A carriage raced on the rough dirt road, wheel spinning with surprising smoothness despite the surface they dealt with. The horses pulling the carriage galloped with easy energy, their slick coats shimmering in the afternoon sun.
Inside the carriage, Cal sat annoyed, with Tavia looking at the side of his face with amusement.
“I know someone who can get us good seats in a restaurant. I’ll treat you, Tavia!”
The line was said with such smooth confidence that Tavia could do nothing but accept gracefully. It would be ideal if Cal had been the one to say that line.
Instead, it was Seris.
“That’s funny. I didn’t know you visited Lumina without me. Is this a restaurant I don’t know of?” Cal asked, ignoring how Seris looked exaggeratedly surprised at his presence.
She had been in a foul mood ever since he had put her through ‘hellish training,’ in her words, required to avoid using her essential mana reserves. And he had only done it for a few hours. If that was difficult for her, she was in for a rough time over the next few weeks.
Tavia cleared her throat and gave him a look. “It’s the thought that counts, right, Cal?”
Cal let out a little sigh before nodding his head, allowing Seris the small win. He had been giving her a lot of small wins the past day since she woke from her long sleep, but that was more by necessity to prevent her heightened emotions from drawing from her essential reserves.
Cal narrowed his eyes at Seris’s overly pleased expression, something she noticed, given how her eyes darted away in guilt.
She’s abusing the leeway I’m forced to give her… I might tear up in pride.
He looked away to avoid showing the approval he felt and smiled as he stared at the window. If everything went to plan, Seris would undoubtedly gain an interface, so she needed to be more shameless to survive what was in her future.
“Looks like we’re getting close,” Tavia leaned over him to see Lumina’s city walls fast approaching. “I need to head out.” At Cal’s raised eyebrow, she expanded, “We’ll be stuck in line with everyone else if I don’t show myself.”
Tavia opened the door and climbed up to sit on top of the carriage. It was usually a job reserved for a dedicated driver of the carriage, but her horses were freakishly intelligent and followed Tavia’s commands without mistakes… Cal had noticed that multiple times.
“Do I have enough money to pay for our meal?”
Cal turned to Seris and saw that she looked genuinely concerned as she counted the silver in her money pouch. He recalled that he had hidden the true cost of the meal at the restaurant he had taken her to.
Well, she put herself in this situation.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Maybe? I forgot what the cost was. If you’re unsure, you should tell Tavia that you can’t. I’m sure she’ll understand,” Cal said, trying not to take pleasure in taking back her win. Unfortunately, he was still petty despite his best attempts to avoid being so with the people around him.
At least he had been able to keep the pettiness aimed at harmless matters.
“No.” Seris stuck out her chin stubbornly. “I have enough.”
Cal shrugged, and she reverted to trying to make her presence small. It looked like she remembered she had been poking at him for nearly the entire trip.
He hadn’t really planned for Seris to accompany them to Lumina, but after she woke from her days-long sleep, leaving her alone when she was in danger of accessing her essential mana was... unwise.
And here Seris was. The third wheel.
Not that she was aware of it.
Cal saw her sneaking looks out of the carriage window with wide eyes and his lips twitched. She acted was the first time she had seen Lumina.
… I suppose the last time, she was too busy dry-heaving from how fast I ran.
He waited patiently for the carriage to pass the gate before speaking to Seris. “Be sure to tell Tavia if you feel tired for any reason. Understood?” She nodded, though she looked confused until he opened the door. “I won’t be gone for long.”
Cal shut the door, stood on the side rails of the carriage, and met Tavia’s gaze. She had an eyebrow raised, asking him an unspoken question. “I’m going to the registry office to meet a friend. It might take some time, and I’m pretty sure Seris would prefer not to be there.”
“You do know that you’re not required to register at your rank?”
Cal waved her question off. “It’s nothing to do with that. The person who works there is from the Gain family. I need his help for some issues that popped up.”
Tavia looked around sneakily, which meant it wasn’t sneaky at all. “Is it the farm?” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Or the… people?”
“The farm,” Cal said, preventing a chuckle from leaving his lips. Maelor was still an issue, but one he had a good idea of how to deal with. He didn’t need help with that.
Her tense shoulders relaxed. “Oh, good. Meet me at Miren’s shop when you’re done.”
Cal agreed with a simple nod before hopping off the carriage. He waved at Tavia and a wide-eyed Seris staring out the window before turning.
The registry office was less than a minute away, even for mortals, and unfortunately, he found a familiar sight. It was closed.
Fintan better not be stuffing his face somewhere.
“Initiate Fintan has been sick for the past few days.”
Cal’s ears perked up. He knew this voice. He turned, expecting to see Zev under the shade of a tree.
The guard wasn’t there. Instead, Zev was relaxing on the thickest branch with envious comfort. He made it seem like the branch was made out of the softest feathers.
“… That’s an interesting spot to occupy.”
Zev shrugged, still reclining on the branch. “I have no choice. I have to stay hidden to protect Initiate Fintan.”
Cal narrowed his eyes, wondering if it was worth satisfying his curiosity. If this was a few weeks ago, he would’ve ignored it and pushed on to Fenton’s location. However, he couldn’t help himself now.
“I wouldn’t call that hidden. Anyone who bothers to look in this direction would see you sleeping there. And why the up to stay hidden?”
Zev blinked slowly before looking down at his body. Then he looked to his sides before blinking again. “I’m not hidden?”
Cal met Zev’s gaze and had an impromptu standoff for several seconds. He gave in first. “Fine, you have the best hiding place possible. So, where can I find Fintan?”
“He’ll be at the theater for the next several hours.”
Cal wasn’t so absent-minded that he had forgotten Zev’s claim of Fintan being sick. This time, he didn’t need to ask about the discrepancy.
Fintan thoroughly hated his posting here, and Cal had noticed it even though they only had a few exchanges. The sickness was just an excuse to leave the posting.
“I appreciate the information, Zev,” Cal said before leaving. He knew where the theater was and didn’t need anything else from him. It was on Silverfall Street, among the city's administrative buildings.
“It’s nice to meet you again, Apprentice Cal!”
Cal’s steps faltered for a second before he regained his composure. He had forgotten to take into account that his rank was now known to everyone. That would work in his favor when he spoke to the Gains.