The Peril of Magic - Part 4
By the seat of my pants project Shark man Pirates (?) Ensemble of non-human men Magic
A world where magic is claimed to be too much for a woman’s delicate sensibilities. Magic-touched women are often driven to insanity. Allegedly.
Perylle, a maid at an illustrious school for magic, hasn’t had any problems thus far in her 30-something years of life. In fact, she’s managed to subdue her powers enough that magic detection no longer works on her.
Vague ideas about treasure hunters (or perhaps pirates?) and a goddess being revived. Something something, Perylle learning to harness her power to save (or destroy?) the world.
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 (to be written)
Masterlist
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ
The next day, Jyask found himself, and Thane, standing in Headmaster Regalton’s office. The place stank of academic luxury, painted in rich greens and trimmed in cedar wood. A heavy scent of citrus danced in the air. Glass spheres and pieced together animal skeletons hung from the ceilings, each with some magical explanations no doubt. Shelves lined the walls, housing books and knickknacks. A work desk stood to the far side of the office, somewhat obscured by a divider and littered with flasks and bottles, bubbling liquid.
“I still don’t understand why you want two maids with you.” Headmaster Regalton sat on the opposite side of the office’s second desk, one made of cedar wood to match the room’s trim.
Swathed in dark blue robes, Headmaster Regalton looked every part of Old Wizard. A head of long white hair, topped with a brimmed pointy hat that matched his robes, and an impressively long white beard. Blue eyes edging towards periwinkle behind half-moon glasses. Judging from his arms, poking out from the sleeves of his robe, he was also relatively skinny. A gem twinkled in his left ear, but every time Jyask looked at it, it seemed to have changed color.
“The professors and scholars here are not working folk. Maids’ll make use of themselves.” Thane, always the face and voice of negotiations, fed the line as if he truly agreed with the words. In truth, he was leery of the idea. Especially considering Jyask insisted on particular maids.
Jyask watched a pendulum cradle with silver spheres click-clacked perpetually as the Headmaster considered the point. Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack. Regalton’s bushy eyebrows lowered as finally leaned forward, steepling his fingers in front of his chin. “Why not footmen?”
At that, Thane turned to Jyask, both to defer to him and to shoot him a look that clearly transmitted, ‘Yeah, smart guy. Why not footmen?’
Too bad for his first mate, Jyask had pieced together a pretty little lie. He took a step forward, closer to the desk, and folded his arms behind his back. “In usin’ your well-stocked library, I’ve been factoring sea drift and comparing lore to best serve this project of yours. I have reasons to suspect one of the artifacts you want us to bring up might have siren-like qualities.”
“Siren-like?” The Headmaster’s eyebrows furrowed, his beard ruffling about his mouth as his lips pursed.
“Meaning it could affect us menfolk, like how the old tales talk about sirens singing sailors to water graves.” Jyask gave a shrug as his tail flicked back and forth behind him. Selafine folk didn’t often drown, but it happened and it always made his skin crawl with old memories. For now, Jyask shoved the trauma away, keeping his easy, professional tone. “Lore varies. Could just cause men to want to take a dip, could drown us, could completely incapacitate a fleet by lulling them to sleep. Hard to say what exactly it does, given the time that’s passed.”
“Ah, so the ladies will be there as a precaution should the men become indisposed, I see.” Headmaster Regalton leaned back in his chair and Jyask smelled promise on the air. The old fart thankfully didn’t know much about the flooded city. Myth spoke of its very name being erased after a god smote it from the coast, so it wasn’t exactly Regalton’s fault for being ignorant on this matter. “Well, it’ll take some time to find maids willing and qualified to take part on a sea trip.”
Masking his uncertainty at positing his next request, Jyask shook his head. “Done. I have two maids chosen. A Miss Perylle and Miss Raina.”
Behind his shoulder, Jyask could feel Thane’s uncertain leer. Perhaps the sealion was hoping the Headmaster would completely reject the choices, giving some excuse as to why neither woman could attend the ship. Which would cause problems, since that would mean the old wizard knew what he had under his roof. It was much better for Jyask if Regalton continued to be an ignorant sod.
Instead, Headmaster Regalton’s lips twitched into a begrudgingly amused smile. “Oh, those two caught your eye, hm? Miss Raina, I understand, she is very pretty, but Miss Perylle? A bit, ah, well, dowdy.”
A slow, toothy quasi-smile crawled over Jyask’s mouth. Without seeing Thane, he could feel the other man tense, ready to launch himself at the selafin, but the fear that spread over Headmaster Regalton’s face satiated Jyask’s bloodthirst. “She’s diligent. Saw her cleaning in the library most times I was there and she seemed knowledgeable enough when I needed to find certain tomes.” lling cards to summon the maids, Jyask glanced back at Thane, tossing his first mate a smug grin. Thane’s unimpressed expression cracked – unable to remain stony in his captain’s foolhardy schemes – as he huffed and rolled his eyes.
With his first mate momentarily appeased, Jyask turned back to Regalton. He doubted, beyond knowing the names and appearances of the maids, that the man knew their daily workload or what the women were truly like. But Jyask knew.
He had absentmindedly been keeping tabs on the library maid, before that night when she had been harassed. He just hadn’t entirely realized it himself. Perhaps an instinctive spell on Perylle’s part or maybe his head really had been that far up his ass.
Care and reverence marked her movements in the library, when she wasn’t distracted. Quick to clean up messes left by the students and professors. When he or other scholars exasperatedly sought a specific book or reference material, she’d pluck it from the shelf when their backs were turned and place it in their study area. At first, Jyask thought this was the work of a library hewn with magic. He’d been told as much by the magi scholars. In retrospect, knowing what he knew now, he had seen her deposit books – the very sought-after tome! – when backs were turned. It had just taken dedicated thought to unite realization and memory.
Just how much innate magic did the woman possess? Excitement at the prospect swam through his veins, making his tail twitch a little harder.
All the better that Regalton didn’t know. The man was about to witlessly part with someone exceedingly valuable.
xxx
Perylle’s heart sank when she received the summons to the Headmaster Regalton’s office. She had been in the middle of laundry duty when it came in the form of a red paper bird, her name ascribed onto its wings, and spoke in Headmaster’s voice.
Miss Perylle, see me in my office as soon as possible.
Thankfully, just as she entered the antechamber to Headmaster Regalton’s office, Raina had crossed her path. She gave Perylle a small nervous smile, holding up a green paper bird, also summoned. Though Perylle took solace in her friend’s company, it did little to ease her anxiety. After all, Raina was there when Jyask left yesterday. He had suspicions about her magic and he might have wrangled her friend into a confrontation.
The very thought made her stomach churn. Before she could tell Raina to deny knowing about her magic, a familiar voice licked into her ears. “Oooh, is someone in trouble?”
Perylle and Raina turned, the former masked in neutrality while the latter sneered. The approaching young man was Brodric Macey, the human ringleader of the mage scholars that had waylaid Perylle the night Mr. Jyask had helped her.
He grinned at her and Raina, his necklace shining like his white-grey eyes in the light of the faerie fire lanterns. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his trousers, his robe flapping about behind him like tail. Perylle was partly sure he had enchanted the blasted thing to constantly wave in an unseen wind. What a waste of mana.
One of his lackeys, a young faun man with thick curly hair and a well-fed stature, stood a little behind him, not quite looking at either maid. Really, he hardly looked anyone in the eye. He always seemed hunched, trying to fade into the background. Perylle couldn’t even recall his name ever being uttered.
As one, the two maids shared a look and sighed, before once again turning to the Headmaster’s door, awaiting entry.
“Going to ignore me?” The young man stalked closer, tension wrought along his stance.
“Oh, stop harassing the help, Mr. Macey.”
This time, Perylle felt Raina tense when the new arrival spoke. Professor Ariyan Cocheral, a relatively young professor, all things considered. Hardly horrible to look at, with dark hair beginning to lighten as grey threaded through his locks and blue eyes many maids claimed to get lost in. With his constant five o’clock shadow and curated eccentric style of dress, he had the potentiality to be charming.
That lasted until he, inevitably, opened his mouth.
A slow grin curled over his lips as he realized Raina was one of the two targeted victims of his student. “Although, it is hard not to give attention to pretty things.”
Raina still faced the door, but Perylle caught the corner of her mouth lift in a curled-lip gnarl. Her own fingers itched, magic roused at the perceived threats at their back.
Thankfully, the door swung open before anything more was said or done.
After an awkward shuffling, wherein the scholars and professor entered first, Perylle and Raina hung back per their training. She was just beginning to wonder if the Headmaster had accidentally scheduled multiple meetings at the same time when her eyes caught on a sight that made her very blood run cold.
Mr. Jyask stood near Headmaster Regalton’s desk, leaning his hip on the wood with his burly arms crossed over his chest. At his side, she recognized one of his crew from the other night. A large beastperson of sorts, reminiscent of a lion.
“Captain Karkorodon, Mr. Redmayne, this is Professor Ariyan Cocheral and scholars Brodric Macey and Faraben Vondrai.” Headmaster Regalton motioned from the seafarers to the scholars, then reversed the action. “Ariyan, this is Captain Karkorodon and Mr. Redmayne of the Shrouded Pearl, the leaders of the diving crew Ebenassius has hired to retrieve the magical artifacts of the Drowned City.”
“I am familiar with the endeavor,” Cocheral nodded, a bit of magnanimity to his grin now.
Perylle glanced at Captain Karkorodon – a man that introduced himself to maids with his first name, it seemed – surprised to catch a slight scowl on his features. His assessing gaze was tilted toward the professor and, after a sweep of the students, his expression darkened further. Pressing her lips together, Perylle cast a glance to Raina. Her friend just appeared confused, worry pinching her eyebrows together.
“As it is, the good Captain has a suspicion to the location of the Drowned City and some of the precious treasures therein. For this excursion, I have called upon yourself – Professor Cocheral – and two of the highest performing scholars currently in residence to accompany Captain Karkorodon’s accomplished crew.” The Headmaster smiled from behind his desk. “You three shall aid in categorizing and perhaps even momentarily neutralizing the artifacts.”
Brodric nodded to the maids, a ghost of a sneer on his lips. “Why are they here, Headmaster?”
Before the Headmaster could break into another long-winded discussion, Jyask stepped forward. “I requested them.”
“Why? What good are maids on a ship,” laughed Brodric, before a sly look crossed his features, “unless you’re looking for them to shine your captain’s wheel.”
Jyask’s frown was firmly anchored in place as he turned to the still-seated Headmaster. “Intelligent your students may be, Headmaster Regalton, they lack in survival skills.”
“Mr. Macey, that’s quite enough,” sighed the old man, waving a dismissive hand at the young man.
“But-“
“One of the artifacts may target men,” the beastperson – Mr. Redmayne, Perylle reminded herself – stepped forward, silencing the young scholar’s protest. “The stories vary, but Miss Perylle and Miss Raina will accompany us, if’n they see fit, as back-up should we be incapable of continuing back to the port.”
“If I may be so bold to ask,” Perylle somehow found her voice, motioning to herself and Raina, “why us?”
“The captain has great regard for the working class and you two seem to have outshone your peers with your diligence and steadfast work ethics, isn’t that wonderful?”
The intensity of so many eyes on her washed over Perylle, leaving her drowning in quiet expectation. She should say no. That would be the sensible thing to do. A glance at Raina did nothing to quell the sudden heat in her chest. Her friend met Perylle’s eye with a conflicted expression.
Perylle wanted to go. She had never been sailing, had never seen artifacts plumbed from the ocean. It sounded thrilling and exciting. Raina seemed to be battling with the same excitement, balancing it against propriety and safety.
Raina was the first to cave to the temptation. “I’ll do it.”
“If Raina is willing, I will accompany her. Thank you for the opportunity, Headmaster, Captain.” After Perylle bowed her head in a nod, her eyes slid from the Headmaster to the Selafine captain. A riot flushed through her as Jyask, frowning nearly the entire time, slowly grinned.
Her carefully learned neutral expression nearly broke into a startled flush under that grin. It may have, had Perylle not noticed how Mr. Redmayne wryly noticing the change in the captain, as well. He elbowed Jyask, eyebrows raised questioningly. Another flush of heat clawed up Perylle’s spine.
A broad smile spread under Headmaster Regalton’s beard as he gave a singular clap. Perylle didn’t quite hear his words. As always, the Headmaster dismissed the two women with a demeaning ‘run along now.’ She didn’t mind so much, this time, as she forced herself to leave at an even pace, feeling the Selafine’s eyes on her back until the door closed behind her.
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ
Master List
