Victor of Tucson-12.12 Student

Victor of Tucson-12.12 Student

12 – Student
“I hope we’re doing the right thing,” Efanie said, sipping her tea. She and Victor were sitting on the little patio that separated the main part of his house from the garden. She was talking about taking the girls out of school, though at that moment, she specifically meant Cora. Victor was planning a flight down to the capital to meet with Rellia and a delegation from First Landing, and he figured he might as well bring his ward along.
“It’s time. Those girls already know more than most of the Energy users on Fanwath. There were people younger than they are at the Wagon Wheel. Hell, I saw plenty of teens slaving away in Greatbone Mine.” He held up his hand to forestall the objection he saw coming, and added, “I’m not saying that’s right, I’m just saying it’s the world they live in, and sheltering them for too long isn’t going to do them any good. Let’s stick with what we decided and broaden their education with some practical learning.”
Efanie held her warm cup against her cheek as she looked out at the garden. The dew was steaming away in the sunlight, creating a very tranquil scene. After a few moments, she said, “You’re right. Cora was sheltered even by her father. She certainly had a rude awakening to reality after your duel, though.”
Victor sighed. “I did everything I could to—”
Efanie turned toward him, her eyes widening with dismay. “No, no! I’m sorry, Victor. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I think I’m just feeling overly protective. I see her as my child, you know. I’m worried about the situations you’ll bring her into—the danger.”
Victor smiled, shaking his head as he reached over the little table to squeeze her hand gently. “I don’t intend to drag her into battle. You can trust me to keep her safe. Even if I bite off more than I can chew, I’ll always make sure she’s got an exit plan.”
“And the other two? I wish you’d let me go with them to Zaafor.”
Victor shook his head. “No, that would defeat the purpose. I want them to have to rely on themselves. I want them to understand that none of us will be there to bail them out if they do something foolish. Don’t worry, though”—he patted the back of her hand again, then let go and leaned back in his chair—“I’ll make sure Ardek’s looking out for them; I just won’t let the girls know that.”
Efanie nodded, but Victor could see she was still thinking about it. Even so, their discussion came to a close when the three girls emerged from the house. Dalla and Deyni were in their school uniforms, but Cora wore slim-fitting black pants and a fitted white blouse, buttoned up to the collar. It was a very…
professional
style for her—polished black shoes, and half a dozen silver barrettes taming her wild hair completed the look.
Victor let out a low whistle as he stood, folding his arms as he gave the girls an appraising look. “Ready for the day, I see.”
Deyni ignored the comment, opting instead to whine, “I still don’t see why Dalla and I have to go to school. If we’re leaving in a week anyway, we could join Cora and help with—”
“Not a chance,” Efanie said, moving to stand beside Victor. “Cora needs to be attentive, and Victor can’t manage the three of you while trying to head off a possible
war
with the Ridonne Empire!”
Victor chuckled and shrugged. “Make the most of this last week. Say goodbye to your instructors and your friends. If I were you two, I’d ask your favorite teachers to write you letters of introduction—they might come in handy if you’re looking to apprentice somewhere in a few years.”
“Not likely,” Deyni said. “I intend to gain power through adventuring.”
Victor smiled, unable to argue with the sentiment. Still, he tried: “You’re not even halfway through the iron ranks. Talk to me when you’re trying to grind your way through tier eight, or when you become a steel seeker. I think your tune will change when you realize that not everything can be handed to you by the System.” As he said the words, a shiver of paranoia ran up and down his spine as he realized how close he was to behaving like the “disruptor” the System had labeled him.
Deyni turned to look sideways at Dalla, then leaned close and whispered in her ear, “As if we’re not going to apprentice with
him
.”
Victor smiled, but he pretended not to hear, looking instead at Cora. “Well? Shall we?”
“I’m nervous about flying so far,” she said, her voice almost timid.
Victor shook his head. “You don’t have to worry. We can stop to rest if you need it, and if your Energy doesn’t hold up, I’ll open a portal for us.” He waved to Deyni and Dalla. “We’ll see you in a few days.” Then, he motioned toward the garden path. “Walk with me, Cora. I don’t want to summon my wings this close to the house.”
Cora took a minute to hug Deyni and then Dalla, and Victor looked on, pleased as ever at how close the girls were. Deyni had made his home her own ever since the academy had been finished, and it always warmed his heart to see how like siblings the three girls had become. He turned to Efanie and said, “I’ll be in touch, but you can expect us back in a few days.”
“Good. Thayla will want to plan some sort of dinner—a send-off of some sort before you all leave for Zaafor.”
Victor nodded. “Perfect. Maybe invite Kethelket.”
Efanie looked down slightly, her cheeks blushing. “I will.”
Chuckling, Victor walked toward the path, calling over his shoulder. “Come on, already! You’ll see each other in a few days.” He kept walking, but soon he heard the click of Cora’s heels on the cobbles as she hurried after him. As they walked toward the gate that opened to the seaside trail, he said, “So, I’ve heard a bit about this spell of yours—the wings. I’m looking forward to finally seeing it.”
“I don’t use it often because…” She trailed off, and when Victor looked over his shoulder at her, he saw that she, too, was looking over
her
shoulder.
“What? Don’t want them to hear?” He pushed the garden gate open.
“Well, the spell makes me look scary, and you know how Fak was—I don’t want to be monstrous.”
Victor stopped in his tracks and looked at her, his smile fading. She’d taken to referring to her father as “Fak”—his first name—a year or two ago, so that wasn’t surprising to him, but this was the first he’d heard about her feeling troubled by her affinity. There wasn’t any disputing that she’d inherited it from her father, but that was the extent of the connection, as far as he was concerned. “Why do you say that? Blood isn’t inherently good or bad; I’ve known many Blood Casters who were healers and well-loved by their communities—or fellow soldiers!”
“It’s just kind of…” She hesitated, then shrugged. “Scary looking sometimes.”
“Are you kidding me? You know, one of my strongest affinities is fear, right? You wanna talk about scary-looking spells, you won’t find any sympathy from
me
!” He chuckled and nudged her shoulder. “Did Deyni say something to you?”
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“Not intentionally. I mean, she didn’t say
anything
, but it’s the looks… When Miss ap’Lasha taught me the spell and whenever we practice that kind of magic in class, I can see how the other students look at me.”
Victor sighed, shaking his head. “People are emotional, and, yeah, blood has a way of bringing up some kind of instinctual fear, you know? I mean, think about it—in nature, when you see blood, it’s usually a bad thing. It usually means something’s hurt. Anyway, it’s not a common affinity, but the more you travel and experience the world, the less that’ll matter to you—people’s reactions, I mean.” He stepped off the path and walked over to a patch of grass. “Let’s see these wings of yours.”
Cora nodded, turning to face him. She concentrated briefly, then Victor felt the familiar surge of her Energy and, almost like an eruption, a spray of blood burst from her back, fanning out behind her. At first, it seemed the blood would fall to the ground, but instead, it gathered in the air, spreading into a kind of lattice that rapidly filled in, condensing into deep-red wing membranes. In a matter of seconds, Cora stood before him with two enormous, crimson wings that reminded him more than a little of a dragon’s.
“Hah! Those are
fantastic
, Cora!” He couldn’t keep the smile off his face or the pride out of his voice as he added, “Anyone who’s acting scared of those wings is
jealous
!”
She must have heard his sincerity because she, too, began to smile as she looked down almost shyly. “Do you mean it?”
“Hell
yes
, I mean it!” Victor stepped closer, moving to the side to look at how the wings sprouted from her back—right through her white shirt, but failing to stain the material with even a drop. “That’s excellent control, Cora! Do you move them, or do they work purely off Energy and will?”
“I can move them.” She demonstrated, spreading the wings wide and then flapping them forward. Victor felt the gentle breeze of the displaced air. “But when I fly, they consume Energy, and I only flap them occasionally.”
Victor nodded. “Yeah, same with my magma wings—the more Energy I pour into them, the faster I go. I don’t really flap them at all.” He concentrated briefly, summoning his wings. They crackled into being, hissing and pouring off black smoke that drifted up into the sky. “Come on! Let’s see how it goes.” With that, he launched himself into the air, watching below him to see how Cora did.
He could feel her Energy surge as she snapped the wings down and flew after him. At first, he was impressed by her speed, thinking she’d have no trouble keeping up with him, but then he opened his inner eye and looked at her Core. She was bleeding Energy rapidly, and he figured she’d run out within a matter of minutes. As she came near, he yelled, “Good! Now let’s work on making your Energy last! Follow me!”
Victor turned and flew higher, out toward the ocean, and when he was something like a thousand feet up, he paused and waited for Cora again. “Let’s practice your gliding!” he yelled. “Spread your wings wide and feel for the drifts and currents of air. Angle your wings like sails, and let the wind carry you!”
He demonstrated, though, in truth, his wings were terrible for gliding; they were brutish, powerful things that dominated the winds with the force of his Energy, but Cora didn’t need to know that. He’d seen how Valla used the wind with her natural, feathered wings, and he’d spent enough time flying around, practicing gliding for fun, that he could give Cora a clear enough example of what to do.
As they worked their way southward, following the coast, he watched as her efforts gradually transitioned from struggling frustration to gleeful excitement as she improved and became better at it. They flew for nearly an hour before Cora slowly spiraled toward the ground, calling out, “I have to rest!”
Victor followed her down, and when they landed on the beach, he laughed when he saw the flushed excitement on her face. “You’re doing great!”
“It’s so
fun
! I haven’t flown like that before!”
Victor nodded. “I guess we need to teach your sisters how to fly so they’ll be more interested in letting you practice.”
Cora’s eyes shot toward him as he spoke, and her lips parted, like she was about to say something, but then she hesitated and looked away. When Victor didn’t say anything, watching her, waiting to see if she’d change her mind, she looked back at him and said, “They
are
my sisters, aren’t they?”
Victor smiled. “In my mind, yes. To anyone who matters, yes.”
“Does blood not matter?”
He shrugged, reaching into his spirit space to retrieve a platter of meats and cheeses. He sat down on the sand, putting the tray in his lap. “Sit down. Let’s have a snack.” When she sat cross-legged before him, he nodded to the tray. “Go on.” As she picked out a piece of cheese and then, after some deliberation, a piece of smoked whitefish, he said, “In all the ways that matter, you and those girls are sisters. We’re a family—a big, messy one, but a family nonetheless.”
“But Deyni has parents and real sisters, and—”
“Hold on.” Victor tilted his head, holding up a finger. “Did she tell you that?”
“No. I mean, I know Tellen isn’t her real father, but—”
Again, Victor interrupted her. “Don’t say ‘real.’ It’s not fair to Tellen. He’s real enough, don’t you think? He loves her, he provides for her, and he takes care of her mama.”
Cora looked up at him, her dark brown eyes pooling with unspent tears as they stared into his. The silence between them stretched for several long seconds, and then she blurted, “I think…” She shook her head, and Victor opened his mouth, wishing his tongue weren’t so clumsy, but she spoke again before he could, “I…”
Seeing she was struggling, Victor said, “Hey, forget it. I wasn’t trying to say anything—”
“I just… I want you to know I realize I’m lucky. I’m lucky Fak lost to
you
, and not some…” She trailed off, and a tear slipped free of her eye, sliding down her cheek.
Victor leaned forward, taking her hand. “
I’m
the lucky one. You don’t know how much richer you’ve made my life these last few years. I love all of you girls, but Cora, I’m very
proud
of you—of the person you’ve become.”
She wiped away her tears, sniffing as she looked away, blinking her eyes. She was smiling, though, and Victor breathed out a sigh, relieved to see she wasn’t upset, but just the opposite. “I want to make you proud,” she murmured, laughing in frustration as more tears began to flow down her cheeks. “I didn’t want to make a scene!”
Victor chuckled, leaning back on an elbow. “Look around, Cora. We’re all alone. No scene.” He pushed the tray closer. “Eat some more. What do you want to drink? Fruit juice? Tea? I’m not giving you any of my alcohol…”
She giggled. “Juice sounds good.”
They relaxed there for close to an hour, enjoying the sun and fresh air. The food Victor shared with her was from Ruhn, and it was rich in Energy, so by the time they’d finished their little snack, she was ready to fly again. They soared high over the beach, and Cora practiced gliding southward for another hour or so before she needed rest again. This time when they landed, Victor took out his teleportation array and began setting it up.
“No more flying?”
“Nah, we made it about halfway, but I think that’s enough practice for one day. My coach used to tell me that when you’re practicing, you should stop before you get sloppy—you want to do the move perfectly and quit on that note, so your subconscious continues to work on it while you’re resting.”
“
Coach
?”
Victor nodded. “Yeah. Think of him as a trainer—a teacher.”
“What was he teaching you?”
Victor shrugged. “Lots of things—how to win, how to lose, how to be a man.”
“How to lose?”
He nodded, placing another stone in the circle. “Yeah. You can’t always win, but the way you handle things when you lose says a lot about you.”
“What…” She hesitated, maybe trying to choose the right words. “What’s the
right
way to lose?”
“Don’t make excuses. Don’t cry about it. Focus on what you did right and learn from what you did wrong.”
As he placed the last stone, he locked eyes with her and added, “I mean, we’re talking about life in general, right? You gotta be smart about what you get yourself involved in because it’s hard to learn a lesson if you’re dead.” He knew the words were a little harsh, considering how her father had died, but he knew she was thinking the same thing.
“Will you teach me to fight?”
The question caught Victor off guard. “Haven’t you already been learning—”
“No, Victor! I mean,
really
fight. Killing monsters in a dungeon with Deyni and Dalla isn’t real fighting. The self-defense drills they teach us at the academy aren’t
real
fighting. I want to learn to fight like you.”
Victor put his hands on his hips, giving her an appraising look. She’d surprised him a lot that day, but he never would have guessed their conversation would take that turn. “What do you mean about the dungeon? Why isn’t that
real
fighting?”
“It’s too easy! The monsters are predictable, and Deyni and Dalla are too
good
. I never feel any risk. If I had to fight someone…” She looked toward the sky, squinting as she searched for the words.
“Like me?”
She blew out her breath, shaking her head. “Well, I wasn’t going to say that, but someone
dangerous
, maybe.”
Victor nodded. “Okay,
chica
. I guess you’re in luck because you bet your ass I’m going to teach you to fight. I was planning on it.”
Her eyes widened, and she beamed at him. “Truly?”
“Yep. And you can forget about those fancy fencing lessons they teach at the academy. It’s about time I took on a student of the axe.”

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12.12 Student