Author’s Notes:
I’m finally feeling up to doing some writing again, so here’s the chapter I had halfway completed before I relapsed.
I’m not sure how often I’ll be putting out chapters, but I have to start somewhere, so here you go.
I hope you enjoy.
*********
Mom is right, I am a trouble magnet, I think to myself as I watch Pacore wave childishly up at us from the center of the quarry.
I swear, if the man waved his hand any faster, he was going to take off like an airplane. Heck, I’m pretty sure Pacore would probably draw less attention if he did somehow start flying, and isn’t that a terrible thought; Pacore, flying.
Thankfully, I don’t think he’ll be joining me in the skies any time soon.
No, Pacore’s feet remained firmly planted on the ground, thank the gods, as more people stopped working to laugh with their friends. A few braver individuals even openly pointed at him, as if he were a simpleton, momentarily forgetting who he was and what he could do to them if he weren’t so committed to his carefully crafted persona.
The idiots likely thought Pacore wouldn’t notice them amongst the crowd, at least not while he was focusing on Mom and me. Joke's on them, it wasn’t Pacore they should be worried about.
Pacore’s charisma and the sheer weight of his presence naturally drew everybody’s attention, so much so that it didn’t surprise me that everyone seemed to forget about my stony-faced friend, Tabitha. It was hard to get a clear look at her from this distance, but I didn’t need to see her face to know that she was currently frowning at the individuals in question.
While Pacore was hamming it up for the crowd, I was positive she was dutifully scanning their surroundings like a hawk on the hunt, no doubt cataloging everybody she perceived as being overtly malicious towards her master, and I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who knew this.
Tabitha might as well be invisible, standing like a statue in Pacore’s shadow, but judging by how her hand was hovering dangerously above her sword hilt, she was more than a little annoyed by how many people were openly mocking her master, no matter how intentional it was on his part.
I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if a few people suffered minor accidents over the next few days— nothing Anastasia couldn’t fix with her limited healing abilities— but all the same.
Tabitha will probably get away with it, too, after all, no one would ever expect someone as strong and as quiet as her to be that petty.
I don’t think she’ll do anything too extreme, but at the same time, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if everyone laughing a bit too hard woke up tomorrow with an unexplained injury they suffered in the middle of the night. Which begged the question: was Pacore doing all this to annoy me—or Tabitha?
Either way, I wasn’t going to give Pacore the satisfaction of reacting. Mom, on the other hand—
“Don’t encourage him,” I hiss while scowling at Mom as I stop her from raising her hand and waving back, much to her amusement.
“Oh, please, are you telling me you weren’t going to wave to Tabitha?” Mother gives me a knowing look, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, not now that you said something,” I cross my arms and huff immaturely while refusing to make eye contact with her.
“Remind me again how you and Pacore are any different?” Mother pokes me where I’m most vulnerable, my pride, and my side, making me bristle.
“Because I’m me, and he’s him,” I proclaim nonsensically while dodging Mother’s second attempt at impaling me with one of her bony fingers.
“Of course, because that makes sense,” Mom nods along with mirth in her eyes.
While Mother and I were bantering with each other, Pacore and Tabitha started making their way towards us. They only needed to start walking towards the quarry's exit for everybody to move out of their way as if an invisible force field surrounded the duo.
There wasn’t—I double-checked.
“See, I told you Tabitha was fine,” Mother whispers to me as she leans over and reassuringly pats me on the back as my friend and her master walk out of the quarry and make their way closer to us. Tabitha didn’t have a hair out of place, looking as rigidly immaculate as ever, but there was a notable aura of softness surrounding her as she dutifully walked behind Pacore.
As usual, Pacore was all smiles as he approached us, looking like I was here to deliver him a present. To me, his smile looked like a mask meant to hide what he was really feeling, but I wasn’t sure if that was my paranoia talking or if I was sensing something else from the man.
As Pacore drew even closer, I could tell he was excited to talk to me; I could see it written all over his smug, bearded face. He was going to be insufferable; I just knew it. How the hell was I going to get him to leave so that I could talk to Tabitha in private?
“Aaliyah, so nice to see—”
Pacore tried to greet me, but before he could finish, Mom surprised all of us by stepping in front of him and hooking her arm around his in one fluid motion. She looked funny because of his invisible armor preventing her from touching him directly, but Mom didn’t appear to be bothered by it. In fact, it almost looked like she’d done this before.
“Master Pacore, it’s so good to see you again. How was your morning walk?” Mom interjects smoothly as she spins herself and Pacore around before leading him away, leaving a slightly stunned Tabitha behind with me. “My daughter would like to speak to her friend in private. I assume that’s okay with you?” She asks redundantly, never breaking stride.
I’ll give this to Pacore; he isn’t caught off guard easily. If he had frozen for even a split second, Mother wouldn’t have been able to move him an inch from where he was standing. Instead, he understood what Mom was intending from the moment she reached out to take his arm and allowed her to pull him along with her, never dropping that carefree smile of his.
“It’s no problem at all,” Pacore tilts his head back and laughs boisterously as if Mother had just told him the funniest joke ever. “I’m in no rush,” he shoots me a cocky grin over his shoulder. “Feel free to take your time.” That last bit was directed at Tabitha.
“Understood, Master,” I feel one of my eyebrows twitch as I watch my friend bow to Pacore respectfully.
“Forgive me, but where did our last conversation end?” And with that little back and forth, Pacore turns his entire attention to Mother as she deftly leads him away from us.
“I believe I was telling you about how frustrated she was when her brother turned ten and was finally able to distribute his status points. Aaliyah pouted for weeks when she learned she could no longer outrun him with his new stats.” Mom giggled like a schoolgirl flirting with her senior. I knew it was all an act on her part to help me, but come on, Mom. Really?
“Is that so?” I watch Pacore lean in closer to my mom as if interested in hearing more. “Tell me everything; I’m sure you have loads of stories. I hear she’s quite competitive.”
“The most,” Mom agrees a little too quickly for my opinion. And did she really need to smile that much?
Kill me now. If I could dig a hole and bury myself, I would. At least wait until you’re out of earshot, Mom! “Why must my family torment me so? Haven’t I been a dutiful daughter?” I collapse to my knees theatrically and whine up at the sky.
“I see you’ve regained your usual energy,” Tabitha notes emotionlessly from beside me at my over-the-top antics.
“Yeah, I guess I have.” I stand up slowly, turning to face my friend. “You look good, too,” I try to compliment her, but my voice comes out squeakier than I would’ve preferred, betraying my unease.
“I’m the same as I was yesterday,” Tabitha tells with a straight face, as if she hasn’t been mentally skipping everywhere since we returned to the village to find Pacore waiting for us. Most wouldn’t notice it because of her usual stony appearance, but after spending two months alone with her, surviving together, I knew all of Tabitha’s little tells. She couldn’t hide her happiness from me, that’s what made this so hard.
She never slouched, but at the same time, Tabitha’s posture wasn’t as rigid as it usually was. She wasn’t even this relaxed during the New Year’s festival when she was drinking and chatting with everybody. Her expression was blank, but there was a softness behind her eyes that I’ve only ever seen on very rare occasions. However, the biggest sign that she was more relaxed than usual was her hands.
Ever since I first noticed Tabitha down in the quarry, all the way up until now, she hadn’t touched her sword’s hilt even once. One of her hands might have been hovering above it while she and Pacore were surrounded by people mocking him, but in the end, she’d never physically touched her sword. That might not sound like a big deal, but it was extremely telling for her.
Tabitha’s sword was like her emotional support weapon. Whether she was sitting and relaxing or just casually strolling around the village, ten times out of ten, Tabitha’s hand was resting on the pommel of her sword.
Other than extenuating circumstances, I don’t think I’ve seen her go five minutes without intentionally brushing her fingers up against it the entire time I’ve known her. Heck, Tabitha slept every night in the magic-dense region with her hand resting on her sword, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she did the same in Camden’s house, that’s just the kind of person she is—
So, to see Tabitha go so long without subconsciously caressing her sword was a little nerve-wracking to say the least; it was like watching a fish drown, or the sun refusing to shine.
“Uh-huh,” I eye Tabitha up and down, checking for any new injuries she might be trying to hide courtesy of Pacore. Of course, I find nothing— No surprises there.
“I thought you would still be sleeping,” Tabitha tells me her version of a joke, just as bland as ever, but I laugh because I know her.
“You know, my brother said the same thing just a minute ago,” I pretend to look offended, throwing my hands up into the air wildly. “Why does everyone think I’m lazy?”
“No one thinks that,” Tabitha deadpans. “We just know how hard it is to wake you, and how much you enjoy oversleeping.”
“Yeah, well—” I trail off, before eying Tabitha again. “You look good.”
“You’ve already said that,” Tabitha’s eyes narrow slightly as if sensing something was amiss.
“Sorry,” I apologize awkwardly, struggling to meet her sharp gaze.
Come on, Aaliyah, stop putting it off. Stop making small talk and ask her whether she ratted you out to Pacore.
Do it. Do It! DO IT!
“How are you?”
Coward!
Tabitha tilts her head to the side, confused, but answers me all the same. “I am fully healed from our return journey, though I am slightly tired,” she confesses analytically.
“Oh, how come?” I practically jump at the opportunity to keep our conversation going so that I can avoid confronting my friend, but as usual, fate has a funny way of spitting in my face.
“Master insisted on keeping me up late into the night with all sorts of questions,” Tabitha lets out a soft sigh while closing her eyes and shaking her head softly, missing the way I twitched anxiously.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” My voice was faint and hollow, and I could feel myself beginning to sweat underneath my clothes. “Did— Did Pacore ask about me?” I ask shakily.
“Nonstop,” Tabitha's casual remark makes me feel weak in the knees, but I somehow remain standing.
“I see, so he knows then,” I hang my head in defeat. I knew it was a long shot that she wouldn’t tell him anything, but that doesn’t make the pain in my chest any less real.
“Yes, Master is aware of your sleeping habits.”
Wait. What?
“Huh?” I ask dumbly, my head snapping back up so fast I nearly give myself whiplash.
“I said master knows about your pension for sleeping in,” Tabitha repeats herself with a confused look on her face, like I was the clueless one. “He asked a lot of questions about your sleeping habits, about whether or not they affected your ability to keep watch while we were in the magic dense region, or if they hindered your training— I told him they didn’t.”
I don’t know what to say, so I stand there staring at Tabitha, with what I’m guessing is a stupid look on my face.
“I’m sorry, am I missing something?” Tabitha asks after an awkward moment when she finally realizes I wasn’t really paying attention to her, and was instead staring at her with my mouth wide open.
“Yes, there’s a problem,” I hiss in muffled outrage once I finally find my voice again. “I’m trying to figure out if you told Pacore about me, and you’re talking about my sleeping habits!” I barely keep myself from shouting, confusing Tabitha further.
“I told him many things about you,” Tabitha replies calmly. “I told him about your above-average survival skills. I told him you’re a decent cook, about your mana sensing abilities, your creativity— I bragged about the rate at which you improved under my tutelage,” Tabitha rambles off in quick succession, making me blush. Still, I couldn’t bother with hiding my embarrassment right now, even if I wanted to.
“No, no, not all that,” I cut her off before I burst into flames in humiliation. “You know what I’m talking about— About my special skills—” I try to communicate with my eyes and fail utterly.
“What about them?” Tabitha asks blankly.
Something about Tabitha’s face pushes me over the edge, so I snap. “I’m trying to figure out if you told Pacore about them!” I yell/whisper at her, trying and failing to keep my cool. “I’m trying to figure out if I’m going to be spending the rest of my life being a slave to my skills,” I growl in frustration.
“Oh,” Tabitha says calmly with little emotion while nodding slowly in understanding. “I see this has been bothering you.”
“A little bit, yeah,” I inhale and exhale erratically.
“Well, it shouldn’t,” Tabitha tells me evenly, like a doctor telling a patient they have the common cold and not a life-threatening disease, so they should relax, as if I could just stop worrying on command. “Master already knows what he needs to.”
“So, he does know,” I repeat, feeling my lower lip begin to tremble.
“Yes,” Tabitha tells me with the faintest of smiles. “I’ve already told Master Pacore about my desire to keep your secrets. I was quite firm.”
“Eh!?” I freeze like a deer in headlights. “You what?” I ask lifelessly, too tired to respond with anything else after the emotional rollercoaster I was on.
Tabitha nods understandingly. “Master asked multiple times about how we obtained our levels,” She explains patiently with little emotion, like she was talking about the weather, or maybe her training routine. “And I informed him that I wouldn’t be divulging any of your secrets unless ordered to.”
“And that worked?” I stare disbelievingly at her. “He didn’t just order you to tell him, and you didn’t say anything in return?” I refused to believe it was that simple.
“Yes— why is that so hard for you to believe?” Tabitha once again tilts her head in confusion.
“Because—” I stumble to find the right words, only to end up blurting out what came to mind. “Because I know how loyal you are to him, and he’s Pacore. Plus,” I fidget in place.
“What is it?” For the first time since our conversation began, Tabitha shows a hint of emotion. For a split second, she looked concerned for my well-being before hardening her features, but that crack— that single slip-up- was enough to remind me how much Tabitha cared for me. So, I decided to tell her and get it over with.
“I sensed Pacore’s mana zone last night,” I hang my head as I confess to spying on her and Pacore last night, not wanting to see her look of disappointment. Or worse, see a look of betrayal.
To be honest, I don’t know why I thought Tabitha would be mad at me, but I did. Maybe it was because I knew how heated she could get regarding anything involving her master, or maybe I was projecting my own inadequacies onto her. I didn’t know; all I knew was that I was scared to look up.
“I see, you were spying on us; why?” Tabitha’s calm voice washed over me like a soothing tidal wave. There was no heat in her voice or anything even remotely negative, simply curiosity. So, I looked up and met her bright green eyes.
I could’ve said any number of things, made any number of excuses, but all I could say was, “You know why,” in a tired voice.
For a second, Tabitha didn’t say anything; she just looked at me as if I were a tricky puzzle she didn’t understand how to solve. That is, until I saw a light enter her eyes. “You thought Master would force me to tell him your secrets, so you spied on us with your skills…”
“Smart,” Tabitha gives me a single nod of approval, after an uncomfortable pause, leaving me stunned yet again.
“You’re not mad?” I couldn’t help but hesitantly ask.
“Why would I be?” Tabitha appeared genuinely confused by my question. “You were concerned for your well-being and acted accordingly; what is there to be mad about? Did you end up watching us all night?”
“You must have been bored with your family if you did.” Tabitha jokes with what could barely be called a smile.
“No,” I stutter sheepishly. “I stopped watching you two when I felt Pacore’s mana zone.”
“Master Pacore,” Tabitha is once again relaxed enough to correct me out of habit, but I ignore her as usual.
“It just felt so wrong,” I shudder thinking about the old man’s mana zone and how just sensing it made me feel. “Did it hurt?”
“Master’s mana zone?” Tabitha reels back slightly as if my question had shoved her. “You don’t have to worry about that,” she tries to reassure me, as her dominant hand slowly drifts towards her weapon, coming just short of touching it. “Master Pacore would never hurt me.”
“But how can you be so sure of that? You could’ve fooled me,” I take an angry step forward, closing the distance between us. Did Tabitha not know what long-term exposure to such a mana zone could do to her, or did she not care because it was Pacore? Either way, thinking about her being subjected to such a thing made me angry. Very angry.
“Because I know Master Pacore,” Tabitha tells me with such absolute certainty that I can’t form a proper response. She looked like she wanted to leave things there, but realized I was going to need more if she wanted me to believe her.
“Fine, if you must know,” Tabitha sighs matter-of-factly. “Even amongst us, his students, Master Pacore is known to be hard to read at times…. Most times…. All the time,” she begrudgingly corrects herself twice.
“But you have to remember he’s been alive for a very long time and has seen and experienced things people like us can only dream of. Very little bothers him, and it’s hard to tell when Master is being serious. Releasing his mana zone for brief periods is his way of telling us that we need to take him seriously because, in that instance, he isn’t joking around.”
“By nearly killing you,” I deadpan, to which Tabitha rolls her eyes as if I were exaggerating.
“I could fight for hours inside Master’s mana zone so long as I regulated my mana usage, days even if I was just standing there doing nothing; I promise you I was in no real danger,” Tabitha assures me.
“And what, you guys can’t come up with a codeword or something instead?” I retort sassily, still angry on Tabitha’s behalf.
“I suppose that could be possible.” Tabitha hums and nods slightly as if she’d never thought about it before, but ultimately ends up shaking her head in dismissal. “No, Master would be too tempted to abuse such a word to mess with us.”
“And he doesn’t with his mana zone?”
“Never,” Tabitha’s entire body tightens up, and her face hardens. “Master hates using his mana zone outside life-or-death combat, and even then, he rarely uses it unless he’s pushed to his absolute limits— He believes it isn’t fair to his opponents.”
“So instead, he only uses it to torment his subordinates, that’s smart,” I scoff sarcastically. The heavy air surrounding us wasn’t completely gone, but both of us were a lot more relaxed than we were a few minutes ago. Mostly me. That said, I still had to ask one more time just to be sure. “You really didn’t tell Pacore anything?”
“It’s Master Pacore, and no, I didn’t,” Tabitha informs me with a more serious face than usual, which I didn’t even know was possible up until now.
And with that last assurance, all at once, what little strength I had remaining in my legs gives out on me, and I stumble forward. I had the reflexes required to catch myself, but I don’t care enough to try. Relief floods my entire body, and I can’t help but smile up at the sky as I’m about to fall onto my knees, but I never touch the ground.
Before I can even blink, Tabitha is next to me, holding me up with her small yet impossibly strong hands.
“Thanks,” I sniffle up at her with no small amount of relief.
“Please collect yourself,” Tabitha tells me robotically as she helps me steady myself, but I can’t help but hear a hint of concern hidden in her monotone voice. “This isn’t how a warrior is supposed to conduct themselves; it’s uncouth to show weakness to anybody.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not a warrior,” I giggle erratically, while trying not to cry because of how happy I am. “I’m a craftsman first and foremost, and we’re known for putting our emotions into everything we do.” To make a point, I lean lovingly against her chest plate.
“Could you possibly put in a little less?” Tabitha asks dryly, starting to look a little uncomfortable with my open displays of affection.
“Not a chance,” I grin at her, before sneakily wrapping my arms around her midsection tightly and pulling her in for a hug. Tabitha immediately goes rigid in my arms, but she doesn’t immediately move to escape my grip.
“Please let go of me,” Tabitha asks while glancing around nervously, as if fearful someone might see us. We were no longer directly on the edge of the quarry, but we were close enough that if she made too big a commotion, a few eagle-eyed people below might be able see us.
“In a minute,” I tell her, squeezing her tighter. “I can’t thank you enough for having my back.” For putting my needs over his.
“You can thank me by letting me go.”
“Nope, not done yet,” I giggle like I’m plotting something sinister.
“Please, let me go,” she asks again, almost sounding desperate despite her flat tone.
“Fine,” I sigh reluctantly, releasing my hold on her. “Come on, admit it, you liked it,” I grin cheekily as she pulls away and takes a quick step back.
She is quick to turn away from me, but not before I see the faintest bit of color start to appear on her face. “I did not; now, let’s go before Master starts wondering where we are,” and before I can respond with something smart, she’s walking away from me in the direction Mom and Pacore left.
Well, this wasn’t how I was expecting my day to go, but I’ll take it. “Wait for me,” I snicker as I rush to catch up to her.
Once I reach Tabitha, I don’t point out that her cheeks were still a little rosy; instead, I pretend like we’re back in the magic-dense region and chat casually with her. “So, any idea where the old man took my mom?”
Tabitha eyes me out of the corner of her eye for not referring to Pacore appropriately, but she must be tired of correcting me for the day, because she doesn’t comment on the nickname. “I believe I have an idea as to where they went. Earlier, Master Pacore was telling me how your village headman has been hosting him during meal times,” she tells me, emphasizing Pacore’s name. “They’re likely there.”
“He eats lunch every day? Fancy, but I guess being old has its perks,” I grin, trying to get another rise out of Tabitha. Sadly, it doesn’t work, and all I get for my efforts is a brief look out of the corner of her eye.
Seeing how I didn’t get the kind of reaction I was hoping for, I decide to change tactics and instead try to hold her hand while we’re walking, but she escapes my grasp every time I try. To some, it might look like I was annoying Tabitha, who was patiently waiting for me to give up, but we both knew that if she really wanted me to quit, she would put some distance between us, or at the very least say something. But since Tabitha did neither, I take it as a sign that I can continue trying to hold her hand.
I can tell she’s having fun by the way she purposely pauses her hand movements every so often as if taunting me to continue. Every time I get close to wrapping my digits around hers, her hand blurs into motion, sometimes playfully slapping my hand back, or slipping out of my grasp at the last possible second.
I don’t have to look at Tabitha to know that she is smiling just as much as I am.
Unfortunately, we make it to Camden’s house before I ever manage to hold my teacher’s hand, but I’m not bummed out about it in the least. Not even hearing Pacore’s obnoxious laugh as soon as we step inside can bring down my mood. At least, not until I hear what Pacore is laughing his ass off about—
“So, I look to my side, and there she is, covered head-to-toe in flour,” I hear Mom narrate from down the hall inside Camden’s sitting room. “Aaliyah had the most adorable frown on her three-year-old face. But that’s what I get for letting a child help me in the kitchen.”
I hear Sandra’s parents join in on the laughter with Pacore, and suddenly, I have the urge to run away, but I don’t get far.
“Nope,” Tabitha grabs me by the shoulder, locking me in place before I can turn around and take a single step.
“Please, let me go,” I pleaded with my eyes, but it was already too late; the damage was done.
“Is that, Aaliyah, I hear?” Pacore’s voice booms through Camden’s house, rattling the walls, sealing my fate.
“The girls must be back.” I hear Mom’s voice growing closer, and before I can do anything else, both walk out into the hallway together and greet us.
“Why, if it isn’t my newest apprentice,” Pacore walks up to me with his arms wide open as if to hug me.
No way. Not going happen—stranger danger. “Touch me and see what happens, old man,” I hiss as I jump behind Tabitha, using her as a human shield.
“Aww, still haven’t warmed up to me yet, I see.” Pacore visibly deflates and acts hurt, but he wasn’t fooling me, and he definitely wasn’t fooling Tabitha.
“Must you antagonize her, Master?” Tabitha makes a show of shaking her head in disappointment. “I don’t have the energy to deal with both of you at once.”
Of course, Pacore doesn’t take Tabitha seriously and instead clutches his chest dramatically. “What is this!? My most devout apprentice chastising me in front of others, I don’t believe it! Who are you and what have you done to my sweet little Tabitha!?” Pacore proclaims loudly, making my friend sigh again.
Sensing an opportunity, I lean over Tabitha’s shoulder because I’m taller than her and not so quietly whisper, “See, I’m way better than him…. That makes me your favorite now, right?”
“You’re both horrible,” Tabitha deadpans as she shakes me off and walks past Pacore and my mom, who was doing her best not to laugh, leaving us all behind.
….
“Great, you just had to push her over the edge.”
“What, this is your fault,” I snap back at Pacore.
Both of us glare at each other, though Pacore was doing it playfully while mine had a bit more bite behind it.
“Now, now, none of that, you two.” Neither Pacore nor I so much as blink when Mom steps between us and casually hooks her arms around ours before leading us back towards Camden’s solar. “You two can keep bickering after lunch. And didn’t you say that you had something important to tell my daughter once she and Tabitha made it back?”
“Hmm, I faintly recall saying something like that,” Pacore makes a show of rubbing his beard in thought. “Though I suppose you are right. Lunch first, then business. That is, if it’s okay with you?” Pacore smirks at me, practically begging me to say something against him.
Any other time, I might have obliged him, but I was feeling generous after my heart-to-heart with Tabitha. A part of me still had trouble believing Pacore wouldn’t press the issue after seeing how many levels we'd gained, but I trusted Tabitha more. And I’ll admit, I was curious to see what inspired such loyalty.
So, I’ll give Pacore a chance, one opportunity to prove Tabitha didn’t place her faith in the wrong person. Until then, I’ll play his game.
In the end, I’ll use this opportunity to grow stronger. Strong enough, I won’t fear anyone taking advantage of my goodwill ever again.
“That’s a beautifully cutthroat smile you have,” Pacore compliments me from the other side of Mother with a twinkle in his eye.
“Oh, was I smiling? I couldn’t tell,” I stare back challengingly.
Let the games begin.