Chapter 6 Part 2: Limitations

Jun blinked rapidly as the instructor called on him.

“Yes?”

The older woman indicated he rise and follow her. Jun frowned. He was in the middle of carving a new rune and didn’t want to leave. Footsteps echoed in the hallway behind the teacher and a familiar face appeared. White Flame Tarron Emberthane? What was he doing here? The teacher bowed to the White Flame and indicated to Jun. Jun sighed, realizing it wasn’t a teacher calling him, but a White Flame.

He took steady steps, hearing the whisperings as other peers talked about his sudden appearance change back during the day of arrival.

“Hey you heard he had white hair and blue bangs?”

“Strange.”

“I saw his arm was a Sacred Burn.”

“Like mine?”

“No, it went under his clothes. Not sure why he hides it.”

“Alinta.”

“If I was one, I would show the world what I could do.”

“That’s because you crave attention.”

“Must be why you weren’t chosen.”

Laughter echoed as he stopped in front of the White Flame. Jun offered a bow and Tarron, a mute, handed him a pre-written plate.

Follow. Don’t speak.

Jun bowed his head as he handed the plate back. He could sense the stares.

Tarron led him away and scribbled a few more messages. Jun read over each.

Alinta. You showed yourself.

Jun nodded. Amalie had encouraged it.

You caused a stir. The Principle is watching. And so is the Church of Nauthire.

Jun’s lips pressed into a thin line. Those people. The ones who had manipulated Elain into thinking he was a murderer. He shivered as a chill ran up his spine. He was already working on the developments with the Matriarch, now the Church was taking notice. He wondered if Amalie had anticipated this and if she did, why didn’t she warn him?

Amalie’s idea?

Jun paused before his shoulders dropped as he nodded.

I’ll be teaching you about runes.

Jun’s head tilted as he stared up at the big man.

The two made it to a class with sparse students. Jun recognized Christopher who waved as their eyes met. He sat next to him and Christopher shuffled over a wax tablet with some words.

Ready to start work on the device?

Jun grabbed the tool and straightened out the wax before responding. Maybe next week. His answer was a simple request. There were still too many moving parts and information gathering. Besides, he wanted to find a rhythm with his studies before doing the work. Without Jasper’s memories, he felt behind in several subjects.

Tarron had them practice rune carving and critiqued their lines and scrawls. Jun licked his lips as the White Flame stared over him and then wrote a few things.

Too deep, and inconsistent.

Jun sighed and began again, straightening the rune. His memory of carving fire had gone so well in comparison. He ground his teeth as he persisted through the class.

As it came to an end, Jun slowly gathered his things and found his way to the main square.

Mei greeted him and showed him to a place where she had some food. Jun ate as she talked, mostly paying attention to her signals instead of her words.

“I checked out the mercenary guild-“ her words began, but underneath she tapped the table and scratched at her mask.

Three spies have been tailing me all day.

“Must have been hard.” He quipped and she sighed. It was words fit for both the audible conversation and the silent one.

A report. 7 confirmed spies will be mixed in our afternoon classes.

Jun frowned.

And?

The Matriarch isn’t pleased.

Obvious.

Mei chuckled.

Patience. Our insiders are planted and gaining trust. It’s only a matter of time.

The two ate amicably as they conversed about available jobs. Mei mentioned a job to go fishing and Jun froze. If this was Jasper, he would press her for more. At least in the notes, Mei and him enjoyed fishing. Was she probing him? Testing him?

“Do you want to?” He ventured.

“I doubt I could do it on my own.”

“Hmmm. Sounds fun.” Jun finished off his food and cleaned up. Mei smiled.

“Glad you agree. I already signed us up for it.” He stiffened before closing his eyes.

“Mei.”

“I knew you would agree, so I took the job before it got snatched up.”

Jun let out a sigh and the corner of his mouth tilted up. “What’s done is done. But care to share with me the details first?”

Mei nodded, whitened eyes sparkling. She shared the details as they headed to the next class.

Politics.

Jun noted how Mei yawned as the teacher pointed to different parts of the map and spoke. The way he drawled certainly didn’t help keep his class awake, but Jun picked up on all the different interactions between the nations—how they viewed one another. He could grasp the idea in theory. Since everyone on the island was from different areas and regions, they needed to know how each nation thought. Though, with the uniforms, it was harder to figure out someone’s nationality. Still, his brows knitted as the teacher talked about their home. Oranalas. It wasn’t very liked. The teacher didn’t say it outright, but Jun could sense it, as some students grumbled under their breath.

“Sixteen years ago, a power struggle began and has been raging in the north east of Oranalas. As the leaders in power have shifted, relations have become strained and trade has struggled.”

Jun closed his eyes. Sixteen years ago was when the Matriarch took control of the Jinshari Clan. Her influence certainly was more widespread than he had thought. He offered a habitual prayer of gratitude—thankful that Amalie and her knights had pulled them out of there.

He looked back at Mei whose head kept tilting. He knew that motion. Blindness. She was pretending to be blind again. Well, pretending was a strong word. She was blind, except when she offered prayers, but her descriptions of the world completely boggled his mind.

Remembering the way she had behaved coming here, he figured she wanted to throw the Matriarch’s spies off with her actions. As far as they knew, they still believed she was a helpless blind girl.

As class ended, Jun approached and offered his arm, and she took it. If she wanted to pull off the ruse well, he would need to guide her.

The final class for Mei was faith. Jun shrugged. As he had reached the white level of faith, the teachers recommended him take something else. As he wandered, a familiar scent wafted and he followed it. Herbs? But these were the poisonous ones. As this filled his mind, he found himself in a garden and made his way to a class that was studying the plants.

As he stayed by the back of the class, his ear began to burn and itch.

‘Jun. You should study this.’

He reached for his ear, recognizing the Silver Flame’s voice.

“Why?” he whispered, feeling his extra organ warm with the flowing prayer.

‘What is the Matriarch’s main tactics?’

Jun swallowed. Poison. A firmer study on the subject couldn’t hurt and the fishing job wasn’t till the evening.

He sat in the back and listened, learning. The teacher handed them two plants to observe and then had them bite into the leaves. Jun instantly felt the burning sensation of poison, acutely aware. As an antidote was handed out, he circulated his prayer to burn off the toxins and stiffened. Why was this painful? As he fought against the simple poison, he was handed the antidote and took it.

His jaw worked as he tried to understand what had happened.