Primal Conjurer

PRIMAL CONJURER
BOOK ONE

DANNY ROGAN

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Copyright © 2024 by Danny Rogan
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means,
including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author,
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 Contents

Act 1: The Sibyl

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Act 2: The Pashalite
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Act 3: The Banquet
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25

Afterword
Also by Danny Rogan

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Act 1: The Sibyl

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 Chapter

One

I t was another afternoon full of rain in the Cridor Republic, and the
gray light outside the window of the mage tower reflected Ryn’s mood. He
wasn’t sad, or angry, or resentful. He was just generally—in a vague sense
—disappointed with today. Like he’d expected the student commissary to
have hot blueberry scones, and all they had available was plain old bread.
He wished he could be more excited about bonding his first auxiliary.
He truly did. Yet Mistress Aurienda had made his goals clear. He was to
form a mage bond with the woman he would meet today, his first mage
bond ever, and soon after he would graduate to roam the world and leave
his first auxiliary stuck behind the walls of the Primal Academy.
He and his first auxiliary would never have the chance to travel the
world, nor would they spend their nights cuddling in bed after rooting out a
devil mark or solving a complex diplomatic issue. He would bond this
woman, and then they would never see each other again except when he
returned to the academy or when they touched minds in the Firmament.
That made their bond purely professional, convenience instead of love.
It was exactly the opposite of how he’d wanted his first mage bond to be.
And so, as much as he might otherwise have celebrated today, all he could
muster was resignation to his duty.
Outside, rain coursed down the window glass in eager rivulets which
looked to be having a great deal of fun. Rolling green hills stretched away
to the huge summit of Eagle’s Crag, a great fist of a mountain he knew to be
a full two day’s ride away. From up here Ryn could see over the high stone
walls of the academy in which he’d been imprisoned for eleven years.
Yet eight months after his nineteenth birthday, the Primal Academy no
longer felt like a prison. These days the academy felt like home, a warm
place where he had people that cared about him and wanted him to succeed.
Out there, in that world, he had nothing at all.
But that was no excuse to let his realm rot when he might be able to
save it.
A knock at the door of his dormitory room announced the inevitable.
The sibyl was here. The favor of the Righteous Sect came with many
demands. One was that the sect choose his first auxiliary... and that he leave
her behind these walls as he went off to save the world.
Ryn walked past his new wardrobe, his new bed, and his new chest of
drawers. It still felt odd to have so much furniture given he had so few
belongings, but the nice new furniture had come with his nice new room.
He opened the door to find exactly what he’d expected.
Outside stood a man in steel armor, one of the academy’s elite Primal
Guards. A sibyl of the Righteous Sect would not be wandering around the
Primal Academy alone, and mages like this one were almost as rare as
primal conjurers. Of course she would have an escort.
“The sibyl is here,” the guard said. “Are you ready to receive her?”
Ryn nodded with what he assumed was appropriate gravitas. “Send her
in.”
The Primal Guard stepped back. “Sibyl Saphielle. You may enter.”
As Ryn stepped back to clear the door, a brown-haired woman stepped
into his dormitory room. Despite the fact that their meeting had been
arranged, Ryn’s heart thumped faster. Until now, what they would do
together had been theoretical. Now, it was real.
There was a woman in his room.
Saphielle was shorter than he was, and might be his same age or even a
bit younger. Ryn stood as tall as the average man, while she barely came up
to his breastbone. She had her brown hair done up in a complicated
arrangement of braids and golden combs. It left her pale, lovely neck bare,
and around that neck was a narrow, golden collar: an ether blocker.
Her green silk tunic hugged her torso pleasingly, close around a slim
waist and coursing over small but perky breasts. Her hips weren’t all that
wide, but her small waist ensured she had a soft hourglass figure. She wore
loose academy trousers instead of a tight skirt, but she was the type of
woman who would look appealing in either.
Her dark eyes met his and immediately darted away. Ryn wasn’t sure
what he’d expected the first time he met the sheltered priestess he was
required to bond by the highest religious authority in the realm, but it hadn’t
been this instant, tingling attraction. A bright blush colored her cheeks and
traveled down her neck... and into her tunic.
Theirs was to be a professional bonding. He’d thus assumed the sect
would choose an older, experienced, pious woman whom they trusted to
inform on his every activity, someone who might be Mistress Aurienda’s
age or even older. Saphielle wasn’t who he expected at all... and her
presence had already made his gray day a good deal brighter.
They both jumped when the Primal Guard closed the door with a loud
thump. Ryn had been too busy staring at his guest to notice the guard leave,
and she had been too busy staring at the floor to notice either of them. Her
eyes rose to his and then darted away again.
The way Saphielle’s shoulders hunched told him she was nervous,
which made him wonder if she’d even been with a man before. She
wouldn’t be here if she hadn’t agreed to become his first auxiliary, but this
couldn’t be easy for her. She was now in a place she’d never been with a
man she’d never met, and the sect and their academy expected them to
bond.
Ryn doubted she was remotely ready for that, and as he considered this
new development, he realized he wasn’t either. Mistress Aurienda had said
he had up to three months to form a mage bond with this woman, which
meant they didn’t need to get started today. He’d do all he could to make
her comfortable before they did anything together.
He offered his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Saphielle. I’m Ryn.”
 She visibly forced her eyes up and shyly met his. “Hello.” She
tentatively shook his hand, and her palm was soft and warm. She pulled her
hand away quickly.
Ryn decided to make her more comfortable with small talk. “How was
your trip down from the capital? Any problems on the road? No bandit
attacks, I hope?”
“No, primal conjurer.”
“So, what do you think of our academy? How does it compare to the
sect’s temple?”
“It’s... nice. Your walls are very tall.” Her gaze remained fixed on the
floor.
Ryn resisted the urge to frown. She seemed rather uninterested in any
sort of conversation, but perhaps she was simply nervous. The academy
wanted him to bond her. The Righteous Sect wanted him to bond her. That
would make anyone nervous.
Saphielle broke the increasingly awkward silence by finally meeting his
gaze. “Do you wish to begin now, or should I unpack my things first?”
She was asking if he wanted to get right to the sex. He’d thought he was
prepared for every way their introduction could go, but “Would you like to
have sex with me five minutes after we met?” hadn’t been one of them. She
asked the question like she dreaded the answer.
Under normal circumstances, choosing to form a mage bond was an
intimate and loving act for every pair of mages who managed it. It allowed
them to communicate instantly inside their minds, transfer ether across their
bond, and channel each other’s spell forms. They would become a team,
two people bonded in life and love, and protect each other all their lives.
Yet Ryn hadn’t chosen Saphielle, and she hadn’t chosen him. Their
bonding had been arranged by her temple and his academy, and he was
increasingly certain that, whether she’d agreed or not, she was no longer
comfortable with this task. That left him with only one option.
“You don’t have to do this, you know.”
She stared in obvious confusion. “What?”
 “If you’re having second thoughts about me bonding you, no one has to
know. We can just visit for a day or so, as friends, and then I’ll tell the
Executrix I decided I wasn’t ready to bond a first auxiliary yet. I’ll say this
was my decision. No one will blame you.”
“No!” Her odd composure finally slipped away, and he could swear he
saw a moment of panic in her eyes. He hadn’t intended to panic her, and
how could he?
Saphielle visibly calmed herself. “I’m ready to do this. I’ve prepared.
I’m just...”
“Nervous?”
She swallowed, then nodded.
Ryn grinned as some of the tension between them faded, at least for
him. “Gods, me too.”
She stared in disbelief. “But you’re a primal conjurer.”
“And yet still a virgin. How about you?”
She blushed brightly, but she didn’t look like she thought anything less
of him. If anything, she looked relieved. “Me too,” she said softly.
“So what they’ve asked of us is a bit unreasonable, isn’t it? Meeting
someone for the first time, and then hopping right into bed with them?”
She nodded tentatively.
“So how about we agree not to have sex for now? How about we get to
know each other first, and then we figure out the rest? We don’t need to
rush into anything. You can get unpacked and settled in, and then we’ll
figure out our next move together.”
She took one deep, shuddering breath. “I would like that.”
“Fantastic.” He took several steps back to give her space.
One of the Primal Guards had left a small trunk in his room. That trunk
must hold all of Saphielle’s possessions. She walked to her small trunk,
kneeled, and opened it.
Ryn walked over to the table by the window and tried not to watch too
obviously as she delicately unpacked. He saw a number of frilly tunics that
looked to be all sorts of different colors of silk, trousers, and skirts.
She looked up. “Where may I put my clothing, primal conjurer?”
“There’s two drawers free in the dresser. Top two. Also, call me Ryn.”
She solemnly carried her tunics across the room to the chest of drawers
against the wall. “I cannot do that.”
Now he was certain something was amiss. “Why not?”
Saphielle dropped her tops in the drawer and closed it, then walked back
to her trunk for her trousers and skirts. “This task is... intimate. For that
reason, while we live together, we should stick to formal address. It would
be unwise to grow familiar with one another.”
She wasn’t wrong. As normal mages could only form a bond with a
single person, many spent years searching for “the one.” Ryn was different
from these mages in one aspect. As a primal conjurer, a mage who arose
only once every fifty years, he could form multiple bonds.
Due to the immense power a primal conjurer gained by leading a team
of multiple bonded mages, and the political and religious clout granted
them by the Righteous Sect, they were simultaneously a powerful warrior, a
leader, and a diplomat. They and their auxiliaries could eviscerate most any
challenge, and the conjurer himself could resolve inter-nation disputes far
more easily than politicians who didn’t have the backing of the Righteous
Sect.
Ryn’s potential to help not just the republic, but the entire realm, was
the reason the sect had arranged for him to bond Saphielle. Once they
bonded, he could find Saphielle’s soul in the Firmament (the otherworldly
realm between realms that only mages could see) and speak to her over any
distance, even half a world. Only bonded mages could do that.
Their connection would allow Ryn to contact the leaders of the Primal
Academy no matter where he was in the world. He would continue to report
to the Executrix even after he graduated. The downside of this arrangement
was that Saphielle would need to stay in the academy, which meant after he
graduated, he’d only see her when he returned here after a mission.
He knew Saphielle would never stray. Forming a mage bond was as
sacred as a marriage. His bonding with Saphielle would be no different
from that of someone marrying a royal ambassador or emissary, where one
spouse often had to travel abroad while the other stayed behind. A priestess
of the Righteous Sect, especially, would never be unfaithful.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t miss Saphielle when he was away. Still,
he couldn’t graduate without the support of the Righteous Sect, and his
charge to protect his realm was one he took seriously. So for now, he would
simply make Saphielle’s life as wonderful as he could.
“I understand why the sect might wish us to remain formal,” Ryn agreed
cautiously. “Still, I think we may have more leeway in how we approach
our goal than you’ve been told.”
“What sort of leeway?” she asked cautiously.
“First, tell me the restrictions the sect gave you. I don’t ever want to get
you in trouble, so let’s start by making sure I don’t.”
He might have imagined it, but she seemed to relax. “It would be easier
for me to summarize our restrictions when I’m done unpacking. Is that...
acceptable?”
“It is. I’ll just be over here, studying some spell forms.”
Ryn sat down in the single chair at the table by his window and picked
up his book on nature spell forms, with numerous diagrams and genderless
human bodies completing the movements used to channel ether. The next
form he hoped to learn was heal, and studying its movements was a good
way to occupy his attention as Saphielle finished unpacking.
It was tempting to ogle her while she unpacked... she did look good, and
gods, she intended to be his first... but Ryn wasn’t sure she would want him
to ogle her yet. He didn’t want to do anything she didn’t want, other than
that which was required of them both.
Sooner than he expected, she spoke again. “I am all unpacked now,
primal conjurer.”
“Would you like to sit?” Ryn realized belatedly his table only had one
chair.
“I would. Thank you.” She walked over to his wide bed, just big enough
for two, and settled herself on it. She brushed a palm across the soft green
sheets as if curious how soft they might be before she caught herself and
pulled it away. She tucked her hands in her lap.
“Now,” Ryn said. “Tell me all the restrictions the sect gave you.”
She took a breath and gathered herself. “When we converse, I am to
refer to you by your title. I am never to use your name in conversation,
though you may use mine.”
So that was why she was being so formal. “What else?”
“I am to remain with you at all times unless you are training with the
other male students, or attending instruction in which I’m not allowed.”
That was one restriction he decided he wouldn’t mind. It would be nice
to have some company in this cold and lonely academy. Still, he didn’t like
that she was compelled.
“While we live together, the only acceptable type of intercourse is
vaginal,” Saphielle continued calmly. “All types of oral contact, including
oral intercourse, are forbidden.”
That was disappointing. “So I can’t even kiss you?”
She looked down at her lap. “There is to be no oral contact of any kind.”
Ryn was getting more and more annoyed with the sect’s restrictions.
Every female mage of bonding age regularly drank a tea of special herbs
that prevented her from conceiving, so he wasn’t worried about getting
Saphielle pregnant. It was simply that pleasuring and being pleasured by a
woman was one of life’s great joys. The sect seemed to truly hate fun.
“What about my fingers?” Ryn asked. “Can I use my fingers on you?”
Saphielle’s crimson blush absolutely destroyed her seemingly calm
demeanor, and Ryn felt both guilty and pleased by the demolition. She
rubbed her thighs together once he asked his question, likely unconsciously.
“That... I don’t think there’s any prohibition against fingers, primal
conjurer.”
“Understood.” So Ryn wasn’t completely without options. “Continue.”
“We are only to disrobe for purposes of bonding. Afterwards, I am to
dress. I am to remain clothed at all times unless we are attempting to form
our mage bond.”
“So no parading around my room naked when I’m not using my fingers
on you.”
She clutched her hands together. “No.”
“So, can I parade around naked?”
Now she glanced in his direction. “Is this all a joke to you?”
He held her worried gaze and showed both calm and confidence. “It’s
not. It’s not anything close to a joke to me, but I’m trying to lighten the
mood. We’re working under some breathtakingly stupid rules, and
remember, I didn’t ask for this any more than you.”
Her eyes widened. “Do you not want to do this?”
He struggled with how to answer that. “Let’s just say I still have
reservations.”
She wrung her hands in her lap. “About what?”
“That the sect has somehow coerced you into this, and that I’ll be taking
advantage of you if I do what they’ve asked.”
A flash of compassion crossed her features. “This is not... you aren’t the
reason I was asked to do this, and I agreed to do it without any duress. The
republic needs your strength, and you need a link to the academy. I can be
that bridge for you, and I know my duty.”
“And you’re certain this is what you want? You’re certain you want me
to bond you?”
“I am.” In that, at least, she sounded firm.
“Then...” He took a breath. “I’ll just say I consider myself lucky to have
a chance to do this with you.”
Her bright blush rose again. “You do?”
“Of course I do. I’m a man, and you are an absolutely gorgeous
woman.”
She looked away. “That is also not something you should say to me.”
“Why not?”
 “We are not to grow familiar with each other.”
He evaluated her for a moment. “Doesn’t that seem kind of
unreasonable?”
“It is what the sect demands. I am here to fulfill my duty and become
your first auxiliary.” She breathed and stared at the bed. “We can’t defy the
sect.”
The fact that Saphielle was so willing yet so reserved seemed
maddening on its surface, but what if there was more to it? What if she was
terrified the sect would punish her if he sent her away or failed to bond her?
In that case, doing either of those wouldn’t be fair to her at all.
Those fools at the Righteous Sect had asked their precious sibyl to walk
an impossible tightrope. Saphielle had to give herself to him, over and over,
but never care for him, and never experience any affection. No wonder she
was conflicted about all this.
Mistress Aurienda had been clear about something else. Because the
mages he would bond after he graduated might be sexually inexperienced,
she had suggested he devise his own methods for making a woman
comfortable with what was required to form a mage bond. So he would do
that with Saphielle. He couldn’t break the sect’s rules, but he could bend
them.
And he already felt Saphielle was the type of woman he’d bend the
rules for.

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 Chapter

Two

“T hank you for explaining all that to me,” Ryn said warmly. “I
promise, we won’t do anything that will get you in trouble. But before we
continue, do you have a nickname?”
Now she looked rather confused. “A nickname, primal conjurer?”
“Does everyone call you Saphielle? Or is there a shorter version? Like
Elle, or Saphi?”
“We are not to grow familiar,” she reminded him firmly.
“I understand that, I do. But, and please don’t take this as a critique, you
have a very long name. Three syllables. Saf-e-elle.”
“And...” She eyed him with obvious anxiety. “That displeases you?”
“Not at all.” Ryn smiled again. “I think you have a beautiful name, but I
also think that it’s a bit long to use in casual address. This isn’t about
growing more familiar. It’s about accommodating me while we work to
form our mage bond.”
She eyed him doubtfully. “How does me having a nickname
accommodate that?”
“I may need to tell you what to do while we’re having sex. So if there’s
a shorter version of your name I can use, that will make it easier for me to
instruct you, especially when I may be doing other things with my mouth.”
 She blushed bright red again and stared at her legs. “I... suppose that
would be all right.” She still looked uncertain, like she feared this was a
trick.
“So could I call you Elle, then?”
“I would prefer Saphi.”
“Then thank you, Saphi, for humoring me.”
“You are welcome, primal conjurer.”
He grinned. “And that’s what we’re going to fix next.”
Her guard snapped back up. “I am not to use your name. The sect forbid
it.”
“But my title is also long. Our attempts to bond will be more efficient if
you have a shorter name for me. Do you know what the auxiliaries of a
primal conjurer call him?”
“I do not.”
“Prime. That’s a shortened version of my title. So you can call me prime
if you wish.”
She peered at him curiously. “My prime?”
“Just prime is fine. Are you comfortable with using that instead?”
She nodded to herself. “It would be more efficient.”
“Fantastic! Now, would you mind if I sat on the bed beside you?”
He didn’t miss the way her shoulders involuntarily hunched. “I... that’s
fine.”
She was lying. She was still nervous. “Saphi... so long as we’re living
together, I do have one rule I’d like you to obey.”
“Yes, prime?”
“I don’t ever want you to lie to me about whether you’re comfortable
being in my bed.”
She winced and wrung her hands together. “I’d never do that.”
 “You just did. You aren’t comfortable with me sitting close to you, not
yet, and that is absolutely fine with me. I’m a virgin, just like you.
Remember? So I’m nervous as well.”
“That’s not necessary.” She sat up straight. “I said I would do this, so
I’m going to do it.”
“And I appreciate your dedication to our task, but we only just figured
out a way we can address each other that works for us both. So of course
you wouldn’t be comfortable with sitting close to me on a bed, let alone
getting naked together.”
“But...” She swallowed. “I gave my word to the sect, and to your
Executrix.”
“We won’t let them down. But we’re going to decide, together, how we
want to accomplish our task. You’re going to guide our bonding as much as
I am, at least in regards to the parts involving sex. I think after we try it a
few times, we might even find out it's fun.”
She watched him cautiously. “Prime...”
“Yes?”
“This borders on becoming informal.”
“Yes, well, are you going to report me?”
She blinked. “Report you?”
“To the sect. Are you going to tattle on me?”
She stared at him in alarm. “I’d never do that!”
“And do you think they’re listening to us right now?”
She looked around furtively. “Are they?”
“They aren’t. They’re all the way in Harandale, Saphi, and no one is
listening to us. We can speak freely when we’re in here together, and to
make this easier, I’ll swear something to you right now. I won’t ever tell
anyone, at the academy or elsewhere, if you slip up on a rule.”
She eyed him uncertainly. “Slip up... how?”
 “However. Let’s say you call me Ryn, or you forget to put your top on
when you get up after we’ve practiced, or you get really loud when I give
you an orgasm.”
She again went absolutely crimson. “That is against the rules!”
Ryn frowned. “No it isn’t. It’s how we form a bond. Do you know how
that works?”
“I...” She looked desperate to answer him.
“They never told you.” He stared. “Really?”
“I know that you must release inside me!” she said urgently.
What had they been teaching her in her stuffy old temple? “That’s not
remotely all there is to it. Forming a mage bond isn’t just about my release.
It’s about yours.”
Her dark eyes were now as wide as they had been. “My release?”
“I have to get you off, Saphi. We have to peak simultaneously, and
while I’m inside you. In that short space of time I have to project outside of
my body, draw ether matching your affinity from the Firmament, and bind it
to mine. That’s how two mages form a mage bond.”
Saphi’s eyes remained wide, but now she looked almost... intrigued. “I
didn’t know it was so involved.”
“So as you can imagine, me bonding you won’t be as easy as getting me
off. We’ll need to give each other pleasure and peak at the same time. That
takes lots of practice.”
“Lots of practice.” She repeated the words as if in a fugue.
“Women peak at different rates and, often, with different types of
stimulation. In order for us to synchronize our peaks, I am going to need to
give you multiple orgasms, often several times a day. I can’t form a mage
bond with you unless I do that to you often.”
Saphi’s shoulders hunched again.
“But as I’ve said, we don’t have to start tonight, tomorrow, or even this
week. We don’t have to start until you’re ready to start. I am going to bond
you, so you’re not going to fail the sect, but you decide when. You let me
know when you’re ready to start trying.”
“But...” She looked torn between relief and worry. “We only have three
months.”
“True, but three months is a long time.”
“You just made clear this process is more complicated than I
understood.”
“Sure, but it’s not that complicated. I’m certain we can do it. We’ll just
need to do some experimentation first. We’ll find your speed and mine.
We’ll learn about synchronizing.”
“But didn’t you say you’re a virgin?” Saphi asked uncertainly. “How
can you be so confident you can bond me?”
“I can do it,” he said confidently. “I may not be allowed to use my
tongue on you, but I’ve had plenty of practice with other methods. You
might not know this, but it’s not uncommon for women to fail to peak
during intercourse if the only stimulation involved is this.”
He pointed at the space between his legs. Her eyes darted there...
lingering longer than she likely realized... before they darted up again. She
looked as if she feared she’d been caught looking somewhere she shouldn’t.
When she looked up Ryn smiled to reassure her, and her shoulders
relaxed incrementally as their gaze met once more. He didn’t mind her
looking. Her blush had mostly faded as well, and her breathing was steady
now. She looked more at ease than she had been.
“Then...” For the first time since she’d entered the room, Saphi held his
gaze. “If we’re not going to begin today, what will we be doing?”
“Well, to start, we could sit on our bed together and get to know each
other.”
Saphi smiled faintly, which suggested the sect’s stupid rules might have
unexpected benefits. Ryn knew that his future auxiliaries might not have
much more sexual experience than Saphi. He needed to learn how to ease a
woman into what was required to form a mage bond.
“You can sit with me,” Saphi said after a moment.
 “You’re certain? Remember, I asked you not to lie to me.”
“I’m not lying. You can sit beside me on the bed. I’m... you’ve
explained this well enough that I’m comfortable with you sitting beside me.
But... we’ll just sit?”
“Agreed.”
Ryn walked over to the bed slowly to give her all the time she needed to
change her mind, then sat beside her. He sat close, closer than she was
likely ready for, but kept a hand’s length between them. Enough to make
sure she knew he expected nothing but her company.
As she glanced at him sidelong, a bit of her dark hair fell across one
eye. It transfixed him. He only realized he was staring when she gave him
an odd look.
“Is something the matter?” she asked worriedly.
“Nothing. It’s your hair.”
Her lips compressed. “Is it unacceptable?”
“No, it’s fantastic!” He grinned as he considered. “No, wait. That’s
getting too informal. It is... acceptable. You have acceptable hair.”
What might be a giggle snort escaped her lips before she gasped and
stared at him. Before she could ask or worry, he leaned a little closer.
“No one is listening to us,” he reminded her. “No one needs to know
what we say.”
“I know,” she agreed softly.
“So as I said, your hair is... very acceptable. How long did it take you to
fix it like that?”
Saphi’s hair was done up in multiple braids, and those braids lapped
over each other like a nest of snakes. She had at least six visible golden
combs in her hair as well, acting as both stakes to keep it in place and
arranged so artfully she looked like a noblewoman.
“Mistress Palena did my hair for today,” she admitted softly.
“It looks fantastic. But you can’t sleep like that, can you?”
 Her eyes widened. “I... can’t I?”
“Those combs might poke you. It will also be difficult for Mistress
Palena to do your hair every day if you’re living with me. I’m going to toss
a guess off a cliff here, but I’m guessing you do your hair differently when
you get to do it?”
“It doesn’t look near as nice.”
“Again, just tossing a guess here. But I bet it would look lovely.”
She now looked more amused than annoyed. “You really are
incorrigible.”
“I like bending the rules. That means I’m going to freely state you are a
gorgeous woman, and that I believe your hair would look fantastic even if it
didn’t have six golden combs, and that I find the idea of being bonded with
you rather appealing.”
She blushed again at the last part of his statement, but didn’t look
displeased by the idea. If anything, she looked reassured. That was a
fantastic development.
“And while I know this situation isn’t ideal,” he added, “I’m glad the
sect sent you instead of someone else. You seem like a truly lovely woman,
and I don’t just mean your appearance. You seem kind as well, and I’d
never be able to be with a cruel partner.”
She watched him with wide eyes. “You believe all that?”
“I do. So until we decide what to do next, just tell me what side you
want.”
She frowned. “Of... the bed?”
“Yes. I’m partial to the right side, since I sleep on my left side, so that’d
work best for me unless it’ll be uncomfortable for you.”
“That would be fine with me,” she said softly.
“And the rules say you’re to remain clothed unless we’re actively
practicing forming a mage bond. Correct?”
“Yes.”
 “So I’ll do the same. I have sleep clothes. I’m assuming you do as well.
So we’ll sleep clothed every night, me on the right and you on the left, until
we decide we want more.”
The way her pale lips trembled had him momentarily worried she might
cry. Then, she clearly mastered herself... and smiled what he felt was a real
smile. “Very well, prime.”
“Great!” Ryn glanced out the window. The rain had slacked off, and
there was still gray light outside, but his stomach told him it was getting
late. “Say, are you hungry?”
“Are you?” she asked worriedly.
“I could eat. And you’re to stay with me at all times, right? Unless I’m
in a class or somewhere you can’t go, like the bath? Those are the rules?”
“Those are the rules,” she agreed.
“So I’m going to go get something to eat at the mess hall, which means
you’ll need to go with me. You don’t have to go to the privy with me, do
you?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Now you are teasing me.”
“I often do that with people I like. Do you mind?”
“I...” She sighed. “I don’t imagine I can stop you.”
“I’ll stop teasing you if you don’t like it.”
“It’s a bit informal. But it’s you doing it. You’re bending the rules.”
“I sure am.”
“I am remaining formal.”
“You sure are, Sibyl Saphielle.”
Again that trace of a giggle snort. “Then... you can tease me.”
“Fantastic.”
Before he could say anything further, the bells of the academy tolled to
announce the start of the hour set aside for mages across the academy to eat
supper. Ryn was pleased to have timed things so well, but he suspected
Mistress Aurienda and Executrix Valenda had also played a part in this.
They’d kept him waiting so he’d be able to get to know his new partner.
Moreover, this was the perfect opportunity to take Saphi to supper. It
wasn’t a date... not exactly... but having supper together would be a
fantastic way to get to know her and let her get to know him. They didn’t
have to simply hop into bed together with no idea what the other person
was like. They could learn a lot about each other in three months.
“So, can I take you to supper tonight?” Ryn asked.
She eyed him curiously. “Are you teasing me now?”
“Not at all. I’m asking you to come have supper with me.”
“The rules already say I have to do that.”
“Sure, but I think we both agree the sect’s rules are asinine. So forget
the rule that says you have to come eat with me. If you want to stay here
while I eat in the mess hall, that’s fine. I’ll bring you something back. But if
you want to join me for supper... I’d be honored.”
Her sudden and sincere smile made her face all the more gorgeous. “I’d
like that.”
“Great! Do you need to get ready first?”
“No. I’m ready to go eat when you’re ready.”
“I’m ready now.” He rose and offered his hand. “Can I help you up?”
She took his hand. Hers was warm and so very soft. He wanted to bring
it to his lips and kiss it, but he worried even that might make her
uncomfortable.
He released her hand once she stood, but he didn’t miss the welcome
signs he recognized. Saphi breathed faster when he took her hand, and her
neck flushed once more when he did. It was a pleasant sight, but he looked
at the door instead.
He walked to the door, opened it, and motioned for her to precede him.
“After you.”
She eyed him curiously. “Is that an order or a request?”
He smiled gently. “Take it however you like.”
OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter

Three

S aphi stepped through the door , and he stepped out after her. She
paused as he closed the door and then followed him... closely... down the
spiral steps of the mage tower. He knew she’d walk further away if she
didn’t like him. Her liking him was good progress.
After descending fifteen flights of stairs, a task that would leave
anyone’s legs aching, they exited the mage tower and entered the male
training yard as the distant sun melted on the horizon. It would be dark
before long, and with the end of the republic’s mild fall, the nights would
grow colder over the next three months. At least he’d have a warm bed...
with a warm woman to share it with him. That was exciting.
The training yard was a large square of well-worn cobblestones with a
large clear pool, a smoldering bonfire, and a small garden with healthy
trees. The features of this yard constantly generated flood, flame, and nature
ether, while spark ether routinely reappeared every time they had a storm.
Which was often.
The Primal Academy was the size of a small town, with multiple dorms
for students, six different towers around the walls and in the middle, and a
number of additional buildings, including a rookery for its huge drakes. Its
towering black stone walls were easily as tall as a four story building, but
the walls weren’t its only defense.
 The academy was built on a sheer plateau that rose above the rolling
hills. Thus, the only way to bypass its walls was to climb the long and
winding slope that led to its extended drawbridge, by flying into it on the
back of a drake or pegasus, or by entering through one of the warded
tunnels that wound up through the summit from below. The academy was
built into the plateau as well, with numerous subterranean chambers.
The distant flapping of leathery wings drew Ryn’s eyes to the cloudy
sky. A dark-skinned lizard-like beast with huge wings soared by above, a
large drake with one of the academy’s vaunted drake riders. Saphi gasped
and pressed close against him.
“It’s just a drake rider on patrol,” Ryn assured her. “One of ours.”
The way Saphi stared up in awe of the creature and rider above
reminded Ryn how impressive they were. He’d felt the same way the first
time he saw a drake on the wing, but that had been eleven years ago. Drake
riders wore thick leathers, helmets, and goggles that allowed them to remain
aloft even in the bitter cold of the Cridor Republic’s winters.
As thrilling as it might be to soar the skies on a drake’s back, Ryn
suspected flying in the cold wasn’t fun. He’d ridden a galloping horse in
winter weather, and that had been enough to freeze his hands. He imagined
it was even colder up in the sky.
While the Cridor Republic and the other nation-states of Ryn’s realm
still skirmished with each other on the regular, actual wars had not erupted
for over one hundred years due to the influence of the Righteous Sect,
which had power in all the nation-states except Pasharal. Even a century
after the devil war, even the most powerful nation-states remained hesitant
to push another state into war. A war was exactly the type of situation devils
could exploit.
Ryn suspected that the current state of the realm was why the Executrix
had placed him on an accelerated graduation schedule, and why his lessons
involved as much training on leadership and diplomacy as spell forms. The
last primal conjurer, who’d been born in the northern nation-state of
Clarion, had died almost forty years ago. Without the steadying hand of a
primal conjurer to resolve disputes on behalf of the sect, the normal grudges
and disputes that often arose between nation-states could easily grow into a
border skirmish or even a war.
Several male students Ryn knew more by reputation than personal
experience were still practicing their spell forms in the training yard despite
the supper bell ringing. While the two mages with nature and life ether
affinity were relatively unobtrusive, the young spark mage calling down
strikes of lightning on a brutalized target dummy was loud. Each strike
echoed.
Ryn didn’t miss it when Saphi winced as each crack of thunder echoed
through the training yard. That suggested she hadn’t been around mages
channeling ether in the sect’s temple in Harandale. Perhaps the sect’s
priestesses didn’t train with other female mages the way mages trained here.
Ryn lightly pressed his hand against the flat of her back.
She jumped at his touch. “What?”
“The mess hall is this way.” He guided her forward with his hand on her
back.
“But why are you touching my back?”
“I was hoping it might make you feel safe.”
Another thunder crack made her flinch. Saphi abruptly shoved her arm
through the crook of his and gripped his bicep. After checking on her, he
steered her confidently toward their destination. He was pleased that the
next thunder crack barely made her jump.
With Saphi clutching his arm, he felt like his steps weighed half his
weight. There was something fantastic and invigorating about having a
lovely woman clutching his arm. He instinctively wanted to protect her, and
she seemed to trust him to do that.
Soon they left the training yard behind. Saphi relaxed once the sounds
of thunder and crackling faded... but she didn’t let go of his arm. He led her
to a large rectangular building with two big oak doors in front and
numerous windows along its side: the male mess hall.
Once they entered the hall, they filled their trays, found a table in the
back, and sat down to eat. Ryn spoke little and ate well as Saphi picked at
her food. She refused to raise her eyes more than briefly. Once more, her
shoulders hunched.
Ryn had thought she’d been warming up to him, but now, he felt like he
was losing ground again. Had he offended her without meaning to? For
now, he supposed, he would just continue to do his best to make her
comfortable.
He leaned closer. “Is the food here okay?”
She looked at him in alarm. “It’s fine!”
“Is the food in your temple’s mess hall better?”
“I didn’t eat in the mess hall.” She sounded confused. “I ate in our
servant’s quarters.”
He frowned. “Why did you do that?”
Now she eyed him like he was the one who needed instruction. “Prime,
do you have any idea what a sibyl does when she’s not in meditation or
engaging in public works?”
“I do not,” he said honestly.
“We clean the hallways. And the floors, and the rooms. We take out the
filled chamber pots and the dirty sheets. We wash them. We dry them. We
cook, sometimes. Sometimes we just carry things around the keep,
depending on what we’re asked.”
Ryn stared in shock. “The sect had you doing menial duties?”
“We serve the sect through our pious actions and our loyalty to the
gods,” Saphi said in a way that made him wonder if she believed it. “It’s our
honor and our privilege.”
He heard the resentment in her tone, and he understood it. He also
appreciated that it wasn’t directed at him. She didn’t blame him for any of
this.
“So when I’m not... doing this, which, as we’ve discussed, I haven’t
done before... I cook, and clean, and scrub.”
“That doesn’t sound very fun at all.”
 “It isn’t.” She sighed and looked down at her bowl, which was still
mostly full of steaming soup. “But it’s better than starving on the street.”
He knew how it felt to starve, and he felt a fresh rush of empathy.
“You’ve done that?”
“For a little while. The sect took me in not long after.”
“After what?”
She looked away. “Would you mind if we don’t talk about that?”
“Not at all.” He smiled to reassure her. “I’d simply like to learn more
about you, whatever you want to share. But you don’t have to tell me
anything you want to keep private.”
“Thank you.” Saphi’s eyes darted around the hall again before she
forced herself to meet his gaze. Still nervous... but determined not to be.
Ryn decided to guide their conversation in a more comfortable
direction. “So if we don’t talk about you, how about we talk about me?”
She eyed him in surprise. “Do you like talking about yourself?”
“I’m a primal conjurer, Saphi, and the most important and promising
mage in the Cridor Republic. Of course I like talking about myself.”
As she giggled, her hunched shoulders relaxed. She actually looked to
be having fun now, which he considered fantastic. “All right. Tell me
something interesting about you.”
“To start, I despise fish.”
She blinked. “Why do you hate fish?”
“I hate how they taste. Fish are all I ate while growing up, so if I never
have to eat another fish again, I’ll be more than happy. I love meat, but only
if it’s not fish.”
“Oh.” Saphi nodded. “I don’t really have any food I hate, but... I don’t
like bugs.”
It was only then that Ryn noticed one of the students several tables over
frowning their way like they’d personally insulted him. The man looked
away when he saw Ryn watching. As he looked around, however, he
realized that student wasn’t the only one staring.
 He realized, then, that Saphi might not be uncomfortable being around
him. She might be uncomfortable because she was the only woman in the
male mess hall at an unfamiliar academy. She knew no one here, and
everyone was staring at them.
Too late, Ryn recognized the jealous looks they were both getting from
the other male students, students Ryn had bunked with until a few days ago.
They now knew he had his own room... and his own woman. Even if Saphi
wasn’t aware of it, she must still feel their stares.
Ryn leaned forward. “Want to head back up to our room?”
Saphi stared at him in alarm. “But you haven’t finished your soup!”
“I’d rather eat in our room. We have our own room now, remember?
One all to ourselves. There’s no need for us to eat here in the mess hall.”
“But don’t you like eating in the mess hall?”
“I don’t care where we eat so long as I get to eat with you.”
She stared at her knees again.
“No one heard that,” he assured her. “They can’t hear us over here.”
“I know,” she all but whispered. “But... still. You shouldn’t say things
like that.” When she fidgeted this time, she looked like she wanted to melt
into the floor.
“Well, I’d like to eat our meal back in our room. Would that be all right
with you? We can carry our bowls back there and eat where I feel more
comfortable.”
Saphi nodded, and as she did so, he didn’t miss the relief on her face.
He’d been right about the looks from the other students making her feel
unwelcome. He should have known she would feel uncomfortable in an all-
male mess hall at an academy she’d never visited.
Once they were back in his dormitory room, alone, Ryn passed his palm
across a silver panel and ignited the lights. They drew fuel from pipes
within the walls, lighting the room pleasantly despite the black evening
outside. He offered Saphi his seat and table.
 She took the seat gratefully and finished her meal at a pace that assured
him she had been hungry the whole time. It was just meat soup, but it was
good meat soup. He wouldn’t want her to miss out on a meal simply
because she was nervous. He joined her.
Given how hungry he now realized they both were, they ate in
comfortable silence. He knew Saphi was comfortable because of how she
relaxed in the room’s only chair. She even smiled... shyly... from time to
time as their eyes met.
Those smiles made his heart pound. They felt like the smiles of a
woman who was enjoying her first date with a man she liked.
It was pitch black out now. The rain had slacked off, but the clouds
hadn’t cleared. There would be no moon tonight unless that changed. It
would be dark when the lights went off.
Dark might be best. Saphi might be embarrassed if she had to change
into her sleeping clothes with bright moonlight on her... or him. Ryn was
fully comfortable in front of a woman, both in sleep clothes and in nothing
at all, but Saphi obviously wasn’t there yet.
After she’d finished her meal, she stared out at the dark window. She
didn’t look comfortable staring at him, so he decided to change that. “So...
Saphi?”
She glanced from the window to him. “Yes, prime?”
“Did the sect give you any idea what you’d be doing when we weren’t
working on our bond?”
She frowned as she considered. “How do you mean?”
“I can’t be in this room all the time. I still have other classes to attend,
and morning meditation, and I’m going to need to dip out to the bath and
the privy. Also, even once we start practicing, I’m not going to be able to
practice with you without resting.”
“Resting?” she asked uncertainly.
“Yes.” It seemed she knew even less about sex than he’d expected.
“After a man releases during sex, there’s a period of time where he can’t
immediately do it again. Sometimes it’s only a span of minutes, but other
times it can take longer. Sometimes a man can release only a few times in a
day, even if he really likes the woman he’s with.”
She was now bright red once more, but at least she was maintaining eye
contact. She seemed to trust him enough now to understand he wasn’t
saying this just to embarrass her. He was teaching her vital facts she’d need
to know if they were to succeed, like an instructor.
“So there is going to be a lot of time where I’m either away at study, or
meditating, or resting after we’ve attempted to form our mage bond. I
understand we can’t break the rules of the sect, but asking you to sit in this
room staring at a wall is silly.”
“It would be dull,” she agreed.
“So, is there anything you like to do for fun? When you have leisure
time?”
“I liked drawing. When I was little.”
“Would you like me to get you some charcoal and some parchment?”
She looked at him in alarm. “Those are expensive.”
“Not for us. We have to practice glyph-etching and our writing. Letters
and such. Can’t have a mage leaving the academy who can’t spell his name.
For us, it’s free.”
“But the parchment and charcoal are for your use. Your studies.”
“I can certainly tell them that. But it’s also important... no, it’s vital...
that my first auxiliary not lose her mind because she’s stuck in this room
with nothing to do while I’m dozing after we’ve practiced forming our
bond. So if you’d like to sketch, I’ll make sure you can.”
“I would like that,” she agreed softly. “And... maybe some books?”
“What sort of books do you like? I can check out as many as I like from
our library.”
She fidgeted with her hands. “You’re going to think this answer is silly.”
“Try me.”
“I... well, I tend to prefer books about... relationships.”
 Fresh excitement flooded him as he realized they might finally have
found common ground. “Have you read The Pauper and the Knight?”
Her eyes widened. “You’ve read The Pauper and the Knight?”
“Like five times! You’ve finished it, haven’t you?”
“Of course I have!” she said... almost indignantly. “More times than
you.”
“I always re-read the final battle. Where he fought the entire vanguard
for her. He knew he couldn’t win, that he was going to die, and still, he
just⁠—”
“Challenged them all,” Saphi interrupted with what sounded like
genuine excitement. “It was such a grand, romantic gesture.”
“It was romantic,” Ryn agreed. “Stupid, also, but very romantic.”
“You enjoy books about romance?” She looked shocked by the idea.
“I enjoy books about a lot of things. Romance is just one of them. How
about Twelve Dozen Roses?”
She blushed brightly. “I wasn’t allowed to read that one.”
“Oh.” He chuckled. “I can imagine why.”
“But I did read The Mage from Clarion.”
“That one’s a bit highbrow for me, but I’m not judging.”
She looked absolutely befuddled by his last statement. “How was it
highbrow?”
“It always stops just when it’s getting to the good parts.”
“But...” She watched him like he’d gone mad. “You can’t write about
the good parts.”
“Twelve Dozen Roses certainly doesn’t have that problem.”
She now looked absurdly curious. “So... it talks about...”
“Oh yeah. All the lurid details. There’s even a scene with two women.”
Saphi gasped. “Together?”
 “Well, eventually there’s also a man involved, but they start with just
the two of them kissing and fingering each other. I’ve read that scene so
many times. It’s a really good scene.”
Saphi was now so red he was starting to get worried she might pass out.
“Does that worry you?” he asked.
“It... surprises me.”
“Why? It’s hot.”
“I can see how it would be. But aren’t you...” She hesitated, then leaned
forward and lowered her voice despite the two of them being the only
people in this room. “Doesn’t it make you uncomfortable to talk about such
things?”
“It used to. But Mistress Aurienda... my instructor here... taught me a lot
about how humans work, and how sex works, and how not to fall prey to
devils from the Firmament.”
She watched him like he’d suggested she eat a giant bug. “How are
those related?”
Ryn was surprised she hadn’t learned about any of this at the temple,
given the express purpose of the Righteous Sect was to prevent mages from
ever making devil deals. The last devil war had almost destroyed the world,
and in its aftermath, the sect had arisen to ensure it never happened again.
Still... maybe the sect was more conservative than Mistress Aurienda.
“Devils offer sex. It’s the first and simplest way they try to seduce you.
Make a devil deal while you’re in the Firmament, and you can have all the
freaky hot sex you want.”
“But that’s horrifying!”
“For some, yeah. But it’s still tempting for others, especially if they feel
they can’t get sex or satisfaction in their mortal lives. If they hide what they
want from everyone else.”
“If they... hide it?”
“That’s right. If they hide their desires. That’s part of the reason we’re
required to bond as mages. Another thing I learned from my instructor here
is that bonded mages often have lots of sex to keep each other satisfied.
Less temptation to accept a devil deal.”
“I hadn’t considered that,” Saphi admitted softly.
“Neither had I, until she told me. Anyway, Mistress Aurienda... my
instructor... taught me to be comfortable talking about sex and my desires.
That’s why I’m not embarrassed to tell you that Twelve Dozen Roses is an
incredibly sexy book. It taught me so much.”
“I want to read it,” Saphi said immediately.
“I’ll check it out for you.”
“And your librarian won’t think you’re odd for doing that?”
“If he does, so what? I don’t think I’m odd.”
Her smile grew. “That does seem like a reasonable way to approach
life.”
“So let’s be reasonable with each other. In order to form this bond,
we’re going to need to have sex. Lots of it. Dancing around it with coy
metaphors won’t be possible for us, but if it helps, I’d only ask you to be
informal with me.”
“In private.”
“That’s right. We’ll be as formal as the sect expects whenever we’re
around anyone else. We’ll obey all their stupid rules in public, but only to
keep us out of trouble. In this room, we make the rules. The two of us. How
does that sound?”
“That would be easier,” she admitted hesitantly.
“And if we want to form our mage bond, we’re going to need to be
honest with each other about what we enjoy. You’ll need to tell me what
makes you feel good, if I do something that doesn’t feel good, and let me
know as you get closer to your peak.”
“And you’ll do the same.”
“Yes,” Ryn agreed. For a lot of reasons, but we’ll save those for another
night.
 “I believe I can handle that.” Saphi took a deep breath and relaxed in
her chair. “So... prime. It is getting late, but I’m not yet tired. I don’t think
I’ll have time to sketch tonight, but when I have leisure... I do like to read.
So could we go to the library tonight?”
“It closed already,” Ryn said.
“Oh.” Her face fell.
“But I have a few books on hand.” He hopped off the bed, walked over
to his chest of drawers, and picked up the books. He carried them... all three
of them... over to the desk. “Take your pick. We’ll get more tomorrow.”
She smiled up at him, a real and genuine smile. “Thank you.”
“Of course. As for me, I’m going to practice my spell forms beside the
bed. I like to do that before I go to sleep. For some reason, it helps me
retain them better.”
“All right.” She looked at the table. “I’ll just read, then.”
“Let me know when you’re ready to slip into bed.”
She looked up at him again.
“Clothed,” he reminded her. “On our own sides.”
She nodded in approval.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter

Four

R yn practiced his spell forms , which involved complicated

movements he understood to be a little like martial arts. He wasn’t a martial
artist. He’d likely break his fist if he punched someone wrong. But
channeling ether drawn from the Firmament required precise movements of
the body, arms and legs and torso all aligned. It wasn’t easy... but it was
necessary.
Meanwhile, Saphi read. He wasn’t sure what book she was reading, but
all three of them were romances. He was able to take subtle glances at her
when she wasn’t looking, and her book definitely had her cheeks aglow.
She really did enjoy romance novels.
Ryn finished his routine and then considered his new problem. There
was no privacy curtain in here. He’d need to change for sleep in front of
her, which, despite her earlier promise to be more comfortable with him,
might make her less comfortable. Easy enough.
“Saphi, I need to change into my sleep clothes. Since we’re sleeping
clothed tonight, I trust you’re not ready to see me naked?”
Her blush was barely visible this time. “I don’t think so, no.”
“Then could you look out the window? I’ll let you know when I’m
decent.”
She gratefully turned her gaze to the window. “Of course.”
 Ryn slipped off his tunic, then his trousers, then his smallclothes. As he
walked over to his dresser stark naked, he heard Saphi let out a small gasp.
Given how black it was out there, and how bright it was in here, the
window was practically a mirror.
Who could have seen that coming?
He pulled his sleep tunic and silk shorts out of his drawer and took his
time getting dressed. He didn’t glance back at the window or at Saphi, but
he knew his reflection was crystal-clear in the window. Once he finished, he
straightened. “Dressed!”
He turned around to find her furiously concentrating on her book. Her
cheeks were now as red as he’d ever seen them. He could see her reflected
perfectly in the window.
“Is that a good book?” he asked curiously.
“It’s very interesting!” she assured him... far too loudly.
“Great! I’m getting into bed. You can keep reading until you’re tired.
The lights won’t bother me. Just flip them off before you take the other
side.”
She looked up and offered him a shaky nod.
Ryn lifted the soft covers and slipped under them. The academy got cold
at night, especially with stone floors, which made him all the more grateful
for this soft, warm bed. It was so much nicer than the narrow bunk he’d had
in his shared dormitory with eight other male students. This bed was a cloud
by comparison... but it was built for two.
Ryn was tired, but not that tired. Still, he closed his eyes. He relaxed
against the soft sheets. He was almost asleep when the click of the lights
being snuffed snapped him fully awake. He didn’t move. He simply
remained still in bed, like he was sleeping.
Soft feed padded around the room. She was barefoot. Weren’t her feet
cold? Maybe she didn’t have any warm slippers. He’d get her some slippers
from the commissary tomorrow.
Cloth brushed audibly against flesh. Ryn knew what it sounded like
when a person removed their clothing, and those sounds were very clear to
him tonight. He was both blessed and cursed by his extremely talented
imagination. Still, he wasn’t about to break his word.
Sleeping. Clothed. That was all. The rest would wait until she was
ready.
More clothing brushed skin as Saphi changed. Ryn could visualize her
silken sleeping clothes as they cascaded down her body. How her top would
hug her breasts. How her silken sleep shorts would cling to her tight little
bottom. His goal was to go to sleep.
A shift in the weight of the bed told him she’d settled into it. The bed
shifted again as she rolled over. Another rustle of cloth told him she’d
pulled the sheet up over her body.
So she was going to sleep on the edge of the bed. She wouldn’t be all
that comfortable there. Still, he’d consider that a win. It was, after all, their
first night together. They had ninety more nights to figure out what they
needed to figure out.
Cloth rustled. The bed shifted. A warm back pressed firmly against his,
and it was the most delightful feeling Ryn could imagine. She wanted to
sleep with her back against his. She wanted that contact... even if she wasn’t
ready for more. He smiled against his pillow.
He feigned sleep as he waited to see if anything else might happen.
Soon, the gentle sound of breathing told him she’d fallen asleep. While he
was mildly disappointed, he was also thrilled that she now trusted him
enough to fall asleep in the same bed with her back to his.
Saphi was sweet. This felt nice. And with her comforting warmth
pressed against his back, he fell asleep far more content than he had been on
prior nights.

Ryn woke the next day alone in his bed, and in the brief moment
between sleep and being awake, yesterday felt like a lovely but fleeting
dream. Yet as he rolled onto his back in his bed, Saphi proved he hadn’t
dreamed. She was sitting in his single chair at his single desk, reading a
book. When she heard him stir, she glanced his way and smiled.
“Good morning, prime.”
He smiled back and sat up in bed. “Good morning. How did you sleep?”
Her cheeks flushed, but her smile didn’t fade and she didn’t break their
gaze. “Much better than I expected.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He stretched, then slid out of bed. While he was
still wearing his sleep shorts and pants, he felt like Saphi’s eyes lingered on
him longer than they would if she wasn’t interested. “I’m going to head
down to the privy and then the showers.”
She looked at her book. “Of course.”
“Did anyone tell you how you’d be handling that? As fun as it might be,
I don’t think I can escort you there myself.”
Rather than blushing or looking away, she simply rolled her eyes. That
was another sign their relationship was progressing as he hoped. “I can go
to those places. I just can’t leave the mage tower without you at my side.”
“Well, if you want to freshen up this morning while I’m doing the same,
that would work well. I need to head to morning meditation in a bit, but I
have time to pick you up some breakfast from the commissary if you’d like.
Is there anything you’d enjoy?”
Her eyes widened. “You don’t have to do that!”
“I’d like to do that for you,” he reminded her. “You’re my guest, and
I’m your host... in a sense. So the least I can do is make sure you don’t
waste away from hunger.”
Her smile bloomed. “Well... any sort of tart would be lovely. Or
anything with fruit.”
“They have these lovely little bread rolls filled with jam. Would those
do?”
“Those sound delicious!”
“Great. So I’ll get cleaned up, come back with your breakfast, and then
head off to morning meditation. I should also be able to get some parchment
and charcoal for you by lunch. And after my training this afternoon, we can
stop by the library.”
She blushed again, but her smile didn’t fade. “That’s very kind of you,
prime.”
“Anything you need before I go, then?”
“I’ll be fine. And I’ll see you for midday meal.”
“Great.”
As he walked to the door, Saphi spoke again. “And prime... I’m looking
forward to it.”
Warmth flooded him as he opened the door. “Me too.”
Ryn was as good as his word. Saphi greatly enjoyed her breakfast, then
her lunch, then her trip to the library. That day, they talked more about
books and their experiences growing up in the academy or the temple. They
sat on the bed and even sat close enough that he could have kissed her if it
wasn’t against the rules. He certainly thought about it enough.
That night Saphi hopped into bed shortly after he did, and she pressed
her back to his almost immediately after she settled in. Ryn struggled with
the almost overwhelming urge to roll over and slip his arms around her, but
he didn’t want to push her.
Still, after two days with her, he already found her company far more
pleasant than he’d expected. The fact that he hadn’t kissed her and couldn’t
kiss her didn’t matter as much as he had thought it would. He simply liked
talking with her. Eating with her. Laughing with her.
At this rate, he was beginning to think not falling in love with this
woman was going to be far more difficult than he’d expected. He already
appreciated her company a great deal, and he hadn’t done so much as kiss
her. The Righteous Sect really did have some stupid rules.
Their third day together unraveled like the first and second, and once
more, they slipped into bed together. Yet tonight, it felt like Saphi was
pressing her back more firmly against his than they had on prior nights. He
held firm. Nothing until he knew she was comfortable.
 He was almost asleep when the feeling of her shifting to put her front to
his back snapped him awake. His heart pounded so loud he wondered if she
could hear it. Her hand touched his shoulder, and Ryn did his best not to roll
over and drag her into his arms.
“Prime?” Saphi whispered.
Ryn blinked slowly, as if he hadn’t already been wide awake. “Yes,
Saphi?”
She was leaning against him with her breasts pressed against his back in
her silken sleep clothes. Her hand was on his shoulder. It was very warm.
“I...” She hesitated. “I liked the book you got me today.”
Ryn smiled. “Had you read that one before?”
“I had not. It had some interesting scenes in it.”
That was the reason he had checked it out. It didn’t matter that Mentor
Bailan had given him a disapproving look. Bailan always gave him
disapproving looks.
“I didn’t get to read all of it,” Saphi continued softly. “But I liked the
scene in the fountain.”
“That’s a good one,” he agreed.
Her hand didn’t leave his shoulder. Finally, she asked the question he’d
been asking himself since she turned around. “Why are you being so patient
with me?”
So she was still nervous... or was she feeling the same longing he was?
Either way, he’d explain his reasoning clearly. “Can I roll to face you, hold
your hands, and just talk?”
“...Yes.”
He rolled onto his other side to put them front to front. He took her
hands in his and was pleased when she didn’t pull away. The lights were
out, so he couldn’t see her, but he could imagine her pale face. Her dark
eyes. Her brown and silky hair.
“I told you why,” Ryn said. “I don’t want to attempt to form a bond until
we’re both ready. Forming a mage bond is complicated, but it’s mainly
complicated because of all the sect’s stupid rules. If we didn’t have to deal
with those, this would be so much easier.”
“How?”
“Well, for one, I’d have kissed you already.”
“With... you would?”
“If you wanted it. I’d probably have spent the last few days kissing you,
and there would have been a great deal of hugging as well. And we would
cuddle, at night, in bed.”
She breathed quietly. “So what else would you do with me?”
“In what respect?”
“If there were no rules. If you could act freely, and I was eager for you
to act. How would you proceed then? What would you do, exactly?”
“Well, like I said, I’d start by kissing you.” All he did was hold her
hands. “Then, after we’d done that for a bit, I’d run my hands through your
hair. You have lovely hair, and I’d also like to run my fingers across your
cheeks.”
“My cheeks?” she asked in surprise.
“They look soft. I like how they look when you blush.”
Her breathing grew audibly quicker in the dark. “And then what?”
“Well, assuming you didn’t seem to mind any of this attention...”
“Let’s say I don’t mind it at all.”
“Then I’d see what else you might be willing to allow.”
“To allow?”
“Yes, Saphi. I’m never going to do anything with you that you don’t
want to do.”
She giggled quietly. “You’ve certainly proven that.”
“So if you allowed it, I’d start by rubbing your arms, then maybe your
back. As I kissed you. When I wasn’t running my hands through your hair
or along your cheeks.”
 She was now clutching his hands so tightly it hurt. He didn’t mind at all.
He had no intention of letting her go again tonight, unless she demanded he
do so.
“And if that didn’t bother you...”
“It doesn’t.”
“Then I’d trace one hand down further and give your rear a squeeze. A
gentle one.”
She breathed out. “And then?”
“Again, if you like it⁠—”
“I do!”
“Well, then I’d start to trace life ether across your back.”
“You can do that?” she whispered in quiet awe.
“Remember, I’m just like a sibyl in this regard. Primal conjurers can
draw all types of ether from the Firmament. I particularly like life ether
because it’s easy to draw. When I trace it across a woman’s skin, it makes
her feel very good.”
“How good?” Saphi demanded.
He gave her a moment. “Would you like me to show you?”
He waited in silence. The silence continued. Then, she spoke one word.
“Yes.”
“I’m going to let go of your hands now, but just with one hand. That’s
the one I’m going to use to trace life ether. You’ll notice it because it’s the
one that’s going to glow.”
“I know how drawing ether works,” she said tartly.
He laughed. “Just trying to be clear about my intentions.”
“And I appreciate that,” she agreed softly.
“So... observe.”
Ryn twirled his fingers in the dark. He focused on the Firmament, a
world of silk and sackcloth that existed always on top of this one, a world
only he and other mages could see. A faint glow lit the room and the
sheets... and Saphi.
Her pale, hopeful face watched him as her brown hair fell over one eye.
Sheets hid the rest of her body, but the glow made the golden collar around
her neck glisten. So long as she wore that ether blocker, she couldn’t touch
the Firmament. No devil could reach her.
“Could you slip the sheets off your back?” Ryn asked. “I can do this
over your tunic.”
Slowly, eying him with anticipation, she slipped the sheet off her back.
“This is what it feels like,” Ryn said.
He brought his hand around her, paused his finger between her shoulder
bones, and traced his fingertip... and the ether... along her spine, above her
silken tunic. Her whole body stiffened as opulent pleasure rushed through
her.
Only one tiny gasp escaped her lips. She must have practice at being
quiet. He stopped just above the small of her back. He waved his hand and
vanished the glow.
Their room fell into darkness, but he could still see her... in his mind. He
could feel her fast, heated breaths against his face. He wished he’d thought
to look at what her chest was doing. Again, his imagination filled in the
gaps.
“Could you do more?” she whispered finally.
“How much more? You decide.”
“I’m not ready,” she said immediately. “Not for... sex.”
“Understood.”
“But if you wanted... I mean, if you wanted to use more life ether on
me...”
“I can do that easily.” He twirled his fingers, drew more ether, and
traced it down the side of her back. This time, he stopped right before he
reached her ass.
 She tore her hand away from his, but not to move away. Her arms
encircled him. She pressed against him, front to front, warm and impossibly
soft.
She was hugging him! Like... real hugging! The sexy, desperate, needy
kind of hugging that happened between two people who cared about each
other in books! Ryn had thought about hugging her every day since they
met, and now he wanted to ease her down against the bed and kiss her
everywhere she wanted.
Yet kissing was against the rules. No oral contact of any kind. He
remembered.
Instead, he traced more strands of ether down her back until she was
breathing so hard he worried she might faint. Her soft moans were
incredibly exciting, because she was obviously trying not to moan... and
failing. Eventually, she rolled to put her back to him.
Was she embarrassed by how much she enjoyed his touch? He was now
uncertain how to proceed, given how hard he was and how thin his silk
shorts were. “So, just a warning⁠—”
“It’s fine,” she interrupted.
“You’re sure?”
“It’s fine.” She pressed herself up against him. He was now jabbing her
in a place she would immediately notice.
He gasped as silk pressed against silk. “That’s... uh...”
“Is it sensitive?” she whispered.
“Yes. That’s very sensitive.”
“We are only allowed to have vaginal intercourse. But if... your
member...”
“You mean my cock?”
She huffed and slapped him on the arm. “Yes! Your cock. If it’s... if
there’s clothes between us, and I’m wearing sleep shorts and you’re
wearing sleep shorts... it’s okay?”
“It’s still going to poke you.”
 “Right, but it’s not penetrating me.”
“Not unless something has gone horribly wrong.”
“So that’s not breaking the rules,” she said hurriedly. “We’re not having
sex in a way we shouldn’t. We’re just... touching. While in the same bed.
Which is a rule I have to follow. I can’t sleep unless I’m in the same bed
with you.”
“That is apparently a rule,” Ryn decided for both of them.
“So...” She wriggled experimentally. “Does that hurt?”
He sucked in his breath as pleasure raced through him. “It does not,
but...”
“Does it feel good?”
“That feels very good, Saphi.”
“All right.” She breathed. “Here is what I’d like us to do tonight.”
“We don’t have to do anything other than this.”
“But I want to do things with you. I’ve wanted that for days. You can
push up against me from behind. With that. With our clothes on.”
“All right.”
“And you can rub it against me. Against my... bottom. Would that feel
good for you?”
“That would feel very good, Saphi.”
“And while you do that... could you use life ether on me?”
“That’s going to be difficult with your back pressed against me like
this.”
“On my front,” Saphi said. “It... how does it feel on other parts?”
“Like your breasts?”
“Yes. How does it feel upon breasts?”
“I only have one woman’s opinion on this, but I’ve been told it feels
pretty much like a little orgasm around your nipples. And other parts.”
 “I want you to do that to me,” she said eagerly. “Do that, and rub
yourself against me from behind. As long as you need to finish.”
“That means something else is going to happen.”
“You’re going to release. That’s why I want you to do it. You’ve been so
good to me.”
He gently wrapped an arm around her midriff. She didn’t protest. He
held her close instead of grinding on her. “I’d be a boor if I did anything
else.”
“No, you’d be... well, not who you are. I like who you are. I like how
clear you are about your intentions, and how patient you’ve been with me,
and, well... I want to do my duty.”
“Is that all?”
“And I like that you like the same books I like. And I like that you spent
so much time making sure I was able to do things I liked, like sketching and
reading. And I like that you saw I was uncomfortable in the mess hall, that
first day, and decided to eat up here instead. I didn’t tell you that. You just
sensed I didn’t like how they were looking at me, and you fixed it.”
“I did all that to make you comfortable. I didn’t do it to get you into bed
with me.”
“I know. Which is why I want to be in bed with you.” She craned her
neck to look back at him in the dark. “Can I tell you something silly?”
“You can always tell me silly things.”
“This... what we’re doing right now, with you the way you are... is what
I’ve wanted and dreamed about since I came of age at the temple. I just
never thought it would happen.”
“How so?”
“When the sect asked me to become your first auxiliary, to help our
primal conjurer the way only I could, I almost said no. It’s true that I
wanted to serve the sect and the republic, but still... asking me to give
myself to someone I’d never met was a lot.”
“I can imagine.”
 “The reason I eventually agreed was because, despite the chance I might
be wrong, I thought you might be kind. Nice. Someone I wanted to be with,
like all those lovely books I read about a man and woman who were deeply
in love. The closer I got to actually coming here, of course, the more I
believed you’d be awful. I feel so silly now.”
He squeezed her. “That’s not silly at all.”
“You’re not awful. You’re everything I hoped you’d be, which is why I
want to do so much more with you. I want you to use more life ether on me,
and more.”
“Even between your legs?”
She considered carefully. “What happens if you do that?”
“You are going to orgasm very hard and, with luck, very loudly.”
“I want you to do that to me,” she said quickly. “But it wouldn’t be fair
if I had that and left you like you are. I can feel how stiff you are now, and...
I want to fix it.”
“You’re sure?”
“I need to fix it,” she assured him again. “If I feel good, you feel good.”
“That sounds fair.”
She breathed out. “So... do you want me to touch you now?”
“I’d like to pleasure you first.”
“Why?” She sounded genuinely surprised.
“I like the sounds you make when I touch you. I like thinking about how
good I’m making you feel, and listening to you moan in pleasure makes me
really hard.”
She trembled against him. “All... all right.”
“Just be aware that an orgasm like this can be overwhelming the first
time. Tell me if it gets to be too much. I’ll stop.”
“I will.”
He drew life ether and traced it across the top of her chest. She wriggled
madly against him and sucked in deep breaths. So far, so good. He drew
another strand and traced it over one of her pert breasts, and she moaned so
loudly he couldn’t help but smile.
“Is that okay?”
“Yes,” she breathed. “Gods, yes.”
“More?”
“Please. More.”
“And I can rub against you from the back while I do this?”
“Yes, gods yes!”
He pressed his full length against her and searched for the depression
between the cheeks of her ass. He’d fit nicely there, and she pushed up
against him to encourage him. He loved that she was so eager to return the
pleasure he’d given her.
Under normal circumstances, they’d need something slippery between
them, but he was already somewhat slippery after listening to her soft,
desperate moans as he traced his glowing hands across every curve of her
silk-clad body. He couldn’t help but groan as he ground shamelessly against
her ass. Three days without being able to touch her had been difficult.
Meanwhile, he traced more life ether along her chest, causing her to
moan and tremble against him. She’d never felt anything like this before,
and he wanted to let her savor this new, wonderful feeling. He wanted to
make her feel so good she could barely think.
He caressed her everywhere as he rubbed against her from behind. He
even teased her between her legs, but not with ether. He needed to ease her
into this. Once his bedmate was a warm, gasping mess, he decided now
would be a good time to practice synchronization.
He traced lines of life ether along her thighs as he approached his peak.
Her small moans grew desperate. Finally, he brushed his hand between her
legs.
Her thighs pressed together, but only to trap his hand there. She ground
herself against his hand instead of what she’d been grinding on before,
which told him she was definitely ready for release. She was damp through
the silk.
 “Saphi,” he whispered in her ear. “Let me go and I’ll make you cum.”
She released his hand with her thighs and offered a pleading little moan.
He raised his hand, pulled life ether from the Firmament, and traced it
between her folds over her silk. Even over her silk shorts, the ether would
feel like it was right against her skin.
Her reaction was every bit as impressive as he’d hoped. She went so
stiff against him it was like he’d broken her, but in a good way. Her long,
drawn-out groan was both a plea and a heartfelt thank you. He didn’t time
their peaks perfectly... he’d stopped grinding on her to focus... and he
sensed that she was now too sensitive for much of anything else.
After all this, after she’d trusted him to touch her like this, he didn’t
want to make her uncomfortable. He traced his hand away and gently
gripped her shoulder. She gasped for breath and trembled in the bed.
She relaxed and went as still as if she’d just been struck by a stop spell
form. Ryn hadn’t gotten all the way to release, but he was really glad that
she had. She knew what he was capable of now, so he hoped it would make
her feel better about doing this again.
Eventually, through loud and uneven breaths, she spoke. “Prime?”
“Yes, Saphi?”
“Did you... did you finish?”
“That felt great. It’s fine.”
“But did you finish?”
“Not completely, no.”
She immediately rolled over to face him. “You can touch me. My
breasts. Whatever you need to, just touch me however makes you feel
good.”
She was so much braver in the dark! He gently cupped her breasts in
both hands, and they were just as soft and supple as he’d imagined. He
traced gentle circles with his thumbs.
She was breathing like she’d finished a sprint. “That feels so good. Are
you using ether?”
 “No, that’s just my hands.”
“So... what do I do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to make you finish. What’s the best way to do that within the
rules?”
He considered her earlier logic. “Rub me through my pants. Over the
silk. There’s still clothing involved, and it’s not sex. At least not the kind of
sex forbidden by our rules.”
She slipped her hands up his thighs and found his length. She slipped
her hands on either side of him. Once she started rubbing him, he groaned
in satisfaction.
“Is that good?” she whispered.
“That’s good,” he assured her hoarsely.
“Faster? Slower?”
“A little faster. Just... yes. Oh yes, like that.”
Her breathing matched his as he climbed. She really was fantastically
good with her hands, and her eagerness made it even more hot. She wanted
this.
“Tell me when you’re close,” Saphi whispered. “When you’re about
to... release.”
“I will,” he managed. Her eager attentions continued, so it wasn’t long.
“It’s coming,” he managed hoarsely. “It’s coming, Saphi.”
“Yes, prime.” Just when he was on the cusp of release, she kissed him.
His orgasm shook his body as Saphi gave him the release he’d craved
all night. Her soft lips remained pressed against his until he kissed her back,
hungrily. She didn’t pull away.
Eventually, he was the one who broke their kiss. He could barely
breathe.
“You’re finished?” she asked hopefully.
 He shuddered and collapsed onto the bed. “I am.”
“And it was good? Even with... the rules?”
“It was very good.” He chuckled quietly. “But didn’t you just break
one?”
Silence filled the room for a moment. “Will you tell?”
“I’ll never tell.”
“Then I didn’t. We didn’t even disrobe. We’re just in bed together.”
“Do you want to clean up?”
“Do... do I need to?”
Ryn grinned in the dark. “I’d be happy never leaving this bed again.”
“Then let’s sleep like this,” she agreed eagerly. “But not on either side.
I... I’ll roll over and you can sleep against me. From behind. Would you like
that?”
“That sounds great to me.”
“And you can rub it against me again if you need to. Later. I don’t
mind.”
He wrapped an arm around her midriff again. “That’s very generous of
you, but I think I’d just like to sleep. You were very good to me tonight.”
“It was simply... my pleasure. Prime.” She snuggled into the big spoon
he provided and sighed. He was almost asleep when she spoke again.
“Can we do this again tomorrow?” she whispered.
He loved how earnest she sounded. “It was that good?”
“You were good. You were amazing! I want you to do that to me again
and again.”
He lightly kissed the back of her neck. “I will.”
“But you’re not supposed to kiss me.”
“It was just your neck, and who are you going to tell?”
 “No one. But... Gods, why am I tingling? I’ve never been this tingly
after an orgasm. It feels like I’m immersed in a warm bath.”
“But you’ve had orgasms before?”
“...Yes.”
“With help, or by yourself?”
She batted at his side. “By myself, obviously!”
“Me too. Everyone does it. It’s simply more fun with a friend.”
“So we’re friends now, are we?” She sounded like she was teasing him
now.
“Apparently, that’s all the sect will allow. But yes, Saphi. I’m glad to be
your friend for now, and soon, I hope we’ll grow much closer. And even
when I can’t be here with you at the academy, we can still touch minds in
the Firmament. It’s better than writing letters, isn’t it?”
“It is. It would be lovely.”
“And when I’m actually here, there’s no reason we can’t do this. Once
you’re my first auxiliary, I’d be remiss if I didn’t see to your needs.”
“We will. We definitely will. But... my world is spinning. I’ve never felt
like this after.”
“Are you saying I’m that incredible?”
She elbowed him again. “I’m asking if what you did has something to
do with that!”
“Ether orgasms can do that to you. The spinning feeling will pass in a
few minutes, and then you’ll be out like a lamp. So sleep now. We’ll figure
out the rest tomorrow.”
“All right,” Saphi agreed. “Also, I’ve made a decision.”
“What’s that?”
“You and I are going to have sex tomorrow. Actual sex.”
He squeezed her gently. “We don’t have to rush into it.”
 “But you need to successfully bond me before three months are up or
we’ll both be in trouble, and we need to have sex to do that. I wasn’t ready
when we met because I thought it would be awful and I didn’t know you,
but now... I do know you. A little. And it wasn’t awful.”
“Aww, thanks!”
“And if... when we have sex tomorrow, real penetrative sex, can it feel
like this?”
“If I use my fingers on you first? And we can kiss? And we don’t tell
anyone? Yes, though it could be uncomfortable for you the first time. Life
ether might help ease that.
“Then I want to do it,” she said. “Tomorrow night, I want you to take
me... that way.”
As he brushed his fingers through her hair like he’d longed to do from
the moment they’d met. “It would be my honor, Sibyl Saphielle.”
She giggled. “Then sleep well, my prime.”
“Any chance I could get you to call me Ryn? In private?”
She considered. “Ask me after you’ve given me a few more nights like
this.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter

Five

T he next morning was the first time Ryn had ever come awake with a
woman’s warm body draped over him. At some point in the night, he’d
rolled onto his back, and at some point after that, Saphi had snuggled up
against his side and fallen asleep on his chest. He liked this. He wanted to
wake up like this every morning for as long as they got to be together.
He didn’t move. He didn’t dare. All he could do in that moment was
stare down at Saphi’s short brown hair, some of which was still plastered to
the side of her face. He’d made her sweat last night, though she’d done the
same for him. She must have gotten hot at some point in the night as well,
because she’d pushed the thick green blanket down to their waists.
That meant, in the morning light, he could see her far better than he had
last night. He took note of small but wonderful details: the way sunlight
gleamed off her golden collar, the way her pink lips pursed as she slept, and
the way her sleep tunic fell open to reveal the top of one round breast. He’d
love to see more of those, but she was sleeping.
It would be a crime to disturb a woman sleeping as soundly as this one.
Still, at some point, he would need to slip out of bed. This was the start
of a new month at the academy, and more importantly, it was a challenge
day: one day each month where all the mages in Ryn’s all-male class
competed to prove their prowess in channeling ether. He needed to limber
up and clear his mind to get ready for this morning’s contests.
 Ryn had risen to the top of the challenge rankings four months ago, a
month after this year’s competition began, and he intended to keep his place
as long as possible. He doubted he could keep first place forever. But if
nothing else, he wanted to keep the others on their toes.
Just because the other male mages in his group could only draw and
channel one type of ether didn’t give him an advantage over them. In his
own domain, a spark, flood, or conflagration mage was even more skilled
with their respective forms than a primal conjurer since they, unlike him,
spent every day practicing the spell forms of a single type of ether.
Thus far, Ryn had kept his top ranking by demonstrating his proficiency
with flame burst, the first spell form he’d learned, and brilliant spark, the
second. However, there were two conflagration mages in his class who were
rapidly approaching his proficiency with flame burst, and more importantly,
they were close to channeling forms he hadn’t learned.
It wasn’t possible to keep a top ranking after a challenge month simply
by repeatedly completing the same spell form. To demonstrate two forms
was expected of most mages, and any who could manage three forms
gained extra points with the judges. Most everyone in his class knew at
least two now, and most of those in the higher ranks knew three.
Ryn knew four spell forms, currently, but could only channel his flame
and spark spell forms consistently. Even adding barrier couldn’t keep him
at the top, which was why, as he considered his options this morning, he
was already considering attempting to channel stop.
Time mages weren’t as rare as primal conjurers, but they were rare
enough there was no other time mage in Ryn’s class. He knew of at least
two more in the republic, both training at other academies, and knew there
must be others in the other nation-states. Still, time mages often had to
struggle more than others, because time preferred to remain unbent.
He’d been working on stop for almost a year now. The spell form was
one of the most complicated and difficult he’d ever attempted to execute,
and even the slightest hesitation or change of speed would expend the ether
uselessly. Channeling stop was a risk.
Yet he didn’t feel comfortable he could win another challenge day using
just his old tricks. Marius Heller, one of the two conflagration mages in his
class, had been only a half second behind Ryn’s flame burst when they
matched up last month, and the reach of his flames had been a foot longer.
Moreover, Ryn was fighting a battle on multiple fronts.
Kayden Seagrove was another problem. His mastery of spark spell
forms had improved drastically in the past three months, and at his current
pace, Ryn suspected Kayden would pass him up sooner rather than later.
Kayden already knew ether spark, brilliant spark, and paralyze.
If Ryn lost his spot at the top of the challenge board, he wouldn’t be
penalized in any way. He wouldn’t lose any privileges, and after he formed
his first mage bond with Saphi, Mistress Aurienda would move him into the
ranks of the senior student mages. Ryn would lose nothing if he lost his
rank in the next three months... except his pride.
He was still mulling over his options when Saphi stirred, yawned, and
then shifted to peer up at him through sleepy but satisfied eyes. The smile
that crossed her face when he looked at her was chased by her soft blush.
She looked down and snuggled closer.
Ryn lightly rubbed her back. “Morning.”
“Good morning, prime.” She looked up again. “I hope you don’t mind
that I got comfortable in the night.”
“I don’t mind at all.” He grinned. “And I’m very comfortable.”
“Would you like to do it again this morning?”
He was surprised she’d asked. “You mean sex?”
“Not that.” She brushed her fingers along his chest. “I want to do that
with you tonight, after lights out, after I take my collar off and... you can
take your time with me.”
He smiled and rubbed her back. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.”
“But that doesn’t mean we can’t do other things before tonight! If you
want to rub against me like we did last night, you can. Or I can use my
hands on you through your shorts. And when we’re in bed together, you can
touch me anywhere you like. I don’t mind at all.”
He considered her offer. It was a really tempting offer.
 “I thought about it more last night,” Saphi continued. “After you fell
asleep. I guess until we did that together, I didn’t realize how much I... liked
it.”
“I can absolutely trace some ether across you this morning.”
“That would be nice, it really would!” She slipped closer. “And if you
want to hear me moan again this morning, I’d love that too. But...”
Ryn wasn’t sure what to make of this mixture of eagerness and
hesitance. “But what?”
“I think what I liked, more than anything, was knowing I pleased you.”
It felt like his heart seized up for a moment. “How do you mean?”
“Well... I already like you. So I like that I was able to make you feel
good. I like that I was the reason you felt so good.”
Ryn’s mind was rapidly losing focus on the morning ahead. If he
understood Saphi correctly, she saying that getting him off... got her off?
Her soft, warm fingers traced a gentle circle across his chest. “So if you
wanted me to do something for you again, this morning, what I’m saying
is... I’d want to do it.”
Ryn considered carefully. On the one hand, he had a difficult challenge
day in less than an hour. He’d need to be rested, alert, and focused to
maintain his top spot on the ranking board. The other mages in his class
would be looking for any hint he had lost his edge.
On the other hand, Saphi wanted to make him cum.
Decisions. Tough decisions.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to!” She had obviously misinterpreted his
hesitance. “I just want to show you how grateful I am for how you’ve
treated me, and⁠—”
“Stop.” Ryn gripped her arm tightly. “I’m grateful for how you’ve
treated me, and that’s how a relationship like this should always work. We
make each other feel good. I’m just not sure if it’s a good idea to do that
right before a challenge day.”
“Challenge day?” she asked curiously.
 Somewhere in the fog of waking up from sleep and Saphi offering to
pleasure him this morning, he’d forgotten she grew up living in a temple.
“On the first day of every month here, mages present their progress in spell
forms to the instructors by drawing and channeling the ether for which they
have an affinity. This is the first day of the month.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “So you have to draw ether and channel spell
forms today. Which means that if I distract you too much this morning, you
could fail.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t want to! I’m just considering the best course
of action if I want to maintain my place in the challenge rankings.”
“I understand.” Saphi smiled at him and rested her chin on his chest.
“Take all the time you need to think about it, then tell me what you want. I
want to make you happy.”
Once again, she surprised him. “You mean that?”
“I do. I guess... maybe, that’s the other thing I’ve come to understand
since we met.”
“What other thing?”
“Prime... I’ve been so lonely.”
He instinctively hugged her tight.
“In the temple at the capital, I never felt like I had anyone close. Even
the mages there looked at me like an outsider, and the normal servants did
too. The preceptors never allowed me to get close to anyone, and even if I
did, what would be the point?”
“What do you mean?”
“The High Cleric told me I’d be transferring here to be bonded by you
years ago, and that I’d stay here at the Primal Academy afterward. Once I
knew that, why would I want to be close with anyone at the temple? I’d
simply be sad after I never got to see them again.”
“But... won’t you be lonely when I have to go out on missions?”
“No.” She smiled. “Not so long as I know you’re coming back to be
with me.”
 He rolled on his side so he could wrap her up in both arms. “Does our
Executrix know how they treated you at the temple? That you couldn’t get
close to anyone?”
“Would it matter?” Saphi snuggled close. “It’s not like I can complain. I
had a roof over my head, and food, and work, and a wage, which is better
than I had before.”
“Before the sect took you in and discovered you could touch the
Firmament?”
She nodded against his chest. “I wasn’t in a good place before.”
He rubbed her back and kissed her right on the forehead.
She looked up at him. “You aren’t supposed to kiss me.”
Ryn offered a faint grin. “I sure hope no one tells.”
She snuggled close again. “So... last night, after we finally touched each
other and... that... I realized that my nights with you are the first time in
forever where I’ve felt like I belonged somewhere with someone. Someone
who wanted to be with me.”
“Gods, Saphi, that sounds horrible. I’m sorry you ever had to feel that
way.”
“I don’t feel that way now,” she assured him. “That’s why I want to
make you happy.”
“You already are.”
“Good.” She pressed closer as her warm hand settled on his hip.
“Though... aren’t you stiff again this morning?”
He considered his answer very carefully. “I am.”
“So wouldn’t that be distracting as well? During your challenge day?”
Her fingers slid across his midriff. “Will you still be able to focus if you go
to your practice while... tense?”
She was absolutely right. Thinking about her waiting in his room like
this, wanting him like this, was going to destroy his concentration. If all he
was thinking about was how much he wanted to be with her, he wouldn’t be
focused on channeling his forms.
 “I think you might be right,” Ryn said. “It’s probably better I not be
distracted this morning. So, if you want to help...”
She gasped in obvious delight. “I’d love to help!”
“Great. But I don’t want to do what we did last night.”
“Did you not like it?” she asked worriedly.
“I loved every moment of what we did last night. But remember, we’re
going to need to master all sorts of techniques if we want to form a mage
bond. There’s nothing wrong with what we did last night. I simply want to
try something different this morning.”
“Then tell me what to do.” Saphi wriggled enough out of his arms to
stare up at him. “How can I help you relax before you start your challenge
day?”
“Are you okay with seeing me naked?”
She nodded immediately.
“So, this morning, I’d like you to use your hand on me. Just know it
could get messy.”
“I’m fine with messy. It just means I did a good job.”
He couldn’t help but grin at her earnest eagerness. “Roll off me so I can
sit up.”
He eased his grip on her so she could push up on both elbows, and she
watched him curiously as he shifted upward to sit against the headboard.
She clambered closer, crawling across the bed to stay close, but kept to her
side.
He pointed down. “Slide my sleep shorts off. This will be easier without
them.”
She moved forward and balanced on her knees, then glanced at him in
curiosity. “Would it help if I took my tunic off as well? So you could... look
at my breasts?”
“Yes.” Ryn’s heart pounded. “That would help a lot, actually.”
She reached down with both hands to grip the sides of her tunic, then
hesitated. She looked so uncertain he wanted to hug her again. Then, she
pulled off her tunic like it was on fire and tossed it on the side of the bed.
Ryn stared. He couldn’t help staring. Her pale, round breasts were perky
and gorgeous in the morning light, and somehow, the gleam of the ether
blocker around her neck made her seem even more naked. He’d put his
hands all over her last night, of course, but that had been in the dark and
through her silk tunic. Now, there was nothing but sunlight in his way.
Her pale shoulders hunched. “Are they okay?”
He only then realized, given how lonely and inexperienced she was, she
was self-conscious about her body. “Your breasts are lovely. You’re lovely.
You're an absolutely gorgeous woman, and I don’t care if saying that bends
a rule.”
She smiled in relief. “You really think so?”
“I do. I love your breasts. Thank you for showing them to me.”
She giggled softly. “I’m glad you like them. That makes me happy, too.”
She leaned forward again, and, eyes focused on her task, tugged on his silk
sleeping shorts. He lifted his rear with his hands to help her, and then she
slid them off with no trouble at all.
She gasped again as he sprang to attention, and he didn’t know whether
to be amused or aroused by how impressed she looked. He decided on a
mixture of both. Then she looked up at him, and it was a struggle to decide
whether to look at her needy gaze or her bare chest.
“How do I do it?” she asked hopefully.
“It’ll be easier if I show you.” Ryn offered his palm. “Take my hand?”
She immediately placed her palm in his, and then he guided her hand to
where he wanted it to be. She was entirely compliant.
“Wrap your fingers around... here.”
As she focused on her task, her lips pressed together. She looked like
she was preparing to channel flame ether. He loved how intent she was on
doing exactly what he wanted.
“Now grip gently and stroke all the way up and down. Slowly at first.”
 She complied, hesitantly at first, looking constantly between her work
and his eyes. She was watching him to gauge her progress. He smiled and
leaned back against the headboard to assure her this felt good. Her blush
grew along with her confidence.
It would have felt even better if she’d used her mouth on him first, or if
she was using it now. Still, oral contact was against the rules, and she was
so obviously eager to please him that he didn’t want to discourage her. She
was focused on making him feel good.
He wasn’t touching her. He’d done nothing but smile at her, but
touching him like this was making her hot. She really did get off on making
him feel good.
Ryn’s pleasure grew at a steady pace as Saphi continued her eager work.
He loved the way her bicep tensed with each stroke, and the way her breasts
moved as she did it. She was so intent on what she was doing she jumped
when he cupped her breast.
He quickly let go. “Is that okay?”
“Yes!” she assured him. “Sorry. You can touch me. You just caught me
by surprise.”
Ryn sucked in a deep breath as she continued her tender but eager
movements. He slid a finger around her bare, warm back and cupped her
breast from the side. She adjusted to lean into his hand but didn’t slow. If
anything, her movements grew faster.
“Oh.” Ryn swallowed. “Oh, damn, I’m close.”
“Should I slow down?”
“No. Just keep going... like that. Just like that, Saphi.”
His pleasure grew and grew, and soon he was done for. He gripped her
breast tightly as she brought him to his peak, and they both gasped as he
erupted all over her hand. She looked surprised and... intrigued?
“That felt good for you?” she asked hopefully.
He gave her breast another much gentler squeeze before releasing her.
“That felt amazing. You made me feel amazing.”
 She beamed with obvious pleasure. “I’m so glad.”
They cleaned up and slipped back into bed together. When he wrapped
his arms around her and she sighed happily, for a moment, he felt like they
were the only two people at the academy. He’d never felt this close to
anyone before... and when it came to giving each other pleasure, it seemed
Saphi was going to be both an eager and willing student.
The bells of the academy rang a warning. Ryn now had half an hour to
report to the men’s training yard for the start of today’s challenge rounds.
He wouldn’t have time for breakfast thanks to his delay with Saphi this
morning, but he didn’t regret it.
“I have to get ready to go,” he said softly.
“Go.” She smiled. “I’ll be here when you come back.” She breathed
deep, as if considering something, then stared at him intently. “I’ll always
be here.”
The certainty in her words made his head spin. It was even more
challenging to leave his warm bed... and this wonderful woman... after she
spoke, but he had duties to the academy. And they had many more months
to enjoy the simple pleasures of being warm in bed.
As wasteful as it felt to do so, he slipped out of bed again. Soon Saphi
did the same. She rose topless and, at the last moment, remembered to
snatch her tunic off the bed. Ryn forgot what he’d intended as he marveled
at the way the morning light caught her hair.
Ryn remembered the rules of the Righteous Sect. Saphi was not to
disrobe unless they were coupling. It was somehow even more charming to
see her so intent on following the rules, but when she slipped her arms
around him again, he embraced her eagerly and marveled at how soft she
was. The top of her head only came up to his chest.
“Good luck on your challenge day,” she said. “I wish I could cheer you
on.”
“Can’t you? You’re supposed to go everywhere with me, right?”
Her dark eyes widened as she stepped back. “I can go with you?”
 “It’s right there in the rules. So long as you don’t mind the other
students.”
“I don’t! Not after three days with you.” She darted to the dresser and
then stopped. She glanced back at him. “It won’t take me long to change.
But... can you not look?”
It was momentarily baffling to see Saphi being shy about changing in
front of him after what they’d just done on their bed, but as he considered,
he remembered she’d only taken her tunic off. Not her shorts. Like she’d
told him, she wanted to prepare.
“I’ll get changed when you do,” Ryn said. “I need to get my battle robe
out of the wardrobe and put it on, so I’ll do that and not turn around until
you’re dressed.”
She nodded gratefully. “I’ll be quick, I promise!”
Ryn opened the wardrobe and pulled out his training robe. It wasn’t as
nice as the battle robes worn by a senior mage or graduated mage, but it
was still embroidered blue and golden cloth with embedded armored plates.
Enough armor to stop a glancing blow from a blade.
He slipped his robe on without turning around. Getting all the clasps
snapped by himself was always a chore, but he managed. As he was
buttoning the last of the clasps, Saphi spoke.
“Ready!” she called.
He turned around at last and smiled as he looked her over. She wore a
fine blue tunic that hugged her curves and had a shallow V down its top.
Just enough to show cleavage. He suspected she’d chosen that top because
it showed cleavage... so he could look.
She’d paired the tunic with a silky blue skirt that fell past her knees but
was still tight enough it hugged her hips. She was dressed as nicely as the
female mages he sometimes spotted walking the halls between lessons.
Even the way her hair was mussed from their activities only enhanced her
appeal.
“Will these clothes work?” she asked hopefully. “I wasn’t sure how I
should dress.”
 “You look like a frost mage, Saphi. A very attractive frost mage. It’s
perfect.”
She smiled and walked closer. “So shall we go now, prime?”
He nodded. As he walked toward the door, she slipped her arm through
his and gripped his bicep. He knew she wasn’t doing that because she was
scared. She simply wanted to make sure the other mages he practiced with
today had no doubt she was his.
That was such a wonderful feeling it made the walk down the stairs feel
like a stroll.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter

Six

B y the time they arrived at the men’s sparring yard, Ryn felt like he
could channel every spell form he knew a dozen times over. Having Saphi
clutching his arm and pressed close to his side made him feel like he could
do anything. As he considered her words back in their room, he realized that
she wasn’t the only one who’d been lonely.
He was, after all, a primal conjurer. The only primal conjurer in the
republic. That meant the instructors at the academy paid more attention to
his needs than anyone else’s, and while he couldn’t say for certain that was
why he’d been able to cultivate any close friendships, he suspected that was
a part of it. He would always stand apart whether he wanted to or not.
Ryn had never had any problems with his fellow students. No one had
ever bullied him or talked down to him, but they had challenged him. It
seemed like one student or another had been pushing him to improve every
day since he arrived. He just hoped he’d done the same for them. Mages
were, after all, here to learn and grow stronger.
And so the instructors could ensure none of them ever made a devil
deal.
Still, Ryn’s arrival in the yard today was different. Many students
looked jealous to see him arriving with Saphi on his arm. He hadn’t brought
her here to boast. He’d simply wanted to let her watch him as she’d wished.
He wasn’t going to apologize for bringing her, nor would he allow the gazes
of the other students to make her uncomfortable. So how could he fix this?
When Ryn glanced down to check on her, he found her smiling warmly
up at him. She only had eyes for him. So long as she was here with him,
Saphi wouldn’t worry about what anyone else thought about them. He loved
that she felt that way.
As they approached the yard, Saphi leaned close. “You’re going to be
amazing today.”
He chuckled. “Given you’ve never seen me channel, it’s nice that you
think that.”
“But I have.”
“When?”
“I’ve watched you every night. When you practiced your forms before
bed.”
He glanced at her in surprise. “I thought you were reading.”
She smiled shyly. “I was only sort of reading.”
“Well, I had no idea you were watching me.”
“And even if you don’t keep your rank, I don’t care. I’m so glad I get to
see you practice and just... be with you like this. I can’t wait to become your
first auxiliary. No matter whether you win or lose, I’m going to like you just
as much after this challenge as I do now. More, even.”
Ryn patted her hand and smiled. “Thank you, Saphi.”
“Sibyl Saphielle,” she reminded him coyly. “Remember, we’re in
public.”
The men’s training yard was as it had been the night before. The two
clear pools were freshly stocked with cool water, and the single bonfire in
the middle burned bright. There would be plenty of ether in the yard this
morning, though Ryn and his fellow mages would quickly exhaust it. That
was why challenge days only took place once a month.
The other difference between the yard today and the yard yesterday was
the wooden effigies placed in the middle of it by the academy’s carpenters.
Those effigies would act as targets for their spell forms, standing in for
bandits or devils or even other mages who they would theoretically be
battling in the field. Each effigy was little more than a barrel suspended on
a pole with a bucket for a head, but they approximated a human-sized
target.
The effigies were not intended to stand up to the elements or last longer
than a few days. The academy’s blacksmith and carpenters built dozens of
them quickly and efficiently a few days before each challenge day. Given
Ryn and his fellow students would be pounding the effigies to splinters
during their routines, more effort was unneeded.
Mentor Gaskon stepped from between several students in Ryn’s class
and approached at an easy pace. He wore crimson battle robes that were
both more expensive and more resilient than Ryn’s robes, but he was a
graduated mage and Primal Academy instructor.
Gaskon was a tall, dark-haired man with a square jaw and constant
stubble. He was also a fair instructor, one of Ryn’s favorites behind Mistress
Aurienda, and Ryn already suspected why Gaskon was intercepting him
today. Women weren’t allowed in the men’s training yard, just like men
weren’t allowed in the woman’s training yard on the other side of the
academy.
Gaskon raised a palm. “I’m afraid she can’t be here today, Xaven.
Your... friend... will need to head back to her chambers before we start
today’s challenges.”
“I know it’s unusual to have a woman in our yard,” Ryn said calmly.
“But Saphielle is a sibyl, and she’s our guest. Both the sect and the
Executrix were clear she needs to be with me or in our room for the next
three months. Given the options, I thought she’d like the air.”
Gaskon’s brow furrowed. “We can’t have her in the yard. Not while
we’re channeling.”
“So how about she watches from the observation post?” Ryn pointed at
the wooden platform attached to one of the four inner walls of the men’s
sparring yard. “The post is above the yard. Right? That way we can keep
everyone happy without causing you any trouble.”
 Gaskon idly scratched his stubbled chin as he considered Ryn’s offer.
Ryn held the man’s gaze and stood firm. Gaskon had to know he was in for
a fight if he demanded Ryn send Saphi home, yet he didn’t want to be seen
bending the rules for a primal conjurer.
Ryn had just given Gaskon a way to save face, one he could genuinely
say had been his idea in the first place. The other students would still
grouse, but there would be no rules being broken. And more than anything,
Ryn wanted to show Saphi his spell forms.
“I could allow that,” Gaskon admitted grudgingly. “But I can’t
chaperone her.”
Saphi released Ryn’s arm and took one step sideways, then bowed her
head. “Thank you for accommodating me. I won’t be a bother. I can find
my way up to your observation deck.”
Gaskon considered Saphi for a moment. “I’ll trust you not to go
anywhere else.”
“I won’t, Mentor,” Saphi assured him. She turned to Ryn for
permission.
He resisted the urge to brush his fingers along her cheek. That would be
getting familiar, and the rules said they couldn’t do that... at least not in
front of others.
“Go on up. I’ll see you again after I finish my challenge day, Sibyl
Saphielle.”
She inclined her head. “Yes, Primal Conjurer.” She hurried off across
the side of the courtyard and headed for a closed wooden door. As she left,
Mentor Gaskon sighed and stepped closer. In a voice that was only loud
enough for Ryn to hear, he spoke.
“Couldn’t just leave her in your chambers and make my life easy, could
you?”
Ryn smiled as he recalled Gaskon’s own words, words his instructor
used often when lecturing new students. “Why are we here if not to tackle
great challenges?”
Gaskon idly rubbed his jaw. “Get in line, Xaven.”
 “Yes, Mentor.”
Ryn strode into the training yard to take his place in the four lines of
students. A few glanced back in curiosity, and one even offered a fervent
thumb’s up. They weren’t exactly friends, but Ryn had practiced channeling
with the man before. He grinned back.
His class of junior mages had twenty-three male students in total,
including him, which meant there was always one person who ended up
demonstrating his spell form progress without a competitor. Without
competing for ether or being distracted, that person always had an
advantage. Who would channel their spell forms alone would be the first
announcement made after the bells for morning training. The bells rang
soon after.
If Ryn was selected to demonstrate his spell forms alone, he had no
doubt he’d keep his ranking. If he wasn’t competing for ether, he could
channel flawlessly. He’d only face a challenge if he got paired with
someone that drew the same type of ether he needed... flame or spark... and
then it would be a matter of who could draw and channel the most the
fastest.
Mentor Gaskon stepped onto the small raised platform at the end of the
yard where he would observe today’s challenges. A worn timing glass sat in
clear view on a pedestal visible to all, two joined chambers filled with red
sand that would take a minute to fall. Gaskon would flip the timing glass,
then observe and judge each contest from the platform.
The student who would channel alone had already been chosen, and
Gaskon announced them in a loud voice. It was, sadly, not Ryn, but he
hadn’t been counting on that advantage, anyway. He’d keep his spot at the
top the old-fashioned way... by channeling ether better and faster than any
mage in this yard.
The first group of mages paired off after that, a nature mage who Ryn
had trained with before and a flood mage he had not. The other mages all
moved to the sidelines to give those two the run of the yard. As Ryn glanced
up, he saw Saphi watching curiously from the platform a few stories up on
the wall. She didn’t wave, but her warm gaze held his.
 Once the mages had taken their positions (the flood mage chose to stand
on the edge of a pool of water, while the nature mage settled next to a
square of green plants, flowers, and a spindly tree) Mentor Gaskon waited
as mage assistants, young men in brown and white robes, rushed into the
courtyard. They couldn’t draw or channel ether, but they still served.
Each mage assistant picked one of the effigies and carried it within
range of the squares of ether the mages had chosen to use for their
challenge day. Once each effigy was placed, the mage assistants hurried out
of the yard. No one wanted to be struck by an errant spell form.
With the effigies in place, Mentor Gaskon raised a hand. “Cleansing
stance!”
Both mages settled their bodies into the neutral, meditative position a
mage learned as the first part of their training. With their knees slightly
relaxed and their arms at their sides, a mage could flow into any series of
movements necessary to draw or channel ether.
“Draw!” Gaskon shouted, and flipped the timing glass over.
Both mages reached up and forward like they were trying to pluck
fireflies from the air. Ryn knew they were, instead, looking into the
Firmament... the otherworldly realm that sat between the mortal realm and
realms beyond... for the telltale glimmer of the ether for which they had an
affinity. The nature mage executed his spell form first.
One foot slid forward as the nature mage lowered his center of balance
and twisted his torso around like he was tossing a heavy pail of water. A
sparkle of greenish-white energy was followed by a line of twisting roots
rising from the square of earth ahead of him, which showed he’d
successfully channeled barrier. He was defending, not attacking.
Barrier was the third spell form Ryn had mastered, right after brilliant
spark. Being able to raise an earthen barrier was useful in all sorts of
situations, though even the strongest barriers would eventually collapse
under their own weight. This mage’s barrier could stop an arrow or force a
man with a club to run around it, giving the nature mage time to re-position.
As the nature mage hurried about the square of earth and grass, drawing
more nature ether from the air, the flood mage finished drawing and
channeled his first spell form: surge. A tendril of water rose from the pool
and snapped out at his effigy like a flat hand on the end of a long and
flexible arm. The impact rattled the effigy and knocked it over.
If that effigy had been a person, the slap of water from surge would
have knocked them on their proverbial ass. That was an efficient way to
deal with a charging enemy. It was also a way to stop someone coming after
you in a non-lethal manner, which was sometimes useful.
Yet the nature mage was already channeling his next spell form, one
Ryn didn’t recognize. He completed his movement and snapped both palms
out... and nothing happened.
A chorus of chuckles went up from the assembled mages as the nature
mage failed to execute his spell form. The mage grimaced and walked
around the square again, drawing more nature ether, but he was falling
behind. He’d only executed one spell form so far.
The flood mage executed a second textbook perfect surge, proving the
first had not been a fluke, and slapped the downed effigy hard. He then
began gathering more flood ether for what Ryn assumed was his end game.
What was he planning?
As the spark mage executed several more surges and the nature mage
executed nothing, the sands through the timing glass were running low. As
the nature mage continued to frantically snatch green-white ether from the
Firmament, the flood mage pushed his palms into the air. A thick gray cloud
the size of a carriage formed, dumping a deluge on the downed effigy.
The flood mage had channeled squall. Soaking a downed opponent
would merely inconvenience them, though, Ryn supposed, if it was cold
enough, you could slow your opponent and make them freeze to death.
Squall was also useful for putting out fires.
The nature mage was still moving through a complex series of steps,
turns, and thrusts. Ryn’s eyebrow rose as he watched the man channel...
what? This spell form was obviously more complicated than the one he’d
failed before. What was his plan?
Just before the last few grains of sand slipped through the hourglass, the
nature mage raised his palms like he was beseeching the sky for judgment.
“Time!” Gaskon bellowed.
 Silence filled the courtyard, followed by a rumble. Then, as Ryn stared
in increasing disbelief, a glowing tree burst from the center of the
courtyard, directly beneath the effigy. The branches swept the wooden
effigy up into the sky as the tree grew. It rapidly spiraled upward.
The gathered students cheered and hollered as the flood mage glared
from his pool, obviously annoyed to be shown up. Once fully formed, the
tree looked similar to one of the white-cloaked apple trees Ryn often saw
when completing riding lessons outside the academy, except much larger
and... bright green. The effigy hung suspended in the upper branches.
The nature mage dropped to one knee and knifed his palms out like he
was taking a bow on a stage. The phantom tree burst into dirt and leaves,
and as it disintegrated, the effigy tumbled to the courtyard stones. The
reinforced barrel shattered when it landed, an impact that would have easily
shattered a man’s bones. The pail rolled off like a discarded helmet.
There was no question the nature mage had won. While his spell form
hadn’t manifested before the timing glass ran dry, he had obviously
completed it before time ran out. Moreover, he hadn’t simply knocked over
and then soaked his opponent. He’d crippled or killed him.
Ryn didn’t know the spell form for “lift my opponent up in a giant tree.”
He was going to look it up. Dropping someone out of a phantom tree was a
great way to win a fight, provided they were stupid enough to stand in one
place long enough for the tree to catch them.
Gaskon announced the winner of the challenge. While the flood mage
had earned points for execution and consistency, he had also channeled both
surge and squall last month. By comparison, the nature mage’s successful
completion of phantasmal tree was the first time he’d ever managed it on a
challenge day. The nature mage won the contest, moving him up on the
ranking ladder. Ryn knew that man would be one to watch in the future.
He glanced up at Saphi again to see her watching with wide eyes. Had
she not been allowed to watch mages practice spell forms at her stuffy
temple? If so, he was all the more glad she was here now. Ryn couldn’t wait
to show her what he could do.
The challenges continued as more mages were called and matched
based on their position in the rankings. The various squares of the training
yard and the yard itself grew more disheveled as mages sucked ether from
the courtyard and battered effigies to splinters. They executed the spell
forms they’d mastered over the past month. This was nothing new.
Ryn and whoever he was paired with would be channeling dead last,
since they were on the top of the challenge board. That meant the abundant
ether that filled this yard when the challenge day started would be in short
supply, but that would hurt his opponent more than him. Ryn would have a
choice of flame, spark, nature, or even time ether to draw from, while his
partner would be limited to ether of the single affinity they held.
That was another way primal conjurers were different from normal
mages, and why Ryn was so favored by the academy. In addition to bonding
multiple auxiliaries, primal conjurers could draw and channel all types of
ether. That made him the most versatile mage here.
Finally, the time came for him to prove himself once again.
“Xaven! Seagrove! You’re up!”
So Kayden Seagrove was going to be his dueling partner today. Ryn had
hoped for Marius Heller. He’d been confident he could complete flame
spell forms to suck up all the flame ether and outpace Marius with a few
brilliant sparks. Kayden would be more difficult. The yard held no shortage
of spark ether, and Ryn knew only one form that channeled it.
He and Kayden both waited the short time it took the mage assistants to
cart in another set of effigies, one for each of them. As Ryn walked into the
yard, he considered his options. He didn’t want to take too long or give his
opponent any idea he was nervous.
If he walked to the bonfire, he would essentially be challenging Kayden
to a straightforward contest of speed and execution. He would be allowing
Kayden unchallenged access to spark ether, and while Ryn could only
channel one flame spell form (flame burst), Kayden knew multiple spark
spell forms. It was a contest Ryn could easily lose.
His other option was to walk to a space equidistant between the bonfire
and a lightning rod. He should be able to draw both spark ether and flame
ether from that location, and then he could channel both flame burst and
brilliant spark. The question then would be if he’d have enough ether to
complete enough spell forms to stay ahead of Kayden.
 As Ryn looked to the raised platform with Mentor Gaskon, his instincts
told him that simply alternating between flame burst and brilliant spark
today wouldn’t earn him the top slot. It wasn’t that he thought Mentor
Gaskon would treat him unfairly. It was that he and everyone in the yard
would recognize that Ryn was coasting on his previous successes.
He wouldn’t impress anyone but Saphi by repeating last month’s
performance, and even that had only barely kept him ahead of Marius
Heller. He’d won by two points. As Ryn glanced once more to the
observation platform above, he saw Saphi leaning dangerously on the
railing with her eyes fixed on him and a smile on her face. She believed in
him.
It was time for a gamble. Even if Ryn lost today, he would lose in a
spectacular manner. Better to lose his top spot while fighting for it than to
sink placidly to second place. Ryn walked by the bonfire, then the lightning
rod. A murmur rose as students speculated on his plan.
As he walked, Ryn relaxed his vision and looked beyond this world into
the Firmament. As the otherworldly realm between his and the realms
beyond, the Firmament was like a blanket of sack cloth layered on the
world. Motes of ether glittered like tiny stars between the threads, colored
in red and orange and green and blue, and many other colors.
Ryn settled on a spot midway through the courtyard that had both
glowing orange flame ether and shimmering purple spark ether, though that
wasn’t his only goal. Flecks of rare gray time ether glistened as well,
enough that he could channel one or even two forms.
He’d been practicing stop for over four months now. He could now
execute it one out of every three tries, on average. Today, it was time to
push himself again.
Ryn raised a hand and lowered it to show he’d chosen his position. An
assistant wheeled an effigy into range and then scurried out of the training
yard. Between Ryn and Kayden, everyone was expecting the training yard
to erupt in spell forms shortly. No one wanted to get caught in that,
especially with the possibility of a duel between spark mages.
“Cleansing stance!” Mentor Gaskon called.
 Ryn relaxed into his neutral form. From this position, he could channel
most anything. He focused on the Firmament’s thin sack cloth overlay and
picked out which motes of flame ether, spark ether, and time ether he would
draw. The key would be to channel stop at the end and not give Kayden
time to try something equally as impressive.
Gaskon flipped the timing glass. “Draw!”
Ryn reached out and traced his fingers through the glowing orange ether
in the Firmament, and warmth like that of a hot sun caressed his skin. Out
of the corner of his eye, he saw Kayden drawing as well at his position near
one of the now crackling lightning rods. They could run for short periods of
time on surges stored below.
The crack of thunder echoed across the training yard. Kayden had
completed his first brilliant spark only a moment after they’d begun,
rattling his effigy with the strike and leaving a tiny flame burning atop the
pail that formed its “helmet.”
Ryn was only a breath behind Kayden. He finished the complex
movements for flame burst and ended with his palms ahead and open.
Brilliant orange and red flames roared from his palms and blasted his effigy,
blackening the wood and sending up puffs of smoke.
Silence followed as both Kayden and Ryn gathered more ether, and then
a second thundercrack announced Kayden dropping a second brilliant
spark. Ryn again executed a breath or so behind, dropping his own brilliant
spark on his blackened and smoking effigy. The pail nailed atop it rattled
with the strike before purple energy crackled into the ground.
More thunder cracks and roars of flame filled the courtyard as Kayden
and Ryn continued their dueling demonstrations. Out of the corner of his
eye, he saw a net of purple energy hit Kayden’s effigy and crackle around it.
Paralyze. A mortal target couldn’t move now.
Kayden had executed two spell forms so far. Ryn suspected he had at
least one more up his sleeve. The silence told Ryn Kayden was gathering
more spark ether for his grand finale, which meant it was time for Ryn to
prepare his final argument as well.
He channeled one last flame burst, leaving the effigy aflame, and then
drew time ether from the air around him... or tried. Unlike flame and spark
ether, which came easily, time ether resisted. Still, Ryn had done this
enough times he gathered it without issue. The ether palpably crackled in
his chest.
As his blackened effigy continued to smolder, a sizzling crackle
announced Kayden’s finale. A quick glance at Kayden’s effigy showed it
vibrating rapidly against tendrils of energy. Lightning cage. Kayden had
mastered lightning cage!
Kayden really had been practicing hard. So now Ryn would lose their
contest... or channel a form no one in this yard had ever seen. As he
mentally prepared his body to execute the complex series of movements
necessary to channel stop, a warm calm flooded his body as he remembered
Saphi’s words from earlier today.
“No matter whether you win or lose, I’m going to like you just as much
after as I do now.”
Knowing Saphi was watching and cheering him on might have made
him nervous if she hadn’t spoken to him before he started. He visualized her
adorable blush, her loving smile, and her eyes locked with his as she
pleasured him this morning. All because it made him happy.
Ryn completed his channeled movements and grinned as a wave of faint
gray energy manifested, like the smoke of a candle spread across the length
of a large blanket. That energy swept across his smoldering effigy and
away. The flames stilled.
Across the yard, Kayden’s effigy exploded as lightning cage finished its
work. Splinters of wood and metal spiraled in all directions, showing that
Kayden had all but disintegrated his target. Even an armored wagon likely
wouldn’t have survived that attack.
Cheers erupted as many students in the yard assumed Kayden had won.
To them, after Ryn channeled stop, it must have looked like he’d simply
failed to channel anything. The nearly translucent energy of a wave of time
magic wasn’t visible from far away.
Silence fell across the courtyard as Mentor Gaskon visibly squinted at
Ryn’s effigy. As he did so, the other students did as well. Low gasps
erupted. Murmurs filled the crowd as Ryn calmly strode across the yard
toward the effigy he’d been brutalizing a moment ago.
 Orange flames still rose from all across the effigy, but those flames
didn’t move. Each flame was frozen in a moment of eruption, like a
painting brought into the real world. The pail atop the barrel had just begun
to tumble off before stop manifested. It hung in midair.
Ryn gave the frozen effigy an experimental kick with his boot. It felt
like kicking a stone wall, which assured him it wasn’t going anywhere. He
turned to look at Mentor Gaskon.
“Does anyone know how to remove stop?” he called loudly across the
courtyard. “I don’t think the assistants can cart this effigy out of here until it
wears off.”
Mentor Gaskon considered for a moment, then raised his voice. “The
winner is Xaven by two points, due to the incorporation of stop into his
routine for the first time. Seagrove, congratulations on channeling lightning
cage. Excellent work, both of you.”
Gaskon didn’t give out praise lightly, so Ryn knew he wasn’t praising
Kayden simply to soothe the man’s ego. They’d both excelled this morning.
Still, Ryn suspected Kayden wasn’t happy taking second place after all his
hard work. Their eyes met from across the courtyard as Ryn returned to the
line.
Kayden casually inclined his head. Ryn returned the respectful gesture.
He wouldn’t win any new friends or build his reputation by acting like an
ass. He’d known that a long time.
As he looked up at the observation platform, he spotted Saphi all but
bouncing against the rail. Her smile as she stared down at him was brilliant,
and as the wind caught her shoulder-length brown hair and sent some
rolling across her face, he reveled in the sight. She looked so proud of him.
He loved that she was proud of him.
And even after knowing her four days, he felt like she’d been missing
all his life.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter

Seven

A fter his challenge day completed , Ryn waited for Saphi as the
other students filed out of the training yard. Many of them offered pleasant
nods or even congratulations as they moved by, and he knew at least some
of them were sincere. Still, he was now more certain than ever of how he
felt about his time training at this academy.
Until Saphi had arrived, he’d been lonely as well.
Despite having spent almost a decade training beside other men his age,
Ryn lacked any close friends. Whenever he’d thought to build a rapport
with someone, they’d either become jealous of the special treatment he
received from the academy or been so obsequious he couldn’t help but feel
they wanted to be his friend to curry his favor.
He knew some of his loneliness was his own fault. It was quite possible
any number of his fellow mages would have become true friends if he
didn’t spend so much time practicing, training, and questioning every
interaction. He could never be certain if someone was being kind to him
because they liked him or because they hoped to curry favor with a primal
conjurer.
Even the friendships he’d developed when younger had faded as he
grew up and began to understand just how far he stood apart. How different
he was from the others. He knew his instructors hadn’t set out to isolate
him, but his unique position had done that on its own.
 He took classes no other mages took, received private instruction no
other mages received, and had privileges no other mages did. Of course the
others would look at him as either someone to resent or someone with
whom they should curry favor. He wasn’t like them.
So perhaps he was more like Saphi than he’d realized when they first
met. Perhaps that was why he felt so comfortable with her after four days
together. Saphi gained absolutely nothing from becoming his first auxiliary.
After he bonded her she would be stuck behind these walls, waiting loyally
for him, while he graduated and set off to challenge the world.
She knew she couldn’t go with him after he graduated. That meant the
only reason she would agree to let him bond her was if she wanted to help
him, and for the most selfless reasons possible. As she rejoined him, he
realized how much he’d miss her when he was away.
“What is it?” Saphi asked at once.
She’d sensed his shift in mood the moment she arrived. She really was
an incredibly empathetic woman. As Ryn considered their task once more...
he would bond her as his first auxiliary, then contact her over the
Firmament from afar whenever he needed to report to the academy or
receive orders from them... it felt wrong. None of this was fair to her.
He offered his warmest smile. “I’m fine.”
It was the first time he’d lied to Saphi since they’d met, and he didn’t
like how it felt to do so. Still, he didn’t want to dampen her mood with the
revelations she’d certainly considered many times since she arrived. She
looked so happy now. He couldn’t take that from her. The awestruck look
on Saphi’s face was so endearing he wanted to kiss her right in the yard.
“You were brilliant today!” she exclaimed. “I can see the republic prizes
you so much.”
He didn’t want to talk about how the republic felt about him. Instead, he
offered his arm. Saphi took it eagerly, and as he led her out of the training
yard, she leaned close.
“Where are we going?”
The fact that she would likely let him lead her anywhere, including back
up to their room to “practice forming their bond,” was incredibly exciting.
Challenge days were the only days when he had a free period after morning
practice, and he intended to take full advantage of it.
“I want to take you somewhere I go when I want to enjoy the view over
the walls.”
“That sounds lovely!”
“I hope you’ll like it.”
She squeezed his arm. “As long as I’m with you, I know I will.”
They were definitely being informal. Good. The Righteous Sect didn’t
have to know.
Ryn led Saphi back toward the mess hall and then took a detour through
the small Meditation Garden set aside for the junior male students. It wasn’t
as large as the main garden on the topmost floor of the academy, which was
reserved for senior mages and instructors, but it still held remarkable
beauty. Tall hedges split a space filled with ornate statues, ivy-colored
columns, and small fountains that burbled pleasantly.
The softness of Saphi against him felt more and more pleasant as he led
her through the gardens. The fact that no one was out here made the
temptation to ease her up against a bush and kiss her hard to resist. From
the way she was gripping his bicep and the way she pressed her breast
against his arm, he suspected she was fighting the same urges.
Yet anyone could come across them in the Meditation Garden, and he
couldn’t forget the jealous looks he’d seen from the other students last night
in the mess hall. If they had the chance to get him in trouble, he suspected
many would take it. He and Saphi could only indulge in their “training”
while back in his room... but he could still show her around her new
academy.
As Ryn led her down a narrow path between a hedge and the outer wall,
she pressed so close he could barely walk. When he glanced at her, she
blushed... but didn’t look away. He paused in the space between the wall
and the hedge, certain no one could see them here.
“Is something wrong?” he asked softly.
She bravely held his gaze. “Well... I’d like to know where we’re going.”
 “You don’t want it to be a surprise?”
“I love surprises! But... after seeing you channel spell forms in the
yard...”
He had no idea where this was going. “Yes?”
“The way you move is exciting, and you’re just so... powerful.”
He snorted. “You’ve never seen a mage channel ether before?”
“I saw dozens of mages channel ether today, but you were the best by
far.”
“I think you might be biased.”
“I may be,” she agreed softly. “But... watching you do all that in the
yard made me want you again. That way. So I want to make you feel good
again, my prime.”
His heart pounded at her words. “We’ll make each other feel good.”
“So can we go see this surprise after lunch? If we go back to our room,
we could⁠—”
“This surprise will be worth it,” Ryn said. “Trust me.”
She watched him for a moment, then smiled again. “I do.”
“Great.” He looked around once more, then leaned close. “It’s also
rather secluded.”
She smiled shyly. “That’s even better.”
He squeezed her hand and walked her down the narrow alley between
the wall and hedges. When they reached what appeared to be a dead end, he
looked around once more, then drew life ether from a nearby hedge. He
traced it across the wall, where a door appeared.
Saphi gasped in delight. “There’s a mage door!”
Ryn glanced at her in surprise. “How did you know about those?”
“We have them all over the temple.”
And Saphi knew how to open mage doors because she was a priestess of
the Righteous Sect, one of its few members who could draw ether, which
was the only way to open one. Ryn opened the mage door simply by turning
the handle. There was no need to lock a hidden door.
He moved inside with Saphi right on his heels. As the door closed, it left
them in gloom at the start of a spiral stairway leading up to the top of the
wall. There was no rule junior student mages couldn’t go up on the wall, but
few knew how to actually get up there.
As he walked to the spiral staircase, Saphi tugged on his hand. He
stopped and turned around to find her standing in the gloom before the
closed door and the rising stair. There was no one in this small room with
them. There were no windows.
She took a breath, which did wonders for her breasts in that low-cut top.
“Prime...”
“Yes, Sybil Saphielle?”
“I really want to see your surprise, but... would anyone notice if we
broke a few rules?”
He walked back and kissed her in the gloomy chamber, and she clutched
his waist as he gently walked her to the wall. He pinned her there and
devoured her lips with his as he’d longed to do since he saw her cheering
him on in the yard today.
Her hands fumbled across his sides, then down his back. When he
kissed her neck she moaned eagerly instead of pushing him away, and then
eagerly drew his hands to her breasts. As he fondled her, she pushed against
him and clutched him close.
Her softness felt so good, and knowing he could touch her anywhere
was a delight. She was obviously eager for more, but content to let him take
the lead. They could do this in their room, but doing it here made it feel
forbidden.
He could do anything with her in the darkness of this tower... and he
knew she’d let him. She would, after all, soon become his first auxiliary.
They would be bonded for life, prime and auxiliary, and pleasuring each
other was a wonderful part of that arrangement.
Still, he couldn’t get carried away. He wanted to show Saphi the view
off of the wall, and as he remembered his earlier revelation that he already
liked her enough that he’d greatly miss her when he was gone, he felt his
ardor cool. As he eased back, she sensed that.
“Are you nervous we’ll get caught?” she asked softly.
“I’m nervous we won’t.”
Her smile softened as she held his gaze. “This is why they gave us the
rules.”
“I know.”
“So should we... should we stop?”
“I don’t want to.”
“I don’t either.” She firmed her expression. “I’ve never felt like this
with anyone, and I don’t care if the sect says we’re not allowed to kiss
and... do the rest. I like how you make me feel when we do this, and I want
more. Much more.”
“Then we need to talk about how we’re going to handle things after we
form our bond, and I’m more comfortable doing that up on the wall.
Nobody ever goes up there save the Primal Guards, and they don’t patrol
the wall during the day.”
Saphi looked a bit unnerved by his statement. “Isn’t that dangerous?”
“We have two drake riders up at all times. They’ll spot anyone on the
walls or trying to climb them long before they become a problem. So the
Primal Guard isn’t needed on the wall during the day, only at night when
the drake riders can’t see as far.”
“So... what do you want to do, prime?”
“Let’s head up the stairs first. Then we can talk at one of my favorite
spots.”
She nodded. “At this point, I feel like I’d follow you anywhere.”
“I’ll try not to fall off.”
She gasped and slapped his chest. “Well I didn’t say I’d tumble after
you!”
 He laughed as the tension fell away again, and then he led her up the
spiral staircase. It was so narrow they had to proceed single file, but he
could feel her very close behind. Three flights were easier to handle than
the fifteen to his room, and neither of them was winded by the time they
reached the top. Wind whistled outside the closed door.
Ryn tested it. Unlocked. As he opened it, the rippling sound of the wind
grew louder.
He led Saphi out of the staircase and onto the top of the thick, tall walls
of the academy... and to the view beyond. As she stepped out behind him
and got her first sight of the view through the crenellations on the wall, she
gasped louder than the wind.
The view off the top of the wall was like the view from his window
magnified a hundredfold. It felt like they could see the whole world from up
here. From a three-story wall running closely along the edge of a massive
plateau, trees were toys and people were the size of ants.
The sound of the academy’s banners rippling in the wind was a constant
up on these walls, but Ryn had always found the sound a comfort. The
bright sun offered some warmth as well, though not enough to stave off the
cold wind. He saw now that would be a problem.
Saphi wrapped her arms around herself as the wind picked up, and he
didn’t miss her little tremble. He wrapped his arms around her from behind.
She gratefully sank into him, savoring his warmth. Sheltering her from the
wind, he walked her along the walls.
She continued to gaze out over the vibrant rolling hills beyond the
academy until her eyes fixed on Eagle’s Crag. It was impossible to ignore, a
huge granite fist that rose from the distant ridges and pierced the clouds.
Soon they reached the nearest observation tower.
After they passed through the archway on its side, the wind died. It had
no real way to reach them inside this tower, and while it was still chilly in
here, they could keep each other warm. The guard lit fires up here at night,
and a large brazier occupied the center of the space.
The brazier wasn’t what Ryn was interested in. There was a large
window in this observation tower, glassed in, which offered a lovely view
of the land below without allowing the wind to chill them. There was also a
wooden bench before it that guards could sit on when they took long
watches inside these towers at night. Ryn walked Saphi over.
He settled on the bench and was pleased as Saphi immediately curled up
against his side. He slipped his arm around her as she did the same. She
leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed contentedly. “This was a
wonderful surprise.”
“You like it?”
“This view is incredible.”
He glanced sidelong at her and brushed her hair from her eyes. As he
stared at her instead of the grassy hills, fresh affection flooded him. “I
know.”
She giggled and glanced up at him. “So... what did you mean when you
said we need to talk about what happens after we form our mage bond?
Should we take our time?”
“First, I want to make sure I know what’ll happen after we form one.
You’re absolutely certain that you’ll stay here at the academy? You won’t
be sent back to the temple?”
“I am. The Executrix already has advisors bonded to mages in the
capital, so she has a direct link to the Righteous Sect. So she can forward
their orders to me here.”
Ryn considered. “I didn’t know that.”
“You didn’t know there were mages here bonded to mages in the
capital?”
“No. I know foreign ambassadors often have to spend months away
from their spouses while negotiating with other nation-states, but I didn’t
know that was true of mages as well.”
“They switch off.” It almost felt like Saphi was reading his mind now.
“The mages, I mean. There’s several pairs, and they spend a few months in
the capital before returning to be with their partners. So they don’t have to
always be apart.”
Ryn nodded. “I’m glad the sect and academy aren’t that cruel, at least.”
 “But that’s how I know I’ll stay here at the academy. It’s not necessary
that the sect be apprised of everything you do immediately, but the
Executrix needs to know. So... whenever you can find time to come back,
I’ll be here waiting for you.”
As he opened his mouth to speak, she quickly continued.
“Also, I don’t want you to worry about me while you’re gone. I think
I’m going to like living here, and I know I’ll make friends, but more
importantly, I’d never... I just want you to know I’d never consider being
with anyone else. You never have to worry about that with me.”
He was surprised by the fervor in her voice. “I wasn’t worried. If I gave
you the impression I was worried⁠—”
“You didn’t. I wanted to say it anyway, because it’s going to be hard to
be apart and you’ll have enough worries without that one. You’re my prime,
you’re going to be my bonded partner, and... you’re going to be my first. So
I’m yours, prime, and only yours. Always.”
“I’m just not sure that’s going to be enough for me.”
Saphi frowned up at him. “What do you mean?”
He sighed. “I hope you don’t think I’m letting my emotions run away
when I say this, but... I already like you a great deal, and I can only imagine
I’m going to grow more fond of you as our time together continues. I guess,
as long as I’ve been here, I’ve always been...”
“What?”
“I’ve been lonely as well.”
Saphi nuzzled close and squeezed him. “Oh, prime.” She looked up.
“Still, you won’t be alone out there, will you?”
He tilted his head. “I won’t have you.”
“But you’ll have your other auxiliaries.”
He realized they hadn’t actually talked about that yet. “That won’t
bother you?”
Her brow furrowed. “Why would it?”
 “Well... I mean, having multiple auxiliaries is part of being a primal
conjurer. Still, I know not every woman would be all right with that sort of
arrangement. So are you?”
“I am,” she assured him calmly. “Remember, I agreed to this, and I did
so understanding everything that will be involved. I don’t resent the fact
that you’ll have other auxiliaries traveling with you, protecting you in
battle, or even sharing your bed. I just hope you find women who make you
happy and keep you safe, so you can...”
“What?”
“So you can always come back to me after you finish your latest
mission.”
He sighed heavily and hugged her close. “You’re a very generous
woman.”
“And you’re a very sweet man. That’s why I’m willing to be yours and
only yours. I know you’ll have others, but I also trust you’ll always make
time for me.”
“I will. Always. I’d be yours, too. Still... I have a thought.”
She kissed his chest. “I’m listening.”
“What if I could find a way to bring you on the road with me?”
She pulled away enough to look up at him. “How?”
“You can draw ether, right? All sorts of ether, just like me?”
“Yes, but I can’t channel it. I can’t channel spell forms. That’s why the
sect made me a priestess.”
“And you can touch the Firmament.”
“Which is why I wear this.” She tapped her collar. “I can’t complete my
Firmament trials without the ability to channel ether, so I have to wear the
collar before I sleep. Otherwise, I could slip into the Firmament while I
dreamed and make a devil deal.”
“You’d never do that.”
“I know that,” she reminded him. “But the sect can’t take that chance.”
 “Still, you’re going to become my first auxiliary. That means that you
can transfer any ether you draw to me over our bond. That, to me, seems far
more useful than staying here to act as a go-between for me and the
Executrix.”
She frowned. “The sect disagrees.”
“For now. But don’t forget, I’m a primal conjurer.”
She peered up at him curiously. “What does that have to do with
anything?”
“I’ve never asked for special treatment from the academy, but I often
get it all the same. Once I graduate and start traveling the realm, solving
diplomatic disputes and rooting out devil mages, I’ll gain even more clout
in the republic than I already have. Enough, I think, that if I asked the
academy to let you travel with me... they might say yes.”
Saphi stared wide-eyed. “But then you’d have no way to contact the
Executrix!”
“I’d still have letters. Also, why do you have to be the only one who
stays? I’ll have multiple auxiliaries, won’t I? So couldn’t one take a turn
acting as my contact at the academy while the rest traveled with me? That
means you don’t have to be stuck here all the time.”
Saphi considered. “I don’t want to be a burden.”
“You wouldn’t be. And on the road, there wouldn’t be any rules.”
“I’d want to do that,” she said immediately. “If I could, I’d love to travel
with you.”
“So if I can find a way to convince the academy to let me take you with
me after I graduate, you’d want to come?”
“I’d love nothing more. I know it seems strange to say after only a few
days, but I love the idea of traveling the world with you. I’ve dreamed
about doing that for as long as I can remember, and you’re so kind and
thoughtful. And...” She blushed. “You’re so good at sex.”
He chuckled. “I haven’t shown you anything yet.”
 “And I can’t wait to learn more,” she said breathily. “This isn’t just my
duty to the sect. I want to become your first auxiliary. I want that for me,
not for the realm.”
He considered that statement very carefully. “You’re certain about
that?”
“I am. It might be because I’ve been alone in a cold stone temple for the
past decade with no friends until I found you, but I don’t think that’s why. I
simply like how I feel when I’m with you. When you hold me like this... I
feel like I could dance across the clouds.”
Ryn swallowed. She really did have a way with words.
“So if I may, prime, may I make a suggestion?”
He smiled. “Of course.”
“For now, let’s enjoy these months without thinking about what’s to
come. You already said we should forget the rules when we’re alone, so
let’s just be alone... together. We’ll practice forming our mage bond, but
when we’re not doing that, we’ll have time to think. To plot.”
“To conspire.”
“Yes!” She grinned eagerly. “To conspire. We’ll be like a forbidden
romance in an old book. Circumstances will conspire to keep us apart, but
we’ll never stop trying to be together.”
“At some point, I’ll have to sneak you out of a castle.”
“This academy is bigger than some castles I’ve seen.”
“But in our book, I’d find a way to take you with me after I graduate.
We might be sad as we spend time apart, but that’s just the middle part of
the book where the characters pine for each other. It makes the ending
worth it.”
“It does,” Saphi agreed softly. “So... for now, let’s enjoy the book.”
“Even the good parts?”
She brushed her fingers along his thigh. “Especially the good parts.”
Ryn hugged her tight. “And as we turn the pages, we’ll figure out how
we write our way to an ending where you leave these walls beside me. As
my first auxiliary.”
Saphi snuggled close. “I think that’s a fantastic idea.”

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 Chapter

Eight

T hey cuddled , kissed, and explored each other’s bodies in the small
tower alcove until the bells rang announcing lunch. Yet as much as Ryn
wanted to stay up here with Saphi forever, he knew he’d be endlessly
distracted during his afternoon lessons if he didn’t have lunch. Plus, it was
cold. Reluctantly, they descended from the wall and headed to the mess
hall.
Over lunch, however, Saphi batted not an eye at the other male students
as they ate together. She focused on him as he focused on her. The intimacy
they shared now was so intoxicating Ryn felt like he was drunk. So this was
what it was like to be with a woman... not just sexually, but to revel in the
warmth of having someone who wanted to be with you.
Saphi liked him for who he was. She wanted to be his and only his. That
made him so happy he couldn’t imagine ever leaving her behind after he
graduated. The idea of traveling the world without her at his side was now,
without doubt, unacceptable.
Even with a good meal in him, Ryn could barely concentrate on his
afternoon classes. He was too busy thinking about Saphi, about how much
he enjoyed being with her and about the words they’d exchanged in the
tower alcove. They had shattered the Righteous Sect’s stupid rules beyond
all repair, so there was no going back now. Just forward.
 It was a bit unnerving to know the most powerful religious organization
in the realm might one day learn that he and Saphi were openly defying
their decrees. Ryn was also certain Saphi was worth the risk. Their bonding
might have been arranged... but after four days with her, he couldn’t
imagine anyone else being a better fit as his first.
Supper came and went just like lunch, but Ryn barely ate anything. He
was too nervous to eat much, and while it was a good nervous, it wasn’t
what he’d expected. He knew everything he needed to know to make their
first time wonderful, so why was he nervous?
By the time they finished a light supper, he had a good grasp of his own
feelings. He was nervous about tonight because he was nervous about
hurting Saphi. He could never hurt her, and as much as he’d assured her he
was ready to be with her... that way... over the past few days, with the
opportunity now ahead, he was having doubts.
Yet Saphi didn’t seem worried. She offered shy, warm smiles as they ate
together and slipped her arm through his as they headed out of the mess
hall. Technically, students had an additional free period after supper where
they could do whatever they liked before lights out, but he and Saphi
already knew what they wanted to do. That required a private room.
As they climbed the fifteen flights of stairs up to their private room
together, Saphi pressed close against him. She said nothing as they climbed,
and Ryn wasn’t sure what to say. Was she quiet because she was nervous as
well? There was no way they were going to be able to synchronize perfectly
on their first try.
By the time they reached the door to their room, the butterflies in Ryn’s
stomach were more like dragonflies. His unease made absolutely no sense.
He’d prepared for this day for months, but the confidence he’d felt for
weeks was flagging tonight. He already cared too deeply for Saphi to make
this unpleasant for her, so how could he not?
Once they were inside the room and the door was closed, he considered
sharing his reservations. But then she was kissing him, gently and eagerly,
and he forgot about his worries and simply enjoyed her affection. She was a
very affectionate woman.
 She felt so warm, so soft, so... willing. She was ready, even if he wasn’t.
What if he told her he was nervous, and that made her nervous as well?
As she eased away, she peered up at him. “Are you all right?”
Her plaintive, caring question broke the dam holding back all his
uncertainty. He couldn’t help but laugh as it flooded away, and laughter
helped him relax. She was already so good at sensing his moods he
suspected she’d be all but psychic after they formed their bond.
She peered up at him. “Why are you laughing?”
“I’m supposed to ask you that.”
She smiled as if hoping to reassure him. “I’m ready. I want to try this
with you.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “What if I’m not ready, though?”
“Then we’ll wait.”
“You wouldn’t be disappointed?”
“Never.” She snuggled close. “Like you said, there’s no need to rush
into any of this. We both need to be ready.”
“That’s the thing. It’s not that I’m not ready. I’m just worried.”
She gently rested her chin on his chest and stared up at him. “About
what?”
“That...” He struggled with embarrassment and then remembered
everything Mistress Aurienda had taught him about being honest and open
with his partner. “I might hurt you.”
“You mean during sex?”
Ryn nodded.
“But you said you were confident you could make this pleasant for us.”
“I was.” He rubbed her back and grimaced. “Now I’m having doubts.”
She considered carefully. “Then let’s just cuddle first, and see how we
feel after that.”
 That was so sensible it made him feel like an idiot. He smiled and gave
her rear a squeeze. “You mean in bed?”
She smiled coyly. “It would be warmer than the floor.”
He took her hands and led her to their bed. She clambered on first,
hurrying across to her side, and then he slipped onto his side as well. She
was in his arms a moment after that, and as he kissed her again, he knew
“just cuddling” wasn’t going to be enough.
As he slipped his hand inside her tunic and cupped one breast, she
gasped. He immediately released her. “Did I squeeze too hard?”
She giggled and leaned close. “No, but your hand is very cold.”
“Oh!” He laughed in relief. “Sorry. It’s cold in here.”
“So what if we snuggle under the sheets? That’ll warm up our hands.”
Ryn made his face serious. “That is an excellent idea.”
She slid one hand up and down his tunic. “But... this comes off first?”
He nodded and slipped off his tunic, then tossed it on the ground. A
moment later, she slid hers off as well, revealing her pale and lovely
breasts. As he stared, his heart pounded and his body responded even more
than it had.
Once they were cuddling topless, flesh to flesh, under the sheets, cold
ceased to be a problem. Ryn stroked her hair and her skin and kissed her
again and again, and his worries soon began to melt away. Even if they
didn’t have sex tonight, this felt perfect.
Saphi eased close. “So you’re nervous you might hurt me because it
won’t fit?”
He traced his fingers through her lovely and silky hair. “I’m not that
conceited. It’s not a size concern. It’s just... I know a woman’s first time can
be rough no matter what, and I don’t like the idea of sex being
uncomfortable for you. That bothers me.”
“I’ve heard it can be,” Saphi said softly. “And I might bleed a little,
after.”
“I hear that’s common.”
 “But what if I said I’d be all right with that? If it hurt a little?”
“I still couldn’t enjoy it if I knew you weren’t.”
She leaned close. “Well, either way, I want to touch you. I want to make
you feel good tonight. Can I do that?”
“When have I said you couldn’t?”
“I’m just making sure!” she said plaintively. “We’re still learning, after
all.”
He kissed her forehead. “I would like that. Very much.”
Beneath the covers, her hand slipped inside his shorts. He gasped at the
contact. That felt so good, and she gently wrapped her fingers around him
as she had this morning before his practice. She stroked him slowly and
lovingly.
“I bet I could make it fit,” she mused softly. “But... maybe try your
fingers first?”
“You wouldn’t mind that?”
“Not at all.” She brightened. “That’s a good start, isn’t it? If one finger
doesn’t make me uncomfortable, then we can try to fit more.”
Her gentle touch felt so good he could barely think straight. “You’re
certain?”
“Yes,” Saphi said firmly. “And if it’s too much for me, I’ll tell you.
Promise.”
He already trusted her implicitly. As he slipped her shorts off, she
eagerly wriggled her hips to help. A moment later his were off as well, and
then the two of them cuddled stark naked beneath the sheets.
“You’re so warm,” Ryn murmured.
She giggled. “Touch me when you’re ready. We have all night.”
He breathed deep. “Okay.”
He kissed her and stroked her and hugged her close, and her soft and
lurid moans assured him he was doing exactly what she wanted. He also
used bits of life ether on her, drawing it from the Firmament and tracing it
across her warm and naked body.
His hand slipped between her legs not long after, and he was pleased to
find her warm and wet. She gasped and clutched him as he gently explored,
marveling at the feeling of her soft skin and soft hair. She kissed his neck
and whispered, “More.”
Using his fingers, Ryn began toying with her. The way she gasped and
moaned against him reassured him he was doing everything right, and soon
her attention slacked off as her body grew taut. She was already close to her
peak!
Should he wait? No. Women could peak multiple times in succession,
and there was no reason to deny her an orgasm. He gently slipped the tip of
one finger inside her folds. She gasped against him, but when he hesitated,
she abruptly pushed down.
Something slick caught on his fingertip, but he was past it before he
could react. Saphi cried out softly, but before he could pull back his hand,
her own slapped down atop his. She held his hand between her legs,
rubbing herself against him as she breathed.
“It’s okay,” she whispered breathily. “It’s okay, Ryn. Keep touching
me.”
She’d said his name. He was so thrilled by that he forgot how to think,
but Saphi didn’t. She continued to gently ease herself up and down. A
moment later he inserted a second finger, and he began circling his thumb
above while his fingers worked inside her. Soon, she came hard against his
hand. He clutched her as she trembled and squeezed his arms.
When he knew she was satiated, he slipped his slick fingers out of her.
She held him and panted heavily. He was so hard he could barely think, and
he didn’t have to as he held her and stroked her hair as she came down. She
kissed him and stared up dreamily.
“That felt so good,” she whispered.
“It didn’t hurt?” he asked softly.
“A did, a bit, at first,” she admitted. “But everything after felt so good I
don’t care.”
 “So should we⁠—”
“Yes,” she said. “I’ll be okay, prime. I’m certain of that now.”
He smiled wide. “What happened to Ryn?”
She gasped. “Did I call you that?”
“You did, but I’ll never tell.”
She giggled again. “Everything feels so blurry.”
“I don’t think we should try to form a bond this time.”
“I agree,” Saphi breathed. “It’s too much. This time, it’s just for fun.
And practice.”
“So now this is fun, is it?”
She eyed him knowingly. “You make it fun.” She gently pushed on his
chest. “So... how about you lay on your back now? You can’t hurt me if
I’m... handling it.”
He rolled onto his back and she rolled on top of him. She was heavier
than he expected despite her size, but then again, he’d never actually had a
naked woman on top of him before. As he pulled her down and kissed her,
pleasure rushed through him.
“I’ll try now,” Saphi whispered. “If it’s too much, I’ll stop.”
He nodded as she sat up and straddled his thighs. The tip of her tongue
tapped her lips in concentration as she stroked him against her until he was
achingly hard, and then she pushed up on her knees so she was ready.
When he saw her thighs trembling, he snatched her hips to support her.
She smiled gratefully and lowered herself with his help, keeping one hand
around him to guide him inside her. She sucked in her breath as his tip
slipped past her damp folds.
Even as slick as she was, the resistance was immediate. Before he could
ask, she spoke softly. “It’s good. I’m good.” She breathed deep. “Just... give
me a moment.”
He supported her hips with all his strength as she balanced on her knees.
As he took in how eager she was to do this, for him, for the both of them, he
drank in the sight of her naked body and felt completely at ease. All
remaining worries melted away.
He couldn’t ask for a better partner for his first time. Still holding his tip
inside her with one hand, she eased herself down. She was so tight! Neither
of them had done this before. Yet Saphi knew her body. She’d stop if it hurt.
He had to trust her.
Her breathing grew faster as her tightness drove him wild. Then, just
like that, her warmth enveloped him. She slapped her hands on his chest
and stared down at him with lust that surprised and invigorated him. Her
wide, dark eyes met his in delight.
“I’m ready now,” she whispered. “I’m yours.”
He gripped tight as she rolled her hips and then, very slowly, they made
love for the first time. It was so much more intense than Ryn expected that
he felt his peak approaching far too quickly, but Saphi never slowed and he
couldn’t imagine asking her to stop.
“Your turn,” she whispered breathily. “Your turn now.”
It was. He came not long after, a brilliant release that left dots
swimming before his eyes. Saphi ground against him for a moment longer
before collapsing against his chest. Ryn wrapped his arms around her and
clutched her tight. She sighed happily.
The mental relief that flooded him after his first time was almost as
pleasurable as his release. That had simultaneously been the most erotic,
nerve-wracking, and memorable experience of his life... and Saphi had
helped him as much as he helped her. They made a fantastic team. He
couldn’t ask for anyone more wonderful to do this with.
He now knew synchronizing their peaks was going to be even more
difficult than he’d expected. No wonder forming mage bonds was so
difficult. They were going to need to practice constantly to get this right...
but he couldn’t see how that was any sort of imposition.
He eased Saphi off him as she cuddled in the crook of one arm. He
stroked her hair and kissed her forehead and stared at her, overcome with
affection. He was going to fall deeply in love with this woman. He couldn’t
help it... and he’d never been happier to be helpless.
 “Everything okay?” he whispered.
She smiled up at him. “Everything is perfect.”
“Do you want me to use more ether on you now?”
“I need a break,” she admitted. “That felt very good, but... I am a little
sore. And now...” She giggled softly. “I need to pee.”
He squeezed her and immediately released her. “Sorry!”
“Don’t be sorry! I loved it.” She slipped out of bed and fumbled on her
tunic. “And at least we know we can do it now.” She slid her fingers down
his chest and smiled. “You fit.”
“That’s good.”
She slipped on her shorts, then her top. “We’ll practice every night to
make our bond.”
“As long as you’re feeling up for it.”
“If I’m not, we’ll still do other things,” she promised. “Plus cuddles.”
“And you’re coming with me after I graduate,” Ryn reminded her. “One
way or the other, the sect is not keeping you locked behind these walls. I
won’t allow it. We are going on adventures together.”
She leaned over and kissed him. “I believe you. Now rest... Ryn.”
He gazed up at her in contentment. “Not thinking?”
“No, I’m thinking quite clearly now.” She hopped out of the bed and
hurried to the door. As she opened it, she glanced over her shoulder at him.
“But no one else needs to know.”

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Act 2: The Pashalite

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter

Nine

THREE MONTHS LATER

As Ryn strode out the doors of the empty senior student training
auditorium into the mixed-sex training yard to select the woman who would
become his second auxiliary, he silently considered his options. Forming a
mage bond was now trivial. He’d formed one with Saphi only weeks after
they met, though they’d kept that news secret from the academy.
Against both of their better judgment, they’d pushed almost to the
deadline of their time together before announcing their success. Ryn
doubted they had fooled anyone, let alone Mistress Aurienda, but after he
and Saphi fell in love, doing anything else had not been an option. The only
problem was now, three days after she’d moved in with the female mages,
Ryn missed Saphi as much as he’d miss an arm. They’d both known they
would have to spend some time living apart... but that didn’t make him miss
her any less.
Their final night together in his tower room had been filled with shared
fantasies about how they might convince the academy to give them more
time to “form their bond,” or escape its walls and live in a house on the
beach, or even just find a way to keep meeting discreetly and pleasure each
other in the secret places of the academy. By the time dawn arrived,
however, reality put its foot down... with help from the woman he now
loved.
 Saphi was a sibyl, Ryn was a primal conjurer, and he had successfully
bonded her as his first auxiliary. She was now his link to the Primal
Academy, and if he ever wanted her to be anything more than that, he had
to find and bond his second auxiliary. Only then could he graduate as a
primal conjurer, travel the world, and gain the clout to take Saphi on the
road.
Saphi believed he’d find a way to travel with her. Mistress Aurienda
believed he would choose a worthy second auxiliary. So Ryn’s challenge
now would be deciding if any woman who expressed interest in training
with him was interested in him because of who he was... or who he could
be. That was the reason he had taken extra time this morning to center
himself.
What was more important than anything was that Saphi was deeply
invested in him finding a second auxiliary he liked. Bonding (and loving)
multiple female mages was simply the way his life, as the only primal
conjurer in the realm, would need to be. Saphi had also made clear she
wanted to be in his life no matter what... and that now that they were
bonded, she would always be his and only his. Her love and loyalty was a
treasure he cherished.
As Ryn walked confidently into the mixed sex training yard, he couldn’t
help but be impressed by the facilities. Unlike the single-sex yard where
he’d first trained, this one was large enough the republic army could
perform a royal parade here. It had multiple areas set aside for practicing
spell forms, with clear pools, smoldering fire pits, squares of rich
vegetation, and crackling lightning rods. Flood ether, flame ether, nature
ether, and spark ether.
As Ryn looked around, he counted perhaps thirty senior students spread
across the massive training yard. That made sense given the rate at which
they generally graduated. He watched a male mage channel a spiraling
tower of roots and leaves, while another, a female frost mage, battered a
wooden effigy with sharp and icy shards.
Ryn watched the female mage for a moment longer than the man. Her
leather and fur outfit covered her from head to toe, a barrier against the
chilly results of her spell forms, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hug her
figure. It would take some time to get used to sharing a training yard with
women... especially given how many attractive women trained at the
academy.
The main training yard was open cobblestone separated by a few
squares of cultured vegetation lined with stone benches. Ryn had entered
from the side linked to the main auditorium for classes with senior students.
The other three doors at the yard’s edges led to wide stairways that allowed
access to the Meditation Garden, the towers, and the main gate.
He wasn’t surprised to see that the majority of students in this yard were
his age or older. The independent study period was free time given to senior
students before lunch where they could meditate, socialize, and practice
channeling ether. For mages who would only have one bonded partner, this
was also the time when they could flirt away from instructors.
Ryn remained so focused on the yard he didn’t notice that a tall, red-
haired woman in artfully cut sparring robes had stepped in front of him until
she cleared her throat. Her fiery red hair coursed down her back, and her
dark eyes had a hint of pale eyeshadow. Her face was as gorgeous as any
he’d ever seen, with perfect skin and a narrow but regal nose.
“Good morning!” the woman said brightly. “Are you Primal Conjurer
Xaven?”
Ryn had hoped to remain anonymous on his first day in the training
yard. It seemed that would no longer be a possibility, and given the other
students in the yard had already looked up and spotted him, getting his
bearings was not an option. He’d simply have to adjust.
“I am.” Ryn summoned his most confident smile. “I don’t believe we’ve
met.”
“If only we had.” The redhead stepped forward and offered her hand.
“Cressa Logan, spark mage. I’ve already mastered invigorate, shock,
paralyze, and brilliant spark, and I’m currently working on lightning cage.
It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Primal Conjurer.”
It was immediately obvious to Ryn that Cressa intended to impress him
with her accomplishments, and it was immediately obvious to himself that
he was impressed. Mastering a single spell form could take months, and
Ryn himself had only mastered four spell forms across various affinities...
though to be fair, he’d also been rather busy with all his additional courses
on leadership, diplomacy, politics... and sex.
The way Cressa leaned forward slightly to give him a view down her
top assured him she had no concern about him ogling her. In fact, that
seemed to be exactly what she intended him to do. Ryn hadn’t expected
anyone to be so forward, but he also couldn’t complain.
He also couldn’t deny that Cressa had a truly fantastic body. Her slim
yet muscular arms remained bare from the shoulders down, and while her
boots only came halfway up her calves, her skirt hung above her knees. Her
tunic was cut low to show off her cleavage. He suspected she was a year or
two older than him, but most every woman in this yard would be.
Given her beauty and her accomplishments, Ryn was surprised Cressa
hadn’t already chosen another mage to bond with. He knew three students
in his former junior class who had an affinity for spark ether. He doubted
such mages were rare among the senior students.
“What brings you to the training yard today?” Cressa asked. “If you’re
here to practice your spell forms, I’d be happy to give you a tour of the
yard. I understand how unnerving it can be to join the senior student ranks,
though I imagine you’re already well prepared.”
Did Cressa know the Executrix had given him only one month to
choose his second auxiliary? His abbreviated schedule was his own fault.
No one had expected him to take three months to bond Saphi, and rumors
had spread that he’d taken his time on purpose.
Every decision he made came with a cost, and he’d paid this cost gladly.
He’d also pay it again. Saphi was everything he’d ever wanted in a
woman... so now, he just had to hope he could be so lucky again. He needed
to find a second auxiliary who complemented his first.
“I just planned to take a walk,” Ryn said easily. “How about you?”
Cressa’s warm smile didn’t fade. “I was hoping to work on my spell
forms before lunch, but my training partner is feeling a bit under the
weather. Would you be willing to join me? It’s my understanding you’ve
also mastered brilliant spark, and I’d love to see your technique.”
 As he considered her warm smile, Ryn grew increasingly certain Cressa
wanted him to bond her. And was that really a bad thing? She was gorgeous,
and powerful, and talented, and ambitious... and it was the last one that had
him mentally conflicted.
As a primal conjurer, the female mages at the academy would naturally
be as eager to learn about him as he was to learn about them. Moreover,
Ryn had already decided that whoever he chose as his second auxiliary
couldn’t just be a powerful mage. She also had to be a woman he knew he
could fall madly in love with, not someone in love with his power.
As he glanced around casually, he spotted several other female mages
eying the two of them with variations of annoyance and jealousy. It was
now abundantly clear that any female mage who hadn’t already found a
partner she favored would, naturally, be interested in becoming his
auxiliary. He was the only primal conjurer to arise in the last forty years.
If these women bonded with another mage, they would likely end up
serving a minor dukedom or join the court of a noble in the republic. Or
simply join the republic army. By comparison, becoming the auxiliary of a
primal conjurer offered far more opportunities.
Primal conjurers had the freedom to travel between nation-states as an
ambassador and diplomat with status equal to one of noble birth. A primal
conjurer’s auxiliaries shared his noble status. And, though Ryn wasn’t sure
how the rumors had spread across the academy given Saphi never spoke of
them, his auxiliaries would also be intensely pleasured every night.
Ryn suspected it was Mistress Aurienda who’d allowed the rumors of
Ryn’s sexual prowess to spread among the senior student body. His favorite
instructor was, after all, always looking out for his best interest, even if he
didn’t agree with her methods.
Still, Cressa’s clear interest made him cautious. She was almost too
eager to bond with him, which made him feel like she was more interested
in Ryn Xaven, primal conjurer, than Ryn Xaven, human man. Their
relationship would begin as a trade, her body for his power and influence,
and while it might turn to love, he couldn’t be sure.
He couldn’t blame Cressa for making a play for him. He didn’t resent
her for wanting something more from her life. He simply wasn’t sure if he
could fall in love with a woman who wanted him to bond her without
knowing a thing about who he was... other than his title.
He returned his gaze to Cressa’s. “I appreciate the invitation and the
welcome. I really do.” Her flash of annoyance at where he was headed was
quickly masked, but he caught it. “But I just finished practicing an hour of
flame burst, and I’m a little stiff. Another time?”
Her smile didn’t fade. “If you like, we could set aside a meditation
chamber. I could relax your muscles. I’ve been told my skills in massage
are beyond reproach.”
So Cressa was moving right to a seduction attempt. He wanted to feel
flattered, but given the fact that she’d approached him before he could even
get his bearings, he felt annoyed. A hand job or even a blowjob from her
wasn’t worth making a rash choice.
“I’d never ask you to set aside your studies on my account,” he said
calmly.
She stepped closer and touched his arm. “It wouldn’t be a bother.”
Saphi had touched his arm like this. She couldn’t any longer. Time to be
firm.
Ryn kept his smile warm as he forcibly but gently removed Cressa’s
hand. “I really do appreciate the offer. But I’m just out for a walk, and given
this is my first day among the senior students, I’m not looking to train with
anyone just yet. I’d like a few more days to adjust.”
“Of course,” Cressa said evenly.
“Thank you again for the warm welcome. I hope you find someone to
train with.”
He inclined his head and moved on before she could launch another
gambit to ensnare him. He had no desire to embarrass Cressa, and he
already worried that simply by turning her down, he might have made an
enemy. He certainly hadn’t made a friend.
As he strolled away from Cressa, he fixed his eyes on the stairs leading
down to the small park. There, students could relax in the grass and enjoy a
picnic or a pleasant chat. Also, several other female mages had their eyes on
him. The frost mage he’d noticed earlier was already walking his way,
smiling warmly. Her dark hair trailed in the wind.
Again? Already? Was he going to have to turn down every woman in
the practice yard just to take a walk? That was not going to end well for
anyone.
Ryn suspected he’d already blown any chance with Cressa by refusing
her offer to train. She was as powerful a mage as he was (at least in regards
to spark spell forms) and if he ever changed his mind about bonding her,
she might remember him turning her down today. Groveling wasn’t his
style, and he did need to choose someone to train with... or maybe not.
As Ryn’s eyes alighted on the tan, blond-haired woman sitting alone at a
table in the corner of the courtyard with her brown eyes buried in a tome, a
scheme to buy himself time formed. The other women in the courtyard had
kept a respectful distance as Cressa made her move. They had the decency
not to mob him all at once.
So long as Ryn was engaged in negotiations with one of them, the other
women would let her make her case. The women of the Primal Academy
respected each other. It was only Ryn’s current desirability that had upset
the balance, but he wasn’t ready to choose his second auxiliary yet... and if
he started a negotiation with this female mage, he wouldn’t have to.
Because any negotiation with Lauralena Markov was one he would
certainly lose.
Ryn quickened his pace and pretended not to notice the comely dark-
haired frost mage on a direct intercept course. He veered without warning
and made straight for the table at which Lauralena sat, alone. He slung one
leg over the bench before the frost mage could arrive.
“Hey there, Lauralena!” Ryn spoke loudly enough that the frost mage
who’d been approaching him frowned and changed course. He’d been
engaged. He was off-limits... for now.
Ryn knew Lauralena’s name because every male student in the academy
knew her name... and, while alone in their bedroll, had likely fantasized
about running their hands over her sun-kissed body. Lauralena Markov was
an exchange student from Pasharal, an exotic blond-haired beauty with
gorgeous tan skin and a bust that was, to put it tastefully, spectacular. Today
she wore a beige overshirt, a simple leather skirt, and brown boots.
Her long, tan legs would put her almost to his chin in height if they
stood front to front, which meant when wearing flint steel heels, she’d be at
the perfect height to kiss. Her brilliant blond hair, rare in the republic,
glistened in any light. Ryn would be absolutely honored to run his hand
through those golden tresses if she ever gave him the opportunity.
Lauralena was also a powerful conflagration mage, which made her
desirable to any partner with an affinity for flame ether... which Ryn could
draw. The only problem? Rumors among the male student body said
Lauralena was not interested in forming a bond with anyone. Moreover, she
turned down everyone who approached her so ruthlessly it hurt.
The other male students claimed she was a shrew, but Ryn suspected she
simply hadn’t found anyone up to her standards yet. He was confident he
could make his play, but that wasn’t his intention today. In fact, his
intention was to be repeatedly denied... and still pursue.
Courting Lauralena and failing would allow him to settle in with the
senior students without being pursued. The longer he failed to find a woman
to bond with, the longer he’d have to find a woman he actually wanted to
bond with. If it became widely known he was trying to bond the only
Pashalite at the academy, the other women might give him some space.
Lauralena didn’t look up from her tome. She seemed entirely unaware
someone had joined her at her table. Ryn considered all the ways he could
approach her.
He couldn’t be too clever, since he wanted to be turned down, but he
couldn’t be too crass because he wanted this negotiation to continue. He
had to fail... but not immediately. So he’d start with a neutral attempt to
engage her interest and adjust.
He kept his tone friendly. “What are you reading?”
She did not look up and did not answer. He leaned forward and eyed the
cover instead.
“Advanced Fire Defense? That’s one I haven’t gotten into yet. I’ve
mastered flame burst, but I haven’t had time to learn the motions for flame
ring yet. How far are you along?”
Her brown eyes finally rose up over her tome. “What?”
He smiled his most charming smile. “What, what?”
“Why you speaking to me?”
Ryn made no comment on her odd speech. He knew Lauralena hailed
from the distant nation-state of Pasharal, and there were a lot of rumors
about her people. Lurid rumors not quelled in the least by her skill and
beauty.
Some also claimed Lauralena was a dullard who couldn’t string her
words together, but Ryn had always considered those people to be idiots.
One might accuse Lauralena of not speaking fluent Cridorian, but her
mastery of flame forms was ahead of anyone in the senior class. She
channeled flame ether with ease he knew other students envied.
The fact that Lauralena had learned enough Cridorian in the past six
years to read the academy’s complicated tomes (none of which were written
in Pashal) was proof enough that she had a brilliant mind. She might not
speak a second tongue perfectly, but she’d learned enough to get by. She
certainly had bigger ambitions than speaking like a Cridorian noble.
If Ryn had actually been looking to befriend and bond his second
auxiliary today, Lauralena would have been high on his list. That she had
ruthlessly tossed down every man and woman who’d approached her made
her even more desirable. She obviously wanted the best.
Ryn knew he was the best mage at this academy... or could be. But for
now, he’d negotiate. That would begin by answering her question about
why he was talking to her.
“I saw you sitting alone and thought you might like company.”
“I do not.” Lauralena waved a palm at him. “Go now.”
“That’s... well, that’s not the only reason I’m here.”
Her brown eyes narrowed. “No.”
“You don’t even know what I’m going to ask yet.”
 “And I say no. Easy.” She gestured. “Many mages seek you. Strong
primal conjurer! Skilled with fingers.” She raised hers and wiggled them.
“This is true?”
Ryn allowed himself an immodest grin. “Skill is part of it.”
Lauralena nodded as if in real interest. “Ever put fingers in sheep?”
“Um...” He wasn’t completely sure how to answer that. “Did you use
the wrong word?”
“Sheep,” she repeated. “Dumb, fuzzy animal. Also tasty. You finger
one?”
He was truly in awe of her brazenness in turning him down. “I have
not.” This was not a woman who suffered fools, and when she attacked, she
went for the throat.
“You should pleasure sheep,” Lauralena said in a surprisingly friendly
tone. “If sheep bleets and does loudly, I let you bond me. Man who can
peak sheep is greatest in Pasharal.”
Ryn considered the gauntlet she’d thrown down as Lauralena looked
back at her book with a smirk of satisfaction on her face. “But... where
would I even find one?”
Her eyes found his in annoyance. “What?”
“A sheep.” He kept his features calm and sincere. “I don’t think they
keep any here at the academy. I know there’s some on the surrounding
farms, but I’ve never been out that far. Even my riding lessons have only
taken me to the hills within sight of the walls.”
Lauralena’s scowl only grew. “Why you asking now?”
“You just said you’d let me bond you if I make a sheep peak with my
fingers. I assure you, I’m more than up to the challenge. I’ll have it bleating
in pleasure in moments. But I can’t do that without a sheep.”
She set down her book. “You are very wrong.” She tapped her head. “In
this.”
“So what if we can’t find a sheep?”
“What?” Now she looked truly annoyed with him.
 “Before anything else, I’m interested in training with you. Your skill
with flame spell forms has always impressed me. You’re the most fluid
channeler I’ve ever seen.”
Ryn wasn’t lying. There were spots in the male training courtyard where
it was possible to see into the female training courtyard, and vice versa. As
such, like every other man at the academy, he’d watched Lauralena practice
her forms. Given she was a conflagration mage, she practiced while lightly
dressed in a midriff-baring tunic and skirt.
Every movement of her spell channeling was graceful, like a dancer. It
also didn’t hurt that her tunic and skirt were usually soaked with sweat by
the time she finished her spell forms, and she rarely seemed to care how
translucent her clothing became.
He’d learned from Saphi how good wet clothing could look on a female
body. The moment they read about a hero spotting the heroine walking
home after falling into a pond, they’d both wanted to try it for themselves.
Wet, translucent cloth looked great on flesh.
Ryn smiled warmly. “I might be able to draw all sorts of ether, but that
doesn’t mean I can always channel it. You’re fantastic with flame forms. I’d
be honored to have you teach me, but since there aren’t any sheep around
here to peak, we’ll need another deal.”
Her annoyance was replaced by genuine confusion. “You think I teach
primal conjurer?”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d make time to help me improve. There aren’t
any other conflagration mages here at the academy who have time to train
with me on the regular, and you’re the best conflagration mage in the entire
academy. No contest.”
She now looked more than a bit uncertain. “This is not becoming.”
“What isn’t?”
“Teasing.” She eyed him with what looked like genuine hurt. “You have
fun?”
“I’m not teasing you.” He wondered then how many times she’d been
teased before.
 She snorted. “You wish me to train you. Stupid girl from Pasharal.”
“You are not stupid,” Ryn said immediately, and with sincerity he did
not need to fake. He focused on the rumors he’d gathered from the other
male students in his junior class. “How long have you been here, anyway?
Six years, right? You transferred here?”
“From inferior academy,” she reminded him knowingly.
“I don’t know anything about your former academy, but if they trained a
woman as talented with forms as you, I imagine they’re pretty good at what
they do. So in six years, you’ve already learned basic Cridorian and
mastered three flame spell forms?”
“Four,” she said defensively. “I master gentle light.”
So Lauralena could handle both subtle and delicate spell forms like
gentle light, which could be used to light fires, torches, and candles, and
powerful spell forms like flame ring, which would raise a ringed inferno
around a huge area. She was talented.
“I know flame burst, brilliant spark, barrier, and stop,” Ryn said. “At
the moment, I’m working on heal.”
“You know stop?” Now Lauralena looked genuinely impressed. “Time
channel?”
“I do. It was a bastard to learn and took me a year, but I kept at it.
Drawing time ether takes finesse, and it’s even trickier to channel. But I
figured, why start with what’s easy?”
She was now watching him with real interest.
“I imagine you feel the same, don’t you? If it’s an easy spell form to
learn, you can master it in no time and on the road. While you’re here at this
academy, safe inside the walls with no threats and ample resources, it’s
better to master the more difficult forms.”
Lauralena nodded grudgingly. “You talk sense.”
“You’re already a fantastic conflagration mage. I’m not teasing you. I’d
never do that, at least not when speaking about your skill as a fellow
student. And if you’re not interested in bonding with me, we don’t even
have to form a bond.”
 She frowned as her shoulders hunched again. “All mages form bonds.”
It sounded like she resented the necessity, just like he did. At least, while he
was here.
“That’s expected of us, sure, but it takes time. How many offers to train
with you do you get, on average?”
She smiled dangerously. “Not those anymore.”
“So you aren’t interested in bonding anyone?”
“No,” she said, and frowned. “Now you leave me alone?”
“Actually...” He leaned close. “I feel the same.”
She frowned. “You tease.”
“Not at all.” He continued speaking quietly enough he knew only she
could hear. “I just got here today. I barely know anyone, and I’m sure you
noticed how the other female mages in the yard are looking at me.”
Lauralena considered him a moment, then smirked. “Like meat.”
“So you did notice.” Ryn chuckled. “So how would you like to help me
out?”
“Help how?”
“I’m not sure who I’m going to choose as my second auxiliary, but I do
need to choose someone soon. But I need time to get to know everyone,
and, well... adjust to being a senior. Given you’re also not interested in
forming a mage bond, how about we team up for a month?”
Lauralena watched him. “You really not want to bond?”
“No. Not yet.”
“Why?”
“I want to make absolutely sure I’m a good match for whoever I choose
to become my second auxiliary. I need time to get to know everyone
without hurting anyone’s feelings.”
“You mean this. No tease.”
“No tease,” he assured her solemnly. “And while I know you don’t want
to form a bond with anyone, lacking a training partner hampers your
progress, doesn’t it? So how about we train together, but as friends? Fellow
students. We don’t need to consider bonding. We’ll just help each other out
and improve our skills.”
“Just friends?”
He nodded.
“No sexy times?”
Ryn had to work very hard not to chuckle at what she’d just said. Had
she just... had she called it...?
Her scowl returned. “You tease.”
“I’m not teasing!” he insisted hurriedly. “Let me prove it to you.”
“Prove how?”
“Channel flame ether with me today. We’ll work on flame burst
together.”
“You stiff from flame burst.”
How had she even heard that? He’d been halfway across the courtyard
from her when he gently turned down Cressa Logan. She seemed to have
very good ears, too.
Should he admit he’d lied? Would she consider that dishonorable? Or
would she think him clever for finding a way to slip away from Cressa
without insulting her?
Ryn wouldn’t lie, and he didn’t need to lie. “I’d still like to channel
flame burst with you. I recognize my form remains rough. So if you help
me get better at channeling flame burst, I’ll...” He pondered. “What do you
need?”
She didn’t look nearly so opposed as she had been a moment ago.
“Need how?”
“Supplies? Books? Something from home? I don’t have free access to
our stores, but because of who I am, I have more leeway than most. I’m not
asking you to help me for free.”
“Not free,” Lauralena agreed. “But not those either.”
 “So what would you like, then?”
She considered. “Favor.”
“What favor?”
An unspecified favor from a primal conjurer was, Ryn had to admit, a
good thing to ask for. Lauralena was as savvy as he’d expected, and in this
case, he didn’t mind that she was looking for something in return for her
help. He had just offered her exactly that.
“Any favor,” Lauralena said. “When I need favor, I ask. You help.
Agree?”
He hesitated, and he suspected she’d think him desperate if he didn’t.
He shouldn’t just roll over and accept this. He needed to show her he could
bargain.
“I’d agree to that, but with caveats,” Ryn said.
Lauralena nodded as if she’d expected that. “Name.”
“The favor can’t hurt anyone.”
She snorted. “Would not ask.”
“And it can’t be illegal.”
“If that needed, I do myself.”
She certainly didn’t shy away from responsibility. “Then you’ve got a
deal, Lauralena. You help me train, I’ll owe you a favor. When you ask, I’ll
grant it... if it’s in my power.”
She offered her hand, palm up. “Swear.”
He raised his hand to shake hers, then considered her request. “I’ve
never sealed a deal in Pasharal. How do we do this the way your people do
it?”
She smiled when he asked. “Place your palm over mine. Touch and
hold. Clasp fingers.”
He did as she instructed and resisted the urge to visibly react. Her palm
was like a little furnace, far hotter than anyone’s palm should be. That must
be her flame affinity.
 “Now say ‘kalashal,’” Lena added.
So she was teaching him her language now. “Kalashal,” he managed.
She repeated the word, then snickered. “You sound very bad.”
“Does it still meet the requirements?”
She released his palm. “Intent matters, not clumsy tongue.”
His palm was already sweating from his brief contact with her unusually
warm flesh. “Not everyone can master a second tongue, Lauralena.”
“Lena,” she corrected.
“That’s the name you prefer?”
“That is name I allow,” she said meaningfully. “For now, you only.”
He didn’t bother to hide his delighted flush. “I’m honored, Lena.”
She eyed him in obvious surprise. “You are strange in head.”
“Shall we train? We barely have an hour before the lunch bell.”
“You will regret this.” She smiled to make it clear that was a positive. “I
make sure.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter

Ten

T hey left the table and walked, together, toward the senior student
Meditation Garden. Ryn had never actually gotten to enter it before today.
He’d seen it from afar, and from the towers, but only senior students were
allowed on the highest Meditation Garden in the academy. The rest had to
make do with gardens on the lower floors.
As they crested the steps, Ryn was delighted by the sight. This garden
was high enough he could see over the walls just like in his room, and the
peak of Eagle’s Crag in the distance grounded and steadied him. He was
pleased Lauralena... no, it was Lena now... favored these surroundings for
her practice. Perhaps they had more in common than he’d believed.
He matched her pace as she climbed the stairs. She didn’t dawdle, but
she also didn’t attempt to outpace him. Now that they’d made a deal...
friends, and friends only... she trusted him to honor it. She had no reason to
distrust him yet, so he’d now do everything he could never to betray her
trust. He doubted he’d ever regain her trust if he did.
Today was going much better than he’d expected. By making a deal
with Lena, he’d gained time to acclimate to his new surroundings, learn
more about the other female mages in the senior class before making a
decision as to who he might like to bond, and was now one step closer to
completing his next challenge as a primal conjurer.
 He would bond multiple female mages to serve as his auxiliaries. That
was his duty to the republic, and one he had reluctantly embraced over the
past three months... with Saphi’s encouragement. Being apart from his first
auxiliary left an ache inside him he couldn’t fill, but he soothed it by
reminding himself he was doing this for Saphi. For both of them.
Once Ryn bonded his second auxiliary, all he would need to do was
complete his Firmament trials before he could graduate and travel the
world. After he solved a few minor diplomatic disputes and stopped a devil
mage or two, he’d prove himself of value to the Cridor Republic and the
Primal Academy. Once he did so, he could pitch his plan to have his
auxiliaries take turns acting as his contact at the academy while he was on
the road.
Ryn didn’t know exactly how he’d phrase the request. He would ask
Mistress Aurienda about it when he was closer to graduation. He simply
knew that once he’d established himself as primal conjurer, he’d have the
clout to determine his own way of doing things. That meant Saphi wouldn’t
be the one always stuck waiting for him to come home.
For now, he and Saphi had decided to keep their plan secret so that no
one at the academy would question Ryn’s commitment to his goals. He
wasn’t supposed to be in love with her. As painful as it was, the Righteous
Sect could never know they’d both violated the rules.
Lena led him to a spot she favored, a square of open stone near one
corner of the garden. He approved of her choice. There was no grass around
the stone, just pebbles and dirt, so there would be nothing that could catch
fire. He saw now that the Meditation Garden had a number of topiaries, but
none near enough to accidentally incinerate.
Lena paused when they arrived and, without a look back at him, slipped
off her brown overshirt. Ryn tried not to stare as she set it aside and stood
only in a sleeveless silk tunic that was more suitable for sleeping than
practicing spell forms. It left her midriff bare. It coursed around her
impressive curves and made it clear just how fantastic she looked.
When she bent over to strip down to an equally slim pair of silken
shorts, he had to avert his eyes lest he give her the impression he intended
to break his vow. No sexy times! But Gods... in this light, in that outfit, this
blond woman was a vision from his most lurid dreams.
She glanced at him and frowned. “You change?”
Ryn realized he was still wearing his overshirt and trousers. “It’s near
freezing out here. You’re not going to be cold?”
She glanced at the sun and shrugged. “Still warm.”
She must have an insanely high natural body heat to say that with a
straight face. Still, Ryn had heard that conflagration mages, due to their
affinity for fire, naturally burned hotter than normal at all times. He could
almost see his breath in this cold air... and Lena was dressed like she was
going to sleep beneath the sheets on a warm summer night.
Warm, sexy memories of all his nights with Saphi flooded his mind as
he remembered how fun silk against silk could be. Those memories helped
him master his arousal... regarding this woman. Lena was gorgeous,
especially now, but he had no intention to bond her.
He would choose a female mage from the senior class to bond, but he
didn’t know who that would be yet. He needed time to get to learn their
hobbies, their habits, and how they solved problems. He needed to get to
know them when they weren’t eager to become his auxiliary. If a female
mage thought he was already taken, she might show her true self.
So now Ryn would practice flame spell forms with his hot (literally and
figuratively) new friend. Or rather, he would learn from her. As distracting
as it would be to focus on Lena’s lightly-clothed body as she went through
the forms necessary to channel flame ether into flame, he intended to pay
attention to her movements. He hadn’t lied about that.
Her blond hair trailed across one shoulder as she glanced at him.
“Together? Or you watch first?”
He considered. “You watch me first. Like I said, I’ve mastered flame
burst, but I still feel like I’m using more ether than I need. It’s like I’ve hit a
wall. I can channel it, but I can’t stop feeling clumsy. Like I’ll lose control
at any moment.”
Lena nodded. “Show.”
 Ryn looked away from her and focused on the rolling hills outside the
academy, which were just visible over the wall from here. He breathed deep
and aligned both palms, straight down, at his waist. He wasn’t channeling
flame ether yet. He was simply cleansing.
He focused beyond the mortal world. All types of ether swirled in the
Firmament, and as a primal conjurer, the sheer variety was often
disorienting. As a conflagration mage, Lena saw and drew only upon flame
ether, which was a bright orange. It was a bit thinner this high up, but it was
always present. The furnaces that heated the academy kept it well stocked.
Ryn raised one hand and traced his fingers through the forest of ether to
catch the flame against one fingertip. He swirled lightly as he breathed and
was pleased, as always, as the ether caught upon his flesh and spiraled
around his finger. He was committed now.
As he swept his hand back into the mortal world, he navigated the
swirling mix of ether like a fish through white water. He snagged two more
clumps of orange on his remaining fingers. He drew those out as he
breathed out and layered them across his chest.
Had he not possessed an affinity for flame ether and somehow still
drawn it, his body could have been badly burned when he traced flame
ether across it. Yet as a primal conjurer, Ryn had an affinity for all types of
ether. His chest simply heated as he absorbed.
The ether was stored inside his chest like a flame sealed in a closed
lantern. Now, to channel it. If he held flame ether without channeling it for
too long, it could char his insides.
Ryn slipped one foot forward. At the same time, he lowered his weight
and spun both hands in a wide circle. The motion... the spell form... ended
with his palms splayed straight out ahead of him and his fingers mirroring
each other. The motion wasn’t difficult, but executing it with the precision
required to channel the ether took months to learn.
Flame roared from his palms and seared the air ahead, blasting a good
fifteen paces out over the academy from high enough up he wouldn’t
actually catch anything on fire. He maintained the channeling for a good ten
seconds, consuming all the ether inside his chest. Then he lowered his
hands, slipped his foot back, and centered his palms at his sides again.
 “Is good,” Lena said approvingly.
He glanced at her. “So how can I improve?”
“No improve. Is good.”
Was she serious? “I told you, it feels like I’m channeling the ether too
fast and my movements remain imprecise. You’re much more fluid when
you channel flame burst.”
She looked confused. “How fluid?”
“Your movements are far more graceful than mine. Noticeably so.”
Lena considered him as if to decide if he was teasing, then apparently
decided to trust in his sincerity. “I am Pasharal.” She grimaced. “From
Pasharal.”
“And that’s a factor?”
She nodded. “We dance. Young years. Dancing, tumbling, climbing, all
the time. Pashalites use their bodies from young age. Young become like
flame coursing.”
“So how do I become like that?”
Her smirk returned. “Go be born in Pasharal.”
He eyed her in annoyance. “Since that’s not an option, can you give me
any others?”
She tapped one foot. “Fine. Watch me. Yes? Follow movements.”
He nodded gratefully. “I can do that.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “And no sexy times.”
“I know!” He raised both hands defensively. “Just friends.”
“I wonder. You stare too much.”
“I am staring at you. I won’t deny that or hide it from you, and I’m not
ashamed to find you attractive. You are a truly gorgeous woman, Lena.”
She eyed him curiously. “No shame?”
“Not about this. Even so, it’s not just your beauty that causes me to
stare. It’s the pride with which you carry yourself, and the way you channel
ether in a way that makes me feel like a fumbling fool. Your spell forms
are...” He considered. “Masterful.”
She watched him as if weighing his sincerity. “You not tease?”
“I do not,” he promised solemnly. “I also think you know I’m right.”
She smiled again. “I am masterful.”
“So that’s why I stare. I’m watching your spell forms because they’re
masterful, and I’m watching you because you’re beautiful. There will be no
sexy times, nor do I expect them. But asking me not to look at you would
require denying me my eyes.”
Lena grinned. “And you say your tongue is not talented.”
Ryn grinned back. “I mean... not with words.”
She chuckled knowingly. “Fine. Watch. Learn.”
She turned away, then brought her palms to her waist as he had done.
She went through largely the same motions he had, but where his motions
had been jerky and forced, hers looked like a dancer at the finest ballet in
Harandale. Her muscles flexed and her limbs moved and her breasts shifted,
all of which was enticing, but it was also masterful.
Lena’s flame burst whipped out over the air beyond the meditation
garden and coursed at least twenty-five paces. Ten paces longer than his.
She also channeled the ether for double the time he had and added a
flourish at the end. Her splayed palms darted away from each other and
spun on the full length of her arms before returning to her waist.
“Beautiful,” Ryn whispered in genuine awe.
She glanced at him and smiled. “What you learn?”
“I...” He considered the way she’d effortlessly channeled flame ether
into the most gorgeous release he’d ever seen. “I think I just learned I’m
never going to be able to channel ether like that.”
She grinned, and it was a friendly grin. “More smart than you look.”
“But I can still improve. Let’s do some forms together. Side by side. I
know there’s no way I can match you, but I want to work on my length and
duration.”
 “Interesting words,” Lena said.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Just what are you implying?”
“You wish to be longer.”
“And last longer. With flame.” He mock-scowled. “Everything else
works just fine.”
She chortled again. “So rumors say.”
“So are you all right with practicing our forms side by side?”
“Yes. You count. Give begin signal. We draw together.”
Like Mentor Gaskon had always done on the challenge days while he
was among the junior mage ranks, Ryn took the lead. “All right. Cleansing
stance.”
Lena shifted her weight and placed her palms at her waist as Ryn did the
same. As tempting as it was to watch her beautiful, lithe body channel more
flame, he was focused on improving his own spell forms now. “Draw.”
He was vaguely aware of her fingers reaching into the Firmament
beside his and drawing out more flame ether. He was pleased that she kept
to the flame ether closest to her position as he did the same.
Some students, when channeling side by side, would try to snatch the
ether nearest each other’s space to starve their competitor. Yet he and Lena
weren’t competing. They were becoming friends.
Ryn drew and channeled again, and then again, as Lena did the same
beside him. Soon he was sweating buckets, and Lena was as well. Which
led to more translucent clothing.
She gave no impression she noticed how her pale tunic and shorts clung
to her tan flesh, revealing hints of skin in all the places skin shouldn’t be
revealed. She must know. Not his concern. They were just friends. Still,
Ryn glanced at her from time to time... respectfully.
“I actually am getting rather hot,” he admitted after their latest bursts.
“I’m going to strip off my tunic, but just to cool down. I’m not trying to
tempt you into anything.”
She offered an amused smile. “See if you could.”
 Ryn stripped off his overshirt and tunic. He turned and set them behind
them, out of the way of the flames, then rose, bare from the waist up, and
shook his arms out. The cool air was quickly cooling his sweat-cloaked
body, and he didn’t want to catch a cold.
He glanced at Lena. “Ready?”
She was eying him now, and quite obviously. Without shame. He hid
how secretly pleased he was by her attention. Even if they didn’t plan to
actually bond, knowing a woman other than Saphi and Mistress Aurienda
found him attractive was affirming.
“Lena? Let’s try a few more.”
She met his gaze, and he struggled to keep his eyes on hers. The
outlines of Lena’s brown nipples were blatantly obvious through her sweat-
soaked tunic. She was essentially wearing a thin wet shirt, and it was
difficult to keep his eyes on his task.
“You lead,” she agreed. She pivoted to look out over the air.
They went through spell forms until they had exhausted all the flame
ether available around the entirety of the large stone slab. They could move
and find more, but Ryn’s limbs were trembling as if he’d just finished a
long run. Channeling ether took a body’s energy, and thanks to channeling
so much flame ether, he was now covered in sweat.
As the academy’s loud bells rang to announce the lunch hour, Ryn
extended a palm in surrender. “Let’s stop. I’m spent.” They’d been
channeling for almost an hour.
She eyed him curiously. “That not take long.”
He stared at her in alarm. “You channel flame longer than that?”
“When alone. You use half the ether.”
“So you...” He considered. “You’d just channel all that as a normal part
of your day?”
She grinned proudly. “How you think I become masterful?”
He ruefully nodded. She wasn’t just one of the most talented
conflagration mages in the academy because of innate ability. She also
worked her hands... and her body... to the bone, every day, channeling flame
ether until she had exhausted her surroundings of it.
“Well, I don’t think I can channel another flame this morning. So how
about we grab lunch together before the next round of afternoon classes?”
Her brow furrowed. “Together?”
“As friends.” He walked over to his tunic and used it to towel the sweat
from his face, then slipped it on despite the damp. He picked up his
overshirt as well, but he didn’t shrug that on yet. He was still overheated
from channeling so much flame.
“No one eats with Pashalite,” Lena said a bit defensively.
Ryn glanced at her in surprise. “I didn’t know that.”
Before today, he’d always eaten in the junior cafeteria with all the other
male students. Today would be the first time he’d eaten in the mess hall
with the senior crowd. He didn’t want to eat with Lena simply to have
somewhere to sit. He genuinely enjoyed her company.
She shrugged. “You go. I eat later.”
“No. I just offered to have lunch with you.”
“Poor idea,” she said firmly.
He couldn’t understand why she would balk. “Why?”
She eyed him again as if searching him for teasing or guile. He waited
patiently and let her decide. Finally, she seemed satisfied he was, again,
simply confused.
“You are new student. New senior.”
“Do the others haze the new students at lunch?”
“Not you. Not primal conjurer. But if you eat with me, others would
talk. Make words that... insulting words. When you were not to hear.”
“Because I shared a meal with you?”
“Stupid girl from Pasharal,” she reminded him. “I tell you.”
“Hmm.” Ryn nodded. “Then today, I’ll be ‘stupid man from the
republic.’”
 She scowled anew. “What?”
“I mean that if you’re stupid, I’m even stupider. I just channeled flame
beside you for over an hour, and apparently, I burned a fraction of what you
burn every day. I can’t speak a second language. I can’t read one either.”
“Maybe you never try.”
“Your spell forms are beyond textbook. You’re an incredibly dedicated
student, and you’re smart and clever as well. You’re a better conflagration
mage than me, so if you’re stupid, Lena, I’m a Gods-cursed moron.” He
grinned. “Would you agree with that?”
She watched him for a very long moment. “Debating.”
He laughed and smiled warmly. “I don’t care what people say about me.
They can go finger a sheep. I’m a primal conjurer. I’m going to be the most
powerful mage in the republic... but maybe, now, not the most powerful
conflagration mage.”
She eyed him like a gorgeous golden bird considering whether or not to
take flight.
“So unlike those other stupid people, Lauralena Markov, I would be
honored to share a lunch with you after you helped me train. This day and
every day.”
Her genuine smile warmed him like the sun. “So friends.”
“Yes.” He grinned back. “Friends. Training partners, but mainly
friends.” His eyes darted involuntarily to her sodden tunic and what it
revealed, then back up to her eyes. “Though... please don’t take this the
wrong way, but you probably should put on your overshirt.”
She glanced down at her chest, where her tunic clung plainly to every
curve. Then she looked up at him and smiled coyly. “You still looking?”
“I really am. Sorry.”
“Is fine. I have amazing boobs.”
His grin widened.
“You look,” Lena said firmly. “Only you. But no touch. Just look.”
She was serious. “Oh... okay.”
 “If I mind looking, I tell you.”
“That would be fantastic, thank you.”
She picked up her overshirt and shrugged it on, then sighed as she
stared at the heavy garment in her hands. “So hot.”
He swallowed as his eyes traced her sweaty body. “I can see how it
would be.”
She shrugged it on and then turned to him. “We go. Lunch?”
“Yes.” Ryn pivoted away forcefully. “I could definitely eat.”
As she walked after him, Ryn was certain Lena was walking closer than
she needed to. His fervent love for Saphi hadn’t lessened, but his heart
pounded as his mind replayed the image of Lena’s coy smile. The wind
coursing through her golden hair.
But no touch. Just look.
That was fine, wasn’t it? Saphi had told him, repeatedly, how much she
wanted him to bond his second auxiliary. And he wasn’t doing anything
right now other than looking at another... unreasonably hot... fellow mage.
His academy needed him. The realm needed him. A primal conjurer
needed multiple auxiliaries to become strong, so Ryn would simply make
sure that after he graduated, Saphi was treated just like the rest of them. She
would travel the world with him as well.
Ryn hadn’t expected to find another mage he liked so quickly after
entering the senior class. Yet Lena’s struggle to speak a foreign language
hid a keen intelligence, and now that he knew how lonely she was, he
wanted to be her friend. Nobody deserved to be alone.
They had already agreed they would not bond. As she said, no sexy
times. But he could practice spell forms with her as he got to know the rest
of the class and, more importantly, which of the other female mages he
might like to bond. In the interim, he could look at Lena and she could look
at him. They were simply two very attractive friends.
As first days as a senior student went, this one had already been very
productive.
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 Chapter

Eleven

T he mess hall for the senior students was double the size of that for
the junior students despite having a class population half the size, so Ryn
and Lena had no trouble filling their trays and finding a table to themselves.
Three rows of long wooden tables stretched the length of the room, long
enough it would take a running student a good ten seconds to get from one
end to the other. The benches were weathered by age, but none of them
creaked.
The mess hall itself was a large stone room with vaulted ceilings and
huge wooden candelabras hung with mage lights instead of candles. Those
ran on flame ether and lit the space brightly both day and night. Like in the
small mess halls for the junior students, senior students chose their lunch
from a buffet and took it back to their table to eat.
As Ryn looked around the mess hall, it became clear that the rest of the
senior students had settled into groups who knew each other. As the newest
person to join their ranks, he was glad he’d already made a friend. While
Ryn had intended to spend some of his first lunch getting to know the other
students, he found himself sneaking glances at Lena instead.
She put away food like men twice her size. He’d heard that
conflagration mages had a hearty appetite thanks to how much a flame
affinity increased their metabolism. Yet until the day he had lunch with
Lena, he’d never seen any student, male or female, eat an entire turkey leg...
and follow it up with two helpings of meat soup and a buttered scone.
Ryn got a bowl of meat soup for himself and a single roll, along with a
glass of the academy’s fine apple mead. That was more than enough to
leave him satiated, and while he caught curious glances from the other
students, none of them looked hostile. Still, the fact that they’d all treated
Lena so poorly bothered him the more he thought about it.
That wasn’t to say he thought the entire senior class was biased against
Pashalites. Mistress Aurienda hadn’t just trained him how to resist the
devils of the Firmament and bond a fellow mage. She had also given him
private lessons on leadership, group dynamics, and diplomacy. A primal
conjurer needed to master all of those.
As such, Ryn knew that in many social groups, the population broke
into leaders and followers. If Lena was an outcast among the senior class,
which seemed to be the case, it might not be because everyone disliked her.
All it would take is a few popular, confident, or intimidating individuals
taking exception to her to make the others wary of approaching her.
So if he could, the opinion of the senior class was the first thing Ryn
was going to change. He might not be able to bond Lena, since she’d made
it clear she was not interested in being bonded by another mage, but he
could certainly improve her standing in the senior class.
If he, the only primal conjurer in the Cridor Republic, made it clear he
considered Lauralena Markov someone special and important, he might be
able to improve her social standing in the eyes of others. Association by
reputation worked both ways. He owed her at least that much after she’d
agreed to cover for him until he decided who to bond.
Once they both finished lunch, Ryn decided to get to know Lena a little
better... if she was interested. He hadn’t tried to converse with her while
they were both eating, especially given the voracious hunger with which
she’d tackled her meal. He doubted either of them wanted to get to know
each other with their mouths full of lunch food.
After channeling flame ether like he had outside, Ryn was hungry, but it
seemed Lena’s hunger was even more voracious. That made it even more
impressive that she maintained such an attractive figure. Once he was
certain she was done, Ryn leaned across the table.
“So, Lena.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Seconds?”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I’m quite full, thank you.”
“Oh.” Though it was faint, she blushed. “Then what?”
Was she self-conscious about how much she’d eaten in front of him? He
hoped not. He decided to move on with getting to know her before she
could dwell too much on that.
“I’d like to know more about you, if you’re willing to talk. Where did
you grow up?”
Lena shrugged. “Pasharal.”
He snorted at her obvious deflection. “Right, but where in Pasharal?”
“You not know it. No one does.”
“So you grew up in a small town. Is that right?”
“As I said, you not know it.”
“So, have you ever heard of Harper’s Fork?”
Lena relaxed. “Also small?”
“The smallest. We had one tavern, a couple of struggling farms, and a
bunch of fishermen who had trouble catching fish. Guess who I grew up
with?”
She eyed him with new interest. “You fish?”
“I wish,” Ryn said wistfully. “Do people in Pasharal drink when they
fish?”
Lena’s grin widened. “Pashalites drink when doing everything.”
So not all the rumors about her people were as outlandish as he’d
thought. They sounded like a fun bunch, and Lena didn’t sound like this
was something she was ashamed of.
“Your father teach you to fish?” Lena asked. “Mine did.”
 Ryn smiled at how fondly she spoke of her father. “Your father sounds
nice.”
“He is. Mother too. We write letters. Both back in Pasharal, both very
proud.”
“I can imagine why they would be.”
“So yours?” she asked curiously.
“Well, my father was both a drinker and a fisherman. Unfortunately, he
did far more of the former than the latter. In fact, drinking was about all he
did.”
Lena’s grin faded. “He not teach you?”
“Oh, I learned. How to entertain myself somewhere he couldn’t yell at
me or chase me with a switch. I spent a lot of time in the forest, actually,
playing with sticks.
“Sticks? Like... branch sticks?”
“It’s how the academy found me.”
One thing he’d learned from his time with Saphi was that sharing tales
from when they were younger helped them grow closer. He wasn’t trying to
seduce Lena, but he did want them to become good friends. He and Saphi
knew so much about each other’s lives.
Ryn focused on the Firmament and spotted a single speck of greenish-
white nature ether. He teased it from the sackcloth. He brought the glowing
green mote down to float before Lena’s widening eyes and then tapped it
downward toward his fork, which was made of wood.
The fork wobbled. Then it stood up, spun about four times as if doing
pirouettes, and clattered to the table.
Lena gasped and smiled wide. “You puppet mover!”
Saphi had been equally delighted the first time Ryn demonstrated his
prowess with dancing sticks. That Lena reacted the same way made him
like her even more. He suspected she and Saphi would get along.
“I’m not talented enough to do a puppet show, sadly.” Ryn lowered his
hand. “But that was one of the first tricks I learned as a child. How to make
sticks dance. I was doing that in the woods the day the academy’s life mage
found me. She thought I had a nature affinity.”
“Your father was proud?” Lena asked.
Ryn chuckled darkly. “Oh no, not really.”
Lena’s expression darkened. “Not proud?”
“He was certainly proud of the money the academy paid him to
compensate him for taking me off his hands. But as for me? I think he was
just happy to see me go.”
“And mother?”
“She... wasn’t around by then.”
Lena looked down at the table, the fingers on one hand tapping idly.
“Sorry to ask.”
“Hey, look.” He reached across the table and squeezed her hand before
letting go. “It was over a decade ago, and I’m not looking for sympathy. My
life here is so much better than it was in Harper’s Fork. I just thought you
might like to know something about me.”
Lena looked up again, and as she tilted her head to look at him, her
gorgeous blond hair coursed over one shoulder. “Why?”
“Earlier today, I said I wanted to practice flame forms with you. We
made a deal to train together until I figure out who to bond. But I think now,
I’d like more than that.”
Her face clouded as she considered what that might mean.
“I’d like to become your friend. A real friend. If you’d like one.”
The clouds parted as she stared wide-eyed. “You mean this?”
He nodded. “So tell me something about you, if you want. Anything,
really.”
She considered for longer than he expected, but he was glad she was
giving it some thought. Then, she smiled. “I like dance.”
“Really? I couldn’t tell.”
 She narrowed her eyes at him, but he could tell she was more amused
than annoyed. “Not just flame forms. Kalati. You know kalati?”
“I don’t, sadly.”
She nodded as if she’d expected him to say that. “Is common where I
come from. In my... village. Many girls dance it from young age.”
“So it’s a dance from where you grew up.”
“Yes. For expressing, not combat.”
Ryn tilted his head as he considered. “You have dances for combat?”
“And coupling.” Her tan cheeks colored slightly.
He couldn’t help but grin. “You have dances for coupling?”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “Lots of dances in Pasharal.”
Ryn nodded to show he appreciated her sharing this with him. “Is it a
dance men can learn? Or is it only for women?”
“Men dance kalakul,” Lena said calmly.
“Is this similar?”
“For expression,” she agreed. “But not same as... for girl’s expression. It
is...” She paused as she obviously grappled with mental translation. “They
pair. Girls and boys, dance together.”
“So girls dance kalati, and men dance kalakul. And they can dance
together.”
Her smile returned. “For fun, and friends, and sometimes... for
expression. Caring expression for another.” She blushed again.
Ryn shook his head ruefully. “I’m jealous.”
She frowned. “Jealous?”
Lena really had been traumatized by how she’d been isolated by the
other students. Ryn was now more determined than ever to end that. She
deserved better than to feel alone.
“That really sounds like fun. In Harper’s Fork, the closest we had to
something like that was the solstice dance in a nearby village. Pinewood
Crossing was a half day’s ride, but I managed to go there once by sneaking
onto the back of a local farmer’s wagon.”
“Your father not take you?”
“He didn’t really take me places.”
Lena nodded sympathetically. “You like this... solstice dance?”
“I was seven at the time, but I liked watching the dancers. Eventually,
someone took pity on me and offered me some food. You ever had a
candied apple?”
“No.” Lena rested her arms across one another on the table and leaned
forward, and as she did so, her tunic fell open enough to expose a hint of
cleavage. “Is good?”
Ryn barely kept his eyes from the sight. “So good. Best meal I had until
I came here.”
She was now watching him with an expression that was far more
friendly than the one she’d leveled at him when they first met. He liked how
she was looking at him now. She looked at him like someone who
appreciated that he could make sticks dance.
Lena didn’t care that he was a primal conjurer, and she certainly had no
interest in becoming his auxiliary. She was simply saddened to learn his
father had been a drunk and that he hadn’t been able to dance growing up.
He liked that she cared about simple facts like that.
Before they could continue, the bells of the academy rang again. Ryn
grimaced as Lena immediately sat back on the bench and looked in the
direction of the bells. He might have imagined it, but it almost felt like she
was as disappointed to have their conversation cut short as he was. He
could hope that was the case.
As she rose, he rose with her. And as she looked at him, Ryn smiled to
make sure she didn’t misinterpret anything. “Will you practice flames with
me tomorrow?”
She watched him with obvious curiosity as mages filed past them
toward the exit. The warm lights of the mess hall left her blond hair aglow
and cascaded across her curves in her tight overshirt. Her figure remained
impressive, but it was her kind brown eyes that held him.
“Yes,” she said. “We train again, tomorrow.”
Ryn inclined his head. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Lena. My friend.”
She practically beamed at him. “Tomorrow, yes. Friend.”
After lunch ended, Ryn flew through the rest of his classes for the day,
or at least... it felt like he was flying. Mentor Caladan’s lecture on the
second decade of the first devil war was old news to him by now, thanks to
his studies with Mistress Aurienda. When old Caladan called on him
without warning, hoping to trip him up, Ryn answered his question without
a pause.
Satisfied Ryn had been paying attention after all, Caladan continued his
lecture. The next class after that was glyph-etching with Mentor Gaskon, a
class Ryn had hated since the first time he tried it. Yet today, even having
dead men screaming in his ears as he carved a complicated rune into a thin
hunk of steel couldn’t dampen his mood.
This wonderful mood was Lena. He’d enjoyed training and talking with
Lena. He hadn’t expected to make a new friend so easily, and he’d never
made friends easily even in his junior class. The fact that he and Lena had
grown to like each other so quickly felt wonderful.
Supper came soon after, which was his second time in the senior student
mess. Yet while Ryn knew it would be best if he stayed for supper and got
to know at least some of the other students, he had a different goal in mind.
A far more important goal. Once he’d gathered a bowl of steaming hot soup
and a buttered roll, he slipped out through the kitchen.
More than one of the academy’s cooks looked up in alarm when they
saw a mage walking boldly through their kitchen area, but no one stopped
him. While the cooking and cleaning staff were not allowed to enter the
mage towers, there were no regulations saying mages couldn’t enter theirs.
There was just no reason for a mage to ever do it.
Ryn slipped out of the kitchens with his tray and into the cold night. He
walked across the now empty training yard for female junior mages and
headed for the female mage dorms, though that wasn’t his final destination.
Still carrying his tray through the frigid night, he veered left before he
reached the dorms and headed to the junior mess hall for female students.
With every step he expected one of the academy’s Primal Guards to step
out of the shadows and stop him, but none did. He’d chosen his route to
ensure he didn’t pass through any of the areas they normally patrolled. This
far into the academy, they had no reason to.
Once he reached the small but cozy looking outbuilding where the
junior female mages at the Primal Academy enjoyed their meals, Ryn was
pleased to see the smoky windows bright with light and hear the sound of
speech and laughter inside. He wondered how different the junior female
hall was from the male hall. He suspected it was, at a minimum, cleaner.
Saphi would be here. She was a mage now, or a junior mage. Even if
she couldn’t channel ether, she could still draw it and learn spell forms. Ryn
didn’t know if the academy had put her in the junior class to reward her for
her dedication to the republic or simply to keep her out of trouble, but he
was glad they had. She was done with scrubbing floors.
Still holding his tray, Ryn shouldered the door open and walked right
inside. All conversation in the wide mess hall dropped off a cliff as female
faces ranging from Ryn’s age to many years younger saw him and stared.
Men weren’t allowed in the female mage mess hall, and every last woman
in here was now staring at him like he was a strange bird.
“Evening, all.” Ryn smiled wide to assure them he wasn’t here to cause
trouble. “Sorry to pop in unannounced. I was just wondering if⁠—”
“Ryn!” A short, pale woman stood up on the bench near the back of the
tables, brown hair bouncing and dark eyes wide as saucers. “What are you...
why...”
There she was. There was Saphi. Ryn smiled at the woman he loved.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter

Twelve

“H ey , S aphielle !” Ryn couldn’t wave while holding his tray with both
hands, but he could at least grin in her direction. “So you are here! Do you
have a moment to talk?”
Another woman, an older woman with hard features and a red battle
robe that marked her as an academy Mistress, rose as well and glowered at
Saphi. “Did you ask him here?”
Saphi swallowed. She blushed furiously. She seemed too flabbergasted
to speak.
Ryn approached the woman to ease her ire. “Mistress Jayna?”
Every student in the male class knew, and feared, the wrath of the
woman who protected her junior female class like a shepherd protected
sheep. Naturally, boys often wanted to spend time with girls, especially if
they could get away with it, but anyone Mistress Jayna caught fraternizing
went to the cells for days. Everyone else was too scared to risk that.
“I’m Primal Conjurer Xaven, but you can call me Ryn. I’m sorry to
bother you during supper, but I didn’t know another time I could find
Saphielle. Mistress Aurienda sent me.”
That was a bald-faced lie, and Ryn knew Mistress Jayna would verify it
the moment she could do so. Fortunately, even the head of the female junior
mage group wouldn’t bother a senior instructor at the academy after hours.
It could be days before Mistress Jayna got in to speak with Mistress
Aurienda, and Ryn would bear that blame when it landed.
“And just what did you need to speak to her about?” Jayna asked
cautiously.
Her suspicions were written all over her face. Jayna certainly knew that
Saphi was now Ryn’s first auxiliary... she was, after all, an academy
instructor... which meant she also knew they weren’t supposed to be
together any longer.
The Executrix wanted him focused on choosing and bonding his second
auxiliary, not spending all his time with his first. She also, Ryn suspected,
wanted to make it easier for him to leave Saphi behind after he graduated...
by keeping them apart so any affection could fade. He just wasn’t willing to
go along with that plan yet. Neither was Saphi.
“I just had a few last arrangements to make with her,” Ryn said.
“There’s some things we weren’t able to discuss before she left three nights
ago. I won’t take too much of her time, though I would like to have a meal
with her.” He lowered his voice. “She’s still my auxiliary.”
Jayna crossed her arms. “Mistress Aurienda sent you?”
“She did,” Ryn lied calmly.
“And you just want to have a meal with Saphielle. And talk?”
He frowned as if the question confused him. “Why would I want to do
anything else?”
Jayna didn’t look remotely convinced. She’d intercepted enough horny
boys to know one when she saw one. Still, while her power was supreme in
her own domain, she couldn’t countermand an order from Mistress
Aurienda... which was why Ryn had offered such a bold lie. He’d pay for it
with a week or more in the cells, but not tonight.
“Fine,” Jayna said. “You can eat and talk, but not in front of my other
girls.”
“Of course not,” Ryn agreed smoothly. “Shall we eat outside?”
Jayna chuckled. “I didn’t say you had to freeze to death. You can eat
and talk in the dish room. The cleaning staff won’t be using it for another
half hour or so.” She uncrossed her arms. “Naturally, I’ll eat in there as
well. In case you need anything else before you leave.”
In other words, Mistress Jayna intended to act as their chaperone. As
disappointing as that was, Ryn couldn’t blame her. If he could get Jayna to
let Saphi remove her collar, they could talk over their bond. And even if not,
another supper with her would be a delight.
“I appreciate that.” Ryn smiled his most charming smile. “Shall we go
now?”
Jayna looked at Saphi. “Saphielle! Bring your supper! You’re eating in
the dish room. The rest of you? Stop gawking! Unless you want to do an
extra hour of laps tonight.”
Everyone else in the room immediately went back to their meals and
gossip. It was like Ryn no longer existed at all. Mistress Jayna had all the
power in her domain. Ryn was glad he’d found a way to bluff her, because
otherwise, he’d never have gotten time with Saphi.
As Jayna led him through the mess hall, Saphi hurried around the table
to join them. Ryn didn’t miss how hard she was biting her lip or how hard
she was clutching her bowl. He longed to draw her into his arms. He hated
worrying her, but he’d reassure her once they could talk.
They exited the main mess hall quickly and entered the dish room,
which was a wide room with a wall full of sinks and a large drying pit over
smoldering coals. This was where every dish from the academy’s mess halls
eventually ended up. The cleaning staff had already finished dealing with
the lunch dishes, and the supper dishes would be here soon.
Yet for now, he and Saphi had the whole room to themselves... save for
Mistress Jayna. Ryn took a quick stock of the available places they could
eat and selected a small table at the back by the coals. “Mistress? That table
by the coals should do fine.”
Jayna frowned thoughtfully. There was no other table close enough to
the one Ryn had chosen where she could eavesdrop. Still, the table was
visible from everywhere in the room, so it wasn’t like Ryn was asking to eat
with Saphi in an alcove.
“Fine,” Jayna agreed. “But I’ll be here at the bar if you need anything.”
 “Thank you!” Ryn again fixed her with his most charming smile, which
earned him nothing more than a firm stare. “Any chance we could remove
her ether blocker?”
“No,” Jayna said frostily.
“I’m just saying, it’d be much simpler for us to discuss all this through
bond speak.”
“And it’ll be much simpler for me to chaperone you if you can’t talk in
your heads.” She motioned impatiently. “Now, get to eating. Your food’s
already getting cold.”
Ryn smiled at Saphi and carried his tray over to the table. Saphi
followed meekly, and since Ryn arrived first, he had time to put his tray
down and pull out a chair for her. She stopped, gasped, and stared as if he’d
just channeled flame burst in the kitchen.
He smiled and motioned with one hand. “Please have a seat, first
auxiliary.”
Saphi scurried to her seat and sat down. She almost dropped her bowl in
her haste. Ryn took his seat, scooted it in, and dipped a spoon into his bowl.
When he brought his meat soup to his lips, he found it lukewarm at best.
Not great. Still, the view here was much better.
Ryn took a few bites in silence and let Saphi recover her senses. She
was obviously alarmed to see him again. Eventually, she leaned as close as
she could without raising the ire of Mistress Jayna and spoke softly enough
he had to strain to hear.
“What are you doing here?” she asked quietly.
Ryn swallowed his bite. “Would you be shocked to learn I missed you?”
“Did Mistress Aurienda really send you to speak to me?”
He kept his gazed locked with hers as he dipped his spoon back into his
soup. “If I said yes, would you believe me?”
“Ryn!” She blinked rapidly, and he knew at once that Mistress Jayna’s
watchful eye was the only reason she didn’t immediately slug him in the
arm. “You’ll get in trouble!”
 “Not so much,” he assured her softly. “Mistress Aurienda really likes
me.”
“But... you lied!”
“Don’t say that too loud. Anyway, how are you doing?”
She blinked rapidly as she struggled to remain calm. “What?”
“We haven’t gotten to speak in three days. I’m glad to see they put you
in with the mages like we hoped. How do you like it so far?”
“I...” She frowned. “You can’t do this sort of thing.”
“Can’t I?”
She sighed and gripped her bowl. “You’re a primal conjurer.”
“And you’re my first auxiliary.”
“I’m also a sibyl. It’s different, and you’re not supposed to be with me
until...”
She didn’t finish. They wouldn’t speak of their plans aloud, even here.
They’d agreed not to let anyone know what they planned until Ryn was
certain he could accomplish it.
“There’s nothing saying we can’t enjoy a meal together,” he reminded
her. “The academy said we can’t live together, but they can’t stop me from
seeing you. We’re bonded now, you and me. That has to mean something,
doesn’t it?”
“But it’s not...” She shivered. “I miss you. I miss you terribly.”
He understood at last. “So seeing me tonight makes you miss me
more?”
“So much more,” she said quietly. “You’re all I’ve been able to think
about, and now you’re here and we can’t... you know.”
He loved her so much, especially after all they’d done together. All
they’d promised each other. If Jayna hadn’t been watching from the bar, he
would have walked around the table, dropped Saphi into his lap, and
pleasured her with life ether until she passed out.
 They couldn’t do that any longer, at least not in front of anyone at the
academy. Yet they could still have supper together, at least for tonight. And
they needed to talk.
“I feel the same,” Ryn promised her. “I’m going to find a way to
manifest our plan.”
She looked down at her bowl. “The end of our book?”
“The start of our book.” He smiled. “One like Twelve Dozen Roses.”
She blushed so furiously he knew Jayna could see it from the bar. Ryn
kept his hands in clear view and his posture straight. He didn’t want to give
Jayna any reason to intervene.
Saphi did her best to contain her smile. “You’re horrible.”
“Sometimes. But also... you remember what we talked about?
Regarding the path I need to walk before we can write that final page?”
“I remember, and you need to remember that I want that for you. I want
you to find someone who will be good for you.”
“I will,” he promised. “And actually... I did make a friend today. That
was nice.”
Saphi perked up. “That’s wonderful! Who is he?”
“She, actually.”
Saphi’s dark eyes widened again. “You made a she friend?”
He chuckled. “Her name’s Lena. Lauralena Markov, actually. Do you
know her?”
Saphi smiled in obvious delight. “Everyone knows her! I mean... not
personally. But we talk... the other mages, I mean... and everyone says she’s
so nice.”
Ryn leaned forward in sudden interest. “Nice how?”
“She always takes time during her free periods to come here and help
the younger girls work on their movements, especially those having trouble
with their channeling.”
 Ryn was surprised and pleased to hear that. “Even those without a flame
affinity?”
“Everyone, no matter their affinity.” Saphi nodded. “She’s so... well,
graceful. With everything. She was here just yesterday, though we didn’t get
to train together. She helped Clara work on the moves for heal, and then
worked on barrier with Anaya.”
Ryn grinned. “It sounds like you’re making friends here, too.”
“It is nice,” Saphi agreed softly. “It’s not like at the temple. Here people
just...”
“Like you?”
“Some of them.”
“I’m not surprised. You are, after all, an extremely likable person.”
“And Lauralena’s your friend now, too?” Saphi asked hopefully.
“I think she could be. And she prefers Lena.”
“Interesting. She never lets us call her that.”
That also surprised Ryn. Still... he supposed it made sense Lena would
be more formal with the junior class. She was basically acting as their
surrogate instructor.
“But she’s just your friend?” Saphi asked curiously.
Ryn tilted his head. “Would it bother you if we decided to be more?”
She vigorously shook her head. “I’d love it if more happened. She
seems like such a lovely person. I don’t know much about her other than
how she treats us, but...”
“How someone treats those she doesn’t have to treat well is a good
indicator of how she treats everyone,” Ryn agreed. “I’m glad you told me.
I’ll keep it between us.”
“So...” She looked adorably confused. “You don’t want to bond her?”
“She told me she’s not interested in bonding anyone.”
“Oh.” Saphi considered, then smiled. “So you really did make a friend.”
 “Yes, though from what I’ve heard, she wasn’t able to make many
others.”
“And why not?” Saphi now sounded almost offended on Lena’s behalf.
“Idiots, I imagine.” Ryn shrugged. “She was worried that if she
associated with me the other mages in the senior class would think less of
me, but I’m hoping for the opposite effect. And you’re not wrong about
how nice she is. She bought me room to breathe today.”
“Breathe how?”
Ryn chuckled lightly as he remembered. “Saphi, it was like... if you’d
asked me a year ago if I wanted to have every woman in the courtyard
begging me to bond her, I’d have said that sounds like the best time I could
have.”
“Oh,” Saphi said. “But it wasn’t?”
“Given I don’t know any of them? No. It wasn’t.”
“So Lauralena helped you?”
“Lena, yes. She agreed to train with me until I get to know the others
better. A month still isn’t that long to choose my second auxiliary, but I
intend to use all of it. I have to jump through the academy’s hoops before I
can make my own decisions.”
They both knew what they meant by that. He had to bond his second
auxiliary, graduate, bring back some successes, and then pitch the idea of
alternating which of his auxiliaries remained behind at the Primal Academy.
That meant it wouldn’t always be Saphi.
Saphi reached out as if to grip his hand and caught herself at the last
minute, as if she’d only just remembered their chaperone. “Just find
someone who makes you happy.”
“I’d be happy just having you,” he reminded her softly.
She looked away. “Please don’t say that. I want that too, more than
anything, but we can’t have it right now. So talking about it is just...”
“Depressing,” Ryn agreed. “I know. I guess... I just wanted to tell you
how my day went, like we did every night when we were together. Can you
tell me about yours?”
She unleashed the tiny giggle snort he’d grown so fond of. “Really?”
“Really! I want to hear how your day went.”
“Well, I tried to help one of the younger servers carry some water
buckets down the stairs, since I know how heavy those can get. But I
probably hurt more than I helped.”
“Hurt how?”
“I tipped a bucket of water on myself because I forgot how much it
weighed.”
Ryn considered her plain white blouse. “So what you’re saying is, you
spilled water down your front? Like, all the way down?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like you haven’t seen them a hundred
times.”
“Right, but I’d like seeing them with a white blouse plastered to them.”
“You hush,” Saphi said half-heartedly. “Anyway, I don’t want you to
worry about me. I love it here with the other mages. I’m making friends,
and this academy already feels more like a home than the temple. So even if
you don’t⁠—”
“I’m going to,” Ryn interrupted.
“But even if you don’t,” she assured him firmly. “I’m going to be happy
here, behind these walls, for as long as I have to be here. So stop worrying
about me.”
“I’m not worried.”
“Then why are you here tonight?”
“I was hoping you might have a new romance novel to recommend.”
She snorted. “There’s supposed to be another trader through in a few
weeks. I’ll look when she comes through. If I find anything, I’ll be sure to
let you know.”
“Fantastic!”
“But I have to read it first.”
 “Of course you’ll read it first! Otherwise, how would we gossip about
it?”
She giggled again. “I’ll make sure it’s a good one.”
Given all the nights they’d spent reading, talking over, and then trying
all the sexy scenes from their favorite romance books, Ryn knew exactly
what she meant by a “good one.” She would no doubt get the spiciest book
she could get. She could even mark up the sections she wanted to try with
him when they had the opportunity to do so again.
With nothing else to speak about, they ate together in comfortable
silence. Ryn’s soup was now cold, but he didn’t care. He loved eating with
Saphi, and not just because he could feel her bond even through the barrier
of her ether blocker.
He would always love her. But he couldn’t be with her until he
graduated and gained clout as a primal conjurer. After he did, he would win
the right to take her on the road.
When the bells rang to announce the end of the supper hour, Mistress
Jayna loudly cleared her throat. Ryn dared not challenge her more than he
had. He rose, smiled at Saphi, and inclined his head. “That was a lovely
meal. I’m glad we could talk.”
“Me too,” Saphi said hurriedly. “And... prime?”
Since she was his first auxiliary now, she could use his title just like
she’d used it when they were together. No one could deny her that. The
academy might have them separated so Ryn could focus on bonding his
second auxiliary, but they could never take her away from him forever. He
knew that, even if he had to endure the pining in the middle of the book.
“I’m glad you made a friend,” Saphi said. “Just remember that if your
relationship ever... changes... that I want nothing more than for you to be
happy. Both of you. So promise me.”
“I promise.”
“Good.”
Mistress Jayna chose that moment to approach. “All done, then?”
Ryn nodded her way. “Thank you again for offering us the room.”
 “Don’t see how Mistress Aurienda gave me much of a choice.” She
looked more amused than annoyed. “Still, you’d best get back to your warm
tower. The guard tightens their patrols after supper bell ends. I’d hate for
any misunderstandings to result.”
Jayna was right. If a Primal Guard caught Ryn wandering the empty
training courtyard near the female dorms for the junior students, even his
status as a primal conjurer might not protect him. It was time to make a
quick exit to friendly territory.
“Have a good night, Mistress Jayna. Sibyl Saphielle. Thanks again for
everything.”
“Get,” Jayna reminded him. She motioned over her shoulder with a
thumb.
Now that he’d accomplished everything he’d hoped to do tonight, Ryn
got.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter

Thirteen

R yn reported for morning meditation in the senior student auditorium

the next morning, and he trained with Lena during the entire free hour. He
kept expecting to find time to get to know the other students in his class and
especially some of the female mages, but somehow, he always found an
excuse to focus on his training... and his new training partner.
Over the next week and a half, he and Lena trained together, ate
together, and found excuse after excuse to spend time together. They shared
many more stories about their childhoods, upbringing, and interests. Ryn
learned that Lena hated cats because her village was filled with strays who
peed everywhere to mark their territory. She learned he hated fish because
they were all he’d eaten growing up. These were good facts.
His classes continued as normal, and midway through the second week
he trained with Lena, she showed him the movements to cast flame ring.
There were three times as many precise motions involved as in flame burst,
and Ryn lost his balance before he got through more than half. Still, he
enjoyed the way Lena laughed... a warm, empathic laugh, not the mocking
kind... every time he failed to channel it. She failed the form more than a
few times, too. In a way, their failures brought them closer than ever.
The first time she channeled a flame ring in front of him, he was
impressed. It was a wreath of fire big enough to surround a full-grown cow,
and it blazed high enough that it came up past his waist. Anyone trying to
cross that barrier would be badly singed in the attempt, and a bandit eager
to rob her would be badly burned. It was an impressive spell form.
After their practice, they retired for lunch. Yet just as Lena was finishing
her larger than usual meal, a murmur went up from the other students in the
mess hall. When Ryn looked up for the source, he stiffened in his seat.
Mistress Aurienda had just entered the mess hall, and she had two Primal
Guards in full armor with her.
His favorite instructor was the same height that he was, which meant
when she wore her heeled boots... which she always did... he had to look up
at her. This was not an imposition, however, since she was also, without
question, an incredibly attractive woman. She might be thirteen years older
than he was, thirty-two to his nineteen, but that had never been a problem
when they trained together. More than anything, she made him feel safe.
Mistress Aurienda wore the same sort of garb she always wore: a
button-down white blouse that struggled to contain her impressive bust, a
sleek black skirt that brushed her knees, and knee-high leather boots with
heels as long as his fingers. She kept her dark hair cut short in a bob that
fell over her thin golden spectacles, and her heels clicked with each step.
Ryn loved the sound of those heels. To others at the academy, Mistress
Aurienda was known as the stone goddess. He had always hated that people
called her that, and he called out anyone who did so in front of him, but he
couldn’t stop gossip alone.
It was true that Mistress Aurienda did not have any lovers at the
academy. She had never bonded another mage, and so far as everyone
knew, she remained entirely celibate. It was thus a closely guarded secret
among the academy leaders that, on the direct orders of Executrix Valenda,
Mistress Aurienda hadn’t just instructed Ryn in academic matters. She’d
also taught him to enjoy all sorts of sex, a secret course of study reserved
for primal conjurers who would be responsible for bonding multiple
auxiliaries. Their lessons had been... unique.
Ryn’s time with Mistress Aurienda had been why he’d been so
confident he could bond Saphi despite never having vaginal sex. That act
remained forbidden between teacher and student. Even so, they’d moved
forward with everything else at his pace, and they’d only tried new things
once he was comfortable and eager.
Ryn also knew he was the only person whom Mistress Aurienda had
ever taught in this manner, and would likely be the only person she taught
that way in her life. Another primal conjurer might not arise for fifty years.
The knowledge that Aurienda had devised an entire course of sexual
instruction for him and only him was just one reason he was quite fond of
her.
Still, he couldn’t enjoy the lovely sight of the lovely woman he’d spent
days pleasuring and being pleasured by in return because he suspected he
knew exactly why she was here: to arrest him. That was going to be
unpleasant no matter how much they liked each other.
Lena looked that way as well, then chuckled. “Someone in trouble.”
Ryn was surprised it had taken almost two weeks before Mistress Jayna
talked to Mistress Aurienda about Ryn’s claim that Aurienda had sent him
down to the female mess hall to talk to Saphi. He’d expected to be called
out on his blatant lie sooner.
As Lena glanced at him, she frowned. “Ryn?”
He smiled as best he could. “Yes?”
“Why you pale like that? Something taste wrong?”
“Um...” Ryn looked between her and Mistress Aurienda as she spotted
him across the mess hall, frowned, and marched toward him with two
Primal Guards in tow. “Tell you what. Let’s table our discussion for today.
I’ll be busy for a few days.”
Lena’s brown eyes widened as she looked at Aurienda, who was now
only about twenty paces away, and then him. “What you do?” she asked
urgently.
Ryn forced himself to relax as Aurienda arrived wearing the coldest
scowl he’d ever seen on her. “Nothing you need to worry about. I’ll be back
before you know it.”
As Ryn stood, Lena stood with him. She stepped around the table and
interposed herself between Mistress Aurienda, both Primal Guards, and
him. Ryn was so shocked he momentarily couldn’t speak. Was Lena
actually trying to defend him from the Primal Guard?
“What this about?” Lena demanded as they arrived.
Aurienda pulled her cold gaze from Ryn and focused it on Lena.
“Excuse me?”
“What I do this time?” Lena demanded. “Someone complain?”
Aurienda frowned at her. “We aren’t here for you today, Markov.”
Lena snorted loudly. “First time! We learning.”
Aurienda looked past her at Ryn. “Xaven, come with me.”
As Ryn moved to join them, Lena took another step to block their way.
“If someone accuse Ryn, they lie. Many here lie about what I do.”
Aurienda watched Lena for a long moment. “No one here has accused
Xaven of anything.” The set of her jaw showed she was close to her limit.
Gods, Lena was going to get herself arrested! Ryn stepped to Lena’s
side and touched her shoulder. She flinched and glanced at him, and the
worry in her eyes warmed his heart.
“It’s fine,” he assured her firmly. “Like Mistress Aurienda said, this has
nothing to do with you or anyone else here. I made a choice, and now we’re
going to talk about it. That’s all.”
Lena appeared unconvinced. “You know how people lie about me.”
“I’m starting to get an impression, and if this is about something like
that, I’ll get it straightened out. But what you can’t do today is get yourself
in trouble.”
Lena glanced at Aurienda again.
“I want to train with you when I get back,” Ryn reminded her. “And
have more lunches. I can’t do that if you get stuck in a cell. So just give me
a few days to get this whole matter straightened out, all right? I’ll be back. I
promise.” He offered his palm. “Kalashal.”
Lena’s eyes widened. It seemed she hadn’t expected him to remember
that was how Pashalities swore oaths to each other. They had, after all, only
done it once.
 Solemnly, Lena reached out and pressed her palm to his. “Kalashal,”
she said softly.
He smiled and squeezed her shoulder. “And while I’m gone, you can
have my lunch.”
Several complicated expressions crossed her face before she finally
caught on to the fact that he was making a joke about her appetite. She
scoffed and glowered. “You tease!”
Ryn grinned and waved as a Primal Guard gripped his shoulder and
walked him off. “If that’s how you want to remember me, I’m not going to
object!”
He didn’t miss the way the other senior students watched as Mistress
Aurienda and the Primal Guards marched him through the center of the
mess hall like a thief who’d been caught raiding the academy’s treasure
room. Some looked amused. Some looked like they thought he deserved it,
including Cressa. And two male mages actually looked impressed he’d done
something scandalous enough to be personally arrested by the stone
goddess.
Soon Ryn was out the doors and down the hall. Once they exited the
mess hall Mistress Aurienda took the lead, and the loud clicking of her long
heels was as arousing as always. He had never truly appreciated a woman in
heels until he met her.
After two more turns, Ryn knew where they were going. The Primal
Guard was marching him up to Mistress Aurienda’s private office. He had
many fond memories of that office, mainly because he and his favorite
instructor had found unique uses for every piece of furniture inside it.
Sadly, he doubted Aurienda had those sorts of activities in mind for him
today.
When they reached two closed oak doors he knew well, Aurienda
pivoted precisely on her heels and pointed down the hall. “Leave us.”
Both Primal Guards strode away with only the clanking of their armor
to fill the hall. That suggested Aurienda hadn’t told them anything about
why she needed him to escort Ryn to her office, only that it was important.
Once they were alone, Aurienda unbuttoned her blouse.
 Ryn’s eyes widened until she stopped three buttons down, just enough
to reveal her incredibly deep cleavage, then reached inside. She pulled out a
single key, turned, and unlocked her door. She pushed it open and walked
inside, heels clicking.
“With me,” Aurienda said calmly.
By the time Ryn entered, the key was back between her breasts and her
blouse was all buttoned up again. Pity. Still, that brief flash of cleavage
along with the clicking of her heels in this office... alone with her... left him
unsuitably aroused.
He remembered this office well. Aurienda had a huge oak desk whose
surface was so smooth it lacked even a trace of splinters. Behind that
bookshelf rose a glass window the size of a door overlooking the
Meditation Garden of the Primal Academy. That window filled the room
with warm light on days when the persistent gray clouds didn’t threaten.
There were also two wooden chairs reserved for students she brought in
here to discipline for breaking one rule or another, though in Ryn’s case,
they had toyed with an entirely different type of discipline using those
chairs. That had been an interesting lesson. Aurienda pointed to a chair and
walked around her desk, which Ryn took as an order.
He sat himself calmly as he had the first day he met. Aurienda walked
around her desk, pressed her palms flat on it, and leaned forward. As she
watched him with the early afternoon light shining from behind her, the
lenses of her spectacles gleamed.
“Did you tell Mistress Jayna I sent you to speak with Saphielle ten days
ago?”
Ryn would never lie to his favorite instructor. The first lesson they had
ever completed together was learning to always be honest with each other.
Aurienda already knew what he’d done from Jayna, and he certainly didn’t
want to imply Jayna was a liar. This was on him.
“Yes,” he said calmly.
“And why would you break the academy’s rules so egregiously?”
“I needed to talk to Saphi about something.”
 “And this need to speak with Saphielle was why you lied to an official
of this academy? Why you claimed to do something on my authority despite
the fact that I did not give it to you?”
“Yes. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
She straightened. “You think that changes anything now?”
“I don’t. I take full responsibility for what I did. Mistress Jayna knew
nothing about my plan, and neither did Saphi.” At least not until he told her.
“It was my decision to speak to her, and my decision to say you’d
authorized it.”
“So why did I authorize it?”
Ryn wasn’t sure what she meant. “I didn’t give her a reason. She didn’t
ask.”
“But now I am asking,” Aurienda said calmly. “Why did I authorize you
to enter the junior female mess hall and speak privately with Saphielle ten
days ago?”
He frowned as he considered her odd question. “I... really hadn’t given
it much thought.”
“Then tell me why you did it, and everything you talked about.”
He hadn’t told Saphi he loved her. That meant he wouldn’t have to tell
Aurienda that to tell her the truth. He also knew she’d never asked him if he
was in love with Saphi, and he suspected she had a good reason not to ask.
She really was looking out for him.
“I missed her,” Ryn said honestly. “She’s my first auxiliary, and that’s
not just a bond you forget overnight. But that wasn’t the only reason I
wanted to have supper with her.”
“So what else did you discuss?”
“I wanted to tell her I met someone.”
“Lauralena Markov?”
Ryn nodded. “I suppose that was easy enough to figure out.”
As Aurienda crossed her arms between her truly magnificent breasts,
her forearms lifted and pushed them together in a way that was entirely too
distracting even with her blouse tightly buttoned up. It was the fact that her
blouse strained so much that entranced him.
“So you wanted to tell Saphielle you were considering bonding
Lauralena?”
“Lena’s not interested in bonding yet. But...” Ryn considered his next
words before he spoke them, because after the last two weeks, he was more
certain of them than he had been before. “If Lena was willing, I’d certainly
consider it. And since Saphi and Lena would both be my auxiliaries, it
makes sense to keep her apprised. Saphi should have a say in who I bond.”
He didn’t just know Lena was generous enough she took time to train
the junior mages, and he didn’t just think she was so gorgeous he caught
himself staring at her far more often than any “friend” should. He knew she
loved dancing kalati, and he knew she’d immediately stood to defend him
today when she thought he was in trouble.
Lena was his friend, and if that was all she ever wanted to be, he would
consider himself lucky to have her. But if she ever wanted to be more... he
would be thrilled. With only two weeks left to make his decision, he only
now realized he’d already made it.
“I see.” Aurienda nodded. “Would you like my opinion?”
“On Lena?”
“Yes.”
Ryn smiled. “I’ll always appreciate your opinion, Mistress.”
“I think she would make an excellent second auxiliary. Pashalites rarely
leave Pashal before taking a post, and there’s so much we have yet to learn
about their land. Having a Pashalite as your auxiliary would give you a key
into a world few in the republic have seen.”
“I had considered that. But that’s not the only reason I’d like to bond
her.”
“What other reasons do you have?”
“She’s brilliant, and she’s an incredibly talented mage. Her proficiency
with spell forms impresses me every day, but more than that, she’s
incredibly brave. Do you know how the other senior students have been
treating her?”
“I’ve had no reports of ill treatment for her instructors.”
“Then someone needs to pay more attention. Apparently, the other
seniors have been teasing her and mocking her since she entered their class,
and from what I heard today, they’ve been making false reports about her as
well. That vexes me.”
Aurienda considered. “So is it not true she once told Cressa Logan to
hop atop a fence post, naked, and ride it? Because it was the only pole big
enough to fill her hole?”
Ryn stared at Aurienda in shock, alarm, and then... amusement. He
couldn’t help but chuckle. He didn’t know what Cressa had said to earn that
particular barb from Lena, but knowing Lena, Cressa had it coming. Still...
“To be fair, she might have made some enemies on her own.”
“So you favor Lauralena because of her bravery?”
“That and many reasons, but as I said, she’s not interested in bonding
anyone, and I made her a deal we’d just train together. The first day I
entered the training yard, well... have you ever seen what happens when
you toss raw meat in a pond full of scuttlefish?”
Now Aurienda smiled faintly. “So you decided to train with Lauralena
to allow yourself time to acclimate to your new surroundings.”
“Let’s say yes and assume that was my only reason.”
“While I am glad to learn you’re making friends, whom you choose as
your auxiliary is not my concern... so long as you bond one. To be clear,
when Mistress Jayna asked me if I had given you the authority to speak
with Saphielle ten days ago, I told her I had.”
Ryn sat straight up in his chair. “You did what?”
“The alternative was to make it known to Mistress Jayna and Executrix
Valenda that you lied about an order I gave you. That is not a crime that
merits a day or two in the cells. Lying about an instructor’s orders to
another instructor would get any normal student expelled.”
 For a moment, Ryn couldn’t speak. He’d had no idea the punishment for
lying about an instructor’s orders was so severe. Though... in retrospect... he
could see why it might be.
He was still a prisoner in this academy. Mages who hadn’t completed
the Firmament trials couldn’t live free in the world because, if they did,
they could enter the Firmament and make a devil deal with no one to stop
them. A devil-marked mage was a threat to everyone.
So if Ryn was expelled, what would really happen is he would be
moved to a prison that was far less nice than this one. He had always
doubted Executrix Valenda would dare to expel him, given he was the only
primal conjurer in the realm... but what if she did?
“So again, I ask you,” Aurienda said calmly. “Why did I give that
order?”
Ryn swallowed. “You said...” He had to clean up his mess before it got
Saphi or Aurienda in other trouble. “I need the counsel of my first auxiliary.
I was overwhelmed after my first day in the senior class, and it was... I lost
focus. You were worried I couldn’t regain it easily, so when I asked, you
gave me permission to speak to Saphielle and center myself.”
“That does sound like something I would do,” Aurienda said mildly.
He couldn’t help but stand despite her asking him to sit. “I’m sorry.
Again.”
She shrugged a noncommittal shrug. “If you truly regret the jeopardy in
which you put me, yourself, and Saphielle, how do you intend to make up
for it?”
“By never doing anything so stupid again.”
“Even if it is the only way you can speak to Saphielle?”
“Even then. I made a rash decision. I need to be less reckless.”
“You do,” Aurienda agreed. “You very much do, Xaven. You know how
important you are to this academy... and to me.”
As Ryn watched this woman who had done so much for him, to train
and protect him, he was overcome with guilt over how he’d risked her
reputation. She walked around her desk with the clicking of her heels, then
stopped beside him as he stared up at her. Yet while he expected her to
glower down at him, he found what he didn’t expect.
Understanding. Warmth. Acceptance... and forgiveness.
“If you wish to speak with Saphielle again, come speak to me,”
Aurienda said calmly. “No matter what the sect decrees, she is your first
auxiliary. While I can’t allow you to meet unsupervised or as often as you
like, I can arrange regular meetings. If the sect has a problem with that, then
they will need to deal with me.”
Ryn couldn’t believe how generous she was being. He certainly didn’t
deserve this after what he’d done without telling her. Yet Mistress Aurienda
had always been there for him, and he knew she always would be, no matter
how he disappointed her. He trusted her that much.
“I’ll take you up on that,” Ryn said solemnly. “If I need to meet with
Saphi for any reason, I’ll come to you first.”
“I would appreciate that.”
“And Mistress... thank you. I can’t say thank you enough. You’re
amazing.”
She reached out and brushed two fingers down his cheek. “Thank me by
never doing anything so reckless again.”
“I won’t. You have my word on that.”
Her warm hand dropped away. “Should anyone else ask about why I
gave that order ten days ago, I will either explain my thinking or tell them it
is none of their business. As for you, Xaven, when the other students ask,
you will tell them that I took you from the mess hall today because
someone among the scullery staff found a missing academy tome in your
chambers.”
Ryn didn’t know that was even a thing that happened. “A tome?”
“One on spell forms that channel death ether.”
“But senior students can channel death ether.”
“Yet the tome had been missing since you were a junior student.”
Ryn caught on quickly. “I do love reading ahead.”
 “As punishment, you will spend three days in the cells. Consider it a
reminder that even the most mundane academy rules cannot be violated
without cost.”
“I’ll remember that,” Ryn said gratefully. “I’ll learn from my mistake.”
She took one step back and crossed her arms. “Then you’re dismissed.
Can I trust you to report to the cells of your own volition, or do I need to
call for a Primal Guard?”
“You can trust me,” Ryn assured her. “I hope you’ll continue to trust
me.”
“The other instructors will, I hope, appreciate your contrition. I certainly
do.” Aurienda motioned him away with two fingers. “Now go. They’re
expecting you in detention.”

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 Chapter

Fourteen

A fter R yn left Mistress Aurienda’s office, he half expected to find a

Primal Guard waiting to escort him to the academy’s cells. While the idea
of spending the next three days in a cell wasn’t great, the alternative... being
expelled, and then spending the next ten years in a cell at a much colder
place... was far worse. Mistress Aurienda had protected him once again.
Some day, he would need to find some way to repay Aurienda for all the
guidance and help she’d provided since he came to this academy. That
could wait until he graduated. For now, he would reassure her she could
trust him by reporting for detention.
But given he’d be stuck in a cell for three days, he decided to stop by
the academy’s library and get some reading material first.
Ryn walked down the hallway, then the stairs, but didn’t go back into
the training yard. Instead, he wound his way through the bowels of the
academy until he reached the expansive library on the lower floors. He
hoped the guards at the cells wouldn’t take his books away.
There were a number of tomes here on all sorts of topics of interest to
mages like himself... tomes with diagrams of spell forms, ruminations on
the Firmament, histories of wars between nation-states and a number of
accounts from the devil war... but Ryn had read all of those and more. Not
all the books, but enough he felt well-versed on the topic. When he entered
the library, Mentor Bailan, an older man with gray hair and a thin build,
looked up and smiled.
Once he saw it was only Ryn, he frowned, sighed, and went back to
copying the tome he was working on reproducing. Ryn couldn’t help but
grin a little at the man’s resignation. He approached the desk and rested his
arms on it, leaning forward as much as he dared.
“Afternoon, Mentor.”
“Xaven.”
Mentor Bailan used to be more friendly, but he’d grown brusque and
formal over the years as Ryn repeatedly forgot to return the tomes he
checked out. It wasn’t like he intended to have so many overdue books! He
just had a lot to do. A primal conjurer remained busy.
“I’m looking for a few books to keep me busy over the next few days.”
Bailan said nothing.
“Do you have anything new in? Any romances? The spicier the better.”
Bailan didn’t look up from his tome. “Nothing new in that area, I’m
afraid.”
Ryn was momentarily disappointed, but he knew he shouldn’t have
been. Over the last three months, he and Saphi had checked out every
romance in the library, or at least it felt like that. There were, after all, quite
a few situations they wanted to replicate.
Ryn wasn’t interested in any books on spell forms, and he already knew
the ones he intended to practice... heal, and stop... well enough he didn’t
need a book on them. He also wasn’t interested in another boring history or
some pompous windbag’s opinions on the leanings of the republic's three
different political parties. So what would do?
As he pictured Lena’s coyly smiling face, it came to him immediately.
“Do you have any books on Pasharal?”
Mentor Bailan finally looked up. “What type of books?”
“Histories of the nation, accounts of explorers who’ve visited there,
perhaps transcriptions of oral histories? How about famous historical
figures?”
Bailan’s brow furrowed. “Why are you interested in Pasharal?”
Ryn smiled his most charming smile. “It’s a very interesting nation.”
Bailan watched him for an uncomfortably long moment. Ryn hoped
Bailan knew he wasn’t going to stop asking. He suspected he did.
Finally, the academy’s librarian sighed again. “There’s a small section
devoted to Pasharal in the lower corner of the back wing. Section thirty-
two. Look there if you like.”
“Fantastic, Mentor! As always, you’re an absolute delight.”
Bailan motioned dismissively with one hand. “I have more pages to
complete, and if you don’t bring back your books by the appointed day,
there will be a fine.”
Ryn hurried past him and headed for the back corner of the large library.
The Primal Academy’s library had two floors with a pair of grand stairways
along either side that allowed students to ascend and descend. It was a
grand place.
Every book in this library had been transcribed by hand, which made
this library one of the most expensive rooms in the academy. Perhaps that
was why Bailan grew so cross when people took books and forgot to bring
them back. Ryn should be better about that.
He found the section on Pasharal without issue... he knew this library as
well as he knew his own room... and knelt to browse. When his gaze
alighted upon a set of tomes, he smiled. Those were exactly what he needed
to pass the next three days. They would be perfect.
After checking out his tomes, he left the library and walked back into
the courtyard. He realized then he didn’t actually know the way to the
academy’s cells, since he’d never broken the rules badly enough to be
placed in a cell before. He found a Primal Guard soon enough, and while
her armor largely disguised her build, he could tell from her build she was a
woman.
“Hey, question. Where can I find the academy’s cells?”
 The Primal Guard turned her helmet to face him. He could just see her
blue eyes through the T-slit. “Why are you looking for the cells?”
“I have to report there today. For detention.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And you weren’t given an escort?”
“I volunteered to head down there myself. If you need to check with
someone about where I’m supposed to be, you can speak with Mistress
Aurienda.”
The woman evaluated him for another moment, then shrugged. “If you
really want to go to jail, I can take you down there.”
“That would be fantastic, thank you.”
“Just to be clear, you aren’t going to run? Given you just asked me to
escort you to the cells, I doubt it, but I had a big lunch.”
“No running. Promise.”
“Then follow me.”
As the guard led him deeper into the academy, Ryn found himself
wondering just how old she was. Based on her voice and what he’d seen of
her through her T-slit, he suspected she wasn’t much older than he was.
That suggested she was a talented warrior. The Primal Guard recruited only
the best, and usually recruited soldiers who’d served loyally elsewhere.
As they entered the main hall, Ryn decided to ask. “Any chance I could
get your name?”
“Why would you want my name?”
“You seem nice.”
She chuckled inside her helmet. “It’s Garroth.”
“That’s your first name?”
“It is not.”
Ryn sighed and followed her as she took a turn down a hall. “I’ll take
what I can get.”
Guard Garroth led him down a set of spiral stairs, through several
subterranean hallways, and then down another flight. Soon he arrived at a
steel door inside a stone archway etched with faint runes: glyph-etching,
likely a ward of some sort.
As they arrived, Ryn looked around. “Where’s the door guard?”
“No need for a door guard. This door’s warded.” Guard Garroth pressed
her palm flat against it, and several panels lit brown before flashing to
green. The door opened on its own.
She stepped back. “After you.”
Ryn stepped through the door to find a T-junction inside. Halls stretched
off in two directions before making a 90-degree turn, and steel doors stood
at regular intervals. After an attempt to count them all, he frowned and gave
up.
“That’s a lot of cells. Do we need this many cells?”
“Don’t ask me. I didn’t build them.” Guard Garroth crossed her arms.
“Take your pick.”
“You’re going to let me pick my own cell?”
“Given how cooperative you’ve been, that only seems fair.”
Ryn nodded. “Might as well take one close to the door, then.”
Guard Garroth walked over, opened the door with her palm, and walked
inside to look it over. Ryn followed. Inside was a cot that looked softer than
he expected, a metal chamber pot so clean he wondered if it had ever been
filled, and a wooden chair and writing desk. There were also two long
wooden bars on hinges bolted against the walls.
There was no ink or parchment on the desk, so he was glad he’d brought
his books along. He slapped them down on the desk and turned to Guard
Garroth.
“So... I guess that’s it. I expected there to be a jailor or something.”
“We have one. He just isn’t on duty right now since we didn’t have
anyone in the cells. You need anything before I leave?”
“Just don’t forget about me.”
She chuckled behind her helmet. “No promises.”
 The door closed behind her with scarcely a sound, and then the well-
oiled lock turned. Armor clanked beyond the door as Guard Garroth
departed. Soon after, silence returned, and soon after that, Ryn felt more
alone than he expected. Still, he’d known the possible consequences when
he used Mistress Aurienda’s name to reach out to Saphi.
And now, thanks to the fact that he had no other studies or
responsibilities while he was incarcerated, he had three full days to learn his
new “spell forms.”

Bright and early on the fourth morning after he entered the Primal
Academy’s cells, Ryn was released from detention. Despite the early hour,
he’d never been more eager to walk wherever he liked. He doubted he
could handle more than a week of incarceration.
At least it hadn’t been solitary confinement. It turned out the academy
did have a jailor, a pleasant man named Jarn. Jarn enjoyed talking his ear
off every time he made his rounds. Ryn imagined being a jailor in a jail
with no prisoners got lonely.
Ryn was also allowed two hours of exercise in the training yard every
day, and had meals delivered at meal time. Thus, being imprisoned was
more like... intensive study. Jarn even slipped him a deck of cards to pass
the time, which was a truly nice gesture.
Still, Ryn missed Saphi. He missed Lena as well, which was a reminder
of just how much his feelings about her had grown in the past two weeks.
He didn’t know if she’d change her mind about bonding, but he was starting
to feel like she might at least be open to the idea.
He couldn’t stop thinking about how Lena instinctively leaped to his
defense when Mistress Aurienda showed up to arrest him for “reading a
forbidden tome.” One of the main responsibilities of a primal conjurer’s
auxiliaries was to protect and aid their prime in battle. Lena was already far
more protective than he’d expected, and more importantly, he knew her.
Lena liked him, and not because she wanted him to bond her so she
could gain status and travel the world. She simply liked him for who he
was, and that made her even more appealing as a partner and ally. Plus,
Saphi seemed like she’d be absolutely delighted by the idea of teaming up
with Lena. He wanted his auxiliaries to like each other.
Saphi would leave the academy one day. His auxiliaries should always
be his to lead. But the idea of traveling the realm with Lena was also far
more appealing than it had been when they decided to train together two
weeks ago. Still, it would need to be Lena’s decision.
When he reported to the senior student auditorium for morning
meditation, several students smirked his way and several snickered, but
none looked at him like he was a criminal. He suspected Aurienda had
already let slip the reason for his detention (the fake reason) and most
students would understand wanting to read ahead. He wouldn’t become a
pariah.
He did have a concern. He didn’t see Lena at morning meditation, and
given she was always at morning meditation, he wasn’t sure why she would
be absent. Had she fallen ill? Conflagration mages stayed healthier than
most (their higher body heat tended to roast illnesses before they could
roost) but it was still possible for her to get sick.
After meditation concluded, he cut through the lines of students
hurrying out to the practice yard and made a beeline for Mentor Caladan,
who led morning meditation twice a week. Caladan was one of the older
mentors at the academy and one of the only life mages, which put him in
high demand. While he had a bald spot up top, his silver hair surrounded his
head like a ring and coursed down his back. He wore an instructor’s
crimson battle robe.
The sour-faced old man looked particularly annoyed today, which
caused Ryn to slow his approach. Still, Caladan looked up and eyed him
calmly once he arrived.
“Is something the matter, Xaven?”
“No, jail was fine.”
A flicker of annoyance crossed Caladan’s features. “Do you have a
question?”
“Where’s Lauralena Markov?”
 “I believe she is in the infirmary.”
Ryn’s world slowed to a crawl. His heart hammered as he broke out in a
cold sweat. Then, after that terrifying moment, he mastered himself.
“Is she okay?”
“That would be a question for Mistress Palena. I know Lauralena was
injured in a training accident two days ago, but I do not know the specific...
where are you going?”
Ryn was already past Caladan and heading for the exit to the auditorium
at a speed just under a jog. Running was not allowed in the halls of the
Primal Academy, and he suspected Mentor Caladan was going to remember
this slight. He didn’t care. Lena was injured.
He had to know if she was all right.
Fortunately, unlike his journey to the cells, he knew the way to the
academy’s infirmary. It was located in the center of the academy on the top
of the administrative tower, where those recovering from injuries could
enjoy both sunlight and security. The administrative tower also had a lift
that could be raised and lowered with cranks to move injured, but Ryn
ignored it.
He pushed the double doors open and hurried inside. The main room of
the administrative building was a square stone room filled with desks that
was mainly used by the academy’s clerical staff. They kept records of
enrollment and advancement and handled the mail. There were no mages
present... but there was a Primal Guard.
That lone guard hurried over to bar Ryn’s path. “Has someone been
injured?”
Ryn forced himself to slow. He’d just gotten out of the cells. Running
past a Primal Guard would get him thrown right back in there.
“No, no one’s injured. Not outside. I’m here to check on a friend in the
infirmary.”
“And are you cleared to enter the infirmary?”
Ryn looked at the man and narrowed his eyes. “Do I need to be?”
 Another guard emerged from a back room and joined the first. Neither
looked inclined to allow him upstairs. When the second guard arrived, he
looked at the first.
“Has someone been injured?” the new guard asked.
Ryn ground his teeth. “I won’t cause a problem, but I do need to talk to
my friend. I only now learned my friend was hurt. She came in two days
ago.”
The first guard shook his head. “Unless an instructor has authorized you
to enter the infirmary, or you’ve spoken with Mistress Palena in advance,
you can’t go up there.”
Just when Ryn was on the verge of dashing past the guards anyway and
damning the consequences, the front doors of the administrative building
creaked open. As the familiar sound of heels echoed... click click click
click... Ryn breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around.
Mistress Aurienda had arrived. How had she known he was even down
here? Did she have other business? And was she here to help him, or
discourage him from doing something rash? He felt guilty for his urge to
bypass the guards after all she’d done to keep him out of jail.
As Aurienda approached, both guards stood at attention. She wore
another white blouse today, but today she wore a brown leather skirt that
hugged her impressive hips. She adjusted her golden spectacles as she eyed
the guards. “Is there a problem?”
The second guard said nothing. The first guard remained on the hook.
“This student is asking to enter the infirmary,” the first guard said
finally.
“Then you should allow him to enter the infirmary,” Mistress Aurienda
said coolly.
The Primal Guard immediately stepped aside. “Yes, Mistress.”
Ryn unclenched his hands as a rush of warm gratitude and affection
flooded him. He didn’t say “Thank you.” Not in front of the guards. But he
thought it with all his heart.
 “Come, Xaven.” Aurienda walked past him with her head held high. “If
you’re going to speak to Markov, we’d best do it before lunch service.”
Ryn fell into step behind her. She led him up a set of stairs that didn’t
spiral, but instead doubled back on themselves. As soon as they were out of
range of the guards, Ryn moved close and squeezed her arm. “I’m so glad
to see you today.”
“You promised me you were not going to do anything else rash.”
“I wasn’t,” Ryn lied. “I was just about to come find you.”
“I understand why you might be concerned for Markov, so let me set
your mind at ease. She was injured in a student duel the day after you
reported for incarceration, but Mistress Palena was able to set the bone and
mend the burn. She will make a full recovery.”
Student duels weren’t unusual, and usually involved melee combat. Ryn
had engaged in a number of duels in his time here, as learning to defend
themselves with melee weapons was as important to a mage as learning
spell forms. Sometimes, the best way to avoid being taken down during a
battle was simply to smack your enemy with a club.
“Who was she dueling?” Ryn asked.
“Cressa Logan.”
Ryn grimaced as he considered his last interaction with Cressa the day
he entered the senior class. He’d suspected Cressa remained annoyed with
him for turning her offer to train with her down, but he hadn’t suspected
she’d take that annoyance out on Lena. Had she?
“What was the accident?” Ryn demanded.
“I was not in attendance, so it would be better if you spoke to Markov. I
only know her injury was not severe and that it was treated immediately in
the yard. It’s my understanding she was only here for observation, and is to
be released this afternoon.”
Ryn looked ahead. “I still need to see her.”
“Then it is good that we’ve arrived.” Aurienda stopped at the closed
door at the end of the stairwell. They had ascended to the top floor of the
tower before he noticed.
 Ryn glanced between the door and Aurienda. “You’re not coming in
with me?”
“The less people underfoot in Mistress Palena’s infirmary, the better.”
“So... how did you know to look for me here?”
“You were released this morning, but I knew you would not learn about
Markov’s injury until after morning meditation. If you had not arrived, I
intended to leave word with the guards to admit you. Were you and she
bonded, of course, you would not need my permission.”
“I’m thinking about it,” Ryn assured her. “But she has to agree as well.”
“Then I would encourage you to present the idea to her sooner rather
than later, at least if you do not intend to approach any others. You have two
weeks.”
“I’m well aware, Mistress.”
Aurienda gently touched his arm. “I’m sorry you don’t get more time.”
He smiled at her. “It’s not you who gave the ultimatum, and I
understand why it’s important I make a decision quickly. You’re the best
instructor here. You’re my favorite.”
She released him and adjusted her spectacles. “You’d best enter now if
you wish to speak to your training partner.”
He pulled the door open. “That’s the plan!”

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 Chapter

Fifteen

T he academy ’ s infirmary took up the entire top floor of the tower,

which meant its walls were by nature round. Beds were arranged like
notches on a sundial, with plenty of room between them for life mages and
others to tend the injured. Eight huge windows looked out over the academy
and another covered skylight waited above, so sunlight filled the room.
Borders with ivy and trickling water wound through and around the wall
above the windows, and the smells of both cedar and pine filled the room,
piped in from somewhere below. Ryn had never been in the infirmary
before today, but he couldn’t see why anyone would complain about it.
Only a few beds were occupied, and only one occupant had golden blond
hair.
Unfortunately, she seemed to be fast asleep.
Ryn hurried over to her on cat feet, doing his level best not to disturb
any of the other people recovering here. He reached Lena’s bedside in
trepidation, still curious about what sort of injury could be bad enough to
send her to the infirmary. She was on her back, mouth half open.
Lena wasn’t snoring. But sprawled out on the bed as she was, wearing a
simple silk shift that flowed over her curves, with her golden hair splayed
across the pillow and some trailing down the side of the bed, she was
absolutely breathtaking. Even though she looked drunk.
 She couldn’t be. You couldn’t get drunk in the infirmary. But Lena did
look like she had passed out after getting drunk, so perhaps they had given
her some sort of sleeping tonic?
Ryn couldn’t bear to disturb her. Not when she was sleeping. He
grabbed a stool against the wall, moved it as carefully as possible, and
placed it so he could sit beside her. As he watched the woman sleeping in
the bed beside him, he evaluated his feelings for her.
That he cared for Lena was evident. He’d liked her since the first day
they partnered up to train together, and his affection for her had grown
every day sense. But could he love her?
He didn’t. Not yet. He hadn’t gotten to live with her for three months,
and unlike with Saphi, he also hadn’t spent every waking moment he had
free reading with Lena, cuddling with her, laughing with her, and making
love until they passed out in each other’s arms.
Yet he could love Lena. Ryn was certain of that now. Lena was a smart,
talented, brave, and loyal woman who had already proven she’d have his
back no matter the challenge. As he sat beside her in silence, Ryn knew. He
wanted Lauralena Markov as his second auxiliary.
So how could he convince her to change their deal?
Before he could decide on a plan, Lena yawned, stirred, and rolled onto
her side. She tucked her hands together beneath her cheek and wriggled
pleasantly, then, as if sensing someone nearby, peeked her eyes open. Her
brown eyes shot wide.
She sat up immediately, and as the sheet cascaded off her shoulder, her
thin silk shift clung to her breasts in a way that made his throat go dry.
Gods, was she gorgeous.
He smiled to hide how worried he’d been about her. “Don’t get up on
my account.”
She moved as if to get out of the bed. “How long you sit there?”
Ryn hopped up before she could slip out and raised both hands. “Hold
on. Stop there. Are you sure you should be out of bed?”
 She hesitated, then shifted to place her back against the headboard. “It is
nice bed.”
Did she look... embarrassed? Why? Her silk shift was thin, but it
covered her everywhere it should. He couldn’t even see any cleavage. She
couldn’t be self-conscious. Could she?
As she glanced his way in profile, her blond hair slid across her chest.
“Why you here?”
“I heard you got hurt. They freed me this morning, and I came here as
soon as I could.”
“How you learn I get hurt?”
“Mentor Caladan told me.”
Lena scowled. “Told him not to worry you.”
“Well, don’t ever do that again.”
Her scowl faded beneath obvious confusion. “Be hurt?”
“That too. But don’t ever tell someone not to tell me you’re injured. If
you get hurt, I want to be there to take care of you.”
She eyed him doubtfully. “You think I weak?”
“I think you’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met, but that
doesn’t mean I don’t want to protect you and keep you safe. That’s what
friends do for each other.”
She smiled and relaxed. “How was jail?”
“Boring, but tolerable. Now tell me about the duel. How’d you get
injured?”
“Careless.”
“So Cressa didn’t set out to injure you?”
“She did.” Lena sighed heavily. “Like I say, careless.”
While junior male students weren’t allowed to duel junior female
students, senior students could duel anyone they liked. Ryn was sorely
tempted. Still, as angry as he was at Cressa for dueling Lena, he wasn’t sure
he actually wanted to hurt her. Just... discourage her.
 “So what was the duel about?”
“Cressa is idiot.”
Ryn snorted as he sat back down on the stool. “Yes, but how was she
being an idiot?”
Lena’s cheeks colored as she looked at the end of the bed. “You think it
stupid.”
“I won’t! I promise.”
“Can’t promise if you not know.”
“Then I’ll just say that if it is stupid, I’ll understand.”
She took a deep breath. “She said you were fool.”
Ryn frowned. “Wait, that’s it?”
“And pampered.”
“Oh.” He considered. “Still⁠—”
“And you lack judgement.”
“Right, which still isn’t⁠—”
“Because you think of bonding girl from Pasharal.”
Ryn scowled and stood again. “You know what? I’m going to kill her.”
Lena gripped his wrist. “You joking?”
He eyed her and tested her grip. “I’m debating.”
She chuckled softly and released his wrist. “No need to fight. I handled
it.”
“But she injured you!”
Lena pointed past him. “I injured her more.”
For the first time, Ryn looked around the infirmary and truly examined
the other patients in the beds. He soon spotted a familiar woman with
crimson hair spread across her pillow. Cressa had a bruise on her cheek and
a black eye. She looked passed out.
“Did they not heal her?” Ryn asked in surprise.
 “That after healing. Two more days to go. Sleep medicine for pain.”
Ryn looked at her again, then gently touched her arm and sat back down
beside her. “So you were... what? Defending my honor?”
“Stupid man from the republic.” Her coy grin returned. “Who else can
protect you?”
Ryn’s heart thumped as he stared at this brave, gorgeous, loyal woman.
His good friend... and more, if she was willing. It was tempting to ask her
right there in the infirmary, but it didn’t feel like the right time. He had,
after all, been gifted three days to practice.
He patted her unusually warm hand. “Thank you.”
She released him and shrugged as if smacking down Cressa Logan for
impugning both their motives was just the sort of thing any person would
do. “Always.”
“So you get out this afternoon?”
“Wanted to leave earlier. But this is nice bed.”
“All right. Meet me outside the mess hall right after the supper bell.
There’s something I want to show you. Something I’ve been working on
while I was in the cell.”
She tilted her head and eyed him curiously. “What this about?”
“You helped me out when I needed a friend, defended me when you
thought I was going to get arrested, and defended me again when Cressa
impugned my honor. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn’t do
something nice for you, too?”
She grinned. “You get me a present?”
“It’s a surprise. I’ll just say that.”
“Silly Ryn. No need to do that.”
“I still wanted to.”
She nodded. “I meet you there. Outside the hall. But we eat after.”
“Of course.”
“They not feed me enough here.”
 Someone quietly cleared their throat, which made Ryn jump. When he
looked up, he spotted the short but stocky form of Mistress Palena. She was
double Ryn’s age, almost forty, wearing a blue robe with her brown hair in a
tight bun. While she had a kind face, she could also give people who
stepped out of line in her infirmary a serious evil eye.
Which she was doing now.
Ryn swallowed. “Is there a problem, Mistress?”
“Many of my patients are still resting,” Mistress Palena said at a voice
just above a whisper. “And you, Xaven, are being loud.”
He winced and rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry,” he whispered.
“You are aware Lauralena is being released this afternoon?”
“Someone... might have mentioned that.”
“Then there is no need for you to speak with her in my infirmary since
you will both speak this afternoon.” Mistress Palena continued to give him
the evil eye. “Is there?”
Lena lightly brushed his hand with hers. “Go.” She grinned. “Get
surprise.”
“Don’t be late,” he reminded her quietly.
“I won’t.” She pointed at the doors. “Now stop making the kind lady
mad.”

The rest of Ryn’s day and classes passed slowly, likely because he
wanted the day to pass so much faster. When he’d spoken with Lena in the
infirmary, he’d been certain she had already changed her mind about their
arrangement. That she would be open to having... more.
Yet with hours to relive their conversation and the ones before it in his
mind, doubt crept in, as well as worry about what would happen if she said
no. He truly cared for Lena, both as a friend and possibly more. If he told
her he now wanted to bond her as his auxiliary... the thing he’d sworn he
wouldn’t ask her to do the day they met... would she be angry at him?
 He didn’t want to ruin their wonderful friendship. Yet Lena had already
proven time and again that she cared about him, and, he hoped, not just as a
friend. As the hours marched on and his classes finally ended, Ryn hurried
to the mess hall immediately after being dismissed. He half worried Lena
would already be inside eating.
Yet she wasn’t. She was waiting by the doors, and she wasn’t wearing
the simple training robes she normally wore to supper. She was, instead,
wearing a red silk tunic that hugged her curves. It was cut low in the front
to show off her fantastic cleavage.
She also wore a leather skirt that looked like it had come straight out of
Mistress Aurienda’s closet, and... were those heels? Yes. She was absolutely
wearing what looked to be spike metal boots, and it was the first time he
had seen her in boots like those.
The heels on the boots weren’t just for show. They were flint steel, and
when a person wearing them properly stabbed rock, they could create
sparks. Sparks created more flame ether, so for a conflagration mage like
Lena, flint steel heels allowed her to replenish her stock.
The fact that the heels also made her ass look incredible was obviously
just a bonus.
Lena had dressed up for him. She never dressed up, or at least... she
hadn’t dressed up like this in the previous two weeks. It was tempting to
think she just wanted to look nice for her first day out of the infirmary, but
then again, he had asked her to meet him here. Like a date.
Moreover, he had dressed up. He’d chosen his best embroidered tunic,
one he never wore except to academy celebrations or special occasions, and
a loose and flowing set of silk trousers that would allow his legs to move
with ease. He’d need that ability tonight.
He had dressed up because he wanted to look nice for Lena. To impress
her. So was it entirely unreasonable to think she’d dressed up for the same
reason? As he approached her, her brown eyes met his. When she smiled
warmly, he knew she was going to love her surprise.
Lena walked away from the doors and met him halfway across the
training yard, which he appreciated. He was tempted to hug her without
being asked, but he wasn’t sure they were to that point yet. Instead, he
offered her his most charming grin.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look absolutely fantastic
tonight.”
She eyed him curiously. “Why would I take that wrong?”
“I just want you to know I haven’t forgotten our oath. The one we made
to each other the first day we met. You remember?”
Some of her warmth faded. “I remember.”
Did she look disappointed? That further encouraged him. Now that
she’d dressed up for him and he’d dressed up for her, he was beyond the
point of no return. It was time to make the offer he’d thought about all day...
but not before giving her the surprise he’d promised.
He offered his arm. “Come with me. It’s time to show you your
surprise.”
She took one step closer and eyed his arm. “What is this?”
“You don’t want to take my arm?”
“Take it how?”
Did they not do that in Pasharal? He decided tonight was as good as any
for some cultural exchange. “Would you mind if I took your hand? I’ll show
you what I mean.”
She offered her hand. Ryn took it, and once again he was struck by how
hot her skin felt. Had he not known she was a conflagration mage with a
flame affinity as strong as any in the realm, he’d have been certain she was
about to pass out from heatstroke.
He took a moderate step closer and placed her hand on his bicep, then
slowly brought his arm closer to his side. She eyed him curiously but didn’t
pull away.
“Is this okay?” he asked.
“Is strange.” She shrugged against him. “Is this wrestling hold?”
He chuckled initially, though... the more he looked at how the silk
hugged her curves in the light of the setting sun, and how the wind tugged
gently at her brilliant blond hair, he found himself considering how much
fun wrestling her could be.
“It’s just how friends who are comfortable with each other walk around.
Together.”
“So you lead me like this?”
“I can, if you’ll allow it.”
She nodded. “Where we go now?”
“We’re going somewhere nice where I can show you your surprise.”
“Then go soon. I am hungry. Surprise should be quick.”
“Maybe,” he offered slyly. As she clutched his arm, he led her back
across the main martialing yard and toward the Meditation Garden.
As they climbed the steps together, the sound of other students and
activity in the academy faded. It was cold up here, colder than it was below,
but he knew Lena wouldn’t be uncomfortable. He was already a bit chilly,
but he knew from the three days practicing in his cell that he’d appreciate
the cool air soon. The activity he had planned made him sweaty.
Lena alternated between eying him and the scenery as he led her
through the Meditation Garden, around the squares of stone and the
topiaries, until he reached the corner overlooking the walls and Eagle’s
Crag. He stopped there, then patted her hand.
She released his arm and looked around curiously. “Where is it?”
“You remember this place?”
“Place we first trained,” Lena said. “Good day.”
“I’ll always appreciate you being there for me that day. You barely
knew me, and you still helped me out. You’re a good person who looks out
for other people.”
She shrugged self-consciously. “Is fine. You offered favor.”
“And I still owe you one. Still, this isn’t about my favor, or what you
did for me that day. It’s about us. The more I get to know you, the more I
want more us.”
 She stared suspiciously. “What you mean, more us?”
“It’ll be easier if I show you. I was hoping you could help me improve
my technique.”
“On what?”
Ryn stepped back, bowed to Lena, and then flowed smoothly into a
dance.

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 Chapter

Sixteen

L ena ’ s eyes widened dangerously as she watched him. Her mouth

opened in the cutest little O. That was as encouraging as her lovely attire.
Ryn had only had three days to practice the dance movements he’d
learned in his cell, but those had been productive days. He’d had a tome
with detailed sketches on the standard kalakul and kalati dance moves from
Pasharal as reference, but he had spent eleven years learning to master spell
forms. He’d learned to rapidly master any movement of the body.
Ryn might not be from Pasharal. He might not have been born there,
like Lena. But he knew how to learn to move his body from sketches of
movements recorded in a mage tome. Without the ability to learn
movements from sketches, he’d never complete a spell form.
The kalakul (the dance young male Pashalites learned in Lena’s
homeland) had multiple types of movements, and because it was focused on
expression, there was no “right” way to dance. The dancer simply chose the
movements they had learned from others or added their own. What was
important was to move, and Ryn moved... and held Lena’s gaze.
As his boots lightly scuffed the cobblestone of the small square they’d
chosen in the Meditation Garden, he stepped through the movements of
coursing waves and rising flame and soaring in flight. His execution of
spiral, one of the most difficult movements in kalakul, wasn’t spectacular,
but he pulled it off without falling on his face. He grinned in relief.
 He was already sweating by the time he moved into rising flame again.
Yet just when he was finding his rhythm, Lena hurried forward. She
forcefully gripped both his arms.
“Stop.”
Ryn was tempted to dance on anyway, but he stopped. She obviously
had an opinion on what he’d just done. Was he so bad at dancing kalakul
that she thought he was mocking her people? Her grip on his wrists was
tight.
Lena released him and stepped back. Ryn held her uncertain gaze with
his own and waited for her judgement. At least she didn’t look mad.
“You learn kalakul?” Lena asked.
“I did.”
“When?”
“In detention.”
“Why?” She continued to stare. “No use for you. Waste of time.”
“I don’t think of it that way, and I loved learning how to execute these
movements. The way your people dance is beautiful. I wanted to see if I
could do it.”
“But why in cell?”
“I needed to keep my mind and body busy while I was cooling my heels
in a cell, but mostly, I thought learning to dance would be fun.”
Lena’s brown eyes glistened in the fading light. “You had fun?”
“So much fun. I understand, now, why your people love dancing. Once
you get over the worry about how others will perceive you, it’s freeing.
There’s nothing to do right or wrong, and no way to fail other than to stop
dancing. It just feels good.”
“It feels good,” she agreed softly.
“Now, at this point, I can’t tell if you’re angry or impressed. I’m hoping
for impressed.”
 “I...” Lena swallowed and focused on him intently. “What do you want
now?”
It was the clearest question she’d spoken since they met. She had
obviously worked very hard to make sure there was no way he could
misinterpret it. He already knew his answer.
“I want to dance with you, Lena. And I want to keep dancing with you.”
“How?”
“You dance kalati and I dance kalakul. Isn’t that how it works in
Pasharal?”
“Yes,” Lena said softly.
“So I want that with you, and more. Not just what we have now, though
if that’s all you want, I’ll survive. What we have... our partnership... is
wonderful, but I want more. I want you, with me, as we travel the realm
together.”
“You mean bonding.”
“I do. So, Lauralena Markov. Can I have this dance?”
Lena took a deep breath, and for a moment, his worries resurfaced with
a vengeance. Had he just destroyed their friendship? Was he putting too
much pressure on her by asking her to become his auxiliary without
preparing her for that possibility first?
“You start,” Lena said. “Man always start.”
Ryn took a step forward and moved into rising flame. Lena matched
him at once, though he wasn’t sure what movement she was doing. He only
knew the way her hips swayed as she joined him was hypnotic... and
impossibly sexy.
She looked fantastic when she danced. Even if she hadn’t been wearing
nothing but her loose tunic and tight skirt, even if she’d been wearing a full
battle robe, the way her body moved was a thrill he couldn’t deny. Every
movement was masterful.
Even so, Ryn had a rhythm now. He shifted into coursing waves and
was pleased when Lena shifted her movements as well. She slipped into a
sinuous upper body movement that left the cloth of her tunic alternately
loose and tight against her breasts.
And her smile! Her smile grew and grew, and it was one of the most
intoxicating sights he had ever seen. She wasn’t just warm. She was
practically on fire.
No touch. Just look. They’d agreed on that, and Ryn looked
shamelessly.
As they spun about each other without ever leaving the square, his eyes
darted between her gaze and her chest and her hips and up again. Her smile
quickly grew teasing and... amorous. He had no question about that at all.
She stepped directly into his space with a movement he didn’t
recognize, and he barely responded in time. He backed away to avoid
colliding with her, and she offered a sly smirk. She spun and took several
steps away, and Ryn, seeing the game, chased after her.
As his boots scuffed the courtyard and her heels clicked the stone, Ryn
lost himself in her gorgeous brown eyes, in the way her gleaming blond hair
coursed across her shoulders and down her back, in the way her tunic
caressed her breasts and hips as she swayed.
One moment they were close enough to kiss, and in the next she was far
enough away he worried she’d leave the square. Ryn was sweating with
exertion, every last muscle in his body burning as he continued into forms
he wasn’t even sure were those he’d seen in the book. He knew these forms
felt right, and he knew Lena looked amazing.
She was enjoying their dance. That was all that mattered.
The next time she spun in toward him, Ryn didn’t step away. That led to
Lena’s incredibly warm body colliding with his. He caught her and
instinctively slipped one hand around her midriff to balance her. Rather than
pulling away, she pressed close.
The way her ass rubbed firmly against his silk trousers made him almost
lose his balance, but she balanced him as he stumbled. She somehow
slipped away again, though he managed to snatch her hand as she did so.
With his hand now locked in her almost painfully hot fingers, they spun
round and round using each other as a counterweight. It was the one move
that kalakul and kalati shared: whirlpool. It was impossible without a
partner, and if Ryn released her fingers she would topple backward... or he
would. Neither of them let go. Their grip held strong.
Finally, Lena spun one last time... toward him. Her hair twirled. Ryn
caught her with an arm around her middle as her back landed against his
front. Her other hand, the one clasping his, dragged his other arm down to
rest against her hip. His breath caught in his throat.
Now pressed against him so firmly he could feel every curve of her
perfect body, Lena craned her neck to gaze up at him. Her warm hand came
to rest on his cheek, her fingers soft against his flesh. They tingled with the
heat of gentle flame.
He could feel her warm breath on his chin. While he’d been cold before
the dance, having an unreasonably hot Lena pressed fully against his front
threatened to overheat him. Anyone who came across them would see them
this close with one of his hands on his stomach and the other on her hip, but
so what if they did?
Everyone at the academy already believed Ryn was hoping to bond her.
Anyone who saw them embracing like this would think those rumors were
right. So were they?
“How was that?” Ryn whispered.
“Expressive,” Lena said... and trailed her hot fingers along his cheek.
He grinned at her. “That was so much fun.”
Her lips were so close. “You dance good for stupid man from the
republic.”
Ryn laughed. “And you’re just as incredible at kalati as you are at spell
forms.”
“You no slouch.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Your dance shows me, more than words, how you feel inside.”
Lena hadn’t told him she wasn’t interested in bonding. She was lightly
dressed and pressed close. If he could feel every curve of her body against
his front, she could obviously feel what his body was doing against her
back. She hadn’t once complained.
“So would you be open to amending our arrangement?” Ryn asked.
Lena patted his hand meaningfully. The moment he released her midriff,
she spun to put them front to front. Since she came up to his chin, he had to
gaze down into her brown eyes. And because he was gazing down at her, he
could see right down her tunic.
Her cleavage looked fantastic, and her tan breasts were dappled with
sweat. He stared shamelessly, and when he met her eyes again, she looked
amused. Not angry.
“Look,” she reminded him with a wry grin. “No touch. This was deal?”
“That was the deal we made.”
Lena gripped the hand on her waist and, eyes still locked with his, slid it
around so his hand was resting firmly on her ass. He gave her an
experimental squeeze and marveled at how good she felt. Her skin
remained blazingly hot, and her buttock was firm but yielded to him.
“Touch like this?” Lena asked teasingly.
Ryn’s grin widened. “It’s a start.”
“So you want this? More... this?”
“I want more of you in every way you’ll have me.” Ryn gripped her ass
with both hands and pulled her against him. “I want you as my auxiliary.”
As Lena stared up at him, he realized that she was sweating almost as
much as he was.
“Other mages know more,” she reminded him. “All know much of the
republic.”
“Yet I don’t know them like I know you.”
She raised one golden eyebrow. “How you know me?”
“I know you decided to become my friend because you like who I am as
a person, not who I am as a mage. I know you stepped up to defend me the
moment you thought I might be in trouble. I know you tutor the junior
students even when no one asks.”
 Lena sighed. “Saphi told.”
“I know you’re a talented mage and a wonderful dancer and very brave,
and I know I could be happy spending the rest of my life protecting people
alongside you.”
“This not the deal we make.”
“And if you’re not open to changing it, I’ll still be your friend and
support you as long as we’re at the academy together. But I’d be lying if I
said, after getting to know you as I have, I don’t want more. I want more. I
know enough to know lying about our feelings never works.”
Their gaze broke, but only so Lena could rest her head against his chest.
He moved his hands up and slipped them around her waist instead, holding
her close. She held him tightly and possessively, just like Saphi had hugged
him the first night they touched each other.
Her meaning was as clear as his was.
She eased away without releasing him. The moment she stared up at
him expectantly, Ryn kissed her. Her lips were just as hot as he’d expected,
yet not unpleasant. Far from it. The heat of their first kiss was a fire that
warmed his body. Her eagerness all but melted him.
When their first kiss finally ended, Lena looked as dazed as he felt. Her
red lips glistened in the faint light. Before he could kiss her again, however,
she pressed two warm fingers gently against his lips.
“I talk now,” she said softly.
Ryn nodded.
“You are primal conjurer,” Lena continued softly. “But also good man.
Open to all. Fair and... generous.”
“Don’t forget, I’m also a great dancer.”
She touched his lips again. “My turn.”
He grinned. He did stop speaking, however.
“You like Pashalite in some ways,” Lena continued. “In others? So not.
But all your ways are ways I like, and I like us. This feels good to me.”
Ryn honored her words with silence.
 “So you want more? I want more. We make new deal.”
He waited for her to state her terms.
“Look, and touch,” Lena offered softly. “Not bond. Not yet. We both
need to be sure, yes? Bond is forever. We only know if forever is good if we
look and touch.”
She was making so much sense right now.
“First, we learn what touching we like. Then, we talk the rest.”
“I would take that deal.”
She held out her hand with her palm up. Ryn pressed his palm flat
against hers.
“Kalashal,” she said softly.
“Kalashal,” he agreed.
Her grin widened once more. Her hand left his and found his side, then
both of her incredibly hot fingers slid down his sides to his hips. His whole
body tingled. Was she...
As the bells rang to announce the halfway point of supper, she slipped
away. While her gaze was filled with promise, the academy bells disagreed.
“We dance again tomorrow,” she told him.
“Oh, c’mon!” Ryn couldn’t help but laugh at her relentless teasing.
“That’s the end?”
“We touch again tomorrow,” she assured him. “But I am hungry.
Infirmary food is like... for rabbit. Not near enough.”
“So can we eat together, at least?”
“Yes, but no touching. Not in mess hall. No pool fills in one night.”
“Is that a sex metaphor? Please tell me that’s a sex metaphor.”
She walked away with her hips swaying far more than seemed
necessary. “Come if you want. But no touching right now. Just eat!”
Ryn chuckled ruefully as he followed her out of the garden. “I could
eat.”
OceanofPDF.com
Act 3: The Banquet

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter

Seventeen

O ne week later , Ryn slipped out of his glyph-etching class early and
headed immediately to Mistress Aurienda’s office. His relationship with
Lena grew more fantastic every day, and their new policy of “look and
touch” had done a great deal to reassure him he’d chosen the right mage
(and the right woman) to serve as his second auxiliary. Lena was eager to
touch.
The only problem was that they weren’t living together yet. As much as
he suspected Lena would be open to sex in public, Ryn knew it wasn’t a
good idea if there was even a chance they might get caught. The academy
allowed bonded mages to enjoy each other’s company whenever they
weren’t in class, but fucking in the training yard remained forbidden.
Thus, they’d had to take what interludes they could steal between
classes and training: short, rushed sessions of intensely hot play that made
him hard every time he thought about them. They hadn’t actually had sex...
yet... but he’d already showed Lena what he could do with life ether. And
she’d showed him how talented she was with her mouth.
The end of the month was only a week away now. He had a week until
Executrix Valenda expected him to make a decision about which of the
academy’s female mages he would choose to bond as his second auxiliary.
He’d made his choice, but he had to confirm it... and with the academy’s
yearly banquet coming up, he also had one more task to handle.
 He needed to convince Mistress Aurienda to let him take Saphi to the
banquet.
Every day with Lena was a delight, but Ryn’s love for Saphi hadn’t
faded in the least. If anything, he missed her even more because he wasn’t
able to share how well his life was going. The fact that he could care so
deeply for Lena while still loving Saphi, without either relationship making
the other feel lesser, was a massive relief.
He’d never loved a woman before he fell in love with Saphi, and he’d
been somewhat worried that if he ever fell in love again, it would somehow
make his first love lesser. However, he knew now that growing closer to
Lena had only made him appreciate Saphi more. The fact that Saphi was so
clearly happy for them made his love for her more bright.
Lena, too, had made it clear she had no problem with Ryn bonding
Saphi or other female mages he would eventually meet on their travels
across the realm. She had taken pains to assure him it would not be an issue,
and he believed her. It was, after all, his duty.
Ryn knew Saphi would be pleased to learn he and Lena were getting
along so well, but he also knew she and Lena hadn’t actually gotten to
spend time together. The banquet was the perfect opportunity for both
women to meet and get to know each other. There would be food, mead,
dancing, and plenty of time for all three of them to socialize as the night
wore on.
If Lena and Saphi enjoyed each other’s company, it would be another
reason among dozens to bond Lena as his second auxiliary. When Ryn had
explained how he felt about Saphi, Lena had assured him she understood.
She wanted to get to know Saphi as well.
Ryn reached the closed double doors to Mistress Aurienda’s office and
knocked. He didn’t know her schedule as well as he had four months ago,
but he did know that she kept her office hours between the second afternoon
class and the supper bell. That was now.
“Who is it?” Aurienda called calmly from inside her office.
“It’s Xaven, Mistress.”
“Enter.”
 Ryn pushed the door open and stepped inside, then turned to close it
carefully so it didn’t bang in a way that echoed through the office. Aurienda
disliked it when someone slammed her doors, and he wanted her in a good
mood when they spoke.
Mistress Aurienda’s office remained unchanged from the last time he’d
been here, when she’d sent him to detention. The large window that took up
the wall behind her glittered in the late afternoon light, and the shelves
along her walls had books that were slightly out of place. She read the
tomes on her walls, unlike others who kept them for show.
Her big oak desk was piled with a number of scrolls and tomes, likely
treatises from her small class of senior students studying the mysteries of
the Firmament. The otherworldly veil between Ryn’s realm and those
beyond remained a fascination for many, and he knew Mistress Aurienda to
be among the most experienced mages in delving into it.
As his favorite instructor looked up from behind her desk, he noticed
that a number of buttons on her blouse were unbuttoned. That revealed an
absolute blessing of cleavage, which was a good sign. She only unbuttoned
her blouse when she was relaxed.
The fact that Aurienda hadn’t buttoned up before he entered was a
reminder of how much she meant to him... and still did. She might no
longer be handling his “special training,” but she’d made clear they had the
same arrangement he’d recently changed with Lena. He couldn’t touch any
longer, but Aurienda always welcomed him to look.
She eased back in her padded chair and closed the tome she’d been
reading. “Are you here with good news this time?”
“That depends on if me meeting the Executrix’s ultimatum is good
news.”
“It would be. Who do you wish to bond as your second auxiliary?”
“Lauralena Markov. She’s also confirmed she’s open to the idea.”
“But she has not committed?”
“Bonding for life is a commitment, Mistress. I think even the Executrix
would agree that asking Lena to let me bond her after only three weeks
together is unreasonable. The Executrix insisted I needed to choose a
second auxiliary by the end of the month, and I’ve done that. I choose Lena.
We just need more time to make sure we’ve made the right choice.”
Aurienda smiled warmly. “I believe I can bring the Executrix around to
that perspective. Congratulations, Xaven. To both of you.”
“Thank you, Mistress. Are you pleased with my success? Pleased with
me?”
She eyed him knowingly. “That you’d ask suggests you require
something else of me.”
“You know me so well!”
She sighed and adjusted her spectacles. “What is it?”
“I’d like to take Sibyl Saphielle to the Solstice Banquet.”
“You will not be going with Lauralena?”
“Oh, I’ll definitely be going with Lena. But as a primal conjurer, I’ll
soon be attending events like this with all my auxiliaries. So allowing Saphi
to attend with me would be good practice for formal events where all my
auxiliaries are in attendance.”
Aurienda frowned. “Saphielle is a junior mage. The junior mages meet
before the seniors, and juniors are not allowed to attend the senior banquet.”
“While that’s usually true, I don’t think there’s ever been a junior
student who’s also the first auxiliary of a primal conjurer who’s a senior.
There’s an argument to be made that Saphi should really attend both,
providing she’s willing to do that.”
“I will need to speak to Mistress Jayna before I can promise you that.
The junior female mages are her charges, not mine, and she has ultimate
authority in regards to their activities. I may be her senior, but in respect to
her charges, ultimate authority remains with her.”
“Then... could you ask her for a favor?”
“Why would I do that?”
“I need this, Mistress. I know how often I’ve been granted clemency I
wouldn’t otherwise earn, and I know I’ve been given special privileges due
to my abilities. Even so, I’ve never asked for special treatment.”
 Aurienda eyed him calmly.
“I’m asking now. I don’t like pointing out that you don’t have any
others like me in the republic, but in this case alone, I’m comfortable
playing that card. If Mistress Jayna has an objection to letting Saphielle
attend the Solstice Banquet with me and the senior mages, then tell her I’ll
watch out for Saphi. Also, tell her I’m an unreasonable and pampered boor
who will whine until I get my way. By letting me bring Saphielle, she’d be
doing you a favor.”
“Interesting,” Aurienda said. “I thought you would ask me to lie to her.”
That landed hard. Ryn couldn’t help but chuckle. “So you’ll do it?”
“I will present the problem I face to Mistress Jayna and ask for her
assistance in appeasing you. I can’t guarantee she’ll agree.”
“Just the fact that you’d try is enough. This makes like... well, I’ve
stopped keeping count. I simply owe you more than I can say. Thank you
hardly feels adequate these days.”
“Bond your second auxiliary,” Aurienda said. “Train with her until you
are both ready to complete your Firmament trials and graduate from this
academy. Travel the realm resolving disputes and ending conflicts in the
name of the sect. Do that, and your debt is paid.”
“You have my word. Oh, and before I forget! I do still need one more
small favor.”
Aurienda sighed.
“Saphielle will need a dress. I doubt she owns a fine dress suitable for
the Solstice Banquet, and she’ll need one if she’s to attend twice. Lena has
several dresses suitable for the banquet, but none are in Saphi’s size. She’ll
need a chance to go shopping.”
“And who will pay for her fine dress?”
“Lena and I will cover the expense. We’ve already discussed it, and we
both have savings available. Just don’t tell Saphielle we’re buying her a
dress.”
“You believe she would refuse the gift?”
 “I know she would. She’s far too generous to accept anything from
anyone unless you force it upon her, or trick her. So we’re going to trick her
for her own good. Maybe... you could tell her that as a sibyl, the academy
wants her to have a dress for formal occasions?”
“I’m certain I can come up with a plausible scenario,” Aurienda said
mildly.
Warmth and gratitude flooded Ryn as he smiled at Aurienda. As the
bells tolled to announce the next lesson, he couldn’t wait to find Lena and
tell her that he’d succeeded in what they’d both hoped for. As much as he
longed to tell Saphi, he knew it would be better as a surprise.

The night of the Solstice Banquet came almost before he was ready, but
not without more good news. After Mistress Aurienda informed Executrix
Valenda that Ryn had chosen Lauralena Markov to become his second
auxiliary, the Executrix had agreed that they did not need to bond
immediately... and that they could now share a room. So tomorrow, Lena
would move into his dormitory room on the fifteenth floor of the mage
tower.
Finally, they were going to have all the privacy they needed to look and
touch.
Ryn spent longer than he expected choosing his outfit for the banquet. It
wasn’t like he had a large number of fine clothes to choose from, but he
couldn’t decide if he’d look better in a light gray or a dark blue. He also
couldn’t get his hair to lay down quite the way he wished.
He knew Lena would be wearing a red dress, so he didn’t want to wear
anything red. Showing up to the banquet in matching colors would just be
tacky. He also didn’t know what Saphi would be wearing, because while
Aurienda had confirmed Saphi had purchased a dress, he didn’t know its
color. He knew she favored blue, however, so he decided to go with gray.
Gray would match well with both red and blue.
 Once he was done tamping down his hair and adjusting the fit of his
outfit, he observed himself in the mirror from several angles and nodded
grudgingly. He cut a rather dashing figure when he put his mind to it. He
would need to get better at impressing people.
Before he left, he snatched a dark black cloak from his wardrobe and
pulled that on as well. The Solstice Banquet occurred on the longest night
of the year, and because it occurred in the middle of winter, it was also one
of the coldest. The Cridor Republic was blessed in that it never got truly
cold... not like Clarion... but if nothing else, he could offer his cloak to
Saphi.
The banquet would begin after sundown, and while the sun was now
close to the horizon, it would be another half hour or so before it was
completely dark. He headed down to the bottom of the tower early so he
wouldn’t arrive at the banquet sweaty or out of breath.
Fifteen floors remained a chore both going up and going down, but at
least the daily climbs kept him in excellent shape. Once he eventually
graduated from the academy in a year or so, he imagined he might end up
doing a lot of walking. When he emerged from the mage tower, he was
treated to an absolutely wonderful sight.
Lena had decided to head to the banquet early as well.
His heart pounded as he looked her over. He suspected Lena had spent
hours washing, combing, and styling her long blond hair today, given it
wound around itself like ivy and shined like gold. Her crimson dress (of
course it was red) was sleeveless and strapless, wrapping around her large,
tan breasts just above the level where it would be unacceptable not to do so.
Her dress wasn’t just plain fabric, either. It was alternating bands of
opaque and sheer red, which meant that while it covered her nipples, it still
looked more like she was wearing a series of red straps around her body
than a single intact dress. The fabric hugged her hips tightly and descended,
but not far. The hemline rose well above her knees.
She’d worn her crimson boots with their flint steel heels, of course, and
the same red leggings she’d worn the day they danced kalakul and kalati.
Those rose just past her knees, with an ornate and flowery band wrapping
around the lower portion of her tan thighs. As her brown eyes met his, her
brilliant smile stopped him in his tracks.
Seeing his predicament, Lena strode away from the wall. As her heels
clicked on the cobblestones, dozens of memories of Mistress Aurienda’s
heels clicking around her office as she instructed him in all kinds of
pleasure mixed pleasantly with the more recent memories he’d made with
Lena in the shadowy alcoves of the academy. Gods, did he love a woman in
heels.
“You look nice,” Lena said warmly as she arrived.
“You look incredible.”
She smirked knowingly. “You like red?”
“It is now my favorite color in the realm. Red and gold.”
“Smarter than you look.”
“That’s... you know, I don’t even care right now.” He offered his arm.
“Ready to walk?”
She slipped her unreasonably warm arm through his. “Lead.”
As they walked through the training yard and her metal heels continued
to click loudly on the cobblestones, he had to work hard not to drag Lena
into the first set of bushes they found and slip his hands inside her dress.
The fact that he knew she wouldn’t stop him made it even more difficult to
resist. Two very good reasons helped him master himself.
First, anyone who spotted them having “sexy times” in a public area
could report them to the academy instructors, which could get them in
trouble. Second, Saphi was waiting for them in the senior student training
yard, which the academy had converted into the open air area where the
Solstice Banquet would take place. Ryn couldn’t bear to keep her waiting.
He held Lena close as they walked, and she was eager to be close. He
frequently cast glances in her direction as they walked toward the setting
sun, and he spotted her doing the same. They were looking. There was a lot
of looking going on right now.
The touching would come later.
 Once they reached the edge of the senior student training yard, Ryn was
awed by its transformation. There were no traces of the huge squares that
had once born smoldering bonfires or crackling lightning rods. The squares
holding trees and vines had been arranged so neatly they looked like
manicured gardens, and the open squares filled with water now had ornate
statues in the middle of them spouting water from various orifices.
Long lines of thin rope were suspended above and across the training
yard like spider silk, trailing thin colorful banners and paper lanterns
glowing with warm light. Wooden benches lined up in grand lines filled the
space, easily enough to sit several hundred people. Solstice Banquets had
always been grand affairs, but the pageantry never failed to impress him.
Lena pressed close against him and sighed happily as she looked over
the reconfigured training yard. “Looks so nice.”
He couldn’t resist any longer. He brushed his fingers through her silky
golden hair. “How does this compare to the festivals you attended in
Pasharal?”
“Yours are colder than ours.”
“Well, this time I’m here to keep you warm.”
“I keep you warm.” She poked his cloak and grinned. “Still nice here for
me.”
A number of academy staff in their plain white and brown uniforms
were busy cleaning up after the juniors, who’d had their banquet earlier
tonight. So where was Saphi?
A full scan of the training yard ended without a sign of her. He and Lena
were also not the only senior students to arrive early. He spotted a pair of
mages across the way, a tall dark-haired man with a busty red-haired beauty,
but his evaluation of the woman dimmed immediately as he recognized her
across the yard.
It was Cressa Logan... and she was clutching tight to Kayden
Seagrove’s arm. It seemed Cressa had chosen the mage who she was going
to bond, or Kayden had chosen her. Kayden was younger than Cressa by a
year, but his skill with spark forms was impressive, which was why he’d
been moved into the senior class only a week after Ryn.
 Ryn bore no animosity toward Kayden. They might have competed back
when they were both junior mages showing off their spell forms on Mentor
Gaskon’s challenge days, but Kayden had never insulted him or been
anything but polite. Cressa, however, had put Lena in the infirmary... even
if Lena had made sure to put her there as well.
As Cressa’s dark eyes completed their sweep of the preparations for the
banquet, her gaze found his. She stared a moment, then leaned to Kayden
and whispered something. Ryn glared her way until she and Kayden trotted
off toward the Meditation Garden.
Lena patted his arm. “You still mad.”
He remembered his blind panic when Mentor Caladan told him Lena
was in the infirmary, the way his heart had felt in his chest. “I think I
always will be.”
“Stop,” Lena said. “Cressa is not important.”
He forced his ire down as he smiled at the beautiful and loyal woman
holding his arm. “No. I don’t suppose she is, now.”
“Let’s tour yard,” Lena suggested. “Maybe Saphi will... see us?
Walking. If she looks.”
He patted her hand on his arm. “That’s a fantastic idea.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter

Eighteen

W ith L ena still close and very warm in her fantastically sexy dress,
Ryn descended the few steps down into the training yard and picked his
way among dozens upon dozens of round tables scattered evenly through
the space. Each table had four chairs, which meant hundreds.
There was a clear line of tables that didn’t have place settings, so Ryn
chose to lead Lena in and around those. That way, they wouldn’t be in the
way of anyone still setting places for the guests. Perhaps Saphi was still
getting ready in the servant’s quarters. They had arrived early.
They were almost to the end of the gauntlet of tables when the door to
the mess hall opened. A pale woman visibly shorter than Lena with her
brown hair bound up in a lovely braided bun emerged. She wore a
shimmering blue dress that hugged her gentle curves.
Ryn’s took the most immediate turn he could without tramping right
over the tables, guiding Lena along in his wake. “There she is.”
The dress Saphi had chosen was more modest than Lena’s, but so her.
Thin white straps crossed her shoulders and held up a frilly blue dress with
a considerable amount of ruffles on the bodice, which was just low enough
to show a hint of cleavage. The dress left her pale arms bare and also
emphasized her lovely neck, where she wore her golden ether blocker.
 Her slitted dress hugged her hips as tightly as Lena’s hugged hers, but it
extended down to her ankles and open-toed sandals. She was still scanning
the training yard when her eyes found his. The way her face lit up when
their gazes locked made him weak in the knees.
Gods, he’d missed her, and tonight she looked so lovely he could barely
walk.
Still, Ryn managed not to trip over his own feet as he hurried toward her
and she hurried toward him. Lena held on tight. They reached the edge of
one of the round tables at the same time, and Saphi stumbled to a halt a
moment before they would have collided.
“First auxiliary.” Ryn managed a warm smile. “Nice night for a walk.”
“You did this.” She pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You made
them let me come to the senior banquet, didn’t you? And get me... this.”
He sensed Lena watching him curiously, her grin firmly in place. She
was obviously waiting to see how he’d react to Saphi’s accusation.
Naturally, he’d simply tell her the truth.
“We did,” Ryn said. “You deserve a night of fun after all you’ve done
for our academy, a night like this and hundreds more. But I also did this
because I’m selfish.”
Saphi dropped her finger and frowned. “Selfish?”
“Yes. I couldn’t bear the thought of being at this festival without you by
my side.”
A sudden tinge of guilt manifested. Would his admission make Lena
jealous? As he glanced at her, she grinned and bumped her shoulder with
his.
“Good words,” she assured him warmly.
Lena was fine with how he felt about Saphi. She really was fine with
him being in love with another woman... or even more than one. Until now,
no matter how many assurances Lena had offered that she understood he
was a primal conjurer, he had worried. No more.
“Oh!” Saphi gasped and turned to Lena. “How rude of me. I’m...
Saphielle. We’ve seen each other in the yard before, but we’ve never had
the opportunity to speak.”
“Lena.” She gently disengaged from Ryn. “For you, Lena.”
Saphi blinked. “Is that the name you prefer?”
“Is name I allow with good friends and...” Lena glanced at Ryn again.
“Special friends.”
Saphi clutched her hands together at her waist and looked between
them. “It was so nice to see you both! I’ll just... I should have a look at the
place mats.”
Ryn took her arm before she could leave. “Don’t you dare.”
Saphi stared in alarm. “But you’re both busy! I don’t want to be a
bother.”
He leaned close and lowered his voice. “I wouldn’t have asked you to
come to the Solstice Banquet if I didn’t want you to spend it with me and
Lena. A primal conjurer shouldn’t attend a formal event without all of his
auxiliaries.”
Before he could say another word, Lena walked forward and touched
Saphi’s shoulder on the other side. “We want you with us.”
“You...” She swallowed. “You do?”
“Yes,” Lena said firmly. “You are... how to say? Special to Ryn. Very
special.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
“No,” Lena said firmly. “I bother you?”
“No!” Saphi assured her in alarm. “You’re lovely, Lauralena⁠—”
“Lena,” Lena reminded her firmly.
“But you... you’re a mage.”
“So are you,” Ryn reminded her. “I don’t care what the academy says,
you’re as much a mage as Lena or me, and Lena just told you she wouldn’t
mind having you with us.”
“To... to do what, exactly?”
 “We’ll talk,” Ryn said. “Drink mead, eat good food, relax and get to
know each other. We have a lot to celebrate tonight. If you’re up for it, I’d
even love to dance with you.”
Saphi wrung her hands in hopeful disbelief. “I don’t know how to
dance.”
“Easy to teach,” Lena assured her. “I show you. Or Ryn?”
Saphi gasped. “You would teach me to dance?”
“I teach you many things.” Lena’s sly grin returned. “Here. Watch me.”
As Ryn watched her in bemused curiosity, Lena walked around him,
hips swaying and heels clicking, and took his other arm. She pulled his
elbow out. Lena looked at Saphi and motioned with her other hand.
“See this? Is how you hold. Put your arm through his, hold tight.”
Slowly, walking as if she thought she was in a dream, Saphi took his
arm.
Ryn pulled her close and hugged her forearm against his chest as she
stared up at him in wide-eyed wonder. She looked like she was finally
starting to believe they’d actually have a night together. A night under the
stars at a grand banquet, like in their favorite books.
Grinning at the thought, Ryn looked at Lena and extended his other arm.
She took it eagerly and then, as she leaned across him, he got a perfect look
down her dress at her lovely breasts. Between the softness of Saphi on his
left and the way Lena pressed against him on the right, he had a great deal
of trouble remembering why he was here.
“Ryn is cold,” Lena told Saphi. “We keep him warm tonight.”
Saphi swallowed, then nodded. “We certainly don’t want him to catch a
cold.”
Lena glanced up at him. “Primal Conjurer? Where we go?”
“That’s right,” Ryn suddenly remembered. “I’m the leader, aren’t I?”
Saphi pushed up on the tiptoes of her sandals to whisper close to his ear.
“Then lead me, prime. I’ll follow you anywhere tonight.” She looked at
Lena again, visibly more confident this time. “We’ll follow you. Right,
Lena?”
Lena nodded eagerly. “You are good auxiliary.”
Saphi giggled. “Or you’re a very good teacher.”
Ryn’s mind was so flustered that it took a great deal of concentration
simply to remember that they were supposed to sit down somewhere. Both
Saphi and Lena were clutching his arms, and they couldn’t go anywhere
unless he did. Still... the idea of Lena training Saphi had already left him far
more aroused than he should be in public.
“Table!” he said. “Let’s walk over and grab a table, one on the edge.
That way, we’ll have a good view across the training yard, but be able to
leave without stumbling over people.”
“You lead!” Lena reminded him.
“I am doing that, thank you.”
Ryn pivoted carefully, making sure he didn’t drag Saphi off balance,
and then walked toward the nearest round table. He’d thought it would be
difficult to keep his balance with a woman on each arm, but Saphi and Lena
both did all they could to match his pace.
The table had four chairs placed by the academy staff. When they
reached it, Ryn looked at Saphi. “Would anyone complain if we moved a
chair?”
Saphi blinked in confusion. “You want another chair?”
“No. I want to remove one.”
He definitely didn’t want to share his table with anyone else tonight.
Just Saphi and Lena. The woman he loved and the woman he knew he
would love soon.
Saphi considered. “I suppose that should be all right.”
She disengaged and hurried to the chair. She lifted it before Ryn could
ask and carried it over to the nearest table, then shoved it in between two
others. Meanwhile, Lena released his other arm and walked around the
table, sizing it up. She settled with her back to the edge of the training yard.
 Ryn picked up his own chair, dragged it around to the corner, and settled
it almost directly beside hers. By the time Saphi had returned, he’d dragged
her chair to his other side. He sat beside Lena, then patted the chair. Saphi
eagerly hurried over and sat on his other side.
“Is good perch,” Lena said approvingly. “We watch whole training yard
from here.” Under the table, hidden by the tablecloth, her very warm hand
found his thigh.
And began sliding slowly up.
Ryn kept his expression calm with great effort. When Saphi glanced at
him from his other side, her brow furrowed as she noticed his intense focus.
“Are you all right?” Saphi asked.
Lena’s impossibly warm fingers reached the edge of the tablecloth,
which, sadly, stopped her from reaching her goal. Her hand remained,
however, and her fingers gently kneaded the flesh of his thigh. If only he’d
scooted a bit more under the tablecloth!
Lena was teasing him, and he already knew she was going to tease him
so much more. He could scarcely wait... but they did have supper coming
soon. Lena needed to eat.
“I’m just fine now.” Ryn reached out and, keeping the motion hidden
from the rest of the yard, gripped Saphi’s hand. “I’m here with both of you.
So think of tonight as practice.”
Saphi tightly gripped his hand in return. “Practice for what?”
He leaned close. “For when we finally get you out of here.”
“You... we?”
Lena leaned close against his other side. “Yes. We.”
As Saphi stared at Lena, her dark eyes glistened in the gentle light of the
paper lanterns. “Your really are as lovely and considerate as I imagined.”
“More,” Lena assured her with a wry grin.
“And your dress is incredible! Where did you even find something so...
so...”
“Sexy?” Lena asked knowingly.
 “Beautiful,” Saphi said reverently. “I’ve never seen any fabric like that.”
“Is from Pasharal,” Lena said proudly. “Our seamstress work special.
Thin, strong, brilliant colors.”
“Well, it absolutely suits you.”
“Your dress too,” Lena said. “So blue. Like ocean water. Lovely as
you.”
“Aww!” Saphi blushed brightly and looked down, squeezing Ryn’s hand
so tightly he couldn’t help but grin. “That’s so nice of you to say.”
“I am a very nice person.”
“So tell me about Pasharal!” Saphi said excitedly. “I’ve always wanted
to visit!”
Lena quirked a blond eyebrow at her. “What you want to know?”
As tempting as it was to slip back into the conversation, Ryn decided to
sit back and let them talk. This was the whole reason he’d wanted Lena and
Saphi to have this time. So they could get to know each other. As he
watched these two wonderful women whom he cared so much for smile and
chat, he felt like he was floating on a soft cushion on a gentle sea.
“Tell me everything!” Saphi exclaimed. “I’ve never been outside the
republic, but I read travel journals. The world feels so vast once you read
accounts from those who’ve actually crossed it. Do you really have tunnels
that run the length of your islands? Underground cities?”
Lena looked amused by Saphi’s excitability. “We have villages, yes, and
tunnels.”
“And mossy fields where you grow flowers? In the caves, but lit by
shafts of light?”
“Many of those.”
“I’ve heard rumors,” Ryn agreed. “I don’t know if I’d want to live
underground, though.”
Saphi frowned and poked his arm. “I think it would be fun, at least for a
few months a year.” She looked at Lena again. “And it’s not always dark in
the caverns, is it?”
 “Not always,” Lena agreed.
“Pashalites carve shafts to the surface that fill the underground with
sunlight when the storms aren’t blowing. They have torrential storms in
Pasharal most months of the year, which is why most people settled in the
caves there.” Saphi looked to Lena. “Isn’t that right?”
Ryn knew quite a bit of this, of course, but it was lovely to watch Saphi
grow more relaxed and excited as she spoke to Lena. He found himself
thinking about how nice it would be once he could take Saphi to see
Pasharal, or anything, really, beyond the academy. Her excitement for
realms unknown was infectious, even if he didn’t really like caves.
“Oh!” Saphi blushed brightly. “But I was asking about you, Lena. Is
there anywhere you might like to visit? Once you graduate?”
“Clarion,” Lena said dreamily.
Saphi smiled knowingly. “The flight academy?”
“Yes. I love horses, but have never seen pegasus.”
“But we have drake riders here!”
“Yes, but drakes all...” Lena trailed off, then smirked. “Not beautiful.”
Saphi nodded. “Oh, I understand now.”
Ryn looked between them. “You find horses beautiful?”
Lena considered. “Maybe wrong word. More...”
“Graceful?” Saphi asked hopefully. “Magnificent? Majestic?”
“Yes!” Lena said excitedly. “That second one. Majestic.”
Saphi beamed at Lena. “I feel that way too. I’ve always loved horses, so
I imagine winged horses are even more impressive. I hope to see one some
day.”
Lena laughed warmly. “Now I sure you and I will be good friends.”
The bells rang out, announcing the official start of the Solstice Banquet.
Doors opened in both the mess hall and on the other side, drawing Ryn’s
attention. Servers hurried out, working together, to move large bowls of
food hanging off thick poles they carried between them.
 Before the first group was even to the tables, more emerged carrying
platters and trays piled high with mouth-watering food. Succulent meat
rolls. Glistening buttered rolls. Fruit-filled crepes and dark cupcakes, along
with all sorts of wet, delicious-looking fruit. Ryn recognized both green and
red grapes along with apples, cherries, blueberries, and many more.
Lena’s stomach growled noticeably beneath the table. As Ryn glanced at
her, she blushed brightly. “Not have much lunch.”
Ryn laughed with empathy and gently rubbed her back. “I’m hungry
too.”
“Yes, but you not loud about it.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re hungry,” Saphi said proudly. “The servers
worked hard to feed us.”
More senior students and even a few instructors began to file into the
training yard once the food arrived, and Ryn realized they’d all been
lingering around the edges. He, Lena, and Saphi were the only people
who’d claimed a table before the food arrived, and now he was wondering
if they’d broken some sort of rule or custom by seating themselves so early.
He was a primal conjurer, or was going to be once he graduated. He
could throw his weight around when it was for people he cared about, like
Saphi and Lena. And even if someone looked askance at that, he already
knew this was going to be a wonderful banquet.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter

Nineteen

A s the three of them enjoyed a host of lovely academy food, the

training yard grew increasingly crowded. Students, instructors, and even the
academy staff came and went from the tables or wandered pleasantly
beneath the hanging paper lanterns. It was heavenly.
Lena, of course, downed at least three times what he and Saphi ate,
though Saphi wisely didn’t comment on that. Ryn would explain to her
about how much hotter a conflagration mage’s metabolism burned when
they were in private. Lena seemed fully recovered from her stomach’s
earlier betrayal, but he didn’t want to risk embarrassing her.
Afterward, Ryn suggested they should all go for a walk in the
Meditation Garden, which had been his plan all along. Lena and Saphi were
getting along famously, chatting about their very different experiences at
their different academies, and while he had wanted to ensure Saphi enjoyed
the banquet, he’d concealed an additional motive from everyone but Lena.
Ryn wanted some private time with his first auxiliary, a woman he
hadn’t been able to spend time with in a month. Rather than being annoyed,
Lena had been delighted when Ryn asked her to help him conspire. She was
a fantastic friend... and now, so much more.
The moment they rose from their table, Ryn slipped off his cloak and
tucked it around Saphi’s shoulders. She’d been shivering more and more as
the night wore on, though she’d been doing her best to hide it. As they
walked off, she softly protested.
“I don’t need your cloak! What if you get cold?”
“I’m not cold,” he assured her. “You and Lena are keeping me quite
warm.”
Even as she tucked the cloak tightly around her, Saphi frowned. “Yes,
but...
“What? You don’t like the cloak?”
“It’s just... it covers me. My dress.”
Ryn frowned as they reached the stairs leading up to the Meditation
Garden. “Isn’t that its purpose?”
“But... if I have a cloak on...” Her lips pressed together. “You can’t look
down my dress.”
Ryn stared at her in disbelief, certain she was teasing him. She was not.
She really did feel guilty that by stopping herself from being cold, she was
robbing him of the chance to gaze past the ruffles of her lovely blue dress.
He loved this woman.
Lena chortled merrily. “I show him boobs for us both.”
“But... I want to do my part. For our prime.”
“Let’s just take a walk!” Ryn said before either of them could further
disorient his brain. “There’s a lovely spot in the gardens where we can get a
great view of the stars.”
He led them both up the stairs before Saphi could refuse his cloak.
As they climbed the stairs of the Meditation Garden, the sight of a few
other students wandering about confirmed they weren’t the only people to
have this idea. Far from it. Still, the Meditation Garden was larger than it
looked from below, and Ryn and Lena had explored every nook and cranny
of it while training during their free period.
As they picked their way through a maze of hedges, topiaries, and
statues, Ryn led the two gorgeous women clutching his arms at a casual
pace where they could all absorb the simple joy of being together on this
wonderful night. It might be a cold out, but the stars looked brilliant, and
they were pleasantly full of food and mead. And tipsy.
Ryn’s world spun incrementally. Given how tightly Saphi was clutching
his arm, and how much mead she’d had tonight, he suspected she was more
drunk than he was. By comparison, Lena was stone-cold sober. Her flame-
kissed body rapidly metabolized alcohol as well.
Despite the difficulty in finding it, Ryn had expected the statue-enclosed
alcove in the back corner of the Meditation Garden to be occupied when
they arrived. A hedge twice as all as a person formed a crescent moon with
a small fountain statue in the center. It was a lovely place to meditate... and
also well hidden from every angle save the front.
He and Lena weren’t the only students who knew of this secluded spot.
They also weren’t the only students who’d enjoyed each other inside it.
Still, luck remained with Ryn tonight. The secluded alcove was empty, and
as they arrived, Lena squeezed his arm.
“I keep good watch,” she promised.
Saphi looked between them. “Why is she keeping watch?”
Ryn patted Saphi’s hand on his arm. “Lena’s going to make sure we can
enjoy this lovely little alcove without being disturbed.”
Saphi still appeared utterly lost. “Why can’t she enjoy it too?”
“I have.” Lena walked over to Saphi and squeezed her arms. “Ryn and I
enjoy it together, before. Now you.”
“We... what?”
Ryn guided her into the alcove. “It’ll all make sense in a moment.” As
they entered, he glanced back at Lena to find her watching with a wry grin.
“Thank you,” he mouthed.
Lena offered a knowing wink and turned away to keep watch.
Still wearing his cloak, Saphi clutched his bicep as he walked her into
the secluded space. The sounds from the training yard had all but
disappeared, and the tall hedges around them took the edge off the wind.
Ryn was still a bit chilly, but that wouldn’t be a problem soon.
 He led Saphi to the edge of the fountain, freed his arm, and then slipped
it around her. She leaned against him contentedly, clutching his waist.
“Is this really happening?” Saphi whispered. “Is this a real night?”
“It is, and I’m going to give you so many more like this.”
“But how? The Summer Gala isn’t for another six months.”
Ryn pulled her close. “I graduate before that. Like we said earlier, Lena
is going to help me. Once she’s my auxiliary, we’ll complete the Firmament
trials, go out into the realm, win some diplomatic victories, and come back
to the academy as heroes just like we planned. And then, we’re going to
figure out a way that you and she can take turns staying here, along with
any other auxiliaries I bond on the road. All of you will eventually get to
travel with me.”
She breathed. “I want to believe you, but⁠—”
“Then believe me.” Ryn turned to face her, keeping her close enough he
could stare down at her. “I don’t crave power despite my title. I never
have.”
“I know that,” she assured him.
“But for people I care about, I am absolutely willing to toss my
newfound status around. Once I’ve established myself as a primal conjurer,
I’m going to be in a position where I can make my own rules. The first will
be that no auxiliary of mine stays here permanently.”
“Oh, Ryn.” She hugged him tight. “I believe you. I do. Thank you.”
He kissed the top of her head.
She looked up. “Can we... is that okay here?”
“Do you see anyone around to stop us?”
“But if they⁠—”
“Lena’s keeping watch. She’ll warn us if anyone happens by.”
“So... can we...”
“Yes, Saphi.” He reached for the golden collar around her neck. “We
can do anything we want here tonight.” Without a word, he snapped it open.
 “Prime.” Saphi smiled brilliantly as she spoke over their mage bond.
“My prime.”
“I love you, Saphi.” This was the only place they could say that safely.
In their minds.
“I love you too!”
“And I’ve really missed you, snow lily.” It was her favorite flower, one
that grew all the way in Clarion and which she’d seen only in books.
She giggled. “I’ve miss hearing you call me that.”
“I’ll call you that all the time once we’re on the road together.”
“But we’re wasting time! We can’t waste time!”
Talking in their minds was so quick they could exchange thoughts like
this in less time than it took to blink. “Why not? Was there something else
you wanted to do tonight?”
Saphi unleashed her memories of her favorite times they’d spent
together over the three months they lived together in his room. Every lurid
detail. It was almost like reliving every time they’d had sex, except it only
made him want to make new memories more.
As Ryn sat her ether blocker on the fountain Saphi shoved his cloak off,
revealing her bare and lovely shoulders. She trembled as she stared up at
him. “Kiss me, prime.”
He did. It had been so long since he’d been able to kiss Saphi the way
they both loved. He’d kissed her desperately the night before she had to
move out of his dormitory room, and never since. The little sounds she
made assured him she’d missed this as much as he had.
His hand coursed down her silky dress to cup her ass, and she moaned
encouragingly and pressed close. Her hands clutched his hips and then
joined him in groping. She kneaded his ass in the way she knew he loved.
He was so hard it hurt.
Saphi could feel his lust over her bond. She felt it too. She broke their
kiss only so she could spin around and press her bottom firmly against his
front. He gasped and clutched her midriff. She wriggled shamelessly against
him, pleasuring him with her grind.
 “Touch me,” she thought desperately. “I need your hands on me.”
As he clutched her breasts over her dress and squeezed, ruffles brushed
his hands. She gripped his hips to anchor herself as she continued grinding.
He slid his hands up and down her front. When he ran his palms down her
thighs, she shuddered.
“More,” Saphi begged desperately over their bond. “Please, more.”
He forcefully spun her around and kissed her again, pressing a hand
hard against her back to make sure he didn’t accidentally topple her over.
Kissing and holding her, he led her around the fountain to the shadowed
area in the back. He settled there, on the stone, and pulled her into his lap.
He wouldn’t want her to have to sit on hard stone.
She threw her arms around his neck as they devoured each other’s lips,
and continued to wriggle in his lap so he could enjoy her every movement.
It was too cold tonight to get naked and difficult to dress quickly if they did,
but they had other options.
Ryn broke her kiss as he reached down to brush her ankle. Then, eyes
locked with hers, he slid his hand up her calf inside her dress. She dropped
his neck only to hike her dress up her legs to give him better access. She
tucked it well above her knees.
He stared into her needy eyes. “Would you like me⁠—”
“Yes.” Her urgent, horny thought interrupted his. “Please. Touch me
there.”
Ryn slipped his hand higher, across her bare thigh under her dress, and
found her smallclothes already damp from their play. He slipped his fingers
beneath them and teased her the way she loved. She trembled so violently
he held her to keep her steady.
“Yes,” she whimpered aloud. “Gods, yes.”
They’d spent months learning how they enjoyed being touched, and
Ryn’s fingers were as adept as they’d ever been. She was so warm. So wet.
So eager for his touch.
He pleasured her with gentle circles and teasing strokes as her chest
heaved in the shadows. Soon after, he brought her to her first peak of the
night. She clutched him as she came with a soft, shaking moan she
unleashed directly in his ear.
“How was that?” he whispered.
“Like dancing across the clouds,” she thought dreamily.
As she came down, he held her in silence as the fountain gently trickled
and the stars glistened overhead. He peeked a head around the corner of the
fountain and saw the edge of Lena’s outline at the entry to the crescent
moon. She stood tall and unconcerned.
“Ryn,” Saphi whispered. “My Ryn.”
He nuzzled her cheek. “I always will be.”
Saphi whispered breathily in his ear. “Tell me what you want. What I
can do for you.”
“I want you. I want to be inside you.”
Saphi immediately slipped her damp panties down her thighs. She
hopped off him just enough to fumble with his trousers. He lifted his ass to
pull them down enough to wriggle out of them. Her soft, warm hand found
his length before the cold could arrive.
She stroked him eagerly and possessively, even though he was already
achingly hard. He kissed her again as she pleasured him, but he knew what
he wanted. What they both wanted. He gripped her hips and lifted her, then
settled her on his lap.
He entered her so easily. They’d practiced so many times. She fit him so
well, and her chest heaved as she began to roll her hips against his lap. She
felt amazing.
“I’m yours,” Saphi thought breathily in his mind. “Your auxiliary.
Yours in every way.”
He took a firm grip on the small of her back and braced himself against
the side of the fountain. She rode him shamelessly, focused entirely on his
pleasure. She always focused on his pleasure. Yet as desperate as Ryn was
for release, he paced himself.
 Thanks to all their “practice” together, he knew exactly how long it took
Saphi to peak. He also knew how to help her along. Keeping one hand on
her waist, he reached into the Firmament with the other and twirled one
finger, drawing life ether. As she continued to ride him with increasing
urgency, he traced it up the side of her breast.
“Oh!” Saphi couldn’t help but moan loudly enough Lena was certain to
hear her. “That’s not... that’s not fair!” she thought over their bond.
Ryn traced more ether along her back and thought back, “I’m not being
fair tonight.”
She shuddered and clutched the back of his neck. Her brown hair
bounced against her shoulder as the ruffles of her dress drifted up and down
with each thrust. Ryn expected Lena to rush over at any moment and warn
them someone was coming, but no one interrupted them.
Saphi was on the verge again when Ryn could no longer hold back his
release. He kissed her hard as she rode his lap. His ether-cloaked finger
slipped between them and immediately took her to his peak. As she
climaxed, trembling, he erupted inside her.
Gods that was good. Gods she was good. He’d missed her so much.
Saphi’s desperate movements slowed as she clutched him in the
aftermath of their shared pleasure, shaking in his arms... but not from cold.
Ryn clutched her just tight enough not to break her and stroked her hair.
“I love you,” Saphi thought desperately. “I love you so much it hurts.”
“And I love you,” he thought warmly. “One day, I’m going to tell
everyone.”
She giggled inside his mind. “Don’t you dare... at least not until after
you graduate.”
She was right, of course. He’d wait until he had the clout he needed to
make his demands before he let anyone know the truth. He had no doubt he
and Lena could accomplish their goal, together... but on the rare chance
they couldn’t, he couldn’t risk the sect turning on Saphi.
Saphi leaned close and put her lips next to his ear. This time, she
whispered her naughty words aloud. “I love it when you fuck me like that.”
 There was no need for her to say that when she could think it. Yet she
was saying it aloud because she wanted to say it. It was another rule she
was eager to break.
They were still breathing, sweaty and content, when the hurried clicking
of Lena’s heels warned them that they were out of time. Ryn kissed Saphi’s
neck. “Get dressed.”
Saphi hopped off him at once, snatched up her damp panties, wriggled
them on, and smoothed down her dress. As Ryn buckled his trousers, Lena
peeked around the statue.
Her gorgeous blond hair trailed in the wind as she looked them both
over, then grinned in obvious approval. “Someone near.” She handed them
Saphi’s blocker. “Coming this way.”
Ryn hurried to his feet and offered a hand to help Saphi up. She took it
gratefully, and he pulled her to her feet without effort. Once more, she
clutched his arm. The sweat beading her forehead and chest was the only
sign of how hard he’d just fucked her.
He hated having to snap her ether blocker back on. But if anyone saw
her without it, they would have questions. As he moved to snap it around
her neck again, she smiled at him.
“Never forget I’m yours,” she thought warmly. “Always.”
He smiled. “We belong to each other.” He snapped the ether blocker
around her neck.
As Saphi and Ryn emerged from behind the fountain, he heard the
sound of low voices and the languid echo of boots on cobblestone.
Someone was approaching, but they didn’t sound like they were in a rush.
Perhaps they, too, were hoping the alcove was unoccupied.
He’d hoped to have Lena here as well before the night was over, but she
was moving in with him tomorrow. He’d have all the time to take her... and
eventually bond her... as they both wished in their private room. If only he
could have Saphi move back in with them as well! Sadly, even Mistress
Aurienda couldn’t convince the Executrix to allow that.
The footsteps stopped abruptly. Had whoever was out there heard them?
Ryn waited, but no more sounds emerged. Were they worried about
interrupting someone enjoying the solitude by the fountain? Or had they
settled into another secluded spot?
He glanced at Lena, then Saphi. Neither seemed concerned, but they
still needed to know they could play without offending anyone before they
enjoyed any more of this night. With a shrug, he offered his arms. They
each took one as Ryn led them out of the crescent.
The crackle of purple light was their only warning something was
wrong.
Lena nearly ripped his arm off as she moved... but not away. Instead,
she moved directly into the path of a shimmering net of purple lightning.
Instead of striking Ryn, which had obviously been the caster’s intent, it
struck Lena instead... and left her twitching as she fell.
She’d been struck with paralyze! A spark spell form! Was this Cressa
back for revenge?
Despite Ryn’s shock at this unprecedented attack, his instincts, training,
and body took over. He was snatching green motes of nature ether before
the shadowed figure in the distance could channel again. He finished
barrier as the shadow finished paralyze.
The next net of purple magic sizzled into a raised barrier of roots and
earth that crackled up between the caster, Lena, and him. Ryn pushed Saphi
behind him and drew spark ether next, not caring whether his next brilliant
spark knocked out his attacker or worse. Whoever was out there had used
paralyze on Lena!
More boots pounded cobblestones, and then multiple shadowed figures
burst out of the hedges all around him. Three, four, five. Ryn didn’t think.
He simply channeled brilliant spark at the closest shadowed figure. The
strike dropped one figure with a crackle of lightning.
Mages of the Primal Academy didn’t wear hoods or masks. Mages of
the academy didn’t dress in leather armor as black as night. And they
certainly didn’t attack students of the academy in the middle of their
Meditation Garden.
As Ryn drew flame ether, the four surviving figures charged him all at
once. He finished the spell form for flame burst just in time. A jet of livid
flame roared in a half circle in front of him, searing the air and igniting
topiaries. One man shrieked as he caught fire.
As the flaming man flailed and fell, the other three had no choice but to
retreat in the face of Ryn’s flames. He swept his flame burst back and forth
two more times before he expended the ether, then snatched Saphi’s arm
and ran for the barrier... and Lena.
“Stay close!” Ryn shouted as he released Saphi’s hand.
He dropped just behind the barrier and picked Lena up in his arms. She
was almost as tall as he was, but slim enough he could carry her with all the
adrenaline flooding him in the aftermath of this surprise attack. With her
held close, he peeked around the barrier.
He spotted the shadow from earlier creeping forward. Ryn turned and
ran with Lena the other way, trusting the barrier to cover his retreat. The
reassuring sound of Saphi’s shoes right behind him, and the sound of her
heavy breathing, told him she was with him.
These people weren’t part of the academy, and while he had no idea
how they could have penetrated the academy this deeply, he suspected they
were soldiers from another nation-state. A nation-state that would feel more
secure if the republic had no primal conjurer.
The sound of Saphi huffing right behind him as he carried Lena assured
him she remained close. As he spotted a rising stone pillar that stood on one
side of a stone gazebo, he mentally debated. Running into the gazebo would
give them possible cover, but reaching the training yard would give them
help. The question was... could they reach the training yard?
He diverted around the pillar with Lena bouncing in his arms. He spun
just in time to see Saphi dive in after him. Another purple net of lightning...
another paralyze spell form... passed where she’d just been, assuring him
the mage from earlier was still after them.
Ryn had a large stone wall at his back here. Here, he and Saphi could
make their stand. He spun and ran to the wall beside Saphi, set Lena’s stiff
body down as gently as he could, then turned back to Saphi. He gripped her
neck and then her collar.
 “Channel your ether to me.” He snapped her ether blocker off and
tossed it away. No one would question his decision about that.
“Yes, prime.” Saphi stepped beside Lena and rapidly drew flame and
nature ether.
Ryn didn’t have to defeat his attackers. Not all of them. He knew the
sound of lightning and flame crackling in the Meditation Garden had
already drawn attention in the training yard. The Primal Guard would be
here in moments to investigate the noise.
As two more of the leather-clad figures rounded the corner, Ryn started
the movement for flame burst without taking time to draw the ether. “Saphi,
flame!”
She drew and channeled flame ether over their bond as expertly as if
they did this every day, and it arrived just before Ryn completed flame
burst. He sent one man tumbling backward as fire ravaged him. The other
dived out of the way. Even as the screaming, burning man collapsed, Ryn
stepped back. “Nature ether!”
As Saphi drew ether and passed it to him over their mage bond, Ryn
channeled barrier again and again. He could channel as fast as Saphi could
draw. Situations like this were where the power of a mage bond manifested.
He and Saphi were a team.
He channeled barrier once, twice, thrice. That gave him an earthen
bulwark that would guard his front while the thick hedges guarded his side
and the stone wall guarded his back... and Lena. The Primal Guard would
be here soon. He had to trust in the Primal Guard.
As the loud flapping of great leathery wings pummeled the air above
him, Ryn wanted to howl with relief. A Primal Academy drake rider had
come to investigate the racket! With a drake rider on station, his attackers...
whoever they were... were done for.
He was so relieved he didn’t notice the leather net falling until too late.
“Move!” Saphi slammed into him from behind, knocking him forward...
and out of reach of a leather net cast down from above. She shrieked as it
pulled tight, and then she was yanked into the air as the shadowy wings beat
hard. Ryn rolled to his feet, spun, and drew time ether.
 “Why?” he thought desperately.
“That rider isn’t one of ours!” Saphi thought back. “I couldn’t let them
take you!”
Horror consumed his mind. “And they’re not taking you! Hang on!”
If Ryn could channel stop in time, he could freeze the net before it could
take Saphi. He was halfway through the complicated motions before
someone slammed into him from the other side. One of the leather-clad
men! They went down in a heap as the drake pulled away.
Ryn fought the man as his attacker tried to... hold him down? He kneed
his attacker directly in the middle. The great huff ruffled their mask as they
popped upward. Ryn shoved the man off him and rolled to his feet once
more.
Saphi’s last thought was faint. “It’s not your fault. I know you’ll come
for me. I’ll always...”
Whatever else she might have thought to him faded as the drake that
had abducted her flew out of the range of their mage bond.
Mages at the Primal Academy didn’t just train to channel spell forms.
They trained in wrestling, quick recovery, and close combat as well. Once
again, the training Ryn had given his body and the instincts he’d honed over
the past decade served their purpose... though they hadn’t been enough to
save Saphi.
As Ryn glared up at the winged shadow, the pounding of armored feet
and the clanking of metal told him the Primal Guard was finally on scene.
Ryn heard the sound of bowstrings and saw silver-tipped arrows glistening
as they streaked upward. The nearest drake shrieked as several arrows
thunked into its body and wings.
Air beat at Ryn and sent dust flying as both drakes flapped hard to pull
into the sky with their nets... and wriggling figures. He didn’t know any
spell forms to fly! How could he⁠—
“Xaven!” someone bellowed.
Ryn turned just in time to see Guard Garroth, the young guard who had
escorted him to the cells, rush into the clearing of the Meditation Garden
with three more Primal Guards behind her. The two in the back carried
bows. Both rapidly drew more arrows.
“Stop shooting!” Ryn shouted as he came to his senses. “They have a
hostage!”
“How many attackers?” Garroth bellowed. “Who’s injured?”
Saphi was gone. The attackers had taken Saphi from him. Even so, Ryn
knew there was nothing he could do for her... not yet. He would save her,
soon. He had to check on Lena now.
When she’d stepped into the way of that paralyze spell form to save
him, Lena had fallen hard and without control. She could have broken an
arm or worse, cracked her head open. He hadn’t had time to do anything but
carry her in his desperate rush to escape. As more Primal Guards flooded
the area, Ryn dropped beside the brave woman who’d helped save him.
“Xaven!” Guard Garroth demanded. “Report!”
Lena’s forehead had a bloody scrape, but it looked to be a surface cut.
Her wide eyes were focused on him as her mouth flapped like a fish
desperate for air. Paralyze could drop a person for a good ten minutes, and
she was otherwise unharmed. She was already recovering.
Without Lena’s quick thinking, Ryn would be soaring into the night
trapped inside a net with Saphi. He almost wished he was... but then Lena
would be alone. He brushed Lena’s hair back from her face and grimaced as
Guard Garroth dropped to one knee at her side. Her armor clanked with the
movement.
Ryn looked up. “There were five soldiers in leather armor in the garden,
not mages. At least one spark mage as well, and two drake riders. Not ours.
One soldier took a brilliant spark to the head, and two others are dead or
badly burned.”
“Are you injured?” Garroth demanded. “Is anyone injured?”
“Lena’s got a scratch on her head.” Ryn swallowed. “And Saphi...”
He could barely say it. Still, denying reality wouldn’t help anyone, not
him or Saphi or the Primal Guard. He couldn’t stop whatever had just
happened... but he could fix it.
 “They took my first auxiliary,” Ryn said quietly. “I’m going to get her
back.”
Guard Garroth settled a chain-clad hand on his shoulder. “We’ll get her
back. But first, we need to get everyone to a safe location until we’ve
cleared the academy of attackers.”
As Lena blinked her eyes evenly, Ryn rose. “I’m going after them.”
Guard Garroth rose as well. “One thing at a time, Xaven.”
He fixed her with a gaze that made her back up a step.
“I am going to get Saphi back.”
“Fine,” she assured him. “You’ll get her back, but first, you need to
come with me.”
Ryn mastered his anger at... everything... and focused on the path ahead.
First, he would find out who had attacked them. Then, he would find them
and bring Saphi home. But before that, he should show his appreciation to
the Primal Guard.
“Thank you for coming to my rescue.”
“It’s my job, Xaven.”
“Any chance you could give me your name this time?”
Guard Garroth watched him for a moment. “If I do, will you come back
with me?”
“That’s a deal.”
“It’s Ashlee.”
“Thank you, Ashlee.” He leaned down to pick up a groaning Lena and
balanced her on his shoulder so she could walk. “Now take me to Mistress
Aurienda so I can fix this mess.”

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 Chapter

Twenty

G uard G arroth (A shlee ) and several other Primal Guards fell in

around him and Lena, who had recovered enough to walk, as they rapidly
marched him back to the sparring yard where the banquet had taken place.
Ryn emerged from the garden behind Ashlee to see more Primal Guards
already gathering up mages and servers and ushering them into the mess
hall. Murmurs of confusion filled the square.
“We’re sweeping the academy for more attackers,” Ashlee said as she
and her soldiers escorted them down the stairs. “It’s possible the attack on
you was a distraction to draw us away, so we’re also securing the treasury
and all the other important buildings.”
“They were trying to capture me,” Ryn said grimly. “They had a spark
mage.”
“Woman,” Lena added softly. “She was woman. I saw.”
“Cressa?” Ryn asked.
He had no idea why Cressa Logan would attack them, but she did have
a grudge against both him and Lena. Still... would she really betray the
Primal Academy? He knew she’d transferred here from another academy
while still a junior mage, but that wasn’t a crime.
“We’re taking a head count right now,” Ashlee assured him. “If Cressa
was involved in this, we’ll know... though I don’t know why she would be.”
 “We have a problem,” Lena said.
“Right, but that doesn’t mean she’d try to kill you,” Ashlee countered.
“Regardless, we need to get our primal conjurer secure, and since you’re his
friend⁠—”
“Auxiliary,” Lena corrected. “I am his second auxiliary.”
“Then you’re coming with him,” Ashlee agreed.
Ryn stared at Lena in surprise. He hadn’t expected her to say that, even
after all they’d been through tonight. Yet he couldn’t think of a single thing
she’d done since they decided they’d explore this option that suggested she
was opposed. Were they ready to commit?
As Ashlee turned to lead them into the mess hall, Ryn stopped. “No.”
She glanced back and frowned through her T-slit. “You said you’d come
with me.”
“And you said you’d take me to Mistress Aurienda.”
“I am. She’s in the mess hall, doing a head count on the student mages.”
“Oh.” Ryn should have realized Aurienda wouldn’t be relaxing in her
office during the banquet or during an attack. “Lead on, then.”
Ashlee resumed her journey with Ryn, Lena, and the other Primal
Guards close. As Ryn looked around at the many students and academy
staff filing out of the area, he hated that they’d all had their lovely night cut
short. Still... at least the attack hadn’t been on the other students. They were
far less prepared for something like this than he was.
Because of their rarity, primal conjurers were expected to serve all
nation-states of the realm, not just the state in which they were born. Still,
the nation-state that claimed the conjurer gained a great deal of status from
his exploits. That was one of many reasons soldiers from another nation-
state might attempt to remove him prematurely.
Ryn had simply never expected to be attacked so deep in the Primal
Academy. He needed to know how this was possible. He already suspected
Mistress Aurienda intended to find out... and then figuratively flay the skin
off whoever had allowed this breach in security.
 They entered a mess hall in chaos. It was filled to the brim with both
senior student mages and juniors as well, with the sexes mixed together.
Ryn immediately spotted three instructors he knew well (Mentor Gaskon,
Mentor Caladan, and Mentor Bailan) attempting to bring order to the chaos.
Mistress Aurienda was stalking about the pack, shouting orders.
Ashlee grabbed Ryn’s arm forcefully when he tried to walk off. “Give
her a moment.”
“We don’t have a moment with Saphi flying further away.” He glanced
at Ashlee and found her grip remarkably difficult to remove. “I need to talk
to Aurienda now.”
“And I need to keep you safe,” Ashlee said.
Fortunately for them both, Mistress Aurienda spotted Ryn at that
moment and pivoted on her heel. As she stalked over, Ryn relaxed. Ashlee
released his arm.
As Aurienda arrived, she looked everyone over. “He’s uninjured?”
“Yes, Mistress,” Ashlee said calmly.
Aurienda frowned as she looked them over. “Where is Saphielle?”
“They took her,” Ryn all but growled. “But they were after me.”
“Who took her?”
“Hostile drake riders. They swept her up in a net meant for me.” If
Saphi hadn’t spotted the net and pushed him to safety at the cost of her own
freedom, he wouldn’t be standing here. “I think they would have succeeded
if they’d had a bit longer.” The way his wonderful night had been torn apart
by chaos ignited his anger anew. “How could this happen?”
“Why were you in the Meditation Garden with Saphi?” Aurienda asked.
Ryn frowned at her abrupt change of topic. “We went for a walk.”
“And why did you need to walk alone in the garden instead of in the
training yard, where we had instructors and guards on watch to ensure no
harm befell you?”
“Lena was with us!” Ryn protested... which didn’t answer her question.
 He was not supposed to have sex with Saphi again until after he
graduated. But did that really matter right now? She’d been abducted!
Aurienda tapped her chin, then looked to Ashlee. “Guard Garroth,
you’ve done well. Assist the instructors in securing the other students. I will
take custody of Xaven and Markov.”
Ashlee thumped her armored hand to her armored chest. “Yes,
Mistress.”
“Both of you, follow me.” Aurienda pivoted and stalked away. “To my
office.”
Ryn hurried after her with Lena close beside him. “We need to go after
Saphi.”
“Do you know where the drake riders took her?”
He ground his teeth as she increased her pace. “Not yet.”
“I may have an idea that will help us locate her. We’ll speak in my
office.”
Could Mistress Aurienda really find Saphi? Of course she could find
Saphi. Aurienda was one of the most experienced nature mages at the
academy, a master of traveling the Firmament, and second in experience
only to Mentor Caladan and the Executrix herself.
Ryn followed Aurienda eagerly through the halls, which were now
empty after the chaos, and up the stairs. It was a short walk to Aurienda’s
office, but every step mattered. He couldn’t stop thinking about that drake
rider pulling away with Saphi in his net. His fault.
They wouldn’t kill her. If they had intended to kill Saphi, or him, their
spark mage wouldn’t have been casting paralyze. They would have been
casting lightning cage.
Mistress Aurienda unlocked her office and ushered Ryn and Lena
inside, then turned and closed both doors securely. She locked them, then
turned to face Ryn.
“Did you and Saphielle have sex tonight?” Aurienda asked.
 Ryn was now hopelessly confused... and annoyed. “Why does that
matter?”
“It could matter quite a bit. If you were intimate before she was
abducted, I may be able to track her to wherever those riders took her.”
“What?” Ryn asked in alarm.
“How?” Lena added in wonder.
“Each moment we delay increases the difficulty of what I propose, so I
will provide a cursory explanation. When a soul enters the Firmament, it
enters alone. Only bonded mages can enter together, however, you will be
unable to join Saphi so long as she wears her ether blocker. Fortunately for
us, I know of a way to bypass this restriction in the Firmament.”
Ryn knew quite a bit of this already. Aurienda had instructed him in
many of the mysteries of the Firmament because that was where all mages
eventually had to travel... after leaving their bodies... at one point or another
in their lives. It was also the place where devils lurked, and the chance of a
mage making a devil deal was the reason academies existed.
Academies existed to train mages so they never made a devil deal.
Aurienda continued her lesson. “It is also possible to locate other souls
in the Firmament if those souls share a quintessence, even if one is unable
to enter the Firmament due to extenuating circumstances. Blood is one such
quintessence. If two mages experienced in matters of the Firmament imbibe
each other’s blood before entering it, they can find each other’s souls.”
Ryn knew better than to interrupt Mistress Aurienda when she was
giving a lesson. He was desperately eager to find out how she could find
Saphi, but she was getting there. He trusted Aurienda to not provide any
more explanation than was necessary.
“Yet blood is not the only quintessence that can allow mages to find
each other,” Aurienda continued. “Any humor of the mortal body can serve,
provided each soul possesses it in some amount. So I will ask you one more
time, Xaven, with the caveat that if you and Saphielle were intimate tonight,
I may be able to find her. Did you have sex tonight?”
Aurienda was completely serious, and Ryn knew better than to be
embarrassed by his answer. He also knew better than to lie. Even if he got
himself and Saphi disciplined for breaking the academy’s rules tonight, she
would still be safe and here.
“I did, Mistress.”
“And how did you finish?”
“I released inside her, Mistress.”
“Then in this one case, your flagrant disregard for the rules may actually
help us.” Aurienda looked at Lena. “Will you be upset if I make him peak?
This is only so I can locate Saphielle.”
Unlike Ryn, who gawked in shock, Lena nodded without hesitation.
“No, Mistress. Do what you need.”
“Then the solution to our dilemma is simple.” Aurienda began to
unbutton her blouse. “If you release inside me, Xaven, Saphielle and I will
share the same quintessence.”
Ryn stared wide-eyed. “Are you serious?”
“Very much so. The fact that you released inside Saphielle so soon
before she was abducted means your seed remains inside her even now.”
As Aurienda spoke she dropped to her knees and removed her blouse,
revealing her massive freckled breasts and cleavage deep enough to
swallow his hand. Only her dark, wire-rimmed bra contained her. Despite
tonight’s circumstances, Ryn couldn’t help but look.
“Once you provide me with the same quintessence,” Mistress Aurienda
continued, “I can enter the Firmament and find her soul.” Now topless,
Aurienda removed her spectacles, folded them neatly, and set them on the
floor out of the way. “But the longer we delay, the weaker that connection
will be.”
He couldn’t believe this was happening. “But that’s if... I would have
too...”
“Yes, Xaven.” Aurienda looked up at him while on her knees. “While
this method of tracking a soul in the Firmament is secret, it is not forbidden.
As sexual congress between instructor and student remains forbidden, you
will release in my mouth as you have done many times before. I will then
slip into the Firmament and track Saphielle to her current location.”
 “But I...” Under literally any other set of circumstances, Ryn would
have jumped at the chance to have Mistress Aurienda pleasure him again.
“She was just abducted!”
Aurienda’s brow furrowed in concern. “I know you worry for her, and
you are hardly in the mood for this activity. It is difficult to be intimate after
surviving such an attack. Yet I believe this will work, and we must find
Saphielle. I fear for her otherwise.”
“Gods,” Ryn whispered. “I...” He took a breath. “It’s the only way?”
“It is the only way I know of that might work.” Aurienda reached
behind her back and unsnapped her bra. “And I know how important it is
that you are visually stimulated.”
Aurienda tossed her bra aside and freed her huge and gorgeous breasts.
Her dark pink nipples were almost as big as his thumbs, which reminded
him of all the times he’d sucked them until they were hard and dripping
with his saliva. He felt himself responding, but not enough for their needs.
His memory of Saphi being torn away from him was too fresh. Too raw.
“I help,” Lena said firmly. She pressed close and slid her hot hand
across Ryn’s length.
He jumped at the unexpected contact, then gasped as Lena shamelessly
stroked him through his thin pants. He’d worn thinner trousers tonight so he
could enjoy his time with Lena and Saphi, and it felt almost like he wore
nothing at all.
Lena held his gaze as she used loving motions to coax his body in a
direction his mind was hesitant to go. “This is strange, but for Saphi. We do
anything to help Saphi.”
Ryn trembled with her touch. “You’re right.” As Aurienda expertly
opened his trousers, Lena wrapped her warm hand around his shaft and
stroked him to full mast.
Even under the circumstances, the hot touch of Lena’s fingers was a lure
he’d couldn’t deny. Once she had him firm and ready, Lena looked to
Aurienda. “Yours now.”
The moment Aurienda’s warm, wet lips slipped around Ryn’s shaft, he
couldn’t help but moan. As Lena released him, Aurienda took him to the hilt
with ease. She sucked harder than any woman he’d ever been with, and she
had no problem taking him deep. Her throat was heaven.
A rush of guilt flooded him as he imagined Saphi struggling in a net in
the cold air while he enjoyed a blowjob from his favorite instructor, but
then Lena’s warm lips found his. Lena kissed him gently but firmly above
as Aurienda continued to pleasure him below. Both women assured him,
with their eagerness and affection, that this had to be done.
He and Aurienda had done this so many times that Ryn’s body
responded instinctively. This was... this was for Saphi. Under other
circumstances, he could never enjoy something like this while Saphi was in
danger, but he had to clear his mind if he wanted to save her.
He kissed Lena back and wrapped one arm around her waist.
Meanwhile, he gripped the back of Aurienda’s head and wound his hand
through her short black hair. As he took control of her motions, she
surrendered. She was always compliant when he used her throat.
Each time his mind threatened to wander too far from their goal, Lena’s
kisses and caresses pulled him back. It didn’t hurt that Aurienda was so
good at oral sex. No matter how hard he pushed her down, she took him
deep and without complaint, over and over. He focused on what that meant,
what Aurienda meant to him... and he to her.
Aurienda had been his ally since he arrived at this academy. She had
proven time and again she only wanted to help him. And now, she, Ryn, and
Lena were going to save Saphi. What she was doing wasn’t what he’d asked
for tonight... but it had to be done.
With Lena’s firm kisses and Aurienda’s fervent attentions, Ryn soon felt
his peak approaching. Instead of thinking about Saphi being snatched up in
that net, he thought about how she’d wriggled in his lap. How he’d run his
fingers across her body and between her legs.
“I love you, Saphi.” He reminded himself why the three of them were
doing this.
Aurienda could sense how close he was. They had done this so many
times. She abruptly and possessively gripped his ass and then physically
choked herself on him, gagging loudly enough Ryn stopped thinking and
just felt. He came hard in her mouth.
 As he groaned loudly against Lena’s lips, she clutched him possessively.
He released Aurienda’s head and held Lena close as Aurienda’s warm lips
eased off him.
“We save her,” Lena whispered. “This is what we are about.”
Ryn was still coming down when Aurienda swallowed his quintessence,
took a deep breath, and then dropped into a meditation position. With her
ankles crossed, she rested her hands, palm up, on her spread knees. She
closed her eyes.
As Lena eased away and Ryn stared down in a mixture of awe and
trepidation, Aurienda’s features went perfectly flat. Her breathing slowed. A
bit of his seed still glistened on the corner of her chin, which assured him
she had everything she needed.
Aurienda would find Saphi’s soul. She’d promised. And then Ryn would
save her.
As they waited in her silent office, minutes stretched into forever.
Eventually, Ryn remembered to pull his smallclothes back up, along with
his trousers. He numbly buckled his belt and looked to Aurienda again. She
remained as still as she had been before, topless, breathing slowly, and
somewhere in the Firmament.
“She find her,” Lena said. “I know.”
He looked at Lena. “You’re amazing.”
She shrugged. “I know this, too.”
“I mean it, Lena!” Now that the shock of the attack was wearing off and
Aurienda had done... that... he was starting to regain his faculties. “You
stepped into a paralyze net for me!”
“And Saphi,” she reminded him.
“And this...” Ryn motioned to Aurienda and shook his head. “I don’t
even... I still feel like I did something wrong by doing this tonight, but it
was the only way. Wasn’t it?”
“Nothing wrong about this,” Lena reminded him firmly. “Mistress Auri
cares for you, and for Saphi. She wishes to help, so she does. She not suck
you before?”
 “She has,” he admitted. “Many, many times. But she was instructing
me.”
“Instructing you... for sex?”
“Yes.”
Lena ruefully shook her head. “Jealous.”
Ryn chuckled. He loved that Lena could make him laugh despite a
situation like this. As he kept his hand around her waist, he remembered
something else.
“Did you mean what you said in the courtyard? That you are my
auxiliary?”
“Yes,” Lena said. “We swear this.”
“But we agreed not to bond until we were sure.”
“You sure now?”
“Absolutely. There’s no mage here I want to bond more, and I can’t
imagine any way you could be more perfect. I mean that.”
“Talented with tongue,” Lena agreed softly.
“But it’s a bond for life, so I know you need to consider it carefully.”
“I also consider this,” Lena said. “We fight mages and others to save
Saphi. Bond helps us fight well.”
“That’s not a good reason to let me bond you.”
“Is not only reason,” Lena assured him. “Simply one.”
“So what are the others? I want to bond you, have no doubt, but I also
want you to be certain you want the same thing. I need to know you’ve
thought this through.”
“You kind to me,” Lena said. “You also look very good, and you smart
at strategy and talented with forms, and you are fantastic dancer, and... I just
feel.”
“Feel what?”
 “You. In here.” She pressed her hot palm against his palm. “Since we
first touch, I feel... your inside. Good soul, but also... old soul.”
“Old soul?” Ryn asked in wonder.
“In Pasharal, we believe souls return.”
“Return how?”
“In different bodies. Sometimes once, sometimes many times. In
Pasharal...” She hesitated. “We believe such about primal conjurer.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mages have one affinity.”
Ryn knew this, of course.
“Primal Conjurer has all affinities.”
He considered the logic she presented. “So because I have multiple
affinities, you think I’ve lived multiple times? As a mage?”
“Is one belief.” Lena shrugged. “No one knows for true.”
He nodded ruefully. “It’s an interesting theory.”
“Our souls fit.” Lena touched his cheek and gazed warmly into his eyes.
“After weeks, I am sure. So, this is why I wish you to bond me. We fit. I
make strong auxiliary.”
He pulled her close and hugged her. “You can’t imagine how happy that
makes me.”
“Sure can.” Lena patted his back. “Makes me happy too.”
Aurienda gasped as her eyes snapped open.
Ryn dropped to his knees beside her. “Mistress? Are you all right?”
“I found her,” Aurienda said calmly. “But we will need to move at
once.” She reached for her glasses and then her blouse.

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 Chapter

Twenty-One

A fter A urienda dressed herself and , at his reminder, brushed the

last of his seed off her lips, Ryn and Lena followed her out of her office.
Ryn found himself bursting with questions. Where was Saphi? Was she
safe? Had the attackers hurt her? How had the attackers gotten into the
academy in the first place? How had they escaped?
The academy had twelve drake riders in total, and two flew regular
patrols. There were always at least two drakes in the air, and if there was
ever a threat to the academy, there would be far more. Drake riders were a
common sight above the academy both during the day and the night, which
was why Ryn had assumed (wrongly) the rider at the garden was theirs.
Still, the fierce cast of Aurienda’s features assured him she would not be
answering questions, at least not yet. Given how fast drakes flew, Saphi was
likely far from here. The longer he delayed them by asking questions, the
further they could take Saphi.
Aurienda knew where Saphi was. She was leading him to the woman he
loved, and she hadn’t suggested he or Lena should stay in the academy for
their own safety. It seemed she intended to handle Saphi’s rescue
personally, and that was a tremendous relief. She was one of the most
experienced and powerful mages in the academy.
As they passed a member of the Primal Guard standing at attention,
Aurienda stopped. “Find Guards Garroth and Lao. Order them to gather two
medium-sized battle robes and bring them to the stable. Go immediately.”
With a clanking of armor, the Primal Guard hurried off.
Aurienda resumed their journey. Ryn and Lena followed in silence as
they descended level after level of stairs. He realized, then, he had never
been this deep beneath the academy. They were now below even the cells
where he’d learned kalakul.
Also, Aurienda was taking them to a stable? It was Ryn’s understanding
that the Primal Academy did not have a stable, at least for horses, because
horses and drakes did not get along. It was difficult to host one animal when
the other considered it food.
They reached a sealed, reinforced door at the end of a long hallway.
There, Aurienda pressed her palm to a silver panel. The door rumbled open.
She stepped through, and Ryn followed her with Lena on his heels. His eyes
widened as he took in the sight.
It seemed the Primal Academy did, in fact, have a stable. An
underground stable.
There was a large cavern, one big enough to contain the entire mess
hall, beneath the academy. It was filled with lush green grass and even trees.
A light like sunlight but obviously not glowed against the ceiling, filling the
cavern with pseudo-sunlight.
A wooden building that resembled the only stable Ryn had ever seen...
the one back in the town of Pinewood Crossing, where he’d once eaten a
candied apple and enjoyed watching a village dance... stood nearby.
Harper’s Fork hadn’t been big enough to have its own stable. As Ryn
marveled at the huge underground cavern, he saw Lena smiling upward.
He glanced at her in sudden curiosity. “Something wrong?”
“Feels like home,” she said softly.
He remembered. Back in Pasharal many of her people, and likely Lena
herself, grew up living in underground caves that sheltered them from the
fierce storms that battered their islands. He knew they didn’t live their year
round (there were usually three to four months of calm weather every year)
but he imagined Lena must feel very comfortable here. In Ryn’s case, he
felt like the roof could come down on his head at any moment.
 An older gray-haired man emerged from a small house by the stables.
He wore the same color clothes as other academy serving staff, but his were
far more ornate. He hurried over.
“Will you be taking Frost out tonight, Mistress?”
“I will, Oliver,” Aurienda said firmly. “Saddle him and four geldings for
our riders. We will be departing shortly, so have the lift brought up.”
Oliver bowed and took two steps back. “It will be done.” He hurried
away.
As Ryn took another look around the huge underground cavern and the
shimmering grass that filled it, he couldn’t help but ask a question. “How
can all this greenery grow down here?”
Aurienda turned to face them. “The soil contains special nutrients mixed
by nature mages like myself, and we regularly channel nature ether through
the grass and trees to ensure it remains healthy. Water is pumped in from
below. The light is a spark spell form.
“But why have a stable underground? Is it because of the drakes?”
“Those, and because it can double as a location we can fall back to and
secure if the academy is ever taken. There are many caverns like this one
which we secure and reinforce. Just over a decade ago, I suggested
converting this one into a field and stable.”
“So this your private stable?” Lena asked curiously.
“It is the academy’s private stable,” Aurienda said. “But I helped design
it.”
Ryn was once again impressed by all she’d accomplished. “That’s
incredible.”
“Thank you, Xaven. Now, what other questions do you have about
tonight?”
Aurienda hadn’t let them pause since she left her meditation, and he
understood why now. There hadn’t been a moment to lose. However, there
was nothing they could do to hurry the underground staff into getting their
horses ready, and there was nothing they could do to speed up Guards
Garroth and Lao in arriving with battle robes to replace their fine clothes.
 So now, after Aurienda had given all the orders she needed to give, they
could do nothing but wait while others carried them out. They could now
ask questions without delaying the mission. He’d remember this strategy for
when he had to lead his future auxiliaries.
“Where’s Saphi?” Ryn asked.
“She is being held in an underground cavern in the hills a moderate
distance from the academy. Others are with her, though I could not verify
their identity.”
“Is she hurt?”
“She is unharmed.”
He’d been right. The attackers had been trying to capture him, not kill
him. They’d captured Saphi instead, but she was a sibyl. Even if she had no
ability to channel ether, she was still a priestess of the Righteous Sect. That,
for better or worse, made her an excellent hostage.
“Do we know how the attackers got inside?”
“It may be days before we have a definitive answer. However, you said
that five soldiers and a spark mage came after you in the Meditation
Garden, and we know that it is exceedingly difficult to invade the academy
from below or through the main gate. Because we know the enemy has
drake riders, I would suspect drakes carried the attackers in by air.”
Ryn was surprised to hear that. “Drakes can carry more than one
person?”
“Generally three at the most. Unlike pegasi, drakes are flying predators
that evolved to snatch up prey in their talons. Some armies, including the
Dragon Corps of the Lachlan Confederacy, have soldiers trained to ride in
nets whom drake riders drop onto targets.”
“So the confederacy is behind this attack?”
“Never cast aspersions when you have no proof.” Even in a dark time
like this, his favorite instructor was still teaching him how to lead. “We only
know that our attackers had drake riders, and two drakes could deliver six
people.”
 “Five soldiers and one spark mage.” Ryn nodded grimly. “So there’s
three drake riders.”
“You said you only saw two.”
“Right, but if a drake can only carry three soldiers apiece, and they
came here to abduct me and possibly others, they’d want at least one more
drake to haul me back. They wouldn’t just abandon their soldiers in the
academy, at least not if they were still alive.”
Aurienda nodded. “Very good, Xaven.”
“But how did our riders not intercept them?”
“The academy’s patrol has a great deal of sky to cover. Even two drake
riders can usually spot incoming riders during the day, but the attackers
waited until after dark, which hid them. Moreover, were I leading the
assault you escaped, I would dispatch an additional force to attack or lure
our drake riders out of position, then have the true force come for you.”
“That does make sense.” Ryn had always known Aurienda had a knack
for strategy, but he’d never seen her demonstrate it before. “But it’s all
speculation for now.”
“That is correct. This is merely my best guess.”
“So what are we doing down here? Why did you call for Garroth and
Lao and no others? Now that we know where Saphi is, why aren’t we
sending the whole guard after her?”
“Multiple reasons. First, the academy is no longer secure. While we
suspect the intention of the attackers was to abduct you, we have not
verified it. The attack on you could be a distraction to hide their true goal,
or they could have multiple objectives they wish to complete. The Primal
Guard has never been large. Every soldier we have is needed to sweep the
academy for additional intruders and secure our students.”
“Which is why we’re going out with a small force,” Ryn agreed. “We’re
the scouts who can locate the enemy and then bring the drake riders down
on them.”
“Yes, Xaven. Also, while we know where Saphi was when we left my
office, there is always the chance her abductors could move her before we
arrive. Finally, and most importantly⁠—”
“Saphi’s abductors don’t know we’ve found her yet,” Ryn finished.
“They have no way of knowing you were able to find her in the Firmament.
So if they spot drake riders nearby, they could run or hurt Saphi. We have to
covertly verify they are there before we call in help.”
Aurienda nodded again. “The moment we verify the location of
Saphielle and anyone else these riders abducted, I will call for additional
support. We also have several factors in our favor. With the alarm raised,
our full flight of drake riders is now sweeping the skies around the
academy. Knowing this, I suspect our attackers immediately went to
ground.”
“Drakes carrying people in nets can’t fly faster than drakes without,”
Ryn agreed. “They’d also be easily spotted if they tried to flee on the
ground. So they flew out of here to make a quick exit and landed as soon as
they could at the entrance to the underground cave where you found Saphi.
Now they’re hiding to avoid our patrols.”
“Again, that is only my supposition.”
“But what’s their endgame?” Ryn frowned as he considered. “Assuming
they had captured me, they couldn’t get me out of here over land. Our riders
would spot them. They can’t take to the skies for the same reason, so did
they plan to just... wait us out?”
“Even twelve drake riders flying constant patrols would be unlikely to
spot them in the underground cavern I saw in the Firmament. A ground
search will take even longer, and even then we cannot leave the academy’s
defenses underprepared. So again, were I leading the attackers, I would
judge concealment sufficient for at least a few days.”
“Enough time to send us a ransom demand or wait for allies to arrive.”
Ryn stepped forward and gripped Aurienda’s arm. “Which is why we’re
heading out to handle this tonight. I’m so glad you’re here, Mistress.”
“Same,” Lena said eagerly. “You are masterful. Great mage.”
Aurienda adjusted her spectacles. “Thank you, Markov.” She glanced
behind her as Oliver emerged holding the leads of a magnificent white
stallion, and Ryn released her arm and stepped back. He wouldn’t want
Oliver thinking anything he shouldn’t.
Ryn stared in awe at Frost, Aurienda’s personal mount. The stallion’s
flank rose to his head, and he wasn’t just saddled. He wore flexible horse
armor similar to a mage’s battle robes, chain and cloth with embedded
armored plates. The stallion snorted at the sight of Aurienda.
Another woman a bit younger than Oliver followed him while carrying
the leads of two geldings, one brown and one beige. At his side, Lena cooed
softly. “So beautiful.”
Before Ryn could figure out which one of the geldings he wanted to
ride, he heard the rumble of the door through which they’d entered opening
again. He turned as two Primal Guards in full armor marched into the room.
He recognized Ashlee immediately, so the other one, the male guard,
must be Lao. Lao carried two armored battle robes. As both guards hurried
over, Aurienda stepped toward them.
“Your horses are already being saddled,” Aurienda informed them. “You
will be leaving the academy on a scouting mission. Your goal is to find the
people who invaded the academy tonight and rescue Saphielle. Xaven and
Markov need robes.”
Lao handed a heavy robe to Lena, who wobbled as she took it. While
the robe remained flexible, the armored plates embedded in it made it rather
heavy.
Ryn took a robe as well and slung it over his shoulder. “Any word on
Cressa?”
Ashlee frowned. “Cressa Logan?”
“Yes. Was she in the head count?”
“She’s missing from the count. Right now, we’re assuming she was
abducted along with Sibyl Saphielle.”
“What about Kayden Seagrove?”
“Unconscious but stable. We think he may have been hurt trying to fight
off the soldiers who attacked you when they attacked Cressa, but we don’t
know for sure.”
 Ryn glanced at Lena, who offered a knowing grimace. They were of the
same mind. It was possible Cressa had been abducted... or that she’d been
involved in this attack from the start. Cressa knew paralyze, after all, and
she had reasons to dislike Ryn and Lena.
Yet like Aurienda had said, it would be foolish to cast aspersions when
he had no proof. For now, he would allow the Primal Guards to assume
Cressa had been abducted alongside Saphi. Moreover, Ryn would assume
that as well... until he had proof to the contrary.
Aurienda’s huge white stallion snorted loudly as he arrived. She offered
her hand, and Frost immediately rubbed his head against it. She massaged
the horse’s large head affectionately and turned to Ryn. “Xaven, you will be
in command of this mission.”
Ryn stared in surprise. “What? Why?”
“As a Primal Academy instructor, my first duty is to secure the
academy. I cannot simply ride off on scouting missions whenever I like. I
doubt the Executrix will be pleased to have me leaving my post after an
attack, so I am passing command to you. Do you require my aid?”
“So I’m in command.” Ryn considered what that meant. “I can’t say I’m
upset to hear that, though I would trust you to lead us anywhere, Mistress.”
“My oaths to the academy forbid me from leaving under circumstances
such as this, especially after an attack. I can only go against those oaths if
they are countermanded by a mage with sufficient authority to override the
Executrix of the Primal Academy.”
“Which a primal conjurer can do in extreme circumstances, and only
relating to matters outside the academy.” Ryn was glad he had spent so
much time studying topics other than sex with Mistress Aurienda. “Under
my authority as a primal conjurer, I’m ordering you to join my scouting
mission. I need your support if we’re to find our foes and rescue Saphi.”
“You have it, primal conjurer,” Aurienda said calmly.
Ashlee snapped to attention in her armor and clasped her hand against
her chest. “You have our support as well.”
Lao joined the salute. As Ryn looked to Lena, he found her smirking in
his direction.
 “Lead,” she reminded him.
“I am doing that.” He took one more look at their small party. Everyone
was assembled, the horses were saddled, and they were ready to leave.
There was only one problem.
“Everyone turn around,” Ryn ordered. “Look out at the grassy fields.”
Lao looked confused inside the T-slit of his helmet. “Turn around?”
“Lena and I need to change into our robes for battle,” Ryn reminded
everyone. “We’ll be quick about it, but we don’t want to be on display.”
Ashlee and Lao turned away immediately. Aurienda did not. Ryn
shamelessly stripped off his tunic, then his trousers, then eyed his instructor
as Lena handed him his robes and then shimmered out of her own dress...
leaving herself naked except for her panties.
Lena’s breasts looked fantastic in this light, as did the rest of her. Her
panties were red, slim, and cut to show off more of her ass than others he’d
seen. It was the first time he’d seen her with so little clothing, and Lena’s
knowing smile suggested she didn’t mind.
“Mistress?” Ryn reminded her. “I did order you to turn around.”
“Of course, Xaven.” She turned her back. “Though I do have one more
thought.”
As Ryn shrugged on his battle robes and moved to help Lena with hers,
trying his level best to ignore her fantastic body, he helped her ready herself
for battle. “What’s that?”
“Command already appears to suit you.”
Ryn snorted as he helped Lena with her clasps and she helped with his.
“Yes, well, you’ve only been training me for a night like this since the day I
arrived.”
After they all saddled up and completed a short ride to the edge of the
cavern, they rode the horses down a descending tunnel that emerged on the
sheer side of the plateau. A single Primal Guard waited at the controls for
what looked to be a large wooden lift that could fit all the horses. Ryn
expected the animals to shy away from the lift, but the fact that they all
followed Frost onto it without complaint suggested they’d been very well
trained.
As the lift descended and the wind whistled, causing it to sway, Ryn
found himself nervous. He glanced at Lena to find her staring at the sky and
smiling. On his other side, Aurienda sat placidly on her warhorse, which left
her half a body above him. Leading his first mission as a primal conjurer
left him nervous, but also eager to prove himself.
He was going to rescue Saphi. These drake riders and their allies...
whoever they were... had no idea Ryn knew where they were hiding, and
they had no idea they had abducted a woman he loved. They also had no
idea he had a conflagration mage as powerful as Lena, a nature mage as
experienced as Aurienda, and two deadly Primal Guards.
Ryn was ready. His enemies were not. He could work with that.

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 Chapter

Twenty-Two

T hey rode long into the dark night. Since Aurienda was the one who
knew how to reach the caves where the enemy forces were holding Saphi
(and possibly Cressa) Ryn ordered her to take the lead on Frost. From what
he knew about horses, he doubted her big stallion would tolerate being at
the back of the pack. Ryn could understand that feeling.
He and Lena rode behind Aurienda on their geldings, while Guards
Garroth and Lao flanked them on either side. Ryn was glad the academy’s
training included horseback riding. His days spent learning to ride outside
the walls were some of his most pleasant memories. No one talked more
than necessary as they rode, and only in low tones.
Each time the beat of leathery wings filled the night, Ryn couldn’t help
but tighten his grip on his reins. Yet each time he looked up, the drake that
swooped over them did so high enough up it was obviously no threat. He
soon spotted red banners streaming from the claws of the drakes above.
They’d been hastily tied on to differentiate them from the enemy.
Drakes wearing red bands on their claws held riders from the Primal
Academy. They were flying a standard search pattern that shouldn’t arouse
suspicion in their enemies if they were watching, and Ryn found it
comforting to have eyes and allies in the air. He now knew Aurienda carried
a small device that would launch a burning flare skyward.
 When they were ready to call in support, Aurienda would launch the
flare. Every drake rider in sight of the academy could see it, and then they
would all divert to the location and swoop in to help. If the enemy force
was as small as he hoped, they would be enough.
Five soldiers, one mage, and two drake riders had attacked him in the
Meditation Garden. From Ashlee’s report, he knew he’d killed the soldier
he hit with brilliant spark and the first soldier he’d ignited with flame burst.
The second he’d burned was alive, but unconscious. That meant the enemy
might only have two soldiers and a spark mage to guard Saphi.
The fact that Ryn had killed someone tonight... or, in this case, two
people... barely felt real. Ryn had always known that he could encounter
bandits on the road once he graduated, or worse, a devil-marked mage. He
had known he would one day fight and even kill others when necessary, but
the reality of doing so had left him conflicted. He wanted to feel more
guilty.
He found the idea of taking another person’s life disturbing, even if he
had no other choice. Yet the soldiers he’d fought in the courtyard had come
to take him off to a possibly horrific fate, and they’d taken Saphi when they
couldn’t take him. They were his enemies... and he had discovered, tonight,
that he had little sympathy for his enemies.
Did the fact that he wasn’t crippled with guilt make him a bad person?
He would consider these ruminations in more detail when Saphi was safe.
He had no luxury for moralizing now, especially when he might need to kill
again to ensure Saphi made it home safe.
As they rode, the rich grasses on the rolling hills outside the academy
fell off to be replaced with shorter, stubbier grass and weeds. Large stones,
some larger than the horses, rose from the increasingly rocky ground. They
must be close to their destination.
Aurienda had explained that multiple small cave systems riddled the
area around the academy. The one to which they now rode was just one of
many, so their enemies might feel confident they could not be found
quickly. Ryn hoped they would keep thinking that.
Frost slowed, then stopped. Ryn rode his gelding up to the stallion’s side
and glanced at Aurienda. “Are we close?” he whispered.
 “The covered entrance to the cave in which I saw them keeping Saphi is
just over the ridge up there,” Aurienda said quietly. “I do not believe they
would risk having lookouts outside with the drake riders up, but I suspect
they have sentinels watching from inside the cave.”
“So the moment we come over that ridge, they’ll react.” Ryn
considered. “I’m going to scout it out first.”
“You intend to leave your body?”
Like all mages, Ryn had trained to lift his soul from his body many
times. However, he had never moved more than a few steps away. He knew
it was possible, but the further a mage got from the body, the fuzzier the
world became. It became increasingly hard to retain a sense of direction,
and there were rumors some mages never found their way back.
“It’s the only way I know of to get a peek over that ridge,” he told her.
“Then may I make a suggestion?”
“Please.”
“You, Lena, and I should all project so you can scout. Have you and
another person ever projected at the same time?”
He and Saphi had never done that. Ryn had to slip outside of his body
during intercourse to tie the cords of ether that would form a mage bond,
but there had been no reason for Saphi to do the same. “I have not,
Mistress.”
“Mages in close proximity can see each other much more clearly than
they can see the world,” Aurienda said. “So if you wish to scout, Lena and I
can act as beacons. The three of us working together can travel much
further than you could alone without getting lost.”
“Like links in a chain,” Ryn said. “We need a look over that hill.” He
turned to Guard Lao. “Lao? Mind giving me your first name? I’m more
comfortable with first names.”
The guard didn’t hesitate. “Jared.”
“Thanks. Jared, Ashlee, I need you to stand guard and be ready to
defend us if anyone attacks. I’m going to project with Lena and Mistress
Aurienda and get us some information. While we’re doing that, we’ll be
defenseless, so you’ll need to keep a good watch.”
Ashlee clanked her hand to her chest. “Yes, Primal Conjurer.”
Ryn dismounted, and a moment later, Aurienda and Lena did the same.
As Ashlee and Jared spread out on either side of where they’d stopped to
keep watch, Ryn moved close to Lena and Aurienda. “All right, Mistress.
How does this work?”
“We will all link hands and project at the same time,” Aurienda said.
“Together, we will walk as far from our bodies as we can without losing
sight of them in the mist. Then, I will stop and wait while you and Lena
proceed further. Move only until I become difficult to pick out of the mist.
If you still can’t see what you need, Lena should stop as well.”
“And I continue forward as far as I can go without losing sight of
Lena.” He walked as close to the ridge as he dared and stopped. “Let’s do it
here.”
He settled into a meditation pose as Lena and Aurienda sat on each side
of him and formed a triangle. Their knees touched. Ryn took each woman’s
hand, and Aurienda and Lena took each other’s. Since Aurienda had
inspired this idea, he’d have her handle it.
“Mistress? Count us down.”
“Focus on clearing your minds,” Aurienda said.
It was difficult given the circumstances, but Ryn had lots of practice. He
closed his eyes and breathed deep. He focused on his breathing and the
warmth of the two women holding his hands... and how much each of them
cared for him and Saphi. He focused on his goal.
Soon his mind was calm. His breathing was steady. He was ready.
Aurienda spoke softly somewhere at the edge of his consciousness.
“Lift.”
Ryn stopped breathing... consciously. He rose from his body and stood
to find two glowing forms in close proximity. They were marginally
humanoid, with arms and legs and heads, but had no faces. So that was
what a person’s soul looked like in the mortal world.
 Still, he could tell which one was Aurienda because she was marginally
taller, and because small motes of green nature ether circled her soul form.
As he looked at Lena, he found tiny embers drifting about her body as well.
That was her flame affinity. Fascinating.
He looked around to orient himself. The world around them was still the
world they’d left, but heavy mists swirled all around them in a ring not far
away. Ryn estimated he had about thirty paces before he would step into
those mists. Still, he could see their physical bodies, the horses, Ashlee and
Jared, and his surroundings clearly enough.
The mists moved when he walked, of course. Ryn had experimented
enough to know that. They would grow thicker the further he walked until,
if he walked too far, he would lose all sense of direction and could wander
forever as a disembodied soul.
Time to put Aurienda’s suggestion to the test. Ryn raised an arm (his
own body looked normal, just transparent) and motioned to the two soul
forms in front of him. Each waved a handless arm. They could see him as
well.
He turned and strode toward the mists in the direction of the ridge. As
he walked, the mists grew thicker. He glanced back frequently, but not to
verify Lena and Aurienda were following. To make sure he could still see
their bodies through the mist.
They’d just reached the top of the ridge when he decided they’d gone
far enough. He could still see the three of them sitting and holding hands
through the mist in the distance, but it was like a faded reflection in a
muddy pond. He dared not go further.
Ryn pointed at the ridge. The taller soul form, Aurienda, moved to
where he’d pointed. She made a motion with both hands that was as close to
“move on” as a form without hands could manage, assuring him she
understood.
Ryn descended with Lena’s soul form at his side. Finally, Ryn got his
first look at the cave on the other side of the ridge. His surroundings
continued to be mist-cloaked and blurry, but at least he could make out the
basic details of the world of the living.
 The cave entry was low and narrow, and it seemed clear a person would
have to crawl to get inside. Drakes wouldn’t fit through that opening, which
was good news. That suggested the drake riders had dropped off their
passengers and then winged away, possibly to lead the Primal Academy’s
drake riders away from where the actual soldiers were camped.
He glanced back from time to time at Aurienda, a glowing beacon atop
the ridge whose light grew more faint the closer he got to the cave. He was
halfway there when he judged her, again, as far away as she could be. He
turned to Lena. Even without being able to see her features, he knew her
eyes were on him. He pointed at the ground, and she stopped.
The last leg would be on him. He had to get a look inside that cave. He
hurried forward before his nerves could fray and glanced back for Lena not
soon after. Her brilliant soul glowed brightly where he’d left her, but he
now saw no sign of Aurienda. The mist had hidden her.
Ryn mentally steeled his will as he reminded himself Saphi needed him.
He would do anything for her. He reached the cave entry and crouched low
to move inside, even though, as a soul, the physical features of the world
had less effect. He spotted shadow forms within.
He could barely make out the interior of the cave given the distance his
soul now was from his body. There were forms inside, but they were like
shadows of shadows. He focused patiently until he could pick out details.
One form was pressed against the wall in a sitting position that
suggested she was bound. As Ryn focused on the female form, he knew her.
It was Saphi. Saphi was safe.
Ryn surveyed the other three figures in the cave and judged them to be
two men and one woman. As the woman paced about, Ryn couldn’t make
out her face or other features. Yet her movements... he knew those
movements. He knew how this woman paced.
Cressa Logan was in this cave as well, and she paced freely inside it.
Ryn had all the information he needed. The cave might have more
rooms beyond, but Saphi’s captors were just inside. They had no drake
riders to support them, since drakes couldn’t fit in this cave. The drake
riders must have flown off, with Saphi’s captors choosing stealth over
protection. As Aurienda had told him, Saphi was alive and bound inside.
 Ryn turned and winced. The cavern was filled with shadow, and he’d
focused so intently on the faint forms inside it he’d lost his sense of where
the entrance was. If he took too many steps in the wrong direction, his body
would remain empty forever.
He calmed his mind. He couldn’t breathe, so he simply imagined
breathing. To his relief, he spotted a shadow that might be the cave entry
ahead. He took cautious steps, glancing back frequently to orient himself
with the shadows, and then emerged. Lena glowed brightly in the distance,
a beacon that called to him through the mist.
Ryn couldn’t run as a disembodied soul, but he could walk fast. He
hurried back to her and pumped his fist in a gesture he hoped would show
her he had what they needed. Now that he stood directly next to her, he
could see Aurienda glowing brightly on the ridge.
Lena fell in beside him as they hurried up the ridge. Once they reached
Aurienda, Ryn was again in sight of their bodies, and he (mentally)
breathed a sigh of relief. He led them down the ridge and, soon enough, to
their physical bodies. Ryn sat down inside himself.
His eyes snapped open as his body took one loud, shuddering breath.
His body had continued to breathe in his absence, but returning to his flesh
after so long away was still a disorienting and uncomfortable experience.
Lena’s too warm hand squeezed his tightly, and Ryn didn’t let go. Aurienda
released his hand and stood up.
Ryn stood with her, measuring his breaths, then looked to the Primal
Guards on each side. He motioned with his free hand, and everyone
huddled up near the horses.
“Our quarry is in the cave over the ridge. It has an entry too low for a
person to walk through upright, so it looks like the drake riders flew off
after dropping their soldiers and captives here to hide. Saphi is bound inside
with two soldiers on guard.”
“What about Cressa?” Aurienda asked. “Did you see her?”
“She’s there as well, unbound. I believe she’s leading the attackers. That
highly suggests she was the spark mage who attacked us in the Meditation
Garden.”
 Aurienda tapped her chin as she considered. “Cressa Logan transferred
to the academy from the Lachlan Confederacy at fourteen. She is now
twenty-two. That suggests either that she was inserted as an agent of a
foreign nation-state, possibly the confederacy, or someone back home could
be blackmailing her to make her betray the academy.”
“Or she always snake,” Lena added snidely.
“I don’t care about her motives,” Ryn said grimly. “She took Saphi, and
we’re getting her back. I hope we can capture everyone in there alive, but
our goal is to rescue our hostage.”
“Shall I call for the drake riders?” Aurienda asked.
Ryn considered his answer carefully. Now that they had verified Saphi
was where Aurienda had known she would be, they had their quarry
cornered unless that cave had a back way out. Which it might. Bringing in
drake riders now could tilt the odds in their favor.
On the other hand, he had no idea what Cressa and her soldiers... if they
were even her soldiers... intended. Surrounding them and leaving them with
no way out could lead them to do something desperate, like harm or kill
Saphi. They might even kill themselves.
Ryn doubted any of the people in that cave wanted to be taken in alive.
The Righteous Sect looked poorly on those who attacked academies that
trained mages. The sect was the ultimate moral authority across the realm,
with churches and offices in all nation-states save Pasharal. Few dared
challenge their power openly.
The power of the Righteous Sect was the reason Ryn would have so
much power as a primal conjurer. Once he officially graduated and accepted
his title, he would be the hand of the sect, operating with their authority and
their backing. That made him a very dangerous man to cross, even for
powerful rulers of other nation-states.
The Righteous Sect and their academies were all that ensured mages
didn’t make devil deals, which ensured a second devil war wouldn’t erupt.
All nation-states had signed treaties marking academies as off-limits even in
times of war. That made tonight’s attack a war crime.
 If the attackers surrendered and were lucky, they might go to prison for
the rest of their lives. It they were unlucky, the sect could convict them of
heresy and burn them at the stake. As for Cressa... if she’d betrayed the
Primal Academy, willingly, she would be executed.
None of those possible outcomes gave Saphi’s captors any incentive to
surrender.
If Ryn called in the drake riders, the situation would escalate quickly.
Saphi could be injured or even killed if Cressa and her soldiers chose to kill
themselves and take their captive with them. Yet if Ryn took his group to
rescue Saphi, they could get killed trying to sneak into the cave through that
narrow entry. The captors were no doubt watching the entry closely.
A frontal assault on the cave wouldn’t ensure Saphi’s safety, and while
bringing in the drake riders would ensure her captors couldn’t escape with
her, they might not want to escape. As unpleasant as it was to swallow, Ryn
realized he simply didn’t have enough information to make a decision that
could keep Saphi safe.
He needed to negotiate. There was only one good way to do that. “I’m
going to surrender to Cressa and the soldiers in the cave.”
“What?” Lena demanded.
Aurienda frowned. “That is not a good idea.”
“It’s not great, I’ll grant you, but we don’t know enough to try anything
else. If we try to squeeze through that narrow opening, we could get torn
apart. If we call in the drakes, we could force Saphi’s captors to do
something rash and homicidal. The only thing we know for certain is they
came to the academy to abduct me. They wanted to take me alive.”
“And how your surrender help us?” Lena asked angrily.
“It lets me negotiate,” Ryn said. “I’m the one person I’m confident they
won’t kill on sight, and if I can speak to them, I can find out what they
want.”
“They already have a valuable hostage,” Aurienda said. “How will our
position improve if you give them a second one?”
“Because before I surrender,” Ryn said, “I’m going to bond Lena.”
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 Chapter

Twenty-Three

L ena eyed him in surprise . “You sure this work?”

Ryn nodded. “Using bond speak, you and I can communicate even if
they paralyze me and drag me into that cave. I can relay everything they tell
me to you, and you can relay it to everyone out here. I wish a frontal assault
was an option, but they’re hunkered down in a fortified location with a
hostage we can’t risk having harmed.”
“Xaven...” Aurienda grimaced as if considering how best to talk him out
of this crazy idea. “As a primal conjurer, your value exceeds everyone
here.”
“Which is why I’m confident these people won’t just kill me. Mistress,
you and the academy have trained me to channel ether and defend myself,
but you’ve also trained me in diplomacy and on how to lead negotiations.
We can’t capture or kill these people, not without risking Saphi’s life.
Negotiating for Saphi’s release is our best option.”
“And what do you intend to offer them?”
“Whatever I can reasonably provide. They may be zealots who’ve
already sworn their lives away, but my hope is they aren’t. I will offer them
the chance to leave so long as they release their captive. As our leader,
that’s ultimately my call. Isn’t it, Mistress?”
 “It is,” Aurienda agreed. “But I would not recommend you allow them
to escape.”
“I will always appreciate your counsel. But you put me in command,
and I choose to prioritize the lives of our people above all. I’ve considered
our options, and negotiation is the best chance we have to get Saphi out of
that cave alive.”
Lena gripped his arm possessively. “This worries me.”
“It worries me too.” He smiled at her. “But you told me to lead. Will
you follow me?”
He looked around for arguments. Aurienda looked more uncertain than
he’d ever seen her, but she didn’t contradict him. As for the Primal Guards,
Ashlee and Jared looked like they were ready to follow the orders of
whoever won the argument. This was above their station.
When he looked to Lena, he found her brow furrowed with worry. Even
so, she nodded.
“I follow you,” Lena told him softly. “My prime.”
Those words, from her, made his heart soar despite the difficult
circumstances. The title she’d just used was one only used by an auxiliary
to refer to their bonded mage. Lena had fully accepted her role and his. She
was ready to become his second auxiliary.
Now, Ryn needed to make that happen. He looked to Aurienda.
“Mistress, you and the guard need to keep a close eye on the cave. Make
sure no one leaves. If the people inside do try to escape, and you don’t feel
you can stop them, summon the drake riders.”
Aurienda nodded grimly. “Understood.”
“We’ll be... we’ll return once it’s done.” Ryn gently wrapped his fingers
through Lena’s and squeezed her hand.
She squeezed back. He led her away from the others, away from the
ridge, and into the cold night. He had hoped their first time together would
be in the soft bed in his nice dormitory room. He’d hoped to kiss, strip, and
tease her as he readied her for their bonding, and to give her at least one
orgasm before he slipped inside her. Yet this was it.
 He needed to bond Lena. She wanted to be bonded. They both wanted
to save Saphi, and they could still have a lovely time in a warm room in a
warm bed on another night. After Saphi was safe and this business was
done. As he held Lena’s warm hand, he felt... ready.
Lena pointed at something not long after. “Cave.”
He looked and found what she’d found. There was another small cave
carved into the rocks not far from where they were walking. It wasn’t deep
enough to hide them from anyone approaching, but there was no one out
here. It would at least keep off the wind.
Ryn guided Lena in that direction. They reached the cave and crawled
inside. It was a bit smaller than his dormitory room. The low ceiling forced
them to crouch to avoid it, but the cave was otherwise of a decent size. Ryn
shrugged off his battle robe and shivered in the cold.
Lena did the same, revealing her gorgeous body once more. Her tan skin
glistened in the moonlight, and her full breasts dangled seductively as she
moved closer. Only her thin red panties remained. He wanted her. He loved
that she wanted him.
As he relaxed on his side, she wrapped her arms around him and
pressed her dangerously warm body against his chest. The cold faded
quickly. As her blond hair tickled his skin, he hugged her tight and rubbed
her bare, warm back.
“I wish we had more time,” he said softly. “I wanted to take my time
with you.”
“This is nice place,” Lena whispered. “Almost like Pasharal.”
Ryn couldn’t help but chuckle. “You really do like caves.”
“I like you. My prime.”
He squeezed her. “And I like you. So... have you done this before?”
“Only done like we do. Otherwise, I am virgin.”
Ryn had often wondered, even though it wouldn’t have mattered to him
one way or the other. He simply didn’t know how people in Pasharal treated
such matters. He suspected from what he’d read that they were far more
casual about sex, but he couldn’t be sure.
 The fact that Lena had never been with anyone else this way could
make this more uncomfortable for her than he’d hoped. Fortunately, he was
far from the inexperienced virgin he’d been almost four months ago. He felt
confident he could make sex pleasant for her.
The fact that she had never done this, with anyone, also left him all the
more honored she’d chosen him to bond her. She wouldn’t just become his
second auxiliary. Ryn would also be her first, and he intended to make this
memorable for her.
“I’ll be gentle,” he promised her.
“Be as you wish,” Lena told him softly. “I know you clever.” She pulled
close and whispered hotly in his ear. “Now bond me, prime.”
He kissed her with passion every bit the equal of her heat.
As they merged their lips and tongues, her sweltering body warmed the
cave. Now that she was naked against him except for her panties, and he
was naked except for his smallclothes, he could feel just how hot she
burned. No wonder she was rarely cold outside.
He knew they had to hurry, but even so, he couldn’t bear to simply toss
Lena down and rut with her. Not for her first time. The people holding
Saphi were likely hunkered down for at least the night, and Aurienda and
the Primal Guard were keeping watch. Lena deserved more.
He traced more kisses down Lena’s chin to her neck, then kissed along
her shoulder as he caressed one of her warm breasts. Her delighted moan as
he toyed with one of her brown nipples assured him she liked that very
much. It was a good start.
He knew from his experiences with Aurienda and Saphi that different
women had different places that made them feel good, and those places
weren’t always obvious. Tonight, he would explore Lena’s body thoroughly.
He would find what made her moan.
She fumbled with his smallclothes, dragging them down his legs. Her
other hand found his shaft, and she stroked him faster and with more energy
than he expected. He tried to slow her down, but she merely grunted and
increased her pace. He realized then he’d miscalculated. He wanted to take
their first time slow... but she wanted him now.
 He gripped both her forearms and pinned her to the floor. Lena pushed
against him experimentally as he broke their kiss, then stared up at him
contentedly with her blond hair splayed out around her head. She somehow
wriggled out of her panties.
He glanced down to find the hair between her legs as blond as the hair
on her head. She glistened in the faint light that entered the cave. It was
clear she was more than ready for him. As he looked at her again, her
breasts heaved with each breath as she stared up hopefully.
“You want to be on top?” he whispered. “The cave floor⁠—”
“Hard is fine,” she said huskily. “No talk. Express.”
Still holding her down with one hand, he slipped the other between her
legs. She went taut as he fingered her firmly and with more than one
motive. He wanted to give her pleasure, but he also wanted to make sure
she was as slick as possible before he took her.
She was wet. She was so wet. She was also hotter than any woman he’d
ever felt. The thought of how warm her walls would feel around his shaft
sent the last of his patience crumbling. He stopped playing with her long
enough to guide his tip inside her.
There it was. Resistance, faint but noticeable. After this she would be
his, forever.
“Bond me,” Lena whispered eagerly in his ear. “I wish.”
He pushed in slowly, and he didn’t blame her when her fingers
tightened against his back. When he lightly traced life ether across the back
of her thighs, she clutched him tight. Her long and breathy moan of pleasure
assured him that if she was feeling discomfort, the pleasure was keeping
pace. She snapped her legs around the small of his back, writhing against
him to ensure him she was okay.
Her molten core was almost more than he could comfortably endure,
but her intense heat made him even more stiff. He started gently, hugging
her and fucking her against the floor of the cave. Her fingers clenched and
unclenched against his back.
Each time he thrust into her, her nails gently traced his flesh. She
groaned so loudly he was certain the others could hear it back at the horses,
and he hoped the sound wouldn’t carry over the ridge. He lost himself in the
feel of her sun-kissed body.
Lena was going to become his second auxiliary. She was going to be
another wonderful woman he loved. As he made love to her as they both
wanted, as her unreasonably hot body melted against his, he knew her for
what she truly was: a goddess of flame.
He was grateful that he’d had Saphi this evening and Aurienda had
relieved him shortly before midnight. That meant he was able to last longer
inside Lena than he would have otherwise, especially with her moaning this
loud and clutching him this hard.
“Yes,” she whispered lustily. “Fuck, good.” Her body trembled beneath
him.
He hadn’t had Lena before... not like this... but he’d made her peak
multiple times with his fingers, life ether, and his tongue over the last three
weeks. He knew her body and breathing well enough by now to know when
she was close. He had to time this perfectly.
The fact that the bonding ritual could only be accomplished during
penetrative sex remained something of a mystery among those who knew
how it worked, and a lurid rumor among those who did not. Most of the
settled world outside of the academies knew little of magic. The elders
shared their secrets freely with their students, but rarely with anyone else.
For reasons the elders and Ryn’s teachers had never fully explained, a
prime and his auxiliary could only merge their cores if they precisely
synchronized their release during penetrative sex. Some part of their souls
opened in that moment, and a quick and dexterous mage could reach into
the Firmament and tie a permanent link between their souls.
No one Ryn had met seemed to know precisely why the bonding ritual
required copulation between mages to form. Ryn suspected it was because
no one alive now knew, and those who remained were too ashamed to admit
that. He suspected, based on his observations since he’d arrived, that the
elders were mostly working off knowledge from books.
Lena’s breathing grew ragged as he fucked her into the cave floor. He
freed a hand to reach into the Firmament. He drew and traced life ether
along her side.
 She went stiff and groaned so loud his ears rang. As he continued to
fuck her, he traced another mote and dragged it along her breast. Her
gyrations against him grew rough and desperate as eager grunts joined her
ragged breathing. She was close.
As Ryn pounded her into the cave as mercilessly as he’d been afraid to
do before now, Lena lifted her chin and sucked in each breath as her body
shook with each thrust. Her grunts grew guttural and desperate. It was time.
Ryn focused on how much he cared for her, on the loyalty and bravery
she’d shown him repeatedly, and let her take over. She bucked against him
from below, and he felt himself stiffen just before he left his body. His own
peak was now at hand, right on time.
He rose up just far enough to see the incredibly hot sight of Lena with
her ankles crossed at the small of his back and her breasts bouncing. Three
months of training with Saphi had made him more adept at forming mage
bonds than, likely, any mage in the academy. With speed far beyond a
mortal form, Ryn reached with his spirit hand into Lena’s chest... into her
soul.
As Lena tossed back her head and groaned in the throes of her orgasm,
time slowed. Ryn pulled flame ether from within her as he’d pull it from the
Firmament. He pulled the same ether from the world and wound both cords
about each other, then shoved the knot inside his chest. At the same time, he
was dimly aware of his own release.
The knot inside him snapped tight as Lena came hard and Ryn flooded
her for the first time. He dropped into his body and clutched her tight, then
resumed. She shuddered hard beneath his body as she clutched him like a
drowning woman.
Finally, Ryn relented. He was spent. He rolled off Lena to ensure she
could still breathe, and she rolled over to curl up against his side. Her hair
tickled his shoulder as her warm arms and warm hands trailed across his
bare chest. They were covered in sweat.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly. “Was it okay?”
Her brown eyes drifted open, and she smiled dreamily at him. “Yes,
prime.”
 Ryn smiled back. Lena was speaking in his mind, through her thoughts,
just like Saphi after they removed her ether blocker. That confirmed he had
succeeded in forming their mage bond on the first try. It was good he and
Saphi had spent so much time practicing.
He and Lena were bonded now. Prime and auxiliary... or in Ryn’s case,
his second auxiliary. Unlike other mages in the republic and beyond, he
could bond more than one thanks to his affinity with all types of ether. He
had Lena now. They would always have each other.
Now, Ryn had to verify all aspects of their bond. “Can you hear me
when I think?”
“Of course.” Lena giggled aloud. “Your thoughts are as clear to me as
words.”
“Your voice is just as beautiful in here as it is out there.”
“I’m glad you think so. Now that I can feel the touch of your mind, I’m
more certain than ever you’re the man I wish to spend the rest of my life
with. I’m grateful to be yours.”
“Wow,” Ryn managed. He could feel the sincerity and intensity of her
thoughts. Her words came with feelings. “You’re so well spoken.”
“Did you assume I don’t know how to speak?”
If not for the fact that he could feel her amusement over their bond, he’d
have been sure the scowl she was now directing at him was quite genuine.
“I’m sorry. That was stupid.”
“Stupid man from the republic,” Lena reminded him with wry
amusement. “Are you truly surprised I can form coherent thoughts when
I’m not grappling with your crude language?”
“Not at all,” Ryn thought. “It just makes me all the more impressed
you’ve learned to speak and read Cridorian as well as you have. You’re
brilliant. I’ve thought that since we met.”
Now that they were bonded, Lena could feel the feelings that came with
his thoughts as well. That meant she knew exactly how true his words were.
He thought she was brilliant, gorgeous, and masterful.
 Lena hungrily kissed his chest. “That felt wonderful. I wish you could
take me again and again. Yet we will have many more nights like this after
we rescue Saphi. I’m still hesitant to agree to your plan to surrender
yourself. I can’t lose you. I’ve only just found you.”
“You won’t lose me.” He put every bit of confidence he could find into
that thought. “And if you know of a better way to ensure Saphi’s safety, I’ll
hear it.”
“Your plan is the best we have.” Lena sighed and nuzzled his side.
“Just know that if they harm you, there is not a force in the realm that will
stop me from burning them alive.”
“I believe you. My flame goddess.”
She giggled in his arms. “Am I?”
“You are now. I wish I could stay in this cave with you and hold you
forever, but it’s time to get back. Saphi needs us.”
“And now that I’m yours, we’re forever united in our goals. We’ll
rescue Saphi from her captors, and then we’ll free her and travel the world
together with her and whoever else you choose to bond. Saphi is a
wonderful woman, and I already know we’ll become great friends.”
Ryn kissed her again. “You’re amazing. Thank you for being... well,
you.”
“Thank me by fucking me senseless when we’re home safe,” Lena
thought mischievously. “Now, we should get dressed and return to the
others so you can surrender. Unless you plan to negotiate with Cressa by
offering to bond her as she once wished.”
“Not a chance,” Ryn thought darkly.
They dressed, crawled out of the cave, and hurried back to the others.
Ryn loved how tightly (and possessively) Lena clutched his arm. Unlike
Saphi, Lena was not wearing an ether blocker to stop her from drawing
ether and slipping into the Firmament. Without that barrier, their strong
mage bond provided much more than the ability to mentally speak.
He could sense so many details about her over their bond. Her rear was
sore from how he’d pounded her into the stone, but she didn’t mind. He
could also feel a twinge of tension between her legs. He also knew she
regretted neither.
Ryn could now feel how much Lena cared for him, and he could feel her
worry for his safety after he executed his dangerous plan. But mostly, he
could feel her trust. Lena trusted him to lead her and to keep her safe, and
he intended to do that every new day of his life.
When they returned to the others, Ryn found Aurienda massaging
Frost’s flank. Four more geldings grazed contentedly nearby, well hidden
by the ridge. He saw no sign of the Primal Guard. Where were Ashlee and
Jared?
“The guard have slipped into positions where they can covertly observe
the cave,” Aurienda said before he could ask. “Were you successful in
forming your bond?”
“Yes,” Ryn said. “I guess it was good I had so much practice.”
Aurienda nodded approvingly. “Experienced mages can fumble for
months before they successfully synchronize their peaks and form a bond,
even in ideal conditions. That you accomplished it in a cave on the side of
the road speaks volumes.”
“Those mages didn’t have you to teach them, Mistress, or three months
with Saphi.”
She watched him calmly. “Once again, I would ask you to reconsider
your reckless plan.”
“And once again, I can’t. But I appreciate your concern and all you’ve
done.”
“Then I will only ask you to be careful. The academy cannot lose you.”
Aurienda stared at him as her spectacles gleamed in the moonlight. “I
cannot lose you.”
He squeezed Lena and walked over to Aurienda. “You won’t.”
There was no one around to see them being informal. There was no
harm in showing Aurienda how much he cared. Ryn wrapped his arms
around his mistress and hugged her tight.
 Aurienda sighed and hugged him back, and it was only the afterglow
from Lena that kept him from doing more with her. The feeling of her
breasts squashed against his chest was always a huge turn-on. He wanted to
rest his head on that wonderful cushion as he had before, but he couldn’t
until Saphi was safe.
“I trust you to do this,” Aurienda said quietly against his ear. “Come
back safe to me.”
He released her and stepped back. “That’s a promise.” He looked to
Lena and spoke over their brand new bond. “Ready, flame goddess?”
She smiled to hide the worry swirling in her mind. “Are you?”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter

Twenty-Four

R yn strode down the ridge toward the cave with his hands spread and
in full view. If anyone was watching the exterior from inside the darkened
interior of the cave, they had certainly seen him by now. He could see no
torches or fires inside, but Saphi’s captors would be foolish to allow
themselves such luxuries. Nothing happened as he walked closer.
“Can you still hear me?” Ryn thought to Lena. He knew there was an
ultimate range at which mages could not speak over their bond, but didn’t
know what that range was.
“As clearly as if you’re speaking in my ear,” Lena thought. “Guard Lao
is set up on the other ridge with his bow, just out of sight. Guard Garroth is
ready to charge from our side, and Mistress Auri and I are just behind the
ridge. Give the order, and we’ll engage.”
Their new bond was as useful as Ryn had hoped it would be. Moreover,
his exchange with Lena had occurred in less time than it took to take a
breath. Bond speak was powerful and occurred very fast, which was why
bonded mages could coordinate so well. They could have a complicated
tactical discussion in less time than it took to say a single sentence aloud.
Ryn doubted the lack of reaction in the cave meant those inside hadn’t
spotted him. They might be hoping he was just randomly wandering about,
that he had no idea who or where they were. Time to loudly disabuse them
of that notion.
 “Attention, those in the cave!” Ryn shouted. “This is Ryn Xaven, Primal
Conjurer and agent of the Righteous Sect! I come to parley in good faith for
the release of Saphielle Provos and Cressa Logan! Agree to a parley, and
you will not be harmed!”
He included Cressa in his request to, hopefully, trick Cressa into
thinking he had no idea she was free and involved in this...whatever this
was. He wanted to gather what information he could from her soldiers
before revealing he knew Cressa had betrayed the academy. He intended to
bargain with these people with as much information as possible.
There was no response but silence from the cave. Ryn remained in plain
view and kept his arms out to his sides. He dared not approach.
If they were going to try to shoot him with an arrow or attack him with
a spell form, he wanted ample room to dodge. He had casually drawn nature
ether as he descended the ridge, and he felt it stirring inside his chest like a
horde of gnats. He could channel barrier with ease.
He was on the verge of yelling again when a single figure slipped out of
the cave, a man in dark leather armor with his hood up and a mask across
his nose and mouth. Only his narrowed eyes were visible in the moonlight,
but it was definitely one of the men who’d attacked them in the Memorial
Garden.
Ryn wondered how well this man had known the two men he killed and
the third man he’d burned so badly he was now unconscious. He suspected
the man was still rather cross about that. He’d have to hope the man’s sense
of duty was stronger than his desire for revenge.
“Who’s with you?” the masked man demanded from afar.
“I’m alone!” Ryn lied.
“It’s unwise to open a parley with a lie!”
“Then I’ll say I’m the only one you’re going to be negotiating with
tonight, and there’s no way you make it out of that cave without a deal!
Decide now!”
The man regarded him for another long moment. “Approach! Hands
out! If you violate the peace of our parley, one of our hostages will die!”
 Ryn complied. He walked closer with his hands at his sides. He could
channel as rapidly as any mage in the academy, but he couldn’t channel
enough to stop the two men still inside the cave... or Cressa... from harming
Saphi. He’d keep his word, for now.
When he reached the cave, the masked man stepped forward. “Arms
out.”
Given he was wearing his battle robes over his smallclothes and nothing
else, a search wouldn’t take long. Ryn stood calmly as the masked man
patted him down vigorously, not remotely shy. He eventually stepped back.
“We’ll negotiate inside,” the man said. “Right now.”
“After you,” Ryn said.
“Oh no.” The man’s eyes narrowed. “You first.”
“So what do I call you? Can’t have a parley without a name.”
The man grunted. “Call me Horse.”
“You don’t look like a horse.”
“And I’m not giving my name,” Horse said in annoyance. “Are we
negotiating or not?”
Ryn dropped low and traced one palm along the top of the cavern
entrance to avoid smacking his head. When he entered it, he was able to
straighten once inside. He discovered a single glass lamp beyond the entry.
Rocks ensured the light didn’t reach the lip.
In the mists of the world of the dead, he had only seen a shadow of this
cave. Seeing it in person confirmed most of what he’d seen earlier. There
were now two forms, not one, trussed up against the wall. Saphi blinked
rapidly in her now dirty blue dress, the terror on her features making her
worry for him clear, but she didn’t speak. She was gagged and bound.
Cressa was bound and gagged as well, though a cursory examination of
Cressa assured him he was right about her involvement. Her frilly purple
dress, which was cut low to show cleavage and had a hemline across her
thighs, was neither wrinkled nor dirty, and the gag in her mouth was clean
and dry. Her soldiers had likely tied her up and gagged her moments ago.
 He swept his eyes back to Horse and his friend, the only other armored
man in the cave. Such a small operation. Were these elite soldiers of the
Lachlan Confederacy tasked with abducting the Cridor Republic’s primal
conjurer? Or an independent mercenary group?
Ryn knew better than to immediately offer his best terms. Instead, he’d
lay out the stakes for them. He needed to negotiate from a position of
strength.
“Two of the soldiers who attacked me after you assaulted me at the
academy are dead,” Ryn said calmly. “The third is badly burned but
survived. We are tending him in our infirmary. When he wakes, we will
interrogate him. What do you suppose he’ll say?”
“Nothing useful,” Horse said. “Is this where you tell us we only live if
we surrender?”
“No. You won’t live if you surrender.”
Horse frowned. “I thought we were negotiating.”
“We are. I’m a primal conjurer. I’ve trained since the age of eight to
channel ether, handle diplomatic negotiations, and deal with threats to the
realm. I’m also very good at evaluating threats, so here’s what I’ve learned
about you.”
“This’ll be good,” the man behind Horse said.
“You attacked the Primal Academy, which every nation-state in the
realm considers a war crime. You abducted our students, which is also a
crime. If you surrender, it’s a roll of the dice whether you go to prison for
the rest of your natural life or feed the flames of the sect.”
“You’re not making a very good case for our surrender,” Horse said
dryly.
“You said opening a parley with a lie is a bad idea. I’ve been honest
with you, so be honest with me. Did someone hire you to abduct me?”
Horse considered him in silence.
“It’s true that if you surrender to me, you won’t survive. I didn’t say that
was your only option. If you’re a zealot determined to die for your cause,
your fate is sealed. But if you’re a practical man, one open to making a deal
with me, you can leave this cave alive.”
Still Horse said nothing.
“So I’ll ask again. Were you hired to abduct me? Or is this personal for
you?”
The man behind Horse was looking to him for orders. Even with only
his eyes to go on, Ryn thought he could see some hope there. That man, at
least, didn’t want to die.
“How’d you find us?” Horse asked instead.
“Answer my question and I’ll answer yours.”
“We’re not zealots,” Horse said. “But our employer won’t be pleased if
we fail to bring you with us.”
“So now you’re trying to decide which is more dangerous, displeasing
your employer or displeasing me. Let me make that simple for you. If you
don’t make a deal with me, all of you are going to die. We have this cave
surrounded. If you’re reasonable, you live to bargain with your employer
after your failure to abduct me. They, at least, may let you live.”
“How do we know you’ll let us leave without capturing or killing us?”
“I give you my word as a primal conjurer and an agent of the Righteous
Sect. You know the weight that carries. If rumors ever spread that I don’t
keep my word, few would trust me and the sect would censure me. But you
have to release Cressa and Saphielle before you go.”
“How’s it going in there?” Lena asked over their bond.
“I’m not paralyzed,” Ryn thought back. “So far, they seem like normal,
reasonable men.”
“And Cressa?”
“She’s tied up and gagged, but just recently. I don’t know what her game
is yet.”
“I hate waiting out here.”
“Well, flame goddess, I’ll do my best to hurry this up.”
 Lena’s pleasure over their bond was palpable. “I’m liking that title more
and more.”
Horse considered Ryn for a moment, then motioned to his friend. “Get
the redhead up.”
The other soldier walked over to Cressa and roughly seized her arm.
She whimpered as he forcefully dragged her to her feet, and her eyes went
wide as he pulled a gleaming knife. He held it so Ryn could see, then
pressed it against Cressa’s bare arm.
“Here’s our counteroffer,” Horse said. “Come quietly with us, and we’ll
let your girl keep all her fingers.”
“She’s not my woman,” Ryn said grimly. “But you agreed to parley,
which is why I haven’t killed you yet. If you start hurting your hostages, I’ll
be forced to change our deal.”
Cressa cried out behind her gag as the second man shoved her against
the wall.
Ryn made himself ready to channel. “It would be better for you if our
parley continues.”
He’d start by channeling barrier to isolate him and Saphi from the
soldiers. Cressa would be behind the barrier as well, but so long as she was
bound like she was now, she couldn’t afflict him with paralyze. So he
would deal with the two soldiers, then her.
“Stop,” Horse warned the second soldier. “We’ll play this his way.”
The man released Cressa and stepped back, and Ryn suspected the
threat to harm her had been a bluff all along. Even if Ryn knew Cressa was
part of this, he was glad they’d bluffed. He had little interest in seeing
Cressa tortured... even if it had been her idea.
Horse stepped back and reached for a leather backpack against the wall.
When he reached inside, Ryn turned to him. Horse raised one cautioning
hand.
“It’s not a weapon.” Horse reached into his bag and pulled out a thin
golden collar just like the one Saphi still wore. “It’s an accessory. It’s going
to be part of our deal.”
 Ether blockers were difficult to come by. Those glyph-etched magical
artifacts were only available to the Righteous Sect and a few academies,
which made him more convinced these soldiers were connected to the
confederacy. Simple mercenaries couldn’t obtain this rare item.
If he put that ether blocker on, like Saphi, he wouldn’t be able to draw
ether, channel ether, or reach the Firmament. Most importantly, he wouldn’t
be able to talk to Lena over their brand new mage bond. None of that was
remotely acceptable, but at least now he knew how his would-be abductors
had planned to subdue him.
“You want your women back?” Horse asked. “You can have them, but
only after I snap this blocker on you. As a gesture of good faith, I’ll release
Cressa before we do that.”
Horse was clever. If Ryn agreed to this deal, Horse could untie Cressa
without giving any clue he was freeing her to channel paralyze. If Ryn went
back on his word and refused the ether blocker, he would be so focused on
Horse he might not see Cressa channel paralyze from behind him. Still, Ryn
played dumb.
“What about Saphi?”
“She stays with us until we’re clear. After you put the collar on, we’ll let
her go as well. Agree, and we’ll free Cressa Logan and send her on her way
back to your academy.”
“I can’t do that,” Ryn said.
“You said you wanted to make a deal with us.”
“I did.” Ryn pointed behind him. “But you need to release Saphi instead
of Cressa. She’s my first auxiliary, and our bond is the reason I was able to
track her here. If you take her blocker off and send her out, I can have her
tell my guards I’ve agreed to this deal.”
Horse narrowed his eyes. “You can’t track a mage wearing an ether
blocker.”
“And who told you that? Saphi?” He frowned. “Cressa?”
Horse’s face went calm behind his mask. “You can’t find a partnered
mage while she’s wearing an ether blocker. So, how did you find us?”
 “Exactly the way I told you. It seems you don’t know as much as you
think you know about mages... or someone has given you some
spectacularly bad advice.”
He didn’t miss it when Horse’s eyes darted to Cressa, who was
supposedly his prisoner. He was looking at her for confirmation that what
Ryn had just said was correct. Only those inside the academies knew how
bonds worked, and few outside the academy walls even knew what a sibyl
was. Horse had betrayed more than he intended.
Now, it was time for Ryn to ramp up the pressure and negotiate with the
true leader of these mercenaries. He glanced at the second man. “Tell you
what. If you really want to make me cooperate, why don’t you rough up
Cressa a bit?”
The man had the decency to frown. “Are you mad, man?”
“I just need to know you’re not toying with me. You don’t have to break
her fingers. Just slice her arm, or maybe her leg. If I know you’re actually
willing to hurt Cressa, I’ll consider accepting your deal. You need to prove
you’re willing to take those steps.”
Saphi was staring at him in disbelief. She couldn’t speak, thanks to the
gag, but she had to wonder what he was playing at. Ryn wished he could
tell her.
The man wrenched Cressa to her feet and slammed her against the wall
of the cave. “Don’t think we won’t.”
Cressa cried out against her gag. The man raised his gleaming blade to
Cressa’s neck. Even bound as she was, Cressa shook against the wall. Her
eyes glistened as she begged him to cooperate... for her sake. Or so she
wanted him to think.
“Last chance,” the man said. “Take the deal.”
Ryn offered a mild smile. “No, I don’t think I will. Do what you want
with her.”
The man stared at him, brandishing his knife with the uncertainty of a
gambler who’d bluffed and been called on it. He was caught.
 “I already know Cressa is the spark mage who tried to paralyze me
during your attack,” Ryn calmly informed everyone in the cave. He held
Cressa’s frightened gaze with his own. “Did you really think I came in here
blind? Or did I leave my body and scout this cave first?”
Fresh tears rolled down Cressa’s cheeks as the second man held her
against the wall. Yet he didn’t cut her. He didn’t harm her in any way. Ryn
waited.
Cressa’s transformation was so rapid Ryn could scarcely believe it. One
moment, she was a terrified woman pressed against the wall. In the next,
her eyes went calculatingly calm. She looked at the second man and
motioned with her head. Her meaning was clear.
He raised his knife... but not to cut her. He, instead, cut her bonds away.
Cressa then removed her own gag and dropped it beside Saphi.
“Cressa’s definitely a traitor,” Ryn told Lena over their bond.
“I knew it!” Lena thought hotly. “I wish I’d broken more than her
cheekbone!”
“Hold fast. We’re still negotiating. So far, I’ve got them right where I
want them.”
Cressa held his gaze and rubbed the circulation back into her wrists.
“You’re clever.”
“I’m a primal conjurer. Who did you think you were trying to abduct?”
She sighed. “This would have been so much easier if you’d just agreed
to bond me. If you had, we could speak inside our minds. You’d know what
I’m about to tell you is the truth.”
“I doubt that. Now that we’re done with games, should we start the real
parley?”
“We didn’t enter the academy to hurt you,” Cressa said. “We came to
rescue you.”
“From what? The best food in the academy?”
“From the academy itself. The Primal Academy isn’t what you think it
is. Our spies have confirmation that devil-marked mages are even now
within your walls.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Ryn said at once.
“It’s the truth. The investigators I work with are the best in the realm,
and we know that someone in the academy, or even multiple someones, has
already made a devil deal. We’ve traced several incidents in the
confederacy and other nation-states back to someone inside your walls. We
don’t have the identity of the devil-mark yet, but we know you have one...
and that they don’t intend to let you graduate alive.”
“How does attacking me in the middle of the Solstice Banquet help
anyone?”
“Whoever is working with the devils wants you dead,” Cressa said
grimly. “A primal conjurer is a threat to devil-marked mages everywhere,
and while you may think you’re safe there, you’re not. Sooner or later, the
devil-mark will kill you. We mean to save you.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Then bond me so I can prove it to you in our minds.”
After all she’d done, Ryn was surprised she had the temerity to ask.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m completely serious. Kayden and I never bonded, so I’m still
available. I’m willing to prove I’m telling the truth with more than words. I
swore to protect you, Ryn, and I’m willing to let you bond me if it’s the
only way you’ll allow me to save your life.”
Ryn didn’t miss how Saphi glared at Cressa’s words. He suspected now
that Cressa had never intended to bond with Kayden Seagrove. She had
simply pretended to be in love with him to maintain her cover at the
academy, and might even be behind Kayden’s injuries.
The fact that Cressa had put a knife in the back of the last man to trust
her made Ryn even less inclined to trust her word... but he couldn’t let her
know that.
“Bond me,” Cressa said calmly. “Once you can see inside my mind,
once we speak over our bond where I can never lie to you, you’ll know
what I’m telling you is true.”
 “Even if you believe there’s a devil-mark in the academy, it doesn’t
mean you’re right.”
Cressa took a tentative step forward. “The confederacy isn’t like the
republic. The Righteous Sect isn’t all powerful there, and we’re far better
than a bunch of religious zealots who want to make you into their puppet.
You’ll only be safe if you come with us.”
“And if I do that, you’ll release Saphielle?”
“Yes, or she can come with us as well. We wouldn’t ask you to leave her
behind. We’ll welcome both of you, but only if you agree to bond me and
then travel with us to the confederacy of your own will. Once we’re there, I
can show you proof that there’s a devil-mark in your academy and that they
fully intended to kill you. The only thing we don’t know yet is how.”
“And if I go with you, your buddies won’t mind that I killed two of their
friends?”
“Oh, we mind,” Horse said grimly. “But some things are bigger than
revenge.”
Ryn glanced back at Horse. “So you aren’t a mercenary.”
“I’m a soldier, and a loyal one. I won’t hurt you unless she orders me to
do so.”
Ryn considered his options. So far, he’d gained far more from this
parley than they had. He now knew that these people were part of the
Lachlan Confederacy, or at least working on its behalf. He knew why they
had attempted to abduct him, or, at least... what they wanted him to know.
He also knew what they wanted. They wanted him to leave with them.
Despite the fact that he now had a way to free Saphi, he couldn’t
completely shake off Cressa’s accusation. Could a devil-marked mage be
hiding in the Primal Academy? Hundreds of mages trained there, and only
one needed to make a deal.
Ryn kept his face calm. “Even if I agree to this, the Executrix will never
allow it. Every drake rider at the academy is up now, and I already told
them where we are. If it looks like I’m going to cooperate with you, the
drake riders will be all over us. We’ll never escape.”
 Cressa nodded. “That’s why we have a back way out of this cave. We
just weren’t ready to leave until we could find a way to rescue you.” She
looked to the second man. “Open it.”
That man walked to the back of the cave, what seemed to be a solid
wall. He fiddled with something there, and Ryn heard a click. Stone
rumbled as a door opened.
“They have a secret door in the back of the cave,” Ryn thought to Lena
in wonder.
“We’re coming in there right now,” she thought immediately.
“Don’t. I’ve got this under control.”
“If you get too far away from me, we can’t speak over our bond.”
That was true. They couldn’t speak over their bond from leagues away.
From his studies with Mistress Aurienda, Ryn knew the distance over which
two mages could speak using a bond was limited to a few thousand paces. If
this secret tunnel was long and deep enough, he would eventually be out of
range to communicate with Lena.
“If it looks like they’re taking me out the back, I’ll let you know,” Ryn
thought. “But I’ve got Cressa on the bargaining table.” He repeated all of
Cressa’s bold claims to Lena in the space of a thought. “She wants me to
bond her so she can prove her claims with her thoughts.”
“Then it sounds like you’re about to have her over another type of
table.”
Ryn barely kept his face calm. “I’m not bonding her, Lena. But I’m
going to say I am.”
He felt her pleasure in his mind. “A succor trap.”
“A what?”
“We have beautiful vines in Pasharal that taste very much like honey.
Any animal or human that licks the sap they excrete will soon pass out. We
use their sap to help injured people with pain, but unscrupulous individuals
have also used them to drug people.”
 “So... yes. Sort of. I’m going to convince Cressa I plan to bond her, then
capture her.”
“How?”
Ryn thought out his whole plan.
“Tricky. Risky. Brilliant. The moment it goes wrong, you tell me.”
“I will. Now, I need to focus on actually pulling this off.”
His conversation with Lena took place in the space of a breath. As the
door finished sliding open, he glanced at Cressa. “When did you folks build
that?”
She smiled. “The confederacy has very good spies. We’ve been
planning to rescue you for some time now. I’ve shown you how we can
escape if you agree to bond me and come with us. Give me a chance to
prove the rest. I want to save you, Ryn.”
He glanced at Horse and the other man, who were glowering their
displeasure. “I’m not sure we can manage that with this audience.”
“My soldiers will remain with Saphielle. You’ll come with me deeper
into the cave. Bond me so I can prove I’m telling the truth. Afterward
Saphielle is welcome with us, or you can leave her here so the Primal
Academy can rescue her. I’ll leave that up to both of you.”
Cressa could easily close that stone door behind them. Worse, if the
tunnel complex it connected to had multiple offshoots, they could lose
themselves in a maze below the ground where they could easily slip away
from pursuers. Ryn couldn’t help but respect how well Cressa and her allies
had thought out their plot to abduct him. These were no amateurs.
He looked at Saphi to find her staring pleadingly. She didn’t want him
to do this, but she couldn’t talk. He prayed she knew he was bluffing. He’d
never go through with this.
He looked to Cressa again. “You’ll have to do much more than that to
convince me.”
“I will.” As she gently touched his chest with her palm, she made her
meaning clear. “I’ll do anything you ask. I take my oaths seriously.”
 “And we’re not going far into that cave,” Ryn reminded her.
“We’ll go deep enough to not be disturbed.” Cressa slid her hand off his
chest. “But we have to act now. Are you confident you can form a mage
bond with me?”
“If I can do it with Saphi, I can do it with you.”
Cressa frowned in wonder. “How did you find her while she was
wearing her blocker? I never knew that to be possible.”
“That’s something else I can show you if you we actually touch minds.”
Ryn finally allowed his composure to break, intentionally, and made
himself look unsure. “You’re certain someone in the academy wants to kill
me? A devil mage?”
“We have proof,” Cressa assured him. “I’ve seen it, and once we bond,
I’ll show it to you. You’ll be safe in the confederacy, Ryn, and...” She
moved closer. “I’ll protect you.” She glanced at Saphi as well. “I’ll protect
you both.”
Ryn made himself visibly debate as long as he dared, then sighed. “Let’s
go.”
Cressa looked to her soldiers. “Keep an eye out for others, but don’t
harm the hostage. Once he bonds me, we’ll return and complete our deal. Is
that understood?”
“Yes,” Horse groused. “But don’t take too long.”
“How long we take will be up to our primal conjurer. I belong to him
now.” Cressa led Ryn through the open stone door into the descending
tunnel. “There’s a good spot not far from here. I’d prefer to remain in
hearing range of my soldiers, but I’ll try not to get too loud.”
Ryn couldn’t help but be a little turned on by Cressa’s seeming
eagerness. If he believed her, or if he’d been foolish enough to let her tempt
him that first day in the training yard, who was to say he wouldn’t believe
everything she said? His trajectory might be quite different.
If he’d bonded Cressa a month ago, she would already have convinced
him of these lies. The Primal Academy was compromised. A devil-marked
mage wanted to kill him. The only way he could be safe was if he fled the
academy and joined her in the Lachlan Confederacy.
If he’d bonded Cressa, and she’d prepared him for tonight, that attack
could have been a rescue. And what if she was right? What if someone in
the academy did want him dead?
It didn’t matter. Even if she was right about a devil-marked mage with
ill intentions in the academy, there were far more people in the academy he
trusted to have his back. Mistress Aurienda, for one, and his mentors as
well. Mentors Gaskon and Bailan, Mistress Palena, even crotchety old
Caladan. He had Lena and Saphi as well, and even Ashlee Garroth.
Even if this threat was real, Ryn would rather take his chances in the
Primal Academy with protectors he trusted than run off to a distant nation-
state with a woman who’d seduced him into defecting. Cressa had also
seduced another mage... Kayden... only to cast him aside like a discarded
toy the moment she had the opportunity to bond Ryn.
Now, he simply had to capture Cressa without allowing her to make any
noise.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter

Twenty-Five

A s C ressa led him deeper into the dark cavern, now holding his hand,
Ryn once again updated Lena. Her worry was palpable, but so was her
eagerness. She now despised Cressa as much as she’d ever despised
anyone, and was looking forward to Ryn handling her.
But not in that way.
The moment they rounded a dark corner, Ryn saw a flickering light. A
torch still burned. There was a small alcove back here with a chair and
table, perhaps a watch station for someone to keep an eye out for anyone
entering from the stone passage.
Cressa dropped his hand and walked ahead, hips swaying noticeably in
her purple dress as her red hair coursed down her back. She remained an
incredibly attractive woman, but Ryn was well past the point where he
could be so easily seduced. Cressa thought she had him in a succor trap.
She had no idea that their circumstances would soon be reversed.
“We don’t have a bed,” Cressa said as she reached the chair. She turned
to look at him. “But you can bond me on the table, in the chair, or on the
floor.” As she spoke, she slid her thumbs into the straps of her dress. “You
choose, Ryn.”
Ryn walked closer. “How do I know I can trust you?”
 “Because I want to be yours and help you take down devil-marked
mages across the realm.” She slipped one strap off her shoulder. “I want
you to bond me. But more than anything, I want to make you happy.”
“Happy?” Saphi’s lovely words felt like ashes from Cressa’s lips.
“I want to serve you in all possible respects.” Cressa slid the other strap
off and released it, leaving her dress to course down her body and reveal her
impressive, lightly-freckled breasts. “That means once I become your
auxiliary, my body will be yours to use as often as you like and in any way
you like. It will be my duty to please you, and I intend to do just that.”
As her dress pooled at her feet, she stepped out of it. Now topless, she
wore only a pair of frilly purple panties and stockings of the same. The
flickering torch light lit and shadowed her curvy body in all the right places,
and Ryn couldn’t help but be impressed.
Cressa was a talented seductress. Ryn suspected Kayden had been like a
lamb taken by a wolf. If Aurienda hadn’t trained him to be aware of
situations just like this, he might believe her. Cressa was no devil... he
hoped... but she could certainly offer a devil deal.
One of the ways devils who spoke to mages in the Firmament
convinced them to make a deal was to offer whatever they felt they couldn’t
have in the mortal world. Coin. Power. Sex. Resisting such temptations was
the first lesson Mistress Aurienda had taught him.
Cressa sat back on the table and pressed her palms flat against it, then
pressed her upper arms together to enhance her cleavage. “I’m sorry we
don’t have more time to enjoy this. I promise, when we’re safe, we’ll take
our time.”
Now he could hear himself speaking to Lena. It was unnerving. Even
so, Cressa seemed entirely convinced she had him wrapped around her...
everything. The trick would be to take her down without her calling an
alarm. The soldiers upstairs could hear her.
As she went to strip completely, Ryn said, “Stop.”
She froze with her hands still hooked into the sides of her panties.
“What is it?”
“Have you ever had a mage use life ether on you?”
 “Never,” Cressa said eagerly. “Does it feel as good as I’ve heard?”
“Better.” He shoved the chair aside and walked as close to her as he
dared. “I want to do that to you first. You said I could do anything to you, so
prove it.”
She spread her legs wide and gently gripped his hips. She pulled him
closer as she stared up at him with an eager expression. “You can do
anything you like to me, and not just because I want to save you. I like you.
I want to travel the world with you.”
“You barely know me.”
“But I know what you can do for our realm. Bond me. Once I’m yours
I’ll show you I’m telling the truth, in our minds, and we’ll return to the
confederacy. I have several lovely friends who you can bond as well. Or...
you can simply watch us enjoy each other.”
He raised an eyebrow as he idly drew life ether from the Firmament.
“Friends?”
“I’m not ashamed to say one of our mages is even better looking than
me, and she’s the one who helped me learn how to use my mouth to make
my man peak. The four of us are going to keep you very happy, Ryn, and I
know we can make Saphielle happy as well if she comes with us. You’ll
find life in the confederacy quite pleasant.”
“We’ll see.” Ryn traced life ether along her left breast. “You’re going to
have to prove your loyalty to me first.”
Cressa moaned loudly and gripped his wrist, then slapped one of his
hands against her other breast. “I can be very loyal.”
The guards could certainly hear her. He couldn’t risk alerting her to his
true intentions. Like when he bonded with Lena, he had to time this
perfectly.
“Do you want to kiss me?” Cressa whispered. “Or do you want my
mouth elsewhere?”
If he refused, she might suspect something. He kissed her. She kissed
back hungrily, and as warm and lovely as her lips felt, it took effort not to
pull back. Her lust felt like a ploy. Or maybe it wasn’t, and she genuinely
wanted him. Which made him feel even more guilty.
Ryn pressed his body between her parted legs and pinned her against the
table. As he kissed her, tracing life ether across her breasts and sides, he
couldn’t help but be aroused. At least that would convince her he was
serious about this.
She moaned loudly against his lips. When she reached for his trousers,
he stepped back. She clutched for him and failed, then stared up at him
desperately.
As she brushed her red hair back from her forehead, she truly was
beautiful despite her intentions. “Let me touch you. Let me show you I
care.”
“Not before I make you peak.” Ryn drew more ether from the
Firmament and spoke loudly enough for the soldiers to hear. “I need to
know this isn’t a trick, which means you need to let me make you cum first.
Then, we’ll talk about what you can do for me.”
Cressa’s eyes remained locked with his. “Use me as you wish.”
The fact that she was staring into his eyes was likely why she didn’t
notice that this time, he was drawing time ether instead of life ether. He
shoved it into his chest, stepped forward, kissed her, and, as her fingers
brushed him, punched his palm hard into her midriff.
At the exact point he’d learned to drive the breath out of someone.
A shocked, betrayed gasp burst from Cressa’s lips as every last bit of air
escaped her lungs. As Ryn stepped back she tumbled off the table, clutching
her stomach and gasping like a drowning fish. She managed one soft
wheeze... nothing that would carry up the tunnel to her soldiers... as Ryn
finished channeling his spell form.
A wave of gray energy washed across Cressa Logan. She stopped
thrashing, stopped blinking, and stopped breathing. She was not dead. Even
after she’d abducted Saphi, Ryn hadn’t the heart to kill her. He wasn’t that
cold a man.
Cressa was now neutralized. He knew from past practice that stop
wouldn’t wear off for several hours unless a nature mage used cleanse to
remove it. Now, he had only a few moments before the fact that she had
stopped loudly moaning tipped off her captors.
Yet it felt wrong to leave her like this. Naked. He knelt, picked up her
dress, and laid it across her to maintain at least a hint of modesty. The
Primal Guard could handle the rest.
“Cressa’s down,” Ryn thought. “Get ready to move in on my signal. I
hope to take the other two down before they hurt Saphi, but I need you all
close in case she gets hurt.”
“Did you break anything?” Lena thought hotly. “I hope you broke at
least one bone.”
“She’s down, flame goddess.” Ryn didn’t know whether to be disturbed
or aroused by Lena’s fierce anger toward the woman who had threatened
them all. “Be ready to move.”
As he walked back up the tunnel on cat feet, Ryn drew more time ether
from the Firmament. He couldn’t risk unleashing a brilliant spark in this
small space, and flame burst was absolutely out of the question. What if he
burned up Saphi?
On reflection, he drew nature ether as well. Fluttering gnats mixed with
oily warmth in his chest as the ether clung to his soul and he approached the
open stone door. Soft voices spoke beyond. Horse and his single remaining
soldier were conversing about something.
“Draw their attention,” Ryn ordered Lena over their bond.
“Attention, minions of the Lachlan Confederacy!” Mistress Aurienda’s
booming voice would have driven terror into the most stalwart heart. “We
have you surrounded! Come out now with your hostages, or we will execute
you before dawn!”
Lena had passed his message to Aurienda. Booted feet scuffed cave rock
in alarm as Ryn hurried forward as quietly as he could. He came around the
corner to find Horse and his compatriot both staring out the cave entry.
Each Lachlan Confederacy soldier had a gleaming blade drawn. From
behind them, Ryn once more channeled ether. A thick wall of vines and
earth erupted in the cave, separating the two soldiers from Saphi.
 Despite their surprise, both men were quick. The second man hacked
into the barrier as Horse spun and rushed Ryn... even as Ryn completed his
second spell form. Gray energy washed over Horse first, freezing him in
mid-leap.
The wave of gray energy from stop hit the second man just as he
finished hacking through the barrier, freezing him as well. It just missed
Saphi. Ryn rushed forward and updated Lena over their mage bond.
“The soldiers are neutralized and Saphi is safe. Fire the flare for the
drake riders and get in here now.” He reached Saphi and struggled with her
gag. She stared up at him with wide, relieved eyes glistening with fresh
tears.
“Gods, Ryn,” Lena thought in wonder over their bond. “You’re
amazing.”
Armor clanked outside the cavern. While he’d expected Lena or
Aurienda to enter first, it was Ashlee who clambered into the cavern. She
must have insisted on going first.
Ashlee took in the scene... one man frozen with his knife embedded in a
nature barrier, the other hanging in midair with his blade out... and whistled
softly. “Guess that’s it for the negotiations.”
“Hand me your knife,” Ryn ordered.
Ashlee crouched-walked closer and handed him her boot knife, hilt first.
Ryn used it to slice Saphi’s bonds. He almost fell over as she leaped into his
arms, hugging him tight.
“Easy, Saphi! Let me get this gag off you!”
Still blinking hopefully, she eased away.
“Don’t move,” Ryn cautioned.
As Saphi went absolutely still, he cautiously slipped the knife inside the
fabric of her incredibly tight gag. He sawed carefully and gently until it
snapped.
He dropped the knife as Saphi dived into his arms and showered him
with kisses. This wasn’t good. Guard Garroth was right there!
 He supposed he’d simply have to hope Ashlee wouldn’t tell anyone.

After they were all out of the cave and safe, time grew to have very
little meaning. Multiple drake riders now patrolled above to protect them
from further danger, and several riders (and their drakes) were on the
ground as well, keeping watch. He, Lena, and Saphi were alive... and he
couldn’t bear the idea of taking his arms from around either of them.
As Saphi sat on his lap and cuddled close against his chest, in his arms,
Lena sat beside them with one arm around his waist and another around
Saphi. With both of the women he cared for finally safe, Ryn could relax. It
had been a horrible night, yet wonderful as well.
He’d had a lovely supper with Saphi and Lena, and a wonderful time
with Saphi behind the fountain. He’d bonded Lena and then they’d rescued
Saphi without anyone getting hurt. If he had a choice, he’d rather Saphi
never have been abducted... but he could accept the results.
As they waited for more Primal Guards to arrive and Mistress Aurienda
walked around tossing out orders like a seasoned commander, Saphi peered
up at him. “I knew.”
Ryn smiled down at her. “What?”
“I knew you’d come for me. I knew you wouldn’t let them hurt me. And
I knew you’d never be fooled by Cressa’s ploy.”
Ryn was relieved to hear that. “I’m glad I didn’t worry you. You looked
so scared.”
“I couldn’t let you do all the acting.” Saphi smiled bravely. “I had to act,
too.”
He hugged her tight. “I’m so glad you’re safe.” The temptation to
remove her ether blocker was strong, but he knew that would get them both
in trouble. She wasn’t supposed to remove it unless she needed to draw
ether or speak across their bond.
“We protect you, always,” Lena said firmly.
 “But...” Saphi looked between them in wide-eyed wonder. “How did
you even find me? They never removed the blocker.”
Lena chuckled close at Ryn’s side. “That is interesting story.”
“Was it magic?” Saphi asked hopefully.
Ryn felt the desire to hedge. “It was something like that, yes.”
Saphi peered up at him in curiosity. “What is it? What are you not
telling me?”
“Can I tell her?” Lena thought hopefully. “I want to see what sort of
face she makes.”
“Don’t do that,” Ryn scolded her gently. “I’ll tell her.”
He looked at Saphi. “Mistress Aurienda used a... unique method to
ensure that you and she shared quintessence. She was able to track you
through the Firmament.”
“Quintessence?” Saphi eyed him as she considered. “As in... oh!” Her
eyes went dangerously wide.
He winced. “It was the only way to find you!”
She giggled and touched his cheek. “You really did that for me?”
“I...” He stared. “You aren’t mad?”
She looked more amused than anything. “It must have been very
awkward.”
“It was! I was thinking about the whole time. I almost couldn’t⁠—”
“But you did,” Saphi reminded him. “And you found me.” She nodded.
“Thank you. I’ll thank Mistress Aurienda next time we can speak in private
as well. You both saved me.”
Ryn sighed in relief. “So... that’s it?”
‘Well... I might still tease you about this in the future.”
Lena chuckled.“We are both going to tease you about this in the
future.”
“Let’s not,” Ryn thought. “I’m the teaser in this relationship.”
 Saphi gasped in Ryn’s arms. “You’ve bonded!”
Ryn stared in surprise. “You can feel that through the blocker?”
“I recognized the way you spoke!” She beamed at them both. “You can
talk in your minds now, can’t you? You’ve bonded Lena as your second
auxiliary!”
“We do,” Lena said cautiously. “Is okay?”
“It’s more than okay!” Saphi clutched Ryn tightly and smiled. “Oh Ryn,
I’m so happy for you both! This means you get to leave the academy soon!”
“You’ll be with us soon enough,” Ryn reminded her quietly... and
meaningfully.
Saphi cuddled against his chest before she remembered there were both
drake riders and Primal Guards in eyesight. It was dangerous enough for her
to sit in his lap like this, but Ryn could just say he was comforting her.
Comforting his good friend.
“I don’t think you could have chosen anyone better than Lena,” Saphi
said.
Lena grinned and rubbed Saphi’s back. “You too nice.”
“So now that you’ve bonded your second auxiliary, you can both move
toward taking your Firmament trials?” Saphi asked hopefully.
“That’s the plan,” Ryn assured her. “And the plan after that hasn’t
changed.”
Saphi fixed him with a hopeful gaze. “I know you’ll succeed.”
It was so hard not to kiss her in front of witnesses. Instead, he contented
himself with giving her a squeeze. “No matter how long it takes, don’t ever
forget that.”

A week later, after Ryn had six days to relax with Lena in their
dormitory room and recover from their ordeal, Mistress Aurienda
summoned them to her office. After six days with nothing to do but rest,
eat, drink, and make love to his second auxiliary... his flame-kissed beauty
from Pasharal... it was still overwhelming to realize Lena wasn’t remotely
sated. Nor was he.
Mage bonds could only be formed during penetrative intercourse, but
they were maintained by any type of sex. If two bonded mages stopped
having sex, the bond would never break... but it would weaken over time. It
would be more difficult to pass ether over the bond unless they renewed its
strength through intimate acts.
Fortunately, neither he nor Lena seemed inclined to slow down. If
anything, Ryn was having difficulty keeping up with her. Lena was so eager
for sex he could barely keep up with his spell form practice given how often
he pushed her into bed...or she dragged him into it.
After he first bonded with Saphi, he’d quickly learned the lurid rumors
about mage bonds he’d heard were true. When a mage bonded another
mage, they could feel each other’s sensations over the bond. Feelings and
emotions bled over, including all sorts of feelings.
When a bonded mage became angry, her partner might feel and manifest
that anger. It was the same with sadness, worry, and love. Bonded mages
shared their emotions.
But most importantly, when a bonded mage felt lust, that lust carried
across the bond as strongly as any emotion. That meant the moment he or
Lena looked at each other and wanted the other, that lust bounced back and
forth between them like a spark, growing bright. So just like with Saphi,
that made it very hard for them to keep their hands off each other.
It was the most pleasant problem he’d ever had.
Still, they managed to get dressed long enough to present themselves at
Mistress Aurienda’s office. Lena wore a simple red tunic and skirt that
made Ryn long to pin her down and use her mercilessly, and he wore a tunic
and trousers he knew made her long to do the same. As he knocked on the
door to Aurienda’s office, she leaned close.
“If we asked her to join us, do you think she would?” Lena asked wryly.
He chuckled as the knocker echoed through the office. “That’s against
the rules.”
 “We certainly wouldn’t want to break any rules!” Lena thought merrily.
“Enter!” Mistress Aurienda called from inside her office.
Ryn opened the door and stepped inside... then barely kept himself from
gawking. Mistress Aurienda wasn’t alone in her office. There was another
tall woman in white mage robes, with her blond hair in a tight bun, standing
beside her as well.
Executrix Valenda. The leader of the Primal Academy. Her piercing blue
eyes cut through him as he entered Mistress Aurienda’s office. He knew
Valenda didn’t mean him ill, but still, her gaze was intimidating. He felt like
he was staring at a drake, not a woman.
“Maybe we can ask both of them to have sex with you,” Lena thought.
“I’ll help!”
“Quiet, you!” Ryn barely managed to keep a straight face. “Best
behavior!”
Lena’s mental grin was infectious. “You’ll need to get used to splitting
your attention while we’re naked. We should have at least one threesome
before we graduate. You don’t want Saphi to feel neglected the first time you
have us both, do you?”
Lena had such a dirty mind. That was the one new thing he’d learned
after he bonded her... and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Her sexy
thoughts were an intoxicant far superior to any alcohol he’d ever consumed.
Mistress Aurienda nodded to them both. “Thank you for answering our
summons.”
“Of course, Mistress.” Ryn bowed deep to those in the office, but
especially to Executrix Valenda. He rose after a long moment, along with
Lena. “Executrix.”
When Valenda smiled, she grew slightly less intimidating... but only a
smidge. “Hello, Xaven. I hope you’ve gotten plenty of rest this past week.
Now that you’ve bonded your second auxiliary, it seems possible you could
complete your studies at the pace we wish.”
“I will,” Ryn assured her. “However, I do have one question.”
“One Mistress Aurienda has not answered?”
 “I asked, but she didn’t answer, likely because you told her not to.
What’s the hurry?”
“You’re asking why I’ve requested you proceed on this accelerated
schedule?”
“I am. I plan to succeed, but I’d like to know if there’s any particular
trouble ahead.”
“That’s a fair question,” Valenda agreed. “After you graduate and
assume your title, as well as the full backing of the sect, I will be able to
share much more with you. Yet despite your status, and the resounding
success of your... scouting mission... you are still a student of this academy.
I cannot tell you everything just yet.”
“So what can you tell me?”
“A primal conjurer is now needed, more than ever, for the good of the
realm. If not for that desperate need, I would allow you all the time you
needed to graduate. We simply don’t have that luxury. Fortunately, you’ve
repeatedly proven you’re up to the task.”
“I’d never have managed that without Mistress Aurienda. She’s been so
much help.”
Aurienda adjusted her spectacles. “I’ve only done what was necessary.”
“No, he’s quite right.” Valenda glanced at Aurienda. “The success of
your students reflects on you, Mistress. So whatever you’re doing with
Xaven... keep doing it.”
“Does that include more blowjobs?” Lena thought over their bond.
Ryn mentally groaned. “Given how busy you keep me, when would we
find the time?”
“Mistress Auri and I could share you,” Lena offered coyly. “Imagine
how much better two mouths would be than one.”
“When we get back to our room, I’m spanking your ass until it’s bright
red. I can’t allow you to get away with teasing your prime in the middle of
vital negotiations.”
“So much discipline,” Lena thought hungrily.
 “Now, Xaven, I must ask you a question,” Executrix Valenda said. “Do
you believe that Cressa Logan was telling you the truth about a devil-
marked mage in my academy?”
Ryn had given Aurienda a full report of everything that occurred after
he started his negotiations, leaving nothing out. He’d expected an
interrogation like this, however gentle it might be, since he returned.
However, he’d expected Mentor Caladan to do it.
“I believe she believed it. Has Cressa said anything more to our
interrogators?”
“She has only repeated the same story she told you. She claims we have
a devil mark in our academy. Given she knows that is the story you told us,
and we cannot verify it, that is of little help. That is why I wished to speak
to you and get your firsthand impression.”
He mentally replayed their encounter to make sure Executrix Valenda
knew he was considering his answer carefully. “Like I said, I think she
believed what she said. Even if everything else she said was a lie, she did
believe she’d traced attacks to the academy.”
“Then why did you not accept her offer of asylum?”
Ryn had expected this question as well. “I’d like to tell you it’s because
I’m fervently loyal to the Cridor Republic, but that wouldn’t be the truth.”
“Oh?” Valenda raised an elegant eyebrow. “I’m surprised to hear you
say that.”
“Respectfully, you shouldn’t be. I was born in the republic. I am part of
the republic, and I’m glad to be a citizen here. But as a primal conjurer, my
responsibilities will extend beyond the republic to every nation-state in the
realm. I would no sooner agree to exclusively serve the Lachlan
Confederacy than I would to serve the Cridor Republic. I have to remain
impartial.”
Valenda glanced at Aurienda. “Once again, I applaud your excellent
tutelage.”
Aurienda smiled warmly. “He is an excellent student.”
 “She definitely wants to suck you off again,” Lena thought over their
bond.
Ryn could only sigh, mentally, and enjoy the dirty thoughts Lena
eagerly directed his way. Perhaps it was good she constantly teased him
with memories of them having sex. She could help him improve his
concentration during difficult or stressful negotiations.
“So, Executrix...” Ryn eyed her. “I have another question, if you’ll
listen.”
“What is it?”
“Do you believe Cressa was telling me the truth about a devil mark?”
Valenda smiled. “I can only say I hope she’s wrong.”
She hadn’t said no, which meant she might share the same suspicions
about someone here. “So what will happen to Cressa now? Is she to be
executed?”
He knew Cressa had lied about some of what she’d said, but he wasn’t
sure about the rest. He also wasn’t as vengeful as Lena. While Lena might
be happy to see Cressa’s head roll, Ryn would prefer she remain in prison.
“I believe we’ve learned all we can from that young woman,” Valenda
said. “However, her execution is stayed. I received word from Harandale
that they wished her transported there. We shipped her out with a heavy
escort yesterday. She’s the capital’s problem now.”
Ryn nodded as he considered what Valenda was really saying. If Cressa
was simply a senior student who’d betrayed the academy, academy law
would bind her. Execution would follow. The fact that someone in the
republic’s capital of Harandale had asked that Cressa be shipped there
instead suggested she was more important than he’d known.
Ryn suspected Cressa was part of a well-connected family in the
Lachlan Confederacy. The capital might have judged her important enough
to be used in a prisoner exchange. For Ryn’s part, he simply hoped he’d
never encounter her again. Once was enough.
“What about Kayden?” Ryn asked. “How’s he doing?”
 “He’s recovered from his injuries,” Valenda said. “His heart may take
longer. However, he did confirm that Cressa ordered her soldiers to knock
him out rather than kill him.”
“I still want her dead,” Lena thought.
“I know, flame goddess,” Ryn thought. “We’ll take what victories we
can get.”
“Do you have any other questions?” Valenda asked. “Either of you?”
“What precautions are we taking to protect Sibyl Saphielle?” Ryn asked.
“She may not be a primal conjurer, but her abduction proves she could be in
further danger.”
“We now have a Primal Guard standing on Saphielle’s door full time.
You need not worry for her safety.”
Lena’s disappointment was clear over their bond. “That’ll make fucking
her harder.”
Ryn was only a little bit upset about that. “At least she’ll be safe.”
“If you can find a way to sneak her out, I’ll keep watch while you two
have fun.”
He barely contained his chuckle. “Have I mentioned what a great
auxiliary you are?”
“Feel free to repeat it as often as you wish.”
“We have no more questions,” Ryn said aloud. “But I do have a
request.”
Valenda’s smile grew a tad more dangerous. “What sort of request?”
“First, I’d like you to acknowledge what Mistress Aurienda, Lena,
Guards Garroth and Lao, and I accomplished. After an attack on this
academy, on the same night, we tracked down and captured the assailants
and saved our student. That’s a deed worthy of celebrating.”
“You’re asking her now?” Lena thought in awe.
“She’s made it clear she’s pleased,” Ryn agreed. “And Saphi’s waited
long enough.”
 “Then let me know when you’d like me to add my support.”
Executrix Valenda nodded agreeably. “You wish a formal
acknowledgement of your accomplishments last night?”
“That’d be nice, but actually, I’d like you to grant me some additional
authority.”
“In regards to what?”
“It is my duty to serve,” Ryn assured her. “However, it’s also the duty of
our nation-states, and our academies, to support their primal conjurer with
whatever resources he may need for his travels. I’d like that support to
mean you’ll trust me to make my own decisions.”
“And how are we not already doing that?”
“I have two auxiliaries now, and I’m going to recruit more after I
graduate. I know the sect has stated that Saphielle Provos, my first
auxiliary, has to remain here while I travel the road with the others, but I
don’t believe that’s wise. I would like to post different auxiliaries here over
time and take all of them on the road, including Saphielle.”
The office went silent for a very long, very awkward moment. Ryn
could feel Executrix Valenda’s heavy gaze. It really did feel like staring
down a drake.
“Saphielle is a sibyl,” Valenda said calmly.
“And as a sibyl, she’s more than done her duty for this academy. I
wouldn’t have learned how to form mage bonds without her, and I couldn’t
have fought off those soldiers in the garden without her drawing and
channeling ether to me. Because she can draw any type of ether, just like
me, and channel that ether to me, she’ll be far more useful to me in the
field.”
“She can still touch the Firmament, and she cannot complete her trials.”
“Which means you’re worried she could make a devil deal. I know
Saphielle well enough to know she’d never do that, but I also know that’s
not enough for you to take a chance on releasing her. So I’ll take full
responsibility for her. When I graduate, I’d like you to release Saphielle into
my custody. I trust her implicitly, but if I’m wrong, I’ll bear the blame.”
 “Go, Lena,” he added over their bond.
“Same!” Lena added aloud. “Saphielle is... masterful as drawing ether.
Good person. I trust her very much.”
Executrix Valenda looked between them. “And is this support a
condition of your continued cooperation?”
“It is not.” Ryn didn’t want to push her too far. “I still intend to graduate
on the schedule you’ve set. This is not an ultimatum, but a request for
additional autonomy I’ve proven I deserve through my service and
success.”
Valenda eyed him with fresh curiosity. “So if I refuse, you won’t hold it
against us?”
“No. Whether you put Saphielle in my custody or not, I will graduate on
the timetable you’ve provided and do my duty as a primal conjurer.
Afterward, my responsibilities will be to the realm, not this academy, but
I’d like to remain on good terms with everyone here. That will be easier if I
know I have your full and unconditional support.”
Valenda glanced at Aurienda. “Would releasing Saphielle into a primal
conjurer’s custody cause any problems?”
“No,” Aurienda said calmly. “Primal conjurers act with the authority of
the Righteous Sect. So as long as Xaven agrees to be responsible for her,
having Saphielle in his custody would be no different from having her here.
Still, one of his auxiliaries must remain here at all times.”
Valenda returned her calm gaze to his. “Very well, Xaven. After you
graduate, I will intercede on your behalf with the sect. You choose which
auxiliaries you bring on the road.”
“You did it!” Lena thought happily.
“I know!” Ryn thought back in delight.
“Does this satisfy your need for support?” Valenda asked.
“It does, Executrix.”
“And do you have any more questions for me?”
“I do not. Thank you for your time, and your support.”
 Valenda glanced at Aurienda. “I’ll leave you to handle the rest.”
Aurienda inclined her head. “Of course.”
The Executrix walked to the doors. They opened before she could reach
them, revealing two Primal Guards waiting outside. She slipped out and the
doors closed.
“You’ve barely said a word, Markov,” Aurienda said. “Are you feeling
all right?”
Lena grinned proudly. “I let my prime speak for me.”
“I... suppose that’s acceptable.”
“Ask her if she wants to have more sex,” Lena added over their bond.
Ryn mentally rolled his eyes. “Thanks for having my back in that
negotiation, Mistress.”
“If I did not support you in your request, you would simply find another
way to do it, and likely in a way that causes me a headache.” Aurienda
didn’t sound like she was joking.
Ryn felt a bit guilty as he grinned. “I’d still feel bad about that, though.
But for now... is there anything else you need from us?”
“Only to say again how proud I am of you both. For now, until you
graduate, I will speak to Mistress Jayna and set up regular visitation for
you, Lena, and Saphielle. Though obviously, the three of you will be
chaperoned until you graduate. After that... Saphielle is in your hands.”
The rush of his success over the last few days thrilled him. He had
Lena. He’d rescued Saphi. And once he graduated in three months and set
out on the road, he could find more auxiliaries to share the load. There was
no reason all of them couldn’t be together eventually.
“Now, I believe you should get back to your studies,” Aurienda said.
Ryn frowned. “Uh... right. Our studies.”
Lena grabbed his arm and all but yanked him off his feet. “So much
studying to do!”

The End
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 Afterword

If you enjoyed this book, please leave a rating or review on Amazon and
let your friends know to check it out. I hope to write many more books in
this series. There’s much more to this world and this story, and I hope you’ll
support me as it evolves.
While Ryn has now bonded Lena and Saphi and is headed toward
graduation, there are many more adventures (and more women) in his
future. His next challenge will be completing his Firmament trials and
uncovering the truth behind Cressa’s words.
Until next time!

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 Also by Danny Rogan

Ten years ago an elite author was sent to Facebook jail for a violation of rule 34 they
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