Page 19 of Phixmery

“Please let me claw their eyes out. Ooh, maybe I’ll keep them as trophies,” Nero ponders and I smirk, wishing that we could.

“Cadet Solace, I wanted to ask you a question before we get to our next topic in a couple weeks. Would it be possible to have you talk about your experience having a familiar? We haven’t had the opportunity to see what a true bond looks like in almost two decades.”

His question shocks me. “I’m sorry Sir, but I don’t know very much about familiars, even with having one myself. I don’t know how much help I can be.” My boots shuffle against the wooden floor nervously, feeling odd about being put on the spot. Another thing I’m trying to avoid.

He nods understandingly. “That’s perfectly fine. You’ll be learning about the bonds in this lesson. You would just be my example.”

His eyes dance in hope and excitement, but I’m not sure how this could affect us. Obviously it would be great to learn more about this extraordinary bond with Nero, but would there be any risks involved? Could saying yes bite me in the ass later? “Can I think about it?”

He dims a fraction but his smile stays genuine. “Of course. Could you let me know your decision in five days’ time?”

I grin back and he dismisses me with a nod. Spinning on the heel of my boot, I haul it to my next lesson which thankfully is only down the hall.

“What do you think, Nero… is this something we should do?” I question, needing my best friend’s input.

His wings raise in his version of a shrug. “I don’t see the harm in it. I’d like to grow our bond more. We plan on finding the library tonight—let’s see what we can find there and sleep on it. If it’s something you still want to do tomorrow then I vote yes.”

EMBER AND ROZEN found out what I was up to at dinner and asked if they could tag along to the library with us. We didn’t see the harm so I agreed, plus more people helping me look for information on bonds could be of use, and I can just pass off looking at scrolls of Damorleia like I’m curious about the land we live in and to help with Wilderness Survival.

“So what are we looking for again?” Rozen asks as he plucks a scroll off the shelf and blows on it. Dust poofs up into his face and he coughs, swatting the air around him, which pulls a laugh from both Ember and me.

When he can breathe again I reiterate, “We are looking for any information on familiar bonds. I want to see what I’m getting into if Nero and I agree to be Captain Reiner’s example to our year.”

“Right.” He nods, brushing his fingers through his shortened red locks before scratching behind his pointed ear. “Where should we start?” His eyes dart between us widely.

I move further through the stacks, and my own eyes widen at the copious amount of scrolls and texts lining the obscenely tall wooden shelves. A sense of overwhelming reluctance at this task fills me. I thirst to know more, but the idea of reading through boring scripts written by old fae sounds exhausting. If only there was a way to make this more entertaining.

Ember pulls me over to a desk where an elderly female sits quietly, watching us approach with keen interest. “We are interested in finding any texts on familiar bonds,” she states.

“Please,” I add, giving Ember a look, but she rolls her eyes and smirks before adding in her own manners.

The elderly female scrunches her nose before replying. “To access those texts, you would need to have approval from an officer,” she states, narrowing her gaze between the three of us until her gaze lands on Nero. Her eyes widen slightly before pursing her lips. “Birds aren’t welcome here, please remove it promptly.”

“He’s my familiar. I was told he’s welcome anywhere in Phixmery. I can have an officer sign off on the texts tomorrow,” I interject quickly.

Her eyes linger on Nero, shocked. “Fine, he may stay, but if I find out you’re lying, well, I’m sure they could use some help in the gryphon stables or even dragon duty. Is there anything else I can assist you with?”

“No—”

“Yes, actually.” I give Ember an apologetic smile. “Texts on the history and geography of Damorleia, please and thank you.”

“Aisle twenty-two should have what you’re looking for,” she mumbles, eyeing Nero like he’s going to make a nest out of her scrolls.

Nero scoffs. “As if I’d make a nest out of scrolls—there’s nothing to them, and you can’t exactly shape them the way I need. I’ll stick to your blankets, thank you very much.”

As we move away from the cranky librarian, Ember gives me a questioning look. “Remember how I said I want to learn more about Damorleia?” She dips her head slowly. “Well, if I can’t find out anything about bonds until later, then I want to look at some scrolls. Maybe learn a thing or two.”

Rozen sighs dramatically. “This is not nearly as fun as it would have been learning about your and Nero’s bond.”

“If you guys help me, then right after, we could go to the training yard and get some extra practice in before combat tomorrow morning?” I suggest.

Ember is silent for a moment and then relents with a groan. “Fine. You desperately need help, anyway.”

“What she said,” Rozen adds, taking off down the main aisle, looking for twenty-two.

A pang flutters through my chest as I realize I do actually enjoy these two for company. I’ll miss them when I leave, but they’ll probably hate me for abandoning Phixmery and becoming a traitor to Damorleia. I just need to make sure they aren’t complicit in helping me, or they’ll be tried for treason too. Just this time I’ll ‘study’ with them, but maybe I should start keeping my distance… Maybe it’s better if I’m alone.

Nero nibbles on my ear. “You’re not alone Rav,” he whispers. “You have me.”

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