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The thought did not make me happy at all. I could only hope that there were people like my sister’s husband there. Rengold Hallward was for me the ideal man and husband, and I secretly dreamed that someday I too would find such a faithful and reliable life partner.
Uncle Alan returned with an elderly, strong woman in a healing robe. She brought with her a suitcase with drugs and rubbing substances, but did not even open it. She just stated in a hoarse bass voice, briefly examining Ada:
– Yes, two ribs are cracked! Numerous bruises, and that’s just a rough guess! And on the aura there are traces of a blow from elemental magic. No, she definitely needs to stop by the healing room for at least half an hour. We’ll fix everything, she’ll recover in three days, strictly following the recommendations, of course.
– Will you join your friend? – Uncle Alan asked hopefully.
– Certainly! Bathmore, can you take us to the healing room? – I asked, climbing back into the gig.
Uncle Alan breathed a sigh of relief and clarified the essence of his request:
“I don’t want to go away, it’s already night.” We need to keep an eye on you, you never know…
– Don’t worry, Asher Nett. We can handle it. – I winked at him in my own way.
Bathmore stopped the gig right at the healer's porch, and we helped Ada get out.
Having said goodbye to the driver, we hobbled into the healing room. Ada's damage turned out to be much more serious than we thought. As soon as she got out of the gig, she almost lost consciousness from pain and magical exhaustion. I would hardly have been able to hold her alone, but the healer helped. We set off not after the promised half hour, but only after two and a half. When the treatment was completed, I asked how much we owed. “Batmore, tell the director my sincere gratitude for the gift,” I asked. – And tell us in detail about the attackers. Maybe she can call them to order?
– Not at all! – the healer answered dryly. “The invoice will be issued to the Academy of Wind and Storms, and they, if they deem it necessary, will ask the parents for compensation.
After giving us recommendations, some bottles and powders, the healers sent us out. Yawning furtively, we wandered towards the stagecoach, already drawn by six horses. The coachman sat on the box, and Uncle Alan paced impatiently next to him.
– Finally! – he exclaimed when he saw us. – How are you feeling, Hedwin?
“Much better than when we first met,” Ada joked.
She really was now holding herself upright and breathing normally, without wincing from every breath and word.
– That's good! Get in quickly, we have to go. We are already far behind schedule.
Indeed, the time was approaching midnight, as the clock on the high tower told us. According to rumors, there were these at every Travel Bureau station. As soon as Ada and I climbed inside, the stagecoach started moving. Yumi and Hwoyana were already asleep, leaning against each other. Lisel sat apart and dozed, throwing her head back on the seat, but when she heard us, she opened her eyes and nodded slightly, congratulating her on the healing.
– Good night! – Ada muttered and immediately dozed off, exhausted from a difficult day.
And I was prevented from falling asleep so quickly by the impressions that I had more than taken in that day. I couldn’t really see anything outside the window, but a small magic lamp was burning inside, and I looked at the girls, each of whom was dressed differently. An involuntary thought flashed: “But I’m only here in a boarding school uniform, right?”
The measured shaking, the creaking of wheels, the clatter of horseshoes – all this gradually lulled me to sleep. I woke up with a jolt and realized that the stagecoach had stopped, and someone was arguing with Uncle Alan outside. Pulling back the curtain, I closed my eyes against the bright light – it turns out it was already morning! At the same moment, the stagecoach door swung open, and two more curly brown-haired girls climbed inside, who did not even try to be quiet.
– Hey, sleepyheads, sleep away your happiness! – one exclaimed, looking around us all with a perky look.
–What other happiness is there? – Ada, awakened too early, muttered in an unkind voice.
– What is this? Meeting the Dustrasse sisters, of course!
“Dubious happiness, some kind of…” Ada grumbled, looking at them with a dissatisfied look, and closed her eyes again.
And I stared at the twins… No, still at the twins with all my eyes. The girls were so similar, and yet very different. Starting from clothing, facial expressions, and ending with the ma
All my ears were buzzing about cousins of the third or fourth water and their potential success in the magic of the firmament even in early childhood. As soon as I visited Dustrasse’s relatives, they immediately began to drag my mother’s face into the mud, until my father forbade her to take me to visit my grandparents.
I also didn’t like the pitying glances or the sympathetic sighs. And especially the moments when every relative I met tried to express condolences to my mother. As if I was not born a dummy, but completely dead, forgive the Mother of All That Is! But, perhaps, the most disgusting thing was when, sympathizing with my mother, my relatives began to praise their cousins right in front of me. In general, visiting relatives turned into an unpleasant duty, so my father’s ban did not upset me at all.
And now those same Dustrasse twins, my competitors for the attention of my maternal relatives, stood in front of me and smiled. I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I wanted to punch them on the nose with the fact that I was no longer a dummy, and at the same time I was simply scared. I don’t know what exactly? Is it possible that I won’t be able to meet the high standards of Dustrasse? Or that I will remain a dummy in their tea-brown eyes?
But this wasn’t the first time I had to face my own fears, and this time I didn’t look away.
“Introduce yourself properly, eshsheri,” Uncle Alan called the sisters to order.
– I'm Willde. This means wild.
– And I’m Volde. This means a rule.
This sounded somewhat defiant. The girls in the stagecoach looked at each other and also began to introduce themselves. Even Ada deigned to wake up for such an occasion. It was my turn and, having overcome my i
– And I’m Mirre. Mirrae Blackrock. “It means fair, reasonable,” she added in tone with her cousins.
It sounded strange, but Dustrasse really had such a tradition.
“And also brave and selfless, don’t even doubt it,” Ada suddenly added additional meanings to my name.
Vilde stared at me incredulously.
– Come on! Are you the same Mirre? – she said in amazement.
– But you’re empty! – Volde blurted out bluntly.
– What stupidity! Would a dummy be invited to the academy? – Khvoyana noted i
– Girls, don’t you think that for boarding school girls, you are all a little… ill-ma
– What did I say? – Vilde took it personally.
– In your opinion, is it polite to call a relative empty in front of unfamiliar people? – Khvoyana, who had just distinguished herself, chuckled.
– It wasn’t me who called it, it was you and Volde! – Vilde was indignant.
– But it's true! Everyone knows that Mirre Blackrock was born without magic…” Volde tried to justify herself, batting her long, thick eyelashes.
“Then how did I end up on this stagecoach?” – I pretended to think, barely restraining myself from anger.
Here we go again! As soon as someone from Dustrasse is nearby, they start pestering me!
– Well… Maybe your father set it up? – Vilde suggested in all seriousness, lowering her voice.
– Who is your father, Mirre? – Khvoyana suddenly asked.
– Duke of Blackrock! – Volde responded i
The envious girls at the boarding school said the same thing, but for some reason it was the cousins’ words that touched me. I even jumped out of my seat and blurted out:
– What nonsense! I have the highest score on testing! Yes, our Grymza signed me up as a combat magician!
I came to my senses when Ada persistently pulled my hand. It turns out that I was standing over my sisters, clenching my fists and wheezing like an angry yak.
The Dustrasse sisters looked at each other.
– Yes cold!
– Can't be!
– Show me!
– What can you do?
They demanded vying with each other.
– Yes, girls! Stop! Mirre will not demonstrate his skills to you, if only because this is prohibited for first-year adepts,” Uncle Alan stood up for me. – Sit down, and let's move on. We should be at the crossing already an hour ago. There we will change to a vehicle more suitable for traveling across the steppe, and several days of travel await us. I advise you to find a common language during this time.
Having thrown the twins' bags into the luggage compartment on the roof, Uncle Alan joined the driver on the box. It seems he spent the whole night there. The Dustrasse cousins took seats opposite me and began to look at me without a twinge of conscience.
– Mirre, how did it happen that you finally got magic? – Vilde asked a question.
– No, really! It is interesting to us. After all, they said that…” Wolde joined her, but her sister elbowed her in the side.
I realized that questions could not be avoided, and I decided that it would be better to tell them my version. In addition, the other girls watched us with curiosity. Even Yumi, who never said a word except her name.
“Late initiation under stress,” I very briefly described my deadly adventures in the Ancient Forest two years ago.*
– Oh!
– Wow!
The cousins reacted.
– What happened to you? – Vilde asked.
“I was in mortal danger, so the gift woke up.” “It happens,” I gave the version that was agreed upon in the family.
We kept the details of that story secret for obvious reasons.
– Of course…
“I see…” the sisters said in disappointment, hoping for a more detailed story.
The others hoped so too, judging by the way they looked at me.
“Girls, maybe someday we’ll get to know each other better, become friends, and I’ll tell you, but not now.” “Everyone started talking in unison, assuring me that this would definitely happen.” And I decided to take the bull by the horns, and smiling, added: “But on one condition: don’t shout at every corner in the academy that my father is the Duke of Blackrock, agreed?”