The Burning Flowers

Chapter IX

As was typical of her Sunday afternoons whenever she was in Erika, Abigail Reiner made her way from the Academy to the Citadel for her weekly tea with Master Edwar Grunly. It was a tradition they had started not long after her return from Omaruo and had stayed a consistent and joyful part of her life. Her relationship with the Master of Nature had only improved over the years, with the older man becoming something akin to a grandfather in her eyes. He expressed a love towards her that was different from everybody else she had ever known—a warm and comforting sort of affection. He looked out for her, made sure she was happy, sent her gifts every once in a while, and was more of a school advisor than the one the Academy assigned her. Abi loved spending time in his office, catching up and planning for the future. Given that her finals were coming up, she was sure he would offer advice on how to pass her exams, and on top of that, the royal team had yet another mission on the horizon.

After celebrating the solstice in Noctalus, we’re going to Stellareid. I still can't believe it… Not only have they caught the Omaruan doctor who Mallicent worked with to study The Angel, but we actually have a shot at taking down Rotana Vesh. It’s surreal…and while I won’t get my hopes up, I do appreciate having a potential light at the end of the tunnel.

A part of her did hope that if the Kosah-Rei fell, she might be able to begin to repair her image in the eyes of the country folk, but another part of her feared that if she played any role in Vesh’s demise, then she would be forever irredeemable—the devil who murdered their saint.

I want Miyon and Vesh gone. I want this nightmare to end, but I really don’t think it will. Not to mention, if I go to Stellareid, I won’t have a chance to see Scott again for a while…again. I already knew it’d be a long time apart if I went to Noctalus for the holidays, but now… Gosh, I don’t know if I can stand that long away from him. I just don’t know… I don’t want to abandon my team, but I’m so tired…

“You okay, Abigail? You look sad?”

Abi’s lips formed a thin and joyless smile as she glanced over to eye the person standing beside her on the lift: her pupil, Iris Mackia. The Kotonorish girl’s big eyes were gazing at her innocently, full of concern, so Abigail shook her head to reassure her.

“Yeah, I’m okay! Just thinking about the mission. It’s a big deal…and with finals and the trip to Noctalus on the horizon, I have a ton to consider. On top of all that, I’ve had a bit of a headache this past day that isn’t letting up. That’s all.”

Iris frowned. “Oh, I hope you feel better! And don’t worry about the mission! I’ll be there to give you backup if you need it!” Her pupil then went back to bouncing on the balls of her feet, changing the subject to their upcoming visit with Grunly. “Anyway, I’m excited to see Master Grunly again! It feels like it's been forever and he’s so nice! He’s a great cook, too! I’ve been dreaming of his chocolate chip cookies since September!”

“Yes, well, I’m sure he’s excited to see you, too,” Abi replied with a chuckle. “Master Grunly has grown fond of you.”

For better or for worse, Iris Mackia was a ball of energy, and her bubbly demeanor often reminded Abi of Jessi back when they were first-years. She rarely sat still and got giddy over the simplest things, which made her a pleasant person to be around given Abi’s dark mood in the recent months. Regardless of where her life went in the future, she knew she would not regret accepting Headmaster Tykon’s proposal to take Iris on as a student. On top of all that, she was a brilliant nature mage in her own right, and could very easily surpass Abi someday. Grunly had even expressed surprise at how much control she had over her magic when he requested to test her skill one day.

Honestly… Iris would make a fantastic Master of Nature…

Abi knew that for her relationship with Scott to continue, she would have to make the decision to leave Ijiria behind. He was aging too fast, and they hardly ever got to see each other, so the longer it took her to choose one realm over the other, the higher the chance he would finally get fed up with her and break off the relationship. She didn’t want to give up either realm, but if she did make the painful choice to go to Wilham permanently, she didn’t want to repay Grunly’s kindness by abandoning him. That was why she had occasionally brought Iris to her tea visits with the Master of Nature. That was why she encouraged Iris to show him what she could do, and it was why she requested Ilirianna allow Iris to come to Stellareid with them under the guise of having her shadow a member of the royal team.

If I ever have to leave…then I want Grunly to still have his successor. If I choose Scott, then Iris should become his apprentice and Iris should be the next Master of Nature when he retires. I’ve made Grunly aware of her ability, so he’ll know what to do if I’m gone.

Arriving at their desired floor, Abigail and Iris continued on their way before coming to the wide open door of the classroom Grunly repurposed into his office. Poking her head inside, Abi immediately caught sight of the Master through the glass doors across the room, sitting patiently at a small wooden table on the balcony, his back to them as he gazed up at the clouds. The smell of baked goods lingered in the air, though since she couldn’t see the food, she guessed that he must have set everything up outside. Iris’s smile had grown wider, for the scent must have been even more powerful to her superior nose, so not wanting to make her pupil wait longer than necessary, Abi took her past the rows of desks and to the sliding glass door, which she promptly pulled open.

Grunly sat up straighter, glancing over his shoulder as a joyful grin spread over his bearded features the second he saw them. “Ah, welcome, welcome! It’s so good to see you girls again! Please, take your seats. Everything’s already out!”

The Master of Nature was always so obvious in how happy her visits made him, and though she had never asked, Abi got the idea that he rarely had visitors. He wasn’t terribly close with the other Masters, he didn’t have an apprentice, and he often lamented how he was sad his age prevented him from having the energy to teach a class or two. He was a very social man, something Abi had picked up on during their few months traveling the north together, so she was glad to have been able to provide him some friendship these last few years.

And even knowing that, the thought of leaving still keeps its hold on my mind, she chided herself. What would it do to him if I just disappeared one day and never came home…?

She concealed her guilt behind a pleasant expression as she returned his greeting. “Good afternoon, Grunly. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to come up for a visit.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that,” he said dismissively. “You’re focused on your studies, as you should be! There’s no need to prioritize an old man like me! I’m just happy you’re here today. And Iris!” Turning his head to beaming young woman beside Abi, Grunly addressed her. “How are you? It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve seen you. Treating Abigail well, I hope?”

“Yup! Of course!” she chirped. “I’m her best student, after all!”

Abi eyed her pupil with mild amusement. “And my only student.”

“Which makes me the best by default!” Iris retorted, turning to take her seat at the small, circular wooden table that Grunly was already at. “Anyway, Master Grunly, I’m doing just swell! Finals are gonna be a piece of cake, I know it, and I’m super excited to go on a mission with the royal team! Thank you again for giving the princess a recommendation for me!”

“Oh of course, Dear. I think it could be good for you, and in a situation as dangerous as this one, it would honestly be smart to have an extra healer on hand—and especially one as advanced as you.” As he spoke, Grunly reached for the kettle resting just beside him and began pouring tea into the three cups placed before the chairs. “Now please, take a seat, Abi, and the two of you can help yourselves to some desserts. I have something I want to discuss with you.”

Abi frowned, having not expected anything important to come up, so she did as requested and sat between Grunly and Iris, the latter already loading her plate full of chocolate chip cookies. Abi briefly took note of the candle serving as their centerpiece, its scent reminiscent of peppermint and the small flame flickering in the middle giving off more heat than she would have expected—a detail that explained why it was so warm on the balcony despite being so high up in late autumn. Taking a cookie for herself and sipping her tea, Abigail let out a pleasant sigh and spoke.

“So what did you want to talk about?” she inquired of the Master. “Has something changed in regards to Stellareid?”

Grunly grimaced, as if disapproving of what he was about to say. “As far as the plan itself goes, no. The job remains exactly as King Markreas intends, but…well, let’s just say that in order to convince Kloras’s people in the Council, Master Rana had to bargain with him.”

“Oh?” Understanding now why Grunly would be so displeased, Abi braced herself for whatever demands the Masters had been forced to concede. “And what did he want?”

“Well, it wasn’t exactly a high price, but it’s certainly not ideal. Kloras said that he would only support the trip under the condition that his son’s team be permitted to join…and Markreas agreed to those terms.”

Abi’s eyes went wide, her chest filling with very contradicting emotions, for as great as it would be to have Faye, Jessi, and Hiro at her side during this assignment, Rennigan Glaus was another matter entirely. “Oh… Great…”

“Wait, is that bad?” Iris asked through mouthfuls of cookies. “Doesn’t that mean that Rio’s coming with us?”

Abi glanced sidelong at her student’s genuinely confused expression, reminding her that Iris would know very little about Rennigan. “Yes, it does mean Faye’s joining, but the problem is that along with her, Rennigan Glaus is going to be on this job. Normally, as much as I don’t like admitting this, he is a very clever and powerful mage, probably one of the best in our year, but…”

“But?” Iris tilted her head. “Is he, like, a jerk or something?”

Abigail laughed, finding that description quite accurate. “Yeah, he is, but shockingly enough, that’s not the heart of the problem. Rennigan does not get along well with Nigreos and Ryokumo. He sees them as rivals—people that he has a right to surpass and who don’t deserve the prestige they’ve acquired. He seeks to prove that, and will do anything he can to show his superiority over them. To this day, I believe that my team would not have won our orientation match had Rennigan not been thinking solely about beating Nigreos. Back then, the only consequence to his arrogance was the loss of first rank, but on a mission like this one…”

“He could get somebody killed if he allows his obsession with them to get in the way,” Grunly finished. “And even if he doesn’t, it’s still possible he ruins the mission in other ways—such as unintentionally enabling Vesh or Miyon to escape…”

With those explanations, Iris seemed to get the jist of what the issue was. “Well that’s not good. Why did the king allow this then?”

“He had no choice,” the Master of Nature said, absently staring at the brown liquid inside his teacup. “Nearly half the Council of Elders supports Kloras, and there are enough members that stand in the center who can be convinced to go along with him. If Kloras opposes something strongly enough, the Council will vote against us. With Uma Miyon, and potentially Vesh, within our grasp, King Markreas cannot afford such an outcome. Instead, he’s told Ilirianna and the Masters to manage Rennigan as best they can.”

Abi nodded her agreement with that assessment, for as much as she hated Rennigan being a part of this, she agreed that they couldn’t just cancel the trip to Stellareid. “I suppose we’ll just have to hope that Faye, Jessi, and Hiro will be enough to tilt the scales back our way.”

“Yes, that is about all we can do.”

Having finished her cookies, Iris was downing the rest of her tea, her previously bubbly demeanor having shifted into something more serious as she considered the new circumstances. It was a rare side of the typically mischievous mage, but Abi always knew it was there, lurking underneath the peppiness. It pleased her that Grunly was getting to see a brief glimpse of it as well.

“Alright, I’ll do my best to help where you need it then,” Iris said finally, and with confidence. “Obviously, I’m not much of a fighter, but I’ll heal whoever needs healing, and I’ll keep an eye on this Rennigan Glaus!”

Grunly seemed satisfied in that response, and since they often avoided unpleasant topics during these visits, the subject was changed to more happy subjects. Iris did most of the talking, telling Grunly all about her classes and her tutoring sessions with Abi, even going so far as to gloat about how she caught Faye in her trap the other day in an attempt to get at Abi, and as if to tease her, Grunly immediately got to giving advice on how to catch Abigail off guard next time.

Whose team is he supposed to be on? Then again, they’re plotting right in front of me, so it’s not like I won’t be prepared…

As always, Grunly gave them some tips for their finals, especially for Abi since her Advanced Nature Studies exam revolved around mana endurance, the test itself judging how many spells she could cast without depleting. She’d been training as hard as she could, and her notebooks were filled with various advice and tips she had gotten both from her teachers and Grunly. She and Iris both felt confident for the upcoming exams, and once they ended, they would be heading off to Noctalus for the holidays, leaving Erika behind yet again.

Noctalus and then Stellareid… I haven’t been to a Great City aside from Erika since Hiriech…

It gave her a bad feeling, one she didn’t want to allow to fester, so she shoved it from her mind right as Grunly pulled her back to the present.

“Abi? Are you feeling okay? You’ve hardly touched your food?”

“Hmm?” Sitting up a bit more, she glanced down to realize she’d only had a bite of one cookie, and that her teacup was mostly filled, the liquid having gone cold. “Er, yeah, I’m okay. Just not hungry, I guess.”

Truth be told, nothing seemed that appetizing, and she wondered if her anxiety was starting to physically affect her. Even her headache, which had been off-and-on the past few days, was starting to crawl back into her skull, but since she really didn’t want anybody picking up on the fact that she was starting to doubt who the good guys in this war were, she reached forward and forced herself to finish the cookie. Iris didn’t seem bothered, but Grunly's expression still had hints of concern.

I’ve gotta get myself together… Can’t be letting myself screw up here…

***

The addition of Rennigan’s team to the Stellareid mission was the only thing that was altered about their initial briefing, for in the weeks that followed, the plan remained the same, allowing them to properly focus on their exams. Abi, Album, and Nigreos spent plenty of afternoons in the library studying their asses off, while Ryokumo hardly did anything to prepare, refusing to listen to Nigreos’s lectures about work ethic. On occasion, Lunara, Faye, Jessi, and Hiro would be present as well. Abi found out not long after Grunly told her about the change of plans that Faye had actually been present during Nyx and Kloras’s negotiations, so her team found out they’d be going to Stellareid even before Abi’s did. From what she could tell, Faye was rather happy with this turn of events, and even expressed excitement at the fact that she and Abigail would finally get to fight side-by-side after all that time.

“And don’t worry, we’ll keep Rennigan in check,” Faye assured her. “He owes me a favor for going to dinner with his jackass of a father, so I’ll make sure to cash it in if he starts getting out of hand! I swear to you guys, Rennigan isn’t going to mess this one up!”

“And if we’re assigned to this, too, doesn’t that mean we get to join you in Noctalus?!” Jessi added with a wide smile. “I’ve always wanted to visit during the solstice! Ah, what should I wear?!”

In many ways, Nigreos actually seemed more disappointed that they were joining the Noctalus trip than the mission to Stellareid, and she supposed it was due to the fact that having more people around would only make using The Angel on Neah much harder. In addition, having Rennigan Glaus as a guest at one’s home was not an appealing idea in the slightest, but since those were the king’s orders, Nigreos reluctantly bit his tongue and didn’t complain about it.

Ryokumo, as one would expect, reacted very differently from Nigreos, and though Abi hadn’t been present for it, the dark mage told her all about how Ryokumo immediately went to Rennigan’s dorm room upon hearing the news, and said something along the lines of “Glaus, are you excited to be going on a mission with your best friend?! We’re just the greatest of partners, aren’t we?” Ryokumo and Rennigan being in close proximity during such an important mission would be yet another problem to deal with, so just as Faye promised to keep Rennigan in check, they made the same promise about Ryokumo.

With all that in their heads, time passed and the week of final exams arrived. The results were mostly as expected, with everybody who studied passing with flying colors and even the unstudious Ryokumo getting grades far higher than he deserved given how little he prepared. However, to the surprise of everybody who heard about it, there was one anomaly on the final day of exams: Abigail failed her nature final miserably. Of course, her grade had been nearly perfect, so she still ended the class with an A, but the shock of it took a great toll on her mental health. Her endurance with mana was something she took pride in, and while her performance was still better than an average mage, she wasn’t able to keep her mana up anywhere near as long as she normally could.

Everybody made excuses for her, pointing out how she had been tired recently, how her stomach was bothering her, and how she had been assaulted by numerous headaches in the hours preceding her exam, but none of it made her feel any better.

I just don’t get it… I just don’t! Yeah, I’m feeling kinda poor, but that shouldn’t affect my performance! I’m better than this! Is it just because I’m distracted? Is my head not in the game the way it should be? God, I made a fool of myself!

“Abi, it’s just an exam. You still passed the class, didn’t you? There’s nothing to worry about.”

Currently, she was lying beside Scott Reiner at his apartment in bed, holding her boyfriend close to her for comfort. She had already planned to visit Wilham the night before they departed Erika, but she hadn’t expected to need him as much as she did. The second she returned from the exam and got a chance to excuse herself from her friends, she pulled Ryokumo and Faye aside, begging them to help her sneak to Wilham for the evening. They were obviously worried about her, but they accepted without hesitation before retrieving the dagger from its hiding spot, bringing her to Faye’s dorm, and ripping open the portal for her to go through. She was glad that Scott was home when she turned up, and after telling him what happened through tears, he had taken her to the bed and hugged her. They had yet to move, and she had yet to reveal the mission to Stellareid, something she knew she had to do before leaving.

“I know you’re one of those students who gets really obsessed with A’s,” Scott went on with a wry grin. “But one exam isn’t going to destroy you. Nobody thinks any less of you, and I assure you Princess and that Grunly guy aren’t going to either. We all have our bad days.”

“I know that,” she murmured, though still feeling dread at the thought of Ilirianna and Grunly hearing the news. “I really do, Scott, but…it’s just weird. I don’t understand! Even before going to the Academy, I could use more mana than that! I looked like an idiot!”

Scott sighed, turning onto his side so he could look at her before reaching a hand up to gently touch her forehead. “Well, you don’t have a fever, at least.”

“I’m not sick,” she grumbled, but the young man just frowned.

“That honestly makes me more worried. If you don’t have a cold, then why have you been feeling so poorly? When did the nausea and the headaches start?”

Abi shrugged. “I dunno. Not long after I got back from Piriit, I think.”

“Then maybe it’s just stress?” he suggested. “With how much you said that assignment affected you, maybe it would be best to just take some time to yourself. What happened in Piriit cannot be changed, and there’s nothing you could have done better. Worrying about it is only going to make things like this happen again.”

Gosh, is that really it? Is what happened to Mikea still in my head? I guess it makes sense, but it’s easier said than done to forget something like that.

She still dreamed about Nigreos killing Mikea, her regret heavy in her chest. Mikea’s fate, the dilemma with Scott, the shifting attitudes about her from the countryside, her doubt about Mallicent Malloway—it was all getting in her head and pulling her apart. It disgusted her that she was even slightly humoring the Kosah-Rei’s ideals, but it left her standing at a crossroads. If the Kosah-Rei were evil and the Ijirian government was evil, then who was she supposed to fight? How was Abigail Reiner supposed to protect people when there wasn’t a correct path to do so.

“So you’ve said you’re going to Noctalus for that Ijirian Christmas knockoff, right?” Scott was saying. “It’s a festival, so sit back, chill, and enjoy the company of your friends. Then you can return to the Academy in the spring and take on the next semester refreshed. That’s my advice.”

Abigail smiled at him, gazing longingly into his eyes just inches from hers, but that smile wavered almost instantly at the fact that she could heed his words. “I wish I could, Scott, but it’s not much of an option. Something’s…come up… The royal team has another mission.”

Even though she could tell he tried to hide it, the disappointment in his features were visible long enough for her to take note of them. “W-what? I thought you said…you were done until spring?”

“That was the plan,” she whispered. “But a high-value Kosah-Rei target was captured in one of the Great Cities, so the royal team has been assigned to escort him back to Erika for interrogation. We’re leaving Noctalus early and going to Stellareid right afterwards. So…”

“You won’t be visiting for a while.”

She turned her head down, not wanting to see his expression, as she gave a weak nod. “I don’t know how long it’ll take. Stellaried’s farther away than Noctalus, and there’s no telling what setbacks could come up. I might be gone for months if we get stuck in the city or if something goes awry. That’s why I came today… It’s my last chance probably until next semester.”

“Which means it could be a whole half-year for me…” Scott muttered.

“I’m sorry… I know this isn’t really working, but I’m trying to figure something out. The time difference is making things difficult, so I understand if you’re getting tired of me and how inconsistent I am. I understand if you want a girlfriend that can actually be present in your life. I won’t...blame you if you’re fed up with me… I would be, too…”

Just as the last word left her mouth, Abi felt a gentle hand on the back of her head, and soon enough, she had been pressed up against him as he tenderly embraced her, his fingers stroking her hair comfortingly.

“Stop talking nonsense, Abi,” he whispered. “Fed up with you? Please… I could never be fed up with you. I love you. You’re my girlfriend, you’re my best friend, and you’re somebody I don’t want to give up. I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to date you, and I do not regret it. I’m sad that I can’t see you as often as I’d like, and I’d be lying if I tried to claim I didn’t wish you would leave Ijiria behind and come to Wilham for good, but…” He let out a soft chuckle. “I won’t request that of you. I’ll be here, waiting for you, as long as you need me.”

“But it’s not fair to you—”

“Doesn’t matter. I don’t want anybody else. I want you.”

“But the time difference,” she sobbed, feeling tears streaming down her cheeks. “You’re aging so much faster than me. Something has to give, or else our ages will be so far apart. I can’t do this to you. I know I can’t… You really should just give me up.”

“No.” Shutting her proposal down bluntly, without any room for argument, Scott went on. “We’ll figure it out, but love doesn’t work like that. I can’t just give you up and forget. I’d rather see you two times a year than never. I know the risks. I know the downsides. They were all on the table at the beginning of this and I still said yes. Don’t forget that, Abi. Go to Noctalus. Go to Stellareid. Get done what you need to get done…”

He then gently moved back so he could gaze warmly into her tear-streaked features, and despite how guilty she felt, there wasn’t a hint of deception in his eyes.

The words he spoke were his true, genuine feelings.

“And when it’s all over, I’ll be right here, waiting to greet you with a smile…and with a kiss.”