Adamagika: The Spirit Within - 26. Ch 26: Lucas Barstow

CHAPTER 26: Lucas Barstow



Jacob and I had to use one of the other unoccupied rooms while our own was being repaired. Magister Va’aelua said that the magic inflicted on the walls were “so intense” that there was still residual magic lingering in the room preventing it from being repaired.



The conversation we had afterwards was just… awkward. I was not sure who was more embarrassed between us. A pink blush permanently marred his cheeks and he quite resolutely diverted his eyes as we spoke. I had no doubts that I looked and behaved the same way he did.



“What goes on between you two behind closed doors is none of my business,” he said as we were wrapping up the details of what happened. “I would rather that whenever these, uhm, things happen, that you, uhm, control yourself better.” I think it was the first time I heard him stutter. I suppose he never had this kind of problem when dealing with his younger students.



“I assure you sir, it won’t be happening again,” I said seriously.



He regarded me with a look that said he doubted that. He said nothing else though and merely nodded.



As he opened the door, I noticed that there were at least half a dozen students outside. They were climbing over one another to get a look into the room as though something interesting was happening. Some of them had awed looks while others were snickering silently. Once they noticed though that Magister Va’aelua was glaring at them, they scrambled away.



He looked back at us almost apologetically before leaving the room.



Jacob and I were seated opposite one another across our two beds. The room was a duplicate of our room except that the window was facing the east side of the city rather than the north. That meant most of our view was obstructed by the two other towers that loomed over Arantiva.

We sat there in silence for about a minute before I heard Jacob sniffle and his shoulder shook. I rushed over to him.



He then broke out laughing and I realized that he wasn’t crying at all but rather trying to suppress his laughter. His laugh was infectious and we soon found ourselves laughing hard, falling against each other.



“Hey, you better not start anything,” he said boorishly, “we don’t want to blow up another room now.” This incited another round of laughter that lasted even longer before either of us spoke again.



“Now really, what the heck was that?” I asked.



“I don’t know,” Jacob said as he relaxed onto me, his head leaning on my shoulders. He then sat up straight and looked at me with surprise. “Hey! It’s gone?”



“What’s gone?”



“The thing we were feeling when we touched each other.” To prove his point, he places his hand on my arm. I didn’t feel any energy passing in between us or any of the pleasurable sensations they brought. His hand merely gave a warm comforting feel to my skin.



I’m afraid I was responsible for that, I heard Ho-o’s voice say.



“You what?” Jacob asked. It occurred to me then that he also heard Ho-o speak.



You two were quite reluctant to show your feelings in a more physical way, even if it was quite obvious what you both wanted. I merely helped things along.



“You… made us…” I started and then added with a whisper, “horny?” Jacob gave me a smile at that and I could not resist returning one. It felt weird that we were talking to someone who was and yet wasn’t with us in the room.

Not quite, she said as her voice went up an octave. As you know now, I am a part of you, both of you. My magic flows freely between your bodies. When it flows through physical touch, it can produce quite a pleasurable experience. I simply encouraged the flow of energy whenever you two touched.



“I think that qualifies as making us horny,” Jacob chuckled. He said the last word as a whisper though so I glared at him.



Ho-o was silent for a while before she reluctantly answered, well, I suppose it does.



“So, how come we’re not feeling it anymore?” Jacob asked. He almost sounded disappointed.



You can still feel that sensation if you choose to channel magic through touch. I must warn you though that the more magic you channel, the more dangerous it is for your bodies. You must always remember that my spirit, my essence, channeled into your world cannot be contained within only one of you. If you draw magic from me into your bodies, you must eventually pour it to a shared source or else channel the magic elsewhere. You MUST not keep it contained. It will destroy you from within. Do not worry though. I will warn you if you are about to die.



“I’m glad to hear you’re looking out for us,” I quipped. I looked over at Jacob and he was looking at me almost shyly. “What?”



“I was wondering if… after last night… I mean if…”



“If what?”



“I mean,” he began again and fidgeted beneath me. Whatever it was apparently caused him discomfort and I raised an eyebrow at him. All of the sudden he burst out in a loud voice, “I mean… we had sex alright!”



I was confused by his small outburst but chuckled nonetheless. “I think I know that much, Jacob. I was there after all.”



“No. What I meant was,” he sighed loudly. “You know, nevermind.”



He didn’t say it but I somehow knew what he wanted to know by looking at his eyes. He was curious, nervous, and very worried. It seemed my talent, if that was what it was, kicked in again. “You wanted to know if we’ll ever do it again.” He looked sheepish but I couldn’t blame him. I was wondering the same thing.



“Well, yeah,” he hoped. “But you said earlier to Magister Va’aelua that it wouldn’t happen again so I thought that maybe…”



“Tell you what,” I interrupted. “Let’s make a deal. Whenever there is something on your mind, anything at all – whether it is something you want to tell me or something you want me to do – just say it. No more being shy or hiding our true feelings from one another, okay?”



Now that is a very good suggestion, Ho-o interrupted. And if I may add, it’s about time.



“Okay, this is one conversation you should not be listening to,” I admonished.



Fine, fine. I’ll just stare at the back of your heads and pretend I can’t hear every word you’re saying. I made a mental note to talk to her about that attitude later on. For a brief moment, I wondered if she could read my mental note.



When she said nothing more, I turned my attention back to Jacob who was looking at me with a smile. “What?” I asked.



“Since when did you become so bossy and in charge?”



“I’m not being bossy,” I protested.



“Seems like it,” he said. He was grinning though so I knew it wasn’t anything that turned him off. If anything, his lower garments, which I only noticed then were pressing against my own, showed it was doing the exact opposite of turning him off.



“I’m not!” I whined and he grinned at my denial. “Shut up!”



“See,” he declared. “Bossy. Rude too.”



We scuffled playfully for a while, laughing, before Jacob finally ended up on top of me leaning his head on my shoulders. I rested my cheeks against his soft, silky hair. He sniffled lightly on my chest. “I was worried that you wouldn’t want to do anything like that again with me.”



I chuckled. “You kidding? That was amazing.” I placed my hand near his cheeks and realized that he was crying. “Hey, what’s the matter?”



He faced me as fresh tear tracks made their way down his face. He quickly looked away though. “Just… just promise you won’t ever go away.”



I raised his chin and forced him to look me in the eyes. His pale blues were filled with a torrent of emotion. He seemed so confused that I couldn’t figure out what he was feeling exactly. Something about that made a chill crawl up my spine. “Jacob, what’s wrong?”



After a long minute of not answering me, he whispered, “I’m afraid.”



“Is this because of what Ho-o said? Jacob, nothing’s changed. We just know now that we’re even more special to each other, more special than any other couple in the world. I promise you that we’ll get through anything and everything together. No matter what happens, we’re in this together. I won’t ever leave you. I won’t ever let anything happen to you or myself.”



I’m not sure that’s enough, came the echo of Jacob’s voice in my head. I heard it without a doubt but I was also sure that he did not say anything aloud.



“What?” I asked Jacob.



“Huh?”



“Did you say something?” I asked.



He looked at me with a confused look. “No,” he said finally.



“I thought…” I shook my head and chuckled. “I think I’m getting tired.”



We laid down there in silence. I was pondering what I had just heard. I had no doubt I had heard Jacob say something but it didn’t just sound like his speaking voice. It sounded more like an echo as though he was speaking through a long tube, similar to how Ho-o’s voice sounded. I had no doubt though that it was his voice I heard and not hers.



I was distracted from my thoughts when Jacob laughed.



“What?” I asked with smile. His sudden change in behavior bewildered me but I was relieved for the change anyway.



“I’m glad Madame Rooste wasn’t there earlier,” he said. “Can you just imagine her face when she finds out?”



I couldn’t resist laughing before a thought made me frown. “You don’t think she’d have us kicked out, do you?”



He grinned wickedly. “If she does, we can get raunchy in her quarters and blow it apart.”



We laughed hysterically after that and I decided to hide away my worries for a later time.


* * * * * * * * * *


We must have both fallen asleep because the sun was high up in the east by the time Jacob woke me up again.



There was this annoying itch on my nose which turned out to be Jacob with a feather. He was swiping it on my nose just enough to be irritating. Where in the world he got a feather, I had no idea. But I cursed whichever bird it was plucked from.



“Come on, sleepyhead,” he said. “I’m starving.”



“Uhh, you’re always starving,” I protested. “Food is probably the only thing you ever think of. That and training.”



I expected some wiseass retort from Jacob but what came next shocked me to full wakefulness. Jacob leaned forward into bed with one leg resting in between mine. He leaned forward and placed his lips next to my ears, his breath sending tingles down my body.



“Didn’t you say I should tell you whatever was on my mind? And you’re wrong. I could think of one more thing to add to that list,” he leered and ungracefully cupped my package within his hands. He laughed as he scurried out of the room with clothes he must have prepared earlier. I presumed he was going to take a shower.



I stayed there for a few moments as I let the tingling sensations between my loins subside. I laughed to myself as a realization swept over me.



I’ve created a monster.



I headed to the shower room with my own clothes. Unlike the previous days where they would have been empty because of the early hours, there were three other students in there. One of them was washing his face in the sink. He had just a towel wrapped around his waist. The other two were seated stark naked on a bench. One was whispering something to the other. I wasn’t checking them out or anything but something about the situation sparked my curiosity. It felt like it would be rude to not look at least.



When one of them noticed that I was looking, he smiled and winked.



I made my way to one of the shower stalls, perplexed by the sudden change in their behavior. Honestly, a glare was the response I expected from them. But a wink? What was that about? I hurriedly cleansed myself. The cold water felt good on my skin. As soon as I was done, I made my way out of the shower. Jacob was drying himself by the benches. The three boys that were there earlier were nowhere in sight. I could hear water pouring from one of the other shower stalls though.



I walked towards Jacob and he had an odd look on his face.



“Is anyone else acting weird to you?” he asked.



“What? You mean like actually paying attention and stuff?” I joked.



“Actually, yeah,” he said not bothering to hide his confusion. “Earlier some other students here actually said hi and they were being nice about it. And other than you, no one else has been nice to me here.”



I studied Jacob for a moment after his pronouncement. No one else has been nice to me here. It hadn’t occurred to me that pretty much no one else in the Academy has been talking to Jacob. Ever since he arrived here, he was marked for avoidance. I pretty much got the same treatment when I first arrived in the city. Almost everyone ignored me as soon as they found out I was from the village – everyone except Marcus. That thought, I realized, did not give me much comfort.



I shrugged in response to his comment. Once again, I remembered the boy that winked at me just moments earlier. That was indeed strange. “I don’t know. I guess so. It probably has something to do with what happened last night.”



“And this morning,” came an oddly familiar voice from one of the shower areas. I heard the water stop pouring. The curtain slid sideways and a blonde haired, sun-toned boy came out naked. He was drying his hair with a towel. He then rubbed his crotch unceremoniously with his towel before finally throwing it to a nearby bench.

I recognized him from some of my classes.



“Lucas. Lucas Barstow,” he said as he raised his hand in front of me. I took it and felt a little weird shaking a naked boy’s hand. I resisted the urge of letting my eyes wander though.



“Adam,” I said just in case he didn’t know who I was. Then again, it occurred to me that everyone knew who I was although probably not for flattering reasons. “This is Jacob,” I added as I waved towards him.

They said hi to each other, although I noticed that Jacob’s greeting was harder, almost forced.



“We actually used to be in the same class,” Lucas said, “before the expulsion thing of course.”



I nodded uncertainly. “Yeah, I thought I recognized you.”



“What were you saying about this morning, Lucas?” Jacob interrupted as he stood up and almost puffed his chest out towards the other boy.



“Javier,” the blonde responded with the grin.



Jacob narrowed his eyes. “I thought you said your name was Lucas.”



Lucas laughed but something about his eyes gave me the impression that he was being condescending. “Yes it is. I mean Javier happened this morning.”



We both looked back at him, confused.



“Earlier this morning in the dining hall,” he continued, “some higher level mage students were, shall we say, poking fun at your poking yesterday. News like that spreads pretty fast in this school. Then again, I doubt that the whole city doesn’t know by now that something happened. That explosion must have been heard all the way to the Brallic Forest.



I groaned and I noticed that Jacob blushed a cherry red. I mean I never really cared much about what people thought. I was mostly a loner so people usually left me… well, alone. Being known for something like that though seemed a little uncomfortable for me. Somehow it was better if they simply ignored anything about me.



“Well anyway, some guys were saying… rude things about you two. They weren’t bothering to keep their voices down. I think they even wanted the whole student body to hear. Finally, Javier couldn’t take it anymore. He started yelling back about how amazing a person you were,” at which point he directed a lazy finger at me before continuing, “and how you were destined for greatness. He said the Seer had foretold so.”



“Do everyone’s prophecies have something to do with me?” I groaned.



“Hmm?” Lucas asked me with a curious look and a raised eyebrow.



“Nothing,” I said after I realized how egocentric that sounded.



“So, what happened next?” Jacob asked as though unhappy with my interruption.



Lucas studied me for a moment as though he knew that I was hiding something. Something in his eyes sparkled as though his doubts were just confirmed. “Well three of the people who were being loud and obnoxious came up to Javier and started telling him off and they started fighting with magic, right there in front of everyone too.”



“Three against one?” I asked. “That doesn’t sound fair at all.”



“You’re right. Man, you should have seen him. That boy must have undergone some serious combat magic training. He landed those three on their asses almost effortlessly.”



“Wait. What?” I asked.



Lucas grinned. “Yeah, you heard it correctly. Javier kicked some serious upper class butt earlier. He then shouted to everyone in the dining hall telling them not to judge a person without getting to know them. He then said that we’d find out that you were a great person if we only took the time to get to know you.”



“Wow,” Jacob whispered. “He did all that? Weren’t there teachers there to stop it?”



“Oh yeah, they were there for sure,” he said as he finally put on some underwear and pants. I realized that both Jacob and I were still wearing just towers and we both started dressing up also. “They didn’t get a chance to intervene though until Javier put the upperclassmen in their place. Things didn’t get out of hand until then. Too bad they had to suspend him though. He was fun to watch.” I got the impression that he could not have cared less if Javier got into trouble as long as he could watch more fights.



“Oh,” Jacob said and then frowned. “So is that why you’re being nice to us now. Because someone else who might kick your butt said so?”



Lucas looked almost offended before turning with a smile to Jacob. “I assure you. I am no weakling with magic. I must admit that I haven’t been the nicest person to you two but I’m not talking to you now just because Javier said so. I must admit I’m curious about you.” I noticed that he looked specifically at me when he said you as though he wasn’t the slightest bit interested in Jacob.



I continued dressing up, somewhat uncomfortable with the critical look that Lucas seemed to have as his eyes gazed towards me. As soon as I was done dressing up, Lucas spoke up again, “if you give me the chance, I’d like to get to know you guys.” He said it as if there was no pause in our conversation. “Maybe we could be friends or maybe we could return to ignoring each other but we won’t know unless we try.”



I looked over at Jacob who regarded Lucas suspiciously. Something about the way Lucas was behaving made me equally suspicious. I wasn’t sure I wanted to get to know him. Then again what he said about Javier’s outburst came to mind – not to judge a person without getting to know them.



“Alright,” I said after thinking about it a little more. Honestly, it wasn’t like me to just reject someone offering a hand of friendship. Jacob almost looked put off when I said that. “Why don’t you meet us in the Academy entrance in about five minutes and we can have lunch or something? We’ll just return our dirty clothes to the room.”



Lucas nodded with a smile. “Sounds like a good plan. Meet you in five minutes,” he said as he headed the other way.



Jacob and I returned to our rooms and after depositing our clothes headed down the hall towards the main entrance. The whole way there, students were looking at us curiously, some with smiles on their faces.



It was both gratifying and disturbing at the same time.



“I don’t trust that guy,” Jacob said after almost being quiet the whole way.



“You don’t even know the guy,” I responded. I wouldn’t admit to him that I felt the same way – at least not yet anyway.



“He suddenly talks to us after ignoring us the whole time we’re here? Just because everyone else seems to find something interesting with us after last night?”



“Yeah, it feels weird to be suddenly under the public’s eye, doesn’t it?” I told Jacob as we reached the main entrance. Jacob recognized the not so subtle attempt to segue to another topic. It looked like he was about to protest but after awhile just nodded. I looked around for Lucas but he wasn’t there yet.



“I bet the part about the Seer saying you were destined for greatness helped a lot,” Jacob said. I was not too sure but I thought I noticed a little irritation reflected in his tone.



“It just feels strange,” I added, glad that he wasn’t going to go off about Lucas again without giving the other boy a chance. Then again, I was still asking myself why I was giving Lucas that chance. I guess it was mostly curiosity on my part. “It’s like people know things about me that even I don’t know.”



Before Jacob could respond, Lucas had finally joined us.



“Ready?” he asked.



“Where do you want to go?” Jacob asked him, calmer than I would have expected.



“Come on. I know a really nice restaurant we can eat at where they serve the best bacon potato balls in the seven cities.”



“Sounds good,” I said, although I had no idea what bacon potato balls were. Somehow, a potato wrapped in oily bacon came to mind.



We made our way past the mage community and headed down a rather posh looking street full of expensive looking restaurants. I looked over at Lucas. He was wearing a button down shirt and dark expensive looking pants. I felt out of place in my shirt and linen pants.

Finally, we stopped in front of a restaurant with large elaborate designs outside that said “CIBO’S”.



“Uhm, Lucas,” I said. “I don’t mean to burst your bubble but I don’t think Jacob and I can afford to eat in a place like this.”



Lucas smiled. “Don’t worry. My dad owns the place. It’s always on the house for me and my friends.” He then started walking towards the restaurant.



Jacob turned to me and mouthed the word “friends” as a question.



I shrugged and we followed him into the restaurant.



There were only a few people inside but judging from their postures and clothes, I guessed they were very wealthy people, in all likelihood all part of the mage aristocracy. Lucas led us to a table near the bar at the back. The bar looked nothing like the one in the Ice Queen’s Taverna. Instead of questionable looking containers, this bar was lined from corner to corner with wine bottles. I began to wonder how Lucas would react if he found out that we frequented The Ice Queen’s Taverna.



He said he had to talk to his dad for a moment and that he would be back almost immediately. He told us to make ourselves comfortable. As soon as he left, I took a look around at our unfamiliar surroundings.



It was definitely a place for the wealthy and I certainly felt out of place. I looked at Jacob who seemed almost nervous. I gave him a nudge and titled my head towards our table. After a moment’s hesitation, he took a seat. Our table had a classy looking table arrangement. Several long-stemmed candles came to life as soon as we sat on the table. The burning lamps around us dimmed on their own as the candles gained strength. The clear windows around us seemed to thicken and darken with magic as the glass prevented the harsh sunlight from getting through. It gave the place a more calming feel. It would have been romantic for me if I wasn’t so nervous.



A server hovered to our table. He floated towards us with such grace that I looked at his shoes wondering if he was somehow really hovering. He wasn’t though so I was probably just imagining things. He had such a fixed posture that I wondered if his back was permanently straightened. His eyes wandered over our clothes as he scrunched his nose. He had menus clutched in his arms but seemed to be struggling with himself whether or not he should hand them. He had a look in his eyes that suggested we were there to steal his precious menus. I began to wonder if being here was a good idea. “What would you like to have?” he asked without giving either us of a menu.



I looked over at Jacob who simply shrugged at me. “I don’t know really. Maybe some of those potato balls?”



The server raised an eyebrow at me, as though my response was the confirmation for his worst fears. He responded almost with disdain as he enunciated each syllable, “po-ta-to balls?”



“Bachon Boules,” I heard Lucas say as he walked towards us, at least that’s what I think he said. The waiter looked over at Lucas and seemed to straighten his back even more as if that was possible. The waiter bowed his head slightly, bending forward from the waist as he pulled out a chair for Lucas.



“Master Lucas,” the server said. “I did not realize these were your… guests.” I had the distinct impression that he had a different word in mind.



“These are my friends from the Academy,” Lucas said out loud, almost as if he was declaring it to the whole restaurant. Unless I was mistaken, a few heads around the restaurant turned towards our direction as though to check us out.



The server simply nodded as his stony eyes once again landed on me. “Chicken or beef?” he asked. Now that was something I understood. He nodded as we made our choices before turning to Lucas. Lucas responded with the name of some odd sounding dishes. I wondered if everything on the menu was in an entirely different language.



The air seemed less tense after the server left. We had casual conversations while we waited for the food to arrive. Lucas was rather surprised when he found out that I was an Aerophalanx recruit. He seemed less enthusiastic when the conversations lead to topics about Jacob. He seemed intent and interested on discussing me and I began to wonder if my initial impressions of him were incorrect.



When the food finally arrived, I felt like I died and went to heaven. The dish placed in front of me had the most divinely cut and prepared chicken on it. It was stuffed by what looked like different vegetables and minced chicken and the skin was cooked to a golden brown. Thick and creamy syrup was poured lightly over the skin. On the side were two large potato balls, or whatever Lucas had called them. Finely chopped and grilled bacon bits peppered it like breading. When I sliced through it, the sweetest smelling cheese poured out.



It didn’t take long before the entire dish was clean.



“I see you enjoyed it as much as I expected you to,” Lucas said. His eyes then darted behind me as he smiled. “Aah, father.”



I turned and watched a large slender man with long white hair approach us. It was combed to the back with precision as though he had spent hours getting it that way. He was dressed in a fine silk shirt and a gold button down coat. It was far too warm for that kind of clothing and I figured it was for show.



“Luziuz, are zees your frenz?” He asked in an unusual accent that sounded like it was built for the names of their dishes.



“This is the boy I told you about,” Lucas said as he waved a hand towards me. “Adam Lowry, meet my father, Dominic Barstow.”



“A ple-zure to meet you at lazz,” Lucas’ dad said as though he had been dying to meet me for the longest time. Somewhere in all this, Jacob’s introductions were forgotten.



“It’s good to meet you too, sir,” I replied.



“I truzt that you found the meal mowzt enzoyable,” he asked me.



“It was delicious, sir,” I said.



“Good,” he replied, “we like to zake care of our frenz here in the zity. It never hurzt to have frenz, you know, ezpecially the influenzial kind.” He laughed loudly as though what he said was the funniest thing in the world. Lucas laughed with him. Jacob and I just looked lost.



Lucas’ dad kept talking as he loomed over us about all the important people he knew around the city and how he met them often or did favors for them (or vice versa). He was explaining the “advantages” of being friends with him. He made it sounds as if every person in the council was there only because of him. After about thirty second, I knew he was full of it, a conclusion I realized I rarely ever thought of others.



I wanted to try using my talent or gift. Ever since the night before, it felt like something inside me stirred each time I was in a situation where it would be of good use. I wondered if Ho-o was doing it. I wanted to ask her about it but opted not to have a conversation with a voice in my head in that moment. I might accidentally blurt something out loud and people would think I was crazy. That situation felt like a good… no, the right time to use it.



I gazed into the eyes of Lucas’ father and tried to see what was going on in his mind. As our eyes met, I could see, almost feel, what was going through his mind. There was greed there, a lot of it. There was a hunger for power and influence tainted by selfish motives. I looked towards Lucas. I stared at his eyes and saw something remarkably similar though perhaps less jaded.



I frowned and closed my eyes. Why hadn’t I seen it earlier? I should have known that Lucas had ulterior motives in bringing me there. I should have known when Jacob asked him why he was speaking to us. Certainly, he had no intentions to become my friend, at least with the truest sense and meaning of the word friendship. I said I was curious but I was beginning to wonder if that was really true. Maybe I was just blinded by the sudden change in his behavior towards me. Maybe… I even liked it just for a bit.



“Are you alright, Adam?” Lucas asked. I looked into his eyes and saw false sincerity.



“Excuse me,” I said as I stood up suddenly. There was confidence in me that I was certain should not have been there. A few months ago, I would have cowered in my seat listening to whatever they were saying. Not anymore though. Something was different.



My movement surprised everyone around the table. “Iz zomething wrong?”



“Thank you for the meal,” I said making sure my voice sounded stiff. “But Jacob and I should really get going. We both have a busy day tomorrow.”



“But you haven’t had dezzert yet!” Dominic Barstow declared, as though he was unaccustomed to people leaving while he was talking.



“That won’t be necessary, sir. Thank you. Come on, Jacob. Let’s go.” I said as I turned towards the door before anyone else could protest.



Soon, I was outside the restaurant walking back towards the castle with Jacob at my side. He was awfully quiet and I had a sneaking suspicion that I knew exactly what it was about. It almost felt like he was itching to say “I told you so.”



People around us were staring and looking. Somehow I knew a lot of them were only paying attention because of what happened the night before or maybe what Javier had said – “destined for greatness.”



I heaved a fake sigh. “When are these people going to realize that I don’t need anyone else but you?”



A tiny smile escaped Jacob’s lips as we walked back to our room, away from prying eyes.



Sleep though was the last thing on our minds.