The Greatest Sin

Ilwin stared at the dozen or so handpicked locations. Arascus wanted twenty planes for an air fleet. To be built, to be stolen or to be bought. He didn’t care how. Ilwin sparked his cigarette and went to Narma’s office. How expensive could planes even be?

Lyca stood in Yelinda’s office along with his three friends. She was their year-head, the final authority when it came to what he was allowed to do in Arcadia. There was little to explain, ending up in Yelinda’s office was usually the end for most students. It was an ugly room, half stuck in the past, half looking towards the future. Somehow, it managed to combine the worst of both worlds. Giant furniture, but plain. Large lamps, but cold and electric. Ergonomic chairs, but too small.

“The four of you disappeared for two weeks.” Lyca rolled his eyes as Miss Yelinda scolded them. Who even cared about small trivial issues like that? Two weeks of missing lessons? Wow. Maybe the gap between them and the rest of the class would close slightly. Him and Edmonton were number one and two in duels, Eliza was a paragon of healing and there hadn’t been an exam Fleur had not come first in. “And you suddenly re-appear as if nothing has happened.” Yelinda spoke slowly and quietly. There were students she would shout at, but shouting didn’t really have much an effect on Lyca or his friends.

Yelinda pushed up her glasses and sighed. Her desk was a modern monstrosity, thoroughly not witch-like. An ugly piece of wood and glass. Her clothes were another odd cultural clash, as if modernity had come to impose itself on tradition. She wore the ancient shawl of an archmage, and a white blouse underneath it. Tall witch-like boots, and then standard pants. Lyca didn’t care much for fashion but if it annoyed him, he knew that Fleur and Edmonton must be seething at that. “I won’t let you until I get a reason.” Eliza’s arm brushed Lyca’s.

Lyca sighed and leaned back. It was time to set a tone for the conversation, and then have Ed and Fleur simply play off him. “It was my fault.” He said. “I thought I found something but I didn’t.” Yelinda raised an eyebrow.

“You thought you found something?” Lyca remembered last night, when they were returning on the plane back to Arcadia and Edmonton was throwing stories around. Lyca had just said to improvise the whole thing.

“It was nothing.” Lyca said.

“Was it?”

“Well, it was an old artefact but we got there and it was an empty field with a forest.” Lyca put his arm around Eliza, the short girl was simply brilliant. She played along effortlessly, leaning into Lyca and making those big brown puppy eyes at Yelinda. “Ela is scared of forests and wolves so…” He shrugged.

“You gave up?”

“Well we went camping for a week.” Lyca said. Yelinda sighed again and tapped her fingers along the table.

“Why did you not say anything? Why did you not even give any notice?”

“Well I thought I’d find something.” Lyca said simply. “And then I’d have to share.” Yelinda narrowed her eyes at him.

“You know it’s illegal to hoard artefacts?” Lyca let of Eliza and took a step towards the woman, she was maybe ten times his age but he simply could not see her as an equal. Could she do sorcery? Did she know a God? Did she ever attack one? Could she even dream of one?

“Miss Yelinda, I’m sorry for this, but if I said something, I’d get a medal or maybe a fancy piece of paper as a reward about what a good student I am. If I brought it to the Olympiada Archaeologist’s Agency, I’d have ten years of your wage, so no. I apologize for a lack of success, but I don’t really feel bad about doing it.” Yelinda blinked, her pale green eyes rising, her cheeks flushing for a moment before she regained control of herself.

“I don’t expect students to speak like this to me.”

“I don’t-“ Lyca raised his voice when Edmonton slapped his back. The man was taller than Lyca by a good half-head, with black hair and blue eyes. His uniform didn’t do him justice, the amount of strength in that slap would have knocked Lyca over where it not for what Fer had awakened within him.

“What Lyca means is that we don’t feel respected in class.” Edmonton said. Yelinda shook her head.

“Excuse me?”

“Just as I said, Arcadia is challenging yes, but not for us. I apologize for the bluntness but there is really no way to put it. I think all four could pass this year’s finals without attending a single lesson from now.” Edmonton took a breath and pulled Lyca back a step. Lyca only moved because he let Edmonton move him. “I know exactly how arrogant this sounds, but I think our results speak for themselves.”

“I concur with Edmonton’s words Yelinda.” Fleur said. “I would be willing to take an exam right now to prove it.”

“It’s Miss Yelinda.” The teacher said and sighed again. She remained silent for a few minutes, her fingers tapping away. “Your behaviour is terrible, you express absolutely no remorse nor guilt for your flagrant breaking of the rules. You don’t even have the decency to cover it up.”

“Personally, I think it’s better if we’re just honest rather than playing word games.” Lyca said, he could barely contain his smile. If she believed them about this, then that meant there wasn’t any suspicion about the Divine Library and Anassa. He wanted to return there as soon as possible.

“I wasn’t finished.” Yelinda said. “Like I was saying, you four, character wise, have done more than enough to warrant a suspension from Arcadia.” Lyca wanted to laugh. A suspension? Oh no. How terrible. A holiday. “But talent wise, I understand your frustration. The four of you far outmatch anyone else in your year. Even if I let you skip one, you would still be in the top ten of the next year.” Lyca wanted to smash the table. In the top ten? Just that? He could duel anyone in the whole school! There was only one person in all of Arcadia who could defeat him and she was locked in the Divine Library! “Likewise, an expulsion would simply be a waste. I have no doubt the four of you would find great ways to use your powers.”

Lyca nodded. That was the first time the woman had been correct today. The woman didn’t catch his nod, or maybe she simply ignored it. “I will send you all letters to your rooms detailing what sort of punishments you will have after I talk with you teachers, along with ways to grow your potential.”

“I would like to request one thing!” Fleur said. Lyca rolled his eyes, if he was in the woman’s position, the four of them would be on their way back home. Somehow the situation had turned around to such an extent that now Fleur was making demands? What a joke.

“What?”

“To be allowed entry into the Scholar’s Guilds.” Yelinda didn’t even think about it.

“The four of you are allowed entry into the Scholar’s Guilds. They’ll be contacted by tomorrow and you’ll be on the whitelist.”

“Thank you.” Fleur nodded and smiled. Lyca would never be seen in there. If it wasn’t used directly to gain power, he did not care a single bit about it.

“You will receive your punishments later, they won’t be easy and I’ll be putting you on special curriculums too.”

“You know we have the internet for this?” Narma said.

“I assumed you would have contacts.” Ilwin replied.

“Ilwin, two planes would bankrupt us. The sort Arascus was talking about, we could afford three quarters of one.” Ilwin took a sigh. Looks like this was going to be harder than he thought.

“That was it?” Lyca asked once they had stepped out of the administration building and were walking along the cobbled paths of Arcadia. The air here was warm, the buildings tall and beautiful, the people all finely dressed. It was the exact opposite that the wasteland of Karaina B had been.

“You’re an idiot.” Edmonton slapped the man on the back. Lyca felt it, but it didn’t hurt a bit. It was as if a large bee had just flown into him.

“Am I?”

“You are.” Fleur said.

“I made up a story, it worked, didn’t it?” Lyca said.

“And if we got expelled?” Fleur asked.

“Then I’d go live with Anassa.”

“What about the letter the elf gave me?” Eliza asked.

“We should deliver it as soon as possible.” Lyca said.

“No, we should give it a week or two.” Fleur said.

“Why?”

“I assume they’ll be watching us.” Lyca felt the hairs on his back stand up when Fleur said that.