Bastial Energy by B. T. Narro Read Free Book Online Page B

clothes. Among the pile, a garish blue cloth stood out. It looked soft and inviting but disgustingly showy. Expecting it to be an extravagant mage’s robe, he pulled it from the other clothes, curious about how it looked in its entirety. Shocked, he found himself holding the lower half of Effie’s undergarments, so petite they were seemingly inadequate. He dropped them onto the other clothes, poking at them until the pile appeared as he’d found it and leaving as soon as the job was done.
    Reela’s room was similar to Cleve’s—neat without a lot to see. There were no clothes in sight. They’re all folded neatly or hung in her wardrobe, I imagine. Instead of weapons, as in his room, Cleve found a number of books: fiction, history, biography, and many about psyche as well. One looked more like a journal. The cover was worn and without a title. Although tempted, he resisted opening it.
    The room had a fragrance unlike any other he’d experienced. It reminded him of Raywhite Forest after a downpour, when the sun pierced through the wet trees. It was mixed with something sweet, though, maybe honey. He sniffed around the room, curious about its origin. There were no plants or candles in sight. Could she have left this scent?
    Cleve opened her wardrobe and breathed in deeply. The fragrance was found, and it permeated through him. He let out a soft sigh.
    She likes light colors. He thumbed through the dresses in front of him. I hope I get to see her wear some of these . His heart jumped. What am I doing? He closed the wooden door to her wardrobe and returned to his room.
    His earlier decision to skip his workout suddenly was overturned. It was time to get out of the house. Cleve wanted his bow but settled on his sword. He sheathed the blade securely into the leather casing attached to his belt and made his way to Warrior’s Field—a stretch of lush grass half a mile long and wide. Terren had explained to him years ago that if he was to attend a class as a warrior, it would be on that field, not sitting in a classroom.
    His routine started with stretches, followed by technique and form, and ended with muscle strengthening. Later, he would meditate to regain some of the lost Bastial Energy. He wasn’t surprised to find a few other warriors scattered across the field, training as well.
    By the time Cleve got to push-ups, the sun had almost set. He heard his name being called in the distance. It appeared to be Reela and the others. At the sight of her, he felt his heart nervously rattle around in his chest as if she somehow knew he’d looked through her room. She and the others stood on the edge of the field, just before the grass began, like touching Warrior’s Field would send them to the dungeons. Steffen motioned for him to meet them where they stood, and Cleve jogged over reluctantly.
    “Show them that flip you did in the forest,” Steffen said.
    “What flip?” Cleve pretended not to know while he thought of some way out of the request without being rude.
    “That flip! You spun and flipped at the same time. Then you slammed down your quarterstaff in front of the bear to scare him off.” Steffen gestured with his hands to demonstrate. “I was just telling them about it.”
    “I think that was you,” Cleve joked, keeping his tone serious. There was something about Steffen that made Cleve want to tease him. He hadn’t figured out what yet. There was nothing particularly jarring about Steffen’s appearance. He was like many other chemists, generally smaller in stature. His nose was neither small nor large, his lips were thin, and his eyes were wide. His hair was brown, lighter than Effie’s but still far darker than Reela’s. It was short and always appeared kempt, like his clothes. Cleve assumed the urge to make fun had to do with Steffen’s personality. He seemed unreasonably stubborn yet overly nice, if that combination was even possible.
    “Me? I can’t do that.” Steffen looked to be authentically