A Path of Endless Crossroads by M.C. Burnell

Author:M.C. Burnell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: M.C. Burnell
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

the riddle of a dusty pack and an abandoned sword

Northern Rhyna, the Complex

Alia stretched her legs out, resting her heels on the brick hearth and letting the fire’s warmth wash over her. Beside her, Sparud mirrored her, lacing his fingers behind his head for good measure. It had been frigid the last mark-day, brightly sunny and deathly cold so the air seemed to sear the lungs and the wind sliced straight through clothing. It was so cold their teachers had deemed it unwise to make them spend extended periods out of doors whilst exercising, which meant they had no lessons in the Vechodya. It left them with hours free every afternoon until the cold snap broke, and only a fool would fail to enjoy it as much as possible.

They were the only ones in the break room, which meant there was no one to challenge them for the best seats closest to the fire. Fiyaza had retreated to bed in hopes she could nap through the worst of this month’s menstrual cramps, and Burat still hadn’t come back from his daily lesson. She wasn’t sure what to make of that; he had implied that he was being punished and it sucked, but he never acted like it. He came back from lessons simmering with thought, more often cheerful than not. His downcast face told one story, his aura a different one.

Practically overnight, he had become a different person, and not a chastened one. Come to that, she couldn’t imagine any amount of shouting could have accomplished it. It was as if he had decided quite suddenly of his own volition that he wanted to work hard after all. She had no idea what he was doing in that great marble building for hours every day, but it had changed even his demeanor; where before his regard was knowing and satiric, now it was pensive, as if every innocuous conversation must be studied. Until he chose to explain, she would have to go on wondering.

She didn’t know where the rest of them were. Probably some of them were down the hall in the stone-walled indoor gymnasium, taking lessons anyway. The space was too small to fit them all at once, let alone doing something that required they move about energetically, but some of the teachers were always hanging about. Alia had no interest in the Vechodya, but many of her classmates did, and might look on the canceled lessons as a disappointment.

“So it looks like it’s working.”

She turned her head to regard Sparud. “Seems like it. It’s stupid, isn’t it? That I couldn’t figure it out for myself?”

He shrugged. “Don’t see why. Only had a couple mark-days to try before someone went and solved it for you, it’s not like you failed for a year.”

“No one else had that problem.”

“No one else is as good as you.”

She had the sense, as she had on more than one occasion, that this bothered him a little. She also had the sense he didn’t want it to, so she didn’t allude to it.

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