I turned to the girls. “Are you ready to practice?”
Jam hopped off the counter, tossing the potato into the roast and flinging the peeler behind her. “Hell yes. My fingers are already aching.”
It had been two days since we’d beaten the Tower’s first level, and life had finally begun to feel normal again.
The Tower was quiet, and more adventurers had been filing into battle, urged on by their desire to help Amarantha.
“Hey!” Clove snapped. “You don’t just throw a half-peeled, whole potato into a roast pot. Do you have any good sense?”
Jam gave me a conspiratorial glance. “Not really. I’ve joined up with you two, after all.”
“That’s the spirit,” I shot back.
Jam linked her arm into mine and Clove’s and dragged the salamander demi forcefully away from the pot.
“Wait!” she protested, reaching for the long, wooden spoon but missing it just barely. “It needs more salt!”
I tossed back, “We need to train. That’s more important than salt-to-roast ratios. It’s time to focus, Clove.”
She sobered at this and stopped struggling. “Oh, heaven. You’re right. Okay. To the Academy, then.”
When we made it to the grassy field we normally used for training, the afternoon sun beginning to set and the salty breeze cold on our skin, we strategized.
I said, “We can do this in two ways. Clove and I each take turns sparring with you, Jam, so we can better understand your fighting style and observe you while you battle the other. Second… actually, never mind. That’s the most logical way to begin.”
Jam held up a hand. “Hold up. I want to see you two fight as well. But first, I want to fight Clove.”
She spun and walked away a few paces.
Bemused, Clove said, “She has so much energy. It’s kind of impressive.”
I created some distance and watched the girls face off. As it turned out, Jam was Clove’s natural enemy.
Where the cat demi was surefooted and swift, Clove was slower and less balanced.
Clove was excellent at hitting large targets with precise spells. But when it came to Jam’s speed and lithe form, it was nearly impossible for her to succeed.
Clove fought Jam three times, getting her back slammed to the ground or a knife pressed to her throat every time. None of the matches lasted for more than thirty seconds.
At the last defeat, Clove just threw her head back and laughed. “You’re amazing! How are you so fast?”
Jam shrugged. “I’m just built like that. If it makes you feel any better, I am actually horrible at healing spells. It’s the reason I won’t accept them from any random person.
“For some reason, even though I’ve learned the spells, I am terrible at performing them. I’m convinced it takes a certain kind of person to be a healer.”
Clove shook her head, still amazed at Jam’s abilities. “If you say so. Man, I’m so happy you’re on our team now.”
“Same!” Jam squeezed Clove into a quick hug and then said, “It’s your turn, handsome! Get your broody butt onto the grass.”
We faced off.
I had the advantage, since I’d seen how Jam favored her blades and quick, precise offensive attacks.
As Clove signaled the start, I quietly cast Body Block under my breath.
Jam’s lips moved too.
Just barely.
Seconds later, something pinged against my shield.
Jam’s narrowed eyes widened in surprise. It took her half a second to respond, charging forward quickly, another spell on her lips.
She wasn’t using her throwing daggers for obvious reasons. She didn’t actually intend to wound me in a sparring match.
It was time to push my uses of Light Dart. The attack shot from my palm.
Jam dodged and rolled. One dart landed in the grass. The other two followed her.
She bared her teeth, her tiny fangs sharp. She pulled out two blades and threw them. One managed to smack a dart away.
That left one more for her to deal with.
I could have sent Fire Flare at her in that moment. But I held back. I needed to see how she’d handle this.
I didn’t have to wait long. The dart was losing steam, and she leapt out of its range just in time.
It hit the grass and died, fading into nothingness.
I summoned Shield Strike just as Jam jumped into the air, ready to come down on me in a punishing attack.
Shield Strike appeared right in front of her. She didn’t have the space or time to react or move. Her body smacked into the shield.
She rolled off and rose, freezing in a deep crouch.
My blade kissed her throat.
Jam huffed, a good-natured, sheepish smile on her face. “Nice move, Lucky.”
I dropped my arm. “Thank you. I like to see my opponents properly exhausted by the end of the match.”
She pointed at me in warning. “Watch it, buddy! No one likes a sore winner.”
“Is that even, like, a thing?” Clove wondered aloud from the ground. She was sprawled, eyes closed, still recovering from her sparring with Jam.
“No,” I answered.
But Jam wasn’t done. “Clove said you’re the strong front man when it comes to offense. What other spells do you know?”
I explained Valley Leash and summoned a leaf to my palm. This time, the tree remained blessedly rooted.
After, I casted Fire Flare, giving it a bit more of my mana. A wave of fire painted the girls in red light.
Jam took a hasty step back. “Holy shit balls. What was that? Did you just hyper-power a spell?”
“Yes,” I said. “I can do it with certain elemental and energetic spells. Those are more fluid and don’t offer a definitive physical form. My defensive shield spells aren’t influenced by the amount of mana I can force into them. I have to learn more advanced shield spells to achieve stronger ones.”
I also noticed that Light Dart didn’t respond to boosted mana output. That spell had its form and kept it. It wouldn’t intensify any further.
“Interesting,” she replied. Her green eyes rounded. “Hey, Caz! You’re looking better!”
The winged demi smiled as Jam jogged up to her. She had red splotches on her arms. They looked like healed burns.
I’d known Caz had been one of our classmates who’d gotten hurt. I was glad her recovery was well on its way.
Clove shot to her feet, looking like she’d just been struck by lightning. And was happy about it. “Sleepover! ”
“Sleepover,” I deadpanned, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu.
“Jam should stay the night with us! Bree told me Jam isn’t renting a very big room. It’s mostly for one-night stays. Travelers looking for a cheap room before they move on. She can’t be comfortable.”
Her eyes got wider. “I can have another bed brought in. Maybe Keegan has a spare somewhere! It’s the perfect party-bonding idea!”
By the Light Realm, she’s adorable.
I wasn’t sure what world Clove came from, because it couldn’t possibly be Ria. She practically outshone everything around her and didn’t even realize it.
“That’s a good idea,” I replied. “But I have one question.”
“Oh yeah?”
I trailed a knuckle down her collarbone, sending shivers over her skin. “Will she be bathing with us as well?”
Clove’s entire face rivaled the brilliance of an Underworld sunrise.
Jam chose that moment to return. “Woah, Clove! You look like someone just lit a fire inside your cheeks. Is that from your salamander thing? Clove? Clove, why is your pulse so fast? I can practically see it pounding at your throat. And you’re not actually breathing either.”
Clove’s mouth opened and closed, but no words came.
Jam gave me a confused huff. “Is she feeling okay?”
“Oh, she’s feeling just fine,” I replied.
She wasn’t convinced and observed me for a few long seconds. “Whatever it is, all I can say is that you look way too satisfied with yourself right now. For the record.”
* * *
Four hours later, we crowded into Clove’s room, exhausted. It was still early in the night, but we’d spent the entire day training.
I dropped onto the bed, already half-unconscious.
Maybe it was the drinks I had in the last hour. Maybe it was the Tower cursing me.
But it had been a long, long time since I’d been this drained.
Someone tugged my boots off. The girls were talking, but I couldn’t concentrate on their words.
Clove collapsed into bed next to me. Her familiar weight pressed against me.
I didn’t expect the other body to do the same on the other side of the bed.
The girls laughed, murmuring to one another over me. Someone’s hand crept beneath my shirt and spread over my abdomen.
It was warm. Which meant it was Clove.
Jam responded by tossing her arm over my chest. She chuckled and said, “He takes up so much space, doesn’t he?”
Clove’s body shook as she laughed beside me.
And then, blessedly, I lost all consciousness.