Archive of Our Own

“Now that this week’s Pop Music Club meeting is called into session… let’s start the picnic!” Lilia clapped his hands once, and the trio cheered. 

Lilia and Cater insisted on having a party to celebrate Kalim joining their club, and decided on a picnic. Despite the pleasantly warm October weather, there was still too much sunshine after classes for Lilia’s comfort, so the idea was amended to an indoor picnic. The music room served the purpose well enough once they moved desks out of the way and opened several windows.

“We can’t have a picnic without the blanket!” Kalim eagerly unfurled an ornate hand-woven cloth from home. It featured ochre and red tones on a purple background, with sparkling gold accent threads. Once spread out it was large enough for the trio to comfortably sit together.

”Oh, that aesthetic is totally on point,” Cater said, “but don’t you think it’s a little fancy for a picnic?”

”I think it's just right for a party!”

“The colors are perfect for the season.” Lilia agreed. “Very well chosen, Kalim. As is the china that Cater’s brought.”

“Yeah, I just hope Trey and Riddle don’t catch me sneaking stuff out of Heartslabyul’s cupboard.” Cater set out plates and teacups painted with tiny red aces that resembled leaves. He also brought a teapot wrapped in a quilted tea cozy patterned with all of the playing card suits. Then he unpacked several bags of potato chips in red packages, labeled 'hot-n-spicy. The bags featured flame and pepper motifs. “I also brought these. They’re totally trending on Magicam right now!"

“And as promised... Briar Valley snacks!” Lilia placed a genuine, old-fashioned wicker picnic basket on the blanket. He opened it and took out parchment-wrapped treats and bags, and sparkling glass jars. All of it looked like it came from a bygone era.

“Did you… make any of those, Lils?” Cater asked cautiously as he poured warm Queen Red tea into two of the three tea cups. Kalim filled the third cup with his own tea from a thermos.

“No. These are the treats from home that I promised at our last meeting. Though, I’d be happy to whip something up for next week if you’d like!”

“No, no!! That’s way too much work,” Cater insisted. “Your old-fashioned fae candy is fine.”

Lilia huffed.

“I’d prefer to call them traditional rather than old-fashioned.”

“Doesn’t that still mean the same thing?”

“I wish I could try them!” Kalim lamented. “Cater, you have to tell me how they taste.”

“If you’d like, Kalim, I could speak with young Viper about allowing you to taste some?”

“That’d be great! But he’s in basketball practice right now. He did pack some snacks for me to share with you both though!”

Kalim set out a large box full of an array of small, colorful snacks, all artfully arranged. Sweet and spicy scents wafted out when he opened it. Immediately Cater whipped out his phone to snap photos.

“That’s an ultra cammable snackle box he sent! What’s in there?”

“All kinds of stuff, but Jamil made them so they’re all good! Try them!” 

They each chose a different, decorated treat from the box.

“You know Kalim, perhaps Young Viper and I could cook together next time,” Lilia suggested as he licked syrup from his fingertips. “Then we can enjoy everything together, and I could learn a few new tricks to add to my kitchen repertoire.”

”That sounds like fun! I’ll ask him!”

Cater shook his head vigorously, expression distressed, as if dissuading Kalim from the idea. But why wouldn’t they enjoy a cooking party together? Before Kalim could question it, Lilia looked up from the picnic spread and Cater’s panic melted away. In its place was Cater’s usual easy-going smile instead, like he hadn’t wanted Lilia to see. None the wiser, Lilia offered one of the jars from Briar Valley to them.

”Oh, and I have fresh licorice with me,” Lilia’s glass jar had an old-fashioned label. The words were hand-written in a fae language neither Cater nor Kalim could read, and it was sealed with wax. The dark, hard candies rattled noisily when Lilia shook it invitingly.  “Don’t you boys want to try some?”

“Ahhh, you know Cay-Cay doesn’t dance with sweets. Sorry Lils. Y’know how it is.”

“I keep telling you they’re more salty than sweet.” Lilia sighed. “Perhaps someday you’ll believe me.”

“Maybe, someday…” Cater laughed nervously. He quickly changed the subject. “Sooo, it's already October. Halloween’s coming up fast. The head mage is totes gonna ask us to perform at the school’s party, right? Maybe we could get some more members that way.”

“Your performance at the club showcase last month sure caught my attention!” Kalim grinned. He watched Cater open the viral hot chips and share them with Lilia. “If we make Halloween a big party, everyone will want to join us!”

“Khee hee hee, could you imagine, Cater? Our little club growing so desirable that we have to turn away applicants?”

“Talk about goals!”

Cater picked up a pale, spongy cube from the Briar Valley snacks. It stuck to his fingers and smelled minty. When he squeezed gently it sprang back to its cube form.

“Lils, I thought you don’t like marshmallows?”

“I do not.” Lilia crossed his arms and muttered. “Vile, foul things…”

“But you eat these?” Cater squeezed the soft treat again before popping it in his mouth.

“That isn’t a marshmallow, but it is rather sweet,” Lilia warned Cater too late.

“Ugh! #NowYouTellMe!” Cater chewed the gummy snack and hurried to wash the sugary taste out of his mouth with tea.

Kalim and Lilia laughed, and the fae pointed to something else on the platter.

“Try this biscuit next. It isn’t sweet at all.”

“I’m not sure I trust you anymore, Lils.”

“I promise!”

”If it’s still too sweet, have one of mine next!” Kalim pointed to a nutty, green-tinted candy, eager to share with his new friends and club mates. “This pistachio sarma isn’t too sweet. Just a little sweet. They’re really good!”

“Mine first!” Lilia pouted.

“Slow your roll, guys. I’ll try both!”

Cater humored his friends and tried the crispy Briar Valley biscuit first. He immediately made a face and covered his mouth.

“It’s salty!” After chewing for a few moments, Cater’s expression shifted from distaste to curiosity. “Huh. It’s… weirdly… earthy. Is that an herbal flavor?”

“It is.” Lilia grinned. “I thought you might like those, Cater. Since you dislike sweets so vehemently.”

”I didn’t know you don’t like sweets,” Kalim said. He could have told Jamil to make all savory snacks if he’d known. “Jamil made some spicy snacks too. Try the sfiah!!” He pointed out the small, pinched pastries. “These aren’t sweet at all.”

Cater took that snack next and munched it thoughtfully. 

“Oh, yum! The spicy note in that is perf! Jamil really made all of these?”

“Yeah! Jamil’s cooking is the best!”

For a short time they traded treats and talked more about the various snacks than any club activities. It was so much fun just sharing the picnic that Kalim completely forgot that they were supposed to discuss club business. Lilia also seemed content to snack and chat, so eventually it was Cater who made an effort to get them back on track.

“Hm… Candy… Y’know, getting back to Halloween, candy could be an interesting theme. Lean into cute, instead of scary. Something a little unexpected.”

“What an intriguing idea!” Lilia cracked the wax seal on his licorice jar and popped out the stopper, releasing the candy’s spicy, pungent scent. Kalim liked the spicy aroma, but knew that he couldn’t try it without Jamil’s approval. He watched Lilia shake out several pieces of the glossy black candy, and then bite straight down on one. He and Cater both winced at the tremendous crunch as the candy shattered between Lilia’s teeth. Unbothered, Lilia smiled and offered the jar to Cater and gave it an enticing shake. “Yum! Delicious. Are you sure you won’t try some? They’re quite spicy. And salty.”

”I’m good,” Cater insisted and cringed away from the candy. He picked up one of Kalim’s pistachio treats and shoved it in his mouth, as if to ward off the licorice threat. He picked up his phone and took more pictures of their picnic, too. Kalim wanted badly to try the other snacks, so he brought up the club’s performance again as a distraction.

“So we need to pick out songs, and flashy costumes right?” Kalim asked. “Your club’s sound and outfits are what got my attention. Your showcase performance looked like so much fun!”

“Alas, we still don’t have much of a costume budget this year,” Lilia lamented. He tossed another licorice into his mouth and crunched forlornly. “Those were recycled from last year, since freshmen wouldn’t know the difference.”

“I could buy new outfits for us!”

“Kalim, that’s sweet, but too much. We couldn’t ask you to do that for the whole club. Right Lils?”

“Yes, it would be…too…” Lilia trailed off thoughtfully, brow furrowed. He licked his lips slowly.

“Too what?” Cater said while posting photos of their picnic to Magicam. “Lils?”

Lilia pressed his fingers to his lips thoughtfully, then licked them. A worried frown creased his brow and his eyes narrowed.

“You should both stop eating.” Lilia issued the warning in an unusual, deep tone of voice.

“You mean those old fashioned things? No worries.” Cater glanced up from his phone, then muttered. “Talk about outdated flavor profiles.”

“No, that isn’t what I….”

Lilia’s expression crinkled for a moment, and then his face paled suddenly, turning ashen.

“Lils? Are you-“

Lilia coughed violently and gagged. He slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Lilia! Are you choking?!” Kalim’s gaze flickered from Lilia to the picnic. Then he thought of poison. “The snacks! Oh no, Jamil warned me about poisoned food, but I didn’t really think it would happen here at school!”

“Poison?! For reals? What do we do?!”

‘Call Jamil,’ Kalim thought immediately, but Lilia’s red gaze locked onto him so intensely that he froze up before he could say it. There was a dangerous glint in Lilia’s eyes, something hard and knife-sharp that sent a shiver through Kalim. He’d never seen Lilia’s pupils narrow to slits like that, and he didn’t understand why Lilia looked so calm when he ought to be panicking. Unless Kalim was wrong. Maybe Lilia was choking instead?

Without any warning to them, Lilia pressed two fingers into his mouth so far that his fangs scraped his knuckles, and made himself vomit.

“Augh!!” Kalim and Cater both scrambled up and off the blanket, upsetting the picnic. Snacks toppled and rolled off plates, hot chips scattered and an overturned teacup soaked the blanket. Chewed candy pieces and bubbling, foaming bile splattered on the blanket as Lilia alternated between coughing and retching so strongly that his shoulders and arms shook. Kalim knelt to steady him, and looked at Cater.

“Call someone, hurry!”

“I’ll get the nurse! And Crewel!” Cater grabbed his phone and headed for the door.

Lilia grabbed Kalim’s hand suddenly, grip so tight that it hurt. He rasped out "Trein," before heaving again.

“He said get Trein!” Kalim shouted the message just as Cater cleared the doorway. Alone now, Kalim’s hands trembled on Lilia’s shoulders. The bile bubbling on the blanket was shocking and distressing, but at least Lilia wasn’t bringing up anything else now, just dry heaving and gagging. Instinctively Kalim tried to comfort him by rubbing his back, but the leather harness of his uniform was in the way. He stroked a hand across Lilia’s hair instead.

“This is awful!” Tears welled up in Kalim’s eyes and a fat teardrop rolled down each cheek. “This is all my fault! I- I didn’t really think-“

Lilia grasped Kalim’s hand, interrupting him.

“Not your fault,” he insisted in a tight, painful sounding rasp. That short sentence cost him however. Lilia gagged again and his hand tightened painfully, so much that Kalim flinched and whimpered. Lilia released him and grasped at the floor instead. His nails tore through the ornate blanket and into the flooring, carved up slender, curled slivers of wood as he heaved again. Clear bile dripped from his lips this time, and after a few more hacking coughs the tension went out of Lilia’s body.

“Woah! Easy, Lilia!” 

Kalim caught Lilia when he swayed and guided him to the floor, making sure he laid in a clean spot. Lilia trembled and sweat dotted his ashen face. Either sweat or tears smeared his green and black makeup, and those smudges were the only color left in his face. Even his lips were ghastly white. Something in Kalim’s chest trembled and curled up fearfully.

“Lilia? Are you okay now?” Kalim hoped so. “Did something just make you sick? You aren’t really…?” Lilia didn’t respond, just breathed shallowly, eyes barely open. 

Kalim glanced back at the mess, and terror gripped him when he realized Cater had also eaten some of the same snacks as Lilia... Hadn’t he? Without knowing which package was potentially tainted, he didn’t know for sure that Cater wasn’t also collapsed in a hallway.

“Oh no! Oh no no no, what do I do?! Jamil! He’ll know what to do!”

Kalim scrambled for his phone and called Jamil even though he was still at practice. While the phone rang, Lilia roused and tugged Kalim’s sweater.

“Lilia! Are you gonna be sick again?!” Kalim dropped the phone to tend to his friend.

“Can’t…” Lilia rasped something unintelligible.

“Huh?” Kalim couldn’t make sense of the mangled words, or if the sounds even were words. He tried to hold Lilia’s hand to comfort him when he groaned and writhed, but Lilia shook him off and clawed at the floor again. When three more shavings of wood peeled up under Lilia’s nails, Kalim realized that he probably shouldn’t hold Lilia’s hand right now after all, not when it felt like that grip could easily break his hand. When Lilia gagged again, Kalim’s thoughts returned to Cater possibly being poisoned. He ran to the door long enough to shout ‘Help! We need help in the music room!’ and then hurried back to Lilia’s side.

“It’s okay, Lilia! It’ll be okay! Here, lay this way. Jamil said if I’m ever sick like this, I should lay on my side, just in case.” Kalim kept talking while he dabbed Lilia’s face with napkins, and called out a few more times for help, even though this part of the school tended to be deserted after hours. Maybe someone would be close enough to hear him, Kalim hoped.

Kalim was so preoccupied with rolling Lilia into a recovery position that he didn’t notice his phone was still on, and the call connected on screen. 

Surely it was over, Kalim thought after Lilia lay quietly for a few moments, but the upperclassman reared up onto his knees suddenly, stuck his fingers down his throat again and vomited once more. Kalim braced Lilia’s shoulders and cried, for Lilia’s sake and for his own feelings of helplessness.

‘If only Jamil were here! He would know how to help!”

Thankfully, Crewel and Trein rushed into the room before Kalim managed more than a few heaving sobs. 

“Back away from him,” Trein said immediately, and knelt down to take Kalim’s place at Lilia’s side.

“I think he’s been-“

“Diamond informed us.” Crewel guided Kalim even further away with a sharp command of  "stay", and then knelt to examine the scattered mess.

“Is he gonna be okay?! What can I do?!”

“Stand clear,” Trein insisted. “Diamond went on to fetch the nurse as well. We’ll take care of him until they arrive.”

“Wait at the door and tell us when you see them coming,” Crewel said. 

“Okay.”

The teachers calmly took control of the situation with confidence that Kalim hadn’t felt at all, so he waited as instructed. His attention strayed between the empty hall and the teachers’ hushed, tense conversation. Kalim caught a few words like ‘poison’ and ‘antidote’, and Lilia rasped something about a ‘target’ and ‘bower’, and perhaps Malleus’ name, but most of it was too low for him to catch.

’Malleus isn’t here though,’ Kalim thought. ‘That can’t be what he said.’

Lilia gagged again, and Kalim saw his back quiver under Trein’s hands. He thought about Cater; they said he went to fetch the nurse, so he probably was fine after all. And Lilia would be, too. The teachers would handle it. A small bit of the heavy weight on Kalim’s heart lightened.

“KALIM!”

Jamil’s shout startled Kalim badly, but relief flooded through him when he saw his friend round the corner of the hall at a run, still in his basketball uniform.

“Jamil!” Kalim waved. “Lilia’s sick! How did you know to come here?”

“I could hear you on the phone. Are you alright?”

“The phone..? Oh! I dropped it! Yes, I’m fine. Lilia, though…”

Jamil stopped at Kalim’s side and looked him over while recovering his breath. When he was satisfied that Kalim was unharmed, Jamil’s gaze shifted into the room.

“What happened?”

Kalim burst into tears again, startling Jamil and the two teachers.

“Someone was trying to poison me, and Lilia ate it instead!” He said between sobs. “I don’t know if Cater ate it, too, or-“

“Cater’s fine,” Jamil reassured him. “I saw him crossing the courtyard toward the infirmary.”

“Thank goodness!” Kalim sobbed.

“Al-Asim! Come!” Crewel called him over, and Jamil followed. Magic spells shimmered in the air over the remains of their picnic. Lilia was quiet now, though still on his knees and shaking, not looking up at any of them. “We need to know which of you pups ate which snacks.”

“Um. I don’t… remember…” Kalim said, face heating up with shame. The only thing he could tell them definitively was that he ate only the snacks Jamil had prepared for him. Even though he’d shared those with the other two, they were certainly untainted. “I’m sorry!”

“Cater doesn’t really like sweets,” Jamil eyed the disrupted picnic suspiciously. “And I’ve heard no one but Lilia likes his licorice.”

“Thank you.” Crewel nodded. “Eliminating everything Viper made is helpful. Now, since you’re here, why don’t you take Al-Asim back to Scarabia?”

“No! I want to stay with Lilia!”

Jamil sighed heavily.

“We can’t really help them, Kalim.” Jamil picked up Kalim’s phone and then guided him out into the hall. “Let’s wait for the nurse and Cater. Once they get here, we’ll leave.”

“I guess…”

While they stood quietly together Kalim sniffled, but neither of them spoke. Inside the room Lilia drank a potion from Crewel, then gagged and heaved again. This time it was followed by a short, agonized sound so pitiful that Kalim would have run back to his side if not for Jamil’s hand in his, holding him back.

“Let the professors handle it,” Jamil said quietly, but he too was looking through the door with a frown. Surely they were both thinking the same thing; Lilia was so strong and unbothered by everything. What could have possibly brought him so low?

“There’s no way Cater ate what he did,” Jamil said thoughtfully. He likely meant to be reassuring but when he continued with, “if he did, he’d probably already be dead,” more tears slid down Kalim’s cheeks.

“Lilia’s going to die?!”

“Kalim, no.” Jamil thought about what he’d said aloud, and closed his eyes. He sighed. “That's not what I meant. Lilia’s fae constitution is hardier than a human’s. He’ll probably be fine in no time.”

The nurse arrived then, and rushed past them into the room, but without Cater in tow. In a few moments Trein came over, requested that they return to their dorm, and assured Kalim that they would take care of Lilia. Then he dismissed them both and closed the door.

“It’s my fault, isn’t it?” Kalim broke the silence between them when they headed downstairs. “Someone tried to poison me, and Lilia… he… it could’ve been Cater, too!”

“I don’t think so.”

“Of course it is,” Kalim moaned. “It’s happened before-“

“No, I mean this time I don’t think it was about you. Think it through; did Cater and Lilia eat the same snacks?”

“I don’t know… maybe? We wanted to try the Briar Valley snacks. I didn’t, of course, but Cater ate some of them. I think they both ate the hot chips. Didn’t you say Cater was okay though?”

“Hm, let’s go find him and ask. He may have stayed at the infirmary to rest after all that running.”

They diverted course, and ran into Cater in the courtyard. He still looked a little winded and carried a tiny soda can from the infirmary. When they saw each other, Cater walked briskly across the grass toward them. After quickly updating him on Lilia’s status, Jamil asked Cater about the snacks. 

“Yeah, I ate some of the old fashioned Briar Valley stuff. Lils said they were real traditional and unique. I don’t like sweets, but candy still shouldn’t have an umami flavor y'know? #WouldNotTryAgain.”

Cater paused, and then added,

“I uh, didn’t eat his licorice though. I can’t stand that stuff.”

“No one can,” Jamil agreed. He put a hand to his chin thoughtfully as they chatted. “I wonder though… What could possibly affect Lilia so? Aren’t fae immune to most things that affect humans? Even a simple poison that could take out a human would probably not affect fae at all.”

Cater twirled a lock of hair nervously. 

“He ate some of the regular stuff, too, though. Could it just be an allergic reaction?”

“Like, to an ingredient?” Jamil said, following Cater’s logic.

“Maybe. I know he’s said he’s taken a few trips around to places, but he’s obvs a Briar Valley fae through and through. They have, like, no human stuff there. Maybe it’s an additive or something he’s just never eaten before? I mean, who knows what kind of dyes and preservatives are in those hot chips.”

“Possibly,” Jamil nodded. “On the off chance that it’s not that however… it’s also possible it was something meant to poison fae deliberately.”

Kalim gasped and raised trembling fingers to his mouth.

“Who would want to poison Lilia?! He’s so nice!”

“Right? Who would poison Lils? Especially when the real Malleus Draconia is right there? I mean, ballsy move either way, for sure-”

Jamil and Cater gasped suddenly, and looked at each other with dread.

“What now?!” Kalim demanded.

“The poisoned snacks could have been meant for Malleus,” Jamil said. “Like Cater said, they’re Briar Valley natives. They likely wouldn’t suspect their local food to be tampered with.”

“Oh! Malleus! Oh no, someone should tell him.”

“Not me!!” Cater insisted. “Yikes on bikes, that guy is scary intimidating!”

“I’m not doing it, I wasn’t involved,” Jamil stated flatly. “And Kalim isn’t doing it either.”

“We have to!” Kalim said. “Someone should!”

“Well he doesn’t have a phone, so you can’t call him,” Cater said. “And Lils is his Vice, soooo…”

“Silver!” Kalim said suddenly.

“The Diasomnia newb? Isn’t he just a freshie?”

“Yes! But he knows Lilia and Malleus!”

“Do you have his number?” Jamil asked. 

“No.” Kalim’s momentary swell of excitement deflated. “Darn. We have to tell someone though. Regardless of all that ‘poison for fae or humans’ stuff or who was targeted, Malleus is housewarden. And they’re friends! He needs to know what happened to Lilia.”

“Y'know, Lils said Malleus usually takes his club hours at the same time as PMC. Golden hour is apparently great for gargoyle viewing, or something. I think they usually meet up after to go back to the dorm together. I gueeesss we could go find him there?” 

“That’s a great idea, Cater! Let’s all go!” Kalim said enthusiastically. 

“Eh heh heh… Do I have to?”

“You are in Lilia’s club.” Jamil smirked, implying that if he had to be dragged along then Cater most certainly would as well.

“RIP me.” Cater sighed and sucked down the last of his soda.

“Where do they meet?”  Jamil asked.

“I think by that old abandoned dorm. I don’t know why though. That place is giving heebiejeebies.”

“At least it’s on the school grounds and we won’t have to go far.” Jamil sighed again. “Come on. Let’s get it over with.”

It was a short walk to the run-down dorm, and when they arrived Kalim glimpsed a patterned umbrella bobbing slowly along in the unkempt and overgrown garden outside the dilapidated building. He knew that it had to be Malleus. No one else would use an umbrella on a clear evening at dusk.

“Malleuusss!!!” Kalim called out and waved. Though Cater and Jamil both winced at his volume, his shout got the prince’s attention. Shortly Malleus exited from the garden path and joined them with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Al-Asim,” Malleus greeted his fellow housewarden first, nodding politely. “And Viper and Diamond. What a surprise. Have you come to join the Gargoyle Appreciation Club this evening?”

“No, I’m sorry we haven’t,” Jamil said. “We’ve come to let you know that there was an incident in the music club’s room.”

“Oh?” Malleus seemed curious at first, and then he seemed to work out that one of said club’s three members was missing, and frowned ever so slightly. “Lilia is…?”

Cater hadn’t said a word since spotting Malleus, and Jamil seemed hesitant to continue, so Kalim jumped in with both feet and no forethought.

“Someone put something in our picnic snacks, and he’s been poisoned!”

Jamil put a hand over his face, and Cater winced.

“Poisoned, you say?” Though he frowned, Malleus blinked once, slowly. “You and Diamond seem hale. Are you certain? Lilia is quite fond of pranks, and has been known to carry them too far.”

Cater and Kalim shared a look. They hadn’t considered that, but even for Lilia the last twenty minutes seemed like too much. Kalim recalled that horrible, pained sound Lilia made just before they left, and shook his head.

“No. It’s serious. Crewel and Trein and the nurse were all there!” Kalim didn’t understand why Malleus wasn’t reacting. Wasn’t he worried about his friend?

“They seemed optimistic about treating him,” Jamil said carefully, “and probably have him in the infirmary by now.”

Malleus betrayed no outward emotion for a moment longer, just the space of a couple heartbeats, but then his expression twisted suddenly, from thoughtful to ugly and furious in the blink of an eye. Lightning slammed into the ground near the abandoned dorm with a thunderous, crackling sizzle that set their hair on end. All three students cried out, cringed fearfully and shielded their eyes from the intense flashing. Dark clouds swirled menacingly overhead, gathered with frightening speed and blotted out the remaining dusk light.

Without a word, Malleus vanished in a shower of tiny green sparks just before rain began to pour.

“Where’d he go?!”

“Who cares?!” Cater grabbed Kalim and Jamil and tugged them along. “Where the heck did this storm come from?! We’re gonna get fried out here!”

Lightning struck the campus again and again, and though it was a short distance to the Mirror Hall, by the time the trio reached it they were all soaked from the downpour. Wind howled so loudly they could hear its wailing inside the hall, and thunder shook the stones under their feet every time lightning crashed.

“Did you see that look on Malleus’ face?” Cater shivered dramatically. He had to push wet hair out of his face. “I’m not going anywhere near the infirmary for a while. If either of you hear anything, lemme know, k?”

“We will!”

Kalim waved him off and watched Cater go through the Heartslabyul mirror, then turned to Jamil.

“Can we-“

“No.” Jamil shook his head. He squeezed water out of his basketball jersey. “We’re not going to the infirmary while Malleus is furious. We’ll check on Lilia tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?!”

“If he’s well enough he’ll probably text you tonight. If not… we’d only be in their way.”

Jamil spoke from experience, Kalim knew, so he nodded slowly.

“Alright then. Let’s head back to Scarabia,” Kalim said quietly. “I’m glad you came to help us, even though I wasn’t the one in danger.”

“You were in danger,” Jamil frowned as they headed for Scarabia’s mirror. “Or you could’ve been. You called me, but didn’t answer when I picked up. All I could hear was yelling and noise. So of course I came to check on you.”

“Thanks.” Kalim summoned a smile, though without his usual enthusiasm. It felt too difficult to grin brightly when all he could think about was Lilia, sick and shaking. It made him think about seeing Jamil that way too. “Before coming to Night Raven, everyone warned me to be careful, but I didn’t think something like this would really happen here. And not to someone else!”

“So, don’t you think that means you should take the threat seriously?” Jamil asked.

“Yeah…” Kalim was left with that unsettling thought as they passed through the mirror to their dorm.

Once the lightning storm blew itself out, an unseasonably early snow fell across Sage’s Island that night, blanketing everything in a soft layer of white the following morning. No one knew what to make of the sudden, bizarre weather pattern.

Lilia was absent from his shared morning elective with Cater, and at lunch Cater and Kalim confirmed that neither of them had any contact from him overnight. There was no sign of him in the cafeteria either. Malleus ate in their usual alcove with just Silver. Even at a distance Kalim thought the pair looked tense and morose without their light hearted companion.

“Leave it alone,” Jamil cautioned Kalim when he tried to go over to them. “If it really is Briar Valley politics, you don’t want to risk involving your family even more.”

“But Lilia’s my friend! And Malleus and Silver look sad! What if… Lilia’s sicker than we thought? What if he died?!”

“I don’t think Malleus would be here if that were the case.” Jamil opened Kalim’s lunch and pushed it across the table to him, forcing his attention away from the fae prince. ”Now eat, please. We can look into it later if you don’t hear from him, but not in the middle of the cafeteria.”

Kalim managed to follow Jamil’s advice for a couple of hours, but his resolve crumbled by the end of potions class. He was too upset about the incident to leave it alone. When the bell sounded, Kalim went to ask Crewel about Lilia. The professor’s curt response surprised him. 

“The whelp checked himself out and left last night.”

“You mean he left school?” Kalim asked, and Crewel nodded. “Ohhh so that’s why Malleus and Silver are alone today. Is Malleus okay here without Lilia?”

“Draconia is in no danger. If he were, the crown would pull him out immediately. The matter is being handled, and that’s all you need to know about it. Now run along to your next class.”

“But-“

“No ‘but’s!” Crewel insisted firmly. “To your next class, Al-Asim.”

Over the weekend there was no sign of the Diasomnia trio outside of their dorm, and no word from Lilia until very late Sunday evening. He finally responded to the PMC group chat with a simple message that he would see them at lunch the next day and to not worry about ‘little old me’. Kalim and Cater both responded in a flurry of worried texts, and demanded details, but nothing else came from Lilia’s end. Though it was short, the message sent a wave of relief through Kalim. His friend was fine, and everything would be back to normal in the morning.

Kalim closed his eyes and easily drifted off to peaceful sleep that night. 

-

“LILIA!”

”Hello Kalim! Cater!”

As promised, they met up at lunch in one of the cafeteria’s alcoves, under an ornate, stained glass window. They hugged each other, and made quite a fuss over Lilia, which he seemed to enjoy. Kalim grinned brightly at the sight of his club mate, back and looking healthy again.

“You look fine! Are you feeling alright?”

”Oh yes. Right as rain.”

“Man, you scared us big time, Lils. What the heck happened?”

“Well, I suppose there’s no harm in telling you,” Lilia sighed and propped his hands on his hips. “Kalim and Young Viper’s suspicions were partially correct. One of the Briar Valley snacks was laced with poison.” He paused, as if expecting the shocked gasps from his two club mates. “However, thank the Thorn Fairy, Malleus was not the intended target.”

“If not Malleus, then who?!”

”Why,”  Lilia smiled sharply, showing a hint of fang, “little ol' me, of course.”

“WHAT!?”

“Why?! Lils, you can’t be serious!”

“Khee hee hee,” Lilia laughed mirthlessly. There was no humor at all in the sound, and the usual sparkle was absent from his eyes. They looked dark and flat. “Crewel confirmed the poison was in my licorice. It was meant for me.”

“Why though?” Kalim asked, distressed. That tight feeling began coiling in his chest again. It hadn’t been an accident, someone deliberately targeted his friend. Wanted to hurt him. Just like those times at home. “Why you?”

“Hm, how to explain… Kalim, Your family is wealthy and influential, yes? Essentially nobility, by Briar Valley standards. As such, you’re a bit like Malleus in the sense that your family is careful who you associate with, yes?”

“That’s right,” Kalim nodded. “Oh! So you’re saying it’s like me and Jamil?”

“Similar, yes… There are those in Briar Valley who feel that I should not have been appointed as Malleus’ guardian. Some vehemently opposed it, despite Her Majesty’s decision.”

“Yikes!” Cater said. “You mean, someone was ballsy enough to oppose the fae queen?”

“Not publicly,” Lilia said. “Hence, such an underhanded attempt at getting rid of me.”

Both of his classmates gasped.

“Lils, how do you know this for sure?!”

“Because Baur and I tracked down the source, and took care of it,” Lilia said in a terrifying, deep voice. His malicious smile sent a shiver down his club mates' spines.

”Ah…aha.. ha… that sounds pretty cray-cray,” Cater said weakly. 

“Wait,” Kalim frowned, still puzzled by Lilia’s story. “What’s bower?”

“Baur,” Lilia emphasized the pronunciation. “He’s a friend at the castle.”

”Oh!” Kalim snapped his fingers. “That's what you were talking to Trein about?”

“Yes. He’s someone I trust implicitly,” Lilia said. “I asked Trein to send for him specifically to ensure Malleus would be adequately protected, should I kick the bucket.”

”Kick the-?! LILS! Don’t say things like that!” Cater grabbed a lock of hair and twisted it.

“It’s true though,” Lilia seemed amused by their exchange now, his tone of voice a little lighter, though his smile still didn’t quite reach his eyes. “The whole thing was an unfortunate oversight on my part. And a mistake that I won’t make again. At any rate, I’m fit as a fiddle once more, and happy to be back with my school chums.”

Lilia hooked his arms around each of theirs, positioning himself between them, and urged them to walk along with him toward the cafeteria line. Kalim squeezed Lilia’s arm, overjoyed to see his friend back and healthy. Since Lilia said it was resolved, rather than sweat the details of the event, Kalim opted to look forward instead.

“Now that it’s over, we should have a ‘Welcome Back Lilia’ party! Jamil could cook everything for us, so we all can enjoy it together!”

“I wouldn’t want to put Viper out just for my sake.”

“On the subject of food however,” Cater said, “does all this mean no more licorice at club meetings?”