An hour after the two recovered from the ordeal and managed to break off the restraints with Humphrey’s magic they walked through the forest. She adjusted the ripped bag on her back as a tear meant they had lost the majority of supplies. The clouds were beginning to part so the star cluster lit up their surroundings dully and Isadora realized what had happened. ‘You ratted me out?!’ He shoved her back, rather pathetic compared to other things she endured.

  ‘I-I didn’t know you were coming back! You left me!’

  ‘Well I came back, didn’t I?’

  ‘You were never planning to. When you left you .’ He shoved her harder this time, making her stumble on a root.

  ‘I-…!’ Her words died in her mouth. She looked away from his eye line, ‘I-… you’re right. I just couldn’t get us both ‘way in time so I saved myself…

  I came back.’ He frowned at her, she recognized that look as she had it every time she remembered The Red King, ‘you hate me.’

  No response.

  ‘Because I saved you from dying in your school? Humphrey, you couldn’t have done anything.’

  He frowned. ‘You’ve lost your home?’

  ‘To the same weapon. Only I was the reason why my home was lost. I led a spy there.’ She felt like her insides were stone, her skin weighted, like she was going to be sick again, like she was dying.

  A clicking noise brought them back to the present, the creature which helped them were resting on a log with its tongue lolling out. She patted her pockets and took out a jeweled ring. As a thank you to it and whoever sent it, she gave it to the pet. It stuck its tongue through it and drew it into its mouth. Purring it moved its head against her hand before bounding away like a deer.

  ‘… Well that’s silly.’ Humphrey stated coolly. ‘The spy would’ve gone there anyway, with someone else. You risked your life to save my school, you should be rewarded. Don’t take the blame. Blame The Red King.’ She looked at him for a long moment as all her emotion fell from her face until she could just nod. He paused to think. ‘I... should thank you. You came back for me.’ He said sincerely.

  Isadora rested on a log and handed him his staff, ‘you can leave. I will find the place by myself.’

  Humphrey stared at his staff, feeling the new cuts or chips in his staff. He felt the cool crystal. He sat next to her and for a long while they sat in silence. ‘I’ll stay. I want revenge, too. A professor said that revenge is wrong, but now I know they never experienced the true desire for it, or she’d say different. She probably just read some quote in a book.’

  They sat on the mossy log together in the silence of night. Light bugs floated around like orange orbs, highlighting the dark green of nature and earthy wood. From Humphrey’s words she could breathe easier, she would blame Harold, The Red King. Then Humphrey’s groan made her look to his bloodied side. ‘You’ve been shot!’

  ‘But it wasn’t from a slicer…’

  ‘Is the iron still in there…?’ Before he knew she lifted the shirt to see no exit hole. ‘… Don’t concern yourself.’ She began picking up flora and mixed it into a green paste.

  ‘What are you…?’

  ‘Just breathe. It’ll be over quick. Look at the bunny.’ She did bunny ears with her other hand.

  ‘What are you-?’ In a whispered word the mixture glowed and the iron was instantly pulled out, into the mixture like a magnet. He yelled in pain, gasping.

  ‘There. All done.’ The mixture cracked to dust as Humphrey held his side. She pocketed the bloodied steel.

  ‘Tha…’ He breathed heavily, feeling dreadfully sick again. The curse of the __ God still lingered. Isadora effortlessly tied the bandages around his side. Eventually he recovered as Isadora listened to the breeze in the trees. Sometime later she said ‘we almost died from being so unprepared.’ Isadora cracked a few knuckles. ‘I lost our supply bag too your staff was the only thing I could grab.’

  ‘I have an idea.’ Humphrey spoke weakly. ‘What if I taught you?’

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  Isadora pulled a face.

  ‘I’ve been doing nothing but get taught magic, I can teach anyone, even you… Umm…’ He realized she never told him her name.

  ‘Isadora.’

  ‘Isadora, I can teach you magic.’

  ‘How do you know I can even do tolas or psychic magic?’

  ‘Only one way.’ He stood up weakly, body destroyed from all the exercise. Isadora scoffed, trying to pull down a smile. ‘I don’t know, I- nah it’s a silly idea!’ She shoved it hard into him. ‘I can’t do it. I don’t care, let’s just get to the weapon.’

  ‘Isadora,’ he called as she walked away quickly, ‘are you ?’

  ‘Ha! Nervous? No. But you’rethepsychic mage not me, I’m only going to help you get to the magical weapon.’

  ‘Wow, yes, you’re totally not nervous. You’re absolutely fine. And not stamping your foot or anything.’ She realized she was moving her foot up and down quickly. She stopped and looked down, ‘just…’ She rubbed the back of her neck, ‘I’ve tried before, and couldn’t. I’m so only geoptic I know who can’t do tolas or psychic magic.’

  ‘ haven’t tried to teach you yet.’

  ‘But I can’t… If someone like you can’t teach me then...’

  ‘Then you’ll stick with ingredient magic, no gain, no loss.’ Hesitating, she walked up to him, surprised by the strange feeling in her stomach- excitement? ‘Now, magic is hard. No one gets it on their first try. It takes even I’ He puffed out his chest and put on an overly expressive voice, ‘need days, even weeks, to really understand a spell.’

  ‘Weeks?’

  ‘Well, yes.

  She took a breath. ‘Ok, I’m ready.’

  He smiled and she smiled back, ready to receive instructions.

  The idea of even a simple spell was overwhelming. ‘This… sounds hard.’ She said after a few minutes of listening under starlight, luckily there were enough light bugs emitting an orange glow so she could read.

  ‘I know. But you’ll get it with practice. I recommend the locator spell. Fairly easy. It’ll help you find items los-.’ His sentence broke from a loud sneeze. Wiping his nose apologized ‘for his disgusting nature’ and continued, ‘helps find items lost. And doesn’t take much magical energy.’

  ‘Ingredient magic works with manipulatin’ the magic in plants. How dus this work?’

  ‘You’re born with a set level of magical energy, but will be able to unlock more and more of it through practice, but never grow it, so after a while you won’t get stronger, only faster and knowing more spells. Psy magic and tolas magic are about the energy within you. The only difference between the two is tool magic users have less magical power, so the crystals and gemstones in wands and staffs act as conductor and amplifier. That’s why you geoptics are so good at it, you have the staffs built right in. Interestingly, depending on how much one practices a spell class can alter their personalities short term. Like, a Fire Master probably become more selfish and fiery. One who practices with water can be calmer and patient.’

  ‘So I couldchange, have you changed?’

  ‘I’m not a master, nor do I only practice one magic type.’

  ‘… What if I ate magical ‘ngredients, then would I be able to do mindmagic?’

  He smiled, ‘no, your digestive system would just mess it all up, you’d probably explode if a word of magic is said.’ He cleared this throat and explained the steps.

  ‘So I have to that just for a novice spell?’ She asked and he responded with a lazy yes.

  Resting on the grass she attempted the spell... She felt her nerves tingle slightly but nothing happened. She said it again, louder, making Humphrey open an eye, ‘remember it’ll take a while.’ He said tiredly.

  She took a breath in, not wanting to fail. ‘Pr-.’ A cough broke her concentration. ‘Prosav…’ and again nothing happened. She hit the floor in annoyance. ‘Humphrey?’ She asked only to find he had fallen into a peaceful doze against a log.