Bastial Energy (8 page)

Effie was first to the door, opening it without a knock. She was met with quick glances by those within eyeshot. The young warrior she’d met earlier, who’d invited them, pushed through a group of three people to greet her.

“Welcome! Glad you made it. This is my amazing house.”

“I’m sure it’s far more amazing than mine,” Effie replied sarcastically, as each of the houses was nearly identical.

“If you count the thirty drunk people within it, then indeed it is.”

“How do you know thirty drunk people aren’t in my house also?”

“Because you would have to be crazy to allow thirty people in your house with classes the next day, and you don’t seem the crazy type.”

No she wasn’t, but she gave a smile that implied she could be. “You remember Reela, Steffen, my sister…”

“Gabby,” she insisted.

“My fourteen-year-old sister,” Effie continued, “who will not be touched by anyone. And this is Cleve, a warrior like yourself.”

“Alarex Baom,” he said, taking Cleve’s hand. “Call me Alex.”

Effie often tried to find a unique feature about people she met to remember them more easily. For Alex it was his thick black hair, yet short, reddish-brown beard that caught her eye. As well as that, he was nearly as tall as Cleve.

Someone was shouting in their direction. “Rex, Rex! Come meet this girl. She says she’s a psychic.”

“Rex?” Effie inquired.

“Ignore him,” Alex whispered. “That’s just some idiot. If I meet a DDW, I tell them to call me Rex so I can keep track of them easier. So Cleve, what’s your drink and weapon of choice?”

“The quarterstaff.” Cleve looked past Alex for a glimpse at the so-called DDW.

“And drink? We have a whole variety here. My brother, Hem Baom, is the commander of the King’s Guard, so he gets a lot of gifts, but he doesn’t even drink. Lucky for him he’s got a brother who does.”

“Sakal,” Cleve replied. “The expensive kind.” Obviously, he knew no other drink. Effie still didn’t know how to label Cleve. Unlike other professions like bakers, masons, merchants, shoemakers, and so on, warriors tended to be so alike to each other in personality that Effie knew all about a man the moment he called himself a warrior. But not Cleve. Although he looked like a warrior, his behavior didn’t seem to match. He was quiet and didn’t like to talk about himself.
He didn’t even know alcohol until it touched his tongue,
Effie thought.
What kind of warrior is that?

“We don’t have sakal,” Alex replied, “but something close. Everyone, come have a drink, except for the fourteen-year-old.”

“Gabby!” she exclaimed.

“Gabby, sorry. I just wanted Effie to know that her sister will be monitored closely. No touching and no alcohol.”

“She can drink,” Effie replied. “She is lawfully a
woman
now, although you wouldn’t know it by talking with her. Also she’s sharing my bed tonight, so it might make her less squirmy.”

Effie followed Alex as he pushed through to the kitchen where a colorful arrangement of bottles and jugs awaited. Lately, beer only reminded her of the embarrassing kiss with Brady, so liquor was what she wanted.

“What’s the gold one?” she asked.

“I don’t think you can handle that. It’s a wine, very bitter, very strong.” Alex filled half a glass. “Like my last girlfriend.”

“She was bitter for what reason? Did you cheat?” Effie asked, quickly realizing she’d only thought of it because Brady was on her mind.

Alex’s grin faded. “No, but if that’s what people think when they hear that joke, I should stop using it.”

Cleve grabbed for the glass. “Give it here.” He brought it above his mouth, leaned back, and let gravity take over. After just a taste, he ran to a nearby window and spewed out the liquid.

“Again?” Effie asked incredulously. She took the glass from him and drank. Bitter was an understatement. It tasted of spoiled lime and fire, but Cleve needed to be taught a lesson. She finished it quickly, held in a cough, and asked sarcastically with a burning throat, “What did your brother do to receive a gift as kingly as this?”

Alex smiled at first, but then Effie caught him turning his head to sigh.

“Could that have possibly offended you?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No, it takes far more than that to upset me. Your talk of kingly reminded me of something solemn I’ve been trying to forget.”

Effie glanced at Reela, who was leaning her head forward, her eyes focused on Alex. In the rare instances when Effie couldn’t decipher whether a man’s words were genuine, Reela could.

“What’s so troubling?” Reela asked with one eyebrow bent, as if trying to solve a puzzle.

Alex waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “I would hate to bring up serious matters after inviting you into my home for a night of entertainment.”

Normally when a man suddenly changed to a serious topic, Effie assumed it to be a ploy, a cheap attempt at making her more interested in the conversation. But with Reela there, these quick mood changes tended to happened frequently, too frequently, in fact. Truth seemed to be magnetized to her, perhaps the reason she’d never done well with men.

“I’m sure satisfying our curiosity is more important at this point,” Reela answered for them.

Alex nodded. “I understand that, but keep in mind that I warned you.” He leaned in and lowered his voice. “Do you know of the turmoil between Kyrro and Tenred?”

“Peace was reached with the Tenred kingdom long ago, I thought,” Effie said.

“Yes,” Alex agreed. “There has been peace since long before the Academy was constructed twenty-two years ago, which is why none of us paid any mind to the service contract we signed upon admission to the school. But the peace between Kyrro and Tenred has been like a torn belt. As time progressed, the belt became more likely to rip. I hear now that the belt has finally come apart.”

Is that right?
Effie wondered.
Steffen would know.
Where did he and Gabby go?

“Are you shaying wull haf to go to battle?” Cleve asked, now with a heavy slur.

Alex took a sip from his glass. “I’m only telling you what I’ve heard from my brother. I think people should be prepared, for they may have to fight if it’s correct.”

“I could use a drink,” Reela said, “and not that terrible wine. Cleve, let’s get something.” She shoved him away from the group.

Effie peered at them. Neither reached for a bottle. Instead, they seemed to talk intensely. Alex broke her gaze before she could give it more thought.

“I shouldn’t have mentioned it,” he said. “Would you like something else as well? I know how hard it will be to find a drink more suitable than the last, but I wager we can make that happen.” She could tell his comment was sarcastic, but his tone was still regretful.

“I would like you to tell me more about this war.” She was in no mood for anything but information.

He took a long sip as he peered at her over the top of his glass. “We can’t be sure of anything yet—let me correct that,
I
can’t be sure of anything yet. For all I know, King Welson and his council already know whether or not there will be war. I have no other specifics except that my brother believes there will be war. He isn’t allowed to divulge the classified information that has led him to that belief, nor would he.”

“Could he have made it up to mess with your thoughts?” She and her sister had shared similar pranks, although never as dark as war.

“It’s unlike him to joke, especially about matters such as this. The man doesn’t even drink. I think he was dropped as a baby and his sense of fun never developed.”

Effie couldn’t ignore how strange it seemed for Alex to be sharing this
supposed secret information with her when they’d just met. Men had all sorts of
so-called
secrets to tell her, especially after they’d been drinking, but none like this. Reela would’ve said something if he were lying, though. She always did.

“Do others know, or are we the first you’ve told?” Effie asked.

“I’ve known for weeks, so it’s been difficult not to bring it up, but I try to refrain. It’s not my place to create panic.” With that, he finished all that remained in his glass.

For weeks?
“You knew before signing the service agreement to fight and
still
did so?” Effie asked incredulously.

“You wouldn’t?” Alex took the golden wine and filled his glass to the brim.

That froze her in thought for a breath. “Give me more of that strong wine and I may have an answer before the night is over.”

Their conversation took a pleasant turn to their expectation of the upcoming evaluation week and then eventually to their families. She found that he had a lot to share of himself. Although it was done humorously, it was also mostly negative. She was not familiar with self-deprecating warriors and told this to him when their discussion of their siblings was put on hold for a refill.

“I have to make up for all the teasing I should have received from my brother while growing up,” he answered. “You’re the eldest sibling. Don’t you tease your sister?”

“Only when she deserves it.”

“How often is that?”

“All the time,” Effie said truthfully. “But she’s a chemist, so that’s half the reason behind it.”

“I say Bastial to that.” Alex held his glass in front of her. A man approached and placed a hand on his shoulder.

She clanked her cup against his. “Bastial. Speaking of my sister, I should at least find where she’s run off to.”
Finding her should mean I’ll find Steffen as well. I want to see what he thinks of this talk of war.

Alex gave her an agreeing smile and greeted his friend with a nod.

Before looking for Gabby, Effie glanced at Cleve and Reela. They were still in each other’s company but now with drinks in their hands and grins on their faces.
She hasn’t scared him off yet, must be playing nice.

Chapter 10: Rumors

EFFIE

After a brief search, Effie recognized Gabby’s childlike giggle from outside when she neared the front door. Effie prepared her eyes for the dark night as she opened it, but instead a bright green light stormed into the house, grabbing the attention of those standing around her who winced and wondered aloud what it was. Without an answer to give them, Effie stepped outside to find out for herself.

She managed to make out Gabby’s silhouette laughing hysterically while she stood beside something so bright Effie couldn’t look right at it. When Gabby noticed Effie, the strength of her laughter appeared to knock her over.
Drunk already
, Effie thought, shielding her eyes as she waited for the laughter to stop so she could speak.

The brightness slowly dimmed before her sister’s manic laughs subsided, fading enough to reveal that somehow Steffen was the source of the glow.

“What was that?” Effie asked.

“A glow potion,” Gabby answered between laughs. “Your face…was…hilarious.” Her giggle slowly perished.

“It’s more of a novelty potion as it doesn’t last long, and it’s unpleasantly bright,” Steffen added.

Chemists.
Effie held in a disapproving look. “Steffen, what do you know about war between Kyrro and Tenred?”

His head tilted. “Would you like to be more specific? The rivalry between us goes all the way back to the creation of Tenred.”

“Alex says there is to be a war
soon
.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Steffen answered with surprising speed. “The only thing preventing one territory from attacking another is that neither has enough power to win a siege. For battles to begin, all that’s needed is for one side to gain confidence that its army is powerful enough to overcome the great advantage each territory has in its defensive position.”

Effie found it difficult to find the meaning in Steffen’s barrage of words. She might have thought it was a sign of too much to drink if it didn’t happen regularly while she was sober as well. “Can you try that again?”

Steffen nodded. “Once
either
Kyrro or Tenred has an army big enough to attack and win, one of them will attack. It has always been this way, but the defensive advantage of each territory has been too great.”

“So which army has grown powerful enough? Are they attacking us or are we attacking them?”

“That…I don’t know, but you shouldn’t worry.”

Effie hadn’t decided yet if she should worry or not, but there was something about someone advising her not to worry that always had the opposite effect. “This doesn’t worry you?” she retorted.

Gabby’s hands shot up. “Wait,” she uttered as if she was just now hearing what had been said. “Father said there would be no more battles. We’re really at war? Don’t all students need to sign a contract that obligates them to fight in any battles?” She gasped at her own words, her eyes darting between Steffen and Effie. “You’ll be sent to battle?”

Steffen raised his hands to relax her. “Psychics and chemists aren’t required to fight unless we’re under attack. However, all mages and warriors are forced to join any battle if the King demands our assistance. This even includes those who’ve graduated as a recognized warrior or mage years ago.” He turned to Effie. “To answer your question, I’m not worried because we’re first-year students, so it’s unlikely for us to be needed unless a massive army stormed into Kyrro.”