*

A hand came down heavily on Han’s shoulder. Han jerked, and turned around.

“Something’s up, Han,” Raah said warningly.

The day had ended. The week had ended. Quy had been distracted, and Han had wanted a quick escape. Shrugging off Raah’s hold, he said, “What do you mean?”

Raah snorted. “Last week, you were all about how Quy was fake. What happened?”

“Quy is real. I was mistaken.”

Raah regarded him. “There’s more. Where are you going?”

“Home,” Han said roughly.

Raah frowned. “If Quy is real, then...there was a fake one,” Raah said slowly.

Han stayed silent.

“You do know,” Raah pressed. “You know who the fake one is.”

“Don’t you want the one that’s the son of a Lord?” Han said angrily. “Do you really want Quy knowing that you know? Didn’t you see how he fought Ginzan?”

“But that person isn’t our friend, the one that we’ve known, is he?” Raah said.

Han scowled. “On your head then,” he warned.

Raah shrugged. “Tell me.”

“Our friend, as you say, is fine. He’s attending a different university. No—I don’t know which,” Han said premptively, “But I do know where he’s normally at, after.”

“He’s likely at Four Elements,” Raah said. “The only other university suitable calibre in Taesu is Immin, and that’s womens only.”

“If I may go now?” Han said.

“I’m coming with you.”

“Pulling rank on me?” Han eyed him.

“Don’t you think I have the right to see our friend too?”

Han gritted his teeth. Unfortunately, he thought Raah was right. “Fine.”

*

Quy slammed down his fist, and fire erupted from the ground. Around him, the earth was charred, split and sundered in places, glassy-fused in others. But there was no lava, no molten rock.

If a jumped up Healer could do it, so could Quy.

But. Nothing. Was. Working!

“Take a break,” came Shima’s calm words.

“Tch.” Quy accepted Shima’s glass of water. “Fetch me the scrolls again.”

“Master Quy, if I may offer some words,” Shima said quietly, bowing his head.

Quy slanted a look at him. “Yes?”

“There is one person you know has mastered the creation of lava in combat situations.”

Quy gritted his teeth. “I know.”

But did he want to lower himself to ask?

Or he could blackmail Mai into helping him.

“Shima,” he said abruptly. “Take me to where Mai was last seen.”

*

“I am to meet the Senior Healers over the next few days. And I realise that you should be studying, shouldn’t you, young lady?” his aunt had said last night.

It had been hard for Khai to hid the momentary sense of freedom, and it grew as the next day came. After another day at Immin, he had hurried home and changed, and he grinned when he saw the tea shop again.

“There he is!” Han said, waving broadly.

Khai’s heart jumped. “Good afternoon, Han.”

“Good,” Mr. Kiri said. He thumped his table. “Oi! Thon! Bring some tea out here for Healer Khai!”

“Coming, old man!” Thon yelled back.

Khai’s eyes skipped to the figure who was next to Han, and his grin dimmed. “Good afternoon, Raah.”

Raah strolled up to him, assessing him. “Han was right. Your magic isdifferent. Khai, you say.”

Khai inclined his head. “Does it make you feel betrayed to have followed someone of lower class than you?”

“It would have been better if you had joined Baashi under your real identity,” Raah said, just as levelly. “If Han could get a half=scholarship, you should have been able to obtain one too.”

“It was never an option,” he said, shaking his head.

Raah raised his eyebrows. “As a Healer, Baashi University may not be suitable. But your mage skills remain impressive.”

Khai shrugged.

“Here’s your tea, Khai,” Thon said, setting a tray down on Mr. Kiri’s table. “Nice to see you back.”

“That’s Healer Khai to you,” Mr. Kiri chided good-naturedly.

Thon rolled his eyes. “Whatever, old man.”

Khai smiled, and went to sit next to Mr. Kiri. Han and Raah pulled up chairs as well.

“Is this what you’ve been doing after classes?” Raah asked.

“Doing healing rounds, actually,” Khai admitted. “I’m registered.”

Raah snorted. “I knew it.”

“I should go and check up some of them,” Khai thought out loud.

“Don’t you worry,” Mr. Kiri said. “With word of your return, we’ll have people coming to you.”

Eep. At the corner of Khai’s eye, he could see one of his patients approaching already.

“You shouldn’t up!” he chided them, helping them into his vacated seat. “Let me see—”

*

Han watched Khai’s magic with interest, letting himself catch some of that heat that flowed off of him.

“He really knows what he’s doing,” Raah said quietly.

Han glanced at him. “You don’t have to stay,” he said. “This isn’t your kind of entertainment—”

“But it’s yours?” Raah smirked.

Han choked.

“Heh.” Raah shook his head. “I should have known. He never acted like a noble, after all. But yet...how curious.” Raah turned to look at Khai and his patient.

“What do you mean?”

But Raah shrugged and didn’t answer.

*

From the rooftops, Quy glared at Mai/Khai and her followers. Beside him, Shima was silent.

Han was a lost cause. But Raah should have known better. He should have known the politics. He should have stayed by Quy’s side. But instead, he was staying there with the commoners, with Mai.

Mai’s magic must have called their loyalty. Something in her healer training must have made it deeper, harder to Quy to dislodge.

As more and more people clustered to Mai, Quy realised the extent of Mai’s reach. Mai was a fire mage, and every commoner she helped was another person made loyal.

And if Mai rallied enough followers, she could do serious damage. She could fashion herself into a noble, and getting rid of her violently would call up an angry mob.

Quy’s teeth grinded together when the sound of Mai’s laughter, as Han talked, making large gestures.

Oh, Quy could crush Han’s prospects so easily. A half-scholarship student was always on shaky ground.

And now Mai was healing yet another random peasant that had come up to her, for free!

Khai-Khai-Khai, they kept called her. They kept acting like she was a man.

They didn’t know. But he knew of Mai’s healer’s license.

“Keep an eye on her. Find her accommodation, Shima,” Quy said. “There is business I need to attend to.”

*

“We’re grateful for your visit, Healer Mage Tien,” said senior Healer Mage Thu. “It is not often that we have Fire Healers here in Taesu.”

“I am grateful for your time,” Tien replied, inclining her head. “Is there not the rumour of a fire healer in the lower districts?”

Not Mai, unfortunately. Tien inwardly shook her head. Mai thought more about healing than doing—why else would she take Advanced Magical Theory at Immin, instead of something more practical?

Thu gave Tien a considering look. “Indeed, there is. From memory, no one has affirmed this healer’s license. He apparently appeared one day, out of the open air. Thank you for the reminder.”

Tien inclined her head. I will visit the lower districts, she decided. Healers in those districts faced a greater array of diseases and ailments than those who practiced in the richer areas.

“But as now,” Thu smiled, “Please join us for dinner.”

*

The next day, Yang found herself walking quickly after a chat with one of the people who worked in the local district council office.

Word of Khai’s presence had spread to the officials.

And Yang had a bad feeling about it.