Enchanter: A Magical Academy Slice of Life Adventure by Jack Bryce

Author:Jack Bryce [Bryce, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-02-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

By the time the end-of-day bell chimed through the academy, I was worried beyond reason. The knot in my chest had twisted tighter with each passing hour. The students around me poured out of the lecture halls, filling Krysfelt’s winding paths with chatter about their lessons or making plans for the evening, but their voices felt distant, muffled by my own thoughts.

Lazy was still missing.

I hadn’t known her long — just a few days, really — but it felt like more. There was something about her that made her easy to like. Her playful energy, her curiosity, the way her tail flicked when she was excited — it all made her seem like the heart of our little group.

Even if she annoyed Khla and got under Thessa’s skin, I knew they cared too. And I did, more than I expected to. Maybe it was because we were all outsiders here, trying to find our place.

The sky above was streaked with gold and violet as the sun dipped lower. The air was cooler now, carrying a crispness that hinted at the coming night, but I barely noticed. My focus was on the empty seat she’d left in every class that day.

Khla and Thessa walked beside me, their usual banter subdued. They could sense my worry, and they shared it. Though they didn’t say much, their presence was grounding. We hadn’t known each other for long, but we had become something of a group even in that short time.

“She’s gotta be around here somewhere,” Thessa said, breaking the silence with a tone that was lighter than I felt. “Maybe she just got distracted by something shiny. You know how she is.”

I tried to smile, but it didn’t quite stick. “Shiny distractions don’t keep someone gone all day.”

Khla’s grunt was as heavy as her footsteps. “Exactly. This isn’t like her.”

Thessa glanced at me, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly. “You’re really worked up about this, aren’t you? You’ve got that worried puppy-dog look.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “Yeah, I guess I am. She’s part of our group.”

Thessa’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Aww. You’re already attached. That’s sweet.”

“Of course he’s attached,” Khla cut in, her tone gruff but not unkind. “Lazy’s like… what do humans say? The annoying little sister?”

I snorted at that. “She’s not that annoying.”

Khla shrugged. “Fine. An annoying kitten. The point is, she’s ours. If someone’s messing with her, we handle it.”

“Exactly,” Thessa agreed, her voice softening. “We’ve got her back.”

“Let’s hope Borsj can help,” I said, leading the women toward the groundskeeper’s building. We reached the door, and I knocked twice before pushing it open. Inside, the air smelled faintly of sulfur and something metallic. The walls were lined with shelves crammed with tools, jars of strange substances, and odds and ends that probably had some magical purpose.

Standing in the opening, I knocked on the door to draw Borsj’s attention.

“Yeah, yeah, hold your damned horses,” came the familiar gravelly voice from inside.

The door creaked open to reveal Borsj, perpetually irate.

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