Saahira’s stomach growled as she left the alchemy lab together with Cyprus and Melony. The sun was beginning to set beyond the distant mountain range, casting an orange and purple glow over the sanctum grounds. The cobblestone walkways were empty, and the only sound that accompanied their footsteps was the rustling of leaves with the evening breeze.

  “It’s so late already!” Melony whined.

  Cyprus chuckled. “Well, we could have left much earlier if you’d ground your frog livers into a paste and not a liquid.”

  Melony snorted incredulously, and her fluffy hair bounced around her head as she spoke. “If only my peers had been more specific,” she snapped. She was blunt, boisterous, and far louder than those around her. Melony wore her emotions openly, and her face was more expressive than anyone Saahira had met in the Sanctum so far. It made her easy to like.

  “He did tell you twice,” Saahira pointed out.

  “Ekkel’s moons. I hate alchemy,” Melony cursed quietly. “Surviving this class will be a challenge.”

  “All you have to do is get it close enough, and I’m sure Professor Cardaimont will be impressed,” Cyprus replied. “Just remember to dilute the wickersnatch juice, or it’s going to be a rough week for you.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Melony waved a dismissive hand. It had taken her four tries to complete a potion that very closely resembled the falcon’s eye, and her excitement at having done so was so palpable that both Saahira and Cyprus had cheered. “Anyway, I’m starving. Want to grab dinner?”

  Saahira blushed and turtled her neck between her shoulders. It seemed that making friends came with a cost she wouldn’t be able to afford. Cyprus glanced at her from the corner of his eye and gently brushed his arm against hers.

  “If you let me choose the place, I’ll treat,” Cyprus offered easily.

  “Free food? Say no more, alchemy king!” Melony pumped a fist into the air. The fur trimming on her cloak bristled with the movement. “Lead on!”

  The tension in Saahira’s shoulders relaxed, and she nudged Cyprus’s arm in return as a silent “Thank you.” He smiled and inclined his head in a slight nod.

  “Is it the Final Bar?” Saahira asked.

  “No, but I think you’ll like it,” Cyprus replied.

  “Good. The Final Bar is loud. And crowded. And they give you so little food,” Melony said, stretching her arms above her head. “Though, I guess if I’m not paying, that doesn’t really matter.”

  Cyprus frowned. “Are you going to make me regret this?”

  Melony grinned wolfishly, but said nothing. Saahira chuckled.

  Without the sudden rush of students after classes, Odalric was nearly as calm as it had been that morning. Many of the street stall merchants were packing their wares as they made their final sales for the day, while shop owners with buildings lit their doorway torches to illuminate the fast-approaching night.

  Cyprus turned down a narrow alleyway between a tight grouping of trees and the back of the alchemy shop. The cobblestones here had grass poking through their joints. Saahira would not have noticed the alley without Cyprus’s guidance.

  “Wait. There are shops back here?” Melony wrinkled her nose and tapped the cobblestone with the toe of one boot.

  “There are,” Cyprus said without turning around. “Tools for demonology, necromancy, and then where we’re heading, The Last Gasp.”

  “That’s the name of the tavern?” Melony said. “Are you going to kill us, alchemy king?”

  The shock on Melony’s face made Saahira laugh. “That’s a good name for a tavern.”

  Cyprus grinned over his shoulder. “I thought so, too.”

  They passed the demonology shop, and Saahira glanced inside the single window. The glass’s corners were darkened with dirt and grime, but inside, the three small tables appeared clean and well-organized. Glass vials that held different colored liquids sat on one table, various candles and smaller glass bottles on another, and rolled scrolls rested near smooth stones on the third.

  A man with ebony skin and horns curling outward from his black hair sat behind a counter at the back of the shop, paging through a book. When Saahira’s gaze fell on him, he looked up, and glowing white eyes pierced her through the window. He smiled, and the same tension that gripped her chest with Lillith’s magic took hold. Saahira hissed in a breath as a delicious heat rushed through her veins.

  Would she always be subject to the whims of demons?

  Frustration joined the flames, still fresh from the choir’s demands that morning. A tingling sensation in the depths of Saahira’s abdomen triggered as she curled her hands into fists. She’d never felt anything like it. The tingling traveled upward, into her chest, then spread through her arms and into her hands. Her tongue rolled in her mouth as if searching for the right words to say. Her fingers itched with anticipation. An understanding came with it; one that it seemed she’d always known.

  Saahira could use this.

  I am not a plaything! Her voice seemed amplified in her head, as if she were shouting in Professor Lodovico’s classroom. Power pulsed around the thought, and she could feel the words leaving her mind. Release me!

  The man’s eyes widened, and he leaned forward, his smile now one of interest. But he relinquished his hold.

  A gentle grip around Saahira’s wrist summoned her attention, and her eyes snapped to the side. She hadn’t realized how fast she’d been breathing.

  “Are you alright?” Cyprus asked.

  The tingling ceased, evaporating from her hands, chest, and stomach. She opened her mouth to apologize, then thought better of it. “I’m fine.”

  Cyprus looked concerned, but he slowly nodded.

  “Shop later! Dinner now!” Melony called from behind him, hopping from one foot to the other.

  -Foolish Eroria,- the choir hissed.

  He heard me, didn’t he? Saahira asked as they passed the necromancy shop.

  -Yes.-

  How?

  Silence. Saahira frowned. It seemed the choir’s helpful advice had come to an end.

  “Are you sure you’re alright?” Cyprus asked again.

  Saahira faced demons at every corner, overwhelming her with salacious feelings that she fought to deny. And now she’d manipulated something within her that had filled her with power. Was that her energy? What if it wasn't, and, just like her elemental affinity, it was abnormal?

  What could Cyprus possibly do for her in this situation?

  “I’m…just curious about what I’ll have to learn in demonology, I guess,” Saahira said. Unfortunately, she’d never been very good at lying. “There are a lot of items in that shop that I didn’t recognize.”

  Cyprus searched her face for a time, his mouth set in a thin line. He didn’t look convinced. “You’ll have plenty of time to learn,” he said at last. “And Lillith seems like an excellent teacher. If a little…hands-on.”

  “The door! Is open!” Melony cried, holding the door to The Last Gasp. She waved her free arm in a wide arc over and over again, gesturing for them to go inside.

  Saahira forced a smile, hurried forward, and stepped inside the dim tavern.

  The scents of ale, stew cooking on the fire, and the musty smell that came with neglecting to clean the dark corners often enough transported her home. Frustration evaporated inside the nostalgic sight of a handful of older patrons sharing tables, swapping stories of the workday. These were the people she understood and shared her days with. She blinked away tears.

  Had it really only been ten days since she’d last stepped into The Laughing Bull?

  “Hey! Welcome back, kid!” A portly man with an untrimmed beard and balding head waved from beside a table of three men. “You brought friends this time!”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Cyprus grinned. “I did. Are you equipped to feed three hungry students, Jaxson?”

  Jaxson barked a laugh. “My wife could feed the whole damn sanctum. Take a seat.”

  A place where we seat ourselves, Saahira thought with relief as they chose a round table near the bar. A single, half-burnt candle flickered in the center, only illuminating about a third of the table. The few lamps hanging on the walls gave off enough light to not make the place seem dreary, but it wasn’t nearly as bright as the Final Bar.

  “Oh-ho-ho, I like this place,” Melony spoke Saahira’s thoughts aloud, shimmying her shoulders with pleasure.

  Jaxson rounded the bar and approached their table. “Fellow first years of yours?” he asked, crossing his arms over his vest and scratching his beard.

  “They are.” Cyprus nodded. “We’ve spent the afternoon studying, so I think three ales would be a nice treat.”

  “And food! Please, lots of food.” Melony’s fingers curled in and out of her palms, her nails scratching lightly against the wooden tabletop.

  Jaxson chuckled. “Comin’ right up.”

  Saahira took the chance to look around more. Between the lamps on the walls hung different maps of the continents that made up the world of Faylon. The parchments in the frames appeared old—some of their ink had faded, and wrinkles in the surface poked through the carefully drawn lines. The nearest map to them was a detailed drawing of Nagatoshi and its provinces, and Saahira glanced over their unfamiliar names.

  I should ask Basile for a book on geography.

  “Here you are. Food’s up next.” Jaxson soon returned with their mugs and passed one to each pair of hands. No meal options, just the house ingredients. That was how Saahira preferred it—that’s how the Laughing Bull had done it. “Just holler if you need anything else in the meantime.”

  Saahira grinned and took a sip of her ale. Light, heady, and a little warm. Just like home.

  “What do you think?” Cyprus asked her.

  “You were right. I love it,” Saahira replied. “How did you find it?”

  “I needed to buy supplies for necromancy and thought I’d give this place a try.” Cyprus relaxed back in his chair and took a long drink. “I noticed some of the older students coming and going, but it was quiet like this last night, too.”

  “Wait. Did we need to buy supplies for necromancy?” Melony said, her eyes wide. “I don’t remember Professor Lawrence saying to bring anything but bottled light. And I made those already.”

  Cyprus waved a dismissive hand. “I’m in second-year necromancy. It’s a different curriculum.”

  “Oh. Wow. Alright,” Melony remarked.

  Saahira raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t thought that skipping classes would be an option. “I’m surprised you aren’t in second-year alchemy then, too.”

  A wry smile tugged at the corner of Cyprus’s mouth. “Professor Cardaimont wouldn’t approve it.”

  Melony tipped her head to the side. “Why not?”

  “I’m sure she had her reasons.” Cyprus favored Melony thoughtfully. “Do you know much about me?”

  “I know you’re an alchemy king and now a lord of necromancy.” Melony sputtered a laugh and shrugged. “I heard the silly whispers mentioning your father during spellcraft. But my tribe tends to avoid human affairs.” She took another drink, then murmured into her cup, “It’s kind of a miracle that I’m here at all.”

  Another student who didn’t know every noble lineage and event in Faylon’s history. Saahira could have hugged her. “Where are you from, Melony?”

  “Hayven,” Melony said proudly.

  “Ah. You’re a therianthrope, then?” Cyprus said.

  Melony’s eyes lit up, and her head bobbed with excitement. “Very good! You’re the first person to guess correctly.”

  Jaxson reappeared beside their table with a tray. “Bowls are hot. Be careful.” He carefully set them on the table, followed by a loaf of bread on a wooden board.

  “She’ll need a second one,” Cyprus said, gesturing to Melony.

  Melony nodded, smiling and wiggling two of her fingers.

  Saahira eyed the enormous wooden bowl of stew, then looked at the slender Melony sitting across from her. Where will she put a second bowl of stew?

  Jaxson studied Melony with the same question on his rugged face as he shifted the tray underneath his arm, then he shrugged. “Sure. I’ll bring it out in a minute.”

  “Thank you, Jaxson,” Cyprus said.

  “Yes! Thank you,” Melony added.

  Jaxson had barely turned to leave before Melony grabbed the spoon and started shoveling heaping, steaming spoonfuls into her mouth.

  She eats like she’s gone for days without a meal.

  Saahira stirred the contents of her bowl, letting it cool a bit before she started eating. Fresh vegetables, seasoned hunks of meat from that week’s hunts, and a thick broth that had likely started simmering before the sun rose—the sight alone brought her back to Meg’s kitchen. “At the risk of sounding foolish, what’s a therianthrope?” she asked.

  “No question is foolish,” Cyprus chided lightly. “Therianthropes are, in a word, shapeshifters.”

  “Meh. That makes us sound so simple,” Melony said between bites. “Our bodies share the spirit of an animal from birth. My clan—the Truefangs—are all canine species.” She slurped more stew, reaching the halfway point of her bowl.

  “That’s why you could jump off the balcony?” Saahira asked.

  Melony grinned. A tiny piece of meat had caught between her two front teeth, and she snatched it away with her tongue. “It is. My wolf’s strength and agility are always with me.”

  “And appetite,” Cyprus murmured.

  Saahira tapped her spoon. “Using that strength and agility doesn’t take your energy?”

  Cyprus broke off one end of the bread and handed it to Saahira. “It’s not the same kind of magical energy we draw on, I believe.”

  “What about shifting into an animal form? Does that use energy?” Saahira tested a small bite of stew on her tongue, smiled with delight at the familiar flavors, then took another.

  “No. Like the king here said, we draw in the power of the night,” Melony replied, taking a short break from her stew to rip apart her own slab of bread. Saahira giggled behind her spoon and Cyprus’s newfound nickname. “Lord Ekkel brought us the moon and the Darkest Days to grant us our abilities.”

  “The Naucthemeral,” Cyprus supplied. “Two full seasons of night. Hayven and Noctia both fall beneath it.”

  Saahira nodded as she nibbled at the edge of her bread. Nia had explained as much. “Does that mean you can only change forms at night?”

  Melony lifted her bowl and drained the remaining broth, then licked her lips. “It means I can stay as a wolf for much longer at night. I can change during the day, but only for a little while. Hey! Thanks!” She grinned up at Jaxson as he set another wooden bowl on the table and took her empty one. He raised a brow, though he looked more impressed than anything, then returned to the other table of patrons.

  “If I recall from what little I’ve read, therianthropes don’t typically have a magical affinity, do they?” Cyprus asked.

  Melony was already two spoonfuls into her new bowl. Saahira had barely made it halfway through hers. “That’s why I said it’s a miracle that I’m here.” She finished off her bread, and crumbs escaped her mouth as she spoke. “I’m the first in four generations. We found out when I, uh, accidentally split the ground open— No one was hurt! And I fixed it!” she added quickly, more breadcrumbs flying from her mouth.

  Cyprus frowned and raised a hand to protect his bowl from the onslaught. “Would you please swallow before you speak?”

  Melony’s hand shot to her mouth, and her cheeks pinked. “Oh. Yes. My mistake.”

  They bantered back and forth for a time, and Saahira relaxed into their easy conversation, feeling more at ease than she had in over a week. The hearty meal settled well in her stomach, and her eyes grew heavy with the sudden absence of her anxieties.

  “I should really get back to my dorm.” Saahira hid her yawn behind her hand. “Thank you both for such a nice evening.”

  Cyprus nodded and fished a leather pouch from his satchel. “I’ll pay for this and follow shortly. Would you like me to walk you back?”

  “No, I’ll be alright.” So long as I don’t look inside the demonology shop again. But she could use some time with her own thoughts. “By the way, which blocks are the two of you in?”

  “Lathyrus,” Melony said as she scraped at the remnants of her bowl.

  “I’m in Allium,” Cyprus replied. “It’s the second building to the right if you’re facing the dormitories.”

  Saahira nodded, making a mental note. “I’m in Idrian. I mean, well, just in case you wanted to know.” The creeping anxiety returned. “A-anyway, have a pleasant evening!”

  “Bye!” Melony said with an excited wave.

  Cyprus smiled. “Goodnight, Saahira.” The whisper of his lips against her hand returned, and Saahira turned away before he could see her flush.

  As she made her way to the main road, Saahira found that the windows had gone dark inside the necromancy shop. Thankfully, the demonology shop was the same, curtains drawn over the single window beside the door. With her studies, she’d more than likely have to confront the demon working there at some point. Just not today.

  A cool breeze tousled her hair, and she huddled inside her cloak. Starlight flickered overhead, and most of the noise within Odalric came from inside the different buildings rather than the streets. It was a pleasant walk back to the dormitories, where she found a handful of other students returning to their respective buildings to make curfew.

  Saahira stepped inside and was immediately warmed by the hearth’s fire. Anya sat at the common room table between more stacks of books, her forehead resting between the pages of a tome sprawled open beneath her face.

  Does this poor girl ever sleep?

  “I have you now, you dastardly scoundrel!”

  Furious wing beats sounded from overhead as Camaztoz soared from the second floor to the first. He opened his mouth wide, then clamped his teeth down around a large insect. The momentum of his dive brought him to the hearth, where he wrapped his serpent tail around an unlit candlestick and perched his two front feet near the wick. He snickered and happily chewed on his crunchy bounty.

  “Good job, Cama,” Saahira said softly as she approached Anya.

  Camaztoz paused in chewing and looked down at Saahira. A frown pulled on either side of his long snout, and his ears twitched forward. He swallowed his meal. “T-this was simply because Lemae demanded that I hunt!”

  “Of course,” Saahira replied, amused. “Don’t let me interrupt you.”

  “Ah. Yes. Well. Ahem.” Cama loosened his tail from the candlestick and quickly flew up to the second floor.

  “Anya.” Saahira placed a hand on Anya’s shoulder and shook her gently. “Wake up.”

  Anya shot up and gasped. She blinked, looked up at Saahira, then rubbed her face. “Winds! Again?”

  “You might be working a little too hard,” Saahira suggested. She skimmed the text on the open page and found a sketched summoning circle and lists of ingredients. Demonology?

  “Perhaps.” Anya shook her head. “Thank you. For waking me. I…shouldn’t sleep at the table.”

  “I agree. But, before you go to bed, would you mind showing me where I can take a bath?” Saahira asked.

  “Certainly. This is a good time, too. You should have it to yourself.” Anya closed the book and added it to one of the piles. “This way.”

  In Almaryn, baths had to be heated in bucketfuls and added to a basin. In the summer, it was faster to bathe in the river. The bathing room in the dormitory, however, had a large pool of constantly heated water, accompanied by dozens of bottles filled with scented soaps and perfumes. Clean, fluffy towels were stacked on a shelf in the corner. Next to the towels was a stand with multiple silk robes hanging from outstretched arms.

  “Do those robes belong to someone?” Saahira asked Anya.

  “Yes. All of us.” Anya shrugged. “Feel free to take one back to your room. Just put it and your towel in that basket to be cleaned in the morning.” She pointed to a wicker basket near the door.

  “Thank you, Anya.”

  “Think nothing of it.” Anya yawned. “See you soon, Saahira.”

  Saahira waited for Anya to leave before stripping her clothing and stepping into the bath. An experience she relished for so long that by the time she returned to her room, Nia was already fast asleep.

  We can talk about Kaylee tomorrow.

  Saahira curled up in her own bed and drifted off to the sweet scents in her hair.

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