Ranvir watched Sansir out the corner of his eye. The tall tethered twiddled the hem of his overcoat as they approached the Masters’ Tower. Esmund and Kirs walked in the lead, despite them being the least invested in the outcome of their current journey.

Grev walked just behind them, his stoic mask fully covering him so Ranvir couldn’t tell at all how he felt. But Sansir was abnormally nervous, as they approached the tower. Awkwardly, Ranvir reached over and touched his shoulder. They locked gazes for a moment, Sansir’s green eyes with Ranvir’s brown.

“It’s going to be fine.” Ranvir assured him.

Sansir nodded, but looked no more confident than he did before. “I hope so, too.”

Grev looked behind him at the two, then dropped back until he walked next to Sansir. Carefully, he took his hand in his as they walked, which seemed to both distress and calm Sansir at the same time. The sight was oddly entertaining and heartfelt.

Esmund stopped in front of the entrance to the tower, banged twice on the door and tried the handle. It opened, surprisingly enough and soon he slipped inside. Ranvir could vaguely hear an exchange of words before they entered as well.

Reaching the sparse entrance to the Masters’ Tower, Ranvir saw Esmund talking with one of the residents. The teacher looked perplexed at the youth trying to extract information about him.

“Sir.” Kirs finally butted in. “I apologize for barging in so suddenly.” She gave a small smile. “My friends and I are wondering if you knew where Master Ayvir and Master Orulf are?”

The man pondered for a moment, examining the group filling the hall. “What is this about?”

“Advancing, sir.” Grevor said, slipping between the bodies to stand in front of the Master. “Master Ayvir’s my teacher.”

“He should be taking it up with you when you’re ready.” The Master said. “It’s not a conversation for you to broach.”

“I understand that, sir.” Grev bowed slightly. “However, this is his first year and we’ve already talked of advancement. I was just hoping to do it on this side of the trimester break.”

The man considered for a moment. “I believe Master Ayvir’s at the top of the tower. I don’t know where Master Orulf is at the moment.” He nodded at the group, before stepping away into the basement.

“The top of the tower.” Esmund said, one part wonder, one part dread. He exchanged a glance with Kirs, who’d turned particularly pale. “I think we’ll wait down here.”

They parted ways, Sansir, Grev, and Ranvir going up the stairs, while Esmund and Kirs waited at the bottom. While the stairs fit inside a relatively small area, making it difficult if people had to pass each other in the space, they were well made with reasonably sized steps. No worries that their feet would slip, or they would fall because the steps were made too small or shallow. They were regularly lit with bright-torches and kept clean.

They were also interminably long.

“Fuck.” Grevor panted as they finally arrived at a trapdoor, thankfully it had been propped open, so he could simply shove it aside, allowing them access. While a majority of the top was covered in a roof that protected the bell from the weather, a balcony ran the length of the platform beyond the extend of the roof. Master Ayvir lay shirtless, his pants folded past his knees soaking in the late autumn sun, pale and weak as it was.

Ranvir’s eyes briefly ran over the scars on his body. For some reason, he’d been expecting more. There was one, a crescent just above the Master’s hip, a puncture scar on his upper chest and a burn on the inside of his left arm.

There was silence for a moment, the Master not seeming to have noticed them. Grev seemed to have caught his breath, though his mask was somewhat cracked, a nervous look on his face. Sansir, on the other hand, was slightly red-faced as his face turned away from the Master.

Ranvir, realizing he might have to begin the conversation, kicked Grevor causing him to exclaim as the boot caught him in the hamstring.

Lazily, Master Ayvir opened his eyes. “Students.”

Grevor cleared his throat. “Master Ayvir.” He cleared his throat again, before the mask finally settled. “I wanted to talk to you about my advancement. If it was possible to do it soon, before the trimester break. It would give me the break to gain some control over my powers, and-“

“I’m willing to try.” Master Ayvir said, sitting up. “I assume Sansir came, because you want to ask Master Orulf as well?”

“Yes.”

As they talked Ranvir walked over to the balcony, and leaned over the railing. They were dizzyingly high up.

“I’ll go with you then.” Master Ayvir said. “To help you convince him.”

Ranvir looked over his shoulder at the others. Is it really that bad with Master Orulf? That we need help? Ranvir had heard some of the complaints, but he didn’t think it had actually gotten that bad.

“You think he’ll push back?” Ranvir asked, turning fully around.

Sansir sucked in air through his teeth. “He made some objection to your training methods.”

“’Some objections’.” Ayvir burst into a belly laugh that made the muscles in his stomach ripple. He continued laughing until he fell back over. “’Some objections’, is like saying ‘he has a bit of hair on his lip’.” He finally managed to get out.

Ranvir leaned against the railing, crossing his arms. “That sounds like it got pretty bad.”

“Not to me.” Sansir replied, now looking even more wide eyed, one hand grabbing the other’s sleeve. “He didn’t object that much to me.”

“He’s been doing nothing but complaining here.” Ayvir said, his humor fading. He made eye contact with Sansir, a reassuring smile grew on his lips. “But he’s not unreasonable. He just has to be convinced.” Then he turned his attention to Ranvir, winking at him. “Though, you and Kirs might come to regret it, if he does.”

They waited while Master Ayvir got his things in order, mainly finishing unfolding his pants, and putting on a shirt and jacket.

He could see all the way to the capital, though he couldn’t make out much detail. It was late, after classes, while dark hadn’t fully set, it was coming and smoke billowed from many of the houses further obscuring the view. Turning his attention elsewhere, he looked out across the rest of the landscape. He could see the forest, naked of leaves, except for the occasional rimeoak, standing out with their full crowns.

Fields stretched where the forest didn’t, only interrupted by roads leading to the capital. The homesteads standing out in the dark as light emerged from their small windows. Even now, at the tail end of autumn he found it beautiful. Ranvir couldn’t imagine what the view looked like in the summer.

I’ll have to come back up here. He told himself, a little smile playing over his lips.

“Are you sure about this?” He heard Ayvir ask. He’d been aware of their occasional quipping as the Master got dressed, but the tone caught Ranvir’s attention. “If you fail your advancement, it will likely take a few days before you’re recovered enough to even touch your power. Weeks before you’re back to full strength.”

Sansir and Grevor waited at the trapdoor, the Master standing next to the bell one hand on the massive bronze shell. “I’m sure.” Grev said with more certainty than Ranvir had been expecting.

“So am I.” Sansir sounded nervous, but no less determined.

“Good.” Ayvir replied, heading past them into the tower.

They followed him down, the trip much easier down than up. Together, they emerged in the entrance to find Kirs and Esmund getting stern looks from the same Master that had gone into the basement. Ranvir gave them a further once over, finding Kirs’ hair disheveled and Esmund had a growing dark spot on his neck.

He had to fight not to burst into laughter. They’d gotten caught making out in the lobby of the Masters’ Tower. Justice was real, and his name was Shame.

“Right.” Ayvir said, fully ignoring the stare down going on. “Where’s Orulf?”

“We don’t know.” Grev said, his mirth barely contained.

Sansir’s shoulders were shaking, a vein standing out clearly on his forehead, running all the way up into his scalp. His eyes were watering and turning red. Esmund tried his best to straighten his uniform, while Kirs ran a hand through her hair, however, they could do nothing for their swollen lips and red faces.

Ayvir rubbed at his chin. “Then I don’t know where he could be. If he’s in the tower there’s no doubt.” The other Master snorted a laugh at that, though his narrowed gaze never left Es and Kirs.

It took a long moment before Ranvir was able to get his mind in gear. “I think I know someone who can tell us where Master Orulf is.”