Genevieve was washing her hands in a tub of soapy water when Randolph knocked on her door.
“Come in!” The eleven-year-old called out. She had just finished consulting someone with a nasty case of the flu. Fairy immune systems couldn’t handle human diseases. The Halfling half expected that the student was coming back because they dropped a notebook. She smiled as she dried her hands and opened the door to let the four of them in.
“What can I do for you?”
Florimal looked to Dawn for an answer. She did not know where to start.
“It’s about this school.”
“Yes?”
“What happens to it now that Sheehan is dead?”
“Well, for now, it stays as it is, until his funeral. At his funeral, then it may be closed.”
“Sheehan did not want a funeral.”
“It’s not like he can object, Miss Young.”
For a moment, Genevieve’s smile faded and the four of them saw her grief peek through.
“Is there a way that we could save this school from closure?”
“I honestly don’t know. I’m just a cook, cleaner and healer.”
“You were Sheehan’s first student. Wouldn’t that mean something?”
“Not to the Fianna. As good as he was to everyone, Sheehan was just one of their Rooks.” Genevieve shook her head, the sombre expression returned. They shared a moment of silence.
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The Fianna may have been the better of two evils, but it was Sheehan’s generous work that their reputation was built on the back of. It had been Fianna that chased Florimal out of her family’s backyard in Sydney and through the veil into the Other World. All because her older brother bought a pair of illegal wings off the internet. Fianna was always doing damage control. They rounded up orphaned fairies who had found homes beyond the veil and enlisted them in the army when they were just six years old. Randolph had been one of those fairy children. Luckily, he was nine years old and not completely powerless like the others. He did not need a Magi to perform Bishop level mana. He created a SWMP in front of the Fianna soldiers.
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Sheehan was also a peculiar case. He was not a fairy. He was a human. He had been an orphan himself. Until one day, a Nightmare appeared. Curious, a young Sheehan had followed it through the Veil towards destiny. Grommet stayed at Sheehan’s side until the moment his heart stopped. It was Grommet who carried his dead master back to the orphanage. Sheehan, without a home to go to, travelled to the Other World, helping everyone. Regardless of their alliances, gender, age, rank or race. He, a Aqua Silver Tongue and a Terra Silver Tongue opened the orphanage out of the goodness of their hearts. They never asked for a cent, even when hard times rolled in. The school was Genevieve’s home before Sheehan found it. He asked her, a child at the time, if he could use her castle. In return, he offered her a job as a cleaner. When she showed skills in areas of healing and cooking, she was promoted. Genevieve stayed, waiting for her sister to return. Genevieve became part of the school as much as Sheehan. Now that he was gone, a flame had been extinguished. Darkness was closing in, just like the bloodthirsty Fomorians.
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“A Rook? Is that all?” Florimal gasped. “When we bury him, I’m promoting him to King.”
“That’s nice of you Miss Young, but Arthur would not want that. It was never about rank for him.”
“It’s not about rank. Raise your hand if Sheehan has not helped you in any way. Big or small.”
No one raised their hands.
“I see your point. But how can we be expected to fill his shoes?”
“There are five of us. One of us has to have the same shoe size. Or close to it.” Florimal joked.
They all felt a smile tug at the corner of their mouths. Florimal came up with the oddest metaphors.
“He was one guy. Heroes or not. We’re not all that different to Sheehan.” Greenwood agreed. “What was it that one angel said to us? We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Someone has to keep his legacy ablaze. It might as well be us. He taught every one of us something unique. Let’s repay his patience.”
“You’re right Greenwood. Miss Nuage, you should rest. The rest of you should go about your days. Arthur would not like to see you all in such ill health. Tomorrow, we will pick up his torch.”
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With the four of them gone from sight, Genevieve shut the door. The eleven-year-old pressed against the door so nobody could get in and scrubbed her face with her hands. Was it a coincidence that the day that her sister arrived, Sheehan was murdered? It was the mission Elliot trained his daughters for. Why did their father hate Sheehan so much? Was she next for defecting? Did Suki still believe in the lies that her Ebony Sigil stood for? Could Suki be shown another way? Suki was stubborn as a child, but the castle was not the only thing that changed. The brunette had to ask the source. She had to face Suki and risk another slap to the face.143Please respect copyright.PENANAsdhDsUWI8j
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Suki stepped out of the steaming hot shower. The eleven-year-old padded carefully across the floor and pulled on the first thing her hands grabbed in the chest of drawers. A uniform. She rolled her blue eyes. Knowing what the colours stood for, she ripped the uniform off again, throwing the uniform into a pile on the floor and scrounged until she found the blue uniform. Each region had its own colour. Her region was Aqua. Although she was a Halfling, she was born in this castle. Her father was from beyond the Veil (like all humans) and her mother from Caeli. Sigh. Suki jumped when she heard knocking on the door. She snatched up the pink and purple skirt from her floor, using it as a layer of protection to grab her Magi. If worse came to worse, she could stab the knocker in the eye with the sharp end of the clock hand.
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Suki spent her lonely childhood climbing into impossible spaces and running inhumanly fast. Something she was proud of. Most children who lived their lives locked in a castle would sit there and do nothing. Suki could hit as fast as any Elementora. Magi were multi-functional tools. For those who excelled at mana and for those who did not. Perhaps the most dangerous invention in the whole of Other World. Everyone had a Magi. They elevated the amount of mana their wielder could use before they passed out. Magi were easy to conceal until it was needed. Suki’s Magi was already transforming into a large, wicked looking dagger as she crept towards the door.
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