Resignation
The Grandmaster of the Crux has ultimate authority over all magical matters. By joining on as a wizard, accepting magiline from the Crux’s stores, you agree to submit to the Grandmaster’s authority.
Fundamentals of Magic by Eroland Lockhart
WELL, THAT WENT ABOUT as poorly as it could have.
Olbric storms past me, walking so fast it’s like he’s trying to outrun me. I follow him to the abjuration tower, but it’s not until we reach the stairs that he finally acknowledges me.
“I don’t need a fucking nanny,” he snaps, voice full of venom.
“No, you need someone to slap some sense into you,” I shoot back. “Or was what that guard delivered not hard enough for you?”
Olbric’s anger builds around him as he bursts out of the stairwell, storming towards his room. “I thought you were my friend, Galiva!”
“I am! And as your friend, I’m telling you that you need to think about this.”
Olbric whirls on me. “Arlon promised me!” Tears well to his eyes, but he wipes them away like he’s angry at them. “When I came here, he swore to protect me! And instead, he’s dragging me back to Marikadar!”
It’s a struggle to rein my own frustrations back in. “To avoid a godsdamned war!”
Olbric looks struck, but I don’t let up. He’s a godsdamned Shykh’s son. He knows what these talks mean.
“I warned you that this assignment was a hard ask. If these talks don’t happen, then that’s it,” I say, leveling a finger at his chest. “If a conflict breaks out, we are the front line. That means you, me, Cancassi, Dom, all of us are destined for a battlefield. But your presence in Marikadar is how we even have a chance to avoid that.”
He opens his mouth a few times, as if searching for the words. “What if I’m not allowed to come back, Gal?” He swallows as his eyes spill over. “What if Barric makes me stay?”
He says his father’s name with such fear that it breaks my heart. My frustrations melt away, and I swear as I pull him into a fierce hug.
“I know you’re scared. I-I’m scared too,” I admit, and maybe for the first time, the reality of our situation truly sinks in. Our world is on the verge of being upended. These talks have to succeed.
“We’re living with a lot of ‘what ifs’ right now, but I need you to trust Arlon like you always have,” I say at last. “The King gave him no choice in this, but you have to trust that he’ll protect you.
” I pull back to an arm’s length before I cup his face.
“Focus on the other ‘what ifs.’ Like what if you help us avoid a war? What if you get to see your sisters again? Your mother?”
A fresh wave of tears spills free as he draws in a shuddering breath. “You weren’t joking. This assignment is a very hard ask.”
I squeeze his arms even as my heart twists. “I know. But we can’t do this without you. Can you trust that we’ll keep you safe?”
He swears, pulling out of my grip. “What about Dom? Who’s going to keep him safe?” He wipes his tears away before looking at me with reddened eyes. “I-I can’t let him go alone in this.”
I brush a wayward hair behind his ear before I lean up to press a kiss to his lips. “Let me handle that.”
MY HEART HAMMERS AGAINST my ribs, echoing Mo’s thundering hooves as we race down the path away from the Crux.
Behind me, there’s shouting before another crash of magic makes my blood run cold.
I look back but nearly get knocked to the ground by a low branch as we reach the tree line.
I force my eyes forward, keeping my head down as I urge Mo on.
The fork comes into sight, and I ease Mo to a stop.
For a second, the sound of his heavy breaths is the only thing I can hear.
The rush of adrenaline fades, and I swing out of the saddle, but my shaking legs nearly fold as I hit the ground.
Mo dances next to me, as agitated as I am, but I give him a placating pat to try and calm him down.
“Hey, it’s alright,” I say even as I wish I could make myself believe it.
Hooves sound on the path, and I whirl, fear surging. But then Valar rounds the bend, riderless before she clatters to a stop by Mo. I hurry forward to grab her reins, and she calms as I give her a gentle pat.
I don’t know what to do. I watch the road as the minutes tick by in a slow sort of agony.
Olbric has to come. He has to.
Both Mo and Valar look at me expectantly, but I’m rooted to the spot, indecision overwhelming me. The path to the Crux yawns before me before the world around me seems to tilt. The horses are no longer beside me, and instead of forest, I’m surrounded by rock and the soft shine of magic.
A cave, threaded through with magiline. Strands of it hang from the ceiling like dripping fingers, even larger ones bursting from the ground just like in the heart of the Crux. But the biggest rest at the back of the cavern, massive pillars that fill the space, ends crossing near the ceiling.
A sound builds in the cavern, ringing through the raw magiline. A voice, soft as a whisper.
Go home, Dominai. Please.
The plea sends a chill down my spine before the air in front of me shimmers like heat wavering over the Immen plains. I jump back as Arlon’s face appears in the mirage, blinking hard as the woods fall back into place around me.
“Where are you, Dom?”
I’m disoriented for only a moment. I open my mouth to speak, but it’s only as I go to say it that I realize I’ve made up my mind.
“Leaving.”
It’s not Arlon who looks at me through the sending, but the Grandmaster, his face hard as stone. “Olbric said you’re heading home.”
My heart twists. “Will you let him come with me?”
“No.” The word snuffs my last hope like a candle, but Arlon isn’t done. “And you need to come back to the Crux, Dom.”
“I can’t,” I say. “I-I’m sorry.”
“It’s not up for discussion, Dominai,” a voice says before Captain Thora’s face appears in the ripple of the sending. “You will return to the Crux immediately.”
My stomach plummets. Why the fuck is the Royal Guard involved? But knowing they are adds a new sense of urgency to my dread.
“I can’t. I have to go,” I say, trying to keep my panicked voice under control. “I’ll be back in a few months.”
I swipe my hand through the spell, and the Captain’s sharp response is lost as the magic breaks apart. The silence left behind is deafening.
Around me, a breeze whispers through the trees, sending leaves scattering. A shiver travels up my back before Valar lets out a quiet, anxious sound.
I move to her, grateful for a task to focus on. I automatically change out her bit and reins for a halter and lead rope. When I grab Olbric and mine’s stashed supplies from the tree, she doesn’t balk as I fasten the packs to her saddle. Without Olbric, she can stand to carry most of it.
There’s no room for doubts. No room for second guesses. If I turn back now, that’s it, and I can’t shake away the weight of my own declaration.
I have to do this.
Once everything is settled, I climb onto Mo’s back, Valar’s lead in hand. Then, I turn down the fork towards the mountain road, alone.