The next few days went smoothly, though I definitely missed the freedom of home. Sylko was still as terrible to me as ever, and Idonea still wanted me as a personal servant – but things could have been worse. It was looking more and more like I had gotten away with murder, and I couldn’t risk jeopardizing things now… especially after hearing some of the new rumors going around.

While we were walking in a hallway I heard Ertha, an orange skinned girl of about fourteen, sharing things they had heard on Freeday with Kodan. Ertha and Kodan were the two oldest warrior trainees at Academy, both of whom had orange skin, oddly enough, though other than that they looked quite different. Kodan's skin was scaled and rocky, looking almost like quartz when the light reflected off his scales at just the right angle, while Ertha looked like a normal human… except that she had prehensile feet. Instead of shoes, she had some kind of leather ‘foot glove’ on her feet, her toes nearly as long as fingers and just as capable of manipulating tools as her hands. They both had brown hair, though Kodan wore his significantly longer than Ertha did (she had more of a military style haircut).

“My mother told me that she heard something exciting about Merrik!” She said to him, her eyes wide.

Kodan looked back at her, not responding except for raising a rocky eyebrow.

Ertha waited for a moment, obviously trying to build suspense. “Merrik is training an apprentice!” She said excitedly, hopping up and down on her… toe-fingers.

Now she had everyone’s attention. Dammit! Looks like one of the guards must have talked… I suppose having a dozen guards keep a secret was probably impossible to begin with, but I had held out hope.

“An apprentice? Why would he need an apprentice?” Asked Barrett, pushing his shaggy black fur out of his face as he peered at her.

Kodan still hadn’t said anything, but he had stopped walking and was looking at Ertha expectantly.

Ertha grinned, enjoying the attention. “Mother told me that Merrik has taken someone from our village deep into the mountains, and is teaching her all his secrets!”

Kodan finally spoke, “Her? Who is it?” He asked. There were only a few thousand people in our village, so it wasn’t very difficult to have at least some idea of who everyone else was, or at least identify them by family.

Ertha blushed a darker shade of orange, “Oh, it might not be a girl, I’m just assuming it is. Maybe he plans to make her his wife…”

I blinked… so not only am I a woman, but I’m going to marry that disgusting old man? I almost broke out into a laugh. At least I hadn’t been identified specifically.

The discussion continued, the students deciding that either Merrik just wanted to pass on his teachings finally, after hundreds of years, or he was lonely and wanted a wife.

I kept out of the conversation, which didn’t seem to bother anyone. Sylko’s actions had indeed started making me a bit of an outsider, though I don’t think anyone held it against me personally. But I supposed there was little I could do about it now… At least nobody was outright mean to me, and Kodan in specific had started helping me more and more in the Master of Fire’s impossible drills. I don’t know if he was aiding me for my sake, or so that he could avoid being punished alongside me, but the small gesture was appreciated none the less.

----------------------

I nervously shifted from foot to foot outside Master Jaduk’s study, having been summoned earlier this evening. With any luck it was just the regular checkup, but I thought it was strange that it would happen so early into this Tenday (the term for the ten day long ‘week’ used by our people). I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves.

“Come in, young man.” Came the call from the other side of the door, the whole experience seeming oddly familiar.

I entered the study, looking around at the shelves and the sparse collection of books again. Master Jaduk was seated behind his desk this time, one hand raised up to his forehead as he tapped a long finger against one of his spiraling black horns. He smiled at me, gesturing at the same seat I had used last time.

“It is good to see you again, Heller.” He gave me a nod (which I promptly returned). “I hope you had a good Freeday.” He was still smiling, but he spent a few moments studying me. I felt as though I should say something, but I couldn’t think of what it might be.

“Umm, yes, it was great to see my family again.” I finally replied, somewhat lamely.

He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands on the desk in front of him. “And how are things now that you have returned to Academy?”

I hesitated for a moment, “Fine… things are fine. Same as before.” I tried to return his smile, but my heart was pounding in my chest. Something seemed… off… about the Master of Earth.

But he seemed quite relaxed, odd behavior aside. “And has Master Sylko been treating you any differently?”

“No.” I said, forcing myself to keep smiling as my mouth went dry. I wanted to swallow, but I fought the impulse.

His brows furrowed in confusion as he leaned forward in his chair. “Really?” He raised an eyebrow, “That is surprising, considering the incident at the Garrison.”

Fucking hell, he knew something! I fought to maintain my smile and keep my breathing even. I could lie when I had to, even if I found it distasteful, but something about him – or the way he was acting – was making it hard for me to stay calm. “Incident?” I said, tilting my head to the side.

He leaned back in his chair again, his smile returning, but he didn’t answer right away. “Yes.” He finally said, “A fight in a safe room, of all places, with a serving girl as the only witness.”

I leaned back in my chair, trying to act shocked. “A fight! Was it the beasts?” I asked, widening my eyes and looking around as if frightened.

He suddenly laughed as if he found something incredibly funny, slapping the table hard enough to cause me to jump.

“I am the Master of Earth, Heller. Do you know what one of my primary jobs is?” He asked rhetorically, answering his own question before I had a chance to think of a reply. “I investigate crimes.” He smiled, leaning back in his chair again.

My blood froze, my breathing stopped against my will. I instinctively checked that my Ion Shield was in place, but somehow I didn’t feel like I was in that type of danger. I felt more like a teenager whose mom had just discovered his browsing history.

He continued as if nothing had happened. “But sometimes, I suppose, there is good reason for bad things to happen.” He shrugged one shoulder, his expression neutral, looking more like he was discussing philosophy than accusing me of murder. “I was asked if the servant girl’s story was true… and I said it was close enough.” He gave me a deep stare.

“After all, she was struck by one of the soldiers who was killed, the female judging from the size and shape of her injury. And she was trapped in the room, probably against her will, while the battle transpired.” He reached up and gently tapped a finger against one of his horns again, silently watching me while he gave me an opportunity to respond… or maybe just to think.

A sudden though sent a jolt of fear through me, this time entirely different than before, and my nervousness vanished as I leaned forwards, “Is the girl alright?” I asked him urgently.

Master Jaduk raised a hand quickly, nodding his head. “Yes, yes, she is quite alright. Her wounds have been seen too, and I have had her transferred to Academy so that we might ensure she receives proper care.” He gave me another steady look.

I breathed a sigh of relief, unable to help myself as I leaned back in my chair. “I’m glad to hear that she is alright, Master Jaduk.” I said sincerely. It seemed that I hadn’t been nearly as clever as I had thought.

The older man nodded, but then his expression darkened as he leaned back over the desk, looming over me. “The battle was quite strange, Heller. I have never seen anything quite like it… the way their armor was dented…” He raised an eyebrow at me. “Lord Runax is quite satisfied with the accounting of events he has received so far, and we will be hearing back from The City soon.” He leaned back in his chair, pausing again as he studied one of his hands as if examining it for clues.

I waited, unable to think of anything I could possibly say that would improve my situation.

Carrying on after a moment, he looked back at me, “We can only hope that nothing like this happens again, don’t you agree, Heller? That might raise some very difficult questions.”

I am sure my face was as pale as a ghost behind my forest green scales. This time I couldn’t help but swallow.

“Yes, Master Jaduk.”

He leaned back in his chair, his expression turning into a smile as he started chuckling to himself. I was still just pulling my thoughts together when he spoke again.

“You are the most remarkable boy… no… the most remarkable student I have ever met.” He leaned forwards again, his smile fading as his expression grew concerned. “And I want to see you grow into a man, Heller.”

My eyes widened at his sudden switch in demeanor, from stern investigator to worried teacher.

“I didn’t have a chance to investigate Sylko before the incident occurred,” he said, “but I have now, and I know exactly what happened. I know you are a victim here, and I know the pride of some nobles can at times lead them to foolish action.” He took a deep breath which turned into a tired sigh. “Sylko is married to a noble, and if I removed her from her position I would need to explain why… which would only draw more attention to you, Heller, and possibly muddy the coming investigation. I will do what I can to deal with Alder and Sylko, but after what happened in the Garrison my hands are tied.” He paused for a moment to study me. “I am only telling you this so you understand why you must avoid drawing further attention to yourself, Heller.”

I nodded, understanding that he was asking me to put up with things, for now. I could afford to wait…