A Dangerous Conjuration

Viconia can tell she's being followed closely, probably by one of the apprentices that dislikes her more than they fear her.  She sighs and prepares for another long day of glares piercing her back and spins through the door.  She halts in her tracks, letting the glaring apprentice careen right into her with a small grunt.  Not that she notices the extra step she takes to compensate; she's too focused on the pair of drow at Master Mizzrym's lectern.

The taller–older–is speaking to Pharaun, back to Viconia as if she doesn't recognize the messy bun his white-gold hair is pulled into, matched with a hairpin identical to hers, holding it in place.  She knows the wonderful robes cut tastefully over his person, the low candlelight showing the iridescent threads that burst into blinding colors when commanded.

The smaller–younger–is staring about the lecture hall, not listening.  His long white-blond hair is pinned back with yet another unsleeping eye, and the apprentice robes on him look rather drab compared to the two beside him, but if he were a bit older, he'd be just as handsome as Master Mizzrym.  For now, his fox-like face is pleasant and cute.

Viconia squeals and catches the smaller drow's attention.  She rushes him, scooping him up into a tight hug.  The taller drow turns now, brow knit at first, but settling into a familiarly warm smile when he sees who it is.

"Don't suffocate the poor boy," he warns.  Viconia releases the smaller drow to hug the taller.

"I didn't know you were visiting!" she's trying to sound scolding but can't hold in her excitement.  The taller drow–her older brother Rai–smiles again.

"Father wants to see how you're doing," he explained.  "And I thought, since he'll be twenty-five in two years, that Nal could get a look around at your school, see if he likes it.  Now, I need to finish this discussion.  We'll talk more later, deal?"

Viconia nods.  Nal–the smaller drow and Viconia's younger brother–has focused his attention elsewhere, and his grip on Viconia's arm is tight as a vise.  He looks nervous.  Nal seldom looks anything but chipper so the shift is noticeable.

"What's wrong?" Viconia whispers.

"Him," Nal nods across the room to an apprentice glaring daggers into Viconia.  She suppresses a groan.  Vizaeth Thaezyr, ever angry over the telekinesis incident and definitely not happy Viconia is lingering at the front of the class near his deeply uninterested idol.  Or maybe Master Mizzrym is interested, in that way her father often has an interest in strange sycophantic novices.  He tends to avoid engaging though.  "Sycophants are for priests" he once told Viconia.

"If he scares you so much you can always just make him laugh really hard," she suggested.  "Father taught you that spell, I think."

Nal narrows his bright blue eyes; he's considering the prospect.  Rai and Master Mizzrym's discussion–little more than passing on additional news from Gromph and an invitation to help demonstrate a more difficult conjuration for the class–ends with a quiet nod from both and a wilier smirk than Viconia expected from Master Mizzrym.  Not that Rai isn't attractive, but Viconia always imagined her teacher to find interest in more put-together types.  With his bun seemingly falling out and his eyes lined with shimmering gold and black smudged haphazardly, one could easily mistake Rai for a functional disaster.

"I'm going to stay up front," Rai, said softly, turning back to Viconia.  "Could you take Nal over…"  Rai pauses, searching the lecture hall for a good spot.

"There," Nal announces, pointing to the open space beside Apprentice Thaezyr.  Vizaeth is seething now, and Viconia gets the sense it's not directed at her anymore.  That’s at least some relief.  She’s getting a little sick of how much this weirdo hates her for what was functionally a very funny accident.

"You sure?" Viconia asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I have a plan," Nal answered, a devious grin barely muted on his face.

Viconia takes the seat, calmly, putting herself between Vizaeth and Nal.  Vizaeth is clenching and unclenching his fists, clearly trying to control his anger.  It is not working.

" Maybe you should calm down ," Nal says softly, and Vizaeth's shoulders drop a little, relaxing.  He's still glaring at Rai, but he's no longer seething.  Viconia gives Nal a look, but he's pretending not to see it.

"A fine morning to all of you," Pharaun's voice snaps Viconia's attention back to the front.  "Before I proceed with today's lecture, I'm pleased to introduce a visiting Master from Ust Natha, who will be aiding me today, not the least for his experience on the subject: Master Rai'gy Despana."

Vizaeth's face blanched for a second, and his gaze whipped from Viconia to Rai, twisted up in disbelief.  Viconia gave him a momentary glance, debating if she should say something.  Surely the pale gold hair and identical hairpins gave it away, if their similar features didn't.  Perhaps Vizaeth didn't take all that much time to look at her like he looked at Pharaun.

Rai, for his part, gave a low, polite bow, but stepped a bit back from the lectern to allow Pharaun to speak.  Viconia did pay attention this time–she didn't know much about the Far Realm, admittedly–but she couldn't help but notice her brother watching Pharaun speak, curling a finger across his lips to hide a faint smile.  She also couldn't help but notice Vizaeth looking more and more incensed–he definitely noticed.

Viconia is still trying to make sense of it, for her part.  Less Master Mizzrym now, she hasn't really considered what kind of drow her teachers take a fancy to and if Rai is Master Mizzrym's type, that was that.  On the other hand…Pharaun Mizzrym reminds Viconia intensely of their father , all witty turns of phrase, hubris, and bad ideas.  Half his jokes sound like ones Archmage Despana would use, and the other half are jokes he has used before.  Is Rai okay with that?  Does Rai like that?  Viconia tilts her head at the prospect.  She does not like it.

Master Mizzrym begins winding down his discussion on foulspawn–aberrations native to the Far Realm, preparing to turn the task over to Rai.  As he does, Rai begins to prepare a pentagram between the lectern and the floor, waiting until Master Mizzrym gives him a nod before standing from the circle.

"It would be easier to come down to the front," he announces, raising his voice slightly.  "Come down carefully, and try not to disturb the circle.  We're dealing with dangerous creatures here, and Pharaun tells me he's running a bit close on the apprentice quota this year."

Viconia hops up and slides across the desk as the rest of the class ambles down.  Nal follows, grabbing her sleeve so he doesn't lose his place near her.  Rai puts a few final touches on the circle, waiting for everyone to gather before carefully stepping out of the circle and into his space as summoner.  Viconia can feel Nal bouncing on his heels.  It's always fun to see Rai conjuring; he has a way with beings from across the planes.

Rai straightens up and starts going through the gestures, his eyes closed as he hardly needs to look to recall them.  His incantation is perfect, bold and commanding yet spoken in a deep, roiling tongue that almost sounds as if it were being spoken underwater.  A column of blue fire erupts in the circle, and a moment later, a misshapen creature looms over the entire class.

Roughly humanoid, the foulspawn is a hulking behemoth, its sickly pinkish skin barely covering its swollen muscle as glowing veins of vibrant blue crossed over its body.  The beastly creature's mouth is pulled into a permanent snarl, its lips and gums black as pitch and its too-sharp teeth yellow and cracked.  It growls and lunges for Rai, but the barrier holds it back.

"This," Rai gesturs up to the creature.  "Is a foulspawn.  Straight from the Far Realm and very angry."

It is horrid to behold, but Viconia can't really help but stare.  Master Mizzrym's lecture resumes, going on about notes on the brute's properties and anatomy.  All the while, Viconia is just struck by how massive the creature is, how aggressive as its blank white eyes flash across the gathered students.  It wants them all dead.

Nal lets out a hiss of protest, and Viconia glances over just in time to see Vizaeth reaching into the circle.  His face, twisted into a horrifying grin, seems more focused on Master Mizzrym than the monster he's about to touch.

Viconia rushes the smaller drow, wrapping both arms around his waist and hauling him back hard enough to knock them both over.  Vizaeth lets out a screech and swings back, catching Viconia under the eye.

The foulspawn roars and Viconia rights herself just in time to watch it lunge at Rai.  She tries to rise, but Vizaeth grabs her hair and begins to pull, yanking her back towards him.

That little insect.  He could've gotten someone killed.  Not just Rai, but Master Mizzrym, Nal, any of their fellow apprentices.  Viconia spins and rams her heel into his nose, the exact way Nym had shown her.  Vizaeth squeals and clutches his face, but he lets go of Viconia, writhing on the stone floor.  She turns back to the summoning circle, finding the brutish foulspawn floating, rigid, a few feet off the ground while Master Mizzrym furiously works a banishing spell.  Rai has only taken a few steps back, and his arms reach out to hold the creature.  His face, despite the chaos, is a mask of seeming calm.  The rest of the class stand in rapt horror, and only a few have the presence of mind to do anything.  Poor, terrified Veryan Xolarrin steadies Viconia as she stumbles to her feet, while Rhylfein Dyrr holds Nal tightly by the shoulders, pulling him further from the foulspawn.

Master Mizzrym spits the last syllables of the banishing, and the foulspawn vanishes in another gout of blue flame.  Rai lowers his hands, mouth pulled taut as he regardes Viconia and Vizaeth.

Her brother is not happy, and from the blaze in Master Mizzrym's red eyes, neither is he.

"I think," Master Mizzrym forces a grin, "that was exciting enough for today's lesson.  Next week I expect six pages on the Far Realm and foulspawn, the details of which I will leave to you.  That said, Apprentice Thaezyr and Apprentice Despana, I– we need to speak with the both of you.  The rest of you are dismissed."

The other students slowly file out.  Rhylfein releases Nal and shoots Viconia a sympathetic glance.  Veryan, on the other hand, gives her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Good luck," he whispers, then hurries out.  Veryan is sweet, but Vizaeth terrifies the poor boy, and he won’t explain to Viconia why.

Viconia grits her teeth and stands tall, leveling a withering glare towards Vizaeth as the idiot rights himself.  She's about to snap at him when Nal beats her to the punch.  The words from his mouth are harsh and but fluid, steeped deep in power.  Viconia knows them, and winces.

Vizaeth locks up, then drops to the ground, writhing in a fit of hysterical laughter.  Nal ambles past Viconia and drops into a crouch at Vizaeth's head.  Nal, if it was possible, looks angrier than Rai, a wash of pure malice in his eyes not unlike the foulspawn that nearly mauled their brother.  For a boy Viconia has only ever known to be cheerful and mischievous, the shift is unsettling.  Vizaeth's laughter, more of a screeching sound as he convulses, racked with magic, does nothing to help matters.

"Nalfein Despana!" Rai barks.

Nal's attention snaps to Rai, his face little more than a blank mask.  The spell doesn't break, and Vizaeth's hysterics continue.  He's beginning to turn blue, and his eyes are going bloodshot.  He'll pass out soon, if Nal doesn't end the spell.

" Enough ."

Nal gives a disappointed sigh and dismisses the spell.  Vizaeth flips over, retching and choking.  Tears course down his face, ruining his makeup as it tracks down his cheeks.  Rai gives him a moment to regain his breath, but his face bears no sympathy.

Then, he seizes the boy by the scruff of the neck and hauls him to his feet.  Vizaeth glares at him, lips puckered like he'd just swallowed a glass of venom.

"When I said foulspawn are dangerous, were you listening?" Rai asked.

"I listened when Master Mizzrym said it," Vizaeth replied.

"But you knew, regardless, what you were doing was unsafe?" Rai confirms.

"Master Mizzrym could've handled it," Vizaeth argues.  "He's a far better wizard than you."

"And what if he couldn't?" Rai asks, waving off the insult.  "If your stupid idea killed both of us?"

"Don't you dare compare yourself to–" Vizaeth begins, indignant.

"Shut.  Up." Rai snaps.  "You put your classmates in danger over a bout of petty jealousy.  You put yourself in danger over a bout of petty jealousy.  I say this with all due respect: What you did was reckless and stupid, and you're very lucky Pharaun didn't immediately throw you out of Sorcere over it."

"He would never ," Vizaeth spits back.

Master Mizzrym takes this exact moment to clear his throat.

"Why don't I speak with Apprentice Thaezyr, privately?" he offers.  "I believe your sister needs a word as well."

Rai exhales slow, clearly still very angry with Vizaeth, but he turns and gestures for Viconia and Nal to follow him out of the lecture hall.  Viconia shrinks in and slowly follows him.  He's clearly mad, and Viconia knows it's partially her fault.  She shouldn't have tackled Vizaeth, or hit him.  Her anger got the better of her, and she shouldn't have let a little worthless insect vex her so.  When they're a few feet away, Rai turns around with a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," Viconia blurts out.  Rai smiles and sets to fixing his sister's messy hair.

"I can fight my own battles, Nia," he promises.  "And I can certainly handle the idiocy of a little obsessive type with a font of bad ideas."

"You could've been hurt," Viconia protests.

"Well Pharaun quite likes my face, so doubtful," Rai retorts with a wry smirk.

"So you are fucking him," Viconia guesses.

"We've had a dalliance or two," Rai shrugs.  "It's not like I'm having a regular affair or something."

"Why?"

"He makes me laugh."

"So does Father."

"Nia, please don't remind me of Father when I'm talking about the man that sucked me off this morning."

"Vizaeth's going to hate you for the rest of your life."

"Probably his actually," Nal corrects from where he was hiding behind Viconia.

Rai glances at Nal, who stares back.

"Oh yeah when did Nal jump from mildly cruel to outright sadistic?" Viconia asks.

"He tried to kill you!" Nal protests.

"Father taught him that," Rai answers.  "He's usually fine, sometimes the Fey-touch comes out though."

"So usual magic experiments?" Viconia guesses.

"He deserved it," Nal crosses his arms like the child he is.

"Usual magic experiments," Rai confirms with a curt nod.  "I need to speak more with Pharaun, could you watch Nal, maybe show him around or something?"

"More dalliances with Master Mizzrym?" Viconia smirks.

"Think whatever you want," Rai starts back to the lecture hall.  "Just keep an eye on him."

"Understood," Viconia gives a mildly mocking salute and starts down the hall with Nal on her arm, hoping against all odds Vizaeth would just learn his stupid lesson.

Rai catches the tail end of Pharaun's talk with Thaezyr, the apprentice spinning out of the lecture hall with his face flushed with rage? shame?  Regardless of which, Rai gives him a wide berth as he passes.  Something's off about that boy, and he doesn't want to poke at it.

Pharaun is busy organizing his papers at the lectern, only glancing up briefly when Rai enters and slides the door shut.  Rai latches the door and skips up to the lectern.

"I suppose I owe you some variation of an apology," Pharaun guesses.  "I promise that one has no cause to be that possessive."

"Doesn't he?" Rai leans in, resting his chin on Pharaun's shoulder and slipping a knee up between his legs.  "Who wouldn't want all of you though?"

Rai lets out a soft laugh as Pharaun tenses with a pleased sigh.

"Admittedly, I quite thought Apprentice Thaezyr would put you off," he turns around, letting Rai pin him against the lectern.  "He is very persistent."

"I thought about it," Rai admits, leaning in, "debated if you were worth the animosity of an obsessed little monster…but then I remembered this morning, and the night before, and I thought a little bit more."

Rai's knee presses up between Pharaun's legs again, their lips hover inches apart.  Pharaun grunts, fighting the roll of his hips.

"And my, if the mouth wasn't worth it the cock certainly earns its keep."

Pharaun closes the distance first, but Rai presses him further, tongues lazily tangling between them as Rai devours the rest of his mouth.  His hands slip through the folds of his robes and up his shirt, finding soft skin and pulling out excited gasps.  Pharaun's hands curl over Rai's shoulders, one tangling up into his hair.  His other hand gropes desperately at the collar of Rai's robes, trying to pull it off his shoulders.

Perfume tingles in Rai's nose, and he debates his hunger compared to where they are.

"Do you have any classes soon?" he asks in a soft, inviting whisper.

"That was my last," Pharaun answers.  "And no one uses this one for the rest of the day."

"Perfect," Rai tugs Pharaun from the lectern and pins him to a wall.  Their mouths are locked together again, breathless and full of want.  Rai forgets Thaezyr, for now, lost in the heat coiling in his throat, under his fingertips, wrapped around him like a treacherous vise.

For now, he can focus on ruining the delicious slice of heaven pressed against him, hard against his chest.