them, feeling trapped inside such a simple question. “Alright.”

“Let’s go! You’re my partner, king,” Melony said, patting Cyprus on the back. “Now blind me!”

Saahira turned to face Leon, glancing at his sketch one more time. She lowered her voice and waited for the others in the classroom to begin casting before asking, “How do you know?”

“Would you like to be blind first or second?” Leon asked.

Saahira frowned. “You won’t tell me?”

“Klar tor’vyn,” Leon said.

Leon’s face vanished, and the room went dark. She gasped. Blinking over and over again, she reached out and touched the table, reorienting herself. Losing her sight so suddenly was terrifying.

“X…Xaneth…” Saahira began, then licked her lips.

“Fae can see beyond the Wall,” Leon whispered. How close was he to her ear? She was sure that she could feel his breath.

Fae? Saahira knew so little about the fae. Nomadic creatures that were more rumor than truth. There was a popular joke about them in Almaryn when trying to get out of any engagement at all. “I can’t tonight. The fae are in town.” Beyond that, the sanctum had taught her that they could see and summon Aeria. The lack of anyone mentioning them otherwise had made her assume that she wouldn’t share a classroom with a fae.

“Can you see their faces?” Saahira murmured.

“It’s ‘Xenesthis,’ Saahira,” Leon instructed, once again dodging her question.

A frustrated growl rumbled in her chest. “Xenesthis klar toh’vyn.” Nothing happened.

“Close. ‘Tor-vyn.’” He chuckled and lowered his voice. “No. I can’t.”

“Xenesthis klar tor’vyn,” Saahira said firmly. Light and color flooded her vision. She brushed away tears from the sudden light after the rush of darkness. It was like playing the world’s most disorienting game of peek-a-boo with Isa.

Leon leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbow on the table. His chin was very close to her shoulder. “They follow you everywhere.”

Saahira nodded. I need to set my intent. She looked into Leon’s striking violet eyes. I will blind him. She let the words settle as a truth in her chest. Something moved inside of Leon’s gaze, but vanished the moment she blinked. Were those…letters? She took a deep breath and thought again, I will blind him. Then she muttered, “Klar tor’vyn.” The pronunciation rolled off her tongue easily after she’d found them in the dark.

“Very good.” Leon chuckled. He closed his eyes and leaned back. “How long have you heard them?”

“It’s ‘Xenesthis,’ Leon,” Saahira countered.

He grinned. “You’re a funny girl. Xenesthis klar tor’vyn.”

The hex broke. Suddenly, the intention Saahira had held so close to her chest felt meaningless. I can sense him breaking it. She grabbed her quill and made a quick note beneath the hex words.

“A little over a year,” she murmured as she wrote.

“You must be their chosen.”

Saahira looked up from her notes and tilted her head to the side. “It’s your turn to cast.”

“Hm. Klar tor’vyn.”

The darkness returned, but this time, Saahira knew what to expect. “Do you see celestials, too?”

“I do.”

He offered nothing more. Saahira frowned. “Xenesthis klar tor’vyn.”

“Unless your conversations help your pronunciation or further your hexlations practice, save your words for a time that isn’t mine,” Lodovico announced to the class.

Saahira shrank in her chair. Leon looked amused. But it wasn’t just them—idle whispers from the other students died with them. They returned to the assignment, continuing to practice back and forth until the bell rang.

“Before we meet next, come prepared to discuss the dark root qalen’rua and their intents,” Lodovico said over the sounds of rustling paper and closing books. “For those of you still hexed, stay in your seats.”

“Enjoy your days of rest, Saahira.” Leon passed his sketch to her and stood. “Let’s talk more soon.”

“Leon—” Saahira had so many questions, but Leon joined the stream of students leaving class before she could ask a single one.

“Has he been bothering you?” Cyprus asked, glancing at the sketch.

“No. I mean, I don’t think so.”

He gestured to the drawing. “This seems a bit—”

“It’s fine. Really.” Saahira folded the parchment and closed her book.

Cyprus studied her for a time. “If you say so.”

“Uh, guys, can I please not be blind anymore?” Melony whimpered from Cyprus’s opposite side.

“Professor Lodovico’s coming,” Cyprus said, keeping his attention on Saahira.

“Sorry I’m so bad at this,” Melony whined.

“You’ll get it next time,” Saahira said.

Saahira sat in an uncomfortable silence, weighed down by words unsaid between her and Cyprus. She fingered the corner of the sketch sticking out of her textbook while they waited and wondered.

Just what was it Leon wanted from her?