A strange wave of tiredness washed over me. Not exhaustion from training. My muscles still felt ready and my circulation steady. But a heavy, dragging desire to sleep. Even with everything happening, with Serith gone and the mainland looming, it didn’t feel like I should be tired.
Not to mention that I still needed to exercise to lock in my refinement. But with Thea close by, and the beasts resting peacefully near the Dragon Vein, the pressure eased just a little.
So I lay down, letting my back sink into the earth, and closed my eyes.
I fell asleep almost immediately.
Movement. Fast, like being dragged through rapids. Twisting and turning, then a voice.
“It’s his birthday today…”
A young woman gripped the boy’s hand, squeezing gently, comforting him. “I know…” she murmured.
Tommy shook in Mar’s arms, his shoulders trembling as he hid his face against her. Her expression shifted. Fear and grief flashing for a moment before she forced herself to stay composed, to stay steeled for him. “It’s alright,” she whispered. “We’ll be alright now.”
A door opened in another room. This one was dim, the only window covered by wooden blinds that let in thin, broken lines of light.
The home wasn’t large, not unlike the group home from my past. Maybe just a few rooms with a glance at this one. It was livable, but missing things that should have been there. No hum of electricity. Just still air and the creak of wood.
“We’re home!” two girls called, their voices overlapping in an eerie, familiar harmony. They sounded chipper, not overly excited, but definitely not matching the heavy mood in the room.
Lacy and Lindsey stepped into the main area, peeking their heads around the doorway.
One grinned as the other’s head appeared just behind her. “Guess what we got,” Lacy sang, drawing out the word.
They both stepped through, and in Lacy’s hands was a thin box wrapped in clear film, displaying a full cake covered in glazed fruit, colors dulled slightly but still bright enough to look appetizing.
Lindsey’s smile faltered when she noticed the two at the table. Seeing Tommy clinging to Mar, she slowed, her voice softening even though it stayed light. “Tommy,” she said quietly. “Hey, want to see what I learned at the academy today?”
Tommy lifted his head from Mar’s shoulder, eyes red, and glanced past her arms toward Lindsey. He hesitated for a heartbeat, then gave a small nod.
She lifted her hands, palms up.
A tiny spark of light flickered into existence above one hand, a single glowing node. It quivered, then split into two, then four. The lights multiplied again, rising and brightening the room in soft, warm tones. Then—
pop-pop-pop
—one after another, they burst gently, changing into different colors like miniature, quiet fireworks blooming in the dim space.
Mara looked up, eyes widening. “That’s incredible, Lindsey.”
“Yeah, yeah. Praise the show-off,” Lacy muttered, rolling her eyes, though there was no real bite in it. “But don’t forget,
I
brought cake.”
Tommy slid off Mar’s and moved to his own worn chair, gaze drawn to the box in Lacy’s hands. “Is Marcus coming?” he asked.
Her smile faltered, just a fraction, but she held it. “No. He’s busy keeping everything stable,” she said. “Running the academy is one thing, but…”
Mar reached out and patted Lacy’s hand as she sat down beside her. “It’s really incredible someone so young can do so many amazing things,” she said softly.
Lindsey laughed, stepping over to a small drawer and pulling out a slightly dulled knife. “She’s just a little sad they haven’t gotten to see each other recently,” she teased. “To think—before they looked at each other dreamily, she’d tease him every time Peter brought him over. Maybe it was a sign.”
“We do not—” Lacy started, ready to refute it, but Tommy cut her off.
“I saw them kissing,” he said matter-of-factly. “Just outside last week.”
Lacy went beet red, dropping her forehead to the table. Mara’s expression shifted, a flicker of concern cutting through her fondness. “He’s a little older…” she murmured.
“Three years,” Lacy shot back, voice muffled as she buried her face in her arms in an attempt to hide.
Mar stood, smoothing her skirt as she went to the small cupboard and pulled out a stack of mismatched plates. On the table, the cake was cut into even pieces. “I hope that academy is teaching you more than just magic and… fighting,” she said, setting plates down one by one.
Lacy sighed, slumping a little in her chair. “Marcus has been trying to get some actual teachers,” she said. “But everything’s changed so much. So many people are—” she cut herself off, searching for the word, “—gone. Or busy. It’s hard to find anyone, and harder to find anyone willing.”
They went quiet for a moment as everyone settled in, sitting down around the small table.
“Wherever he went off to, I hope he’s alright,” Tommy said, grabbing his fork and tugging his slice closer. He took the first bite, eyes widening slightly at the taste.
The others nodded and followed his lead, eating in relative silence. Smiles slowly crept across their faces as the flavor sank in, cutting through the heaviness hanging over the room, if only for a moment.
After a few mouthfuls, Tommy swallowed and glanced up. “So, what kind of things
do
you do there?” he asked.
“The academy?” Lindsey replied, licking a bit of glaze from her thumb. “Well, mostly train our powers. Small things. Control, shaping, that kind of stuff. Though some of the older guys head out on missions. Probably completing quests. I know some head out to expand the safe zone.”
“It’s pretty hands-off,” Lacy added. “But there is a sort of loose schedule. When Marcus comes back, he teaches everyone in a group, at least.”
Lindsey suddenly started giggling.
Lacy elbowed her. “Knock it off.”
But the giggling only got worse, turning into little snorts she tried and failed to smother behind her hand.
Mara frowned, though there was a hint of curiosity there. “What’s so funny?” she asked.
Lindsey opened her mouth, but Lacy cut in sharply. “Don’t you
dare
…”
Lindsey’s grin widened, but she clamped her lips shut. She exhaled hard through her nose. “Fiiine,” she muttered. “Anyway, there’s not much else going on. The youngest kids are watched over. Some live there if they have—uhh… nowhere else to go. And that’s it.”
“Sounds fun,” Tommy said, his mood clearly lighter now as he took another bite of cake.
“Someone mentioned a gate opening up north,” Mara said after a moment, her voice quieter. “You hear anything about that?”
Lacy chewed a few more times, clearly savoring her piece of cake before answering. She set the fork down and wiped her fingers on a worn napkin. “Not much,” she admitted. “Just what the hunters said when they came through last week.”
Tommy glanced up, interest pricking through his sadness. “Hunters?”
“Yeah,” Lacy continued, leaning her elbows on the table. “From the outer ridge. They said the gate opened near that broken rail line, you know? The one that runs along the cliffs.” She traced an invisible line on the table with her finger. “Apparently it didn’t spit out any flying monsters this time.”
“Ground types?” Mar asked, frowning.
Lacy nodded. “They said some people got pinned down, so it was a little difficult.”
Mara’s fingers tightened slightly on her plate. “But they closed it?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Lacy said. “It was handled. That’s what they told Marcus, at least. The academy sent a few older guys to help, but by the time they got there, most of it was already under control. Only a few people got injured.” She paused, then added, “At least, that’s the official line.”
Tommy’s gaze dropped to his cake, and the table fell into a brief silence, the earlier lightness dimming again.
He cleared his throat after a moment. “When do you think I’ll get powers?” he asked, a little too casually.
Lindsey leaned forward, eyes sparkling, but Tommy quickly pulled his dish away protectively.
She clicked her tongue. “I wasn’t gonna take it,” she said. “It was just dramatic effect.”
“Sure,” he replied, clearly not believing her.
“Honestly though, it’s hard to tell,” Lacy said, turning her fork between her fingers. “Maybe a few years, maybe…” She let the rest trail off, not finishing.
He shrugged, trying to make his shoulders look relaxed. “Never is fine. I was only wondering.” But there was a clear desire in his tone.
Mara dragged his chair closer with a scrape, wrapping him in a tight hug he tried to squirm out of. “What? You already want to leave me here alone?” she asked, half teasing, half serious. “Who’s gonna accompany me out if you don’t?”
He fought it for a second, then quickly gave up, letting himself be imprisoned in her arms.
“We won’t be going for another couple days,” Lacy said, lifting her slice with exaggerated delicacy. “So if he wants to abandon you, we’ll be here.” She put on the feigned tone of a loving child eager to please Mara.
Mara rolled her eyes. “You two girls didn’t even go shopping with me before all this.”
“Neither did Tommy,” Lindsey snickered. “Only Peter did.”
“It seems like they’re doing well…” The thought slipped through, soft and aching. “I wish I could talk to you all.”
The room went quiet.
Peter frowned inwardly. “Did something happen? Why’d they stop talking?” The air shifted, the easy warmth folding into confusion.
They turned.
Toward him.
“A—are they looking—"
“Peter?” Tommy said in disbelief.
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