51 The Fruit of One’s Labor

Hogswell was checking DJ's bag when he found a red tinted and ribbed berry. "You don't want to eat this one."

"Uh," DJ watched the innocent looking berry with worry. Kyrie'd eaten a lot of them. And Hogswell was already pissed at him. He didn't want to get Kyrie in trouble but… , "Um," DJ gulped and said, "What happens to you if you … uh eat … DJ licked his lip and looked from the berry to Hogswell. "Well, a lot of them."

Hogswell sighed. Another one that'd eaten some of what he'd gathered. "You ate some didn't you?"

DJ grimaced, "Well a … friend did."

"Then your, " Hogswell paused, "Friend must like bitter and sour fruit. And is very, very lucky. They are edible but most people hate the taste."

"Oh thank Math," DJ said as his shoulders fell in relief. Kyrie wasn't off dying in some ally way from eating an innocuous-looking berry. Centra was right he'd never eat something without knowing what it was first. And double checking it too.

After checking DJ's bag, Hogswell moved onto the one Kyrie had left. Hogswell separated the bag into two piles. The first pile was large and the second – well it only had the one glimmering blue berry.

Hogswell paused as he stared at the giant pile of red tinted and ribbed gooseberries. He looked at DJ as he said, "You really were asking for a friend, weren't you?"

DJ rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah."

Hogswell nodded and checked the second pile. It was an interesting choice and one that was illegal to have in Laserath. Hogswell held up the glimmering blue berry. "Never eat this one if you aren't someplace safe. And absolutely never give it to someone else." That was all Hogswell wanted to say about this one. He wanted no part, even the tiniest of one, in what may happen if he taught his students more about this berry. He already needed to have a very serious conversation with Kyrie about it.

Del asked, "What's it do?"

Hogswell glared at him. "It gets you sent to a psychiatric care facility and put to work as a deep labor." Hogswell had lied about the deep labor part. That part may not have happened but the threat of it would keep several students clear of it.

Hogswell turned and chucked it towards the forest. Then he placed the gooseberries back in the bag. "DJ you can give these to Kyrie."

"Sure," DJ said as he grabbed Kyrie's bag.

♢ ♢ ♢

Syra, Kyrie, and Max were walking through the clearing by the city's outer walls. Kyrie was sticking close to Max so he could catch him if he tripped.

Max glanced warily at the hero by his side. He wasn't much of a hero. Max watched his jittery hands. He could still see it in the tree above him. He could feel it crashing into and depleting his flimsy aura as the guard grabbed his shoulder and flung him back. Flung him into the center of the clearing. Where his legs had twisted sickeningly and snapped so terribly fast. He'd been trapped there, where he could hear the screams and cries as the others died.

Still, Syra had healed him, helped him, saved him.

And yet she was being punished for her action. For doing what she was being taught to do. "That prof is shit," Max said as he watched Syra.

Syra smiled at Max. "He's not so bad. He was just trying to make it seem like he was punishing us."

Syra yawned as she walked on Max's other side. "A real punishment would be making me stay in class right now."

Kyrie watched the other two as he said, "We'll also be able to make sure you get back safe and file a report with the labor's office." Kyrie turned back to the forest and the creatures that haunted them. Had the legends taken advantage of the drill and the festival to move closer to the city? Or was this a normal occurrence here?

Kyrie glanced at Max. He'd recovered a little quick for it to be that unusual an event.

Laserath was larger than Avalon. It had more people to guard and police. And more border area to protect. While Avalon'd had Kyrie. Had the portion the city was paid for all the commissions he did. For all the commissions the Say clan completed. They'd been on the rise again. Avalon had been on the rise.

Kyrie clenched his hands he walked by the wall. He hated losing his family, losing those he'd sworn to protect and stand by. What was he doing here? Staying near these walls, when…

Kyrie felt a burst of happiness blossom in his chest. Right, that was why he was here. To make friends, to reconnect with James. To do things he'd never done before. Kyrie's clenched fist relaxed. He could do both he could – would do both. At least for this city.

Kyrie glanced at the wall. He'd do better by Laserath than he had Avalon. He would never let his new home fall – be lost to depths of Legend.

♢ ♢ ♢

As Hogswell opened the gate for the students to return, a student grabbed the glimmering blue berry he'd thrown. It might be just the edge they needed. They'd rather not use it, but they were already doing a lot of things they didn't want to. And it was all in the name of the cause.