Afton stood before her, hands shoved into his pockets. The spite and spitfire from their first interaction were gone, replaced with stern exhaustion. She could see the darkness around his eyes that likely mirrored her own. His clothes were wrinkled, but somehow his hair remained relatively well-placed. He was clearly drained, despite the collected facade. After the latest failure, Erinna wondered how many sleepless nights he would spend trying to find a way to fix it.
“What do you want, Apprentice?” she sighed with threadbare patience.
“Afton, please.” He smiled and brushed a few strands of hair back behind his ear.
Erinna eyed him warily, unsure where this newfound friendliness was coming from. “Afton,” she started. “How can I help you?”
“A truce.”
“I don’t?—”
“I fear I made a poor first impression.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.
“You got that right,” she scoffed, finally giving him her full attention. He cocked an eyebrow, as if waiting for an apology himself. Erinna rolled her eyes but complied. It was true, she had been a bit prickly during their first encounter. “I wasn’t on my best behavior either.” That was the closest he would get. In fact, she was proud of such maturity.
Afton chanced a few steps closer, visibly relaxing when Erinna didn’t snap her teeth at him or throw her fist. Erinna pushed her things further into the shadows, hoping to keep his focus away from her personal items.
“Let’s restart then, shall we?” He pulled a hand from his pocket and held it out in greeting.
Her eyes darted to his outstretched hand, then scanned his face. She didn’t accept the gesture. He was practically painted with ulterior motives. “Why did you really seek me out?”
“Curiosity mostly.” He shrugged off the rejection like it was nothing more than a speck of dust.
“Right,” she drawled, narrowing her eyes and letting silence fall between them. When it was clear Afton would not be providing any additional information, she started again. “Cut the shit, Afton. Why are you really here?”
“Why do you think I’m here, Yarrow?” he asked with an infuriatingly condescending smirk.
She regretted her decision for peace. He was playing games with her. She hated when people had the audacity to waste her time.
“I couldn’t care less.” She rolled her eyes, but it wasn’t true. She had been wondering why the esteemed Minor Apprentice was working with pirates to break into his own mentor’s prized library, but it was clear Afton didn’t plan to divulge information.
Erinna made a show of packing up her stuff, focusing on anything other than the apprentice, pleased when he gave adisappointed sigh. “Believe it or not, I am trying to finish his work.”
That shocked Erinna—enough to drop her show of nonchalance. “Finishing his work? Here? Like this?” She glanced around the camp, eyeing the few drunken pirates passed out near the fire, traced the dancing lights over to the large iron bars keeping them locked out and desperate.
“I guess you could call my actions somewhat under the realm of approval.”
There was something in his tone, a type of indifference that sparked the embers of her frustration. “They think you’re kidnapped, you know. There are mages spending sleepless nights trying to compensate for whatever duties you’ve neglected. And now they’re mourning a mentor you left behind.” Erinna thought of Damien, thought of the chaos back on Tarth as the kingdom flailed and mourned.
His face darkened. “You don’t know anything, Yarrow.”
“So tell me. Stop playing games and tell me why you’re here, or at least why you sought me out. Unless you were simply looking for a fight?” She raised an eyebrow in challenge.
Afton relented. “Mage burnout. That’s why I’m here. Trying to find a way to stop it.”
“I see.” Erinna was pleased to finally have a straightforward answer.
“So you’ve heard of it?”
“Who hasn’t? Mages overreach, they burn out, they get sick or die. And you think the answers are here?” She waved her hand in a wide arc, gesturing to the library with a flourish.
“It’s a start. Isn’t that why you’re here? To find direction?” Afton glanced at her forearm; her sleeve had rolled down enough to reveal the mark. Erinna internally cursed herself for such carelessness as she quickly pulled her sleeve back down to her wrists, hiding the mark once more.
“Was this really easier? You have an entire academy at your disposal. Don’t you have the most educated people on the case for it? Why partner with Kane and risk high treason at all? There are people back home who think you’re in danger.” There was more to his purpose; that much was clear.
“They’re not looking in the right place.”
“Then make them. You’re an apprentice.”
