Page 84 of Trivium

Loveleena nodded, her eyes glistening.

“Thank you again,” she said, gesturing to the book as she made her way back out onto the street. It wasn’t until she walked away that she took a good look at it, running her fingers over the title: The Ancient, Untold History of Magic.

57

AHMINA

Revenge.

It was so soooo sweet.

Barrow’s memory potion had made him a wandering mess, but it wasn’t long before his genital rash spread throughout his body—Zeina had gone a little overboard on that one—and he had been in the infirmary ever since.

Ahmina had spent any free moment she wasn’t studying getting to know her sister. Zeina was an odd woman, but she guessed that was a result of her upbringing. She would surface out of nowhere, beckoning Ahmina to follow her to some hiding spot where she would proceed to talk to her at length about Alchemy.

Sometimes, Ahmina could coax more out of her. They shared stories of their childhoods, Ahmina of Anastasia and Zeina of the shopkeepers she got to know throughout the years. Ahmina found herself sharing more than she normally would, mostly about Lennox. But any time she brought him up, Zeina didn’t say much, other than that he had caught on to her months ago. To fill the silence, Ahmina talked and talked about every moment her and Lennox had shared and the friendship they had formed. She could never tell what Zeina thought of it, though, as she kept her face neutral through it all.

Beyond obsessing over the possibility that she had magic, she hadn't done much of anything about it. They hadn’t travelled beyond the wall, so she hadn’t had an opportunity to test her theory—not that she would know how to even if she did. She started to question everyone around her. In class, she found herself analyzing other students, looking for clues that they too shared the gift.

In any case, her studies stole her focus. Ever since Barrow had been in the infirmary, and she had continued taking whatever potion Zeina shoved in her face, her mind and skills had significantly improved.

It was like she could breathe properly for the first time in months.

With her mind clear, she dedicated her time to studying and skill development with excitement instead of dread. Her friends spent hours practicing with her as well, and it showed. Seeing her dedication finally pay off lit a spark within her. She felt like herself again.

She had spent the afternoon with Rory going through various attack methods in the Bloodring and Ahmina left feeling strong and capable. She still wasn’t as good as Rory but at least she could hold her own now. She even managed to pin Rory down once, earning her a giant grin in response.

“You know,” Rory prodded, “the infamous Slayer party is tonight. We could go? Celebrate your improvements?” She turned to her, a tentative smile on her face.

“Tempting, but I think I should go to the library and study tonight.” Just because she was doing better, didn’t mean she was in the clear.

Not yet, anyway.

“Come on,” Rory pleaded. “It’s our first Slayer party. It’s like a rite of passage. Plus, you know who will be there.”

Ahmina frowned. She wanted so badly to argue. But the image of celebrating with Lennox played in her mind, like an itch she needed to scratch.

“We’re just friends, Ror.”

“Sure. Whatever you say.” Rory titled her head and arched a brow, thoroughly unconvinced. “Let’s live it up tonight. It will be good for you. You deserve to blow off some steam, Mina.”

“I don’t know,” Ahmina groaned, dragging out the words. Rory pivoted to square her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her gently.

“Pleeease,” she begged, stretching the word into a dramatic plea.

Ahmina huffed out a breath. She couldn’t remember the last time she had fun. “Fine, but only for an hour.” Then she would fit in some studying before bed.

“An hour.” Rory nodded, agreeing.

“I mean it, Ror.”

Rory lifted a hand to her chest. “I swear on all the goddesses of all the moons and worlds.”

One hour, to make Rory happy, to maybe say hi to Lennox, and then she would hit the library. They both stood in silence for a moment before Ahmina dared ask the question, “how do we get in?”

Rory’s smile was so big it took over the entire bottom half of her face. “It’s a good thing you have a Slayer friend”—she drew out the word friend for emphasis—“that’s practically in love with you.”

“Can’t you just ask Kit?”