5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Bronwyn

Despite my year spent here with the specific purpose of earning her trust, I still know very little about Sofarynn. I know that she is the custodian of the many libraries here in the Academy of Magickers. She tends to the books and keeps track of where they are and who is currently reading them.

She also has the key to Petrov Hansimov's tomb where his spellbook has been stored since his burial. Occasionally it has been taken out and studied by the Scholar of Spells, which is how I know of its existence, but the academy has done an excellent job at protecting the legacy of one of its illustrious founders.

That tomb, like much in the academy is made with magic. A bombardment couldn't make it in. No, to enter you need a key.

I haven't the finesse for helping myself to belongings that are not mine like my sister Corallin does. She could snatch the soul out of your body without you even realizing. But I'm afraid I have never been quite sneaky or coordinated enough to make it as a pickpocket.

So, when I first came here a year ago, I set out to befriend Sofarynn. If I can figure out what makes her tick, I can figure out what to offer her for her to let me into that tomb.

Money?

Power?

Revenge?

I can get her any of those things. At least, my father can provide it. I just need to know what she wants. Unfortunately, what I have discovered is that Sofarynn is a very private individual. She is quiet, and she keeps to herself.

From her accent and the darker coloring of her skin, I can tell that she hales from the deserts of the south and is not a native of Ruskhazar. She obviously has a great passion for magic and enchanted objects from the care she puts into her duties.

I don't see her really interact with anyone which is why I took to taking my lunch in her office with her. At first, I think she was taken aback and annoyed, but as I walk in today, she looks up expectantly. I catch a hint of a smile before she drops her head.

"You're a bit late," she says, her voice ringing out silky smooth. "I was wondering if you were going to keep this up into the new year."

"And miss the pleasure of your company?" I ask as I slide into the overstuffed chair across from her desk. There are so many books stacked around her desk that I only have a small window to view Sofarynn through as I eat. I unwrap the cloth I bundled my lunch in. Since lunch is usually dried foods such as bread and cheese, it's the meal I choose to eat in here as I try to get into Sofarynn's good graces.

She folds her hands as she studies me, her dark eyes inquisitive. Her ebony dark skin is still smooth and free of wrinkles even though I know that she has been working here for nearly a decade now.

In all that time, she has lived at the academy. I do not know if she has family—she never speaks of them. Even though I'd prefer to keep threats as a last resort, after a year, I still have nothing to exploit.

It's as if she exists only for this academy and the care of these books.

"You look refreshed; did you enjoy your break?" Sofarynn asks, surprising me. I glance up at her swallowing my bread wrong and nearly choking on it. In all my time sitting here eating with her, she rarely says anything past the initial greeting. Normally, I just sit here and eat quietly.

To be honest, for a while, I wasn't even sure if I was allowed in here, and she was just too polite to tell me.

I clear my throat, tapping my hand against my chest. "I did. I spent it with my family." I pull off a piece of bread, but instead of putting it in my mouth, I turn it between my fingers until it starts crumbling.

"Are you very close to your family?"

"I am," I force my hand to go still. Sofarynn might very well not believe me if I don't stop twitching, she may think I'm lying and that could ruin all the progress that I've managed to make. It isn't even a lie. I do love my family with my whole heart. I just don't know what to say to people outside of it. There is so little I can actually share about them. After all, half my family are vampires, necromancers, assassins, and thieves. All things that are heavily frowned upon in society. "My mother is an innkeeper, and my father is a merchant. I have two sisters; one is my twin."

Sofarynn smiles wistfully. "You must miss them when you're here."

"I do," I admit. "It feels as if they are a part of me." My family makes me who I am; I don't even want to know what sort of creature I'd be if Elwis hadn't shown me a father's love.

"I have a brother," Sofarynn admits, glancing down. She twists her fingers as she studies the top of her desk. I force myself to remain still. This is the most she has ever opened up, and I can't scare her by being too over eager. "I love him, but… our paths led us in very different directions. Him to a family. He and his wife have two little girls and a son. They run a wood carving business of all things, in the middle of nowhere," she chuckles. "And here I am, living in the Academy of Magickers."

She doesn't say it, but I know that we both are thinking alone.

"Do you speak to your brother often?" I ask after a long moment.

She ducks her head. For a second, I think I have overstepped, that she will withdraw again, but all she does bite down on her lower lip. "No, visiting him brings back painful memories of… what I lost."

I'm about to ask what she means by that, but then she quickly rises from her seat. "Well, look at me prattle on. If I keep you much longer, you will be late for your classes." I glance out the window, taking in the position of the sun and realize that I've actually been here longer than I thought. I jump to my feet.

"Of course!"

"Enjoy your studies," Sofarynn says, that wistful gleam in her eyes again. "You have no idea how fortunate you are. Magic is a gift, cherish it as such."

I give a nod and turn away.

It's a beautiful way of thinking of magic, especially since I know someone like Sofarynn could never wield it. For some reason, magic is something that exists solely in Ruskhazar. Those born outside of it can never wield it.

However, my father's teachings are ingrained too deeply in me. Magic, like anything else, is a commodity.

And I must do what is needed to get my hands on that commodity, even if it means resorting to unlawful means such as theft.