Old gods above, he was handsome. His armor was black with bronze metallic elements that resembled spindly skeletal hands curving over his shoulders in two domes. It was fitted to accentuate his lean figure; broader shoulders and a trim waist. He was elegant, even in the way he moved out into the training ring.
He was letting a bit more of his lich nature show today as well, which…had my face flushing. Beautiful hints of bone poked through his human glamour—on his cheekbones, his chin, his slender wrists and knuckles. Iwanted to know what he looked like when he let his magic take over.
Liches were one of the non-human species native to Daosbor, but they were rare. We didn't know much about them, other than that they all were mortal until undergoing powerful rites to pass into being truly undead.
I wondered why such a distinguished mage would choose to stay here at the Academy rather than going to serve in Daosbor's court. I would likely never have the chance to ask. It had been over a month of hints that weren't really hints from him, and I reminded myself that I was truly delusional for thinking he'd look at me that way at all.
"Today we begin the hands-on applications of our learnings. We will practice by dueling and then spending some time critiquing what we've seen."
I certainly wasn't the only student my age in our class—others had pursued careers before returning to their studies. I was, however, one of the highest-ranking battlenecromancers in the Dead City. I was looking forward to dueling, and perhaps showing off a bit (for no particular reason.)
"Adept Letum, would The Flame of the South like to demonstrate her skill for the class?"
The rest of the students turned to look at me, but my eyes were fixed on Professor Excidius. His gaze held a hint of challenge—I'd not been sure if he even knew who I was before now.
"I'd be honored, Professor," I said, stepping toward where he stood in the training ring. The corner of his mouth pulled up in the barest hint of a smirk, and it had me wondering again if he had been paying more attention to me than he'd let on.
"And who would like to face Iris for this first bout?" Hearing my given name on his lips for the first time was…distracting, to say the least. I tried not to let myself flush, and instead took a deep, steadying breath, sensing my magic where it rested between my shoulder blades. I was determined not to embarrass myself, despite being a month out of practice.
After a few moments, one of my classmates, Theo, stepped forward. Theo was just a few years younger than me; his father was one of Daosbor's top generals, so I knew he had to be trained in combat. He didn't look too nervous as he stepped forward, which meant I wouldn't have to feel absolutely horrible for not going easy on him.
I knew the goal of this demonstration was to utilize the specific techniques we'd been studying, so I decided to try to focus on harnessing summons and other basic necrotic forms. Theo wielded a staff, as many necromancers chose to do; they focused our magic. They weren't necessary, though. The most powerful necromancers could wield with or without a honing tool. I preferred my dagger or nothing at all when facing my opponents. Today, I chose to leave my dagger in its sheath. I noticed the Professor's gaze on me as I took my position across from Theo—hehad clearly noted my decision to forego a weapon.
I was weapon enough.
Theo stood opposite me, gripping his staff. His blue eyes were alert, watching me as if I'd move to burn him before the duel even began. I gave him a small smile, trying to be collegial and friendly to put his mind at ease. I certainly wasn't going to hurt him on purpose.
Professor Excidius' voice cut through my thoughts. "Begin," he said, clapping his hands twice in quick succession.
I watched as Theo pointed with his staff, apparently intending to go on the offensive immediately—a bold choice. He did a beautiful job recreating one of the spells we'd been studying, and a bright bolt of emerald green energy sprung from the end of his staff to shoot toward me. I summoned a shield, which absorbed the impact, as Theo carefully worked another spell to summon a skeleton.
Many necromancer's spells involved pulling bones to us from beneath the ground, so here at the Academy, the training grounds were regularly stocked with skeletal remains for students to practice with. I reached for them now with my magic, calling forth shards of bone bent to my will, sharpened into deathly points. The bones tore from the dirt around me, and I pushed at them to pursue my target. Theo barely shielded in time, and I smiled at him in challenge. As much as I loved my studies, I did miss this. Most of Domhan na Rùin was in a time of relative peace, but our western island neighbor Arunas had been attempting to create unrest in Daosbor for decades. I had been in my fair share of skirmishes, and I loved the intensity and elegance of battle magic.
I paused a moment to give Theo a chance to respond to my offensive—this wouldn't be fun if I ended it too quickly.
He didn't waste time, putting his staff out to call to the bones beneath the surface as Ihad with my hands. His spell brought forth two skeleton minions that skittered toward me the moment they were formed. I called my emerald fire with barely a thought, flames tingling in my palms. With a flick of my wrists, vicious licks of flame clung to the bones of Theo's minions and began to melt them. I met Theo's gaze again as his skeletons collapsed into motionless heaps a few feet from me, and he had the good sense to look a bit nervous.
In his flustered state, Theo became less concerned with using new techniques and more concerned with winning. He began to wave his staff, casting arcs of green energy across the space between us. I dodged each blast, a graceful dance that made me feel alive. I moved closer and closer to him with each pivot, until I was just an arm's reach away. I felt for the bones in the ground, pulling them up, up, until massive spikes erupted from the ground to pin Theo in place. His limbs were tangled in them, and while he was distractedin his surprise, I brought forth my death fire and held it to his throat, just far away enough so as not to actually burn him.
"I yield!" Theo rasped, trying to catch his breath. I let my fire go out immediately, and pushed the spikes back down into the ground with my power.
"Well fought, Theo," I said with a smile. Theo tried to return it, but he was shaking.
"Well fought, indeed," the Professor said, stepping back into the ring. "And thank you both for an excellent demonstration. Does anyone have any commentary about what we just observed?"
A few students raised their hands, but I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts, wondering if Professor Excidius was impressed. My mind continued to wander as the next several pairs of students took to the ring, and before I knew it, our class was dispersing for the afternoon. I snapped myself out of my distracted state and turned to leave with the rest of the group.
"Adept Letum, a moment, if you will." The Professor's voice sent a thrill straight down my spine, and I turned back toward him. He gestured for me to walk with him. "I'd like to speak with you in my study for a moment."
I walked beside him silently as we re-entered the halls of the Academy. His study was in the library, just a few doors down from where we stepped back inside the main building. After a short walk, we were entering the cozy room. It was exactly as I would have imagined it; ancient, dusty leather tomes filled floor-to-ceiling shelves in rich, dark wood. A tiny hearth took up one wall, and a heavy, ornate desk sat in front of the far wall. There was a window behind the desk that looked out over the Academy garden. It was so lovely and picturesque, and I suddenly wished I had a reason to spend hours and hours here. It was the sort of room that made me want to lose myself in an ancient tale with a hot cup of tea.
The Professor stepped over to his desk as I said, "Your study is wonderful, Professor. If I were you I'd spend all my time here."
"If I spent all my time here, it would be a long time, indeed," Professor Excidius said with the hint of a chuckle.
"Right, I suppose that's true," I answered, feeling awkward for my word choice when talking to a nearly immortal lich. I was so desperately attracted to him that everything I did when he was around felt stilted. I wanted him to know about my attraction to him, but the thought of letting him know and finding the feelings not reciprocated—my heart raced. In an effort to salvage the interaction, I continued, "What was it you wanted to speak with me about, Professor?"
He looked up at me then from where he now stood behind his desk. "It was a rare treat indeed to witness the prowess of the Flame of the South. Everything I'd heard about you is true, it seems. Hopefully also your interest in botany?" He picked up one of the booksthat was set out on his desk and extended it toward me.
