“Ah, Miss Lorn, there you are,” Professor Zaldia said as she popped out of her tent. When she’d found the time to set it up, Juniper couldn’t even guess–it was almost as big as a small cabin. She was pretty sure it came with full amenities. “I don’t think I had you in my class, now, did I?”

“No, ma’am. I–”

“Didn’t think combat training would be useful before getting your Path, yes, I know your type,” Zaldia interjected. “You’re wrong, mind you, and it’s a real shame the powers that be decided to make it an elective.”

Juniper looked at the professor quizzically. “The other professors seemed to think it redundant, given that we have Combat as a core subject in both years three and four.”

“The other professors,” Zaldia said, twisting her face in a way that told Juniper exactly what Zaldia thought about them, “are a bunch of old stooges who don’t know the first thing about proper combat form. They think all you need to win a fight is to bring the biggest hammer. Proper foundations? Pah.” Zaldia pinched her nose. “They’re the reason why every year I’m the one who has to fix all of your bad habits. But enough about them–I’ll give myself an aneurism if I give them another moment’s thought. We’re here to talk about you.”

Juniper wilted under her gaze.

“Since you have so much free time on your hands, I decided to help you out a bit and free you from its burden,” Zaldia said with a glint in her eyes. “You’re going to do some things for me, and if you complete them to my satisfaction, you’ll get a prize.” She paused for a moment. “For real, this time. So, are you up for this?”

Juniper blinked. “I was under the impression I didn’t have a choice in this.”

“Nonsense, you always have a choice,” Zaldia stated blandly. “Now, the consequences if you refuse might not be something very pleasant, but the choice is still in your hands.”

“Consequences?” Juniper was pretty sure she wouldn’t like whatever Professor Zaldia had in mind.

The professor grinned. “You’ll have to be my assistant for your combat class all of next year.”

Ouch, Juniper thought. That actually would have sucked if there was a next year.

“Shouldn’t that position go to someone who’s… better at combat?” Juniper asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Normally, yes, but you have so much free time on your hands, I’m sure you’ll be able to catch up.”

Juniper pondered for a moment. The time loop made the professor’s threat null and void, but the idea of a prize was fairly attractive. Professors were allotted resources that they could distribute at will to deserving students, though it didn’t happen very often–Juniper had benefited from that once so far, and it had been a significant push.

“What would you have me do?”

“Nothing too difficult,” Zaldia said with a smile that said it was anything but. “There are three items spread around the forest that I want you to retrieve.”

“And I have to run around and hope I stumble upon them?”

“Of course not, I’ll tell you exactly where they are.”

That was suspiciously reasonable. “What’s the catch?”

Zaldia smiled. “Would you believe me if I told you there was no catch?”

Juniper gave her a dubious look. “Not really.”

“Well, there is no catch. Bring me the three items, and you get a prize. So, are you in?”

It sounded like she was being set up for a wild goose chase, but… what in the abyss, if there was one thing she had in excess right now, it was time. She could try doing Zaldia’s quest, and if it proved a waste of her time, she could just go back to her other plans.

“Alright,” Juniper finally said. “What am I looking for?”

Professor Zaldia smiled, and for once it seemed genuine. “Great! I knew you’d go for it.” She held out a finger. “The first is a golden lily–you’ll find it in an underground cavern. The entrance is straight in that direction,” she made a line in the dirt with her foot. “It’s a large hole in the ground, and it should be pretty obvious. About fifteen kilometers away.”

“Isn’t that farther than your safety area?” Juniper asked. Unless she remembered wrong, Zaldia could only guarantee the students’ safety in a ten kilometer radius around her tent.

“It is. But a Path walked without taking risks is a short path.”

Dying to a monster also shortened a Path, but Juniper decided against pointing that out.

She extended another finger. “The second is a small, tear-shaped crystal. This one you’ll also find in a cave, though the cave is under the roots of a great willow.” She drew another line in the dirt. “Twenty kilometers thataway.”

“And the last one,” she said as she extended a third finger. “Care to guess where you’ll find it?”

“A cave?” Juniper ventured.

“Got it in one! There really are a lot of interesting caves in the area. Anyway, you’ll be looking for a pearl. The cave is under a waterfall, about twelve kilometers from here.” She drew a final line with her foot. Each pointed in a different direction, and given the distances…

“That’s going to take a while.”

“I have no doubt it will,” Zaldia said as she nodded. “But the journey is its own reward.” She smiled. “Try to have fun.” Before Juniper could get another word in, Zaldia retreated into her tent, closing the flap behind her.

Juniper was left with the distinct impression that disturbing the professor any further was a bad idea.

She took a good look at the three lines. The pearl was the closest, so Juniper figured she should start with that one–if she was even going to go ahead with this. She wasn’t yet sure.

First, though, Juniper had a promise to keep.

***

Juniper hadn’t intended on telling Faro about the loop, but somehow the young man had managed to tease and cajole the story out of her anyway. He’d always had a strange way of getting what he wanted out of people, and in a way that made things better for everyone involved.

Like how he’d gotten Juniper to tutor him for the past two years–she hadn’t even entertained the idea at first, not even with money on the table. She hadn’t wanted to potentially fall behind. As it turned out, though, tutoring helped not only Faro, but Juniper too–finding a way to make the information more digestible for Faro had led her to a deeper understanding of those subjects.

Faro sat next to Juniper on the ground, chewing on a blade of grass as he pondered Juniper’s tale. He’d been silent for a few minutes, and Juniper was beginning to get antsy. She hadn’t broken him, had she?

Finally, he spat out the blade of grass and closed his eyes. “I’m not yet sure I believe you,” he said, his words measured, “but I can’t help but find the idea that we’re trapped in a time loop appealing.”

Of everything he might have said, this was not what Juniper expected. “What?” she asked dumbly.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suicidal or anything,” Faro elaborated, “but think about it this way–if everyone’s going to die in, what was it–”

“Three weeks,” Juniper supplied.

“If everyone’s gonna die in three weeks, doesn’t that make you feel relieved?”

Juniper’s eyebrows twitched. “Relief’s the last thing I’ve been feeling lately,” she said, her voice clipped. “I’m not sure I get what you mean.”

“Sorry, I’m not picking my words right,” Faro said, tapping his fingers against his chin. “If I believed you, then I’d be spending my last three weeks relaxing and having fun, checking things off my bucket list–since nothing would matter anymore. All your worries, gone. Consequences? Gone.” He went silent for a few moments. “I don’t know, it just seems a bit idyllic.”

“I don’t think many people share your view,” Juniper said wryly. “I think most would struggle until the end, to find a way to stop it.”

Faro raised an eyebrow. “Are you?”

Was she? “I guess I am,” Juniper admitted. “I never really thought about it. It seems too daunting a task, so I’m just taking it step by step.”

“What’s the next step, then?” Faro asked, tilting his head.

“Getting stronger?” Juniper said with a shrug. “I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.” She paused, frowning. “Actually, I’ve been wondering if the loop is limited to Esanys or if it extends further–so I guess making my way off world would be a possible next step. If one that’s pretty far away. I don’t see how I could ever afford it, though.”

“You could apply for early graduation,” Faro suggested. “Try your hand at the tournament.”

“Is that even a thing?” Juniper asked, her eyebrows shooting up.

“Happens every few years, apparently–all third years, though, and they always go out early in the tournament.”

Juniper blinked. “Something to think about, I guess. I’m nowhere near that level right now.”

Faro snorted. “Not when you just got your ass kicked by Drae.”

“I could probably beat her now,” Juniper mused.

“Just because you have a stage on her now doesn’t mean she’s not a better fighter,” Faro said, shaking his head. “Which you should work on, by the way.”

“I’m getting there,” Juniper grumbled.

“You kind of aren’t. You need to fight to get better at fighting,” Faro shot back. “Why didn’t you go after Leon?”

“What?”

“You want his necklace, right?” Juniper nodded, and Faro continued, “So, it’s simple. You fight him for it.”

“Is that… fair?” Juniper asked.

Faro broke into a deep-bellied laugh. “The thief is asking if robbing someone is fair?”

Juniper stiffened for a fraction of a second–she’d meant to hide her more criminal activities, but Faro had gotten it out of her anyway. It surprised her to see him so blasé about it.

He wiped away the tears. “Who cares if it’s fair? Drae doesn’t, so why should you?”

That… was a good point. The truth was, Juniper hadn’t even considered she could confront Leon directly–she’d thought only of ways she could steal the key without him noticing it was her.

She could now see her biases at work. It wasn’t that she cared much about Leon–the result was the same, no matter how she acquired his key. What she cared about was the way she was perceived. She was someone who’d risen out of the gutter, and the truth of the matter was that she was ashamed of her past. Having people recognize her as what she’d been–a thief–was a disturbing prospect.

Which shouldn’t have meant anything to her with the time loop in effect, since any consequence of her action was merely temporary, but fighting against her own instincts was difficult.

“I hadn’t really thought about that,” Juniper finally admitted. “It’s probably too late now, anyway.” He wouldn’t have found the cliff yet, but he still had a few hours’ headstart.

“If you really are in a loop, there’s always next time. Not that I’m convinced about the loop stuff, though.”

Juniper rolled her eyes. “I get it, I don’t need the disclaimer every time.” She leaned forward, stretching her back. “I have plenty of stuff to do for this trip, anyway. I think Professor Zaldia sent me on a wild goose chase.”

Faro shook his head. “You’d think that, but you didn’t take the combat elective. She’s eccentric, but I don’t think she’d really waste your time like that.”

Juniper gave him a dubious look. “Are you sure?”

“Well, I wouldn’t bet on it,” he said, smirking. “Everything Professor Zaldia does is something of a gamble. But if I were you, I’d still give it a go.” He perked up. “Actually, why don’t I come with you?”

“Didn’t you want to search for treasures on your own?”

“Well, I was, at least until you told me I never found anything. Kind of took the wind out of my sails, you know.”

Juniper couldn’t help but laugh. “Sorry. To make up for it, I invite you to join me for Professor Zaldia’s potential goose chase.”

Faro grinned. “Let’s go find a pearl.”

“Actually, let’s go after the lily instead,” Juniper said. “It’s farther away, but the snake eggs are in the same general direction. It wouldn’t be a long detour.”

“Fine by me,” Faro said with a shrug. “And if there’s really eggs there, it might prove you’re not full of shit.”

Juniper rolled her eyes. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Any time.”

***

Contrary to Juniper’s expectations, finding the masked ash snake a second time wasn’t as straightforward as she’d thought.

As it turned out, forests looked mostly the same wherever you were, especially if you didn’t actually pay much attention to your surroundings. The last time, Juniper had been content to follow Evie around, so Juniper only had a handful of vague landmarks to go by.

Juniper and Faro eventually found the place, a full day ahead of Evie and Drae. They were now watching from afar, a complicated expression on Faro’s face.

“This is the part where you’re supposed to tell me ‘I told you so,’ '' he said suddenly..

Juniper glanced at him over her shoulder and shrugged. “I told you so.” After a pregnant pause, she added, “Does that mean you believe me?”

“More or less,” Faro said. “Maybe it’s time travel, maybe not, but something clearly happened to you.” He cracked a smile. “Guess I might as well go crack open a beer and take a break for the next three weeks while you go deal with all this nonsense, since I’m apparently going to die anyway.”

Juniper’s face fell a little, but she caught herself at the last moment. “That’s fair. I guess it’s a lot to swallow.”

Faro punched her in the shoulder. “I’m joking. Did you really think I’d just abandon you like that?”

“Well, when faced with their imminent death, a lot of people might find they had a change of heart,” Juniper said. “I wouldn’t have held it against you.”

Faro rolled his eyes. “You should be. Really, June, you need to work some more on that backbone of yours.”

“It’s a work in progress. Nevermind that, though–wanna go after the snake now?”

“How did you and Evie kill it again?” Faro asked, and Juniper gave him a brief summary. “Well, I don’t think I can belly dance as well as Evie, but we’ll have to make do.”

“Evie’s telekinetic hold–is that something you learned in combat class?”

Before reaching Path Inscription, Juniper wouldn’t have been able to hold a living thing that was actively fighting back, but Evie had somehow managed it.

Faro nodded. “Among other things, yeah. But you can probably do the same thing with your Path now.” He paused for a second. “Actually, you should be able to handle it alone, now that I think about it.”

Juniper had mostly practiced on inanimate objects, but Juniper had managed to pin and squash a few bugs with the force of gravity alone. She hadn’t tried it on something as large as a snake, but it was probably within the realm of her capabilities. “I think so,” she replied. “Let me give it a try alone, and you can bail me out if it goes bad.” Juniper had almost phrased it as a question, but she decided she’d take the initiative instead.

“Got’cha,” Faro said. “If you mess it up, though, I’m gonna laugh at you.” He winked. “No pressure.”

Juniper rolled her eyes. “Thanks.”

She walked out of the thicket, the rustling of the bushes alerting the snake of her presence. It held itself tall, hissing as it tried to menace her. At its full height, it was still about a head shorter than Juniper.

She approached cautiously, wary of the masked ash snake’s deceptive speed–it could cover many times its body length in a single jump. It was almost in range of her senses when the snake decided it wasn’t going to scare Juniper off and changed tactics.

It lunged, but Juniper was ready for it. As soon as it entered her range, Juniper knew everything she needed to know about it–how much it weighed, the way its center of gravity moved with every twist of its body.

Juniper selectively increased the rate of gravity on its body twofold, and the snake stumbled in mid-air. A fraction of a second later, she increased it further. The snake was struggling, trying to resist the effects of Juniper’s magic. To Juniper, it felt as if she was holding the snake, which was covered in a thick layer of oil–constantly close to escaping her grasp.

She pushed the spell further, and after being subjected to a sevenfold increase in gravity, it finally ceased to struggle, instead redirecting all its efforts on trying to maintain consciousness.

Juniper dropped down to a squat, looking with pity at the snake as it tried and failed to get its lungs to expand under the overwhelming gravity. She touched its head gently, and dropped the gravity spell as she sent a pulse of force through its skull.

She held up the snake, turning around to wave at Faro. “It’s done!” she yelled.

Faro gave her a thumbs up, then jogged up to the masked ash snake’s nest. “You know, from a distance that actually looked kind of badass.”

Juniper looked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she mumbled. A rosy color appeared in her cheeks.

“You pretty much just walked up to it all like, ‘Kneel, fool!,’” he said theatrically, playing the part of a self-important noble. “And then it just falls at your feet.” He clapped. “Really inspiring. I approve.”

Juniper flushed, her cheeks going crimson. “Faro,” she said, her voice clipped.

“Yes, oh mighty conqueror of poor snakes?” The fool was grinning from ear to ear.

“Shut up.”