Book 1: Chapter 50 - A Return of Academia [Part 2]
Nestled in a valley, Academy City Meridian sprawled like a gleaming jewel by the sea, threaded with winding canals that crisscrossed the city in a grand, living tapestry. The brackish waters glimmered under the sun, carrying gondolas on their shimmering surface. Seraphina watched ships sail in and out of the bustling port, likely hailing from the distant islands of Qis and Quas, as well as from the vast Empire beyond. At this distance, they looked like toys, but she knew full well that the trade galleons were truly massive in size.
Rising above the tiled rooftops, a colossal structure of glass caught her eye: the famous hothouses of the Academy. Within those transparent walls, scholars cultivated a host of strange and fabled flora—towering tropical ferns, luminescent mushrooms, and blossoms that only bloomed under certain phases of the moon. Not far from this verdant wonder stood the Mage’s Tower, an elegant spire of ivory stone that reached toward the sky. It served as a beacon of arcane learning and one of the most prestigious magical institutes in Aranthia.
Her gaze then settled on the imposing silhouette of the Great Library of Meridian. It was claimed that it housed every volume ever penned in the history of Aranthia, making it an unparalleled repository of knowledge. The city’s canals, shimmering glass structures, and majestic towers formed a harmonious blend of commerce, scholarship, and mystery—a testament to the boundless curiosity that defined Meridian.
“Why are you sighing so, Lady Seraphina? Is it travel sickness, if so I have just the thing…” the doll-like Eloise offered her, clasping her hand in worry.
“Not travel sickness, Eloise, darling. I fear that someone may target my life in the Academy. These past months it seems that I have made as many enemies as I have friends and allies,” Seraphina lied as casually as she breathed.
If anything, an assassination attempt might even spice up her time there. Free experience points were always welcome.
The boy Ibn looked as if he wanted to say something, but wisely chose to hold his tongue. Still, a worried expression remained in the depths of his scarlet eyes.
There was a sharp rap on the carriage’s wooden frame. Her maid, Miriam, obediently slid open the small shutter to speak with the driver.
“We’ll be arriving shortly, Lady Seraphina,” said Haze, the Bard, holding her broad-brimmed hat in one hand. Her orange hair lay loose, tousled by the wind of their journey.
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“Excellent. Is there anything else?” Seraphina asked, affecting an air of indifference.
Haze offered a faint, apologetic smile. “Sir Frest insists we not stop until we reach Meridian.”
Seraphina scoffed. “What? We are refined ladies, hardly accustomed to such rigors. We simply must stop for lunch.”
“Sir Frest believes it’s necessary for your safety,” Haze replied.
Seraphina looked ready to protest further when Eloise, quietly observing, decided to speak. “You mentioned someone might attempt to harm you,” she pointed out. “Perhaps we should listen to Sir Frest.”
Regret flickered across Seraphina’s face—she had fabricated that threat for her own purposes, never expecting it to inconvenience her. “If he so insists,” she sighed, “then so be it. But what are we to do about lunch?”
Haze passed a neatly packed hamper through the shutter to Miriam. “Sir Frest anticipated this. He had the last inn prepare a meal for us.”
“Very well,” Seraphina murmured, dismissing Haze with a small wave of her hand. The Bard closed the shutter, and Miriam lifted the hamper’s lid.
Her eyes lit up. “Sandwiches, fruit… quite a nice assortment, milady.”
Seraphina perked up. “They included the cured ham I like, I hope?”
“Yes, milady.”
“Wonderful. I’ll have one of those. Eloise, what about you?”
“Just fruit for me. All this traveling is wearing me down,” Eloise answered, rubbing her temples.
“I find myself quite in agreement,” Seraphina said, her tone carrying a touch of exasperation. “But at least have something more substantial. I do believe you will vanish if you do not eat properly.”
She inwardly winced, realizing her words sounded like a nagging aunt. Thankfully, Eloise merely smiled. “If you insist, Lady Seraphina, I’ll try a ham sandwich as well.”
Miriam began distributing the sandwiches when a loud rumble from the carriage’s far corner drew their attention. Seraphina sighed. “Ibn, if you’re hungry, speak up. Miriam, see to it that he’s fed. I will not have my page starving. The shame of it.”
The young Hazagadami boy, far less loquacious of late and much more moody, nodded gratefully. He tore into his sandwich with the enthusiasm of a growing youth. The fruit posed more of a challenge. It was a Kariconi—a spiky-shelled delicacy from southern jungles. He held it uncertainly, struggling to find a way in. With a huff, Seraphina took the fruit from his hands and cracked it open with ease.
“Here,” she said, handing it back. “Honestly, what will I do with you?”
“Thank you, Lady Seraphina,” Ibn mumbled, cheeks flushing.
The carriage resumed its jostling progress, its occupants filling the space with light, idle chatter. Though she would never admit it, Seraphina felt a flutter of excitement at the thought of visiting Meridian. The city—and its famed Academy—promised a wealth of new possibilities.
She knew in her heart that the Church would also send her nemesis, Este Lize, to Meridian, and part of her both welcomed and dreaded the inevitable conflict that was sure to follow.
It seemed the stage had been set for the next chapter of her life in this new and magical world.
