1 Year Ago

Esmund walked up the stairs into his bedroom. Kirs snored softly on the bed, something he’d never been able to convince her of. Sneaking around the frame, he gently rested a hand on hers and trailed up her forearm.

It only took a minute of gentle movement before she stirred. “It’s time already?” she muttered, her voice thick with sleep.

“It is,” he bent over and kissed her on the forehead. “They’ve been gone a few minutes now.”

She smacked her lips twice and pushed her neck forwards puckering dry lips. It wasn’t the most attractive display she’d ever put on, with her sleep mussed hair, and groggy look, but it was adorable.

He pecked her lightly, before pulling back the blankets, then repeating with the curtains. The light didn’t increase massively. Their home was in the shadow of the inner wall in the morning, though noon was fast approaching.

Kirs groaned and straightened. She smacked her lips again and scratched her tummy, flashing the scar. Lightning lashed through Esmund, but he smiled and fought it off with joy.

Kirs squealed and yelled as he scooped her up into his arms. She needed a bath, but Esmund didn’t mind. Laughing, he threw her over his shoulder and hurried towards their bedroom.

“Put me do-o-oo-wn,” her voice wobbled as he hurried down the stairs. She beat lightly against his back, though not really fighting him until they entered the bathroom. She struggled out of his arms and look at the water already steaming. “You prepared this?”

Esmund already had a smart reply on his lips when she rested her elbows on his shoulders and gave him a look that left his mouth as dry as hers. “Ya…”

She smirked, her tongue touching a tooth as she gave him a half-lidded look that sent shivers right to the core of him.

###

Stepping out of the bathroom, Esmund and Kirs’ feet slapped against the wet stone. The water had run cold before they’d gotten out.

“I’ve gotta get to work,” Kirs said. She kissed him on the cheek and headed for her office. Es headed for the living room. Their dining table still carried the remnants of class. Approaching the table, he first removed all the trash. Leftovers from snack, mostly apple cores as they were in season. Then he gathered all the slate tablets marked with ugly and sloppy letters. It resembled children’s work more than anything. Which wasn’t a coincidence.

Es kept a bucket of water and a rag that he used to clean the slate. He needed to have a separate one, otherwise Kirs would accidentally use it to wipe normal stuff down with, inevitably leaving chalk stains.

After wiping down all the tablets, he left them in a neat pile and took to the table with a fresh rag. Then he grabbed the broom and swept the entire house except Kirs’ office. Despite the sizable house in the middle of Elusria City, there wasn’t much dust for him to pick up. Then he went through with a rag and cleaned every surface.

Pulling out a chair at the table, he sat down for a moment and looked out the window. It was noon now, and the room was well lit. Should I change the room? He gazed over the various furniture as he examined the space. Sucking in air through his teeth, he shook his head. Kirs wouldn’t like it and it would do little to ease this feeling.

He looked out the window for a moment more; the passersby were barely dressed in wearing only pants, blouses, and light jackets. Summer had truly come. One of his neighbors passed by, their kid trailing behind waving at Esmund.

Esmund returned the gesture, but his student was soon pulled away to his own duties. The students were nice, but they only had a few hours in the morning. His neighbors appreciated him pulling them away so they could get some work done without them, but they also needed their kids to pick up on their trades.

Trades. That was a bitter thought for Esmund. His father had told him he wasn’t merciless enough, not vicious enough to be a merchant. Despite how good that had felt at the time, it was a thorn in his stomach now. Even if he’d been a poor merchant, he’d at least have something.

He’d tried to help Kirs with her work, but lacked the patience and ability to connect ideas like her. She’d helped him go through a few of the works she and Ranvir had done back in the academy. While attempting to solve the problem, he’d been hopelessly stuck and found his mind wandering. In hindsight, though, he could see how they made the leaps they did. He just wasn’t capable of them. At least, not as fast as them.

Not a merchant and not a scholar.

He was in his twenties now. It was late to start an apprenticeship, but not unheard of. But what would he do? He couldn’t become a teacher. All he knew was tether work, and he didn’t want to train soldiers.

Pushing out of his chair, he stoked the fireplace. He got it going without too much work and put the kettle over. Five minutes later he was knocking on Kirs’ door and peering in. “Tea?”

She looked up from her papers and smiled. “Yes, please.”

Es nodded and backed out again. A few minutes of steeping and he banked the fire and returned with a cup.

“I love you,” Kirs murmured. “You’re too good to me,” she cupped his head in her hands and looked him in the eye. His stomach still flipped when she did that, a goofy smile playing over his lips.

“Yes, I am,” he said, kissing her once.

She slapped him on the rear on the way out. “Smart ass.”

Still smiling, he headed up the stairs and made up the bed. It took only a little work before the space was ready for them to return at night, though she would rise after he fell asleep to continue her work.

Closing the door, he turned to look at the only other room on this floor. The door was shut as always, though he could see light coming in from under the door. Staggering forward, he rested his head against the door and closed his eyes.

He stood like that for a while. A long while.

Stepping away, he exhaled hard and hurried down the stairs. “I’m going for a walk,” he called into Kirs’ office. She made a noise by way of affirmation. He was out and walking the street before he’d even thrown his jacket on.

As the crowd grew denser and the people louder, the pain distanced itself. Esmund spent a few minutes walking amongst the people, listening to them bargain, argue, and complain. Life was life, and it was ever moving. Out here, it didn’t feel so difficult to move on.

Power flared in the distance, though not so far his tether-sense didn’t react to it. Turning, he looked in the direction it came from. It was close to his home… A light flared into the sky, though this time the power was nearly undetectable.

“A ritual,” he muttered. Es’ eyes shot wide and power flooded through him. His carefully shaped Disciplines igniting around him. People screamed and jumped away as he lit up like a prism. Stone cracked and air rushed in his ears.

He didn’t follow the streets back to his home. Instead, he cut through backyards and alleys to get there faster. At The Touch Of A Finger, Esmund blew through garden gates and small walls. The only sign was a hole in the structure, a flash of heat, and a trail of dust.

It took him a minute. One minute to reach his home.

He saw the man enter his home. Silky clothes, too loose and thin to wear in Elusria. The second man didn’t quite get as far. He turned, sensing Esmund’s approach. Light flashed in his hand, a heat haze surrounding his fist as he struck forth.

Es lifted his hand before him. A rainbow of light filled the street, causing others to yell out as even the split energy was enough to cause waves of heat and start a fire on one too dry roof.

Esmund blew through the attack and then the man. Dust and heat washed over him as he stepped into his home. Two others were inside. Someone had entered before he’d arrived.

Protections surrounded Kirs’ office. Light, obsidian, and ice. One man, a warp like him, was already cutting his way through. The ritual’s barriers could not hold the splitting energies even for a moment, though they stopped their physical forms well enough.

Managing his energies, Esmund didn’t want to ruin his home. He stepped inside. One man cried out in Kisi when he saw him.

“Purists,” Es snarled at them.

The first man rushed him and blew to dust, while the other slashed the barriers, trying to get inside before Esmund could reach him. He wasn’t a second-stage tethered. The Purists wouldn’t risk a rare and strong tethered on a mission like this.

Looking at his panicked face, Es realized he was probably older than the boy. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter. They’d tried to kill his wife. Esmund blew the boy’s life to dust, the young tethered so panicked he couldn’t even swing his Dagger around to aim at Esmund. Not that it would’ve penetrated his own Shaped Discipline.

Scanning the area, Esmund didn’t find any other tethered. “Clear!” he yelled. Moments later, Kirs came running down from the second-floor and threw herself into his arms. Esmund saw only the blood on her shoulder.

“Are you okay?” he asked, pulling her close. He could feel the blood soaking into his shirt as they hugged, and he kissed her hair.

It took her a few moments to gather herself enough to answer him. “I got cut before getting the defenses up,” she coughed, then laughed. “At least, the space-circle worked.”

The space-circle had taken her from the office and into the bedroom so none of the Purists’ attacks would’ve hit her. From there, they had circles to Grevor, the palace, the academy, and even Rime’s Shadow.

“At least we know it works,” Esmund replied, kissing her hair again. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that he didn’t have an apprenticeship. “I love you,” he whispered to her.