There was another interesting nugget of information in history class. Ever since the confrontation between Xilarion and Hamon, I had wanted to know more about how the clans and guilds worked. There was a tension at play there, two different sources of authority, and it seemed like something that could bring trouble.
“…following the Treaty of Blades that relations between the clans and the guilds settled into their current form,” said old Master Kyu, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “The guilds ceased to seek political domination, as they had done under the leadership of Valdar Iceheart, recognizing that the clans would always resist the yolk of an external agent. This left them in a precarious position, the threat they had once shown making them natural targets for the acquisitive policies of powerful familial clusters. And so, following the example of the Rising Elk Guild, they became training establishments acting in the service of others, each one allowing entry from members of any clan in order to avoid being absorbed into their political framework.”
A petite young woman at the back of the class raised her hand.
“Yes, Vesma?” Kyu acknowledged.
“If the guilds are just here to train the clans, why do clan leaders let people stay so long?” the young woman asked.
“An excellent question,” Kyu replied. “Their concerted Augmentative might can be useful in tackling particularly troublesome hazards to the public good. Allowing clan members to remain in guild service can bring stability to a region, benefiting all of the clans there. Some choose to put their own interests first, as seen in the current policies of Jiven Wysaro, who withdraws most Augmenters following training in the fundamentals. This is, of course, entirely legitimate, one aspect in the delicate balance between competing powers.”
So, that was it. The guilds needed the clans for manpower, and the clans needed the guilds for training. Who held the power there could easily become a source of conflict.
A gong sounded, announcing that the day’s lessons were over. We rose from the cushions on which we sat and headed off for our chores.
Since arriving at the guild, I hadn’t found an opportunity to talk with Faryn outside of occasional lessons on gathering herbs, their various properties, and the diverse locations where they could be found. In every class, I noticed that she couldn’t help smiling at me, and I made my interest known. Soon, she avoided looking at me entirely, but her hidden grins were unmistakable. I was slowly wearing down her walls, and I wondered how long it would be until she finally gave in. Back on Earth, teachers and students weren’t exactly allowed to fraternize, but this wasn’t Earth, and Faryn was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I took it as a personal quest to wear her down completely.
My efforts were somewhat rewarded when I found her waiting just outside the great hall after the evening’s meal.
“Come with me,” she said, a twinkle in her eyes.
She led me away from the bustle of the great hall and main courtyard, around the teaching rooms and dojo, toward a small arena at the rear of the guild compound. Just outside was a row of storage sheds.
“These aren’t on the tour for new students,” she said as she lifted the latch on one of them. “But I know how noisy and crowded the barracks can be. It’s good to have somewhere you can go for a little privacy.”
We stepped inside, and the door swung shut behind us. Faryn lit a candle on a shelf, illuminating a room piled with pillows, its walls lined with shelves full of folded sheets.
“It’s good to see you,” I said as I looked into her eyes. “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too.” She lifted her hand somewhat tentatively and sighed as she stroked my cheek. “Far more than I expected.”
Faryn’s Walls: 0
Ethan’s Charm: 1
She pulled my head down and kissed me. Her lips parted as her tongue flicked across mine. My heart raced, and I could feel myself breaking into a grin, but there was something I had to ask.
“I thought you didn’t want this,” I said. “You being a teacher and me a pupil.”
“What I want and what I should have are two different things.” She ran her hand down my chest. “As long as no one knows, I think we can get away with some fun.”
She pulled a bolt across the door and locked it shut, then went to stand by the heaped cushions. The scent of her filled the air around me, as clear and invigorating as a spring day.
Eyes locked on mine, she unfastened her belt and dropped it to the floor. Slowly, carefully, she unlaced the front of her robe, revealing bare flesh inch by tantalizing inch. I took a step forward, eager to grab hold of her, to stroke her, to kiss her, to pull her close, but she held out a hand to stop me.
“Patience,” she whispered. “We have time.”
Her robe fell to the floor, and I drank in the tight lines of her body, her skin porcelain pale. Her emerald eyes shone like light through the forest canopy as she laid herself down on the cushions, naked except for the gold circlet in her hair.
“Now, you,” she said.
I unfastened my robe, trying to take my time, to draw out the moment for her. But I felt the urgency of her presence, the desperate desire to touch her. I practically ripped off my own tunic, kicked off my sandals, and dropped my trousers to stand naked in front of her.
“I see someone’s excited,” she said slyly, looking me up and down. She slid one of her hands down between her legs, letting out a low, contented hum. “I think it’s time we made the most of that.”
She beckoned me over, and I knelt at the edge of the pile of cushions. Wrapping my
