Chương 68: 3 – Secret Magics

Everyone was in a better mood after my story, but it didn't feel like it used to. The peace was gone. The carefree happiness that had made this place so dear to me had been torn. Yet it was still my bar. My place. Pemolar's Hill's bar probably meant more to me than my own house. To fit the subdued mood, without crushing us further, I chose a sad story with a happy ending. It was exactly what we needed.

I brought Oppa to tears, Mom was hugging Uraleka, and Tom had buried his face in Irena's shoulder, trying to hide his red eyes. For once, I thought I knew exactly how Dobretin felt. All of us were missing loved ones now. Hadra, Reid, Dad. Even my pseudo big sister, Oxana. I was starting to wonder if I had any friends left at all–!"

"Mera!" came a sudden shout as the door opened. I blinked. Then smiled.

"Akkiwa!" I almost leaped off the table, but remembered my aching foot at the last minute and gently eased off of it instead. She looked a little worse for wear, and time on the road had not been easy on her clothes. There was a smudge of dirt on her face, and her hair looked tangled and frayed. She was leaning on the pearl staff that I'd made for her, and that, too, looked like it had seen some better days. Even with all of that, Akkiwa was still unfairly beautiful. It defied understanding.

She noticed my limp immediately.

"What happened? Are you okay?" she asked. I waved her off.

"I'm okay. Only got back today. How about you!? What happened up North?" She grimaced.

"A whole lot of nothing, and listening to Papa complain. On the way back, I saw Hadra though!"

"You did!?" I shouted.

"Was she alright!? How was she? Did she say anything about me?" Akkiwa grinned slyly.

"You know, she did mention something interesting." My face began to heat up. I knew exactly what Hadra's first priority would be after meeting Akkiwa.

"Where is your loverboy anyway? I would expect you two to be cinched together at the hip!" she said. My expression plummeted.

"She… didn't tell you?" I asked. Akkiwa's expression melted into concern.

"Tell me what? She really didn't have much time. Those new guards of hers dragged her away before we could share much more than a few minutes. Is… everything alright?"

"No," I said, trying to keep tears down. Somehow telling someone who didn't know what had happened felt awful.

"I'm glad to hear Haddy's doing okay. Things have been… rough here, though."

"What happened?" she asked. So I told her. I told her of the first attack, and seeing what my Dad's scythe could do. I told her about the goblins and saving the twins, and Eysee's concussion. I told her about the general. The draft. The food the army had 'confiscated.' I didn't make a story out of it. I didn't want a story for this. For once, I gave the bare, dry facts, and when I reached the lie Mom and I had prepared, it wouldn't come.

"He's… he's out there. Reid's out there, with that farce of a general, and Dad is, too. They might still be hurt, and I'm stuck here, telling fucking stories," I hissed. I was angry. Angry at myself for choosing to waste my points in networking when Fire Magic, or Archery, or… anything else might've been better." Well, that sort of attitude isn't going to get you anywhere," she said calmly.

"Nothing is getting me anywhere! I need to go back to the army. I need to make sure they're okay, but for once, Normuran can't heal me! I'm… I'm just… useless."

"Mera, don't ever let yourself think that. You're one of the most talented people I've ever met! But… if you'd like, I could try to heal you," she whispered. I blinked, my heart lifting a little." Right…! You're a healer, too!" Akkiwa glared at me.

"Keep it down, idiot!" I flushed. I'd forgotten that Akkiwa didn't want anyone to know about that. I hadn't even known until I'd made her a staff that passively improved the healing skill. It was a bit hard to hide after that. I was beginning to think almost everyone was hiding some sort of magic skill except me. Then again… Legendary Talent. Akkiwa sighed and glanced down under the table at my splinted leg.

"I suppose I could try, but if Normuran couldn't do it, I doubt my magic can. We did have our own encounters with a few goblins, but it was nothing we couldn't handle." This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"You encountered goblins!? Are you okay!?" I asked.

"Gods, I've been talking this whole time and I haven't even asked how you've been. Is Negirot doing okay?" She smiled.

"We're fine. We passed through town yesterday, but didn't stop for long. Everyone seemed like someone had kicked their favorite pet, and no one was at the bar except Mitoras refugees. I guess now I know why."

"So… the goblins weren't a problem?" She shook her head.

"There were a lot of Ranchers and Shepards up there. Plenty to deal with a few goblins. I was quickly able to heal the few injuries we did get, too. Saved quite a few goats with this thing. That's thanks to you, Mera." I brightened a little at that. I should've known she'd encountered Goblins already. That was what she'd needed her staff for in the first place. To my delight, her new need bubble was shining brightly. She needed… Peppers? Peppers, leather, and water.

If I didn't know any better, I'd think that she needed one of my pepper spray pouches. We'd made sure to give her one as soon as we'd finished them, and I didn't see her wearing it now. Had she already used it? I hoped she hadn't thrown the pouch away. Those hadn't been easy for Reid to make. She needed to use it to prevent herself from killing humans. What… the fuck? I hated my talent sometimes.

"Mera!" Mom called.

"It's time for us to get back home. We have some things we need to do tonight. Akkiwa. It's good to see you."

"Good to see you too, Mrs Farmer!" Akkiwa said brightly. Mom frowned and looked outside. Only one window was open as the cold was beginning to truly bite. We were a few days into the month of Frost. I missed Harvest already. I'd never been fond of the cold.

"It's a bit late. You weren't planning to return home in the dark, were you?" she asked. Akkiwa shook her head.

"I was planning to stay at the bar and go back home in the morning."

"Would you mind staying with us for the evening? I… have some things I was planning to share with Mera tonight, and I think you might benefit from them as well." Akkiwa beamed, and I did, too. I'd be able to make her need easily at home.

"I'd love that. It's been so long since I've stayed anywhere. Uhm. Don't take this the wrong way, but I was very much looking forward to having a bath tonight. Do you…" Mom laughed.

"Don't you worry. Our water will be quite warm, I assure you." I smiled a little and turned to look over at Akkiwa.

"I… guess we're having a sleepover?"

"It seems so!" We said our goodbyes to everyone in the bar. I was happy to have visited tonight, but for once even I wasn't up for much more time there. People kept asking why I'd returned, and I'd been forced to keep lying. Odds were pretty good that the wagon carrying my enlistment forms had been destroyed in the attack, and it would likely be a very long time before the Central Army might come searching for deserters. I didn't think I had anything to worry about from that front.

The general might even be dead for all I knew. The town was overjoyed at my return. More than one person had approached me before I left with offers of dyes for my hair or places to hide if the army came looking. Dobretin reassured me again that he would think about what to do with the metal, and Reid's dad made me promise to come talk to him tomorrow, as long as I was up for it. I didn't much care what Dobretin wanted to do with the metal.

If I could build Sebinet his need, we might have enough metal to trade some for food, and use the rest ourselves. All too quickly, we were on our way back to the east end of town. Back home. Rather than continue into the house, Mom walked past it and turned into the fields, walking us through them to the north end of our farm. The plain was wide and open now that the fields had been cut low.

"Uhm… where are we going, Mrs. Farmer?" Akkiwa asked. Mom turned back to us and smiled.

"I did promise you a bath tonight, Akkiwa. What I didn't tell you is where the water would be." I shared a confused look with Akkiwa. It was getting quite dark, and I could barely see the other girl as the sun fully set. It was also quite cold. Mom seemed to sense this and held up a finger. A blazing torch the size of a whole campfire burst into life just above her finger. A fireball floating in midair. I was almost immediately warmed, but Akkiwa looked gobsmacked.

"F-Fire Magic!?" she exclaimed.

"You've been to a fire magic school!?" Mom smirked.

"No. No, I haven't. But I've been thinking about what you said tonight, Mera, and I've decided that I'm done worrying about the reprisals from the fire magic schools. With the war looking like it does, they're going to have their hands full. So, I'm going to train every last person in this entire town if I can, and damn the consequences. Starting with you, if you'd like, Akkiwa." My eyes widened in shock.

"Uhm… don't get me wrong. I certainly would love that, but I… well. You're trusting me with this, so it's only fair. I can already use healing magic. S-sorry." Mom deflated. The torch dimmed, and I thought I saw Mom flushing.

"I… o-oh," she said. Just like growth magic, Healing Magic was opposed to fire. Every point in one made it harder to earn points in the other.

"Not the household variety? True healing, like Norman?" Akkiwa nodded apologetically.

"Well. That's embarrassing. I was almost certain you'd be an Earth mage. I suppose I'll have to ask Edra to teach you Water Magic instead."

"I'm very flattered but– wait, what? Really! She would do that?" Akkiwa said, blinking. Mom shrugged.

"Possibly. If I tell her my plans. Mera is right. We need to make this town ready to repel any invaders. No matter where they come from. With her talent and enough mages, we'll make it too costly to invade us. We'll do it before anyone knows. I'd… not known you had magic of your own, though I should've guessed when Mera made you that Pearl staff."

"That's… you're… talking about treason. Like for real, rebellion against Tacuria!" Akkiwa said. Mom shrugged.

"I wouldn't think a Rechin princess would care much about that," Mom said casually. Akkiwa's mouth dropped open. So did mine.

"How did you–!"

"Wait, she's really–!?" We turned to look at one another. I didn't know what to say, and she was clearly as shocked as I was. I knew there had been rumors, but Mom wasn't acting like this was just hearsay. Akkiwa… wasn't refuting it.

"I suppose I'll just be training Mera tonight," Mom said before turning and strolling back into the woods. Completely blindsided, we both followed.

"So… where are we going?" I asked, for lack of something better to say. We weren't going toward the pepper pit. In fact, we seemed to be heading toward the river. Mom grinned.

"I discovered while training that the best method was to use fire to heat things that are already cold. There isn't much of anything around that is colder than the river. We'll get your skill to fifty in no time, and Akkiwa will get her bath." I blinked.

"You… want me to warm up the entire river?" She nodded.