Ravenfire

“So, who sent the note?”

Emma asked me the next morning while we were preparing in our room for the day ahead of us. She usually went to bed really early, so she was already asleep by the time I went back to the dormitory last night.

“It was Elliot. He wanted to apologise,” I replied as I was putting on my shoes.

“Oh. I’m glad things are going well between you two then,” she said with genuine relief.

She noticed that the flowers in the vases on her desk were starting to wilt, so she touched them. The golden powder gathered around them and brought them back to life again. It was then when I realised that she hadn’t changed those flowers since the start of the school year.

Once she was finished, she turned to me. “Shall we go get some breakfast?”

On our way to the dining hall, a crowd of students gathered in the hallway. It was rather unusual because the hallway would normally be empty at this hour. Something was wrong. We curiously approached them to find out what the commotion was all about.

“What happened?” I asked Arabella, who was standing there alone without her two friends Rose and Leslie.

“Dead student. Could be murder,” Arabella replied with a serious look. Her arms were folded as she stood.

“Within the school walls? Were there any witnesses?” Emma was concerned.

“No witnesses.” She looked rather irked to find Emma talking to her.

“So there could be a murderer on the loose?”

“Possibly. They haven’t identified the cause of death yet. It could be anything.”

Was this what Emrys Blackthorn was warning about?

“Excuse me. I’m going to have a look at the body.” I pushed my way forward through the crowd of students until I could catch a glimpse of the victim. He was lying on the ground as if he was merely holding his breath and closing his eyes peacefully. From the initial look, there seemed to be no signs of any open wounds nor struggle. One could even suppose that he would suddenly spring up back to life and announce that it was all just an elaborate prank. In a school of mages, nearly anything is possible when you’re dealing with the unknown.

Eventually, the professors came and made the crowd disperse as they covered the body with cloth and carried it off somewhere out of sight to investigate the incident. There was nothing left to do in the hallway, so I left to have myself some breakfast before going to the classroom.

Upon entering the classroom, I looked around to see the place full of students engaging in chatter about rumours pertaining to the latest incident. Still no sign of Rose. The assignment’s deadline was fast approaching. At this rate, I would have to work on it on my own.

Salamander was leaning against the wall alone, deep in thought. When I was walking past him, he suddenly said with sarcasm, “This is turning out to be a fun school year, isn’t it?”

I stopped in place and turned towards him. “If cadavers are your thing, Salamander, I heard there’s a cemetery just outside the castle full of them you can have a tea party with.”

He smiled out of annoyance. “Remember what Prof. Philomela said that night at the other castle? The disturbance she was talking about is already starting.” He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “If I were you, I’d stay vigilant.”

“Good morning, Remina,” Elliot suddenly greeted me with a shy smile. None of us noticed him standing there, so it startled us.

“Good morning, Elliot,” I returned his greeting.

Satisfied, Elliot went to his seat and prepared his belongings for class.

Salamander looked like he was shocked to the core. “Since when have you become friends with Elliot? Last time I checked, he ran away from you in the middle of class.”

I folded my arms. “Are you even the least bit concerned? Or are you just here for the tea?”

He thought about it. “A bit of both.”

“I always liked your honesty.”

“Is that sarcasm?” He looked offended.

“Who knows?” I gave him a smug smile.

He flashed me a glare before moving to his seat. I also went to mine, which was right beside an empty chair meant for Rose. I noticed that Leslie and Arabella were already around. I found it strange that they looked rather unconcerned about the absence of their friend.

“Where’s Rose?” I asked Leslie.

“She had to go somewhere. I’m not sure when she’ll be back,” she looked unhappy talking to me.

“And that somewhere is?”

“She didn’t say. Probably some relative’s place.”

Suspicious.

I was about to ask her more questions, but something seemed to have caught her attention. I turned my head and saw Toad talking to Emma. Leslie did not look happy about it. I could tell by the way she was about to snap her pencil in half.

Toad offered his canteen to Emma. “I have water here if you need some.”

That probably isn’t water.

I stood up immediately and ran to them. “Emma! Don’t!” I grabbed the canteen from her hands.

“Remina? What’s wrong?” Emma was surprised.

“It’s not water. It’s…” I smelled the canteen.

It’s water.

Toad grinned. “Silly Remina. You thought I’d offer the sweet girl rakija?”

Frustrated, I returned the canteen to Emma. “Nevermind. Carry on,” I said and walked away, eager to be out of the conversation.

Once I walked out, however, an angry Leslie approached them. “Toad, what do you think you’re doing offering water to her?”

“Emma was thirsty,” Toad reasoned, sounding rather oblivious about what he did wrong.

“Someone else can offer her water. Why does it have to be you?”

“Because I’m literally just one metre away from her?” He still didn’t get it.

“You shouldn’t try to control him, Leslie. It’s not healthy,” said Emma out of genuine concern for Toad.

“You stay out of this, Sweetblossom.” Leslie glared at her before she had to return to her seat for class.

It looked like Emma just got her name on Leslie’s list.

The dining hall wasn’t my preferred place to study because it was usually noisy during weekdays, but it was a Saturday. That meant everyone except the first years went to have lunch at the nearby town and spend the afternoon there. Meanwhile, us new students who aren’t allowed to wander beyond the academy grounds yet have to stay and attend afternoon classes on a Saturday. At least the dining hall is quiet.

“Do you mind if I eat lunch with you?” Elliot shyly asked me as I sat alone.

I looked up from my notes. “Not at all.”

He sat down in front of me and started eating his meal. After a minute, he noticed that I was staring at him, waiting for him to say something. He began to get self-conscious.

“What?” he asked, wondering if there was a problem.

“Usually, when someone asks to sit with me, they want something from me,” I replied. “What is it that you need?”

Elliot tilted his head a little out of confusion. “Nothing. I just wanted some company.”

I examined his face for a moment to make sure he was telling the truth. He seemed to be genuine about it. “Alright.”

“I noticed you usually eat alone. Doesn’t it get lonely?”

“We’re not the same, Elliot. I enjoy solitude.”

He sighed. “You’re right. We’re not the same. I don’t like being alone, but I seem to always end up alone anyway.”

I looked him in the eyes. “I might prefer to be alone, but I wouldn’t mind having company either.”

He stared at me for a few seconds. “So it’s alright if I stay?”

“You’re not annoying like Salamander. You can stay.”

He looked really happy about it. He remained silent as he ate his meal. I went back to reading my notes. We spent a nice peaceful moment in the dining hall as other first years came and went.

“What’s on your mind?” he suddenly asked after several minutes. He probably noticed me staring off into space.

I looked at him. “Besides schoolwork and the recently deceased student? Rose’s disappearance, probably.”

“Sounds like you have a lot on your plate.”

“When was the last time you saw Rose, Elliot?”

He searched his memory. “Thursday. I saw her with Leslie and Arabella right after class ended.”

“She was supposed to meet me that day, but she never showed up. Something is strange about all this.”

“You should consult the professor.”

“You’re right. I probably should.”

After parting ways with Elliot, I decided to pay the professor a visit and knocked on his office door. “Prof. Ariston?”

Prof. Ariston opened the door. He was surprised to see me. “Yes, Ms. Ravenfire. How may I help you?”

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but I have some concerns that I think you might be able to shed some light on,” I said, maintaining an appropriate respectful tone.

He sensed the urgency of my statement. “Let’s talk inside.” He let me inside and closed the door.

I walked in front of his desk and sat on one of the chairs. I began to explain, “This is about my seatmate Rose. I was supposed to meet her last Thursday to do our assignment together, but she never showed up. I haven’t seen her since. Not in class nor anywhere in the academy. Her friends say she left somewhere. Did she say anything to you, Professor?”

He shook his head. “No, she didn’t, but it isn’t uncommon for a student to flee in the middle of a term. We often have first years who have been forced to attend the academy by their relatives. They find it unbearable and run away. We usually catch them and bring them back.”

I didn’t know Rose well enough to assume that she didn’t fit that category.

“I will look into it. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. Now, are there any other pressing concerns you wish to bring up?”

I remembered Emrys Blackthorn’s message. “I have one other concern…”

The professor waited for me to continue.

“Emrys Blackthorn contacted me. This Focus I’m using apparently belongs to him.” I held my necklace.

He remained calm and listened to me seriously. “What did he tell you?”

“He wants me to find his diary. He said the academy is in danger.”

“Oh dear. I’m afraid his diary was lost in a fire. Years ago, a thief broke into the academy and stole some items which belonged to Emrys Blackthorn. He ran off and hid inside a wooden shack at a remote village where he perished in a fire.” He pointed at my Focus. “That necklace of yours was among the items he stole. It’s a miracle that it made it back safely to the academy.” He paused. “No, perhaps it’s no miracle… Perhaps it is fate that it ended up in your hands.”

“I really don’t know what to do, Professor. He was being awfully vague about it. Who is the enemy? What is causing it?”

He shook his head. “Unfortunately, I also don’t have the answers to those questions. Stay vigilant. Wait for Emrys Blackthorn’s next message. The other professors and I will do what we can to monitor the situation.”

“The student that died this morning… Was it of natural causes?”

The professor’s expression was grave when he sighed. “It was unfortunately magical. We haven’t yet figured out how it was done. Do keep this knowledge to yourself. We do not want to cause panic and hysteria among the students.”

“Yes, Professor. Thank you for your time. I must get to my next class now.” I stood up to leave.

“Come to me if you discover anything important. Stay safe, Ms. Ravenfire.”

How I ended up at the Martial Club room on a Saturday late afternoon was a rather interesting story. I was walking to the dormitory, minding my own business, when a stray dagger flew past me and lodged itself into the wall. I would have been killed if I hadn’t stopped to fix my satchel. I examined the dagger and pulled it out, wondering if the enemy had already marked me for death. That theory was eventually put to rest when Lysander and his clubmates came running to me.

“I am so sorry, Remina! Are you alright?” Lysander was out of breath.

“You threw this?” I asked, showing him the dagger.

He sighed. “Yes. I was testing out a spell combined with a dagger throw. I didn’t think it’d be hard to control. I’m so glad it missed you.”

“You know I almost got killed, right?”

“Yes. I'm terribly sorry. Please don’t tell the professors. I really don’t want to be banned from participating in club activities,” he begged.

“I’ll forgive you if you let me keep the dagger. It looks nice.”

“The dagger isn’t ours. It’s school property.”

“A shame.” I gave the dagger one last look of admiration before handing it back to him.

“The best I can do is let you borrow our weapons for practice, but only if you use them within the club room. Headmaster Scheep will have my head if he finds anyone using the club weapons around the campus.”

“Done. You’re forgiven.”

And so, I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon with the Martial Club, honing our abilities to stab straw targets more effectively and looking cool while doing it.

“Thanks for letting me practise here,” I said to Lysander as we were both resting on a bench.

Lysander smiled. “No problem. I like that you spend your free time practising. I just wish you could have joined the club this year. If you’re still interested next year though, a spot is always open for you.”

“We’ll see.” It all depends on whether or not a certain snake boy decides to join.

He suddenly turned towards one male student who was on his way out. “Are you joining us in town later, Cy?”

I recognized him. He was that student with Lysander on the day of the Martial Club tryouts.

“I can’t join you today. I have to meet Prof. Philomela at the library later. One of the references I need is in the Endless Library,” replied the one called Cy. “Enjoy. See you tomorrow!”

My eyes widened at his words. How could I have forgotten? The Endless Library! If a book had been completely destroyed, a copy would exist there.

I now had my sights set on the next step.