Abaddon's Call

Chapter Three

Selifer missed lunch because he forgot that was a thing, that students and staff gathered for meals. He entered the line of students and filled his plate with the foods best suited for nutrition, which wouldn't interfere with magic. With a filled plate, he moved between the tables and found his way to Naena, sitting off in the corner by herself.

He sat across from her without asking. She glanced up at him, gave him the look of a body who knew a fight was coming—and that they'd win in the end—then she sighed and focused on her plate.

"My name is Selifer," he said. "I am a second-year bastard of the shield families, hoping to one day become an Amos Scholar. They live pretty good lives. Anyhow. It seems that I don't remember first year. I mean, I remember first year, everything we were taught and learned, but I don't remember, remember. And then I heard what the clubs did, and there was a demon and dragons. Two dragons? And just, I mean, we're in a school full of mages and a library riddled with recipes, so I had to sit down and ask myself if I lost my memory because I got involved and got my comeuppance."

"I have no idea who you are," she said. "Were you a part of one of the clubs?"

"That's the thing," he responded. "I don't know. They won't talk to me, and normally I'd say that means I wasn't a part of them, but there are a couple of others who used to be in clubs who are no longer recognized, like Nillon."

"I wouldn't suggest getting involved with him."

"Avoiding Salord is usually the best idea," Selifer said. "Aside from some instances of bastards being raised separate from the main line, they're a pretty vicious bunch. It's a fault of their magic, really. Salord has always had a link to Hell. They're the ones the Seven go to when a gate or mouth opens up. Only a Salord carries the magic required to close a gate."

"I'm sorry?" she asked. "No one else has mentioned that before."

"In the archives under shield families," Selifer said.

"Salord is already linked to Hell, and the Seven went ahead and gave Lord Salord the right to work Hell magic into a generational spell on his own children resulting in me being born with magic."

Selifer's eyes drifted to the table. His mind flitted back over what he had heard over the summer.

"I think I knew that," he muttered. "Yeah, that's full stupid for them. Lord Grayson Pan would have approved that. They're the only line able to grant Salord Hell magic, but that probably resulted in strong-arming on the part of Veles, who held the Lord of the Seven title at the time. Can you believe a family whose motto is what is sown shall be reaped made that kind of a mistake?"

"You're suggesting it's not a mistake?"

"Sorry," Selifer said as he straightened and shook his head slightly. "Uh, I just kind of went straight for that. Could we, maybe, talk like two second years? Instead of the advanced hypotheses of magic that we can't possibly understand because we don't have our foundation yet?"

"You want to talk about charms?" she asked.

"I'd really like to talk about the three pillars," he said. "The body, the mind, and the magic make a mage. They all affect one another, but how does the body affect the magic? Or the mind, for that matter?"

Naena frowned.

"Well, it's obvious."

"So obvious that it's not taught," Selifer said. "I just... I don't understand. Magic is the important component."

"You really don't understand?"

"No."

She glanced at his untouched plate, then met his eyes. He saw consideration there and worried he had done something untoward.