Mimic Arcanist [Chapter 17]

Hey peeps!

This chapter is kinda longer. Hopefully you enjoy!

Shami

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

TYPHOON DRAGONS AND WATERFALLS

The campfire raged before us. The plan was to rest for the night and then leave in the morning. We had already finished the schoolhouse, and while spending peaceful days out in the wilderness had been fun for a while, I had to admit that I was ready to return to Astra Academy.

Captain Leon walked around the raging fire. He reached his hand into the flames—unharmed, thanks to cerberus magic—and then withdrew an iron pan. Any normal person would’ve been burned and charred ten times over, but Leon just smiled as he showed off his blackened hunk of meat.

“Ya see, the inside is quite juicy when you flash fire it like this.” Leon brought the pan close to his nose and inhaled deeply. “Ah, yes. Perfection. Are you all taking notes? This might not be on an exam, but it’s a real-life lesson.”

“That meat is deader than the corpses we tore up in the graveyard,” Twain quipped, his sarcasm in full force.

I chuckled as I waited for Leon to pass out the crispy dinner to everyone.

I sat next to Sorin and Nini on the far log, my mind half on the gate fragments and half on our dinner. Twain stretched himself out on my lap, his little claws poking out of his digits and then sheathing themselves after.

The smell of burning wood, and the crackle of flames, had become soothing.

Nasbit, Exie, and Phila sat at the farthest log from us. Raaza and Knovak sat next to them, and Ashlyn occupied her own log, her dragon whispering things straight into her ears. As Captain Leon passed out the meat, I realized both Piper and Professor Helmith were absent. Had they quickly returned to the Academy to drop of the gate fragment? Piper could teleport with her rizzel magic.

That was probably what had happened.

When I glanced over at Ashlyn a second time, her bright blue eyes met mine. We stared at each other for a prolonged moment, neither of us looking away. She lifted an eyebrow, and I knew she wanted to talk.

I set Twain down on the ground and then stood from my log. After nudging my brother, I said, “I’m going to grab some water. Want any?”

He shook his head. “Nah.” Then he smiled at Nini. “So, I think I wrote a pretty inspiring ballad about our time constructing the schoolhouse.”

Nini smiled and nodded along with his words, clearly content to just listen.

While they were distracted, I casually ambled over to Ashlyn. She watched me as I approached, and I offered her my own lifted eyebrow.

“Tonight is our last night here,” Ashlyn whispered when I was close enough. The crackle of the flames was louder than her voice, but I still managed to hear everything.

I shrugged as I slowly made my way behind her log.

“There are waterfalls nearby with magical properties.” Ashlyn glanced over her shoulder and concluded with, “I’m going to go see them.”

She said nothing else. I continued my inconspicuous walk over to our water barrel, wondering why she would be interested in a silly little waterfall. Then I turned my attention to her dragon. Typhoon dragons were the kings of water. Perhaps the thought of finding a magical waterfall intrigued Ecrib.

Whatever the reason, she was obviously inviting me to take part in her extracurricular activities. But why?

If I had to come up with a reason, perhaps I was invited to take the fall if we were caught. Was that Ashlyn’s plan? I had given her my occult ore, after all. She might have thought I would do something nice for her in the future.

After I had filled a cup with water, I wandered back over to my brother, the dancing flames a beautiful backdrop to my odd thoughts.

What if the waterfalls were substantially magical? They were so famous, some of the others had heard of them before we had even arrived. I wanted to experience that.

On the other hand, the gate fragments were activated by my presence…

It could be risky.

I sat on the log and smiled as Sorin continued talking about his ballad.

After a few moments, I made my decision. I would go with Ashlyn.

***

Night came faster than I had expected. Everyone had eaten themselves into a coma, and by the time the moon was high in the sky, I heard their snores more clearly than I heard my own thoughts.

Nasbit especially. He practically spoke in his sleep. As I slid out of my cot, he snorted and I almost panicked. Fortunately, he just rolled over and returned to his deep breathing.

My eldrin sat by my feet, watching as I slid off my cot. Twain smiled, never making a sound.

My brother remained asleep, even as I dressed and walked around the support pole in the middle of the tent. I felt bad that I hadn’t told him my plan, but I already knew what he would have said. Sorin disapproved of any and all rule breaking. He wouldn’t have stopped me from going, but he would have frowned and complained, and probably given me some sort of poem about how only villains sneak out of their tent at night.

The sad thing was—Sorin’s guilt trip usually worked.

Which was why I couldn’t tell him.

As I grabbed Twain off the end of my cot, the darkness intensified under my feet.

“Damn,” I muttered under my breath.

I forgot knightmares never slept.

“Going somewhere?” Thurin whispered.

“Don’t wake my brother,” I said, my voice equally as quiet. “He doesn’t need to fret about any of this. But if he doeswake up, tell him I just went out to bathe really quick.”

“That…” Thurin sighed. “Is clearly a lie.”

I waved away his comment. “It’s only half a lie. I’ll be right back.”

“Hm.”

Thankfully, Thurin didn’t stop me. I walked over his shadow puddle and exited the tent with a confident smile. The firepit was cold, the other tents quiet, and everything was as it should have been. My heart beat a little faster as excitement entered my system.

Now for magical waterfalls.

I spotted Ashlyn’s dragon over by a cluster of trees. He was far too large to hide. With quiet steps, I hustled over, Twain held tightly in my arms. My eldrin’s ears twitched to face every sound in the distance, but nothing indicated any of the other arcanists had awoken.

The moonlight guided my way until I came to the trees.

Ashlyn stepped out from behind the trunk of a large oak, her blonde hair tied in a messy bun. She wore thin pants and a long tunic—not her usual adventuring gear. She seemed comfortable.

“Nice outfit,” I said. “Not too formal. Not too casual. Just the right amount of classy for a delinquent sneaking out of her tent.”

Ashlyn tried to restrain a smile, but a corner of her lip twitched upward, escaping her control. After rolling her eyes, she asked, “Why are you like this?”

I shrugged. “I’m the smaller twin. I didn’t get as many nutrients.”

“Hmpf!” someone huffed from a few trees over.

Both Ashlyn and I tensed as we whirled to face the speaker. A unicorn foal pranced out from behind a trunk. Starling. His white fur glistened in the moonlight, and his horn sparkled with the intensity of the brightest star. When he swished his mane, he did so with his snout up.

“Here you are,” he whispered. “My arcanist? Do you see this?”

Knovak also stepped around the trunk of the tree. He wore a pair of muddy boots, long trousers, a black silk tunic, and his large-brimmed hat. Why the hat? There wasn’t any light to block from his eyes. Yet still—he wore it. Unironically.

“I knew something was going on,” Knovak muttered. “The two of you… are going to see those waterfalls, aren’t you?” His dark eyes narrowed into a glare before we could even voice a reply. “Iwas the one who told Phila about those waterfalls. If anyone should see them, it’s me.”

Ashlyn and I stared at him for a long moment.

I waved him toward the river. “By all means. Go on.”

Knovak gestured to me, and then Ashlyn. “We’re all going.” He stomped over, practically huffing his way over. “So no one goes back and tells the captain. Or Professor Helmith.” He shot me another glare. “I know how much you love talking to her about everything.”

Ashlyn didn’t reply.

I held back a chuckle. He was afraid we could rat on him? What a bizarre man. I didn’t have a real good beat on Knovak, it seemed. I thought he would have been giddy to go to the waterfalls, but he seemed more indignant than anything.

Was he upset because we hadn’t invited him to go?

I shook my head.

That was silly.

Starling pranced over, his snout still held high. He said nothing as he followed his arcanist toward the water. Ashlyn shrugged and then pointed at her dragon. Ecrib carefully crept through the undergrowth, obviously trying to limit the amount of sound he made.

With Twain in my arms, I watched our rear.

The tranquility of the night helped to relax me. Twain even purred as we walked through moonlight pillars shining through the tree canopy. Ashlyn glanced over her shoulder a few times, and each time, I gave her a different look. First a shrug, then a lifted eyebrow. But the third time, she was just chortling to herself.

It felt like a game we were playing, though I had to admit, I didn’t really understand what we were doing.

Knovak practically stomped the entire way to the waterfalls. When we drew near, the crash of water rang over the small forest, and mist hung on the air. My hair was damp by the time we spotted the falls off in the distance.

I caught my breath once I had a good look.

Three waterfalls—perhaps ten feet high—all cascaded down into the same river. Rocks separated them, but they were each distinct. The middle one was wider, the far waterfall crashed onto a boulder and then splashed to the side into the river, and the one closest to us had a small cave behind it.

The mist…

It smelled sweet. Not like normal water at all.

And even in the moonlight, the falls created small, multicolored rainbows that spanned across the rushing waters.

This place was far more beautiful than I would’ve expected.

“Wow,” Starling said as he clopped over to the riverbank. “How wonderful. My Arcanist? Are you seeing this?”

Knovak walked over to eldrin and patted Starling on the neck. “It’s gorgeous.”

“Ecrib,” Ashlyn said as she turned to her dragon. Then she pointed to the river. “Check it out. Let us know if it really is magical.”

Ecrib snorted as he hurried into the water. The typhoon dragon slid into the river, his movement becoming a lot smoother the moment he could swim. His blue scales—already shimmering from the moonlight—glittered brighter than ever before. The dragon lapped up some of the water and then turned to face Ashlyn.

The sparkle of his scales…

Ashlyn smiled widely. “It ismagical, isn’t it?”

Ecrib nodded.

With a giddy laugh, Ashlyn kicked off her boots and then pulled her blonde hair out of her bun. She tossed them onto the ground and shot me a playful look. “Well? Are you gonna swim or not?”

I grabbed my tunic, ready to rip it off and how her show all us islanders swam, but I hesitated before anything happened. I had scars on my body. I wasn’t like her, who seemed perfect in all regards. Beautiful skin. Luscious hair. Eyes that had stolen their color from sapphires.

Arcanists weren’t supposed to scar.

They only had scars if they’d had them before they gained magic.

I tugged at the bottom of my tunic. In an awkward tone, I asked, “So, Ashlyn. How do you feel about men with scars? Like battle scars. Awesome, right?”

She walked over to the edge of the river and then glanced back at me. “Oh, yes. Nothing is as manly as scars.”

I couldn’t take off my tunic fast enough.

I wasn’t as large as my brother, but I wasn’t a slouch, either. Although, I immediately recognized how ridiculous this was. I seriously doubted Ashlyn had invited me out to see the waterfalls to get my shirt off.

But I liked to imagine that had been the reason.

After kicking off my own boots, I hurried to join her near the water’s edge. Knovak watched as both Ashlyn and I stepped into the freezing river. I shivered as I got in up my knees. Twain huffed and spat and muttered irritations. No way he would get near the water.

“Just because the water is magicaldoesn’t mean it’s good,” Knovak said as he crept closer to the river’s edge. “What if you get an ailment? Or worse?”

I sucked in air through my teeth once the water had reached the top of my legs. Ashlyn exhaled, but genuinely laughed afterward as she sank to her shoulders. Ecrib swam to her side and the fins on his back resembled a whole gang of tiny sharks.

She patted his head, and the two of them swam toward the waterfalls.

I glanced back at Twain. “C’mon. Join me.”

His ears drooped. Then he pounded the dirt with a forepaw. “Fine. But you owe me. At some point, you need to get me a fish. A whole fish. That I get to eat all by myself.”

“Fine, fine. Just get over here.”

Twain walked to the edge of the water, his orange fur puffing out as the mists of the falls washed over him. Before he could complain about his fur, I focused on the mystical creatures in the area and I tugged the thread of magic that led to Ashlyn’s typhoon dragon. Although Twain could only maintain a stolen shape for a few minutes, that would be enough to bathe in the magical falls.

In a matter of moments, Twain’s body bubbled and shifted. His tiny cat body exploded outward until he was the size of Ashlyn’s typhoon dragon. Twain grew blue scales, fins, and even razor-sharp claws. My arcanist mark rearranged itself on my forehead until Twain finished transforming.

“Heh,” Twain said, his voice deeper and more menacing. “Let’s get us some magic.” He stomped into the water and then swam forward with the same grace as Ecrib.

I grabbed on to Twain and rode with him to the waterfalls. The frigid water caused my fingers to turn blue, but at least they also became numb. Despite the temperature, the tingle of the water invigorated me. Something about this place…

I glanced upward as we neared the three falls. The moonlight rainbows were transfixing.

Ashlyn stared up at them, too. “I’m so glad we did this,” she whispered.

The crash of the water almost prevented me from hearing her. Almost. They were small waterfalls, though. They made a constant racket, but it wasn’t too much.

My teeth clattered as the cold seeped deep into my bones.

Ashlyn waved her hand and water from the falls splashed outward. I was hit by her wave and fell off Twain. While I tumbled through the river, I shook my head. I was a typhoon arcanist as well! Once I swam to the surface, I spit river water out of my mouth and also swished my hand.

A tiny ripple swept across the water.

Ecrib laughed.

Twain shook his dragon head. “Really?”

I shot him a glare. “I’m your arcanist. You’re not supposed to judge me.”

“I’m your eldrin. Stop embarrassing me!”

With gritted teeth, I waved my hand again. This time, the water lifted a few inches before splashing back down.

Ashlyn swam over to me, her fingers equally as blue, her teeth also chattering. Despite all that, she smiled as she neared me. With a gentle touch, she grabbed my arm. Her icy fingers were confident. “You’re not doing it right. Evocation is when you force your magic outward. That’s what you’re doing. But you need to manipulate it. Think of the water as your hand.”

She grabbed my hand and spread my fingers. Then she placed my palm on the surface of the water.

It was difficult to swim and have her move my arm. We both stood, my feet sinking slightly into the muddy riverbed.

“Here,” Ashlyn said. “Now move the water like it was your limb.” She leaned against me, keeping her balance by bracing half her weight on my shoulder.

If every class was like this, Astra Academy would be amazing.

With a chuckle—and pushing my thoughts from my mind—I said, “I’ll try.”

I did as Ashlyn had instructed. I tried to imagine the water as part of me. When I envisioned it moving, I was shocked to see it working. A larger wave of water lifted from the river and splashed over Ecrib. The typhoon dragon practically smiled, though. He enjoyed every moment we could splash around.

“There,” Ashlyn whispered. “You did it perfectly.”

“Are you two practicing your magic?” Knovak called out from the shore.

To be honest—I had completely, utterly, one hundred percent forgotten Knovak was there.

Ashlyn turned to face him. “Yes. Just our manipulation.”

Knovak huffed and rolled his eyes. He stomped down to the edge of the water and crossed his arms. “Did you even notice how Captain Leon didn’t want to help me train? Everyone else has a flashymanipulation, but since the unicorn arcanist doesn’t, I’m just invisible.”

I didn’t know what he was doing, but Knovak tore off his hat and then threw it to the ground. Then he pulled off his tunic and threw it on top of his hat. Starling trotted over to him and snorted in irritation.

“Well, I can practice my manipulation, too,” Knovak said, practically yelling.

He held out both his arms.

For a long while—at least thirty seconds—everyone was silent. The roar of the waterfalls kept the area filled with noise, but otherwise, no one said a word.

“Did you see it?” Knovak shouted.

“See what?” I asked.

“I made myself bolder.” He spoke the last word with the drama of a thespian.

I didn’t know if it was because the situation was preposterous, but Ashlyn couldn’t stop herself from laughing. She laughed, and then half dunked her head into the water to cover her mouth. Which made me laugh. And Twain. And Ecrib.

I grimaced when I turned to face Knovak, fearing he would take all this laughter as ridicule.

Fortunately, Knovak also seemed to think it was funny. Our laughter grew louder, which caused him to smile, until he was finally laughing alongside us. He slapped his own knee and half-shrugged.

“Did you love that?” Knovak asked.

Starling wasn’t laughing, though. The little unicorn drooped his head and frowned.

Knovak pointed to the waterfalls. “I’ll prove I’m bolder. Watch this!” He ran to the nearest of the falls and hefted himself onto the rocks. The rushing water was slippery—I knew from a lifetime of experience—but Knovak bravely scaled the rocks regardless.

Mists swirled around him as he ascended higher and higher.

Once he was a good eight feet up, he stopped and glanced over his shoulder.

“Watch this!” Knovak shouted. “I’m going to manipulate myself right into the river!”

With a laugh that bordered on madness, Knovak let go of the rocks and careened into the river below. That madman slapped onto the surface of the water, hitting it like a flat plank of wood. It had to have hurt. By abyssal hells—it had hurt me just watching it.

Knovak sank below the surface afterward.

Starling gasped. “M-My arcanist!”

Without needing a command, Ecrib swam through the waters and went straight for Knovak. The dragon scooped the man up and then carried him to the shore. Knovak shivered the entire time, his manipulated courage obviously at an end.

I slow clapped. “Very brave. Ten out of ten, would watch again.”

“Gray?” someone called out. “What’re you doing out here?”