I felt for her, I did.
My own childhood hadn’t been pleasant. At age ten I’d left home to start my training for the Urval defense force. Since I was part salmaeri and they were the front-line warriors of the lower realm, I’d had no choice. Pain and exhaustion had been my only companions for six years, till I’d seen my first battle with the pyrkai and distinguished myself. That’s when Svokol had chosen me for his retinue and taken me from the lower realm, bringing me here to Seial.
But as much as I could sympathize with Izzy, there was nothing I could do for her. I had even less power and sway in this world than Izzy herself would, once she’d realized her full potential.
I could only watch and commiserate.
And that burned me more than the fires of Urval ever had.
IZZY
When the class ended,the professor — who’s full name was Di Gurand Svokol — told me to stay behind.
I sighed heavily, relieved the constant pestering from Saldrea would end. I had dozens of tiny welts from where she’d hit me with those stones.
Elves were assholes.
I had just saved my notes and was shutting down my computer when a massive hand grabbed it from me. I looked up in shock asthe dragonstood over me, holding my laptop.
The look in his eyes was flat, emotionless, as he snapped my computer in half, like it was a twig, then set it back down.
I cried out in shock and horror. All the notes I’d painstakingly transcribed on magic were gone!
The dragon’s expression didn’t shift once. He took no pleasure in this.
But Saldrea blew me a kiss on her way by as she beckoned the dragon back to her side, before leaving.
I swore I’d pay her back some day. Position of privilegeor not, I’d find a way to make her feel what she inflicted on others.
But once she was gone, the bravado faded as I looked at my broken laptop.
“Fucking Bi—” I stopped myself. Better to not say it, or it might get back to the princess.
I waited for everyone else to leave before stuffing what was left of my computer into my backpack and shuffling up to the front of the room.
“Why were you late?” Svokol hissed at me, clearly upset.
Yeah, because me being late was the worst thing that had happened in this classroom today.
“I thought I was early!” I shouted back at him, heedless of his position. I held up my phone. “I had an hour to spare, I checked!”
He blinked at me, then rolled his eyes and sighed, as if I were an ignorant, petulant child.
“Don’t be late again,” he said, stone-faced. Then he turned to Rook. “Work with her outside of class, to catch her up. And explain to her how time works.” Then he stalked away.
“How time works?”
Rook blew out a breath, leaning against the glass-like “blackboard,” which seemed to double as a writing surface and projection device. “Time here is different than in your world.”
“Of course it is,” I said with a huff, sitting on the edge of the raise platform at the front of the room. I nearly threw my phone at the wall. It clearly wasn’t going to help me here.
Rook came to sit next to me, holding out his phone-like device. The time on it roughly an hour ahead of mine.
“You’ll need one of these, or a simple wrist-clock,” he advised.
Given what I’d spent yesterday, I doubted I’d be able to afford one of this world’s phones till next week. Maybe the “wrist-clocks” would be cheaper?
“We have a thirty-hour day here, but our time also passes a bit faster than yours, so our thirty hours are roughly equivalent to a twenty-six-hour day for you. It’s confusing, I know.”
