Rule of Summer, Week 1, Day 8

  “It’s heinous outside,” Nora said, the only thing keeping her cool the blast of mana she forced through her body often, and with prejudice. She was staring at the brutal suns casting their glare down across the training grounds at the manor.

  “We’re lucky the firestorms haven’t started yet,” Louis grumbled, flipping his latest weapon in his palm—some kind of curved knife that was too long to be a dagger but too short to be a sword. “Hey, wanna make a bet on when the first one comes through?”

  Beside him, Beck shook his head, but was too focused on parrying Remour’s strike to say anything more. He very nearly succeeded at it, too.

  “Gah!” He shrieked as Remour pulled her strike at the last second. “Remy, this isn’t fair. I don’t even have a combat Class!”

  Remour pulled back fully, lowering her training sword—one of the many Whisher Swords meant for the four of them.

  “You have the Skills. You don’t need to be afraid,” she said gently.

  Beck was looking at Remour as if she’d kicked a puppy. “I’m not afraid.”

  Remour’s pale blue eyes widened, and her expression fell, but before she could, inevitably, apologize, the final member of their group arrived.

  Uriel wasn’t quite running, but it was a near thing, and it set Nora on edge. Uriel was a slow, methodical person—and his movements reflected that. He was forever unrushed, forever on the verge of late. The only thing that had him being on time, or even early, to his classes was that Mun, his Governor, was a harsh taskmaster.

  “News!” Uriel said, coming to an abrupt stop before the other four. He stumbled a bit at his own loss of momentum, but a smooth cast of [Shadow Conjuration+Shadow Manipulation] had the shadows in his legs supporting him to keep him from falling.

  Did he need it? Nora didn’t know the future, but she did know her friend hated to get dirty.

  “What’s the matter with you?” Louis laughed, stabbing the ground with his blade and standing to approach the other boy. Everyone else was already encroaching on Uriel’s space.

  “Out with it,” Nora said, a frown permeating her features. “It can’t be anything good.”

  “Umbra has officially declared their Heir missing,” Uriel rushed out, and Nora felt a sinking in her gut.

  “We already knew that, didn’t we?” Beck said, brushing his fringe out of his face.

  Nora shook her head. “There’s a difference between knowing he went missing and being declared missing in a noble family. There’s loads of paperwork, due diligence, and they even need a writ from the Queen. Not to mention the time aspect.”

  “How long has it been now, then?” Remour asked, her crystal-like eyes shining with worry.

  “Nearly a whole season,” Uriel said. “The Umbra Heir hasn’t been seen since the beginning of Spring. And since there is…”

  Uriel winced as he trailed off, unwilling to say what he and Nora knew.

  “Since there’s what?” Louis’s eyes narrowed as he glanced between the two nobles.

  “No body,” Nora said after a long, dragged-out moment. “Unless there’s proof that an Heir is dead, Umbra cannot declare a new Heir. Which means, despite their freshly born son, Umbra is without someone to inherit should the Duke—well, should anything happen.”

  All five of them looked at each other uneasily. It was less about the lack of an heir for Umbra and more a worry for what that meant for the rest of the ducal houses. Something had happened to that boy, and no one knew what.

  “I think…” Nora started, before swallowing thickly. “I think we should focus on preparing for our excursion into the woods next week. Instructor Druigach promised it would be a terrible experience.”

  The other four gave Nora an accusatory look.

  “I know what you’re doing,” Uriel accused. “But that doesn’t mean you’re not right. Usual four on one?”

  Nora gave a toothy grin. “How about this, I have some friends—I think it’s time you met.”

  Remour laughed, and it was like tinkling bells. Louis and Beck glanced at each other before nodding, and Uriel looked resigned to learning something terrible.

  “You can come out,” Nora called to nothing.

  Within moments, the shadows of the barracks darkened and morphed, rising like horrors. Limbs appeared and maws opened and sparkling eyes glowed. Then they snapped into place to reveal child-shaped darkness, each a different hue. They were the same height as Nora, with similar proportions—but distinctive characteristics.

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  “Please introduce yourselves,” Nora said lightly to the spirits.

  A deep crimson shadow stepped forward, its formless face only possessing emerald eyes, but what would usually be hair was spiked in all directions. “I am Beal, of the Dark. It is a pleasure to meet you all.”

  “Beal, you’re with Louis,” Nora said, a smile on her face as she looked at the boy in question as he jumped. “You’ll get along great, I’m sure.”

  Next came a shadow of a blue so dark it was like looking into the deep sea. On its back was a fin, much like the knit shark it had once inhabited. “I am D’arcy. I am pleased to finally introduce myself.”

  “D’arcy is with Beck.”

  Beck, to his credit, simply nodded.

  Third was a shadow of deep brown, with a tinge of yellow. From its arms hung streams. This spirit had once been a knit jellyfish. “I am Sombre, Spirit of Darkness, given my name by—”

  “Ok!” Nora interrupted, her cheeks going pink. “Sombre is with Uriel.”

  Uriel frowned and spoke under his breath. Nora still heard it, though. “It looks like the colors of Hyperion.”

  That made Nora’s face flush further, but she forced a burst of mana through her to cool her down, in hopes of the heat of embarrassment leaving her.

  The final spirit was a deep rosy pink, tinted dark as the rest. “I am Yin.”

  When Uriel spoke this time, everyone heard him. “And that matches Remour’s hair!”

  Nora covered her face with her hands. “Shut up, Uriel! Turn off [Observe]!”

  “You know that’s not how it works,” Uriel defended himself.

  Remour looked between the two of them before approaching the spirit, “Yin, right?”

  Yin nodded, and when Remour held out her hands, the darkness of the spirit coalesced into something deeper, darker, true pitch black. Yin gripped Remour’s palm with her own. “Yes, my Lady.”

  “I’m no Lady, I’m just a commoner,” Remour said, her voice shaking and her cheeks flushing as pink as her hair.

  “You could be.” Yin’s voice was serious and Nora popped her head up.

  “Yin—no—not—” Nora was stuttering.

  “What?” Uriel whipped his head to look at Nora. “What does that mean?”

  “You could be a thing of darkness. You all could be.” Came a fifth voice, this one came from a spirit so dark, there was nothing but the abyss filling it. It was simply void—void and shining emerald eyes.

  “Noir, stop. I haven’t—” Nora started again.

  “You could be more,” Noir continued.

  “Is that why they're here?” Uriel demanded, his golden gaze never wavering as he locked onto Nora.

  Nora gave a strangled sound, looking between Noir and the Mithril kids rapidly.

  “I—” cutting herself off, Nora forced her arms down to her sides and stretched her fingers out. “Maybe. They’re Spirits of the Dark, so I thought, if it went well, maybe you’d want to team up with them more often.”

  “More often?” Uriel pushed, and the other three were standing there, wide-eyed and staring at the two of them. “And team up? You’ll have to be more specific, Nora.”

  “Fine!” Nora said, frustration lining her, her entire body tight and ready to spring—ready to run. But she didn’t. Nora stayed, and she spoke. “Yes, I was thinking, maybe as we do the excursions with Instructor Druigach, we could also train with the spirits, and someday, at some point, if you wanted, you could Contract with them.”

  All of the Mithril kids froze. But it was Beck who spoke up first. “You said they’re Spirits of the Dark? And if we wanted to Contract with them? Does that mean they’re already willing?”

  Nora looked helplessly at the spirits in question, waving them on.

  It was D’arcy who answered. “We have been watching. As the seasons pass, as you all grow together, we wish to be there as well—not simply looking upon you from the shadows but there to work side by side. Our Lady of Darkness has permitted us to choose amongst ourselves; she has given us her blessing, and so we four have chosen you.”

  “It’s been a year,” Uriel said, something Nora couldn’t place in his tone. “Over, really, but is that enough?”

  “Most spirits, when they’re contracting, are summoned through a circle,” Nora’s voice was hesitant, but she powered on. “And those circles are only able to summon specific strengths of spirits. Um, these ones—” Nora took a breath. “—these ones are different. They’re free-roaming. Unbound. The strength they can give you is, well, more. There are no limiters.”

  “We are not unbound,” Sombre cut in. “Though our Lady considers us so. We have all pledged our power to help her. And in that, we believe you four would be invaluable.”

  The four of them looked at each other before Remour stepped up to Nora and wrapped her arms around the other girl. As she tightened her arms, Remour stilled the shaking in Nora’s form.

  “Thank you, Nora,” Remour said softly. “I think it’d be amazing to work with Spirits of the Dark in any way.”

  Nora wrapped her arms around Remour and tightened just enough to steady herself. “Are you sure? There’s no going back.”

  “Oh, please,” Uriel interrupted. “It’s been long enough of pretending, Nora. I’ll have to tell my father about it, but of course. We’re sure. Right?”

  As Uriel glanced at Louis and Beck, the boys broke out into grins. Louis brought a hand up in a salute and said, “Aye, aye, Lady Dawn. I’ll happily enlist to Contract.”

  Beck rolled his eyes but nodded. “Our families will also have to know, but they’ll be ecstatic. And quiet about their excitement.”

  Nora nodded into Remour’s shoulder. “All right, thank you. Treat them well. They’re my family.”

  “Maybe someday you’ll think that way about us, too,” Remour mumbled as she ran a hand over Nora’s braids.

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