Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Zi'da 10, Arc 719
The Mortalborn rushed outside, into the hallway – and stopped for a moment in order to orient himself. It seemed as if a class had just ended. There were students everywhere now, chatting loudly and blocking his path. It took him several trills to spot Smoke, some distance away from him, behind a group of dark-haired people that had inconveniently positioned himself in the middle of the hallway and seemed to have no intention of leaving anytime soon. Her bright red hair shone like a beacon.
He watched her for a few tills before he abruptly spun around – and moved in the opposite direction, past the alchemy laboratory where he had met her, around a corner and down a narrow staircase. If he followed her, he would never be able to catch up with her, not when there was a crowd in the hallway that would slow him down. If he took a brief detour, on the other hand, there might still be a chance.
The staircase led to an old classroom that wasn’t in use anymore and eventually to a basement. From there, he ascended another staircase to the ground floor and finally moved towards the entrance hall, quickening his pace. When the door finally came into view, he allowed himself to stop for a moment, slightly winded, before he took a look around.
There were a couple of students as well as professors, but Smoke was nowhere to be seen yet.
That was good.
He positioned himself behind a column so that she wouldn’t be able to see him immediately, and then he waited. As he had hoped, she appeared in the entrance hall but a few trills later. The same crowd that would have gotten in his way if he had tried to follow her had apparently slowed her down.
The moment that she moved towards the door – she was not paying a lot of attention to what was happening around her - he stepped forward. She froze abruptly and looked at him in shock. For a moment it seemed as if she would drop the vials that she was carrying.
“You!” she blurted out before she hissed, “What do you want from me?”
“Smoke?” he asked in a cool tone, rather than answering her question, grabbed her arm, holding her in place, in case she decided to try and run and met her gaze. “I’d like to have a word with you, if you don’t mind. Follow me to my office. I’d rather talk to you in private. Act as if you are coming with me voluntarily. If you don’t cooperate, I will alert the guards”, he added.
“You don’t know who I am”, she retorted, her eyes ablaze.
His lips twisted into the semblance of a smile – he found her attempt at intimidation to be fairly laughable, he had faced beings that had been far more powerful than she could ever hope to become – before he said one word, quietly, so that nobody else would be able to hear him, “Yludih.”
Her eyes widened instantly, he was pleased to note. Up until that moment, he had not been absolutely sure if she was an Yludih or a Blessed of Syroa, like him. He had taken a chance.
“How … how did you find out?” she stammered, slightly panicked.
“I’m familiar with your kind”, he said.
“Will you come with me now?” he asked.
She nodded mutely, resigning herself to her fate.
Part 2
Part 3
Zi'da 10, Arc 719
The Mortalborn rushed outside, into the hallway – and stopped for a moment in order to orient himself. It seemed as if a class had just ended. There were students everywhere now, chatting loudly and blocking his path. It took him several trills to spot Smoke, some distance away from him, behind a group of dark-haired people that had inconveniently positioned himself in the middle of the hallway and seemed to have no intention of leaving anytime soon. Her bright red hair shone like a beacon.
He watched her for a few tills before he abruptly spun around – and moved in the opposite direction, past the alchemy laboratory where he had met her, around a corner and down a narrow staircase. If he followed her, he would never be able to catch up with her, not when there was a crowd in the hallway that would slow him down. If he took a brief detour, on the other hand, there might still be a chance.
The staircase led to an old classroom that wasn’t in use anymore and eventually to a basement. From there, he ascended another staircase to the ground floor and finally moved towards the entrance hall, quickening his pace. When the door finally came into view, he allowed himself to stop for a moment, slightly winded, before he took a look around.
There were a couple of students as well as professors, but Smoke was nowhere to be seen yet.
That was good.
He positioned himself behind a column so that she wouldn’t be able to see him immediately, and then he waited. As he had hoped, she appeared in the entrance hall but a few trills later. The same crowd that would have gotten in his way if he had tried to follow her had apparently slowed her down.
The moment that she moved towards the door – she was not paying a lot of attention to what was happening around her - he stepped forward. She froze abruptly and looked at him in shock. For a moment it seemed as if she would drop the vials that she was carrying.
“You!” she blurted out before she hissed, “What do you want from me?”
“Smoke?” he asked in a cool tone, rather than answering her question, grabbed her arm, holding her in place, in case she decided to try and run and met her gaze. “I’d like to have a word with you, if you don’t mind. Follow me to my office. I’d rather talk to you in private. Act as if you are coming with me voluntarily. If you don’t cooperate, I will alert the guards”, he added.
“You don’t know who I am”, she retorted, her eyes ablaze.
His lips twisted into the semblance of a smile – he found her attempt at intimidation to be fairly laughable, he had faced beings that had been far more powerful than she could ever hope to become – before he said one word, quietly, so that nobody else would be able to hear him, “Yludih.”
Her eyes widened instantly, he was pleased to note. Up until that moment, he had not been absolutely sure if she was an Yludih or a Blessed of Syroa, like him. He had taken a chance.
“How … how did you find out?” she stammered, slightly panicked.
“I’m familiar with your kind”, he said.
“Will you come with me now?” he asked.
She nodded mutely, resigning herself to her fate.
