As Lanni finished her evening chores, she couldn’t stop thinking about Jahree. Earlier, she and Samar talked about sparring with him. Jahree’s ability to resist magic caught her interest. She thought it would be a good idea to have a deeper conversation with him about it. Jahree was a mysterious guy, a mix of contradictions. While he spoke like he had a dragon background, the way he leered at her when he thought she wasn’t looking wasn’t very dragons-like. Other people in the group saw him as a troublemaker, but Lanni noticed that he was polite, aside from sneaking in a few unnoticed looks. Most people overlooked those little things. In a fight, Jahree was really good. When he sparred with Samar, who was a skilled honor guard, Jahree showed some serious skills. But despite his fighting abilities, he came off as quiet and almost submissive, more like a beaten-down pup than a confident warrior. Maybe she should contact Sai and Tey. If he was one of theirs, it would explain a lot. But both dragons respected their foster children’s privacy. They wouldn’t tell her any-thing if she hadn’t talked to him first unless it was an emergency. The rest of the group was a bunch of misfits in a sense. Captain Trema was known for his unusual way of leading, which sometimes confused his subordinates. Tellic was a troll and wasn’t a citizen. Marn was known for being brash and not respectful, especially to women, which the others in the group had to deal with. Shan wasn’t fully human but he wasn’t of one of the local races. Loka had healed him she could tell her more if she was willing. Jahan had once been a noble but was no longer one. Zannal was deaf, which was surprising considering the advances the healers were making, but he used magic charms in the form of earrings to help him hear. Perhaps Loka might help him when Cari or Midta came for a visit. Tilla would be best, but she didn’t visit. And then there was Jahree, full of mystery and with a story that needed to be fig-ured out. Lanni was determined to see how all these different characters would come to-gether as a team. Despite their quirks, each of them had proved themselves as good sol-diers. She was planning on keeping a close eye on how Jahree fit in with the group. As Lanni contemplated the dynamic within this unusual group, she couldn’t sup-press a smile at the thought. Indeed, if she had been honest with herself, some of her in-terest in Jahree’s case might have crossed the boundary of her official responsibilities. Sifa entered the kitchen to find Lanni wearing an unmistakable grin, which sparked her curiosity immediately. “What are you grinning about?” she inquired, her voice tinged with a mix of amusement and suspicion. Lanni’s smile didn’t falter as she looked up from what she was doing. “What are you still doing here?” she asked in return, deflecting the question with one of her own. “I’ve been covering for you while you were out, presumably rolling around with Jahree,” Sifa replied, her frown creeping in. She couldn’t hide her disapproval; she had always been wary of Lanni training with the soldiers, fearing it was too dangerous. “I wasn’t sparring with Jahree. He was occupied with Samar. Actually, I was paired with Tellic today,” Lanni corrected her, referring to the training session she had just returned from. Sifa’s expression shifted to one of shock. “The troll? You’re half his size. You barely come up to his waist,” she exclaimed, worried about the stark difference in their statures and the potential risk that posed to Lanni. Lanni just chuckled at that. “I know. And suffice to say, he’s not going to be thinking about women for a while,” she said with a wry twist of her lips. Sifa’s eyes widened in realization. “You didn’t.” A reluctant smile tugged at her lips despite her initial disapproval. “Of course, I did. Do you think if we’re attacked, the enemy is going to aim only above the waist? Why else do you think the armor includes a codpiece?” Lanni pointed out pragmatically. Sifa considered this, her smile fading as she reluctantly conceded, “I guess you have a point. When you’re fighting for your life, anything goes.” The conversation then drifted to future training sessions. “So will you be sparring with Marn or Jahree next?” Sifa asked, trying to anticipate her friend’s upcoming training partners. “I’m not sure. I’ll be paired with whomever they choose. Actually, it’s not sparring I’d like to do with Jahree,” Lanni mused aloud, the grin returning to her lips. “Lanni! You can’t be serious,” Sifa gasped, her expression a mixture of shock and light-hearted reprimand. Lanni looked puzzled at first, but then her eyes widened, and a pink blush painted her pale cheeks. “I didn’t mean that! Jahree is magic-resistant. I’m curious about that,” she quickly clarified, her interest purely academic. Sifa just rolled her eyes in response, her skepticism clear. “Oh, magic,” she said, her tone flat, not entirely convinced that was all that Lanni was curious about. “Would it be better if I meant the other one? I mean, he’s polite, well-dressed, and he’s clearly shown interest,” Lanni mused with a slight smile. “Lanni, you wouldn’t. It’s not like you to do that. You’ve hardly given a second glance to any of the men that come through,” her friend Sifa pointed out with an eyebrow raised. “My overprotective uncle was their captain. Those men wouldn’t dare treat me with anything less than the utmost respect for fear of his wrath. They practically put me on a pedestal,” Lanni replied with a chuckle. “I’m not suggesting I’d want to sleep with him, of course, just considering spending a bit of time together. Jahree does seem like a decent person.” “But then why don’t the others look favorably upon him?” Sifa asked, her curiosi-ty peaked. “They need a scapegoat, someone to feel superior to. It’s the same reason why a lot of people disliked me at first. Think about it, Sifa, if we had been acquainted since childhood, it’s highly unlikely you would have even spared me a conversation,” Lanni countered, her voice tinged with the weight of her assertion. “That’s not true. I had friends from all walks of life,” Sifa retorted with a sense of pride. “Remember how I met Lamin? Not all of my friends were well-off.” Lanni brushed off the subtle condescension in Sifa’s words, understanding that her friend didn’t mean to be rude, just straightforward. “Actually, I wasn’t poor,” Lanni confessed, checking to make sure no one else was listening. “I grew up in the Sen-gan palace. And not as a servant. The nobles there never accepted me. I looked different, I was an orphan – an outsider in their fancy world. Their kids didn’t like me either. Honestly, if you were there, you might’ve joined in,” Lanni admitted with a gulp. “I wouldn’t have,” Sifa insisted, her tone sincere and firm. “Maybe. But let’s not worry about that,” Lanni said with a forgiving smile. “The point is, that was a long time ago. I’ve made peace with it. Since then, I’ve found friends, including you. And now, I’m thinking Jahree could become part of my close circle, along with, I guess, Tellic.” “Do you think you can handle Tellic? No more panic attacks?” Sifa asked, looking concerned, searching for any sign of hesitation. “I did fine sparring today,” Lanni’s voice was confident. “It’s not like I haven’t seen trolls before. But it was different being up close with one, and he looks like the one who once captured me, like maybe they were related,” she admitted, remembering the experience. “Okay. Just be careful,” Sifa advised, not completely convinced but understand-ing Lanni’s desire to face her fears. “I need to get home. Lamin’s going to worry if I’m late,” she added urgently. “It’s getting dark. You shouldn’t be out alone,” Lanni warned, her protective in-stincts kicking in. “If I linger too long, he’ll call the city guard,” Sifa explained, emphasizing the need for her prompt departure. “Do you trust me?” Lanni asked suddenly, a serious undertone to her voice as she considered an alternative to Sifa’s solitary walk through the darkening streets. “Of course. What kind of question is that?” Sifa responded, slightly taken aback by the question. She saw a resolve in Lanni’s eyes that piqued her curiosity. “Then give me your hand.” Lanni extended her hand, palm upward. Sifa hesitated for just a moment before clasping Lanni’s hand with her own. In an instant, there was a brilliant flash of light, and Sifa vanished from sight, whisked safely back to her home through Lanni’s adept use of teleportation magic. Lanni, alone now, cast a quick scrying spell to ensure her magic had precisely de-livered Sifa to her intended destination. The spell revealed an image of Sifa, safe at home but visibly irked by the unexpected use of magic. Lanni winced knowing she’d receive an earful about the liberties she had taken with the spell come the next morning. Despite the impending scolding, a small smirk played on her lips; she had ensured her friend’s safety, and that was all that truly mattered. #fantasy, #magic, #dragons, #hiddenlands