Reianna lay on the bed in Nurse Tyze’s office, staring at the ceiling. She ached all over. It wasn’t only from the damage inflicted by Loushee, but from her own efforts as well. Once again, she’d pushed herself beyond her limits.

  She could have used the painkiller that her abilities let her mimic, or she could even ask Nurse Tyze to give her the actual medicine, but she didn’t do either. The pain wasn’t unbearable; it was more uncomfortable. And she was worried that if she became overreliant on dulling that ache away, she wouldn’t be able to handle pain in a life-or-death situation.

  What would happen if she were injured by a Yani, and the pain slowed her? Could she bear the guilt of someone close to her getting wounded or dying because she’d pampered herself when others couldn’t?

  Closing her eyes, Reianna folded her arms across her chest. She’d go back to her room when the pain subsided more. She deserved a break; she’d fought Loushee and won. Well, Loushee had walked out, but only one Loushee. No longer did the enigmatic mage have a head full of thousands of personalities.

  “Kruh for your thoughts.”

  Reianna’s eyes shot open. “Loushee?”

  The topaz-haired mage sat on the stool beside the bed. “Hey.”

  “What…”

  “I came to say thank you and good-bye.”

  “Good-bye?” Reianna sat up in the bed.

  “Yeah. I’m being kicked out for attacking you and Banca.”

  “Wait. What? Can they do that? You graduate in a week!”

  Loushee smiled. “Well, it’ll be for your good.”

  “How?!”

  “It’ll help Krill become headmaster.”

  “Krill? That Yani?! How is him becoming the headmaster good for me?”

  “It’s what your teacher wants. I don’t know the specifics of it because I can’t monitor everything anymore. I’m sorry.”

  Reianna shook her head. Nothing was making sense to her. “Loushee, I don’t understand.”

  “In order to create the listening devices, I had to split my personality. I had to have a ‘me’ to monitor the device.”

  “So that’s why there were so many….”

  Loushee nodded and laughed through her nose. “Yeah. I’m…not doing that again.”

  “Good idea.” Reianna smiled.

  “But, because of that, I don’t know what’s going on anymore.”

  Reianna reached up and ran her permanent braid through her hand. It was a tick she’d picked up recently.

  “Oh! I’m so embarrassed. Let me get rid of that for you.”

  “No! No, thank you. I actually really like it, and you save me from needing to do it every day myself.”

  Loushee blushed. “Oh, well, thank you.”

  “Anyway, let’s get back to why not letting you graduate will help Krill. We’ll set aside whether or not him becoming headmaster is a good thing or not.”

  “Well, Daymein’s gone, and if I don’t graduate, that’ll be seen as a massive failure on Yasher’s part. No parent of a mage would trust him.”

  “Okay, that makes sense, but what about you? Will you be okay not graduating?”

  “Oh, yeah, I’ll be fine.”

  She was lying. Davith had told them that graduation was a requirement to become a hunter. Only hunters could be nobles. “But you can’t be a hunter then.”

  “I’m still a mage. I wouldn’t trust Gerenet-Shr to teach you about Kruamian laws—”

  “I wouldn’t have any other teacher. I’m only alive thanks to him.”

  Loushee held up her hands. “I’m not saying he’s a bad teacher, it’s just that he’s not Kruamian. He probably doesn’t even know a quarter of our laws.”

  Reianna nodded her agreement. The only times Gerenet-Shr had mentioned anything about Kruami, it’d been laden with incredulity.

  “But any teacher who might have taught you, probably wouldn’t tell you all either, as no one thinks there’s a mage in your class. Mages are separate. Billiam is the Royal Mage, and he’s…my underling.”

  Reianna blinked several times. “Liam is…your underling?”

  “Yes. We don’t need to get into that now, but you don’t need to worry about me…”

  “What?” The way Loushee trailed off gave Reianna the impression that there was more that the other girl wasn’t saying.

  Loushee pulled a vial out of her inventory and handed it to Reianna.

  “What is this?”

  “I got it from Basque.”

  “From Gerenet-Shr?”

  Loushee nodded. She turned and looked at the curtains that blocked off Reianna’s bed from the rest of the room. The change was subtle, but the curtains slightly stiffened. Giving them a quick inspection, Reianna saw that Loushee had turned them into “sound-absorbent curtains.”

  “Nothing should get through there.” Loushee turned back to Reianna. “So, that’s some Hianbrun technology, an ‘oath vial’ or something.”

  Reianna held the vial up. She could inspect it to find out exactly what it was and what it was called, but she wanted to hear it from Loushee. “Okay?”

  “I don’t think I should keep it, because it’s too dangerous.”

  “So, I should keep it then?”

  “Don’t be so modest. We both know if you hadn’t been so busy trying to fix me, you would have beaten me.”

  “That’s—”

  “Look. Don’t argue, just listen. If the wrong noble gets their hands on it, it could be disastrous. They could basically enslave every commoner and servant-class citizen in the country with it.”

  The vial felt hot and heavy in Reianna’s hand. “Why the Yani did Gerenet-Shr give this to you then?!”

  “Umm…because I’ll die if he keeps it.”

  “Loushee! You’re being obtuse! I don’t understand.”

  The topaz girl looked at Reianna’s bed and played with her fingers. “I made a vow with it. I vowed that I would devote myself to you completely or die.”

  Reianna stared at her. She heard the words. She understood the words. But she didn’t understand the meaning of the words. “You…what?!”

  Loushee stood and took Reianna’s hand, then semi-bowed as she pressed her forehead to the back of Reianna’s hand. “I swear to dedicate my life to you to repay you for what you’ve done for me.”

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Snatching her hand away from Loushee’s grip, Reianna pressed herself back into the bed. A heat tore through her, and she gritted her teeth. “No!”

  Loushee’s head shot up.

  “No! No! No!” Reianna yelled. “Why the Yani would you do that? What makes you or Gerenet-Shr think that I would want that?”

  “Don’t blame him! It was me. I was the one who said it.”

  “Then why did he give you this?” Reianna asked and held up the vial.

  Loushee stood up straight. “I was supposed to just vow my magehood on it.”

  “Same difference!” Reianna shot up in bed and yelled. “I’m a thirteen-year-old child, Loushee! You don’t need to be dedicating your life to a child, and I don’t need the stress and pressure from it.”

  “I won’t be a burden to you! You don’t need to care for me, I can do that myself, I’m just—”

  “A burden! What am I supposed to do with a vow like that? Undo it!”

  Loushee fell back into the bedside chair. Her eyes didn’t meet Reianna’s. “I can’t. Gerenet-Shr was clear about that. If we destroy that vial, or if I use my powers to change it, the interface activates the consequences.”

  Closing her eyes, Reianna slumped back. She wanted to cry.

  “Don’t blame Basque. All of it was me. It was all my idea.”

  Reianna wiped her eyes. The moisture escaped out from beneath her eyelids. “Not only did he not stop you, but he used strange tech of his to make it permanent.” She loved the man, but she was terrified he would be the end of her. So many of his choices were so good, so right, that it made these blaring mistakes even harder to take.

  “Loushee, I didn’t help you because I wanted something from you. I did it because I’d want someone to do it for me if I was in your place. What does it even mean to dedicate your life to me?”

  “I will be your protector and guardian.”

  Reianna put her arm over her eyes. Her eyelids weren’t doing enough to keep the tears in. One of her legs bounced. “I don’t need a bodyguard. Didn’t you just say that I was stronger than you?”

  “There’s probably no one stronger than Basque, but it’s not like he can single-handedly take on the entirety of Kruami.”

  Reianna snorted. “And you and I can?”

  “I’m sorry, Reianna. I didn’t think you would react this way.”

  Throwing her arm off her face, Reianna opened her red-rimmed eyes and glared at Loushee. “How did you think I would take it? Did you think I would jump for joy? I’m only here because my barony doesn’t have a noble. The people there are suffering because of it! With your vow, can you go there and become the noble? Can you fight for them in the Assembly and get the resources they need to survive?”

  Once more, Loushee averted her gaze. “No…because I’m not graduating.”

  Reianna covered her mouth. She choked back bile. What if just by asking that she’d accidentally made Loushee betray her “dedication.” Doing one thing that Loushee disagreed with or didn’t like could cost the girl her life. And that was on Reianna’s shoulders. What was that if not the largest burden she’d ever borne?

  Sure, coming to the school to save her barony was a type of burden, but no one, not even herself, truly expected her to survive. Other children could be chosen if Reianna failed. The barony would have to endure more hardships, but they wouldn’t drop dead if Reianna demanded the impossible of them.

  “What does it even mean to dedicate yourself to me?”

  “It means I have to support you and follow your commands.”

  So, what if I demanded you eat a live Yani, and you didn’t? Would that count as a betrayal? Would you die if you didn’t?”

  Loushee was silent for a heartbeat. “I don’t know.”

  Reianna sniffled, then threw the blankets off her legs.

  “What are you doing? Where are you going?”

  “To find Gerenet-Shr and get him to take that stupid curse off you.” Reianna pushed through the soundproof curtains.

  “It’s not a curse!” Loushee said as she trailed after Reianna.

  Nurse Tyze looked up from his desk. “Reianna?” he asked her. “I thought you were going to stay the night.”

  “I’m feeling better. I’ll come back if my condition worsens.”

  “I think you should stay here.”

  “Something’s come up.” She walked through the door with Loushee trailing behind her.

  “Reianna,” Loushee said. “I agree.”

  “I don’t care what you think.”

  Nurse Tyze’s office was tucked away in the classroom wing; even during class hours, it went unused. This time of night, even the halls were silent and still. Reianna was too angry for stealth, and her footsteps echoed through the hall.

  “Calm down.”

  “I am calm.” Reianna stomped into the stairwell.

  “No, you aren’t.”

  Reianna didn’t respond. She was upset, not angry. If she was angry, she’d be stomping off to yell at Gerenet-Shr. She sighed. Okay, she was angry. How could he decide something like this for her again?

  The Grand Entrance Hall was still buzzing with students coming and going from the festival. She’d wanted to go that evening with Fawna and Cayelyn, but thanks to her new devotee, she’d spent most of the evening in a nurse’s office.

  Her dorm hall was silent when she went into it. Of course, they were all still at the festival. They knew she was safe. They had their own lives to live, and if any of them had been in the hospital, she would have gone to the festival, too.

  She sighed again. Okay, so maybe she’d spend most of the night worrying in her room. Still, she didn’t blame them.

  Stopping in front of Gerenet-Shr’s door, she knocked, then shook her hand. It hurt. When he didn’t answer, she knocked again, harder this time. Still nothing but a growing throb in her hand.

  When she raised her hand to knock again, Loushee grabbed Reianna’s wrist. “Allow me.”

  Loushee pounded on the door as if she were trying to break it down. Still silent. “I guess he’s not here.”

  The door swung open. It was Yesenia. “Oh! Miss Reianna. Umm, Gerenet-Shr hasn’t returned yet.” She took a half-step back.

  Reianna blinked. “He’s not here?”

  “He and Madam Natt went out to eat.”

  “Unbelievable.” Reianna turned to go to her room, but paused. She turned back to Yesenia. Something was off. Something in Yesenia’s posture, the tightness in her shoulders, and the step.

  “She told you, didn’t she?”

  “Who told me what?”

  “Banca.” As soon as Reianna said the name, Yesenia flinched. It wasn’t much of one. Reianna would have missed it if she hadn’t been looking for it. “She told you I’m a mage.”

  Yesenia didn’t react, then she nodded.

  “It’s fine. You can side with her. I won’t be angry. It’s only fair with what that lie cost her.”

  Yesenia shook her head. “Bad things happened to you because of her. Bad things happened to her because of you. Her actions were more personal and filled with malice. You needed to survive. If I had to choose a side, I would choose yours. However, I have become her friend.”

  “Sorry to disturb you, then. Go be her friend.”

  “Thank you, Miss.” Yesenia went to close the door. Reianna stopped her.

  “Just walk down the hall. You don’t need to go through all the servants’ corridors.”

  Once more, Yesenia went to close the door; this time, she was on the outside with Reianna. “He canceled his dinner this morning. He had no choice but to go out to eat.”

  “Understood.” Everyone around Basque was making excuses for his actions. Reianna couldn’t blame them. Had she not been on the wronged side of those actions, she would have, and definitely still would do the exact same thing.

  Yesenia continued down the hall, but Reianna, and thus Loushee, stopped outside of Room 307. Reianna opened it and went in. Fawna and Cayelyn were sitting in the audience room in their pajamas.

  “Reianna!” Fawna jumped to her feet and ran over to her silver-haired roommate and gave her a hug.

  “Careful. It still hurts.”

  “Then why are you back?”

  Reianna thumbed over her shoulder at Loushee.

  “Is there someone outside?” Cayelyn asked.

  Reianna looked at Loushee. “I hid myself,” the topaz mage said.

  “Since when?”

  “Since we left the nurse’s office.”

  “Stop it.”

  “Miss Loushee!” Fawna and Cayelyn said in unison. Fawna took a step back, and Cayelyn sat up straighter, pushing herself further into the sofa and further from Loushee.

  “She won’t hurt us. She can’t.”

  “What do you mean she can’t?” Fawna asked.

  Reianna led Fawna back to the sofa, and they sat with Reianna in the middle and Fawna and Cayelyn on either side. Loushee stood by the door, unmoving.

  Once they were sitting, Reianna told them about Loushee’s vow and Gerenet-Shr’s role in it. Fawna’s reaction mirrored Reianna’s, but Cayelyn shook her head.

  “What?” Reianna asked.

  “I know you’ll probably dismiss this as just my crush talking, but I think you’re being too hard on him and not hard enough on yourself.”

  “Excuse me?!” Fawna launched herself off the couch. Reianna put her hand out and patted the side of Fawna’s leg.

  “Sit.”

  Fawna sat.

  “What do you mean?” Reianna asked Cayelyn.

  “At the beginning of the year, your mantra was that you weren’t a leader. You didn’t even lead your pod, despite you being the mastermind behind the divisions.”

  “That was you.”

  Cayelyn shook her head. “No, I just wrote. You, Reianna, are a born leader. I’m a secretary at best.”

  Reianna opened her mouth. Cayelyn cut her off. “Don’t deny it. You are our undisputed class leader. Even Taraia and Banca follow your lead.”

  “What does that have to do with Loushee?”

  “I know the word ‘devoted’ is weird and loaded, but she’s basically just another Class E student.”

  “But none of you will die if I try to make you do something you don’t like, whereas she would!”

  Cayelyn shrugged. “Then don’t do that.”

  “It’s not that easy.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing you’ve got a willing test subject.”

  “No!”

  “Rei, you don’t have a choice. You can keep denying it, but you are a born leader. Loushee might be the first to devote herself to you, but I guarantee you, she won’t be the last.”