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“Yes,” he affirmed. “But just because I believe you does not mean you will escape persecution. All it means is that you will not be officially punished.”
Rowan shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
Verking took on a contemplative look. “In commoner parlance, I believe it is called ‘vigilante justice’. Essentially, they will disagree with the ruling from on high and take matters into their own hands.”
“Ah.” This Rowan understood. “But why? If you don’t believe I was responsible for Tana’s death, then why won’t they?”
“They will. But they will act like they won’t.”
“That doesn’t make sense.” Rowan let out a growl of frustration. “None of this makes any sense!”
Verking gave him a sympathetic glance. “To understand this, you’ll need to understand the politics of Tirsiog. We are not a large kingdom, but our politics are as vicious as any other, and woe be to any family who goes against the current. There are two main factions in Tirsiog politics. The royalists and the progressives. As the name suggests, the royalists support the crown while the progressives wish for Tirsiog to abandon the discriminatory policies against non-fae that reside within it. Every student in this house is a part of one of those two factions. And as a non-fae, you are automatically the enemy of the royalists.”
“Which are you?” Rowan asked carefully.
“Neither. My mother is the prime minister of Tirsiog, a position that must remain neutral in order to properly maintain its duties. I follow in her footsteps.”
“In that case, the royalists sound like arsewipes,” Rowan said.
Verking offered him a half-smile. “I would not be so quick to absolve the progressives of blame, but yes. The royalists are not well liked outside of Tirsiog. However, here in Draigwyn, they hold the bulk of the power. Many of the students here are the children of minor noble families who are beholden to the great families that rule Tirsiog. Tana Greatfield was one such student. The Greatfields are vassals to one of the most powerful families in the kingdom.” Verking paused at this, holding Rowan’s gaze as he said the name, “The Caleighs.”
“Tianna’s family.” It was a revelation that was not hard to believe. Despite her status as a first year, Tianna was constantly surrounded by friends, many of which felt more like servants. Even those in the higher years were deferential to her, a fact that would be strange if she did not possess some form of power. For her to be part of an influential family made sense.
“Correct,” Verking sighed. “Even if Tianna does not believe Varna’s story, she will be duty bound to pursue justice for her follower. As a non-fae, you make for a convenient scapegoat, and as a commoner, there’s no danger to Tianna if she orders her faction to target you. It’s the same for every person who stands with her. Even if they do not believe you to be responsible, there is no reason for them to speak out in your favor. You offer them no benefits, and so they will offer you no quarter.”
“So they’re a gang.” It was the first word that sprang to Rowan’s mind, and it seemed to fit.
Verking coughed. “I suppose that when looked at through a certain lens, there may be some similarities between noble factions and the gangs that rule the streets, yes.”
“But then…” Now that he had conflated nobles with gangs, Rowan was having a much easier time parsing the information Verking had given him. “Who are the progressives then? Everyone not affiliated with Tianna? That’s not many people.”
“The progressives are somewhat under represented here at Faebrook,” Verking admitted. “For the past ten years, the most influential progressive families have been targeted by the royal family to the point where several no longer exist. Those that remain are much more cautious in their dealings, and many former progressives have switched allegiance to the royalists. However, there is one child of the great progressive families here at Faebrook. And not just a child, the heir: Morgana Lunythe. Apart from myself, she is the only other direct heir to Tirsiog’s great families here at Faebrook.”
“Which is why Tianna has it out for her,” Rowan realized, talking more for his own benefit than Verking’s. “And if the progressive families are facing persecution, then others would be afraid to get too close to her since they could get caught up in it. So that’s why she’s isolated.”
Verking laughed awkwardly. “Well, partially. Her attitude shoulders part of the blame for that. But you seem to have a grasp on it. Nobles are not a monolith. Just as commoners might fight with their neighbor, so too do nobles. The only difference is the size of our stage. In a fight between commonfolk, a bar might be trashed, or a house burned down. In a battle between nobles, a country might be wiped out. And so, rather than fight immediately, nobles do everything in their power to gain the advantage so that they may crush their opponent underfoot and not destroy the world they wish to rule over in some senseless war.”
“But we still have wars,” Rowan noted.
“We do,” Verking acknowledged. “But we do our best to prevent them. This situation is similar. I’ll protect you as best I can. But I can only do so to an extent. You’ll have to take care of the rest yourself.”
I always have. Thanking Verking for his warning, Rowan departed, his stride unhurried as he headed back to his room. He had been hunted by far worse gangs than this.
Chapter Twenty
The scratching of a quill filled the air, inky lines crossing out the formulas already written on the page. Rowan frowned. According to the textbook, this should be the correct way to solve the magical equation in front of him, but the results were not right.
“You need to use Gladwand’s Fourth Theorem there,” Kanna’s voice drifted over. “It’s a double-layered rune, but the second layer is independent of the first. Solving them both at once is impossible.”
With a nod, Rowan scratched out two more lines of work, opening his textbook to Gladwand’s Theorems as Kanna returned to her own book, a steamy looking paperback with a smoldering, long-haired elf staring out from the cover.
The two continued in this manner for a while, Rowan working on comprehending the magical theorems laid out in front of him as his mentor occasionally chipped in with advice on where he was going wrong.
Finishing the last equation on the page, Rowan stretched broadly, the tendons in his arms cracking as he rid them of the kinks from an hour of studying. There was another page to go, but for a brief while, Rowan just enjoyed the moment; he could get to the second page in a minute.
A droplet of ink disrupted his basking, falling from the quill that was still grasped in his right hand and splattering against his cheek. With a sigh, Rowan used his sleeve to wipe it off, leaving a smear of black ink across his cheek and the cuff of his shirt.
“You’ve got more bruises,” Kanna said.
Rowan glanced over. His mentor was still hunched over her book, but her eyes were raised, staring at him from across the desk. Rowan shrugged. “Combat training has been intense recently.”
Kanna rolled her eyes. “Come on, Rowan, I’m not stupid. We both know that you’re not getting punched in the face every Combat lesson. The students from Draigwyn are still harassing you, aren’t they?”
Rowan shrugged again. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. They’ll lose interest soon enough.”
“And if they don’t?”
“They will,” Rowan reassured her. “I’m not that interesting. They’re only going after me because Varna’s riled them up. It’s just first and second years doing it, so I’m not really in any danger. They’ll lose interest soon enough.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to do something about it?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I can fight my own battles,” Rowan replied. “Besides, I don’t want to owe you any more favors than I already do.”
This appeared to satisfy Kanna, who nodded. “Wise choice. It will be tough for you to gain respect among your peers if you run to the teachers whenever trouble rears its head. Among nobles, reputation is crucial, and a reputation as a punching bag is far preferable to one as a snitch.”
Lifting his head, Rowan was about to nod in response when Kanna stuck out her hand, one finger raised warningly.
“But! That’s only so long as the troubles you’re facing remain minor. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you really do need help, Rowan. There’s no point to our relationship if you don’t rely on me when you’re in need.”
Looking down at his lap, Rowan felt his face grow hot. He was not used to such offers, made without accompanying demands or threats.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he muttered, his words so soft that even he was unsure if he had really said them.
Whether or not she had heard him, Kanna appeared happy with his response, and she leaned back, stretching languidly in the sunbeams from her office window. For a moment, her appearance overlapped with that of a cat, enjoying the sun as it took a brief break from napping. A cat that could vaporize him and this entire room in an instant that was.
With a small yawn, Kanna finished her stretch, returning to her normal seated position with a content look. For a second, it appeared she had forgotten what they were talking about, but all of a sudden the light returned to her eyes, and the moment was gone.
“Well,” Kanna said, her eyes catching Rowan’s. “You should be getting a small reprieve soon.”
Rowan tilted his head in confusion, unsure of what she meant.
“Winter break!” Kanna clarified, clapping her hands together happily. “No classes, half the school goes home, and tons of good food in the cafeteria. Even if the ones bullying you remain here at Faebrook, without classes to go to, you’ll be able to avoid them.” Kanna paused. “I assume you’ll be staying here at the academy?”
“I will,” Rowan confirmed. “Not like there’s anywhere for me to go anyways.”
Kanna’s face fell slightly at this. “Any plans?”
“Not really,” Rowan replied. “Studying is the main thing that I need to do. Exams are only a month after, and I really need to do better than I did on the midterms.”
“Well, you’ve definitely improved a lot in my class,” Kanna said, her gaze dropping to the books and papers spread out on the desk in front of him. “And with the amount of effort you’re putting in, I’m sure you’ll do better in the other ones as well. I mean, it’s not as if your grades can really go down.”
Rowan made a face. “Gee, thanks.”
Kanna laughed at this, her laugh light and airy like the tinkling of bells. “It’s true. Your midterm results were basically the lowest they could be without outright failing any courses. The only ones who scored lower than you actually did fail.”
“I remember,” Rowan replied tightly. Anyone who failed two courses was automatically expelled from Faebrook, a fate he was working hard to avoid.
“Your Magic grades are good, though. Professor Typhandrios tells me you’re one of his favorite pupils, even if you’re not quite at the top of the class yet. And you are at the top of my class.”
“No I’m not. Morgana and Enkhchuluun got the highest grades in the midterm,” Rowan said, his eye twitching slightly as he mentioned the two names.
Neither of the two top students seemed to like him, and it irked him. Morgana at least seemed to dislike nearly everyone equally, which meant that, as far as he could tell, he had not been singled out as someone she especially disliked.
Enkhchuluun, on the other hand, seemed fairly affable with most students, or at least he did not share the same outright disdain for his fellow students that Morgana did. That meant that his cold attitude towards Rowan was entirely because of something he had done, and the only possible reason that either he or Dugan could think of was his score on the Test of Potential.
Was Enkhchuluun, a prince-like figure from the Nuxiong Dynasty, really so petty that he would hate a person for outscoring him in a single test? As it turned out, the answer seemed to be yes.
As if reading Rowan’s mind, Kanna spoke. “Talent attracts competition,” she said. “For those used to being at the top, being surpassed is their greatest fear.”
“You speak like you’ve experienced it,” Rowan surmised.
“I have,” Kanna replied, the corners of her lips curling upwards. “I was the top student of my year when I attended Faebrook fifteen or so odd years ago. Luckily for me, there were no upstart street urchins with enormous mana pools to cause me trouble, so I graduated without anyone to threaten my place at the top.”
“How fortunate for you,” Rowan said dryly.
“I certainly thought so.” Stirring her tea, Kanna took a sip, letting out a small exhale of pleasure as she enjoyed the warm liquid. Putting the teacup down, she stared at Rowan for a moment. “From what I can tell, Morgana at least doesn’t hate you specifically, and I don’t think Enkhchuluun does either.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
“They don’t,” Kanna insisted. “They’re just afraid.”
“Afraid?” Rowan scoffed. “Of what, me? The guy whose average grades are thirty points lower than theirs?”
“Yes,” Kanna replied. “Or rather, what you represent.”
“What I represent?”
“Indeed.”
Rowan let out a frustrated growl. “What do you mean, what I represent. How do I make a pair of talented, rich kid assholes afraid of me?”
“Language,” Kanna admonished sharply.
Rowan ducked his head, chastised. “Sorry, master.”
Kanna tilted her chin, accepting his apology. “I don’t expect you to understand their perspective, but I’ll do my best to explain.” Pausing, she cradled her teacup within her hands, her gaze going distant for a moment before snapping back to Rowan. “You’ve never experienced life at the top, but I know you’ve experienced life at the bottom.”
Rowan nodded.
“Living at the bottom means that the only way one can go is up; any change is an improvement. However, the inverse is also true. Once you have reached the peak, the only way to go is down. Any change will be a negative, and this means that those who have reached the top are always scared of those they can see approaching from below. Any new competitor is a new threat to their position.”
“But why?” Rowan asked. “Even if I score a hundred on the next exam, if they still scored ninety-nine, why can’t they just be happy with that? Their score is no worse just because mine is better.”
Kanna smiled softly. “Being the best comes with a fair bit of ego. People flock to the best, be it food, items, or other people. No one willingly forgoes the best in favor of second place, and those at the top know this. Each and every person here at Faebrook has excelled their entire lives. Be it studies, wealth, or martial skill, they’ve all experienced what it’s like to be at the top back in their hometowns.”
“I haven’t,” Rowan protested.
“You’re an anomaly,” Kanna informed him. “Anyways, you take all those top performers and throw them into one place, and all of a sudden, they learn that even among elites there are tiers. Among those tiers, Morgana and Enkhchuluun stand out as the best of the best, the cream of this year’s crop of students. They are the two whose drive to succeed and natural abilities have combined to place them at the top, and neither would ever surrender that position willingly. To them, you are the challenger that threatens their place in the hierarchy. It would almost be weirder to me if they weren’t wary of you.”
“I suppose that at least neither of them are tripping me in the halls,” Rowan muttered, touching his bruised cheek.
“A cause for celebration, to be sure,” Kanna agreed. “Now then, if you want to topple those two, you’d better complete those questions. Because they’re due tomorrow, and I’m not giving you points for incomplete work.”
With a nod, Rowan returned to the work in front of him, the rhythmic scratching of the quill filling the air once more.
An hour later, Rowan placed the quill down and yawned. It had taken him the better part of the day, but he was finally finished with his Magical Theory assignment. Satisfied that all was in order, he rolled it up, intending to stick it in his bag, but his master had other plans.
“I’ll take that,” Kanna said, reaching over and plucking the rolled-up sheets of paper from his grasp. “You’ll get it back after winter break.”
“I’ve gotta wonder,” Rowan began, the hands from which his assignment had just been whisked still frozen in place, “isn’t this a conflict of interest? I mean, you’re my professor, but you’re helping me with the assignments you yourself handed out.”
“Probably,” Kanna acknowledged. Leaning forward, she flashed him a grin. “But why worry about a good thing? Practically every student here has had access to private tutors, the best schools money can buy, and years of training. Me helping you with your classes is just helping to even the playing field a bit.”
“I’m not complaining,” Rowan assured her, raising his hands in surrender. “Just wondering is all.”
“Well, unless Headmistress Kess decides to start enforcing rules that don’t exist, I think we’re fine,” Kanna replied. “And given that she herself did the same for me when I studied here, I don’t think we’re in much danger of that happening any time soon.”
Tossing his things in his bag, Rowan nodded. “Good to know. I’ll be taking my leave now, master.”
“Mmmmh,” Kanna responded. “By the way, I meant to ask earlier, are you free this weekend? I’ve got a party who would like to hire you on for a dungeon run.”
Rowan hesitated. He had not gone into any dungeons since his disastrous run with Bitterblossom, and he was not sure he wanted to just yet. It was not as if he was now scared of entering dungeons after seeing someone else die, although others probably assumed that to be the case. Death was a common visitor to the slums and alleys of Taureen, as he himself had almost been representative of, and it was something he had come to terms with before ever stepping foot inside his first dungeon with the Frost Blades.
