No matter how urgently Asteria wanted to get things done, it still took some time to arrange for a leave of absence.

  They would only be gone for two weeks at most, but she needed to find replacements for all her lessons, and more importantly, someone to take over her role as potion mistress.

  The first problem was fairly straightforward to resolve. Asteria already had several people working as assistant teachers under her, so she only needed to redistribute her hours among them.

  The latter, however, was an entirely different matter. It wasn’t that she lacked volunteers to help her, as she was quite popular among the younger potioneers, but her duties included brewing some very complex potions. Some even had power requirements that couldn’t be compensated for.

  Still, Asteria was unwavering in her determination. It took her a full day, but in the end, she found someone.

  “Yuliberta’s Rotting Haze is the last of the higher-tier potions, right?” Madame Giselle asked, looking up from the notebook Asteria had given her.

  “Yes, it is. I’m sure Lea and Tunia could brew it if they worked together, but setting up a joint brewing ritual while working on such a tricky potion seems like a stretch too far.” Asteria replied, looking half a second from wringing her hands.

  Orion kept an ear open while he searched for winter clothes in his wardrobe. Living in the Sanctum, with its controlled temperature, meant he didn’t usually need heavy fabrics, but he was pretty sure he had something more than just a fur cloak lying around. And it’s not because I want to keep my style, no matter what mom says.

  “Yes, those girls working together could do it. Maybe I’ll even let them do it while I supervise. It’s about time they started experimenting with more complex brews, and if I provide the power, they’ll be able to focus entirely on the practical parts,” Giselle hummed.

  “Oh, that’s a wonderful idea. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it. I was planning to let them handle the initial stages of the next Moonlight capture, but this seems like a better option. They’ll gain some experience with complex systems this way.”

  The old woman smiled contentedly as she snapped the booklet shut. “Well, I dare say this is the last hurdle cleared. When is your departure again?”

  Asteria hesitated, glancing at Orion. “I have a carriage waiting for Silverpeak that’s been there indefinitely, but I hope to be there by tonight. That way, we can take the overnight coach to Last Thaw and catch the ferry to Valderun in the morning.”

  “Hm, sounds like you have it all planned out. But getting to Last Thaw that quickly will cost you. The express coaches are very in demand and have only a few spots available.” Gisele said, eyeing Asteria. “Do you have the coin? I can give you some if you need it.”

  For a moment, Orion had the silly thought that this might be what having a grandmother was like. Gisele had never really been part of his life, but apparently, she had a good relationship with his mother to offer that much money so freely.

  Asteria was quick to deny her. “No, there’s no need for that. I haven’t really had to spend my pay on anything except ingredients in the past few years. Orion was always a pretty relaxed baby and never asked for anything expensive.”

  “That’s good, but remember you aren’t alone,” Gisele replied, emphasizing her last words. “I might not be powerful enough to take on a Veil Priestess, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have influence. I can tell you now that many aren’t happy with the Elder expanding her spat with Yue to you and your son.”

  Orion stiffened, though he kept pulling things out.

  “I don’t get why she’s still so hung up on this matter,” Asteria sighed. “Elder Yue has been gone for thirteen years. Their feud had gone cold!”

  Gisele took her hands in hers, “Listen to this old woman, dear. Even I am just a child compared to them. Their grudge has been ongoing for more than a century, likely longer. The thirteen years Yue spent in Valderun are nothing to either of them.” She hesitated but then pressed on. “I’m sure if you were to ask her—”

  “No!” Asteria interrupted, standing up abruptly. “No, I won't ask her to come back. I've asked enough of her for a whole lifetime, and I have Elder Alcmene on my side. I don't need to bother her anymore than just requesting an official release from my apprenticeship.”

  Gisele sighed but said nothing. Orion listened quietly. He doubted things would go that smoothly, but they didn’t have other options.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  While Asteria only needed a schedule change to leave, Orion's departure was more complicated.

  “He is advanced enough, of course, but this is still a crucial time. Every lesson he misses is something he will have to work twice as hard to learn later, without the benefit of a teacher to guide him,” Madame Jaime said, looking at Eire.

  The Magistra stayed silent. She had been somber since Nick told her he was leaving, and he was pretty sure he knew why.

  Morliana shifted from seemingly accepting her protection of Orion as enough not to interfere with him to completely ignoring it. Even worse, it took Set’s intervention and Elder Alcmene’s mediation to prevent a full-on confrontation.

  Now, Orion was pretty sure he was just a convenient excuse for Morliana to use her influence as a weapon and remind everyone of their place, but the fact remained that for him to be accosted at night, the Elder had to ignore Eire’s protection entirely.

  It didn’t help that Orion was now trying to leave the Sanctum to seek protection from someone else. It was almost like admitting he didn’t believe Eire could shield him from Morliana.

  Unfortunately, that was the reality. She had to choose: go to war over this infraction, or lose her influence entirely. She seemed to have decided on the latter, given her inaction.

  Word would spread soon enough, and Eire would go from being the favorite to ascending as Veil Priestess, to just another witch jockeying for power.

  Orion didn’t take any pleasure in putting her in this situation. He respected the woman, even if he didn’t share all of her beliefs, and if he had been able to do it differently, he would have.

  But unless she marched to Morliana’s office and started slinging spells, this was the only option he had left.

  “I believe Orion is uniquely qualified to self-study. He’s mature enough to know not to push himself, and he will be accompanied by a Magistra of the Sanctum anyway. He might need some time to fully catch up, but this is only two weeks. He’ll be fine,” Sir Theron cut in, surprising Orion with his vote of confidence.

  He didn’t exactly have a personal relationship with the man, but he supposed that in the matriarchal society of the Lunar Sanctum, men were expected to help one another.

  The wink Theron shot him gave that some more credence.

  In the end, however, the final decision was up to Eire. Asteria wanted to come, but Orion convinced her that it would be better to finish her handoff to her people and that her presence would only highlight the political implications.

  His hope was that Eire would let this go. Since she was essentially reneging on her favor anyway, he didn’t feel too bad about it.

  “Very well. I will approve of your leave," she finally murmured. Her eyes were distant, and it was clear she was entirely too aware of the implications.

  Unfortunately, despite her great power, she didn’t seem willing to face Morliana directly. Orion could respect that, but it meant he wouldn’t ever trust her to keep her word again.

  The two lecturers exchanged a glance, clearly aware of what was going on, but both remained silent.

  There was nothing either of them could do.

  The morning of their departure arrived faster than he had expected. Orion had spent some time the day before cleaning his lab to remove anything suspicious and gathering all his crystals.

  He didn’t believe his defenses would fall apart in his absence, but Selene’s surprise visit was enough to show him he still didn’t see the whole picture, so he chose to hedge his bets.

  He had stopped by her apartment just before heading to bed, and she gave him a tight hug after she had gotten a promise he would be back soon.

  Orion would have liked to say goodbye to Luna and Dorian as well, but unfortunately, they lived on a lower floor, and to reach their apartments, he would have needed to walk for at least another hour.

  And while he normally wouldn’t have minded, he’d been more paranoid since being accosted by Morliana and had kept his movements to daytime.

  I’ll be back very soon anyway. This is just a two-week trip; it’s not like I’m leaving forever.

  And yet, when Asteria and he arrived at the Pegasi field and found all three of his friends waiting for him, he couldn’t help but feel his heart swell.

  Somehow, some way, these three kids had snuck past all his cold fronts and defenses, and now he was stuck with them.

  “You didn’t think we were going to let you leave without saying goodbye, did you?” Luna asked, approaching him with narrowed eyes.

  Orion cleared his throat, feeling both uncomfortable and grateful.

  “Oh, leave the poor guy alone, he will be back soon enough,” Dorian chuckled, pulling the girl back before she could square up to him.

  She was pretty short anyway, so she wouldn’t have done more than cause herself to fall, but Orion wisely kept his mouth shut about that. It had taken a while, but he’d learned some social cues.

  “Yeah, and when he comes back, he’s promised he'll spend more time with us,” Selene added, giving him a narrow-eyed look that promised retribution if he went back on his word.

  Orion raised his hands in mock surrender. “I will. I said I will, so I will. Rather, make sure to keep up with your studies, or you’ll never catch up to me,” he grinned.

  Luna groaned in annoyance, but Dorian offered him a challenging smile. “You’ll see. Just come back in one piece.”

  Asteria cleared her throat, hesitant to interrupt their conversation, but Orion inclined his head. They had to leave before Morliana decided to interfere with this, too.

  “Alright, I have to go. Take care,” he said, and after a moment of awkward silence, he decided to go for it and gave the three friends a quick hug, pulling them all together.

  Before anyone could respond or tease him for his reddened cheeks, which were clearly visible against his pale skin and white hair, he was gone, stepping into the carriage and slamming the door behind him.

  Silverpeak seemed slightly more relaxed once they arrived. The flight from the Sanctum was breathtaking as always, but Orion couldn’t shake the feeling that something might go wrong.

  This world seemed to enjoy throwing curveballs at him, and while he didn’t believe in fate, he was well aware that forces greater than him were meddling with his life.

  Still, he dutifully followed his mother as she stepped out of the carriage and headed toward the eastern fields. They barely passed through the market, but even at that early hour, he could tell the militia looked less tense.

  With the vampire problem resolved, as much as dozens of nobles turned into thralls could be considered as such, they were returning to a more natural level of alertness.

  It was somewhat ironic that Orion had played a part in that, yet he was being forced to leave the Sanctum for an entirely different reason.

  Or is it? Maybe Morliana decided that I shouldn’t get any credit.

  The workings of that woman’s mind would probably stay a mystery for some time, but he could only hope that their absence over the next couple of weeks would be enough to calm her down.

  And that Elder Yue will even receive us. Mom seems confident she won’t mind giving up their apprenticeship, but I’m worried it might be more complicated than that.

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