One of the things I noticed about Linth's den was that things rarely moved around. She had it setup the way she liked it. There were new additions to her book collection every now and then. Eventually she'd run out of shelf space and have to get more.

I wondered how she dragged all the furniture up here by herself though.

For all I knew, she lived in this room. As such, it was a special place to her. Any place I napped was a special place to me so I could sympathise. And we both probably preferred our special place not being invaded.

So when Killian followed Hannah into Linth's den with curious eyes looking to and fro, Linth froze up. She might as well have forgotten how to breath.

I leaped up onto the table, hoping that my presence would counterbalance Killian's. She seemed much more at ease when there was some sort of animal to help distract her nerves. She should probably invest in a soft toy.

“So this is where you were taking me.” Killian eyed the shelves lined with books and regarded Linth with a curious stare. “I get the feeling I'm intruding.”

Hannah waved away Killian's concerns. “Well your 'friends' won't find you here. I stopped this guy from getting beat up this morning. Do you mind if he stays here and in sight so my work doesn't go to waste?”

The way she talked was like she half expected Killian to throw himself into someone's fist the moment he was out of sight.

Both the den owner and the intruder met eyes. Linth cracked under the pressure of Hannah's stare. “Fine. Sorry.”

Despite getting the answer she wanted, Hannah despaired at Linth's timidity. “What are you saying sorry for? We're the ones invading.” That was a rare bout of self-awareness. “But whilst he's here, he's going to be nice and behave like a normal friendly person, aren't you?” Hannah addressed Killian as though she were addressing a dog.

If he so much as dared made Linth feel any more uncomfortable, I'd haunt his life for the rest of his days with bad luck.

Killian scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “Right, yeah. Should I introduce myself? That's what friendly 'normal' people do, right?” He nervously tried to laugh off the pressure being exuded from Hannah's judging gaze. “My name is Killian Redcrow. I'm an apprentice here and I'll try not to be a bother to you. In fact, you can ignore me. Just pretend I don't exist.”

Linth shifted uncomfortably. With Hannah appearing to be grading her on her social skills, poor Linth looked ready to break. The comforting refuge of a book was right in her hands. If she ignored the boy though that would be an instant fail.

“Now it's your turn Linth. You can't hide your nose in a book forever. Time to learn how to make friends.” Hannah stood at the end of the table as though she were mediating a deal between two different political parties.

Killian laughed nervously. “Oh you really weren't joking about that then.”

She had brought two people I didn't think compatible at all together to be friends. The normally loud and blithering Killian, and the timid erudite Linth.

A part of thought this was stupid. They didn't need to be friends. Linth was happy with her books and Killian was hardly complaining about being beaten up weekly. This weird obsession of everyone with relationships daunts me. But I come from a perspective where I only need to care about my relationship with Hannah.

“Well if what you said about us hoping to be friends was true, then you're gonna need to befriend Linth. And Linth, this is a good opportunity for you to come out of your shell. It can be depressingly quiet in here.”

Linth flinched at Hannah's honest verdict. “Sorry...”

Killian paused, an expression of confusion and surprise on his face. “Wait, did you say her name is Linth?” He looked between Linth and Hannah which only made the former retreat further into her chair.

If Linth was gonna try any harder to hide in her book, she'd end up being thrown into a portal-fantasy genre story.

Hannah nodded after Linth's prolonged silence. “Yeah. This is Linth, she's a bit timid. Likes to hide from the world. Be gentle on her, okay?” Said the person putting her on the spot.

Much to Killian's credit, he seemed to absorb those words. It was clear his attention made Linth retreat so he relaxed his posture and focused on Hannah. Linth would come out when she was ready. “Right. This is a pretty cool place you two have. Do you mind if I take a seat?”

“Everything in this room is just Linth's but I crash here everynow and then.” We were familiar enough with this room to know where everything was by now.

I sauntered towards Linth and sat down beside her. She was a bit too distracted to give me much attention as she glanced up at Killian everytime he so much as moved.

I, in a sense, envied her. She had an entire room to herself. Everything she seemed to want was here. She could take a walk to the canteen if she ever needed food or snacks and it didn't seem like anyone besides Hannah and I ever came to bother her. She was living the life I wanted to. She was in a sense, a gleaming symbol of what I wanted to be. Reclusive, seemingly independent, and unapproachable.

Of course, being a black cat I should have been quite unapproachable already. Should have been.

Killian glanced out the window. It's shutter, open, let in light and gave a nice view boats bobbing smoothly up and down the estuary. “How did you find this place? I mean, it's not like you're not allowed to come here. It's just there's not much reason. That and... well... Don't you get creeped out walking here? The cathedral is so close to this place.”

Hannah gave me an odd look after she received Killian's question. Coming to think of it, I didn't remember how we came across this place.

She drummed her fingers on the table surface and rested her chin lazily on her other palm. “It was mostly Adam. Linth's been here a while. She just wanted somewhere to stash her collection of books. I found this place thanks to a certain scaredy cat.”

What? I really didn't remember this. What was with calling me a 'scaredy cat'? The person who terrified me the most was definitely Hannah.

Linth momentarily came out her book to scratch behind my ear. I hadn't expected it so I had to fought the urge to jump. “Adam is not a scaredy cat.”

Naww stop it you. Wait, stop patronising me! I'm not a cat at all dammit!

Hannah watched the fuss I received with a cold stare that sent shivers down my spine before continuing. “It was mostly Adam. It was during my second week at the academy and I decided I'd go see the cathedral up close. The furthest you can get is this side of the drawbridge. That place is built like a fortress. Didn't even make it that far before my cat bolted in a panic from his usual hiding place in my satchel.”

“You sometimes carry your cat around in your bag?” Killian grinned, picturing it. I was surprised he hadn't seen her do it before. “Man what a comfy life he lives.” Oh this guy had no idea.

I couldn't say I remembered getting close to the cathedral. Half of me doubted the truth of this story. But the story had caught my attention.

“I chased after him. He sai... I'm not sure but I think someone scared him? I looked around but I couldn't see anybody. I ended up chasing him all the way here where we came across Linth.” Hannah gave a story that resonated eerily in my head. “Ever since then, he just acts like it never happened. It's like he's genuinely forgotten about it.” She stared me dead in the eyes, just watching my reaction.

For a moment, I forgot how to think. It was as though my mind ground to a halt, stuttering and struggling to process.

Surely this story was nothing. It was possible this was a bluff to throw me off. It wasn't like I could openly refute this tale. Well I could but the conversation wouldn't be about the story anymore.

“Your cat was right to get scared.” Killian seemed to believe this story. “If there's one thing that's more bad luck than a black ca-ahem- stubbing your toe on a table leg, it's that cathedral. Do you know the full story about it?”

“I've heard bits and pieces, I've been curious but never really trusted the rumours.” Hannah didn't quickly pick up rumours. She wasn't connected to all that many people here. Most of what she knew instead came from her land lady.

“Um...” Linth quietly lifted her hand. “I have a book about it, I mean, only if you want. Sorry...” She quietly lowered her hand under the joint stares of Killian and Hannah.

Killian looked to the shelves behind her. “That would be useful. Can I borrow it for a second? If you don't mind that is. That'd be really helpeful and you'd be totally an amazing person and I'd be entirely indebted to you.” I wasn't sure whether showering someone in completely insincere and exaggerated praise counted as being friendly but Killian tried never the less.

Linth got up and examined the shelves behind her. She picked a particularly hefty looking tome and brought it over.

It was a leatherbound book which looked well looked after. Despite the care the pages had yellowed and stained, a testament to its age.

Killian furrowed his brows. “This is... a collection of journals on the Hexan plague.”

“I thought um that maybe you two would want to read what started the rumours. Sorry.” Linth bowed her head apologetically.

Perhaps what Killian was looking for was something a little more superstitious. This tome looked more like a collection of medical journals and first or second hand accounts.

“Right. Well...” Killian stared dauntingly at the thick tome.

Hannah pulled the book over to her and flipped through to find an index. “Well you're either going to tell me the story yourself or I'm going to spend the next three hours reading this thing.”

“No offence, but I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.” Killian threw an apologetic look towards the red-faced Linth.

“I've got other books.” Linth said in a barely audible mutter. “But I thought you guys would like the real history.”

Sadly for Linth, real history didn't make for nice stories.

As Hannah flipped through the thick book Killian shrugged. “Well I guess I have no choice. Just so you know, my storytelling skills are renowned the world around so consider this an-”

“Oh here it is. So they quarantined approximately one thousand infected people up inside that cathedral and lifted the drawbridge. To make sure nobody escaped to reinfect the population, they left forty guards inside the cathedral who irreparably destroyed the mechanism and stopped the infected from trying to break out.” Hannah cut in. Her finger traced line after line of text. “It's nice when there's a good index.”

It never took Hannah that long to find what she was looking for in a book.

“R-right. Yeah.” Killian cleared his throat. “And according to some, when the city was building the cathedral-”

“The Triolo actually predates most of the city.” Linth lifted her voice. “Sorry. Please continue.” She shrunk back into her corner again.

Pausing only for a second to reflect, Killian continued as if that interruption had never happened. “Okay, so before the city ever existed. Fine. So the legend goes that the grand priest who was overseeing the construction received horrible nightmares. In his sleep he saw the Arch-demon talking to him, threatening him not to continue in this project because the Triolo was being built upon the Arch-demon's final resting place. It promised a thousand curses and bad luck for untold generations if the Triolo was ever finished and lived in to worship the seven gods. However, the priest was steadfast in faith and-”

“Final resting ground of the arch-demon?” Hannah lifted her head from the tome as though this was the first time she'd even noticed Killian was talking. “The Arch-demon isn't dead. In the far north, the seven gods placed it's body beneath the ice where it would remain locked and helpless for all eternity.”

Killian gave Hannah a long lingering stare which she met for barely a few seconds before returning to reading the tome. He cleared his throat again and continued. “According to some, the Arch-demon hated the construction of the grand cathedral on this site and so cursed the Triolo. For as long as worship of the seven happened on this ground, the Arch-demon brought about disaster after disaster. And the latest, the Hexan plague, hit pilgrims and the priesthood the worst. For superstitious cityfolk this was the last straw. They had no idea what the clergy were doing hiding away up in the cathedral, only allowing the most zealous pilgrims to visit, but for them this would be the last time priests would be allowed to hide in their warded communities around their churches. They stormed the Triolo with pitchforks, torches, accompanied by soldiers of the at the time Viceduchess, and locked all the infected and clergymen of the city inside the cathedral. The Church of Tallis who they thought had grown corrupt and lost touch with the cityfolk were banned from ever preaching in the city again. Ten brave guardsmen-”

“Forty.”

“-sacrificed themselves and vowed to watchover the cathedral to make sure this cursed ground was never trespassed again. And so, that marked the last time the Triolo was ever used for decades until...”

“Until the Kingdom sponsored an academy here.” Linth finished the story.

“Bingo.” Killian shot her the thumbs up. “Kasper has fallen behind the rest of the kingdom in terms of development so this was government's answer. I don't think the person who made the decision cared much about the history of the place. The Viceduke has always been in fierce opposition of the capital using it for anything but if I remember right, he was handed an ultimatum. Accept the academy being set up there or the capital would forcibly rebuild the Church of Tallis' presence in the city.”

The relationship between the Viceduke and the nobles in the capital sounded a bit strenuous.

“Just like the story promised, if this site was every used again it would wake up the evil slumbering here. There's been all kinds of rumours of shadowy figures patrolling the site at night. They are called the Oathsworn and if they catch you you'll be infected with the Hexan plague for trespassing on this cursed ground. Oooo scaary.” Mostly only Linth was listening, although she had a rather disappointed look in her eyes. Killian having come to climax of his story looked left and right for feedback, but barely anyone made a comment. “Scary, right? Right guys?”

Hannah flipped another page of her tome and wistfully commented. “Besides the weird political tangents and the failure to reconcile your story with reality, I'd say your storytelling skills should be renowned around the world for being crap.” A harsh verdict delivered very bluntly.

Killian laughed, surely to hide the pain. “Right, but it was a very unnatural plague. It came up practically out of nowhere.”

“You mentioned pilgrims, right?” Hannah lifted her head. “Well around the time trade with the archipelago seemed to be rising. So there was more travel and spread of faith. There were a lot of pilgrims coming back and forth, carrying their diseases with them. Most agree it was probably a new disease from the eastern islands we'd never had before. Most of the islanders who caught it showed only mild symptoms after all.”

Hannah had only been reading the book for about five minutes, but she'd singled out most of the articles she was interested in. She was a fast reader. Either that or she knew that in a collection of academic journals, rather than slog through every article, it was better to skim for the ones that actually interested her.

Killian fell back into his chair defeated. “Yeah, but wasn't it a bit too targeted? If it was a disease that unfamiliar to us then, from what little I know, shouldn't it have ripped its way through the general population?”

Hannah paused and frowned. She deliberated a few moments, thinking of an answer. He'd asked a question she was trying to figure out herself.

Linth shifted in her spot. She put down her book, took a deep breath and scratched the back of my ear. “I think...” She gathered her strength. This time for sure, she thought, this time for sure she wasn't going to say something stupid. “The pilgrims were encouraged to live an ascetic lifestyle. The priests and their clergy usually live in warded communities around the church. To visit a priest, you need to prove your zealous. Pilgrims would preach to show their faith, but not many commoners ever got into the infected communities.” Linth had spoken more in the last thirty seconds than she had in the last ten minutes. More than I ever expected she would over the course of the hour.

I was truly, deeply, proud.

Hannah looked up at Linth and thought it over. Killian too considered it for a few moments.

“The church does encourage priests and pilgrims not to engage in basal desires. I can't imagine living such a stressful lifestyle.” Killian shook his head at the thought.

“The Hexan plague wasn't limited to Kasper. It spread to a lot of cities around the world but most of those struck were the deeply religious communities around churches and out of the way monasteries.”

It was this habit of these churches and their clergymen to isolate themselves from the commonfolk that probably contributed to their fall from grace in this city.

There weren't many of that style of churches in Kasper anymore. People were still faithful to the seven gods but it wasn't preachers from the church of Tallis that were holding sermons anymore.

“The churches here are quite different from where I'm from. They're very open. Nobody has to 'prove' their faith to see a priest. You can just drop by for a sermon at any time. It's really weird. It feels almost like a completely different religion.” Killian, as a noble's son, was probably thinking of the consequences of this rather than the novelty of it.

“As long as nobody starts fighting over it, I don't care.” Amarinth had been a disaster. For the few years I spent there, it was the worst place to take a nap if you liked peace and quiet. Neither I not Hannah were eager to revisit that kind of world again.

Despite the strange mood of the conversation, Linth practically glowed with pride that she'd contributed something. Killiant noticed this.

“Man you've got a lot of really good books here. How did you get your hands on so much academic stuff?” Killian looked genuinely awed.

I wasn't sure why. Books were surely in abundance. And besides, was it that impressive to have such a horde? I knew if the libraries let her, Hannah's room would be filled with borrowed books, most of which would take me a solid month to read.

Hannah closed the medical tome and put it aside. “Is it really that amazing? There's a lot of books like these at the library.”

“But they normally don't let you borrow them.” Killian pointed out. “Imagine letting just anybody borrow books that let you learn magic. I don't think people realise just how dangerous that would be.”

I'd often wondered if anybody had thought that bit out. Self-taught spellcasters couldn't possibly be as disciplined as academy produced ones. Hannah was practically self-taught. Most of her scrolls were home-made. She burnt her arms testing two of her scrolls out for the first time in an exam.

Linth provided a different opinion. “If more people learnt magic, if more people studied it, I'm sure we'd learn its secrets faster.”

I knew Linth was the headmaster's daughter. There was a possibility that Killian knew this as well.

From what little I understood, this academy did things differently compared to those around the nation. Firstly, it opened its doors to anybody who could pay the tuition or find a sponsor. The tuition was still expensive meaning not everybody could study. Without this policy, Hannah would never have been able to study here.

The cynical part of me spoke out that it wasn't a desire to be progressive, but simply that without it the academy would not get enough students. The local noble families would probably avoid it because it was built on cursed ground. Anybody else might send their children to study at more prestigious academies rather than a new one far away in Kasper.

The headmaster might have been more liberal than anyone else, but likely most of the academy management and oversight was not.

Rumours of Mather's prejudice against lower born students certainly suggested it. His was probably not an isolated case. The Nurse, Riker, Jean, they all probably bore some similar views even if not spoken or acted on.

Killian accepted Linth's argument as reasonable but didn't drop his beliefs without one last counter. “But everyone will be open to learn those secrets of magic, regardless of intention. Ninety nine spell-casters using their skills mindfully aren't going to counterbalance the one who uses their skills to do irreparable damage out of malice.”

And that was a hard argument to counter. I was inclined to agree. One bad guy with the element of surprise would be all it took to destroy the work of the other ninety nine and more.

Hannah who'd listened patiently long enough spoke up. “So, let me get this straight. The library doesn't want to let me borrow books on how to stop blowing up my arms, because it thinks I might blow up someone else's.”

An entirely reasonable argument. The librarians were definitely in the right here.

“Even when you word it like that, I find it hard to argue with the library's decision.” Killian laughed nervously. “My sides are still sore from your punches. If the academy librarians are stopping you from roasting them, good on them- Hey now put the book down.” Killian cowered beneath the table as Hannah aimed the thick tome his direction.

“Umm please don't! That's really valuable.” Linth cast her pleading eyes in Hannah's direction. “I think the actual reason why they um, really don't like you borrowing books is because of your name. Probably.”

“My name?” Hannah lowered her tome with a doubtful look.

Killian lifted his head again and grinned as though nothing happened. “Yeah, I mean it's clearly Anna spelt wrong. It's like Jeff spelt Geoff.”

For his teasing he received a withering stare. “Quiet Killian, the adults are talking.” Hopefully for the last time, Killian was shut up.

Hannah was a fairly common name from where she came from. I couldn't see how a name could bother someone that much.

“You see... They probably think that you um... Well... You come from the northern clans.”

“So they think I'm a spy whose going to spread the highly top secret knowledge of how to make outdated practice scrolls.” Hannah raised a brow, half dumbstruck.

But in all honesty, it didn't sound that strange. Killian's beliefs about magic were probably quite universal to the country. If teaching people freely within the country could be seen to have dire consequences, it was a no brainer that they believed sharing their knowledge on magic outside their country would be just as bad if not worse.

Although it was awkward way of phrasing it, Hannah was right. That is more or less what they feared. It didn't matter if this was true, the risk was there in their minds.

Often reality was never more frightful than whatever image of horror it inspired in people's heads.

Rather than take this poorly, Hannah slumped her head exhaustedly. “Man, you guys really are a pain. But I guess if this is what you guys do to try and stop the world from getting worse, then I can't blame you.”

“I don't believe them.” Linth stood up, her chair scraping across the ground. The sudden outburst practically put everyone on the spot. She fidgeted a few seconds before sitting back down red faced. “I mean, you try so hard and you always follow the rules. If you understand what I'm saying. Um, sorry for bringing it up.” She mumbled.

Silence followed for a painfully long time. There seemed to be a desperate gap in the conversation everyone knew they needed to fill up. Hannah didn't know what to say. Linth looked too flustered to speak. This was the first time Linth had properly lost composure so neither party knew what to say.

Well, I suppose that's why I was here. I guess it was time for me to act like a cat unable to read the mood. Maybe I'd push a book of the desk or start trying to ambush my own tail. Moments like this were a job for m-

Killian whistled in awe. “Well, I ship it.” All eyes turned to Killian again. “What? That was adorable. Hey I said something nice don't aim that book at me!”

I knew letting this guy in here was a bad idea.