“Good to know,” she murmured as they walked out into the bright sunshine. She vaguely heard Eric telling the receptionist dude that if anyone else came in to be tested, to send someone for them at the library.
“There you...are?” Raphael had noticed her coming outside and come over to greet her, only to belatedly notice she was holding onto Stephen’s arm. Perplexed by their closeness, he quickly shut up.
She smiled at him, saying quietly, “Thanks for bringing me here. I was accepted!” She paused, then went on, “They’re going to take me to the library. Sorry for making you wait for me, but I’ll find my own way back.”
He had a complicated look on his face, but finally, he nodded brusquely. Apparently, he didn't dare to say much more in front of the three examiners, who had by now all exited the building. “Congratulations.” He paused, then seemed to decide to try and leave with some of his dignity. “I’ve got work to do, so I’ll see you later.”
“Kay, later!” she chirped happily. She had noticed his discomfort, but there wasn’t much to do about it. She didn’t have the experience necessary to coddle his wounded ego. Instead, she watched as he turned and left, then smiled at the three men and said cheerfully, “Let’s go!”
They nodded and walked her across the way to the library while she stared at passersby and let Stephen lead her. Sometimes it was useful being led around because they could pay attention for her. She did notice several people staring at them and whispering, but she paid them no mind. A young skeleton walking with three super buff dudes was a pretty weird sight, after all. The three of them were talking softly about various things, having noticed that it was useless to say anything to her, given her noticeably distracted gaze.
They opened the door to the library, seeming to come to a tacit agreement to stop talking once they entered the quiet and much darker corridor. She peered more closely at the balls of glowing light hanging on the wall, finally remembering that she hadn’t fiddled around with her new light magic yet. She happily breathed in the scent that all books seemed to have. She’d never known it could be this concentrated.
They got to the desk, and she started paying attention. There reading a book was Lucas, and he seemed distracted as he asked lazily, “Pass?” He looked up and saw the three men, immediately jumping to his feet. “Eric, Stephen, Jarom. What brings you here?” He then caught sight of her on Stephen’s arm and whispered in disbelief, “Jade?”
“Oh good, I see you remembered my name.”
Chapter Twelve – Light
She pulled out her shiny new card and held it up. “Oh right, you said you needed this, didn’t you?” She was smirking smugly at the moment. The dumbfounded look on his face was utterly priceless.
It wasn’t until Eric, Stephen, and Jarom burst into laughter at the sight of him that it seemed like a light bulb went off and he gave a little chuckle. “Nice one, Eric, didn’t think you’d go so far for a joke. Where’d you find her?” This seemed to set them off even further, and he looked a little confused because she was still smirking evilly at him. Seeing her confidence, he faltered a little. “It’s…not a joke?”
“Not a joke.” She grinned and passed her card over. “I’m the newest recruit of Dracona Academy.” She almost felt a little bad for him, seeing his lost look. The other three hadn’t caught their breath yet, because just when one was about to calm down, they’d notice Lucas’s lost puppy eyes and start back up again, which set off the other two. He was looking distinctly uncomfortable, and she decided he’d suffered enough humiliation. He’d just been doing his job yesterday, albeit rudely.
“Let’s start over. I’m Jade Winward, a traveler who arrived yesterday. I’m also a healer. It’s nice to meet you...” She stuck out her hand for him to shake, her evil smile replaced by a much kinder one. The other three had finally shut up and were watching them curiously.
Lucas glanced at them as if asking if what she said was true, then back to her and her hand. Meeting her gaze directly, he seemed like he was trying to see into her soul, and she vaguely realized he was trying to sense motive her or something. So she just smiled amiably and kept her hand out, even though her muscles were protesting the movement. Finally, he sighed, seeming to accept that this was his reality. “Lucas Solanell. It’s nice to meet you, Lady Jade.” With that, he took her hand, and turning it, bent over and gave it the barest brush of his lips.
She snatched her hand back, staring at him, then glowering at the other three for an explanation of what the heck had just happened. Eric took pity on her. “As a traveler, you’re automatically conferred the title of a lady.” She stared at him blankly. Glancing at Jarom and Stephen, they nodded at her.
She sighed, then seemed to make up her mind as she nodded. Turning to Lucas, she urged him, “Can I get my card back? It seems I have quite a lot of reading to do.”
He mutely handed her the card back, which she pocketed and then regarded the library behind him as she asked, “Okay, what are the rules here? How’s it all organized?”
“You can only read the books here, and they’re organized by subject. There are markers on the end of each shelf.” Okay, well at least that was easy enough. “You’ll also need a light.” Lucas had reached behind the desk and pulled out four little glass balls lit up from within, like the ones she’d seen on the sconces and scattered across his desk before, only not mounted. It seemed he was trying to be helpful to make up for his gaffe yesterday.
She picked one up, studying it. “Did you make these?” She glanced at Lucas as she asked.
Seeming a little startled that she’d guessed that, he responded, “Yeah, but how’d you know that?”
She pretty much completely ignored his question, fascinated by the pretty dancing light. She switched the orb to her left hand, holding her right hand next to it and concentrating. Light is energy. She felt that warm spark inside of her as she willed a little ball of light into being on her hand. When it slowly winked into existence, she grinned triumphantly and looked at the guys to show them. They were staring at her strangely, not celebrating with her like she had anticipated. Defensively, she asked, “What? Do I have something on my face?”
It was Lucas who asked in a stilted tone, “Did you just learn how to do light magic right now?” His voice was super tense, and she tilted her head, studying him curiously.
“Well it’s my first time using it, but I studied the lights in the hallway a little yesterday. What? Stop staring at me like I’m crazy!” She crushed the light in her hand, letting it wink out as she glared at them.
Eric muttered softly, “That’s three already… What’s the limit?” She sighed. They would just have to get used to it because there was no way she was going to hide all the cool things she could do, and technically, that was going to be six, once she stole metal from him.
Instead, she just smiled and said simply, “Just accept that my gift means there probably is no limit. Can you find that book on Dracona for me?” He had seemed pretty confident of it, and she had no desire to search through everything trying to find stuff when she could just ask and better spend her time reading.
“Sure, I’ll grab it. Is there anything else in particular you want to look at?”
She paused thoughtfully, then nodded. “Yes, actually. I’d like a simple introduction to the various types of magic if there is one. If there’s a comprehensive list of known skills, that would also be nice. I also need something on etiquette, if there’s an explanation of the nobility and any duties that would come with being a lady, and anything you have on travelers. I’d also like anything about the use of medicine specifically.” She paused, pondering. “I think that’s probably enough to start.”