Chapter 41: The Athenaeum (Part 1).

“You really just put your hands on her stuff? You really are stupid, Lena.”

Ren’s voice carried. It was not its volume so much as it was impossible to ignore. The Sigil on her arm blazed, and the air shimmered with heat.

Lena had not moved. Her two companions had, however. One of them had taken half a step back. The other was looking trying very hard to appear taller than she was. She was currently standing on the tips of her toes. “Stay out of this, Ren.” Lena’s voice was sharp. “This has nothing to do with you. Mind your own business for once.”

“You grabbed my friend’s bag and you threatened her. I’d say it is every bit my goddamned business.”

Friend? I had not given her that privilege. I almost pointed this out. Lena spoke first. “She’s sitting at our table.”

“Your table?” Ren laughed. “Don’t see your name anywhere here. You’ve got a big head for someone who barely even made Sigil. Claiming the furniture now are ya?”

That was likely the wrong thing to say, even I knew that. I could see it in the way Lena’s jaw set and in the flare of blue across her Sigil. Lightning crackled along her forearms, dancing between her fingers. The dining hall had gone still around us.

Ren had not defused whatever this was. She had poured oil on it, and then lit the match. I had known many generals with the same talent. Lena’s mark pulsed and the air around her hands crackled.

“Fine.” Ren’s voice dropped. “Let’s do a ranking match then. You and me. Tomorrow, in the yard. Actually, scratch that. Let’s do it in the Arena.” She cracked her knuckles. “What do you say? If I win, I get your slot. You win, I’ll shut the hell up. Come on, what’s the matter? If you’re really such hot stuff, it should be easy, right?”

Lena went still. A ranking match. The girl had put weight on those two words. I did not yet know what it meant, but these girl seemed to think it important.

Lena’s mark dimmed. “Watch your back, half-breed.” The words were aimed at me, even though she was looking at Ren. Lena rose from the bench, and her two companions followed. They moved to the first table without so much as looking back.

The dining hall slowly resumed its noise, and this time, many people were looking at Ren instead of me. Ren dropped onto the bench next to me. She was still breathing a little fast. She looked at me sideways, as if waiting for something. Gratitude, perhaps. Or praise. “What business was that of yours?” I said instead.

Ren blinked. “What?”

“I did not ask for your interference. I was handling it.”

“Handling it? All you were doing was eating!”

“Yes. I was handling it by eating.”

Ren stared at me. Then she shrugged. “Whatever. Lena’s always pissed me off. Walks around like the Divine’s gift to Arianeth just because her daddy is the Marquis. I thought I told you not to sit here?” She paused, as if waiting for an answer. “Well, whatever. I guess you did good. It was funny to see her face do that at the end.”

I did not tell her I had simply forgotten her warning about the table. There was no need to diminish whatever image she had constructed. The moment the girl had settled, my thoughts went elsewhere. To the place they had been circling for some time. I turned to Ren. “Lead me back to the measuring hall.”

Ren tilted her head. “The measuring hall? Why the hell do you wanna go there? The broken Arbiter’s being hauled away piece by piece -thanks for that, by the way. They made everyone leave. The whole place is-“

“Where is Ash then? Have you seen her?” I cut her off.

Ren’s brow furrowed. Then her eyes widened and she nodded. “Ohhh. Hmm….” She seemed to be thinking. Though, that was an ability I was unsure she possessed. “Last I saw, all the instructors were crowding around her, asking her all kinds of questions. Who the hell knows where she ended up.” She shrugged. “She’ll be fine, yeah? The Instructors are always annoying when they see someone with potential. And she’s a human so….” She trailed off.

I said nothing. Being accosted by these small men and women would explain her absence. It did not quite justify a retainer being late to attend to their Queen but it would save her a beheading. She would handle herself. I hoped she was alright.

Then I frowned. What, exactly was I to do now? The resonance chamber I had been to was likely useless to me now. Ash was somewhere I could not find, and somewhere I did not trust this girl to lead. Perhaps I should march over to the Archon and demand to see this chamber he mentioned? No…I would do that with Ash. It was a dilemma.

“Girl,” I said.

Ren stared at me. “My name is Ren. You know my name, come on.”

“Tell me where I might learn more.”

Ren stared at me even harder. “More about…what?”

“About everything, of course.” I said. “Places like this Academy are known to have facilities like this. I believe you call them ‘libraries’.” The one in my fortress had been called ‘The Black Archive’. Humans did have rather simple names for everything.

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Ren’s head tilted the other way.. “You mean like…the Athenaeum?”

I had never heard this word. It made me immediately more interested. Now this was a suitable place. “Yes,” I said. “Lead me to this ‘Athenaeum’.”

Ren looked at the hall around us, then back at me. Something shifted on her face. Oddly, her face brightened. “Alright, can’t say I get the appeal of that stuffy place but whatever,” she said, standing up from the bench. “Let’s go.”

The Athenaeum was a building unto itself. It rose from the Academy’s northern quarter, its shape carved from what must have been the same pale stone as the upper walls of Koralis. I stared at it from the outside. Then stared at Ren. “What?” She asked.

“This was not part of your ‘tour’.”