Author's Preface
When Casimir’s consciousness returned to him, warmth wrapped his body, and a blind light assaulted his eyes. Don’t tell me that this is the end.
His eyes finally adjusted, and he was greeted by Magnolia scolding him while shining a flashlight into his eyes. Behind her was the familiar tile ceiling of the nurse’s office.
Casimir smiled. Thank God, we made it.
“Idiot, you missed our meeting just to give me more work.” Magnolia glared.
“My apologies, Mag–” He tried to sit up but was shoved back down by her.
“Don’t move. You are suffering from Aetherian backlash. Your Aether heart is strained, and it needs time to recover.”
“How is everyone else doing?”
Magnolia glanced over her shoulder. “They are better off than you. Salamander and the blonde had left already. Tristan is asleep.”
She shook her head. “Honestly, what were you guys doing out there? You are lucky that one of our wardens found you.”
She jabbed his chest with her finger. “Careless, show off!”
Magnolia left his bedside and headed for the counter. “Now, stay put.”
Casimir turned onto his side but quickly rolled onto his back when a stabbing pain shot through him. He pulled up the linen shirt he was put in and saw a large purple bruise. It was warm to the touch.
“Tsk.” He winced.
Casimir turned his head and saw Tristan resting in the other bed beside him.
At least everyone is okay, but it could have quickly become worse. I must talk to Sully. It is unlikely that mist was a natural occurrence.
Another set of high heels entered the office. “How are they doing?” Nurse Feverfew asked in her usual smooth tone.
“Mindrattler is awake, and Tristan is still asleep. Both are stable.”
“That is wonderful news.” She looked at Casimir and smiled. “You gave us quite the scare, Mr. Mindrattler.”
“There is also–” Magnolia lowered her voice and whispered into Nurse Feverfew’s ear.
“That is concerning. I’ll make sure to tell him.” She patted Magnolia on the shoulder. “Ever so meticulous, Magnolia. You may go now.”
Magnolia gave Nurse Feverfew a polite nod and shot Casimir a glare before she left. “Don’t do that again or I’ll slap you!”
Casimir grimaced. Why become a nurse if you hate your job?
Nurse Feverfew sat by his bedside with a tray holding two metal cups and handed him the one filled with brown liquid. “This will help repair some of the damage, but you should refrain from using your Aether heart for the next three days. Remember to stop by for your checkup on Monday.”
“Thank you.” Casimir placed the medicine up to his nose. It smelled aggressively acidic.
He held his breath and forced it down in one gulp. A violent shiver overtook him as the tonic ran down his throat. He had to lie down and drifted back to sleep.
***
“It is too soon–”
“Shh.”
Casimir heard Nurse Feverfew whisper and cracked open his eyes. He lay within the shadows of the closed curtains around his bed. He turned his head and could make out two forms standing around Tristan’s bed. The larger shadow left and exited the room, while Nurse Feverfew moved to her desk.
Casimir remained still and stayed awake for the rest of the night.
***
Sun rays stretched across the ceiling when daybreak hit. A groan from Tristan in the bed over broke the tense silence Casimir endured throughout the night. He quietly sat up, drew the curtains, and slipped out of bed.
“Mr. Mindrattler, dear, are you awake?” Nurse Feverfew’s voice rang out from her desk.
“Yes.”
“Please, sit back down. I need to check if you are well enough to leave.”
“Of course.” Casimir returned to bed and cautiously watched Nurse Feverfew as she approached.
She examined his side. The large bruise had subsided overnight, although it still felt sore. “This looks good. Now, please lie on your left side, near the edge of the bed. I need to collect a sample. ”
“Yes.” Casimir did as she asked. He heard her roll over a cart and felt her pull back his shirt; next was the cooling feeling of alcohol being rubbed against the skin of his lower back.
What is she doing back there?
The pinch of a needle stuck his skin. A shot?
“Hold still, I’ll make sure to get this done quickly.”
Suddenly, the sharp pain of a needle punctured his skin and went into his spine.
“Gnk!”
“Shh, shh, shh.” She held him down with one hand and rubbed the side of his upper arm. “Don’t move. I’m almost done.”
Casimir gritted his teeth and lay still until she was finished.
“I apologize for the pain. I was not made aware of your high drug tolerance.” She bandaged the area.
“It’s fine. I didn’t feel much.”
She rolled down his shirt. “Your clothes are on the chair over there. You may leave when you are ready, but be forewarned, you might get a headache or feel pain in your lower back. Remember to avoid any strenuous activity.”
Casimir turned over to see what she collected and caught a glance of a vial of clear liquid on the cart as she rolled it away.
After putting the sample away, she returned to her desk.
I need to get out of here. Casimir got out of bed and quickly changed, ignoring the dull pain in his lower back.
He glanced over at Nurse Feverfew and saw her filling out paperwork.
Casimir crept over to Tristan’s bed and peeked through the curtains. “Tristan?”
Tristan sat up and stretched with a yawn. “Casimir, what happened?”
“You collapsed while we were leaving the bog.”
“Right.” Tristan scratched his back. “I remember that we were caught in a mist, and I felt tired all of a sudden.”
“We’ll talk about it later. I’m glad to see you are okay.”
“Sure, I should get going too.”
Tristan got out of bed.
“Tristan, dear. Your clothes are on the chair next to you.” Nurse Feverfew called out.
“Thank you, Ms. Feverfew.”
Casimir looked over at the nurse, who gave them a smile. She isn’t going to do the same thing to him.
She waved at him and went back to her work.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
***
Casimir headed over to Sully’s office and was relieved that he was in.
Sully shut the door behind them. “What happened yesterday?”
He grabbed Casimir’s shoulders and looked at him with concern. “You were in bad shape when I found you.”
“We got stuck in a mist that was sapping out our Aether.”
A quizzical expression appeared on Sully’s face. “An Aether-sapping mist?” He released his grip on Casimir.
“Yes, both Cornelius and I noticed our Aether being drained.” Casimir made his way to the couch and collapsed, then rubbed his sore back. “So I did what I had to do, which was to carry everyone out there with Lightstep.”
Sully rubbed his chin. “That explains everyone’s injuries.” Sully sat at his desk, stacked with files.
“Do you know a pattern that can do that?”
“Hmm.” Sully narrowed his eyes. “There are, but very few people are capable of such a feat. Sageman is one example.”
Casimir shuddered. “He is here?”
Sully frowned. “There is another possibility. I have worked with drugs that poison Weavers and cause them to leak Aether. Theoretically, a skilled Weaver could convert it into a mist, but this poison is a controlled substance that only a select few who serve the Emperor should have access to,” he sighed. “We might have a leak.”
“Drat! There is a traitor killing students within our midst.”
“I am going to need to contact Master Iker about this, and you need to eat something and get some rest. You look miserable.”
“Right. I could not sleep last night, because something felt off in the nurse’s office. She had a visitor in the dead of night. She said that something was too soon.”
“What did the other person say?”
“Nothing, all I heard was a shh, and he left. I'm sure it was a man by his voice.”
Sully’s face became grim. “It could be nothing, but we should look into it when you recover.
***
When Casimir returned to his dorm, he knocked on Cornelius’ door, but he failed to answer. He had the urge to sense for him through the door, but he knew better. Casimir crawled into bed and mourned the loss of a productive Sunday.
***
By Monday, the weather improved. There was no nasty fog or snow, just clear skies and a bright yellow sun. Casimir and Cornelius quietly walked down the path to the main campus. Their project was spared from Casimir’s graceless landing. Although Casimir could sense a subtle tension like a swift undercurrent underneath a placid river.
“How are you feeling?” Cornelius asked with a smile.
“Better, I suppose. I still can’t use my Aether heart for another two days.”
“That bad?” He looked up at the sky, his mind pondering something that seemed unpleasant.
“How about you?”
“I’m perfectly fine. I would have stayed, but the nurse said you wouldn’t be awake for a while, then Uncle called for me.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That our Aether was being drained into a thick mist and that you got us out of there,” Cornelius replied.
“Anything else?”
Cornelius frowned as if he wanted to say more, but thought the wiser. He then shook his head and looked at him solemnly before sighing. They spent the rest of their walk in silence.
***
The rich smell of bacon and hash filled the air of the cafeteria. Casimir got an extra helping because he had hardly eaten anything since their tumultuous outing to the bog.
He was pleased to see Tristan alive and well, conversing with Merritt in what seemed to be a serious discussion. Fenna quietly listened as she usually does.
All chatting ceased when Casimir and Cornelius arrived at the table, and by Merritt and Tristan’s guilty expressions, Casimir could assume who they were talking about.
Cornelius smiled. “Good morning, don’t mind us. You know I do enjoy a good rumor.”
Merritt gave out an uncomfortable chuckle. “That was a crazy weekend.”
“Indeed, and I don’t want to repeat it.”
Tristan turned to Casimir and asked cautiously. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, but I can’t do anything strenuous for the next two days.”
Merritt frowned. “You got jacked up that bad?”
“Yes, I overworked my Aether heart, but I’m already feeling better.”
“Did you see Ms. Feverfew today?” Tristan asked.
Casimir’s mood soured, but he suppressed his growing dislike for the woman. “No.”
Merritt groaned. “My least favorite part of the week. She is going to drain us dry.”
“Ah, come on, Ms. Feverfew is a saint, who took great care of us,” Tristan interjected.
Merritt looked at Tristan blankly and smirked. “Do you have a crush on her?”
“No!” Tristan turned, flushed from embarrassment. “I’m just saying she is doing her job, and we should not hold it against her.
“While I was training with my cousin, his in-house doctor simply used a pattern to check for injuries,” Casimir stated plainly. “I never had to donate eight vials of blood.”
“Eight vials! Wow, that sucks. Mine was only six,” Merritt exclaimed.
“Same.” Cornelius grimaced while poking at his bacon.
Fenna nodded.
Tristan looked down, shaken by the revelation. “Twenty.”
Merritt’s jaw dropped, and Cornelius raised his brow.
Casimir remained silent, deep in thought. Is it that high because he is a commoner? No, because that girl only had four vials taken. What is the defining factor?
Tristan bit his lip. “That isn’t normal?”
“She probably has her reasons,” Cornelius sighed in resignation.
Casimir glanced at Cornelius’ morose expression.
***
Professor Awldriver opened the tin and gathered a bit of the salve on her finger.
Casimir noticed Cornelius eagerly watching her as she rubbed it between her thumb and pointer finger.
After everything we went through, it better be an A.
A small smile appeared briefly on her face before she closed the tin and returned it to Casimir’s and Cornelius’ desk.
“Excellent work. I will be expecting the same amount of quality from you for the rest of this quarter.” She left their desk and sauntered over to Tristan with Magnolia trailing behind her.
“Yes.” Cornelius softly cheered and nudged Casimir in the arm. “It was all worth it in the end.”
Casimir forced a smile. But an A is just a pointless victory when there is a murderer on the loose. He glanced at Tristan, who awaited Awldriver’s verdict.
She gave him a nod and returned the salve to him. “Nice work for someone down one person.”
“Thank you.” Tristan frowned.
Awldriver walked over to her desk and sat down. “You all finished early. That is great, it will give you more time to prepare for your next project.”
“Another one?” Tristan asked, exasperated.
“Don’t worry, you can all work together on this one, and you will have a month to complete it.” Professor Awldriver glanced at Magnolia, and the girl picked up a stack of books from her desk and handed them out.
Casimir ran his hand over the blue cloth cover. An Intermediate guide to Alchemical techniques.
She continued, “Turn to page thirty. We will go over alchemical duplication, which is a mandatory skill for any low-level alchemist. You will use this pattern for your next assignment, which is to recreate a hundred perfect copies of this.”
She opened her desk drawer and pulled out two blue bottles. Swiftly, she weaved a complex square pattern, touched the liquid in the bottle, and stuck her finger into the empty one. The same solution seemed to pour out from her finger and into the empty bottle.
Magnolia took the bottles from Professor Awldriver’s desk and gave them to Cornelius and Tristan.
“Make sure not to lose both of them. I won’t make you another copy.”
When class ended, Casimir and Tristan entered the hallway while Cornelius stayed behind to ask Awldriver questions.
“If we work together, it should not be too hard.” Tristan adjusted his bag on his shoulder. “Even if it uses a lot of Aether.”
“Right.” Casimir checked his watch and looked down the gray cement hall. “I’ll probably head down to the nurse to get it over with.”
“I’ll join you.”
***
Casimir and Tristan arrived at the nurse’s office, and it was the busiest they had seen. All the beds were occupied, and a line of five students waited in front of Nurse Feverfew’s desk. Casimir noticed Piper, one student ahead of them.
She stood there smiling and humming a tune.
It has been a while since I’ve seen her. Blast it!
Casimir’s attention drifted to the nurse who was busily drawing blood from an impatient Alistair.
I can’t see the tray from here, but I can probably catch a glimpse when she labels the vials.
Casimir noticed a senior student with crimson hair, who looked to be from the Salamander family, was also collecting blood. Pace?
The Salamander student moved more slowly and more hesitantly than Nurse Feverfew.
“We probably should have gotten here earlier,” Tristan murmured.
“Casimir! Tristan!” Piper smiled and waved, causing the student between them to awkwardly sidestep out of the way.
“Hello.”
“Where were you two! You missed our meeting.”
Casimir scratched the back of his head. “We had a mishap while working on our field assignment.”
Tristan forced a smile. “Yeah.”
Piper fluttered her eyelashes as she pouted. “Aww, I hope it is not too serious.” She seemed to stop herself from reaching for his hand.
“No. Everyone is fine. We should be there at the next meeting.”
“Yes! I hope you are ready for me by then.” She cheered.
“I will.”
Casimir glanced toward Nurse Feverfew, who was bandaging Alistair’s arm. Now, how many?
He counted eight vials that she labeled and stored. It is the same as me.
Alistair hopped off the bed and headed for the exit.
His gaze glossed over the line of students until he spotted Casimir. “Mindrattler, I did not see you this morning,” he said in an authoritative voice.
“I needed a break,” Casimir said plainly.
Alistair shot him a look and left before Casimir could respond.
“What was that about?” asked Tristan.
Casimir shrugged.
He heard a gasp from Piper and turned to see her grinning ear to ear, her large, yellow slit eyes twinkling with glee.
“What is it?”
“You are friends with the Emperor’s nephew?”
“I would not say as much,” Casimir said, scratching the back of his neck.
“Could you please ask him to join our club?” She pleaded.
Casimir sighed. “Sure.”
***
Nearly forty minutes later, Casimir found himself sitting in one of the beds.
“Mr. Mindrattler, how are you feeling today, dear?” Nurse Feverfew asked.
“I feel better, thank you for asking.”
She placed her hand above his Aether heart, probing the site with her Aether.
A dull pain throbbed on his side when she moved upward, not unbearable, but enough to make him want to move away.
Her hand moved away from his side. “It is still sore, but it is healing nicely. I’ll give you another tonic after I finish drawing your blood.”
The last time I took it, I passed out for several hours. “Thanks,” he said through his teeth.
She patted him on the back. “There, there, you are almost healed.” The nurse readied the needle.
Hopefully, I’ll wake up before nightfall. I still have to catch up with Sully.