“L et go of the shield now. Before it disappears, preferably.”
I supported her thighs on my shoulders, easing her into a sitting position.
She shook. Her thighs squeezed my neck, and her small hands held onto my face and chin as she struggled not to tip over to either side.
Damn. I forgot she was so uncoordinated.
“Now, drop down,” I grunted, trying to shift her into a position that would allow her to slide down my back.
“No!” she protested. “I’m going to slip! Why are you so tall?”
“Trust me,” I said. “I’ve done this a thousand times —”
“What? With who — wait! Wait! ”
This was ridiculous. She was clearly having too much of a crisis to make this easy.
I should have told her to let go and just caught her. Now I’m being choked out by her legs.
Usually, I wouldn’t be upset by a position like this, but we weren’t in a bedroom, and she was far too dressed for it to matter.
“Clove! ” I yelled sharply.
She froze instantly, mid-struggle. Her breasts were smashed into the back of my head, and I could feel every iota of her hyperventilation through them.
“Throw your leg over here.” I patted my chest. “I’ll hold you and set you down. I’m not going to drop you. I promise.”
Whimpering, she did as she was told. She let out a shocked gasp when her chest slid down the side of my face. And then again, when I had to grip her ass to set her down.
Her face was crimson. But she still squeaked out a, “Thank you, and I’m so sorry!”
“Of course. Ah… Clove?”
“Uh huh?”
She’d gripped the front of my shirt. Her body was flush with me, but her wide eyes were still locked onto mine.
It appeared she was frozen in place. This woman just battled monsters, but… now she was having trouble?
“Are you well?” I inquired.
She blinked. It was only then, that she’d realized she could, in fact, step away. She did so, making great efforts to appear as if she’d not just slid down my face like a bug down a window pane.
The skeleton finally dissolved into smoke.
Clove performed one last Quick Collect spell, gathering all the loot the ground.
She eyeballed the coins, then pocketed them. “Twenty-five copper from the boss! Not a bad amount to split. Though you did do quite a bit more, so why don’t you take —”
“I won’t hear of it,” I interjected, resting my hand on her shoulder. She shivered beneath my touch, and I could almost hear her thoughts about my warmth. “It’ll be an even split. As is fair.”
She tucked her hair behind her ears and looked at her feet. “I promise I’ll do better next time. The thing just surprised me with that speed!”
“You did well,” I said. “Even in a crisis, you remembered my instructions and loosened that armor. It helped me get the talisman out in time. Oh, now that you mention it…”
I held up the copper key I’d snatched from inside the skeleton.
Her eyes went wide as she took it in her hands. “The key to the first level! It was inside that thing? Goodness. I suppose we’ll have to keep this safe.”
“First level? Didn’t we just go through that?” I asked incredulously.
Clove shook her head. “Not really. That was just the Tower’s way of making sure anyone entering is strong enough. Consider it the ground floor, I suppose.”
Like the Tower heard us, the stones began to move along the wall. Expecting another monster, I maneuvered Clove behind me.
But instead, we were met with two doors.
One was the same wooden one that we’d walked through to enter the Tower
The other, leading to the first real floor, was made of copper.
The key in my hand disappeared. The copper door creaked open.
“You’ll see us soon enough,” I promised it. Clove and I pulled the wooden door open. We strode out of the Tower.
The sun was nearly blinding, but Nessie’s voice was clear enough.
“Welcome back ! By the heavens, aren’t you two fast at work? Any injuries? No? Organs still in place? Impressive…”
Nessie was still riding her floating platform like a tiny chariot. The entire group of waiting applicants already looked exhausted, and I wondered if the redhead made them listen to her the entire time.
A woman in black robes stepped forward. She had the Tower’s crest embroidered over the right breast. She had a small booklet in her hand, and she was scribbling some notes.
She held out a hand, and a red haze fell over us.
The woman glanced up, suspicion clear in her pinched eyes and pursed lips. “This scan will tell me how many spells each of you performed, how many monsters you defeated, whether you covered injuries with a healing spell or ability before coming out, and any other relevant information that will influence your score.
“You may have passed the Tower’s test, but the Academy must ensure that both of you are fit to attend our institution.”
The haze hung around us.
Her glare deepened. “Really? Hmm, well that’s a surprise… Interesting.” She scribbled something in her booklet and then released the red haze spell. “Total points are seventy-seven out of one hundred. You needed fifty-five to pass. Good job.”
I gave Clove a wink and she let out a squeal of excitement. We would need to do some celebrating for sure.
The woman continued as if we hadn’t made a noise. “You lost points for injury and lack of efficiency. Be here tomorrow morning for your first class.”
Clove and I thanked the woman and then started to make our exit.
Nessie hollered, “Next up, Rhys Aarinth and… oh! Just Rhys, then. Alright, in you go, Angry Boy!”
The blond mage who’d snapped at Nessie strode forward, slammed the Tower door open, and strode in without another word.
Nessie whistled long and low. “Quite the confident man, isn’t he? I don’t know, I’d like to see him again so I can tell him how much I already miss his pretty face…”