[EX] Romance/Bodyguard novel! (Patreon)

Hiya all! Fun little announcement. 

So, this month, I set out to do something new - write an entire 100,000 word book, start to finish, within 30 days (in addition to all my normal writing). And, as of today, I have 85,000 words written and will likely be finishing on time. 

That novel is a romance/fantasy novel that follows a girl in a magic school training to be a bodyguard for mages. I need to be clear - this is a Romantasy. There are tropes in Romantasy, including some spicy scenes, that I basically had to do in order to make it marketable. That said, if you do not like romance going beyond what we've seen in Runebound/my other novels or just don't want to read that kind of thing, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. It's not smut or anything, I love wholesome romance, but there are 2 spicy scenes in the novel that last for like 4-500 words that are definitely not stuff I would read in public. 

Anyway, this novel can't release on RoyalRoad or anywhere else for free. It wouldn't do well, so it'll be going straight to Kindle Unlimited. The whole thing is available to all patrons at $15 tier (who have had access to it for about a month now), but I wanted to give everyone a sneak peek at it. I might release a larger chunk of it as I get closer to launch in January. 

Anyway, enough blabber from me. If you like the idea of a fantasy novel with a lot of the elements from my normal writing but with a romance focus, check out the first few chapters below!

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The first and final steps in the path of a Keeper were death. Their order was not one of glory, nor was it one of joy. To be a Keeper was to dedicate one’s life, completely and utterly, to protecting another.

They were far more than mere bodyguards. When the time came for thought, they were advisors. When the time came for war, they were soldiers. When the time came for peace, then they were butlers. They were what they needed to be – and more.

Upon the day that Jasmine joined the order of the Keepers, her first death came to pass. Her ties to the outside world were cut, her name stricken from the Whitewater Kingdom’s records.

There was nothing left for her outside the tall, obsidian walls of the Sanctum – not until she graduated from the training program and earned the right to serve the King’s line.

And that was exactly how she wanted it.

It had been six months since she’d begun her training as a Keeper, and she’d loved nearly every second of it.

Nearly every second.

***

Jasmine leaned back as a sword whistled through the air before her face, passing so closely to her that she could feel the wind from its passing. She shifted her weight and drove her shoulder into Asher’s chest.

He staggered backward with a grunt. Even as he caught his balance and raised his blade to defend himself, Jasmine hooked her leg behind his and yanked his feet out from under him. The man fell, rolling as he hit the ground.

Jasmine lunged, aiming to land a strike on him while he was down. Asher rolled as if he had eyes on the back of his head, his own sword striking out like a snake and knocking Jasmine’s to the side.

He grabbed a handful of sand and flung it into her face. Jasmine staggered back, squeezing her eyes shut with a curse. Her hand moved, flicking out in a mixture of instinct and training.

A loud clang rang out as her blade struck Asher’s and flung it from his hand. They froze, both breathing heavily. Jasmine took a step back, catching her breath as she wiped the sand from her eyes.

“I win,” Jasmine said. “You should rely on real swordsmanship, you know. There isn’t always sand to use.”

“If there isn’t sand, there’ll be something else.” A smirk flickered across Asher’s tanned features, and his golden eyes twinkled in amusement. If he hadn’t looked so much like a smug cat, Jasmine might have considered him handsome. “I always find a way to win in the end.”

“That’s what you’ve said every time you’ve lost, but I don’t see you winning much anymore. How long has it been? Maybe you should try a little harder.”

“Maybe so. Then again, I actually know how to split my time. Fighting isn’t the only thing a Keeper should be able to do.”

Jasmine grimaced. And, in the instant that she was distracted, Asher’s foot whipped out. He knocked her legs out from under her and she slipped back, falling onto the sand with a pained grunt.

Moving with the grace of a snake, Asher shot forward and slammed Jasmine’s hands back to the ground before she could raise them. He sat on her chest and locked eyes with her, his smug grin growing wider.

“The match was over. That was a cheap blow.” Jasmine growled.

“No fight is over until someone is dead.”

“Just get off me.”

Asher snickered and rose to his feet, releasing Jasmine. He held a hand out, but she ignored it and stood up on her own. Asher hadn’t been wrong. There was a lot more to being a Keeper than knowing how to kill, but none of it was anywhere near as interesting.

Asher padded over to the side of the small stone room and grabbing his shirt from where it hung on a rack. The toned muscles on his back glimmered with sweat as he pulled his shirt on. Jasmine was tempted to avert her eyes, but she knew better. That would have left an opening, and she didn’t put it past him to try to attack again.

“Ninety-six to ninety-seven,” Asher said begrudgingly as he turned away from the rack and pushed a strand of long, brown hair out of his eyes. “You’re officially better than me. As you pointed out, that wasn’t an official match.”

The words felt hollow to Jasmine’s ears. The only thing she had was fighting. Asher led the class in every other aspect a Keeper was trained on in their first year – diplomacy, etiquette, strategy, and butlery.

He was insufferable.

“If you realize that you’ve got shortcomings, you should probably spend some time fixing them,” Asher advised. “It’s not like you couldn’t do it if you spent a tenth as much effort as you do on fighting.”

“If I wanted advice, I’d speak to Keeper Esther. You can keep yours.” Jasmine stalked to the other side of the room, taking a towel from a rack and wiping herself down before pulling a Keeper uniform over her leather-padded undershirt.

He’s not wrong, but that just makes it even more annoying. Keeper Esther is going to have my head if I don’t manage to start rounding my skills out. Watcher’s Ass, this is frustrating.

“Internally scolding yourself?” Asher asked. “I’m telling you, it’s not just hard. Just pay attention in class.”

“Shut up,” Jasmine said with a huff. “Stop doing that.”

“Doing what? Reading your mind?”

“You can’t read my mind. You aren’t a Starvein, so you don’t have any magic in you. You’re just a competent asshole.”

“I’d say I’m more than just competent.” Asher cleaned his sword off, then slid it into a sheath that hung at his side. He turned back to Jasmine and cocked an eyebrow. “And was I wrong?”

No.

“Yes. I was just thinking of more humiliating ways I could beat you in our next sparring match.”

“That’s the problem. Instead of that, you should be thinking of ways to avoid insulting Keeper Esther during our etiquette training.”  Asher opened the door in the back wall and stepped out into an open-air pathway. Just below the railing at its edge stretched the top of the Sanctuary’s great walls, wide enough to take several wagons across side by side, if one were so inclined. The black stone shimmered in the moonlight, and large guard towers rose up all along it.

Beyond the walls were the sloping grass fields of the mountain that the massive school had been built upon. They were split in twain by a thick, winding river that came from the mountains behind Sanctuary. The river ran straight through the center of Sanctuary and down the side of the mountain.

It led up to a city by the name of Rodrige that was just a little under a week’s travel away – one that Jasmine didn’t care to remember. Even though it should have been nothing more than a distant memory, the scents from the vendors lining the streets and the loud calls of the morning market were still sharp in her mind.

“You going to just stand there forever?” Asher asked, tilting his head to the side. “This is a bit too much introspection, even for you. Are you that worried about failing Etiquette? I could tutor you – for a price.”

“I wouldn’t spend more time with you if you even if someone paid me to.”

“Could have fooled me. You love our sparring sessions.”

“Just because I respect your ability with a sword does not mean I respect you.”

“I’m hurt,” Asher said, placing a hand on his chest and feigning sadness. “You know, if you keep falling for cheap tricks, are they even cheap anymore?”

“That one won’t catch me again.”

“That’s why I’ve always got more.” Asher raised a hand in farewell and set off, chuckling to himself. “See you tomorrow.”

Jasmine did her best not to look too annoyed. She turned and headed down the path in the other direction toward her housing, resisting the urge to look back at Asher as he left. Even though they were both Keepers in training, Asher had gotten lucky with his dormitory assignment. It was at the center of Sanctuary, right next to just about anything one could want.

Jasmine’s, on the other hand, was a small building at the edge. It was close to the training fields, and that was about it.

Of course, compared to the Starvein Halls on the other side of the Sanctuary, all the Keeper dormitories were plain and uninspiring. She’d only seen them once before, and only briefly. The Starveins were haughty enough when she occasionally ran into them in the markets, and Jasmine had absolutely no desire to run into any more of the arrogant mages than she needed to.

Almost makes me wonder why I’m dedicating eight years of my life learning how to protect one of them, but as far as jobs for a gutter rat go, I don’t think I could have gotten luckier unless I was a Starvein myself.

Even if she didn’t have the fancy, gold clad halls of a Starvein to keep her company, Jasmine didn’t mind. The training areas were the most important parts of Sanctuary – not counting the markets on Tenthday, when merchants came in selling all sorts of confectionery that she happily spent the majority of her allowance on. She didn’t care much for the rest of the Sanctuary.

And screw Etiquette class. I can just make something up. All you have to do is be nice. That’s not that hard. Hey, I could practice by being nice after I beat Asher in another sparring match tomorrow morning. I can’t let myself get lax. I’m only one win ahead of him.

A small grin crawled across Jasmine’s lips as she walked, already envisioning the coming day.

Tomorrow’s match will be fun.

That match never came.

Chapter 2

Asher had never been so much as been late before. But, as rays of sunlight peeked through the windows along the wall of the training room, Jasmine started to realize that Asher might not just be late – she was pretty sure he wasn’t coming at all.

A frown crossed her face. He was a lot of things, but he’d never been a coward. It didn’t make sense for him to skip out on their training. She’d expected him to be even more eager to fight since he’d finally lost the lead he’d had over her.

Is he planning a sneak attack or something? It wouldn’t be the first time, but he’s never held off this long before. There’s no way he’s actually that mad about losing to me, is there? He’s Rank 1 in basically everything other than combat.

She waited for a few more minutes, but nobody joined her. Eventually, the sun rose high enough that she couldn’t risk standing around any longer. It wouldn’t be long before the morning class started, and Keeper Esther did not appreciate when her students showed up late.

The trip to class was strangely quiet. Without Asher ribbing her the entire way back, it almost felt empty – but there was also a degree of peace that Jasmine would vehemently insist that she enjoyed.

Walking alone through the morning air had a certain charm to it.

Just not as much charm as walking back after a victory while Asher sported a smarting bruise.

Jasmine arrived at the lecture room and stepped inside. There was no door blocking the doorframe – it was just a large archway that went a long way in illuminating the entire large area while the sun was still across from it.

One hundred stone seats were carved into the ground, each with a single, worn thin cushion placed atop them. They were arranged in a semicircle before a large dais. Only eleven of the seats were full, and Keeper Esther stood by the dais, leaning on a bone staff.

Esther was an elderly woman well into her seventies, but even in spite of her graying hair and lame leg, her body was still toned and muscular. She moved with terrifying grace and had sent Jasmine home beaten black and blue after enough sparring matches to instill enough respect to last a lifetime.

Jasmine took her seat, and the blonde girl in the chair beside her sent her a conspiratorial eyebrow wiggle. “You’re early today. What happened?”

“Nothing. And, Lydia, before you ask, I mean that in the literal sense.”

“Really? You didn’t train?” Lydia’s green eyes widened in shock and she glanced over her shoulder, as if to see if anybody else had overheard. She looked back to Jasmine and lowered her voice. “Are you sick? Did you injure yourself?”

“No, I’m fine. My partner just skipped out on me.”

“You’re kidding. Asher bailed?”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Jasmine said, leaning back and letting out a sigh. “What a waste of time. The smug bastard is probably pouting that I pulled ahead of him..”

“You pulled ahead? Damn, Jas. Good job. Asher deserves to lose at something. He’s a prick. I didn’t think he’d actually get that annoyed about losing, though. Who would have thought.” Lydia scrunched her nose. “Still cute, though.”

“You didn’t think that when he demolished you in our last set of ranking battles,” Jasmine said with a wry grin. “I recall you using a few choice words that even Keeper Esther hadn’t heard before.”

“Yeah, well, he cheated. He had dried pepper in his pockets. Pepper! Who carries a pocket of pepper around?”

“Not arguing with you there,” Jasmine said. She resisted the urge to look over her shoulder and check if Asher had arrived yet. They had a mutual agreement to keep their matches out of the classrooms to avoid disciplinary action, but she wouldn’t put any underhanded strategies past him.

Jasmine heard two more sets of footfalls enter the classroom, but she could tell by their gait that neither belonged to Asher. The other students all whispered in hushed tones to each other, but Jasmine paid them little mind.

“We have all arrived,” Keeper Esther said, tapping her staff on the ground to draw their attention. “All that will be arriving today, at least. Today’s lecture will be different than our norm.”

Esther’s voice echoed through the room, silencing everyone. All fourteen of them. Fifteen, if Asher had been here. For a room that had once been meant to house classes of one hundred, it often felt oppressively empty.

“What about Asher?” Lydia asked. She’d never been one to wait long for an answer, and today was clearly no exception.

“That is the matter which we will discuss.” Esther’s voice was more somber than Jasmine was used to, and her words drew the attention of every Keeper-in-training that sat in the room.

“Asher will no longer be with us,” Esther said.

Everyone stared at her in shock.

“What?” Jasmine exclaimed. “He dropped out of Sanctuary?”

“He left the Keeper order,” Esther said, inclining her head. “Due to personal circumstances. It is not my place to speak any further on this matter, but the decision is final.”

“Why would he do something like that?” Jasmine pressed. “Are you sure there wasn’t a mix up or something? We were just training yesterday. I don’t see why he’d leave.”

“It is not the place of a Keeper to wonder. It is our place to act,” Esther said, her words carrying an underlying note of steel that would take no response other than acceptance. Jasmine sank back into her chair, repressing the urge to start arguing with the older woman. The last thing she needed was disciplinary action.

I just don’t understand. Why would he just leave for no reason? It doesn’t make sense. I’m not going to let that sneaky bastard just slip away like this. I’ll find Asher and drag him back until he begs Esther to let him back in.

“I understand you are surprised,” Esther said. There was an uncharacteristic note of sympathy in her voice. “But we must all continue on. Loss is a part of our order that will never leave. Just be thankful that he is not dead.”

“That’s got to suck,” Lydia leaned over and whispered into Jasmine’s ear. “Good luck finding someone else that wants to spar every morning. Then again, maybe this is good. We can practice not setting the kitchen on fire.”

Jasmine grunted, not even trying to hide the mixture of disappointment, annoyance, and sadness in her chest. It didn’t sit right with her at all. Asher hadn’t shown any signs of wanting to leave the order. He’d been completely normal the previous day.

What happened?

“I wished to gather you all to inform you of the loss to our numbers, but that is not the only announcement I have today,” Esther said. They all looked back at her.

“Are we getting a new Keeper to replace Asher?” Brock, a bushy-browed boy with heavy features asked from behind Jasmine. “Fifteen is already the smallest Year One Keeper class in years, isn’t it? Now we’re down a member.”

“You’re just hoping someone new joins so you don’t have to be last in the rankings anymore,” Lydia said.

“Says the girl in tenth place. You’re not much better.”

“There’s more to being a Keeper than swinging a sword,” Lydia countered. She glanced at Jasmine out of the corner of her eye and cleared her throat as she looked back to Brock. “Do I really need to remind you what happened the last time you tried baking? I think I’ve still got the lump of coal you called bread sitting around somewhere.”

Brock let out an undignified grumble. He was rescued by Esther, who sent Lydia a sharp glance.

“A Keeper also knows when to hold her words for a better time,” Esther said. “And you, Lydia, are as snippy as a field mouse. About as dangerous as one as well.”

All of them chuckled. It was a tense, awkward laugh that would have been far lighter the previous day. Keeper Esther paused for a moment, then pursed her lips.

“What’s the announcement, then?” Lydia asked.

“There has been a change in plans,” Esther said after a few more moments. She let out a small sigh. “Against my very firm recommendations, the order has decided that your training must be accelerated in order to accommodate for the significant losses we have experienced in recent years. Even though you are just three months into your first year, all of you will be starting your Year Two practice on top of your current work.”

“Don’t we actually begin working for a Charge in Year Two?” Brock asked, his eyebrows furrowing. “Are… we ready for that?”

“No,” Esther replied. “You are not. Unfortunately, you must be. It will not be permanent. We will simply be adding some extra elements to your preparations. I am confident that, even in spite of this, you will all persevere.”

Great. Just what I needed. More work.

“Given the weight of this information, I will be dismissing all of you early. Take some time to think. You will not often get this opportunity, so cherish it,” Esther suggested. She waved her hand and tapped her staff on the ground. “Go.”

“Wow. Today’s like a dozen horses of bad news hitting you in a row, isn’t it?” Lydia asked Jasmine as the other Keepers-in-training stood all around them. A dull roar of muted conversation washed over Jasmine’s ears.

“I’m not sure where you got a dozen. And the only bad news is the last part. What a waste of time.”

“You know, all things considered, it might be a good idea for you to spend a little less time fighting and a little more–”

Jasmine silenced Lydia with a glare. A second passed, and Lydia shrugged.

“Hey, just saying. And really? You aren’t even slightly mad about Asher?”

“Oh, I’m pissed,” Jasmine said, clenching her fists. “But I’ll just drag him back to the order. I can’t believe he’d just leave us like that.”

Lydia snickered and stood up. Jasmine mirrored her, and they started toward the door.

“Do you even know where he lives?” Lydia asked as they reached the archway.

“Not really,” Jasmine admitted. “But I’m sure I’ll–”

“Jasmine,” Ether called.

Jasmine glanced back at her teacher. “Yes, Keeper Esther?”

“Remain in the lecture hall for a little longer. I have something I need to discuss with you.”

Lydia and Jasmine exchanged a confused glance.

“What did you do?” Lydia whispered.

“Nothing,” Jasmine hissed back. She shook her head and jerked her chin toward the hall. “I’m sure this won’t take long, but you can leave if you want to.”

“I’ll just wait. I’m not going to pass up on something interesting,” Lydia replied with a grin. She stepped out of the hall and Jasmine headed back down to rejoin Esther.

The rest of the students left the room, and it wasn’t long before Jasmine was alone with the older Keeper. Jasmine adjusted her stance, her brow furrowed.

“Is something wrong?” Jasmine asked.

“No, no. I’m just distracted,” Esther said with a shake of her head. “I called you in to discuss a few things in private. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Oh. That’s good.” Jasmine breathed a small sigh of relief. “What things?”

“I hear that you’ve been making great improvements in your combat abilities as of late. It’s rare I see someone so dedicated.”

Why does it sound like she found out before I told Lydia in class today? Maybe she’s actually a Starvein and is just hiding it. That wouldn’t surprise me at all.

“Thank you,” Jasmine said carefully, but Esther wasn’t done.

“And it’s rarer that I see someone so dedicated to just one aspect of their training while completely neglecting every other one,” Esther finished.

Jasmine winced.

“I’ll get on that, Keeper Esther. I won’t lag behind for long.”

“I’m sure you won’t. Today, I called on you specifically because of your dedication to your combat skills.” Esther leaned her staff against the dais and interlaced her fingers, watching Jasmine’s expression closely.

Come on! Just spit it out already. What do you want to say?

Instead of voicing her thoughts, Jasmine sat silently. Esther gave her a wry smile, but it quickly faded.

“You’ve been selected, Jasmine.”

Chapter 3

“Selected? For what?” Jasmine asked, baffled. “The thing you talked about in class?”

“Something similar, but it is not the exact same circumstance.”

Jasmine couldn’t contain her distaste this time around. “Oh. Do I have to do this?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Figures. Maybe Lydia was right. What am I supposed to do, then? Protecting a fake target from bandits or the like? That could be interesting.”

Esther’s brow furrowed. “I’m afraid you may have misconceptions about what I meant, Jasmine. This is not a drill. You will be assigned to a minor noble whose family was killed in an attack, and you will be expected to fulfill every duty that a Keeper should.”

Jasmine choked and she stared at Esther, waiting for the older woman to start laughing at the joke. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single hint of humor in Esther’s eyes. She was deadly serious.

“Why me?” Jasmine asked. “I’m not exactly…”

“Well rounded?” Esther finished. “No, you are not, much to my disappointment. However, there are no available Year Two Keepers. They are all already assigned to charges. We do not have the bodies to spare – and as we just discussed, you are more than capable in a fight, which is exactly what is needed.”

“You make it sound like this is more than just a training exercise.”

“I’m afraid it is. The noble you are being assigned to is in genuine need of a Keeper. He has been granted a Keeper until the time at which he is able to defend himself.”

“I’m going to be working for a noble? That’s impossible. I can’t,” Jasmine said, shaking her head vehemently. “Keeper Esther, you’ve seen–”

“Your limitations are well known to me,” Esther said curtly. “But this is not up to discussion, Jasmine. I am displeased with this as well, but there are no Keepers that can be spared for a relatively unimportant noble. If it were not for the King’s command, no Keeper would be assigned.”

“The King himself commanded it?” Jasmine blinked.

“He did. I do not know why. It was a damn foolish command to make. You will have to work twice as hard to keep up with the rest of your class, and you already have much work on your plate.”

“If the order comes straight from the King, then I’ll do it. I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for him. He’s the one that allowed me into the order.”

And he’s the one that got me out of the gutters. I can’t fail this. If I get booted out of the Sanctuary and sent back to that Watcher-damned hellhole, I’ll have a dagger in my back before I can blink. I won’t go back. I’d rather die on my own terms.

Jasmine’s mouth was dry as a bone. She swallowed heavily, but it did little to cure her parched throat. No matter what she wanted, an order from the King wasn’t a request. She didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.

Did Asher somehow hear about this and drop out early? That sneaky piece of – that would be just like him.

If Esther noticed Jasmine’s hands clenching at her sides, she didn’t mention anything.

“Good. Do not fall too far behind, Jasmine. This will not exempt you from any of your normal responsibilities or the consequences that will come from failing to complete them.”

Jasmine swallowed, then nodded. “I understand. Will the noble be coming to Sanctuary?”

“They are part of the Starvein program and are already present,” Esther replied. “Your belongings have already been moved to room K15 in the Starvein Halls.”

Jasmine opened her mouth, then closed it with a click.

“I have to move?” Jasmine asked weakly. “I thought–”

“You are performing the full role of a Keeper. The full role,” Esther said with a shake of her head. “That includes defending your charge from threats at all times of the day.”

Lovely. Lydia was definitely right. Today is awful.

Jasmine repressed her emotions, keeping them from showing on her face. It felt like a storm had been set off in her stomach. Following the King’s orders felt considerably less gratifying when it sounded like it would come at such a high cost.

“I will be here to help where I can,” Esther said in a gentle tone. “I am sorry. You should not have been put in this situation.”

That really fixes everything. Thanks. Now that you’re sorry, I won’t have the rest of my free time stolen by some random noble that the King decided was worth basically sacrificing me to. They weren’t important enough to get assigned a proper Keeper, so they just tagged me with it instead. Fantastic.

“Is that all?” Jasmine asked, struggling to keep her face devoid from emotion. Her stomach felt like it was knotting itself and her ears rang with blood.

“Yes. You may leave.”

Jasmine strode out, nearly walking straight into Lydia. She’d completely forgotten that her friend had been waiting for her.

“You were in there a while. Was Keeper Esther congratulating you on being the rank one fighter now that Asher ran like a baby,” Lydia started with a grin, but it fell away as soon as she saw Jasmine’s face. “Jas? What happened?”

“I got selected to be a Keeper,” Jasmine muttered. “In the middle of my first year.”

“I thought we were all going to have to do the extra stuff. It’s not that bad. Sure, we’ll have a bit less free time, but things could be worse. We’re still students, you know.”

Jasmine stared at Lydia. Lydia’s face paled.

“You mean you actually have to be a Keeper? A real one? Not training?”

“Not training. Some noble’s family got killed and the King decided that I’m the one that has to baby him because they don’t want to spare a real Keeper. Not important enough for someone that’s actually relevant, but still important enough to completely destroy my life,” Jasmine said.

“Maybe it won’t be so bad?” Lydia offered, but it was clear by the tone of her voice that she knew just how weak the suggestion was. “I mean, we’re training to be Keepers anyway, right?”

“Training being the key word,” Jasmine muttered. She ran a hand through her black hair, tugging at it in frustration before starting off down the hall at a brisk pace. Lydia jogged to catch up with her.

“You’ll probably learn a lot.”

“It’s more likely that I won’t learn anything at all,” Jasmine said with a huff. “I’m not ready for this at all. I’ve barely got any training. I enjoy learning to be a Keeper, but I still wanted to live a little too, you know? These years were going to be the last properly free ones I had.”

“Maybe you’ll really like the noble.”

Jasmine sent a flat stare at Lydia, who cleared her throat.

“Okay, that’s probably a reach. It’s not permanent though, right? It’s just for a while.”

“Yeah.” Jasmine sighed. “That’s the one lucky bit, I guess. I only have to put up with it until the King decides this guy is safe again. If I’m lucky, it’ll be over quickly.”

And if I’m not, I’m stuck with him forever.

Jasmine could tell that the same thought was passing through Lydia’s head. Lydia glanced away and cleared her throat.

“I’m sorry. Do you know why they chose you?”

“Yeah. Because I was the best fighter in our year.”

Lydia’s eyes widened and she missed a step. “Damn, that’s unlucky. So Asher would have gotten chosen if this happened a few days ago? That really sucks. I wonder if he somehow heard about this and dropped just in case. I bet a noble would have preferred someone who was pretty good at fighting and great at everything else to – well, you know.”

“Thanks. I definitely haven’t heard that enough today,” Jasmine said dryly. “You might be right, though. I can’t believe him.”

“When I see him next, I’m going to shove my foot up where the sun doesn’t shine,” Lydia declared.

Jasmine burst into laughter. Lydia’s fiery personality translated poorly into her fighting abilities, so the image of her furiously chasing after Asher was absurd enough that Jasmine couldn’t help it.

“Thanks, Lydia,” Jasmine said. “I appreciate you trying to make me feel better. I think I’m supposed to go report to my new room.”

“Want me to come?”

“Better not. They might get ideas and decide one Keeper trainee isn’t enough.”

Lydia paled. “Would they really?”

“I was joking.”

Mostly.

Lydia shuddered. “Don’t joke like that. Though, if I did have to properly do the duties of a Keeper this early on, I’d rather partner with you than anyone else.”

“Thanks,” Jasmine said dryly. “That would work for me as well. I could do the fighting, and you could do everything else.”

They reached a fork in the path and came to a stop. Jasmine looked out over the railing. Abandoned buildings covered the ground beneath them, relics of when Sanctuary had once been a massive city. The lower levels had supposedly been the most populous. Now, they had more ghosts than people.

The path to the right – the one that overlooked the city below – led back to her former dormitory room. The one to the left branched off and headed deeper into the upper levels of the city.

“This is me,” Jasmine said, nodding to the path. “I guess I’ll be seeing you in class. Esther said those will be the only time I actually get a break from my new job.”

Except I won’t be, because I’m not going to have time to go to class. How am I supposed to say that, though?

Lydia nodded. She searched for words for a few moments, but found none. Jasmine didn’t wait around to make the scene any more uncomfortable. She just raised her hand in farewell and set off down the path, leaving Lydia behind her.

***

Jasmine remembered little of the walk to the Starvein Halls. It felt like she was in a daze. Everything had moved so quickly that she could barely even register what had happened since waking up that day.

But, when Jasmine arrived at her destination, she had no choice but to take a moment and stare in awe. The Halls were undeniably beautiful. Their towering ceilings rising hundreds of feet in the air. Beautiful gold trimmed the marble and obsidian pillars arranged in neat rows, and ancient murals adorned every inch of the walls. Though much of it had faded in recent years, it was still an imposing sight to behold.

She had only been to the Halls briefly in the past, and it took her almost an hour of largely aimless wandering before she finally located the dormitory wing.

The ceiling in it was a much more reasonable ten feet tall, but it wasn’t any less decorated than the rest of the area. Jasmine had to keep herself from gawking as she walked.

It wasn’t much of a surprise to her that the Starvein Halls were so much nicer than the Keeper section of Sanctuary. Almost anyone could become a Keeper – or, at least, almost anyone could try.

But a Starvein - Only a noble could be a Starvein. The two words were basically synonymous. Starveins could cast magic, and that made them noble. Or perhaps it was the other way around. Jasmine wasn’t sure, but she didn’t care all that much about the semantics at the moment.

Jasmine came to a stop before one of the doors about halfway down the hall. The haze that had been enveloping her thoughts finally lifted as found herself standing before a beautiful metal plaque that read S15. It had been pounded into the wall beside an obsidian door with gold trimmings.

Beneath the plaque, on a small bronze plate that was so rusted that Jasmine had to scratch at it to get a better look, K15 had been carved.

Several seconds passed as Jasmine stood in silence, debating what to do. Part of her was tempted to just turn around and wander off as if she’d never seen the door in the first place. But, eventually, she forced her reluctant body to obey her commands and raised her hand, knocking twice.

No more than a few seconds later, the door swung open. Jasmine opened her mouth to introduce herself, then froze. Staring back at her were two golden eyes that she would have recognized anywhere.

“Asher?”