From the journal of Madeline Le Torneau: “I told her not to come with me, yet I still feel responsible.”

  Madeline lay awake in the most comfortable bed she’d ever laid in, not too soft, not too hard and no lumps within a country mile. The pillow must have been made of goose down or an equally high quality material, contouring to the shape of her head no matter how much she tossed and turned. Toss and turn she did. She found a tincture of lavender essence in a small drawer in her armoire and even a couple drops of that on her pillow couldn’t lower her blood pressure. Smelled good, though.

  Her thoughts never strayed from the Prime’s address. Not the part about the Rotden appearing in Saberwyn City, she felt no fear over that. Rotdens didn’t scare her. Rotmonsters didn’t scare her. No, only one emotion bubbled inside her and it threatened to send steam coming from her ears.

  Talia, Willow and Hayden were excited about the possibility of getting their hands dirty in a den but none more-so than Talia. When confronted with the conversation after the Prime exited, Talia positively giggled.

  Madeline resisted the urge to scream into the now lavender scented pillow or punch the wall her four poster bed touched. She successfully did neither, sitting up instead. How could they do that? Professor Lawrence. The Academy Second. Who the fuck knew what powers her new position came with? Certainly more administrative control. Likely less teaching responsibilities, allowing Madeline less time and opportunity to gather the information she needed.

  She stood up adjusting her loose crimson nightgown to presentable levels. Throwing her hair up in a quick bun, she stood up. Stilling her hands.

  Fuck it, has to happen early, might as well be tonight. Less chance of someone else finding it.

  With a self-deprecating curse, she slipped out of the nightgown she’d just adjusted and into the Academy provided sweatpants and hooded sweater. Both the black garments had the stylized glove of the Warriors.

  Madeline still felt uncomfortable at the relative luxury she lived in now, especially when compared to how she’d lived mere days ago. These cotton clothes didn’t scratch against her bare skin, they weren’t too heavy, both sleeves were the same length and the pants even had pockets. Pockets. The thoughtfulness of the design gave her a momentary thrill.

  She stuffed her talisman into one of the pants pockets then as silently as possible she exited her dorm. Though with Willow’s snoring, she could have brought a performance of the Saberwyn Circus through their sleeping area without being noticed.

  Madeline squinted when the light from the common area washed over her eyes, all four of the light sources - moonlight, torches, candles and fireplaces - doing a more than adequate job of lighting the place.

  Only one other student couldn’t sleep. In a tall chair, a shorter man pressed his palms to his eyes, rubbing them. He noticed Madeline, put his glasses back on, frowned, then nodded toward her. She nodded back and he returned to his reading.

  The common area had a small nook that students could use to make coffee or tea, grab water or something fizzy, or a late night snack. Eschewing the smells of old coffee and hardening cookies, Madeline began to work the espresso machine. It took a concerted mental effort, running through the reasons not to feel guilty about drinking the high end coffee.

  “Can you make me one?” Talia’s sleepy voice appeared behind her and Madeline nearly spilled her shot turning around. She whipped her head around and found her friend, slightly disheveled, stretching her arms to the sky and yawning deeply.

  “Tals?”

  “Yeah?”

  “What are you doing up?” Madeline asked, keeping her voice down.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “You’re up,” Talia responded, stretching some more, this time pulling one hand across her chest and holding for a beat.

  “Couldn’t sleep,” Madeline sighed.

  “Same.” Another deep Talia yawn and another arm stretch told Madeline that her friend might not be telling the whole truth.

  “Go back to bed,” Madeline said, hiding a smirk. “You look like you’re about to fall asleep standing up.”

  “Am not,” Talia fired back, shaking out her limbs. “Are you going to make me a shot or do I need to beg? Oh, please, sweet, beautiful Madeline-,”

  “Oh my god, I’ll do it if you stop that right now,” Madeline snorted.

  “Make it a double, yeah?”

  “Fine,” Madeline acquiesced to her friend's request, turning back to the machine, adding the water, tamping the grounds, and working the hand pump until a steaming double shot of espresso came out. She handed the tiny cup to Talia who nodded her appreciation.

  “I was about to start doing high knees. But this is better.”

  “Is it?”

  “Duh. What did I tell you about espresso? Was I right or was I right?” Talia grinned, sipping the cup. “So what were you planning on doing? It’s the middle of the night. Want to sit by the fire or something?”

  She did not. “I thought I might go for a walk. Get some air.”

  “Sounds good, I could use a walk. Should I change? Nah, I’ve got a bra on, I’m probably fine.”

  Talia didn’t look much different from Madeline in her attire, black and red sweats, even doing her hair up into a bun to match.

  Madeline wouldn’t go so far as to say that Talia’s presence ruined her plans, but it certainly complicated things.

  “You sure you want to come? I’m just kinda going to wander,” Madeline made one final attempt at talking her friend into heading back to bed.

  “Are you meeting a booty call or something?” Talia’s eyes widened when Madeline blushed. “Oh my god, you are! Is it that cute Death Dealer? Oh, please say it is he looks like he could do some-,”

  “Talia!” Madeline hissed, completely forgetting to keep her voice down. She clamped her hand over her mouth, glancing over at the other student in the common area who either heard them and pointedly ignored their conversation or was so engrossed in his book he paid them no mind. “It’s not a booty call, it’s the second day, oh my god.”

  “Fine. Prude.”

  Madeline damn near goggled at Talia. “I…you…I’m not a prude,” she finished lamely.

  Talia hooked her arm in Madeline’s, yawning one more time and steering them toward the common room exit, past the gleaming statue of the Warrior casually tossing the ball of flame in the air. “I know. But you do this cute thing with your face when you get riled up and I just can’t help myself,” Talia laughed. “Your cheeks go all red and you sort of pout with your mouth open.”

  “Oh shut it,” Madeline said, but the words held no heat.

  “So if not to the Death Dealer quarters, where are we going?” Talia asked.

  Madeline played it cool, despite the destination she had clearly in her mind. “Do you know where the post office is? Is there even one?”

  Talia raised an eyebrow. “Yes, my parents told me they’d be writing to me but I think it’s probably best if I write them first. You know, soften the blow of being a Warrior not a Sorceress. Let’s go! But let’s be quiet, I’m not sure about curfew. Dang, I wish I could remember if they told us there is one. Do you remember?”

  “Let’s be quiet,” Madeline agreed. “Just in case.”

  They snaked around torch lit hallways, moving past moonlit window after moonlit window. Talia steered them toward one of the taller stone towers.

  “Why do you want to go to the post office anyway?” Talia asked, conversationally.

  Madeline launched into the cover story she’d rehearsed. “Old Aunt Leticia told me she’d write to me and that I should write to her to tell her how the entrance exam went. She's ancient and worries constantly. If she doesn't get a letter from me soon, she'll assume I’ve been abducted by Rotforces or something. It's easier to just do it now before I forget and this way it’ll make tomorrow’s post.”

  She knew, logically, that she’d likely make friends at the Academy. She also knew that, logically, she’d have to lie to them. But that didn’t make lying to Talia any easier.

  Talia held her hand out in front of them at the next corner, stopping Madeline in her tracks, mid-yawn. She cocked her head to the side, listening to something Madeline couldn’t quite hear. “I don’t see anyone, but I definitely heard someone. One thousand percent.”

  They turned the corner, their slippers making little noise against the stone walkway. Quietly, they advanced closer toward the post office until Madeline heard what Talia must have. Footsteps. The unconcerned footsteps of someone on patrol.

  “You want to turn around?” Madeline asked. She could come back another night.

  “And miss the danger? Are you nuts?” Talia fired back.

  “Fine, but let’s hurry.”

  The two girls scurried in their sweats and slippers, moving through corridor after corridor, only pausing to check around corners and be sure the footsteps echoed out of earshot.

  Before long, they arrived in a large room with stacks of paper, ink, writing tables and envelopes on one end and closed containers to place finished mail on the other.

  “Keep your ears out,” Talia said. “I’m going to write fast.”

  Okay, Madeline thought grimly. Let’s see if this worked.