Algernon Black

(Chapter 77) Falling Behind

Classes in Attwood resumed after the tourney but Lucy felt things were all too different. Two weeks following her success, no one showed her as much avert disapproval, except for Algernon. And though Lucy tried to convince herself she cared nothing of what he thought, her thoughts filled with nothing but the bleaks boy's rejecting words. To her benefit, the doors of the classroom swung open in the middle of Punditwood's lecture, completely capturing Lucy's and every other first year's attention.

Pundiwood looked over the gang of fifth years. "Is it that time already?"

"Yes." Luke boldly proclaimed, strutting before the class as three others of his year came to either side of him.

"What's happening?" Lucy whispered to Jasper as the other students in the class shifted up eagerly in their seats.

"They're recruiting their teams for the tourney of winter," Jasper said, not liking the look of Luke's smile as it landed on Lucy. "They're the elected fifth-years to be generals and they in turn select twenty students each for their team."

"But the next tourney is months away," Lucy whispered back.

"Never soon enough to start training the troops," Jasper replied, wondering if Luke's cocky smile was ever going to leave Lucy's direction. Algernon wondered the same thing but with a great surge of animosity brewing.

Luke stepped forward and the other fifth years looked at him enviously for the obvious brooding choice.

"I call Lucy Lahue to my team," Luke cheerfully announced.

Absolute shock rolled over everyone's faces, Lucy's included. Luke smiled to himself, while meeting Algernon's livid eyes, knowing he had absolutely made the right choice.

Orenza, a fifth-year captain and long-time friend of Luke's, looked sideways at him before she too stepped forward. She had the poise of a proper general with a well-built body and a resoundingly gorgeous face that was often overlooked by her extreme diligence and work ethic. "I call upon Algernon Black."

Luke just kept smiling at Algernon while the two other fifth years didn't pick any freshmen for their teams and swiftly left.

Punditwood dismissed his students soon after, seeing they were too jittery from the interruption to get any more work done.

"Why are there teams for this tourney?" Lucy asked Jasper, as they walked into the corridor and her classmates' disdainful looks returned but this time stemmed from envy.

"The four teams face off in one battle under their captain's command," Pecilia answered instead, sneering to herself as Luke's choice left a bitter taste on her tongue. "And the winner is whoever defeats the other teams before sunset while keeping their commander alive."

"And don't you just feel so blessed knowing that's me?" Luke asked, hooking an arm around Lucy and expertly inserting himself into the group.

"No," Pecilia and Jasper said at the same time.

Luke chuckled at the duo he silently dubbed the Lucy protection squad.

"Don't worry," Luke smiled back. "I'll be a good influence to little Lahue."

Pecilia sneered while crossing her arms. "I highly doubt that."

Only to make her more annoyed, Luke winked at her before leading Lucy away.

"Luke, why did you choose me?" Lucy quietly asked once they were farther away.

"Because you're the most valuable player of them all," Luke sang, looking over to Orenza chatting with her newest recruit. Algernon barely gave any mind to the prepared training hours Orenza was explaining to him as all he noticed was Luke's arm stretched across Lucy's shoulders.

"How?" Lucy asked, a dimple of confusion forming between her eyebrows.

Luke smiled down at such an endearing quirk. "It's not what you look at that matters," He said, pushing away the wrinkle with a finger. "It's what you see."

Lucy rubbed the spot his finger pressed. "I don't understand."

"Well, you were basically homeschooled your entire life," Luke said, taking his arm off her shoulder. "I can't fault you for being behind in certain things."

"There's nothing I'm behind in!" Lucy rushed to defended herself.

Luke saw the shallow wounds his words triggered in Lucy and affectionately ruffled the top of her hair. "I didn't mean it like that," He said truthfully, "I know you're much more than what anyways made of you yet. You wouldn't have survived here so long otherwise."

Luke removed his hands but it left the same residual warmth Jared's did when he would do the same reassuring gesture.

"And you'll be even better after all the training I have in store for you, so don't make any plans after classes or on the weekends starting Monday," Luke added.

Lucy nodded, still distracted by the sudden reminder of her brother that made her instantly want to trust Luke. "But why did you choose someone who needs more training? Why not someone better?" Lucy asked, glancing at Algernon.

Luke didn't have to turn around to know who she was implying. "You think if I did there would be any chance Algernon would follow my orders?"

"No," Lucy said, recalling how much Algernon seemed to dislike him. "But why is that? In the tourney, you mentioned something about..." Lucy trailed off trying to remember the things said on the raft that first set off Algernon's anger. "A boy born to the night?" Lucy asked, unsure if she recalled it correctly.

Luke tried to keep his face expressionless, but was only somewhat successful. "It's just a rumor." He dryly remarked. "It was more to poke fun at the fact that every time a slightly gifted member of the Black family is born everyone loses their minds and makes baseless proclamations of their limitless potential. The same thing happened to Brickwood when he was younger."

"Really? In what way?"

Luke's eyes went to where Algernon was begrudgingly watching them. "I usually don't speak of family issues," Luke said, "But since they're not mine, why not? As it went Brickwood was set to be the sole inheritor of the Black estate, even though it was only his mother that was a member of the Black family. And with that, he was going to become the ring's artifact user under Algernon's father training, before Professor Blackwood surprised everyone and declared his four-year-old son was to inherit it."

"Algernon's father was a teacher here?" Lucy asked, scrambling to dissect all the information.

"The first-year teacher of dark magic." Luke divulged. "Before Brickwood took it over after his sudden death."

"He died?" Lucy gasped, looking at Algernon and suddenly feeling very sympathetic. "How?"

"Don't know," Luke admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "The Black family tends to breed misfortune, with most of the children dying in their early years. Some say it's a curse on the bloodline to humble the family. Powerful children but early graves. But what family doesn't have their issues right?" Lucy suddenly recalled Aloysius, and Luke must have as well, which she could see by the drastic downcast in demeanor, the same one he had at the party when she asked about the seamstress.

Lucy felt there was probably as interesting a story within Luke's own family, but wouldn't press him for it.

"You also mentioned something about the death of light?" Lucy asked instead. "What was that?"

Luke's stomach stirred but he tried to come off as impassive as always when he said, "I guess it's up for interpretation." Luke's sight found Algernon again, who was glaring at him with his jaw wired shut. "But what is someone with a name like that supposed to do but ensure darkness."

Luke's question was meant to be rhetorical but it made Lucy wonder about Algernon's true nature. She had seen him look like a rageful demon with his giant scythe in hand, and she had seen him ever so gently watering and potting the flowers of his greenhouse. Whatever the truth to him might be, Lucy knew it wouldn't ever be found in rumors. And she quickly chided herself, remembering she absolutely didn't care about Algernon Black, no matter how badly she wanted to know more about him.