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Soulmates, he thought faintly as he made his way into his room, looking forward to getting started on the readings he’d just been assigned. There was a lot of that going around lately, though he’d be willing to bet that Jora and Arian had had a much less dramatic run of it than his own friends. Morgan and Archer had been at each other’s throats for most of the previous year, it seemed like. Still, he had to admit, the drama had been worth it. He’d never seen Morgan so happy, and Archer was a changed man from the arrogant, insecure jerk he’d met at the start of last year. And they weren’t alone in having found love at university. With hundreds of dragons coming together from all over the world, it was only natural that some of them ended up being soulmates—whether you called it fate, destiny, or simply the law of large numbers.
Callan had been trying to avoid thinking about it, but it was difficult when even his shyest roommate had found the love of his life. Was it possible that his own soulmate was wandering the hallways of Brisant? That wasn’t what he was here for, of course. Honestly, he’d prefer not to meet her just yet. He was here to learn about the world, not to fall in love. It all seemed like a major distraction, and he couldn’t afford to get distracted right now. Not with everything getting more serious, academically speaking.
But he was pleased to find that he was going to be seeing more of Kaya than he’d first thought. According to the topic outline, she was only giving three lectures total during the semester, but she was working as a teaching assistant as well, which meant that she was around more than he’d expected. The first time he ran into her was before the first lecture for the topic, and he narrowly avoided dropping his books with surprise. The faintly approving smile on her face made him feel a strange warmth in his chest.
“So you’ve picked this one, hm?”
“Oh, yes. Finalized my schedule earlier in the week.”
“What tipped the balance?”
You, he thought immediately, then felt a rush of intense gratitude for his own impulse control. “I mean, I was very interested in both, but I think the multi-insula approach of this topic is very interesting. The other topic is focused in more depth in Isthmus, but at this stage in my learning I think I’ll gain more from more widespread information. I’m still playing catch-up, after all. Three years ago I didn’t even know there were insulas outside of my own.”
Had he talked too much, he wondered as he took his seat. Had he bored her? She was difficult to read, and he’d always prided himself on his perceptiveness. Something about her just made him feel inarticulate and tongue-tied. That strange accent he kept wanting to ask her about, the quiet, watchful way she looked at him… and as he took his seat, he felt a sudden shock of recognition run through him. The way his usually stoic roommate had seemed so tongue-tied in front of his soulmate, the way he’d flushed to the roots of his hair when she’d gently teased him… could that be what he was feeling about Kaya? Was he attracted to her?
What a strange thought. Callan had plenty of friends and acquaintances who’d had brief flings and dalliances with other people before they’d met their soulmates, and he’d had a few idle encounters himself, but it was still quite an unusual feeling. Part of him almost wondered if maybe—but he shut that thought down as soon as it started, feeling his heartbeat accelerate alarmingly. She was a good-looking woman whom he found interesting; it wasn’t unthinkable that he might be attracted to her, too. He put it out of his mind as firmly as he could, though. Whatever it was he felt about her, she was his teacher, and he needed to be mindful of those boundaries.
The end of the first week came around more quickly than he’d anticipated, and though part of him was itching to spend the evening getting a head start on his readings for the weekend, he had made a solemn promise to Morgan and Archer that he would visit with them once a week to catch up. At this time of year, the weather was still pleasant, so they’d agreed to hang out in the courtyard as long as an unexpected rainstorm didn’t spring up… not that many of Sanguine’s weather patterns were anything but unexpected. The insula had a famously turbulent climate, which was part of the reason it had stood uninhabited for so long before the university had been built there. But on afternoons like this, it was easy to forget how troublesome the weather could be. A blue sky above, a warm breeze that made the humidity pleasant instead of oppressive—and his friends, sitting on the edge of the courtyard and waving him over.
It was easy to feel like a third wheel around two people who were so disgustingly in love. He’d certainly had his fair share of that over the summer break. They’d gotten a little better lately, though he couldn’t tell whether that was because their behavior had changed or whether he’d just gotten used to their dynamic.
Morgan was halfway through an anecdote about her favorite teacher, Professor Reine, one of the more eccentric members of the permanent faculty. She was a specialist in water magic, and by all accounts hid a terrifying power behind her cool facade, as well as a wicked sense of humor. For Callan, who’d only encountered the woman in passing, Morgan might as well have been talking about a complete stranger. Still, that made sense. She only taught elemental magic, and as an air sign, Callan would be well beyond her sphere of interest.
“Have you given any more thought to picking up some classes on air magic?” Archer said, leaning forward curiously. “Between us and Morgan’s sister, we could have all the elements under our power.”
“Archer’s plotting world domination,” Morgan explained cheerfully, her eyes dancing. Since she and Archer had found each other, she’d been joking around a lot more than Callan was used to. It was nice to see her coming out of her shell.
“My schedule’s packed as it is,” Callan said reluctantly. “I do want to get to it eventually, but… my priority has to be getting on top of how the world works. Before we take it over, that is.”
“Understandable,” Archer allowed, though Callan could see him resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Boring, but understandable.”
“It still amazes me that you can find inter-insular politics boring,” Callan said, shaking his head with wonder. “I know you grew up with all of that stuff being shoved down your throat all the time, but still.”
“I like politics fine,” Archer said with a shrug. “I just don’t like all the details.”
“Callan’s always been a details guy,” Morgan said with a smile. “How’s that topic going? The one you weren’t sure about?”
“Oh, it’s great.” Unbidden, an image of Kaya sprang to his mind, and he pushed it away firmly. Her presence wasn’t the only reason he was enjoying the topic. “There are a few lectures coming up that Cato might find interesting, actually. Turns out the Mage’s Guild is one of a few organizations that has a base of operations on every insula—not including ours, obviously,” he added with a grin. “Unless Cato wants to found one.”
Morgan snorted. “Somehow, I think a disgraced mage with a criminal history longer than my arm might not be the guy they want in charge of that. Aren’t the Mage’s Guild famously… you know, rule-obsessed and secretive? From what Professor Reine says about human mages, I’m amazed they even found a dragon who knew enough about them to put a lecture together. They only take human members, right?”
“I think it varies between insulas,” Callan said. “But I’m not sure. She’s definitely an interesting person, the lecturer. Kaya,” he added, trying not to feel self-conscious about saying her name. But he should have known better than to try to hide how he was feeling around someone like Morgan. She’d always been eerily observant, and with a year’s worth of training, her aura-reading was becoming a force to be reckoned with.
“You’re interested in her,” she said now, as if on cue. Callan fought the urge to groan, knowing he should have expected this.
“Ifindher interesting,” he countered, a little weakly. “I mean, she is interesting. I’m looking forward to hearing her lectures. She’s done a lot of traveling, I’m interested in learning more about the world…”
“Sounds like a good match,” Archer said, examining his fingernails in a deliberately casual kind of way. “Are we sure it’s just intellectual curiosity?”
Callan exhaled, trying to remind himself that these people were his friends and it was okay to feel a little vulnerable around them. “Not completely sure, no,” he said carefully, and Morgan’s eyes lit up with undisguised delight. “But I’m not getting ahead of myself!”
“Of course not,” Archer said glibly, though the gleeful looks he was exchanging with Morgan told Callan that he was likely alone in that. “Of course. We’re all being very calm and rational about this.”
“She’s a teacher, for a start. It would be inappropriate to raise the subject.”
“That’s fair.”
“That’s boring,” Archer said at the same moment. Morgan rolled her eyes at him, but she was still smiling when she looked back at Callan.
