THE APPLE OF SNAKES

vii. hooves

Ethera had several towers that served as dormitories for the disciples of the temple, which Nerluce figured he officially was. The tower for those with an affinity towards fire was... well it was probably just like the others. The first floor served as a common room with a large fire pit in the center and plenty of cushions for them to sit on. A couple of people were in this common room, talking and laughing.

Nerluce didn't say anything as he walked past them, going up the stairs.

The tower had six floors in total and which one you slept on depended on your rank, with a higher floor equating a higher ranking. Nerluce didn't see how this was fair because higher-ranking individuals only got a slightly better view at the cost of having to walk up significantly more stairs.

Each floor had four rooms - named for the first four characters in the alphabet - and each of these rooms held about six people. Nerluce was on the second floor - of course - in room D. Nerluce found his room relatively easily. He hesitated, perhaps for too long because all it managed to do was make him more nervous. He gritted his teeth and gripped the handle, pushing into the dorm.

Inside, there were six futons on the floor, neatly made. The room didn't smell as bad as Nerluce thought it would smell. In fact, it seemed rather nice all things considered, which should have been his first warning. But what tipped him off that something was actually amiss was a head of red curls, metal legs crossed as she sat on one of the futons and flipping through the small book of the temple's rules. She looked up, upon hearing someone enter and then smiled.

"Nerluce! I didn't think we'd meet again this soon!" Lyana said.

The same Lyana who happened to be the most powerful magickian of their generation. And Nerluce was sharing a room with her.

Actually, why was he sharing a room with a girl?

"You got fire too?" Nerluce asked, skimming the room before determining a futon that no one was using, and sitting down upon it.

"Huh?" Lyana asked, frowning slightly. "I mean, I think they just stuck me in here because they wanted more girls," she rolled her eyes. "I dunno why. Fire is masculine magick just like water is feminine. I guess it's not so bad. Some of the other dorms are having to double, even triple up in rooms."

"Fire's not that uncommon, is it?" Nerluce asked, looking around the room once more. It had been half-empty before today and it seemed wrong to have all those extra futons lying around when others were so cramped.

"The C and D rooms are usually reserved for women but I guess they broke and tossed us in here too," Lyana said with a grin. "They'll probably move a couple of the other boys in here by tomorrow, though, if I had to guess."

"I guess that makes me pretty lucky," Neruce hummed, feeling in a significantly better mood.

This seemed as though he'd stumbled into every well-respecting man's dream: living with a bunch of girls. Girls with fire magick. It would either be a dream or a nightmare but Nerluce was certain that if he happened to trip headfirst into a romance in this place, it would be one Lord Father approved of.

"So you're that type of person are you?" Lyana asked with a snort. "I'll totally roast you alive if you try anything."

"Young mistress, I would never dare," Nerluce said with a wink.

To which Lyana rolled her eyes and opened the small book again. "Shit," she muttered. "It's written in the formal Ithornese dialect. How in the gods' names are some of us supposed to read this?"

"Just... don't," Nerluce said. "Little fire, say it was an accident."

Lyana opened her mouth and then closed it, before putting her hand over it as if she was giving the idea some serious consideration. "No," she finally said. "No. Bad idea. We could burn the futons."