Chapter 25

I immediately felt better as soon as we entered Scarabia. It was a little dry for my liking, but the heat was definitely welcome. "So, this is Scarabia Dorm," said Grim. "It really is sweltering like it's summer over here!"

"I'm sure it's a welcome reprieve from the cold," said Jamil. "Come, this way." He led us to the dorm building, which looked like some sort of palace out the Middle East in my world. Once inside, the lounge gave me the same vibe. A bunch of students were gathered around, and Jamil clapped to get their attention. "Boys, we have guests! Play some music to make them feel at home."

"Myah hah hah!" said Grim. "When you get as famous as us, I guess people fall all over themselves to get in your good graces."

"Please, go on. Eat up while it's hot."

"Don't mind if I do!" Grim sauntered over to the soup and grabbed a bowl. Shrugging, I did the same. "Mmm, this's good stuff! It's got a rich flavor, with a powerful kick of heat..."

"Yeah, it's pretty nice," I said.

Grim proceeded to grab more of the food laid out like a buffet. "This veggie stir-fry with crunchy nuts is great. Oh, and so are these fried dough ball things!"

"We have meat dishes and soup as well," said Jamil. "Please, help yourselves; there's more where that came from."

"Nom... Nom nom... Y'know, with a veritable buffet like this in front of us, this really IS paradise!"

"I wonder why they're being so nice," I muttered under my breath. Still, I helped myself to the food. It was free, after all. I could deal with the consequences later.

"What is all this commotion?" said a familiar looking boy.

"H-Housewarden!" the students stammered.

Jamil turned to face him. "Ah. Kalim."

"What's going on, Jamil?" said Kalim, crossing his arms and frowning. "Nobody told me to expect company!"

Jamil appeared slightly uneasy. "Kalim, there's a good reason for this, I assure you."

"Uh, this guy seems like bad news..." said Grim.

"He's not like how I remember him," I said.

"How many times must I tell you to always inform me ahead of time when inviting guests?!" said Kalim. "If you had..." His face suddenly broke out into a huge grin. "...I would have arranged for an even finer banquet and a whole band!"

I smiled slightly. "Yeah, that's how I remember him."

"Huh?" said Grim.

Kalim moved closer to us. "Hiya! Welcome to our dorm. Sorry for not throwing you a welcoming parade! I'm Kalim Al-Asim, housewarden of Scarabia. This is the first time we've met, right?"

"It's not, actually," said Jamil. "Grim burned your posterior at orientation, and you spoke with them before the Spelldrive tournament as well."

Kalim blinked. "Oh, really? Aha ha, sorry! I've always been terrible with faces. I hope you won't take any offense. Regardless, it's nice to meet you all over again!"

"Yes, it's nice to meet you too," I said.

"All the food looks incredible, as always. How did everything turn out, Jamil?"

"Splendidly as ever," said Jamil. "There are no dangerous substances in any of these dishes, so eat whatever you like. They've also been poison-tested already."

"Wh-why is THAT relevant?!" Grim said.

"Kalim is the heir to a very wealthy family. The unfortunate dangers related to that mean that everything he eats must be vetted."

"You just love blowing these things out of proportion, Jamil," said Kalim. "Really, who would do that? Nobody's tried poisoning me since that time four years ago when I went comatose for two weeks. It's a thing of the past now."

"Four years ago?" I exclaimed.

"Yes," said Jamil, "because you've had someone to specifically prevent that from happening for the past four years. I ensure that anything hazardous is identified and disposed of before it crosses your plate."

"Wait a minute," said Grim. "When you were feedin' me all those different dishes, was that to test 'em for poison?!"

Kalim laughed. "There's no real danger for you, don't worry. All the food Jamil makes is safe. Jamil would never poison my food."

"Heh. Must you state the obvious?" Jamil said with a small smirk.

Grim crossed his arms. "Y'know, I'm startin' to think these guys were only pretendin' to be nice."

"Ooh, Grim!" Kalim said excitedly. "Have you tried the goat's milk blue cheese yet? Nothing beats a smear of it on a cracker!" He grabbed the cheese and placed it on a cracker before shoving it in Grim's mouth.

"Huh? Why would I eat somethin' with mold all over—Mmph! Don't go shovin' food in my—mmph!"

"Oh, good, you like it! By all means, have some more! Aha ha!" Kalim stuffed another cracker into Grim's mouth.

"Mmmph! Awmmph!"

"Bring out more food and drinks. And kick the music up a notch or three! Today, we party!"

I smiled. "Sounds good to me." Grim and I proceeded to sample all of the food. I also chatted with Kalim for a bit. He was a pretty friendly guy. After awhile, the party died down.

"I can't eat another bite..." Grim groaned. "Urgh... My tummy's gonna burst. Where does that Kalim guy get off, crammin' crackers with moldy cheese in my mouth? I make it a personal policy to eat any food I get, but that was just too much!"

"Hey, you two!" said Kalim. "Care for dessert? We've got ice cream. Or would you prefer a selection of fruits? We've also got baked sweets with pistachios and almonds. I could have Jamil bring you some."

"Mrah! N-nope, I'm square! Can't eat another bite!"

"Aww. They're all so good, I would've loved to share some with you. Oh well. We'll be here over the whole winter break. You're welcome to drop by for a meal whenever you like. Right, Jamil?"

"Absolutely," said Jamil. "Anytime."

"Why aren't you going home?" I asked.

"Hm?" said Kalim, his smile faltering. "Oh... Well, you know how we had that Spelldrive tournament and then our exams? Well, our dorm placed at the bottom in both. So, I decided to do something about it. Our whole dorm is doing voluntary special training."

"I woulda taken last place over what Ramshackle Dorm got in the Spelldrive tournament brackets: a fat lotta nothin'," Grim complained.

"Oh, right. Yes, that's a real shame."

"On our winter break, we'll be spending six hours a day on studies and practical magic training," said Jamil.

"Six hours a day?" said Grim. "That ain't any different from regular school hours! 'Holidays are for resting. Homework can wait until after break.' That's what Leona says."

"Yes, I'm sure he does."

Kalim appeared thoughtful. "Hmmm. When you put it that way, you do have a point. My dad DID always drill the whole 'work hard, play hard, and know when to do which' thing into my head. Maybe Leona's right, and we should focus more on striking the right balance between the two." He grinned. "All right! I've decided, Jamil. We should take our breaks when we can get them. I'll let our students go home tomorrow."

"What?!" said Jamil.

"I'll tell them over dinner tonight." Kalim turned to Jamil. "Do me a favor and make sure everybody shows up, okay?"

"R-right. Of course."

I looked at Jamil curiously. What was with that reaction? Back at the cafeteria, I got the impression that he and the other Scarabian students were annoyed at Kalim for making them stay at school. Shouldn't he be happy? Very odd... Kalim grabbing my arm broke me from my thoughts.

"Say, Ona," he said. "I should give you two the grand Scarabia tour. I'd love to show you a few things."

"Kalim, please!" said Jamil. "You'll be setting a bad example if you task the students with studying and then goof off yourself."

"But it's not every day we get guests. Surely one day of slacking can't hurt."

Jamil gave him a look. "...Kalim."

"Erk... Okay, fine. Don't get mad. I'll do some defense magic training, then. A mock battle would make for a nice after-meal workout." Kalim looked around at the students. "Hey, could someone fight me?!"

"Yes, Housewarden!" said several students.

I watched the mock battle with interest. Kalim was not the most talented mage I had ever seen, but he did handle the students fairly well. And he looked like he was having a good time. "Okay, training done!" he said after he won. "Now let's be off!"

"Wait, you've got other work to—" Jamil started to say, but Kalim had already grabbed my arm and pulled me away. Grim ran to keep up with us. We reached the hallway, which was large and ornately decorated.

"Maaan, this place is FAN-CY!" Grim said. "Nothin' at all like Ramshackle Dorm."

"You can say that again," I said.

"Is it really that impressive to you?" said Kalim. "I know that back when I enrolled, Dad said he donated a bit to the school to give the place a fresh coat of paint, but..."

"Geez, how rich are you?!" said Grim. "Are you some kinda prince like Leona?"

"The Asims aren't royalty, and I'm not a prince. I've got some relatives in the royal family, though."

"Wait, Asim? I thought your name was Al-Asim."

"'Al' means 'son' in the ancient language of the Land of the Scalding Sands. So, we name families after the founders that start them. And all the men of that time refer to themselves as the founder's son. In my case, Asim is our honored founder's name, and 'Al' means son... So, Kalim Al-Asim means Kalim, Son of House Asim."

"Interesting," I said.

"Huh, I never thought much about where names come from," said Grim. "Fascinatin'."

"I hope that wasn't too in-depth for you?" Kalim said with a hint of worry. "Anyway, feel free to just call me Kalim."

I looked around at the various students as we toured the dorm. "This place really is a melting pot of students from all over."

"You should pay the Land of the Scalding Sands a visit sometime! I'd be happy to have you as guest."

I smiled. "That sounds like fun."

"I bet you live in some kinda fancy mansion that's halfway to bein' a castle," said Grim.

"Oh, hardly," said Kalim. "We only have around a hundred helpers."

"'Only?' In what world does that deserver only?!' I've only got one hench-human, myself..."

"Well, we're a big family. I have over 30 siblings. We need at least that many people to look after them all."

Grim stared at him with wide eyes. "Sorry, you have THAT many siblings?!"

"Yeah, it may be over 40, but I quit counting after 30. I do remember all of their names and faces, though. Aha ha!"

I whistled. "I've heard of big families, but that's taking it to an extreme."

"No kidding," said Grim. "You guys do everything on a whole other level..."

"Jamil's mom and dad are among our servants," said Kalim. "So, Jamil's always around and looked after me ever since he was a young boy. And he is seriously amazing, believe me. He's smart, thoughtful, and most of all, he's a great cook!"

"The proof of that last one's in the puddin', for sure."

"You see? You should stay over for dinner tonight! Come on!" Kalim ran off ahead, grinning.

"Uh, sure..." Grim shook his head. "Yeesh, talkin' with this guy throws me off."

"You don't find people this nice at our school every day," I said.

"Hey, you two!" Kalim called from down the hall. "What are you hanging back and whispering for? Come on, this way." Grim and I jogged to meet him. He led us into a room filled with gold and jewels. I gasped as I took it all in.

"Sweet mother of loot!" said Grim. "What IS this place? It's got piles of treasure taller than I am!"

"This is all stuff Dad sent with me when I departed for school," said Kalim. "I couldn't possibly fit it in my dorm room, so it's all kept here in the storeroom."

"Wow, you really are rich," I said.

"This ain't a storeroom!" said Grim. "This's a whole treasury!"

Kalim chuckled. "Ooh, you know some big words, Grim. very impressive! My favorite out of all these treasures is, of course... Huh." He looked around with a small frown. "Where'd it go? Sometimes it moves around on its own." He began walking around the room. "Hey, where are you?"

"Wooow..." Grim rummaged around in the treasure. "Huge gemstones just scattered on the floor, shiny golden goblets... With this much stuff, surely no one would notice if one little thing went missing... Myeh heh heh..."

"Grim..." I said.

"Ona, I'm kinda busy!"

I crossed my arms. "Fine."

"Yeesh, whaddaya want? I'm tryin' to—GYAAAH!" Grim jumped back in fright. "Th-the carpet's movin' all on its own! It's been possessed by a ghost!"

"Ah, there you are!" Kalim said brightly. "Go back over and curl up in your usual spot, would you?" The carpet near Grim flew around.

"What in the world is this?!"

"This is a legendary treasure from Scalding Sands lore—a magic carpet! The sultan that the Sorcerer of the Sands served used to love his flying carpet. This one's a replica of it. It's been in our family for generations." The carpet nodded.

"So cool," I said.

"You mean that carpet flies around like a broom?" said Grim.

"More or less," said Kalim. "That's probably the easiest way to put it. It's getting dark, so why don't we go out for an evening ride in style? Come along, all aboard!"

"Really? Are you sure I won't fall off that thing?"

Kalim climbed onto the carpet. "It's totally safe! Trust me." He held out his hand to me. I smiled before taking his hand and allowing him to pull me onto the carpet beside him. Then I reached down and pulled Grim up with me. "And away we go!" We flew through a window Kalim opened with magic and flew up high in the sky until we were amidst the clouds.

"Aaaah!" Grim cried. "We're really flyin'! This is crazy high up!" He looked over the side of the carpet. "Look how teeny the dorm looks from up here."

"How do you like the world above the clouds?"

"It's like a whole new world, or something," I said. It was nothing like riding a broom. Of course, my experience riding a broom was not the typical one. I had to share a broom with Grim, who powered it with magic while I steered. We still had not gotten it down. This, by contrast, was amazing.

"Aha ha! That good, huh?"

"This totally rules!" Grim cheered.

"There's nothing quite like soaring through the sky. It shows you how little all your troubles really matter in the grand scheme of things. Of course, Jamil always says I don't worry enough about things as it is... It wouldn't hurt him to take life a little easier."

"You've got a point," I said. "It could probably do him some good."

"Mrow!" said Grim. "Check out that river over there! I ain't never seen a bird like that before!"

"Ooh, good eye," said Kalim. "Let's go take a closer look!"

We swooped down and flew along the river. The bird flew away as soon as we approached, but I got to take in its beautiful colors. I did not know the school could bring in different types of wildlife to the dorms. Kalim showed us around everywhere, and I found it fascinating. Eventually, though, we had to go back inside and return the carpet to the storeroom.

"Man, that was a BLAST!" Grim said as we walked out into the hall.

"Yeah, seriously!" I said.

Kalim grinned. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Goodness, though—it's already dinnertime."

"Kalim!" Jamil said, blocking our path. "You're finally back. I'd like to review something before dinner. Could you join me for a moment?"

"Sure thing. Ona, you and Grim can just make yourselves comfortable in the lounge."

"Alright," I said. Grim and I headed into the lounge, where the Scarabian students were already starting to gather.

"Ramshackle Dorm gets a cold breeze blowin' in through cracks in the walls," said Grim. "Compared to that, this place is paradise. And Kalim's a real pal. I oughta join Scarabia!"

"Yeah, I like him too. He seems like a lot of fun."

"Is everyone present?" said Jamil as he entered with Kalim. There was something unsettling about his expression. "The housewarden has an announcement for you before we eat."

"Oh yeah, Kalim was talkin' about that," said Grim. "He's callin' off the special training and lettin' Scarabia have their winter break."

"Right," I said, "because he realized it's good sense."

"I bet the students will be overjoyed. Too bad I can't keep feasting here over the holidays, though!"

"I decreed that the students of Scarabia would stay in the dorm over winter break for a voluntary six hours of daily studying, if you recall," said Kalim. There was something off about him, but I could not place it. "But I've realized something. That's nowhere NEAR enough!"

"Huh?!" everyone exclaimed.

"Kalim?" Jamil said carefully. There was something off about him too. "I thought you were going to send the students home."

"That's practically the complete opposite of what you said before!" Grim shouted.

"A mere six hours a day won't be anywhere near enough to close the gap between our dorm and the others," said Kalim. "We must work twice—no, FIVE times as hard as the others to drag ourselves out from dead last in grades! Starting tomorrow, I'm tasking all of you with five hours of study time and four hours of practical training each day."

"You're giving 'em NINE HOURS of training a day?!"

"There will be a defense magic training drill after dinner. Eat up and ready yourselves!"

"Y-yes, sir!" said the students.

"Ona, Grim—since you two are visiting, your participation is mandatory! Is that clear?!"

"Whaaa?!" said Grim. "Why do we hafta join in?"

"Okay, this is getting weird," I said. Something was definitely wrong. Why did I always find myself in the middle of trouble? Sighing, I went over to Jamil to remind him that I did not have any magic and so could not properly participate in defensive magic training drills. Thankfully, he allowed me to stand off to the side and instruct Grim. I did feel bad for my little buddy though.

"That will be all for today," Kalim said after an intense training session. "Tomorrow morning, we march to the eastern oasis, where I will put you through your paces!"

"My arms and legs feel like noodles..." groaned a Scarabian student.

"Water... Need water..." said another.

"And we have another day of melting in the desert heat ahead of us tomorrow," said a third. "Uuugh."

"What's come over the housewarden?" said the first student. "He never used to be like this."

"Finally, it's over," Grim said, panting. "He was all smiles and sunshine before. What's the deal with the sudden one-eighty?"

"I imagine when we placed last in the Spelldrive interdorms, and then Scarabia collectively scored at the bottom of exams..." Jamil said, walking up to us. "He must have felt personally responsible. He's had terrible mood swings ever since."

"That ain't a mood swing. It's like he's a totally different person!"

"Just what I was thinking," I said. "Floyd has mood swings, but they're nothing like this."

"A different cause may produce different symptoms," said Jamil. "I've known Kalim a long time, but that volatile temper has left me stumped as to how to approach him. He'll say one thing, then do something else the next minute. The way he goes on these power trips without warning is out of control. The whole dorm used to look up to our housewarden, but this odd behavior has us all scratching our heads. He's been making unreasonable demands, as you just saw... I fear it's only a matter of time before the students reach the end of their rope. I've done what I can to smooth things over, but this has gone beyond my ability to handle alone."

"Yeesh," said Grim. "Between you and Trey over in Heartslabyul, you vice housewardens have it rough."

"Something is definitely going on," I said. I remembered Jamil's surprise when Kalim said he would send the students home. While he seemed completely sincere now, I had been at this school long enough to know not to trust outside appearances.

"Ah!" said Jamil. "Of course. You two are diamonds in the rough!"

"Huh?" said Grim. "What're you talkin' about?"

"Heartslabyul, Savanaclaw, and even Octavinelle... Rumor has it that you two are outstanding students who have solved problems with multiple other dorms."

"Heh heh, we sure have. Be grateful, peons, for the omnipotent sorcerer Grim walks among you!"

"I bow before you, sir. Please, I must ask: could you find it in your heart to help Scarabia as well?"

Grim's eyes widened. "Uhhh..."

"Our chance encounter in the cafeteria must have been guided by the hand of fate. Surely you two can find us a solution using your sparkling intellect!"

"Yeaaah, I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. Sure I'm a big deal, but that ain't got nothin' to do with what we're talkin' about!" Grim leaned in close to me. "Hey, Ona. Let's pass on this and keep our noses outta other dorm's business. I've still got a headache from the LAST time we meddled."

I hesitated. I liked Kalim and wanted to help him, but I did not know what I could do. Besides, there was still something about Jamil that bugged me. When I looked at him, though, all my fears washed away. "You... will aid us, won't you?" he said.

"I'm on the case," I said.

"MYAH!" Grim exclaimed. "Are you serious?! You're agreein', just like that?!"

"You will?" said Jamil. "Oh, thank you, Ona. With that matter settled, why don't you stay in Scarabia as our guests of honor?" He clapped.

"You called, Vice Housewarden?" said a Scarabian student.

"Show our guests to their quarters."

"Yes, sir!" said two students. They led us down the hallway to a room with two beds.

"Have a pleasant evening," said one of the students before slamming the door behind them.

Grim turned to me with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. "Maaaan, I TOLD you not to fall for Jamil's ploy! You know this is gonna be a whole debacle, Ona. Why'd you have to sign us both up for it?! This is Scarabia's problem. They can take care of their own business."

"I found myself agreeing before I could think better of it..." I said. "I'm sorry. I should not have agreed for you too."

"Sheesh. You can't say no to anything! You're a real sap sometimes, you know that? Then again, when you bare your teeth it's no joke... Anyway, I've had enough of gettin' dragged into shenanigans. Let's give 'em the slip while we can and head back to Ramshackle Dorm!"

"It's probably for the best. There is something going on here, but I don't think it's exactly how Jamil described it. I need a second opinion."

"You can feel free to investigate, but I am staying at our dorm."

"Deal." I led the way to the door, and we stepped out into the hall.

"Okay, first we gotta get to the mirror connected to the school..." Suddenly, there was a loud noise. "Wh-wha?! What's that noise?!"

Several students ran to confront us. "Hey!" shouted one of them. "You think you can just leave the dorm?!"

"For the duration of winter break, nobody leaves the dorm for any reason unless they've got the housewarden's permission," said a second student. "Period."

"But we're not even a part of this dorm!" I said.

"Doesn't matter," said the first student. "Seize them!"

"Oh, for cryin' out loud!" Grim groaned. He tried to fight back with magic, but there were too many of them. They surrounded us and forced us back into the guest room.

"Great," I muttered.

"HEY!" Grim shouted, pounding on the door. "Let me out! The door ain't budgin'. We've been locked in."

"They're treating us like prisoners," I said.

"Is this how they treat their guests? We might as well be prisoners! I'm gonna have a word or three with Jamil in the morning." Grim turned to me. "Oh yeah. Ona, you got that handy little gizmo from the headmage, right? Use that and fill him in on what Scarabia's doin'!"

"Good idea." I pulled out the smart phone and dialed Crowley's number. The phone rang and rang...

"Hello, you've reached Crowley," said the Headmage's voice.

"Yo, Headmage!" said Grim. While you've been out, we've gotten into a whole heap of trouble!"

"This phone is presently off for the duration of my tropical vaca—*AHEM*—I mean, my vital investigation. Please leave a message at the tone. I'll respond if I feel so inclined. Aren't I just the kindest?"

"Oh, COME ON! You literally just started to say 'vacation.' You're not even tryin' to hide it! What's the point of givin' us this lousy thing if we can't reach you with it?! You really take the cake, Crowley, you know that?!" The phone beeped. I decided Crowley was useless, so I did not bother leaving a message. "Just send a message to Ace and Deuce for now, I guess. Not that they'll be much help anyway..."

"Roger," I said. I sent a text message to both of them. Then I collapsed on one of the beds. What a day!