Harvest 11, 855
Neither of them slept after the first nightmare. Buu sat at the edge of his bed, fully dressed and ready for class hours before he needed to leave. To one side of him sat the books Idah had brought for him, Tuag lying alert and watchful on the other.
As soon as the sun crested the horizon, signalling the end of curfew, Buu opened his door, eager to let the sunlight wash away the phantom chill Sister Moon had left in his mind. Word of the grimm’s arrival ran ahead of them, and as they reached the yard, teachers and soldiers spilled from every doorway to protect their charges.
Buu stood still, trying to look unthreatening as Tuag bristled beside him, quiet and dangerous. Steel pointed at them from every direction, some teachers adding to the threat with hands full of flame or lightening. The faces surrounding them reflected Buu’s fear and Tuag’s anger like a mirror.
Buu tried to steady himself, head light as he felt his heart thundering in his chest. Listening to its frantic, irregular rhythm, his mind started to rattle off symptoms before being cut short as he came to a realization that made his blood run cold. Those weren’t his heartbeats.
The crowd parted as a tall figure pushed their way to the front. They wore a soldier’s uniform with accents of silver that flashed in the dawn light, marking them above their peers. Their soft features didn’t commit them to being a man or woman, and the vague hint of a figure under their uniform did not give any further clues. Weapon sheathed, they addressed Buu in a voice that assumed command.
“Boy! Step away from the grimm immediately.”
Buu looked from the soldier to Tuag and back, clenching and unclenching his fingers as he endeavored to loosen his reflexive awareness of the hearts around him. Mouth dry, he placed a hand against Tuag’s shoulder to feel the coarse fur and cold skin beneath his fingers. Tuag shot him a warning glance, but Buu just shook his head.
“To be honest, I think it’s safest for everyone if I don’t. He doesn’t seem to kill anyone when he’s with me.” Remembering the headmaster’s warning about associating himself with the grimm, he added, “I can’t control him or anything, but I think he knows I don’t like it.”
A ripple of prayers and speculation moved through the crowd like wind, terror and curiosity staring back at Buu from behind the array of weapons and magic. Buu didn’t know whether to feel relieved or concerned as Headmaster Sanir appeared, pushing his way to the front of the mob.
“No one asked what you thought — that monster has killed dozens of my troops in a handful of days. It needs to be stopped,” the soldier said, face growing red and blotchy and drawing their sword. The other weapons in the circle bristled in response.
“Captain Riying, please. Let’s not do anything hasty.” Headmaster Sanir put his hands up placatingly. “This is an unusual situation that requires clear heads to solve.”
Captain Riying and the headmaster glared at one another with the intensity of people who had run through the same few arguments dozens of times. Beneath his fingers, Buu felt Tuag tense, his lip twitching as he read the hostility shooting back and forth between the group’s leaders. Picturing the line of carnage the grimm had left in Red Birch, Buu inhaled as deeply as he could and took his chance.
Reaching out with his mind, he gathered up all the heartbeats he could hear, imagining them resting in his open hands like a collection of red berries, fresh picked and glistening as they carried all the life around him. Carefully, gently, Buu imagined stroking them with his thumbs, calming them like tiny beasts, picturing their frantic pace easing into a steady rhythm.
He held his breath, head pounding, jaw clenched as he concentrated on using only the lightest touch. His chest tightened, his own heart trying to meet the pace of those in his mind as he avoided thinking about what would happen if he made a mistake.
A solid weight pressed against his arm, cool and grounding. Tuag shifted, his flank touching Buu, stubbornly not looking over. Grateful for the token of support, Buu redoubled his efforts, leaning against the grimm and screwing his eyes closed.
He knew the conversation had continued without him, the adults oblivious to his attempted manipulation. A few moments more, and he thought he heard a shift in their tones, their voices changing from shouts to firm words, from anger to frustration. Not wanting to overdo it, Buu released his hold, unable to shake the sound of heartbeats from his mind but letting go of what control he had.
Buu opened his eyes, flexing his fingers as a wave of energy washed through him. The grimm watched him, nose twitching before releasing an annoyed huff and turning away. The buzz of magic in his blood left him wanting more, and he had to wrench his thoughts away from the life around him, and back to the conversation. He noticed Aru sidling up beside the headmaster, as yet unnoticed but with a long-suffering expression.
“—get out of here then and take your teachers with you. This is soldier’s work that needs doing, and we aren’t going to be craven about it,” Captain Riying fumed.
Headmaster Sanir gestured towards the walls of the school, replying in a measured tone. “And where do you suggest we go that the grimm will not follow once your efforts have set him off? He had no trouble getting in here. He’s stable now, why trigger an attack?”
“Would you rather wait around and have him come at you when you aren’t expecting it? He doesn’t need provocation! The thing took out dozens of soldiers that he’d served beside for months — he’s an unpredictable menace.”
“Well, of course he did,” Buu said. He hadn’t meant to say it aloud and swallowed hard when the adults turned to look at him. Neither looked thrilled by his contribution, but before they could admonish him, Aru interjected.
“Go on, Buu. Don’t let these two windbags put you off. You obviously have some insight into this that we don’t.” She nodded towards Tuag, and Buu’s hand still resting against his flank. “What are we missing?”
Buu stared around at the all the faces watching him. As they had stood there, not mauling anyone, many of the expressions around him had transformed from angry and afraid, to curious. A few looked pale and unwell, as if they might double over and vomit. Buu cringed as he saw them, gut tight with guilt as he wondered if his interference had caused their discomfort.
Turning back to Aru, he tried to focus on just her, and he knew instantly that she understood what he wanted to say.
“He wasn’t fighting alongside your soldiers because he wanted to. General Ido made him. He doesn’t even really want to be here,” Buu waved his arms around, trying to take in all of the physical space around him. “He’s meant to be somewhere very different, but he’s stuck.
“So of course he lashed out when he had the chance. He’s angry. I would be mad at anyone in a uniform too if I were in his place. Wouldn’t you?”
Captain Riying opened their mouth to reply, face red and skeptical, when Aru cut them off, meeting their eyes fiercely.
“Yes,” she agreed emphatically, “I would also deeply resent being taken from my home and pushed into military service. Good observation, Buu.”
The change in the crowd as focus shifted to the problem of the soldiers themselves fizzed in the air, tangible in the rising hair along Buu’s arms and neck. Buu even caught one or two sympathetic looks thrown Tuag’s way. Bristling weapons wavered uncertainly as suspicious and angry murmurs worked their way across the crowd. Buu did his best to look small and innocent. A moment later, Tuag glanced at him skeptically before sitting down, panting just like any normal dog might, just with more teeth.
“That is not the point!” Captain Riying blustered, glaring daggers at Aru. “The empire must grow, and we need tools, no matter how unsavory.” They gestured pointedly at the grimm.
“Grow your empire somewhere else!” an anonymous voice hollered from the crowd.
A few beats of silence followed the remark, no one quite willing to follow it. Buu cleared his throat into the silence, the cold of the morning beginning to slink, unwanted, through his student’s robes. The adults had obviously moved on.
“Headmaster Sanir, can I be excused? I don’t want to be late on my first day.” Belatedly, he added, “Please.”
A smirk twitched at the edges of the headmaster’s stony expression as he turned back to the captain. “Captain Riying? May my student go to his classes?”
The captain looked like they had just sucked on a bundle of sour sorrel leaves. Taking in the unhappy crowd, the grimm, and Buu, they sighed, fingering the pommel of their sword.
“The monster seems contained for the time being. Perhaps everyone needs some time to cool their heads.” They waved their soldiers away, dispersing the armed members of the mob. “But if the thing decides to tear into your students, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”