Morningstar

Icarus returns to the mentors’ dormitory. It is not divided by gender like the students’ dormitory. He walks the stairs to the third floor. When he is going to open his door, he hears a movement. In one swift move, he turns, pulling one of his daggers out. He places it against the figures neck.

The person standing there does not show anything in his face, not even fear. “You need to calm down,” he says.

Icarus pulls his dagger away and places it inside his cloak again. “What do you want?”

Demetrio is a big and tall man, more muscular than Icarus. He has golden hair and a golden beard. He is not wearing any clothes, showing that his hairiness is not reserved only for his face. He has a scar over his left eye that cuts in half his eyebrow.

“I heard you come in,” Demetrio says. “You are pretty loud for a rogue.”

“I am not trying to be stealthy,” Icarus answers. “You won’t hear me when I want to.”

The door of Demetrio’s room, which is across from Icarus’s room, opens. A young woman steps out. Icarus recognizes her. She is Nihari, one of the students at Morningstar. She gets on her tippy toes to kiss Demetrio, but he does not kiss her. She ends up kissing his cheek. When she looks at Icarus, her eyes widen. She rushes away quickly.

“No wonder why you are not dressed,” Icarus says.

“I’ve been in here two days, and she is the fourth one,” he says. “You should try to be more open minded, Icarus. These ladies dig strong men. I am sure that if you let that hood fall and take off that mask, every lady will want to fuck with you.”

“I am not in here for that,” Icarus says.

“You are here for the money, but aren’t we all?” Demetrio says as he scratches down there. “And what happens if you die before the trials are done? You would have done this for nothing. If I die, at least I had some fun.”

Icarus is about to speak, but he spots someone approaching. It is Phoenix.

“Hello, beauty–”

“Try it and I’ll blow it off,” Phoenix says with her hand on her small shotgun. She looks at Icarus. “Are you busy?”

“We are having a conversation,” Demetrio says.

“No, I am not,” Icarus answers.

“Come on,” Phoenix says. “There is a spot that I want to show you.”

“Well, go Icarus,” Demetrio says. He jabs his elbow on Icarus’s arm. “You might get lucky.”

Icarus ignores the comment and follows Phoenix away from Demetrio. They walk out of the mentors’ dorms. Icarus does not know where they are headed. He does not even know why she is near him. He killed her friend. He hanged her and watched her bleed. She should be running the opposite way.

She leads him to an abandoned building with a gray exterior that appears to be collapsing. There is a plaque at the entrance with the name of the building: Wraith. As they enter, Icarus thinks of the worst thing that could happen. He quickly brushes them off. He should not be afraid. He can get out of any situation.

A set of stairs lead downstairs. She goes through it and Icarus does too. There is a dark halfway after that and a door at the end. Phoenix knocks on the door several times. She does a pattern. Then the door opens, and they step in.

Several colorful lights greet them. Music is being played and it bounces off the walls, spreading around the room. People are dancing. There is a counter at the end that it is used as a bar.

“Welcome to Wraith,” Phoenix shouts to be heard over the music. “Only the students know about this place. The instruments are handmade by some students and the drinks are also brewed by students. Let’s get you a drink.”

She walks away and Icarus follows her through the crowd.

“Phoenix,” Icarus tries to talk, but she continues walking.

When she gets to the counter where the two bartenders are, she smiles. “Hi, Bice. Hi, Spar.”

“Hello, Phoenix,” the one called Bice says as he leans in on the counter. He’s lifting one eyebrow. Is he flirting? “How many do you want?”

“Two, for now,” she answers. Bice nods and returns with two plastic cups. She starts drinking from one as she slides the other towards Icarus.

“I don’t drink,” Icarus says. He once did, but not anymore.

“Then more for me,” she says. She gulps down the first cup completely before taking the other one.

“Phoenix, you should not be drinking,” Icarus says.

“Is that Icarus?” someone asks. Rin is heading their way. She has a grin on her face. “It is! What are you doing here?” Is she drunk? She turns at Phoenix before he could find an answer. “Want another drink?”

“Of course,” she answers and proceed to gulp down the other cup.

“Brice, two more!” Rin says.

Phoenix drinks the third cup and grabs Icarus by the wrist. “Come on! Let’s dance.”

***

Phoenix opens her eyes the next day. Her head pounds loudly. She rolls under the sheets. The sheets smell different. It does not smell like her own bed. It smells of woods, of pine trees to be precise. She tries to sit up and suddenly feels nausea. She slides to the edge of the bed to vomit but nothing comes out. She lays on her back.

She feels something press against her lips and a hand under her head. “Drink,” someone says. She does not ask. She drinks it. The figure continues pressing the cup until she drinks it completely. She opens her eyes.

“Icarus?” she asks. Icarus is standing right next to the bed holding a cup in his hand. “What… what happened?” She forces herself to sit, her head spinning.

“You drank too much last night,” Icarus says.

She tries to look around, trying to find something familiar. “Where am I?”

“In my room,” he says. Before she can think about it, he adds, “I slept on the floor.”

“I feel like I am going to die,” she says.

“Wait a few minutes,” he says. “The tea will do its effect.” He moves to sit on a chair next to a small table.

She nods slowly. She tries to remember about the previous night. It is all a blur. She begins to grab the pieces, forming the memories. She remembers dancing. She remembers flirting, but not with who she was flirting. She remembers vomiting outside. She remembers being carried by someone, probably Icarus bringing her to his room. She remembers…

She opens her eyes wider. “I-I-I tried to remove your mask,” she says. He does not react. He does not rise his sight from the cup that he gave her. “What else did I do?” He does not move. “Tell me something, anything, please.”

He rises his sight. “You are not thinking straight, Phoenix,” he says with such fury in his voice that it shocks her. “You are strong, and you know it, but all of that goes to your head. You do not think about anyone. I tried to warn you several times to stop drinking. You lost blood yesterday! Your body should not have had an ounce of alcohol. But when I tried to stop you, you slapped me. You even threw the cup at me.”

“I-I-I–”

“On top of that, you tried to take my mask off,” he continues. “You knew beforehand that I do not let anyone see me without it. But you insisted that I should have taken it off. You insisted that you wanted to make out with someone. And even though I remained calmed, you reached for it.

“You are my responsibility, Phoenix,” he continues with a lower tone. “You and nineteen others. I have to lead you to graduation. But if you continue searching for trouble, it might one day find you and be the end of you.”

“Fuck off, Icarus,” Phoenix says. She stands up through the dizziness. “You are no one to talk to me that way. I am a grown woman. I have fended for myself for many years. I do not need you to pretend to care for me.”

Icarus stands up. “Well, apparently, you do! You cannot spend one day without risking your neck! You cannot spend one day without thinking that you are the most important person in the world! Let me be the first one to tell you that you are not.”

“Well, Icarus, I do not need you to watch over me! I can do whatever I want. I can be who I want to be. I do not care what you think. If you did not want to deal with me, you should not have chosen me to be in your team!”

Then, Icarus does something that catches her off guard. He removes his mask and presses his lips against her lips. She startles for a second, but he grabs her by the waist and pulls her close. She stupidly gives in, letting her mouth melt in his. Then as fast as they came, his lips leave. He turns around and places his mask on before she could see his mouth, nose, or jaw.

“Do not be late for practice,” he says and heads out of his room.

***

Beta watches Icarus enter the room. He does not have his usual green apple in his hand. He leans by the desk. A couple of minutes later, Phoenix walks in. She is the last one to arrive. Icarus remains a few minutes looking at the window.

“What is he waiting for?” Beta whispers to Moneo.

“Not so loud,” Moneo whispers back. “He can hear you.”

“As you all know, I am your mentor and you are my mentees,” Icarus says. He looks back at the group. “If any one of you does not want me to be your mentor, you can tell me, and I will arrange with another mentor to transfer you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this the first day?” Tilray asks.

“Because it is still my choice to transfer you,” he says. “I will not transfer you if the reason for it is that you hate me.”

“Then why are you telling us this?” Beta asks. “I mean, if you have the last word, it does not really matter if we want to transfer.”

Icarus stares at Beta for a few seconds. He is looking for an answer. “If someone feels that I have crossed a line, then I will transfer them without hesitation.” He does not answer Beta’s question directly. “Take the chessboards out. Play chess again.”

“Is there a motive for this?” Hakea asks.

“There is a motive for everything,” Icarus answers. “While you play, I will go one by one and escort them outside to learn about them. I’ll start with Beta.”

Beta tilts her head for a second. She did not think that Icarus would have choose her first for anything. She stands up and follows Icarus out of the room. A hand goes on her chest, checking if the string of her bow is there. When they walk out, Icarus heads to the forest with her.

“You hunt outside with Moneo, Fey, and Kobo, am I right?” Icarus asks, but it is clear for Beta that he knows his information.

“Yes,” Beta says.

“And I know that you can climb trees as easy as walking,” Icarus says. “Tell me, is there something that helps you like a sixth sense?”

Beta thinks about it. Whenever she goes hunting, she can feel her environment. She can hear the wind calling her. She can feel the animals stepping on the grass. She can feel the trees telling her what’s nearby.

She nods at Icarus. “I want to see what else you are capable off,” he says as he stops in the middle of the forest. “Close your eyes.”

“Why?” Beta asks. Something about being in the middle of a forest alone with an assassin while closing her eyes does not feel safe.

“Trust me,” he says. Trust the assassin. She holds his stare for a second but closes her eyes. “Now, concentrate on the wind. Think of it as an extension of you touching the trees and the leaves.”

Beta tries to. She hears the wind. Then she feels the wind hitting her. She imagines it as a person. She imagines a female figure made of the wind brushing her hair and swimming in the air.

“Imagine it extending,” Icarus continues. “Imagine it reaching to the top of the trees.”

Beta imagines the gust woman twirling. She imagines her elevating as she twirls. The wind smiles as she closes her eyes as if she is greeting the sun. She flies above, higher and higher.

“Now, what do you see? What are you seeing right now?” Icarus asks.

“I see leaves,” she says, imagining the scenery that the wind woman is seeing. “There is a hole in the tree and a squirrel in front of it. That must be its home.”

“Concentrate on the squirrel,” Icarus says.

Beta imagines the wind floating towards it. She imagines the wind touching its fur. Beta’s hands feel soft. She imagines hearing the squirrel bite at a nut, and she hears the bite. She imagines the movement of its jaw, the beating of its heart.

She opens her eyes, trying to catch her breath. “What was that?” She felt her hands as if they touched the squirrel’s fur. She heard the squirrel constant bites. She felt the squirrel movements.

“You just discovered what you can do,” Icarus says.

***

Agrion watches as Phoenix plays chess with Hakea. His blue eyes stare at her whenever he can. He tells a joke, but she does not laugh. She only nods as she continues to look at the chessboard. She might not be in the mood today.

Agrion has tried to lie to himself for many years. He has liked Hakea, his best friend, more than that. In these last years, he has admitted to himself that he is in love with him, but Hakea’s obsession with Phoenix is keeping them apart.

“Agrion,” Icarus says as he enters the room. He quickly moves his eyes from Hakea. “You are next.”

He nods as he stands up. He grabs his rifle that is next to him and follows Icarus without giving one last glance at Hakea. They head into the forest and stop meters away from dummies that are erected.

“Can you shoot one of those?” Icarus asks.

Agrion nods. He loads his rifle and lifts it. He looks through the scope, pointing at one of the dummy’s chest. He calms his breathing. He tries to stop from moving. When he shoots, he misses it.

“Try again,” Icarus says.

He does again. He concentrates even more before shooting. He misses again. He does not wait for Icarus. He shoots again and again, missing each time.

“Agrion,” Icarus says, “you suck at shooting.” Agrion’s eyes widen. He has survived all of these years with the rifle as his choice of weapon. “You should quit while you are ahead.”

“No…” Agrion murmurs.

“What was that?” Icarus asks.

“I won’t quit,” he says. “I can’t quit. They will kill me if I do.”

“But if you stay, you will bring the team down,” Icarus says. “We will lose because of you.”

“No.”

“Hakea will die. Xeon will die. We all will die, just like Drew, and it is all because of you.”

Agrion rises his rifle and shoots at Icarus. Icarus moves, evading the shot. He shoots again, but Icarus is already pushing the rifle away from his grip. Agrion strikes with his fist towards Icarus’s face. Icarus rises his arm, hitting Agrion’s arm and sending the punch elsewhere. Agrion punches with his other hand. He will hit him.

Icarus places his arms behind his back and begins moves away, evading every punch and kick from Agrion. That does not stop Agrion. He continues punching. He will land one punch. He sees an opening. He fakes another punch but quickly steals a dagger from Icarus’s belt. He strikes with it, but Icarus catches his arm, stopping him.

“You do not see what is going, do you?” Icarus asks. Agrion drops the dagger and breaks free from his grip. “You are angry. You have this anger inside of you that is blocking you. You are angry at someone, and that anger does not let you be better.”

“That’s bullshit!” Agrion yells.

“Is it?” Icarus asks. “If I hadn’t move when you shot me, I would be bleeding. You thought clearly when you saw the dagger at my belt. You would not have stolen the dagger if you were not mad. You would not have even attacked me.” He points at the dummy. “Try to shoot it again.”

Agrion picks the rifle from the floor. He points at the dummy and shoots. It strikes it on the head. Icarus is right. Agrion has been hiding his feelings. He’s been bottling them and pushing them down. He looks at Icarus, trying to calm himself.

“I am sorry,” he says.

“Don’t,” Icarus says. “You need to release that anger. It’s better that you release it on me.” Agrion nods. “Let’s get back to Draconic.”

***

Killam hates chess. He hates Phoenix. He hates Fey. He hates Icarus. He hates a lot of things, and he knows it. He believes that hate helps him concentrate. It helps him become better. It helps him grow.

“Are you going to play already?” Rin asks.

“Shut up,” he says. He hates Phoenix and by extension, he hates Rin.

“I would challenge you to shut me, but you might think that I am coming onto you,” she answers.

“I would never,” Killam answers. “I don’t even see you as a human being.”

“I would opt to think that is a compliment,” Rin says. Killam ignores her and moves his black queen. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Oh, it is already over,” Rin says. “I’ve been playing with you since the beginning. You are bad at this, more than how bad you are at getting a woman to like you.” She moves her white rook. “Checkmate.”

“Great, now I do not have to play with you,” Killam says. He stands up to switch with someone. As he does, he sees Agrion and Icarus entering the room.

“Ilya, you are next,” Icarus says.

“No, she is not,” Phoenix says as she stands up. “I am.”

“I said Ilya,” Icarus says.

“I did not ask,” Phoenix says, and she walks out of the room.

Icarus does not look at her. He holds his ground for a second. “Ilya, you’ll be next,” he says and gives in to Phoenix’s request.