The Greatest Discovery

East Stairway

Pattis felt like flying down the steps of the tower. Not literally, of course. Flying and walking on walls was a thing of legend and fanciful rumors. But the crowded fluttering of questions fighting for space in his mind was enough to carry him as high as wings would.

An hour was a short time to get ready, so Pattis busied himself with composing a list of things he needed while half sprinting, half squeezing through packed corridors to his room. He regretted he couldn't stop to write it down. The lab notes for at least the last five years, the small emerald stock, the manual storm simulator, my pressure machine - Storms but that would be heavy to carry, several magnifying glasses, a few lavis ears in case I miss dinner... As the list grew in length, he was glad he had a sturdy old bag he could fix on his back to carry most equipment. If I distribute the weight equally across my shoulders, it should be manageable.

Forty-five minutes later and it seemed with as many items hanging around his person, Pattis stumbled to the foot of the east stairway. He wanted to set up the apparatus before the soulcaster arrived. Starting to pull the bags down, he squinted up at the sky to check how many hours of daylight they had left but stopped midway when his glance brushed the winding staircase above.

A slender female figure in dark breeches and a simple white shirt was running up the stairs, taking one step at a time quickly and rhythmically. It was a practiced exercise - few Pattis knew could manage the tempo of the steep run untrained. The figure flew up the ten floors of the tower, did - as best he could count - a hundred and three jumping jacks, and ran down at an almost break-neck speed. Focused as she was on the steps, Juliyah was almost down to the base when Pattis must have caught her eyes. She yelped and had to take the next few steps two at a time to catch herself.

Once at the foot of the stairs, she glared at him, produced a dark-red soulcaster robe from a small cubby beneath the railing - it must have held a statue once - and flung it around herself. Quickly as it was done, Pattis had more than enough time to study the young soulcaster. She was lean, with dark auburn shoulder-length hair pulled in a simple ponytail. The run had whipped a few strands out of her purled hairband, and some of those were greener than spring grass. Greener even than her eyes, which were brighter than those of any other lighteyes he had seen.

"You are early," she said stiffly from under her hood. Concealed as they were by the cowl, Pattis thought he could feel those forest eyes studying him in return.

"I am sorry to intrude. I didn't mean to interrupt your... exercise?" he wasn't sure what the purpose of the run was.

"It is a very good cardio workout and lets me think undisturbed. This staircase leads to the roof, which no one ever has any reason to visit. Besides, it is one of the few places I am allowed to go."

"Don't you have access to the lord's practice grounds? Most of the ardents use it for sports or battle training."

"Soulcasters have access in theory, but no one truly wants us showing up, especially in places that lighteyes visit. Or anywhere, really. People are either scared of us or pity us because of how we look, both of which make a poor workout vibe."

Pattis wasn't sure what to say to that. His first instinct was to assure her that she looked mostly human. In fact, to him, it was somehow more strange to see a woman wearing breeches and a shirt than having leaves sprout in her hair. He caught himself just in time though - surely, "mostly human" was not the best of compliments.

He started to unload the largest of his bags and instead asked, "Why hundred and three?"

Juliyah cursed under her breath and Pattis mirrored her silently. Fool! How is telling her that not only did you accidentally see her outside of the robe but were actually stalking her for several good minutes prior going to make her feel better? Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face, like it always does, he thought glumly, for Juliyah laughed.