Multiverse of Magic & Mistakes (Completed)

1.2.15 Chapter 15

The Mages College of Verdyn, Verdyn, August 2019.

Rho Enderby was again trying to teach Violet some of his Stryder skills. They had moved on to using magic for navigational purposes, something which had Vi lamenting on how she missed her phone and GPS. Thinking back to his time on Earth and the maps app he had used Rho had agreed.

Vi was currently standing in one of the many four-way junctions, where two of the Mages College's long straight hallways met to form a symmetrical cross. In one hand she held a piece of parchment with the Directional Rune sketched out and activated. Her other hand was resting on her furrowed forehead, as she shut her eyes and tried to focus the spell to envision which direction they needed to go to reach the Imbuer's research lab, an arbitrary place chosen as Vi had no idea where it was. Even with the charms, she was still struggling to locate the room.

Rho held back the urge to help her out. Straight across here, left at the next junction, up three flights of stairs. But she would get there eventually. Navigation spells were notoriously difficult and took Novices a long time to cast. It was often remarked that a brute force, methodological method of checking every room would be quicker than a Novice with a Navigation spell.

Rho considered Violet, as she spun around slowly, her black hair pulled back in a long braid swingingly wildly as she turned.

Ever since the party last week, everything between them had changed. They had kissed, a lot. For hours it had seemed like in the darkness of the southern forest. And they had kissed a lot more in empty classrooms in the few days since. They were inseparable, spending every possible free moment together. Moment squeezed in between Vi's lessons and Rho's work for Reynold. They went exploring the city and college grounds together, neither wanting the evenings to end. He didn't mind where they went of what they did, just as long as they were together.

They were boyfriend and girlfriend now, officially. All of their friends knew, but they were trying to keep it quiet around the teachers. They had agreed that it was best that Reynold didn't know. Rho had been assigned to be Vi's tutor, after all. But he was he was nineteen, only two years older, and from the moment they had met, they had been friends or equals more than anything else.

Earlier, upon entering the classroom for the Navigation lesson, he could not help but lean in and kiss her in greeting. She had responded enthusiastically, kissing him back so thoroughly that Rho almost gave up on the lesson and thought that they would never be able to tear themselves away from each other. Then the midday bell had chimed, reminding them of the passing of time, and he had slowly, reluctantly pulled back. Vi had responded by rolling her eyes, and then asking Rho what room they were going to locate.

But right now, here he was, supposedly helping her master magical navigation. He took a step forward. He was about to take another step forward and see if a different way of casting the spell would help when Vi's eyes sprung open and she pointed straight across the corridor.

"This way!" she exclaimed, "then left, then up!" Rho nodded in affirmation and let her lead the way.

They were halfway up the second set of curved stairs when his Conveyor buzzed.

"Caretaker Calistan, how may I be of assistance?" he answered pushing his words into the elderly porter's mind.

"Rho, I thought you should be the first to know – Mallory is back!"

"Mallory! Why isn't he buzzing me himself? Is he OK?"

"He has suffered many injuries and has been taken to the Healers Clinic to recover. Before he fell unconscious, he asked for you."