Rune of Oldfyre

Chapter Twenty-Four

We rushed across the brown plains of grass outside the city at incredible speed. The wind in our faces felt great. Molly ran as fast as his massive paws could carry him. Which was about mach 5. His tongue hung out from his jowls, causing the occasional mass of spit to fly back at us.

May was right, if we were to go around the bay. But only if we were walking or taking a horse. Molly was an unholy beast even for hell's standards. We got to the college in under half an hour. May only missed her first class.

When we stopped, which took Molly about three minutes to do safely, May and I dismounted from the beast's back. I looked at her. The wind had blown her hair all over the place. I ran my hand along the platinum streak of hair on her left side, brushing the hair behind her pointed ear. She leaned in and kissed me.

"Thank you, so much." She said.

"No problem. Besides Molly needed the run, didn't you boy" I said, scratching behind his ear.

"I think I found my preferred way of getting to class." She laughed.

"Well, I don't think Molly would have a problem with that," I said, "I'll pick you up here tonight then." May hugged me one last time before running off to class.

This was the first time I'd visited the Sapphire Spire. It was very blue. The colour was picked six hundred years ago. It was chosen by a council of elite wizards, warlocks, sorcerers, and enchanters. The final consensus was that the main tower would be built with glass that was gallifreyan blue. Why the colour of the tower mattered is beyond me. They had far bigger issues to deal with at the time, like the racism and misogyny that was inherent in the magical community. Luckily those issues were solved through several peaceful, armed uprisings, about a century or so ago.

I roamed the campus for a while on Molly's back, every once in a while I was stopped by people who either knew me from the shop or wanted to compliment the size of my dog. A professor looking gentleman stopped and asked me what breed he was. When I told him he almost choked on excitement as he began to scrawl notes in a big book. Must've been a zoology teacher.

The campus was so sprawling that I still hadn't explored it all when I realized it was getting dark and I needed to meet with May. She was waiting near were I dropped her off earlier. Only now she a few books that she was placing into a canvas bag. The sky began to cloud over and I could feel a sprinkling of water fall into my hair.

"Good evening, Lord Numbskull." She greeted. She'd been calling me that since that night.

"It is indeed, Lady Smiles." I greeted back. She smiled at that. "Where can I take you my lady?"

"There's this small magic shop located in Harbor District that suits my interest." She said.

"Can do ma'am. Hop atop this massive hell beast and we'll be on our way." I said. I had Molly bow his head down to allow her on. When she was was sitting in front of me, I had Molly speed of towards Incursia.

Traveling by night was very different. Luckily Seeing wasn't an issue, Molly could see in any light. In the distance, the lights of night time Incursia began to emerge like a sea of fireflies. The cool and moist night air rushed past our faces as the beast ran. By the time we were in the city the rain had picked up.

When we got to our shop, May quickly discounted and ran underneath the shop's awning. I took my time, it had been a while since the lasy cold day in Incursia; winter was coming. The rain feel quickly wetting my hair. May urged me in, reminding me that it was freezing and that I had the key.

Inside I lit the hearth at the rear of the shop to warm the place up.

"How was class?" I asked May as a sat in one of the chairs near the fire.

"Interesting, there was an explosion in east quarter." She said, biting into some bread.

"That's what that was." I said.

"Yeah, professor White was trying to make some blue rock for the potions class. But his assistant, Jess, used the wrong amount of astral fluid and blew a hole in the side of the building." She said

"Ah, alchemists. They really are the weird bunch." I said.

"Speaking of weird teachers, the college is holding an end of the semester dance later this week." She said.

"I see." I said.

"Yeah, I need to find someone to go with me. Do you know anyone?" Lady Smiles smiled. Her eyes were caught by the light of the fire making them a light pomegranate color. I leaned in and kissed her. "I guess that's a yes."

"I think I know someone, yeah." I said. She stood up and pulled me to the stairs. "Apparently, you're turned on at the prospect of being indecisive about who to take to social conventions." I joked.

"Oh, so on." She said, kissing me again as we left a trail of clothes leading the stairs.