LaTao enters her academic abode, welcomed by the aroma of vanilla and sweet citrus. The living rooms on this floor have white walls and carpet resembling darkened sand with black and darker gray speckles throughout. The furniture is dark cherry wood with black leather padding, including a couch against the far wall. There are two chairs and a table perfect for tea and studying. LaTao and her roommate have decorated it with trophies, books, dragon-related sculptures, and of course, scented candles.
LaTao steps further in and looks from side to side. No new trophies. No new dragon merch. Trash is empty. She looks down at the large vanilla and orange candles. The wax near the wick is still melted? She snaps her finger. “Damn… I guess I just missed them.” This is a phrase she has often said… being that after years of sharing a dwelling, she’s never met her roomie. Though LaTao hasn’t always attended classes, she’s always kept this room booked. The two have left each other notes, but the only thing she knows about them is that they’re a fellow overachiever. The two almost competitively decorate the living room with awards.
She assumes her roommate either lives close by or takes night classes and sleeps during the day. They’re clean, quiet, and courteous when LaTao is asleep. The two have an unwritten agreement where they leave book suggestions on the side table by the couch, nearest the other’s door. They also both share a love for all things dragon-related, like the metal dragon statue holding two of the recently burning candles. The other two candles are held by an onyx dragon on LaTao’s side of the double candles, and an ivory one on her roomie’s side. The walls, throw pillows, and even the tea set they use… all dragon-related.
The perfect roommate.
She walks through the tiniest hall and into the living room. On the other side of the tiny wall to the left is a very small half-bathroom. On the right, a meager, ‘L’ shaped cabinet in the corner with storage above and below a tiny sink. Not a dirty dish in sight, as expected. She smiles and walks across the little living room to her personal door. On the side table is a note:
“Found the perfect rug for our little kitchenette.”
LaTao nods. There she goes, surprising me again! Color my interest 'piqued.’ Using a nearby quill, she dips, then writes a response:
“I bet it’s perfect! Let’s go half on it!
If this isn’t enough, let me know the difference.
Enjoy the tea, by the way.
It’s my new special blend!”
She doodles a smiley face in the bottom right corner, then leaves a few silver coins stacked beside the note. Now I feel like I need to add to the room somehow as well. I’ll keep an eye out next time I’m shopping. Hoping her guesstimated price is enough, she steps into her personal bedroom. Within is the subtle citrus scent of her blood orange candles. She sits on the fluffy, heavy, black blanket and takes off her walking boots, then swaps her socks for a fresh pair. Replacing her walking boots are a pair of black, shiny ones with two-inch heels. Once buckled, the top is curled over in a cuff that reveals the burgundy cloth lining the inside.
LaTao’s desk sits beside the bed and in front of her window. The wood is thin, and there are no decorations or embroidery… beyond occasional initials etched by previous occupants. A small, two-cubby bookshelf sits on either side of the desk. They are handcrafted and obviously not issued by K’Laie.
Ready for class, LaTao looks out the window and smiles. I still can’t believe that I’m so lucky. To be a student in the same school and walk the same halls as my idol, Dominus, The Bloody Black Mage! She sits at her desk, wishing Dominus’ name was among those engraved; alas, the powerful Wizard never attended here, only taught.
LaTao looks around her small room. Its once white walls have been painted over to look like randomly scattered black and red bricks. Four porcelain dragons are affixed to the walls, each holding a decorative candle secure in their grasp. The black and red dragons are depicted with devilish grins. The silver dragon is sleeping with its tail wrapped around the candle. The white dragon’s glare is the most evil. It doesn’t grin, so much as snarl as it protects its candle with its mighty, feathered wings.
Little else is in the room besides a dresser for clothes and a hefty chest in the corner. Before leaving, she ensures that it is indeed still locked. The left shelving is packed with books organized by color. Atop lay stacks of school-related books, organized by size with the largest serving as the base. Not a speck of dust to be found.
The shelving on the right only contains three books: one reads “Enchanting Items” while the other two are filled with potion recipes and alchemy ingredients. The bottom shelf has several glass vials with labeled corks. There’s a small chest sitting half-open, revealing multiple clean beakers, tubes, and stirrers made of glass, wood, and metal. Beside it, a marble mortar and pestle. The top shelf is covered in what one would probably classify as knick-knacks. The items range from unused candles, beautiful gems, enchanted jewelry, and an orange salt crystal that looks almost like a splash.
The last thing on the top shelf is a framed drawing of her with her friends Sage and Kain. The three are locked in action poses, colored masterfully in charcoal. Kain is slashing his sword to the right, sending a light blue crescent off the page. His cornrows are surprisingly detailed. To the left, LaTao is sending a stream of blazing fire. In the center, Sage stands ready to defend and heal them. His robes are light blue and shining white. His pale hand tightly grips his jade, snake-headed cane. Sage’s signature hides at the bottom right in bold black ink, reading “Sadgeius, Son of Thaddeus.” She waves ‘goodbye’ to her friends and then leaves her dorm.
She walks up one more flight of stairs, leaving the middle-class dorms behind for the ‘Upper Class Commons.’ Her first step from the stairs is onto a soft red carpet with rune designs written in black and white. The common area has the same layout as the previous one; however, everything is obviously more expensive. When LaTao reaches the sliding glass door, it remains shut. Her enchanted missive is detected, but she hasn’t access. Apart from faculty, this door will only open for those with rooms on the tenth and eleventh floors.
“There she is!” LaTao awkwardly waves, hoping to get Meeka’s attention.
Meeka’s surrounded by her coven and laughing about something. Ethur is the first to notice LaTao. With a bright smile, the quirky girl does a comedic double-take before returning LaTao’s wave. She quickly rushes to open the door.
LaTao thanks her, then tilts her head back to nod to the rest of the lounging coven.
Meeka spins around and greets LaTao with a smile. “Hey Tao!”
“Hey Meeka!”
As the two hug, April asks LaTao where she was this weekend. “My boys, Sage and Kain and I went on a little adventure,” LaTao quickly replies. “We picked one of the bandit jobs off the guild board. Kain had a lead on it. Nothing too big, though.”
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Ninnifer throws an incredulous look her way. “What do you mean, ‘had a lead’? How would he have a lead?”
LaTao’s right eyebrow drops. “You don’t know who Kain is?”
Ninifer huffs, prepared to give a snide reply, but the incredulous glances from the others give her pause. “Oh, THAT Kain,” she says, fooling no one. “Makes sense, now. Kain. Yeah.”
“You know how Kain’s one of the highest-ranking young soldiers in the joint Dorma-Adeaus Military?” LaTao says after losing to the urge to overexplain. “So he has access to a lot of information… then there’s Sage. He’s one of those guys that always ‘knows a guy’ if you know what I mean.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like, no matter what it is you need done, like… if you mention needing your roof fixed, dragon tamed, or… I don’t know… an interpreter for some random language, guaranteed he just happens to know someone who can do it or has it or makes it. He has all the connections.”
Ninifer nods and avoids eye contact, making it easier for LaTao to change the subject.
LaTao waves a scroll of parchment around for all to see. It’s sealed on both ends with wax and magic. “Ladies, pack your swim gear for after class.” She reaches the scroll toward Meeka. “We’ve got a new spell to learn!”
While one of Meeka’s hands twirls the end of her bouncy blond hair, the other accepts the parchment. She reads the symbols on either end, softly utters a phrase in the ancient tongue, then pinches the air near the wax seal. When she does, a thin string of pink light appears. She pulls on the ‘string’ and the wax seal tears, allowing the parchment to unroll. As her bright blue eyes inspect the text, the coven waits in silence for her response. After a pause, Meeka finally says, “De… depermeation?”
“Yup! The Depermeation Bubble spell!” LaTao shows a cocky smile. “We’re gonna learn to breathe underwater!”
Meeka and Ethur’s jaws drop. Once April shows interest, the others join in. Their excited faces and questions galore tell LaTao that her mother’s intuition was right on the money. She waves them off, reminding them to get their bathing suits before heading to class. So far so good.
***
The glass armonica melody plays, signaling the release of students from their scholarly cells. The classroom doors open, allowing a river of crimson cowls to flow through the halls toward the exits. Standing out from amongst these teens is LaTao, dressed all in black. Her only red shines from the bottom three inches of her hair. Thanks to her laborious effort of not working hard, she stands proud to have managed a full school day without standing out.
Keeping my mouth shut is tough! Staying silent through those history questions almost killed me, but it’s worth it if it keeps me from looking like a ‘know-it-all.’
The coven gathers behind LaTao and April as they make their way to the school’s gym. On the way, the dam breaks, and LaTao’s ability to be silent is gone. “Guys! This spell can totally save your lives one day. Plus, it’s gotta be fun to play underwater without holding your breath! PLUS, you never know if it’s gonna be on your Mage Test! Everyone’s test is different, so who knows?!” she reiterates, still selling the idea to the coven. She doesn’t get that she succeeded the moment she won April over.
Once inside, the young ladies remove their uniforms, revealing their expensive bathing suits. LaTao watches in pain as one by one, each of her classmates thoughtlessly displays their curves… not that they are trying to hurt her feelings.
Damn… Not an A-cup in the lot of them. Oh come on… even little Deska is stacked!? Also, why are they wearing sexy stuff? LaTao wonders, realizing that she’s the only one there in the school-issue bathing suit. Her red one-piece is bordered at the neck, arms, and legs with black bands.
On her chest, in white, is the Red Mage Symbol: At the center is a circle with three smaller circles within. A dragon’s head rises from the top and faces left. Wings stretch out from the sides. At the bottom, a flame-like take comes down and bends to the right. To each side of the flame are two pegs with circles at their ends. The full design is very easy to see, because LaTao’s chest barely–
“AHEM!” LaTao says, clearing her throat dramatically. “Okay, ladies. It’s your choice. You can look at the scroll and figure it out yourself, or you can train with me. I booked the whole pool, so no need to be shy. It’s just us.” She looks over her shoulder. “Well… us and a lifeguard… that’s licking his lips.” She side-eyes their pervy purveyor.
The gentleman’s face flushes as judgmental eyes beam his way. Embarrassed, their protector looks away, changing positions in his suddenly uncomfortable chair. To avoid further trouble, he stares up at the open sky. The hinges of the removable ceiling can be seen, though the ceiling itself is out of view.
LaTao lays the scroll down on a nearby table with an umbrella rising from its center. “If anyone can’t swim, this end is five feet deep. The far end is twelve. I’ll be heading over there with whoever wants to learn it from me.”
The urge to say ‘please don’t get the scroll wet’ is strong as she walks slowly toward the deep end. For the next five seconds, all she hears is the sound of her own footsteps. Eventually, she hears more, but she can’t tell how many. Don’t look back. You’ll find out when you find out, she tells herself, curious as to whom she’ll be teaching. Funny thing is, if anyone stays back, I won’t know if they didn’t want me teaching them, or simply can’t swim.
LaTao stops at the far end of the one hundred and sixty-four-foot pool and turns to find only Kami’ka and Ethur. “Okay, ladies… let’s get down to business.” LaTao stands on the edge of the pool with her back to the water. To each side is a railing, letting one know the ladder’s location. “I want you two to see a few things from the start.” LaTao casually steps back and lowers herself into the water. “Unless you’re trying to detect magic, you won’t see the depermeation bubble….” Once she is shoulder-deep, the water begins to bowl around her. The simultaneous gasps of her students bring the slightest smirk to her lips. Her eyes are level with the water, but it looks like there’s an invincible glass bowl around her neck keeping her head and hair dry. She continues, “...but you can see the effect it has on water.”
“By The Nine,” her pupils say in unison.
“I cast the spell earlier and have had it going this whole time. It doesn’t cost that much ethis, unless you’re in a situation where it’s hard for it to do its job.” Completely submerged, the full sphere can now be seen around LaTao’s head. She climbs up just enough to have half of the bubble in action. “By ‘its job,’ I mean the task you’re having the ethis perform. In this case, it is specifically to pull breathable air from all around, to me.”
LaTao treads water and backs away from the ladder. “You can feel that it’s lightly draining ethis once you are submerged, but as far as I know, it doesn’t cost more the deeper you are.”
LaTao swims back to the ladder and begins to climb. “And if you’re wondering, the spell follows you. It doesn’t float, nor does it make you float, so you’ll still have to swim, got it?” The girls nod enthusiastically. “Okay!” LaTao says, remaining on the ladder’s highest rung. “Now, when learning the incantation, remember, you must emphasize the shape, the location, and the specific command to pull fresh, breathable air to enter the bubble. If you don’t, you’ll stay dry… but you’ll suffocate.”
“Got it,” Kami’ka responds with eyes filled with confidence.
LaTao looks to Ethur. “You can swim, right?”
Ethur nods.
“Okay… then repeat after me…”
The two listen intently as the training begins in full. With fingers crossed, they repeat every syllable spoken in the ancient tongue. Piece by piece, they memorize sections of the spell, pressing it into their minds with youthful optimism. Occasionally, LaTao glances over to see Meeka reading the scroll to the others. Good. If she’s running things over there, they won’t need my help.
My chapters average about 2,741 words. The NEXT chapter is just under that and ends in a cliff hanger that's resolved in 967 more words.
