Chapter 28

"Kalim was in a pretty good mood today," Grim said that night. We were gathered with the Octavinelle boys in the spare Scarabian room, which we were told to share by Jamil.

"Agreed," said Azul. "That was the 'regular' Kalim I know."

"When he's in a bad mood, he narrows his eyes and gets this scary tone when he talks."

"Are you certain that's what's happening here?" said Jade. "I'm more inclined to believe Ona's interpretation."

"Whaddaya mean?" said Floyd.

"You're prone to mood swings yourself, Floyd. Kalim doesn't give me that same impression. I suspect a different root cause at play."

"Magic?" I said.

"Perhaps. Whatever it is, you are right that it is not natural."

"Jamil said it was brought on 'cause of their lousy dorm standings in Spelldrive and the exams," said Grim.

"Yeah, 'Jamil said,'" I repeated.

"Really?" said Floyd. "Since when does Sea Otter care about that?"

Grim blinked. "Sea what now?"

"He means Kalim," said Jade. "Floyd likes to give people nicknames based on sea creatures. In your case, Grim, you have a cute, round little silhouette. Which is why he calls you Sealie. It's a term of endearment."

Grim glared at the twins. "I ain't round! I'm full-bodied, thankyouverymuch!"

"Sea Otter's always bangin' on a drum with a grin on his face," said Floyd. "Reminds me of those fuzzy sea scamps."

"Aww, I love sea otters," I said. "That's the perfect name for him! It's very cute."

Floyd grinned at me. "I know, right?"

"He does have a generally sunny disposition," said Azul. "I can't imagine his demeanor would shift so drastically over something as minor as unimpressive grades. I agree that the root cause is likely to be something else entirely. If we want to get to the bottom of this, we'll need to get to know Kalim better. Jade, would you mind having a little 'talk' with him?"

"Consider it done," said Jade. "Jamil would be a harder target, but... Kalim might be willing to 'tall' openly with me."

"Then I think I'll play with Sea Snake in the meantime," said Floyd.

"Excellent idea," said Azul. "I'll join you for that."

"Their smiles ain't reached their eyes once this whole time..." Grim muttered.

"No one is going to get hurt, are they?" I asked.

"Of course not," said Jade. "We would never harm someone during an investigation."

"That's good enough for me."

Grim shook his head. "If you say so."

Jade went off to find Kalim while the rest of us crowded around Jamil's door. Azul knocked. "Good evening, Jamil," he said when the door opened.

"How's it hangin'?" said Floyd.

"Mind if we drop in?" said Grim.

"Sorry to disturb you this late," I said.

"Gh! What do you want?" said Jamil.

"When Kalim gave us a tour of the treasury, we spotted a board game I've never seen before," said Azul. "I asked Kalim to explain the rules, but it's still not quite making sense to me."

"It's this wood board with little divots, and you put gems in 'em or something?" said Floyd. "How's that work?"

"Ah, I recognize the board," said Jamil. "That's a popular game in the Land of the Scalding Sands."

"As a member of the Board Game Club, I'm always looking to try new games," said Azul. "Would you care to play a round with me?"

"Aha ha, me too!" said Floyd. "I wanna see what you've got, Sea Snake."

"The great Grim never misses out on a competition!" said Grim.

"Kalim's gone to bed," said Jamil. "I don't see why not. My dorm room doesn't have enough space for all of you, though. Let's play in the lounge."

Jamil left to find the game while the rest of us gathered in the lounge. He returned with two boards and placed them on the floor. He explained the game was called mancala and gave us a rundown of the rules. Then we started playing.

Four of us played at a time, swapping in the fifth at the end of each game. It was quite fun, and I was pretty good at it. Jamil and Azul beat me more times than not, but I won every game I played against Floyd and Grim.

"Looks like I win again," I said with a grin after winning against Floyd once more. Jamil was the one not playing at the moment, and he watched us carefully.

"No!" Floyd cried. He flipped the board over, scattering the gems on the floor.

"Ona, perhaps you should call it a night," Jamil said with an edge to his voice. "At least against Floyd."

"But I can beat her!"

I smirked. "Yeah, I don't think so."

"I'm better at you in something." When I merely laughed, Floyd grabbed my wrists and swiftly pinned me to the ground. My eyes widened in surprise, but I felt no fear even when I saw a hint of anger in his eyes.

"Azul, shouldn't you do something?!" Jamil said in alarm.

"No, they'll be fine," Azul said calmly.

Floyd released one of my wrists so he could use his hand to tickle my side. I burst out laughing. Smirking triumphantly, he rolled onto his side and tickled me with both hands. I curled into myself, but it made no difference. "Do you surrender now?" he said.

"Okay, okay!" I said. "Yes, you are better than me in a lot of things, including this."

"Good." Floyd helped me sit up with him, and I took in Jamil's stunned expression. "What, you think I could actually hurt Little Shrimpy?" He put an arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him. "How foolish. I won't let anyone hurt her." I could tell Jamil did not miss the underlying threat in his voice, and I found myself not caring.

"I know, I don't get their relationship either," Grim said. "I just roll with it."

"In any case..." said Jamil. "Floyd, let's see if you can beat me."

"Alright!" Floyd said brightly.

"Fine, I'll watch," I said. Jamil proceeded to play Floyd while Grim continued to play with Azul. I watched all four of them with great interest. I knew Azul was going somewhere with this, but I could not figure out just where.

"WOO!" Floyd shouted. "I win! That's three for me!"

"You're tough competition when you're focused, Floyd," said Jamil.

"Mrgyah!" Grim groaned. "I lose again! You're relentless, Azul."

"That brings me up to five to zero," said Azul. "I'd be an affront to the Board Game Club with anything less, of course. Meanwhile, Jamil's at... two to three, I see."

"Hm?" said Jamil. "Oh, yes. It's been a while since I last played. I suppose I've gotten rusty. Back in the old days, Kalim would spend hours a day making me play with him, insisting on going until he won a game. Despite his middling skill. Imagine that."

"Ah, I see. Mm, yes, that would explain it."

"Explain what? You sure love your cryptic little asides."

"Forget I said anything. So, you and Kalim essentially grew up together, correct?"

"We've been together for as long as I can remember, yes. Speaking of which, you three Octavinelle boys have been friends since childhood, I hear?"

"Thaaat's what they say!" said Floyd.

"What's that s'posed to mean?" said Grim. "You're talkin' like you're not even one of 'em."

"We've been classmates ever since we started elementary school... But personally, I barely knew Azul existed until just before we started middle school. So, I wouldn't exactly call us childhood friends."

"You've got a serious case of tunnel vision..." I said. Not that I thought everyone had to know everyone in their class. I certainly had not. But if octo-merfolk were as uncommon as Azul said, that would be pretty hard to miss.

"I was a rather quiet boy myself," said Azul. "I hardly ever stood out in class."

"You stood out in other ways, though," said Grim. "Not many guys could claim to be as cute and round as–"

Azul shot him a sharp look. "Grim, I believe we've been over this multiple times. You are NOT to dredge up the forbidden lore!"

"Yet here you are now, presiding over them as housewarden," said Jamil. "You have a curious relationship."

"Y'think?" said Floyd. "I just do what Azul says 'cause it's more fun that way."

"I strongly doubt Jade or Floyd have any binding allegiance to me," said Azul. "This is all an elaborate game of pretend to them."

"Your relationship is getting more confusing by the minute," said Jamil.

"If I made a poor choice as leader–or even simply a boring one... They would turn on me instantly and seize the housewarden seat for themselves. Not that I'd lose if they challenged me, of course."

"We ain't got any plans to challenge him, either..." said Floyd, "for now, anyway. Aha ha!"

"So essentially, the three of you are all equals in each other's eyes," said Jamil.

"Yeah. We stick with him now 'cause it's fun. If it stops bein' fun, we drop him like a bad habit. Easy. It ain't like the vice housewarden is the housewarden's servant or nothin'. It's a pretty normal relationship, if you ask me."

"Normal as in no one is superior," I said. I did not believe their relationship was as simple as they made it seem. I knew they cared about each other. Floyd and Jade did not have to face danger to help Azul with his overblot, yet they chose to do anyway. If Azul started consistently taking advantage of them, however, I could see them getting out of the abusive relationship like anyone should. In that sense, it was normal.

"Normal, you say," said Jamil. "I suppose that concept is lost on me. I've always been loyal of the Asim house. And that will likely never change."

"It doesn't have to be that way. It seems to me that Kalim doesn't care about all that stuff. There's no reason decision from past generations have to decide the actions of present generations."

"You wouldn't understand."

I shrugged. "Maybe not. I admit it's a foreign concept for me. Where I'm from, equality is huge. Hierarchies come from mutual agreements and can be changed like Azul said. Clearly, things can be done differently. If something isn't working for you, why not learn from another culture and change it?" Jamil frowned, saying nothing.

"Oh, hey, guys," Kalim said, stepping into the lounge. "Are you still gaming?"

Jamil recoiled in shock. "GAH!"

"What's this? Ooh, mancala!" Kalim grinned. "That takes me back. I used to play it for hours on end with Jamil."

"I thought you went to bed, Kalim. Why would you..." Jamil cleared his throat. "I've told you not to wander around by yourself. What if someone abducted you?"

"You're such a worrywart, Jamil. Chill. Jade's been with me the whole time."

"Wait, JADE?" I had to resist laughing, for his expression was priceless.

"Yes, hello," said Jade, stepping out from behind Kalim with a polite smile. "I've been keeping Kalim company."

"Y-you..."

"Kalim is so generous. He's been teaching me aaall sorts of things..."

"Glad to see you're getting along," I said, standing up and moving towards them. "Kalim, Jade is great, isn't he?"

Kalim grinned at me. "Yep! I didn't know you two were friends."

"Indeed," said Jade. "We have a lot of fun together." He placed a hand on my back and gave Jamil a look.

"Answer me," said Jamil. "What did you do to Kalim?"

"Relax," I said. "Jade wouldn't do anything to him."

"What did I... do?" said Jade. "I was just having a pleasant conversation with him. Isn't that right, Kalim?"

"Yep," said Kalim. "I was just showing him around the storeroom."

"Gh...!" Jamil glowered at Jade.

"Oh yeah, Jamil! You know that silver and blue carpet we brought with us when we came here? Do you know where it is? I couldn't find it for the life of me."

"We're leaving, Kalim."

Kalim blinked. "Huh? Why?"

Jamil got up and stormed over to him. "Back to your room, now!" He grabbed Kalim and started pulling him away.

"Whoa! Okay, okay! You don't have to pull my arm out of its socket!" Kalim looked back at us regretfully. "Sorry, Jade. I'll get you the carpet some other time!"

"Certainly," said Jade. "I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other very soon... Heh heh heh."

"Later, Kalim," I said.

Jamil paused at the hallway. Then he released Kalim, walked over to me, and grabbed my arm instead. "Ona, I need to speak to you."

"Hey!" Floyd said with anger in his voice. Jade was already right next to me, so he was quicker to act. Standing behind me, he placed his hand on my arm above Jamil's and gave Jamil a smile that could only be considered threatening until Jamil let go of me and took a step back.

"For a minute," I said, "but I'm not going anywhere alone with you."

"Stay where they can keep an eye on you," Azul advised.

"Fine," said Jamil. I followed him across the room where presumably the others would not hear. "I feel I have to warn you about your... friends. I believe their intentions for you are dangerous."

I lifted my eyebrows. "Dangerous? The guys who were trying to protect me just now?"

"People protect valuable objects. They are using you for something."

My eyes narrowed. "They like me, so that means they must be using me? I don't know if I should be insulted for their sake or my own. Either way, I don't like it. You know nothing about us, so cut the judgmental crap." Without giving him a chance to respond, I marched over to the twins and looped my arms through theirs.

"Is he bothering you, Ona?" Floyd said in a low voice.

"We can remind him why that's not a good idea," said Jade.

"No, it's alright," I said. "He's not worth it." Seeming satisfied with that, they walked out of the lounge with me without another look back. Soon, we were all gathered in the spare room once more.

"Good work, Jade," Azul said. "Did you have your 'talk' with Kalim?"

"Yes, sir," said Jade. "It was just what you expected. It's likely that Kalim is being magically mind-controlled by someone who is making him do these things. You thought so too, right, Ona?"

"Mind control?!" Grim exclaimed.

"Yep," I said. "Someone's making him do it."

"Is that even possible?"

"You know how Ruggie has magic that manipulates the body?" said Jade. "There's also hypnosis magic that takes control of a target's mind. But it requires a far higher degree of skill and magical power than its bodily counterpart. Which means very few magicians are capable of using it."

"You gotta have skills and power on par with Azul for that," said Floyd.

"Even I would be hard-pressed to control living creatures with their own egos like humans," said Azul.

"But I don't think anybody in Scarabia is half as good as you, Azul," said Grim. "Even their own housewarden Kalim's big signature spell is just a glorified waterspout. And their vice housewarden Jamil was sayin' he got fives across the board outta the ten-level grading scale."

"I wouldn't be so sure," said Azul. "You know what they say—a clever hawk hides its talons."

"Exactly," I said. "You don't think it's odd that Jamil is so consistent?"

Grim shrugged. "No."

"And I still get a funny feeling from him..."

"Could be indigestion. You still don't have any proof."

I sighed. "I know. Jade, did you learn anything?"

"I'm afraid I couldn't get any answers there," said Jade.

"You couldn't figure it out?" said Floyd. "Even with your signature spell?"

"Wait wait wait," said Grim. "Come to think of it, we've never seen Jade's signature spell. What's it do?"

"I'm curious too," I said.

"Floyd, what have I told you about blurting out the details about my signature spell in the presence of others?" said Jade.

"Aw, come on. We're all friends here."

"I don't see the harm in disclosing this to Ona and Grim, actually," said Azul. "Knowing a signature spell's function wouldn't make a magic-bereft human any more susceptible to it than they already are."

"So, it's harmless 'cause WE'RE harmless," said Grim. "Great. That makes me feel waaay better. Tch..."

"Please, Jade?" I said. "I want to know more about you." I gave him my best smile and lightly placed my hands on his arm. He had been tense, but he relaxed at my touch.

"Well, if I must," Jade said. "My unique power is one that would make most people guarded around me if they knew what it did. So, I'm not a fan of revealing it..."

"I'm not most people."

Jade smiled softly at me, a hint of unusual warmness in his eyes. "Yes, I know. My signature spell is called Shock the Heart. It can be used once, and only once, on a target to make them tell the truth."

"Oh, that's really cool!"

Jade chuckled lightly. "You are an odd one."

"Shrimpy is just neat like that," Floyd said with a grin.

"Myah?!" Grim exclaimed. "So, they wouldn't be able to lie?!"

"Mind you, it can only be used once against a given target," said Jade. "Once I use it on someone, I can never use it on them again. And it often doesn't work at all on people highly resistant to magic, or wary types like Azul. It's only effective on those with loosely guarded minds, or people in a moment of mental vulnerability. Hence, my signature spell is very limited in scope."

"It works great on guys who're cowerin' in fear or bawlin' like babies, though," said Floyd.

"Ah, now a lot makes sense," I said.

Jade smirked. "Heh heh heh. So it does."

"The way they smile scares the daylights outta me," said Grim.

I shrugged. "I'm used to it."

"Anyway, Kalim has always been the type to open up to others," said Jade. "Thus, my spell worked on him flawlessly. Yet even so..." He explained how Kalim admitted he knew who was using hypnosis magic on him, but he could not tell Jade who it was because he made a promise a long time ago.

"Ha ha ha! Hilarious," said Azul. "Your signature spell was thwarted by Kalim's strength of character."

"As much as I hate to admit it, that is an accurate assessment."

"And here I thought Sea Otter would sing like a canary,"s aid Floyd. "Just when you think you know a guy!"

"That is pretty admirable," I said.

"It must have been a promise he keeps close to his heart," said Jade.

"Heh... Yet that same unwavering conviction has laid bare the truth behind the unrest in Scarabia," said Azul.

"So, you agree that it's Jamil who's behind this?" I said.

Azul smirked. "Who else could it be? Everything you have said about him has been spot on."

"You did a great job, Ona," Jade said. "Your perception skills are up to par."

I beamed at him. "Thanks!"

"All that's left now are the finishing touches," said Azul. "It's time to catch this culprit by the tail and pull him out of the sand where he's lurking. I have a plan. First..." He proceeded to explain everything in great detail. It sounded like a brilliant plan to me. I knew it was a good idea going to him for help.

"That sounds great and all, but can we go to sleep now?" said Grim.

"Good idea," said Jade. "We will need to wake up early tomorrow for our plan to be successful."

"Good," I said. "I'm tired." Upon looking around the room, something hit me. "Uh, guys... There are only two beds here."

"Do you think Sea Otter or Sea Snake would give us another room if we asked?" said Floyd.

"It's late, so I doubt they would appreciate the intrusion," said Jade. "We will have to share beds."

"You two should be comfortable sharing," Azul said to the twins.

I smirked, knowing he did not realize the full meaning of the suggestion. "That's cool. That means you and I are sharing, huh, Azul?"

"That's r-" Azul's eyes widened, and his face flushed. "I, uh, that's not what I- I do not mean anything by it, prefect, I just-" I held back my laughter at his flustered state.

"Ona has shown she is comfortable sharing with Floyd," Jade said, appearing amused as well.

"Yeah, let's do that!" Floyd said with a grin.

I shrugged. "That's fine with me."

"That leaves you with me, Azul," said Jade. "I trust you don't have any problems with that arrangement?"

"Yes, that's fine," said Azul. He looked away from me but not before I noticed the faint blush on his cheeks.

"Hey, wait a minute," said Grim. "Where am I sleeping?"

"You can sleep at the foot of my bed," I said. "I won't take up the whole space on my side."

"Unless you want the floor," said Floyd.

"No, the foot of the bed is fine," said Grim. "Let's get to bed." He immediately climbed onto the bed we had been sharing for the past few days.

"Good night, guys," I said. I was careful to void hitting Grim as I lay down on the farthest part of the bed as possible. Floyd all but fell on the bed beside me.

"Good night, prefect," said Jade. Then the lights flicked off.

Floyd turned on his side to look at me. "What are you doing all the way over there, Shrimpy?" he whispered.

"Uh, getting comfortable," I said.

"Come here."

I hesitated. Part of me wanted to, but... "Jade and Azul are in the room."

"Not to mention me," Grim muttered. "Go to sleep."

"So?" said Floyd. "I want to be close to you." His smile faded. "But if you don't want to... it's fine."

My anxiety melting away, I moved close to him. "It's alright," I whispered. "I do." Floyd grinned at me and lightly put his arms around me. I responded by closing the distance and resting my head on his chest. I smiled happily when he held me firmly against him. "Good night, Floyd."

"Good night, Ona."

I dreamed about the grand vizier again. He used a genie to make himself the ruler. It seemed like he planned it the whole time. Aside from the genie, my dreamed seemed, once again, to reflect reality a little too closely. What exactly was going on?

"Floyd. Ona. Grim. It's time to wake up." Jade's voice scattered my strange thoughts. I tried to move but found myself constrained by Floyd.

"Myah... Are we marchin' to the oasis?" said Grim.

"No, we're waking up early precisely to avoid that," said Azul. "Come along, now."

"I kinda, uh, can't," I said.

"Come now, Floyd," said Jade. "You agreed to cook breakfast for everyone."

"I don't wanna get up," Floyd grumbled.

"You can bring Ona with you."

"Yeah, we'll have lots of fun," I said. "Like yesterday." I managed to free one of my arms, and I used it to run my hand through his hair. He let out a pleased sound. "What do you think?"

"Okay!" Floyd said brightly. He released me right before pulling us both out of bed.

"Good luck," Jade said with a small smirk while Azul shook his head.

After quickly getting ready, Floyd and I made our way to the dorm lounge where we had to explain the change of plans to the confused Scarabian students. They were all for it, of course, and we had no problems finding volunteers to help us in the kitchen.

Everything was almost ready by the time Jamil found us. By the look at his face, I could tell he already ran into the rest of my friends, who were busy taking his place in looking after Kalim. "B-breakfast is already made?!" said Jamil. "Did you do this, Floyd? Ona?"

"G'morning, Sea Snake!" said Floyd. "Yup, me, Little Shrimpy, 'n the minnows took care of it. Azul was goin' on about how much he wanted to help you."

"But... But I can't put our guests to work."

"We ain't exactly guests, remember? We're trainin' buddies."

"But Kalim can only eat food prepared by me. It could be poisoned."

Floyd grinned. "Ha! That's an even more unbalanced diet than what I eat. And I ain't poisoned anything here, by the way."

"Yeah, lighten up a little," I said. "We don't have anything against Kalim. We like him."

"Right. But if you don't trust me, test it yourself. If it gets Jamil's Poison-Free Seal of Approval, I'm sure Sea Otter will eat it right up."

"You have a point," said Jamil, "but still..."

"Vice Housewarden, could you taste-test these grilled vegetables?" said a Scarabian student.

"I think this soup came out nicely," said a second student. "What do you think, sir?"

Jamil grit his teeth in frustration. "Rgh... Fine. I'll test them all myself." Floyd and I exchanged a triumphant look. "Actually, are we prepared for our morning oasis trek? Usually, breakfast comes AFTER the march."

"Ah, about that," Azul said as he stepped into the lounge. "As housewarden of Octavinelle... I've given my fellow housewarden Kalim an alternate proposal."

Jamil appeared horrified. "Wh... What?! You can't just do that!"

"Rather than aerobic exercise like long-range walking... You'll see far greater gains in strength and stamina from proper indoor weight training. Scarabia's desert is a terribly hot place, you know. We wouldn't want to risk anyone getting heatstroke."

"In fact, there's a huge fountain in the courtyard," said Floyd. "If you wanna build stamina, how about swimmin' in that? It'd be more fun, too."

"Agreed. I can tell you from experience that swimming is a far better way to burn fat than walking."

"Yeah, swimming is the best," I said. "It's great fun and great exercise."

"So... We don't have to go on those marches anymore?" said the first Scarabian student.

"We're safe, Vice Housewarden!" the second student said happily.

"It's also worth mentioning that skipping breakfast can make you more easily fatigued and distracted," said Azul. "Not that overeating helps either, of course."

"Yep, it's all about moderation," I said.

"Good morning," Kalim said, entering with Jade and Grim. He brightened when he saw the food. "Ooh, breakfast is done already?"

I smiled at him. "Good morning, Kalim."

"Hot diggity!" said Grim. "That looks delish!"

"Floyd's in fine form today," said Jade. "It comes out considerably worse when he's not in the mood..."

"And Sea Snake's already poison-tested your portions, Sea Otter," said Floyd. "Go on and dig in! Bon appetit!" We all sat down at the tables, where food had already been placed in bowls.

"Ooh, this is wonderful soup!" said Kalim.

"It is really good," I said.

"Ain't it?" said Floyd. "That's a Coral Sea staple. It's packed to the gills (heh) with seafood."

Jamil appeared unimpressed and remained silent all throughout breakfast. Afterwards, we exercised for a bit. Then, we all gathered together for some intellectual training. Of course, Jamil disapproved the entire time but could say nothing due to Kalim's enthusiasm.

"First, the key to ancient incantations is memorizing vocabulary," said Azul.

"I'm aaawful at memorization," said Kalim. "It puts me to sleep."

"Then I've got the perfect study method for you: recitation while walking."

"It's a good study method for people with shorter attention spans," said Jade.

"Sounds like it'd be just as great for me!" said Grim.

Kalim grinned. "All right, let's all try it together, guys."

"Yes, sir!" cheered the Scarabian students.