Varin stood outside the library walls, his ear pressed against the frame of the large wooden doors. To no avail, though, as Mistress Leolina’s words were muffled and lost through the thick stone walls of the institute. His patience was growing thin, all he wanted were answers. Those answers, however, were unheard of within this building, it seemed. With a huff, he turned to storm off down the hall and retreat towards his room. As he entered the grand entryway, his eyes rested upon Aiora and Thaddius, their backs turned to him and the satyr’s fists clenched. Varin took careful and silent steps towards the duo, their voices growing clearer with each step. Eventually, he could barely make out what they were saying as he hugged a corner.

“You went where?”

“You heard me, Thaddius.”

“Why would you go there?”

Aiora nibbled on her rosy bottom lip, her cheeks red and her gray eyes narrowed towards the satyr. With a sigh, she straightened her otherwise uneasy posture and crossed her delicate arms across her chest, the dress swaying with each step she took towards the stairway. Her hand rested against the stone wall, those curious eyes peering up the curved flights that led to the top of the western tower.

“I wanted some answers.”

Deciding his eavesdropping was enough, Varin passed the corner and walked towards his friends with haste.

“You’ve been avoiding me, have you?” Varin shot towards the petite Aiora.

“I have not,” Aiora whispered with disinterest and moved to the first step, “and frankly, I will not take part in your foolish games.”

“Games?”

"Yes, your continuous bickering will have me lying in a grave before I’m able to leave this academy.”

“I am glad you think so highly of my capabilities,” Varin said with a snicker. He tapped his foot as he watched Aiora take a few hesitant steps towards the top of the tower. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“A rush of curiosity has consumed her, all thanks to you.”

“Curiosity killed the cat, Aiora. And I do not believe you have nine lives.”

Aiora chuckled before finally turning, staring down at the two men with a mischievous glint in her eyes, her lips turning upwards into a smirk.

“Varin, you said I should keep out of your own choices, correct?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“Then you must keep out of mine. I am going back up there.”

Thaddius finally chimed back in, his expression downwardly turned with disapproval, “You will not! Mistress Leolina will have your head on a stick if caught.”

“As long as that stick burns with fire,” Aiora said quietly and continued up the stairs, “my fate belongs with that type of madness. You can either join me, and learn the truth about magic, or you can sit in your rooms and toy with your enchanted weaponry.”

“My weaponry is much more interesting than you’d presume, Aiora,” Thaddius mumbled under his breath before crossing his arms over his chest. Varin couldn’t help but chuckle at his sour attempt at an innuendo, watching in disbelief as the satyr, too, climbed the stairs.

“You two have gone mad!”

“Not at all,” Aiora responded coolly before disappearing along the curvature of the stairs. Her voice still echoed throughout the lobby, though. “A wise man once told me that sometimes skeletons wash up from their graves. I think it’s time we did a bit of grave digging.”

Varin stood in silence for a second, turning his head as the library doors opened. In the distant hallway, he could see the outline of Mistress Leolina, her golden orbs radiating in the shadows of the corridors as she talked with whoever stood alongside her. Something deep within the Lord rumbled, like two clouds clapping together in a roar of thunder. That twinkle of curiosity and yearning began to consume him yet again, and as he took to the stairs, he could hear the ever so silent latch unleash as his two friends entered the greenery yet again.

When he returned alongside them, they both looked at him with a cocked brow. As they stepped further into the room, Varin heeded them with a warning, “Leolina is out of the library. I do not think she saw me, but we cannot dally. Whatever it is you want, Aiora, we find it and then leave.”

Aiora nodded her head shortly before making a beeline towards the plant with the glowing portal floating above the center. She carefully took the purple petal in her hand, her eyes growing wide as the plant began to radiate energy all throughout. When she turned back to them, her lips were curved downwards and her eyes full of discontentment.

“I feel negative energy,” she said shakily, “it doesn’t feel normal.”

“If that is what you wanted to find out, I could have told you that last night. Think it would feel like petting your favorite animal?”

“Not at all, Varin. Quit with your chastising,” she said with a sigh and turned back to the plant. “I was telling Thaddius I visited a wizard while in town.”

“A wizard? In Traburg?”

Aiora nodded, “Technically in Traburg. He used to know Leolina well.”

“How do you know of him?” Varin continued.

Aiora remained quiet before shrugging her shoulders, simply passing the question into a void of silence. She gripped the plant’s leaf near the stem and ripped it off. A hiss emitted into the air, the purple gas of energy wavering around the portal before eventually calming. Aiora took a quick step back as this happened, shaking her head silently before walking past the two men.

“Was it necessary we come back up here? For you to tear a leaf off the plant?” Thaddius asked in disbelief.

“I am going back into town tonight,” Aiora said quietly as she exited through the door, “I need to see that wizard again. He asked for a sample of the plant.”

Varin and Thaddius quickly followed the girl. Aiora hastened her pace and with each step moved further ahead from the boys.

“She’s acting a bit odd,” Varin whispered with wavering insecurity in his voice.

“I suppose as women do when you practically tell them to fuck off,” Thaddius said with a wry chuckle, quickening his pace to keep up with the girl. “Come along now, you’re not going to let a girl go out in the middle of the night, are you? I hear that’s when the dragons come out.”

With a shake of his head, Varin followed the two out the door with a curse. The chilled air hit the man with a wave of irritation, his teeth chattering as they moved down the long, winding pathway. He had yet to explore much of Traburg, mostly because he was so focused on mastering his magic as quickly as possible so he could return to his own kingdom. The land of Traburg was very green, and even in the harshest of winters did it seem that the large oak and pine trees kept their livelihood. The moonlight provided natural lighting as they walked through a thin layer of trees, the soft grass sinking beneath his feet as they trudged towards town.

“How did you meet this wizard fellow? I thought most of the mage’s in Traburg worked at Lighthelm?”

“Most, Varin. There are a few outliers Leolina does not approve of.”

“And what is it she does not approve of, exactly? I feel he cannot be worse than Jaspar,” Varin retorted with a smile. Jaspar was the pureblood elf who claimed he harnessed the power of lightning better than any mage on this earth. He takes every opportunity to hold the blue embers in his hands, specifically in the bright of day where no clouds float in the sky. Varin was convinced it was yet another move of power the pureblood elves loved to display, but Thaddius and Aiora were confident it was just a means to impress his beloved Leolina. It was quite a scandal, the two of them. It has been rumored by Aiora that in the dwindling hours of the night she would see them part into his suite, the doors twisted with a lock to prevent any distractions from whatever escapades happened beyond those walls. At most, though, these were rumors. Varin was more convinced that Mistress Leolina did not need the loving touch of a man to procreate; perhaps it all occurred with those twin-making plants she had been producing in her tower? Now that is a scandal after all.

Eventually, they passed the brush of the forest and entered the silent town. Lanterns were hung along every house they passed, the flames flickering idly against the stone and wooden shelters. The village was quaint and warm despite the chilled air. That was something he appreciated about this kingdom; it was the constant feeling of warmth despite the season. Even in the worst of snowstorms did the meadows grow green, and in the darkest of thunderstorms did the sun somehow peer through the clouds. Lighthelm reportedly got their name from a mage’s kiss of a spell upon this land, deeming it the kingdom of life and good magic.

For some reason, this brought a shiver of fright down the Lord’s back. He had always had this ever-growing fear of Mistress Leolina due to her stateliness and imposing nature, each breath that pushed past her lips seemed ethereal and wise, but never did he get an aura of trust. Varin had only seen Mistress Leolina use her magical capabilities once, and she never seemed to opt-in to help teach the incoming students. Such a wise creature seemed so prudent and ignorant, not once bestowing his group of companions with small talk. She was the world's most unknowing omniscient being he would have ever met, it seemed.

“Where is he?” Thaddius asked quietly, leaning over Aiora’s shoulder so she could hear his silent prod.

“He will be here,” she shot back and gave him a knowing look. Thaddius was always the inquirer, if the air were too silent, he would question it as opposed to let it be. Varin, on the other hand, only made his words known when needed and often hated the idea of conversations formed around emotional desires. Logic hit home for him; the heart merely distracted from the end goal.

The blissful sound of water crashing against the distant bank was undermined as a man coughed his way towards the group, his skin tan and his long brown beard tangled into knots. Varin narrowed his eyes towards the sight, taking a step towards him defensively. He resembled the average struggling thief, willing to do anything for a crumb of bread. Varin felt for those in need, but when one approached them in the dead of night it warranted a bit of defensiveness.

“Relax, boy!” The man said between coughs, placing his rough hand on the arm of the Lord, pushing him to the side. “My Aiora, you are awfully quick on the feet, aren’t you?”

“Of course, Girard. You promised me something I couldn’t pass up.”

Varin watched as the two shared a quick hug before she rested the leaf in his hand, the dull glow still jumping across the outline of the sharp greenery, “What is it he promised?”

“Nothing that has anything to do with you,” the ornery man huffed towards him and finally faced him head-on. “I am Girard. Has Leolina mentioned me lately?”

“No,” Varin said quietly and eyed the man up and down carefully. His clothes were tattered, and his right tooth was completely turned to its side in a crooked mess, “I can’t say she has mentioned many, though. So, don’t feel too sad.”

“Sad?” Girard let out a cackle so loud and exaggerated it would have woken any sleeping bird. “I see it as a win, my boy. That wench had been on my arse for years! Aiora, teach this man some lessons of humor before you return for the results. I must go, though, or else the energy will die out before I can even study it. I’ll send my messenger when it’s ready.”

And just like that, the man hunched away towards the mountainous woods, disappearing into what seemed like endless stretches of trees. Varin turned towards Aiora who appeared otherwise unaffected by the interaction, her concern resting on Varin instead of the insanity he just witnessed.

“What is the matter, Varin? You look a bit stressed.”