To say that the team building exercise had been a rousing success would be a vast overstatement of what followed, but it also could not be said that it was a pointless venture. While there were still divisions among the members of Nightshade, mainly between Reinne and Morgana, the four of them had all become a little closer after their outing together.

Most notably, Droon and Reinne had hit it off, likely due to their shared love for Verking and his muscles. While Rowan suspected this love took slightly different forms in each of them, it was gratifying to see Reinne working together with Droon to help him become a better vanguard, rather than strictly criticizing his mistakes and leaving it at that as she had done before.

In fact, Droon could be said to have been the main beneficiary of the exercise, at least in Rowan’s eyes. Following the finals, Droon had redoubled his efforts to become an excellent vanguard, sacrificing sleep to wake up earlier in the mornings in order to train while the saner parts of the student body were asleep.

His style of fighting had also changed, mimicking the style that Verking had exhibited. While it would be an insult to compare Droon’s nascent efforts to even a pale imitation of the Draigwyn captain’s form, it was definitely inspired by him, and Rowan secretly hoped that Droon would one day be able to show that same matchless prowess that Verking had displayed.

Relationships between the rest of the party were still mostly the same though. Reinne had become slightly nicer towards Rowan, but still treated Morgana with disdain, an attitude the other girl was only too happy to return.

As for Morgana, she was slightly softer on Droon, but only slightly. Although initially, Rowan had suspected that Morgana was just naturally curt in her actions, after several weeks of working together with her, he had come to adjust that way of thinking. Unlike Reinne, who was harsh with others because of how their actions affected her, Morgana was not harsh because others had hurt her.

Rather, it was that Morgana expected the same excellence from everyone else that she demanded from herself, and she took it upon herself to mould those who could not match her expectations into beings that could. Of course this did not excuse her actions towards Droon, who had on at least one occasion broken down after Morgana’s overly blunt dissection of his mistakes, but they did at least give him a framework from which to understand her.

Thus, having been brought slightly closer together, the party continued to practice together, as each member also did their best in the other classes that called their attention each week.

Assignments, tests, and lectures, the days passed in a blur, while weekends were spent practicing with his party and delving into dungeons on the order of Kanna. With barely a free minute to call his own, Rowan was exhausted. He was somehow staying afloat in all five classes thanks to the help of Droon, Dugan, and Kanna, all three of them supporting him as he struggled towards the not-so-distant finish line.

Outside, the snows had melted at last, the buds on the trees indicative that summer was growing near. This far north, spring was less of a season and more of a suggestion, the only indications that it actually existed the roaring of the river that flowed past the academy, free of its icy prison and swelled to twice its normal size from the melted snow and ice that had until recently coated the world around it.

No one at the academy was happier than Rowan about the changing weather, and he walked happily across the academy lawn, the grass belowfoot slightly damp from last night’s rain. In his hands, a small bag of magical crystals jingled against each other, his loot from the dungeon he had just run.

Even with exams so close, Kanna was still having him run dungeons, partly as a punishment for buying the arcanowhip, partly because she needed supplies, and partly because it was the one thing he had to take his mind off the impending examinations.

“Whew.” Tossing the bag from one hand to the other, Rowan took an appreciative breath as he picked up the pace. The weather was perfect for spending the day outside, but he couldn’t afford to do that right now. With the dungeon complete, there was studying to be done, and he had to get these crystals to Kanna before he could meet up with Dugan and Droon.

Save for an essay due in history class, there were no more assignments to be written. Mercifully, the other four professors had held off on assigning any more work, though that did not mean that they were off the hook for studying.

Although they no longer needed to stay up until early in the morning completing whatever arbitrary number of pages they had been assigned on the history of dungeons, or the use of binomial rune formations, there was still much to study. These days, it was not assignments, but review for the final exams that demanded their attention.

With exams so close, even those who had skated by throughout the year without studying such as Reinne had begun to hit the books. These days, the library was filled with fresh faces that Rowan did not recognize, intruding upon what had until now been one of his quiet sanctuaries, much to the displeasure of the regulars such as Fiin who had come loyally to its quiet halls year round.

Fortunately for Rowan, Between Dugan and Droon, he was lucky to be part of a pretty high end study group. The three of them had been spending their afternoons and evenings together, reviewing everything that had been covered over the past four months in their classes together.

The sole exception to these sessions was Intro to Magical Theory II, the only class that he shared with neither of them, and for that he had the most overpowered study assistant of all, the professor herself: Kanna.

And it was that assistant who would have his head if he didn’t drop these off before meeting up with his study group, Rowan thought as he hefted the bag of magic crystals. Changing course slightly, he headed for his favourite secret passage, the one hidden behind a statue of a mustachioed former headmaster.

As secret passages went, the one hidden behind the statue with the impressive moustache was quite practical. Its entrance was on the grounds facing the academy’s main gate, but was hidden well enough that a person could slip inside without being noticed. Its other entrance was by the Draigwyn dorms, and from a few journeys back and forth, Rowan had found that he saved a good five minutes taking the passage instead of the paths around or through the academy. Ten if he wasn’t jogging.

There was only one problem with the passage, and that was that it was one of the few that was actively used by other people. Although Rowan had not encountered anyone within it in his trips through the tunnel up until now, he was still careful when entering, lest he alert others about the knowledge he was not sure he was supposed to possess.

A quick look around to make sure that no one was watching, and then two taps on a pair of sunken stones in the facade behind the statue was all it took for Rowan to disappear from the grounds, vanishing through the thick vines as behind him the wall closed up, a pair of stony jaws that swallowed him into the earth.

The interior of the tunnel was dark, with what little light there was entering from a few cracks near the entrance. Only fifteen feet from the mouth of the tunnel, light had vanished, replaced by pure, inky blackness that continued until fifteen feet or so from the entrance at the other end. Or at least that’s how it was supposed to be.

Only a minute into what was supposed to be a five-minute trek, Rowan froze, pressing himself into the alcove next to a nearby half-pillar. Ahead, there was a light where only darkness should exist, shining faintly a few hundred feet from his position. He was not alone. Something was in here with him.

The smart thing to do would have been to retrace his steps and take the long way to the dorms. But weeks of studying had wrought a terrible effect on Rowan’s logic, and curiosity won out. Rather than retreat, he instead inched closer, intent on seeing if he could identify who it was that was so brazen as to use a light in the secret passage.

The light was faint, and Rowan’s footsteps fainter still as he crept towards the source of the illumination. It did not take long for him to cut the distance between them, and the owner of the light gradually became visible as he grew nearer.

Surprisingly, it was not one, but two figures that took form before him, talking quietly under a hanging ball of magical light. Both were slim, with one on the more petite side while the other was a bit taller, but still shorter than Rowan himself. The long hair led him to believe that his quarry were women, but he would need to grow closer to confirm. Plenty of the boys at Faebrook had stylishly long hair after all.

“...suspect a thing?”

“Don’t think…”

Fragments of conversation drifted past, difficult to make out due to the distance. However, Rowan was now faced with a dilemma. He was currently far enough away that the light could not reach, rendering him one of the shadows on the wall, just another unassuming shred of darkness. In order to learn the identities of the two figures before him and hear what they were discussing, he would need to risk getting close enough that they could see him.

What made the choice for him was a sudden exclamation by one of the two figures.

“Really?”

An innocent word, but the tone and inflection used were those of a girl he knew well, and they betrayed the identity of one of the two figures: Reinne Westmarch. He had heard the same exclamation dozens of times, as she challenged both Morgana and Droon over perceived mistakes in their training. The way she had said it, there was no doubt in his mind, Reinne lay before him. Which meant that the other figure was probably…

Abandoning his qualms, Rowan crept closer, keeping close to the wall as he felt his way towards the two conversationalists. Now within a hundred feet, the identity of the second girl also became clear.

Rowan frowned, just as he had suspected, the person Reinne was arguing with was her friend Tianna Caleigh, the most popular Draigwyn girl in their year, and leader of the biggest clique in their house. Why was she here, arguing with Reinne?

“If anyone finds out…” Reinne appeared nervous, her face anxious as she confronted Tianna.

Tianna shrugged, and muttered something that Rowan couldn’t quite hear.

Gritting his teeth, Rowan strained to make out what was being said. Much as he wanted to get closer, this really was his limit. Any further and he would be within the radius that the light covered, no longer a shadow but a flesh and blood person to be pursued, caught, and identified. This was as close as he could get.

“You’re not the one taking a risk here.” Luckily, Reinne at least was making little attempt to keep her voice down, though she was not exactly shouting either.

“...be fine. I’ll… care of it.” TIanna’s response was quieter, but Rowan could make out a few words here and there. From the sounds of it, Tianna was trying to get Reinne to do something, and Reinne wasn’t happy with it. The question was, what was it?

Reinne shook her head and said something in reply, but her voice was quieter this time, and Rowan couldn’t quite hear her. Whatever it was though, Tianna appeared displeased by it, her expression turning frosty the way it did when someone dared to sit in her seat, or cross in front of her in the hallway.

With a scowl, Tianna jabbed a finger into Reinne’s chest, telling her something that made Reinne’s face drop. Although Rowan couldn’t hear much, he did pick up the words: ‘Your family.’ Whatever it was Tianna had said, it seemed to have broken Reinne’s will to resist, and Tianna smiled cruelly at the knowledge of her victory.

“Just deal with… that bitch.”

“Fine.” Rowan couldn’t hear Reinne’s reply, but he might as well have, recognizing the way she capitulated from her body language and posture. Her victory complete, Tianna turned and left in the direction of the dorm, the light following her as Rowan pressed himself into the wall just in case Reinne decided not to follow.

Fortunately, after a minute to compose herself, Reinne’s footsteps could also be heard, echoing off the walls as she followed her friend out of the passage. Not daring to move just yet, Rowan allowed a few minutes to elapse before heading back the way he had came. It did not appear that either Tianna or Reinne had noticed him, but one could never be too careful. If either were waiting around near the exit and saw him come out, things could get ugly. Better to just take the long way around.

The one benefit to a longer trip was that Rowan had more time to think, and think he did, dwelling on what he had just seen. Why were Tianna and Reinne meeting clandestinely in a hidden tunnel beneath the school? What did Tianna want Reinne to do that ahd made her so upset? And who was ‘that bitch’ that Tianna had mentioned?

Rowan’s lips quirked. That third question was not really much of a challenge. Although Tianna referred to most of the other students in ways that put them beneath her, the vitriol and malice she had displayed and the caustic tone she had used were both far beyond her normal levels of cattiness.

Only one person came to mind that fit such a description, and honestly, Rowan couldn’t really fault Tianna for referring to her as such. When people mentioned the bitch of Draigwyn, they were usually only talking about one person. Well, two, but the other was Tianna herself. No, the person in question almost had to be Morgana. But that only raised further questions. Like what Tianna had in store for her that she needed Reinne’s help with.

It was no secret that there was no love lost between Tianna and Morgana. But as far as he knew, they had never attempted to sort it out. Whatever enmity there was between them, they both acted like it was too deep to ignore. Which in all fairness, Rowan supposed it might as well have been, It was not as if he had any idea about why it was that they hated each other, just that they did.

Apart from that, there was also whatever it was that Tianna had said that had so affected Reinne. The only words Rowan had heard were ‘your family,’ but those were already enough to draw a chilling conclusion. Tianna wanted Reinne to do something to Morgana for her, something bad enough that it made Reinne who hated Morgana want to say no. When she had, Tianna had threatened her family.

Either Reinne was just against doing something to Morgana, unlikely with how she acted whenever they were together. Or Tianna wanted something done that was bad enough that Reinne had balked. Given that whatever it was she wanted done, Tianna wanted it badly enough that she was willing to go as far as threatening Reinne’s family in order to have her do it, Rowan suspected the latter.

Rubbing his temples, Rowan returned to the dorm to change clothes and grab his books before heading to Kanna’s office to drop off the crystals. Neither Tianna nor Reinne were present in the common room when he arrived, perhaps having already left, or lounging about in the girls section of the dorm.

Whatever their reasons, Rowan was just thankful to avoid facing them for the time being. He had no idea what to think of the fragmented conversation he had overheard, or of the conclusions he had drawn from it, and honestly, he would rather just not interfere. He’d had enough of that with Klou. So long as they weren’t harming him, he would let them be.

But still… Rowan deliberated back and forth as he headed for Kanna’s office. Even if he wasn’t going to interfere, he should at least give Morgana a head’s up. For the sake of his grade in the dungeoneering exam if nothing else. The only problem was how to do it. Telling her straight up was out of the question. That would lead to uncomfortable questions about how he had found out, why he was telling her, and worse, he might be dragged into it when Morgana inevitably went after Reinne and Tianna.

No, Rowan decided. Best to do it anonymously. A letter would work, although he would have to be careful not to give away that it was him who had written it.

With that, Rowan attempted to put the matter out of his mind. Exams were coming up fast. He had more important things to deal with than the spats between nobles.