Spirit Wars Saga: Echo Mage

Chapter 9

The next morning, Rygic awoke to find himself alone once more. It seemed that Quart was an early riser. He changed into the linen tunic and pants Skoshi had lent him and was pleasantly surprised to see that the clothes fit him well. He was also relieved to have spare clothing as he did not relish the thought of having to wash his clothes every night.

As he walked down the stairs, he was surprised to see Dreck was already sitting with Quart. Navigating through the busy dining hall, he swiftly approached their table. The scene before him confirmed Yaz's earlier observation about most testers returning home the day after the assessments. The room was bustling with activity, and the majority of individuals present were dressed for travel with their bags neatly positioned beside their seats.

"Good morning," said Rygic as he took his seat at the table.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" asked Dreck. He gingerly placed a full pitcher of Earthroot tea in front of Rygic.

"I did, thanks," answered Rygic as he helped himself to a steaming cup of tea.

"I am glad someone did," muttered Quart. He had dark bags under his bloodshot eyes. It appeared he had stayed up all night. "It took me forever to go to sleep last night. All I could think about was how our first day at the academy would go." He then sluggishly took a long drink from his cup, willing the tea to work faster. "Thank the spirits for Earthroot tea."

Seeing Rygic had joined the table, Yaz walked up to take his order. "Morning Rygic. What would you like for breakfast?" she asked.

Rygic glanced at the plates in front of Dreck and Quart. Quart was having the same breakfast as the day before while Dreck was eating some dish made with light grey gravy. "I think I'll go with what Dreck's having this time around," he answered.

"Good choice! That is one of my personal favorites. I'll be right back with your food," said Yaz before quickly heading to the kitchen. The conversations mostly centered around what to expect on their first day at the academy with the occasional groan coming from Quart. It wasn't long before Yaz returned with Rygic's breakfast. "Here's your gravy on toast. Enjoy," she announced as she placed the plate in front of Rygic. She then hurried over to another table. Quart peered over his mug in a sleepy haze as he watched Yaz swiftly move from table to table before he continued to mutter a few words regarding his need for her energy.

Rygic looked down at this plate. He felt a bit disappointed with the simplicity of the dish. Hopefully this will taste better than it looks, he thought. With a careful slice of his knife, Rygic separated a small portion of the meal. Much to his delight, the cut revealed a generous slice of thick toast and enticing morsels of meat concealed within the savory gravy. Not wanting to appear rude by continuing to inspect it, he promptly put the forkful into his mouth and was immediately met with a wave of flavor. A smile formed on his face as he savored the bite. His initial doubts were easily obliterated by the expert seasoning that elevated the humble-looking dish.

"That looks good," Skoshi quietly said. Rygic nearly dropped his fork, surprised by Skoshi's sudden appearance. He was so focused on his food that he wasn't paying attention to anything else. A look of amusement was plastered on Skoshi's face. Rygic had a feeling Skoshi had meant to sneak up on him. Quart and Dreck both wore playful grins. It seemed they had watched Skoshi approach and purposely didn't say anything. Setting down a rather full travel pack, Skoshi took a seat at the table. He caught Yaz's attention and pointed at Rygic's plate. With a nod of understanding, Yaz quickly headed for the kitchen, and in no time, she reappeared with a steaming plate of gravy on toast for Skoshi before attending to the needs of other guests.

"What's in the pack?" Rygic asked casually. He intended to conceal the fact that Skoshi had surprised him, not wanting to give any of them the satisfaction of catching him off guard.