Alkimiya - A Fantasy Mystery Series

THIRTY~SIX - Last Resort

"Say that again," said James around a mouthful of stew. "You want to do what now?"

It was dinnertime and they were crowded into the mess hall. As Zenetra proposed her idea, the others collectively looked at her as if she had lost her mind. James most ardently of all.

Zenetra set down her spoon. "It makes perfect sense."

James shook his head. The stew fell from his spoon and landed back in the bowl with a plop. "No. No, it doesn't."

Inspector Hatwig nodded slowly. "Cadet Noire may be on to something."

"No," said James. "No, she isn't."

Zenetra kept her voice steady and calm. She took a more pragmatic approach explaining her reasoning so that it would not sound so much like the diversion that it was. "Look, the ideal scenario is for at least one of us to survive. To ensure that happens, we should separate into different areas of the airship. If we all cluster in the mess hall as we did in the navigation room, we have the same chance of survival. We may have better luck by dividing our locations."

"I can't fly alone!"

"You won't be alone, Mr. Clay." Inspector Hatwig spoke to James, but her attention affixed firmly to Zenetra. "Alright, Cadet. We shall try this your way. Healer Pilluck, Ms. Burn, and Onnan will bunker in Sickbay. Nibbs and Raoul will be in their room below deck, as Cadet Noire will be in hers. James, Carver, and I will stay in the mess hall. Some of us may make it through the wall this way. Is that agreeable to everyone?"

Nibbs placed a reassuring arm over Raoul's shoulders and said, "Aye."

James shot suspicious glances between Zenetra and Inspector Hatwig, as if they had conspired together to separate everyone, but nodded regardless. He had little fight left in him.

"Good." Inspector Hatwig waved at their bowls. "Finish up and sleep well, everyone. We will need our rest for tomorrow."

Rest did not come easily that night. Zenetra tossed and turned. Nibbs' stew had formed into an unsettling rock in her stomach. The small can of firestones hanging from the wall made the room stuffy. She had left Mimi's amulet in the mess hall so James and the others could see the readerboard clearly, but now wished she had kept it with her for one final night. Without the pale glow of the moonstone, the room she shared with James was as orange as the cavern under the pyramid. The cavern where Mimi's body still twirled.

James rolled over onto his side. His eyes were open. The orange flickers of firestone light barely brightened the color of his hair. "You awake?" he asked lowly.

"Yes."

Zenetra heard James clear the sleepiness from his voice.

"Do you reckon we'll make it?"

If Zenetra's secret plan worked, they would. "I don't know, but we have to do something. Waiting for the last of our food to decay doesn't seem wise."

"And plowing straight into morphed magic does?"

A quiet stretch of unsaid fears for the morning hung between them. Zenetra didn't mind the silence. She had never been a chatty person to begin with. Filling a void with forced conversation was not enjoyable. It was her weakness, apparently, as the CF trainer had surmised during Zenetra's first month as a cadet.

"Your quiet demeanor is best for interviewing suspects and victims," Trainer Pewter had said. "But it will hinder the bond between your future partner and team. Communication is key."

The trainers either did not know or did not care that Zenetra had not been around people for several years prior to entering cadet training. To them, her aversion to social interactions needed amending. When pairings were announced and Clemence Pocket became the partner she would have for all four years of training, Zenetra guessed they were matched for their weaknesses. Whatever the CF believed they would achieve with that pairing had backfired. Clemence and Zenetra's personalities were too conflicting. They pushed each other away and sought the company of other cadets.

Clemence welcomed anyone who gossiped to her side and prided herself on how many more friends she had than Zenetra. Zenetra, in turn, was never jealous. She knew what attention felt like, and having herself surrounded by a mob of people who didn't really care about her wasn't a goal to reach.

One day, irked by something Clemence had said, Zenetra set down her lunch tray at a random table in the cafeteria. That was how she met Ottillia, Wende, Oliver, and Watt. They introduced themselves as the OWOW team, with Oliver yipping it loudly like a dog and earning strange looks from their peers in the process.

"Ow-Ow!" Oliver had howled. "You've got to say it like that so people know we're a team!"

It was different with James. Their conversation was neither awkward nor forced, and if stretches of silence passed, whether they be long-lasting or short lulls, that was alright too. They could argue over one issue and agree on the next. Tonight, however, it seemed James needed to talk.

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Preview for next chapter:

James opens up about his origins. Zenetra puts her secret plan to the test.

Getting close to the end, folks! Leave some encouragement by way of a star or comment!