The Academy Of Space And Time

Where I meet somebody and it's hate at first sight

She moved her hands in a Mudra. I hadn't noticed that she seemed capable of it, too, before, or perhaps I simply hadn't paid any mind to it. A blast of sand hit the jackal's nose, and it started to sneeze very loudly. I looked at my cousin, and the guy who was starting to become a friend, and we all realised the same thing.

We had no idea how to kill the jackal, or make it go back to where it was from.

"Edgar should be joining me shortly," Jeff replied our silent question. "He knows things. He will know how to take care of this."

Whomever Edgar was, he wasn't fast enough. The jackal stopped trying to cough out the sand, and it landed on Risa, trying to bite her leg.

I was paralysed by fear and shock. I recalled Jeff's words --- he'd spoken them only minutes before. I couldn't dare control if the animal had succeeded. And if it had, who was going to check if the wound was deep, green-ish or infected? I didn't think I had it in me, at the moment.

But then the strangest thing happened. A glittering storm appeared right on Risa's head, and showered her in a misty, light blue dust. She disappeared, and, once she did, the jackal left us alone and vanished.

"Oh, damn!" Jeff commented, kicking up sand. "Set has kidnapped her. I wonder why. She's non-consequential. Of course he wasn't looking for her in the first place."

"I don't know about that," I replied, thinking about Risa's secrets. It still stung, that Jeff called her non-consequential. But at the same time, her idea of living between the two worlds without belonging to either probably hurt the Enchanters the same way it hurt me, while Jeff hadn't known her, and now I couldn't help but wonder if he ever would.

I heard the sound of footsteps behind us. I didn't really want to turn around. If it was finally Flora, I would have told her that she was too late, and the girl and the boy she might have wanted to protect had already taken care of things themselves, at their own risk. But it was petty. If Risa was right, then the Enchanters under the trapdoor had been fighting, too.

"Jeff, what the hell happened?"

It was a teenage boy speaking. I turned around to find a guy not much taller than me, but who was thin enough to appear a little lanky. He had a very pleasing face shape, but high cheekbones that made him look a bit gaunt. His eyes were expressive and dark, his hair curly and black.

I realised it was Edgar.

"You're a little late," I said. "Jeff told me you know things like taking care of Set's little sidekicks. If only you came here before, Risa wouldn't have disappeared."

"His cousin," Jeff mouthed at Edgar. And then, loudly, "This is a strong air Hierophant who wants to join the school because he wants to leave the Human Realm, where he was born and raised. Born out of an illegal relationship."

"I don't care who he is at the moment," Edgar frowned. "He could be anyone, and I wouldn't care. I have to know about what happened here."

I didn't find it particularly soothing, nor I took it as a compliment. But Jeff just said, "Jackal. From Set. It tried to bite us, and then Risa was kidnapped. It responded a little too well to the air attacks me and the new boy gave him. Well, it was mostly me."

Edgar looked at me for the first time. I noticed his eyes were a very dark blue. "Don't blame me, then. You should have fought instead of looking."

I wasn't prepared to get so angry at someone right after Risa had left. Mostly, I wanted to keep the Enchanters on my good side. If they were, I could have asked where she was and how to rescue her. I could have understood how likely it was Set would kill her. But also, I expected them to understand my grief.