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Griever

Griever

By: Arielle Joria
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A new spooky YA serial by Arielle Joria featuring a focus on magical queerplatonic bonds

queerplantasy.substack.comArielle Drama & Plays
Episodes
  • Griever: Chapter Five

    Griever: Chapter Five
    May 17 2026
    Chapter FiveBounding out of bed, Shaeda grabbed the sword, and flung open the bedroom door … then had to stop short.Unexpectedly, Migael was standing right outside, so close that she almost bashed him in the face when she opened the door. She dropped the sword in surprise, and he jumped back, eyes wide. Then his shoulders sagged, his whole face flooding with relief.“Oh man,” he breathed, “you’re up! You’re okay! I mean, uh … are you okay? How you feeling?”Shaeda just blinked at him.“Feeling?” she asked, sounding stupid even to her own ears. It was a very difficult question to answer. She kinda had a lot on her mind.Migael, she then realized, had a large bandage wrapped around his head, and there was something a little shifty and dazed in his eyes.An ugly weight settled in the pit of Shaeda’s stomach as the memories began to trickle back in, and again, she suddenly wasn’t sure where the reality started and the dream ended … or was it the other way around?“What’s happening?” she whispered. “What am I-?”“Whoa, steady, now.” Migael grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Take a breath, man. You, uh, kinda had a traumatic experience. Wait, maybe that’s not the right way to put it, but, uh … anyway, they said you might not remember what happened, so. This is fine, I’ve got this. What DO you remember?”Shaeda wasn’t sure. There were strange, blue-eyed non-humans, and glowing swords, and terrifying mud monsters with tentacles, and a familiar silvery shape that had risen out of pure rage and channeled it into a powerful certainty.She swallowed hard.“Yeah,” muttered Migael. “Yeah, okay, so maybe let’s skip that part. We can catch up later. Right now, Professor Sharm wants to see you.”That, of course, made sense. If she really had accidentally summoned something in the middle of the examination, then of course he’d want to talk to her.“I didn’t do it on purpose,” she managed.That isn’t true, is it?Maybe she hadn’t exactly intended to summon a spirit; she hadn’t even been sure she still could. At the same time, Migael was obviously alive, and presumably Talie was, as well, or he’d have said something about it by now, and so whatever Shaeda had done HAD worked. She couldn’t be sorry about that. She couldn’t wish it hadn’t happened.Something inside her HAD intended every bit of it.“Okay,” she whispered. “Okay, um … I’ll go see the professor.”Migael shook his head.“WE’LL go see him,” he corrected her. “I’m not leaving you alone with that creep.”Shaeda raised an eyebrow.“Do you think he’ll let you stay?” she asked.Migael shrugged.“Not planning to ask for permission,” he said, and then he started off down the hall.***Professor Sharm’s office, which had only recently belonged to Professor Petwardan, was on the first floor to accommodate Professor Petwardan’s wheelchair. Professor Sharm hadn’t changed much about it when he’d taken over; even the tiny painted portrait of Professor Petwardan’s late wife was still in its place on the mahogany desk when Shaeda and Migael walked through the half-open door.Talie was already there, seated in an uncomfortable-looking wooden chair with one slightly shorter leg that kept it off balance. Shaeda had a theory that neither Professor had ever replaced that chair because sitting in it unsettled any students who were brought to them for reproach or punishment.As soon as she saw Shaeda, Talie jumped up and ran to embrace her.“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered. “We were really worried. What WAS that thing?”“Ah, Ms. Clare.” Professor Sharm nodded at Shaeda, then glanced with some resignation at Migael. “And Mr. Hansa. I don’t remember inviting you along.”“Nope.” Migael smiled. “You didn’t.”Shrugging, Professor Sharm let that go.“How are you feeling?” he asked Shaeda. “And, Hansa, is the dizziness clearing up?”Shaeda turned on Migael.“You’re dizzy?” she asked. “How dizzy?”Migael threw up his hands.“I got my head bashed against a rock,” he reminded her. “What did you expect? And thanks, Prof, but I’m fine. I mean, I’ll be fine.”Talie sighed.“He really will be fine,” she murmured, smiling softly. “He’s definitely concussed, though. If you hadn’t done … well, whatever that was, Shaeda, then things might have gotten a lot worse.”“Yeah, no s**t.” Migael shuddered. “Thanks for the save, bestie.”The word “bestie” filled Shaeda with so much sudden warmth and excitement that she had to quickly trace the shekra symbol on her wrist several times to keep the unexpected joy at bay.Forcing herself to refocus, Shaeda carefully looked Talie over for signs of any injury.“I’m okay, too,” insisted Talie. “Everything’s going to be fine, okay? Don’t freak out.”Those words hit Shaeda like a physical blow, and she winced. Talie looked instantly contrite, biting her lip and shaking her ...
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    19 mins
  • Griever: Chapter Four

    Griever: Chapter Four
    May 17 2026
    Chapter FourShaeda could sense something…something soft, inviting, and endless. The quiet was an unnerving relief; she could almost taste the stillness and the gentle solitude … and then, she heard the voice.“Champion,” it whispered. “Champion, wake up. It’s begun … this is no time for lying around!”She opened her eyes and saw that she was back in the dream world, light pouring from all sides and warm breezes ruffling the silk draperies. This time, there was a luxurious lavender divan in the center of the room, and on it were perched two people.The one, a bright-haired woman with familiar, cobalt-blue eyes, got to her feet as soon as she met Shaeda’s gaze. The other, a pale-haired man with an impassive face, simply watched, unmoving.They were both dressed in hooded silken robes, shimmering in shades of lavender and cream. The woman wore large pearls in her ears, and the man had them sewn at the shoulders of his garment. They shone and shimmered with the kind of luxury that Shaeda would have expected from the greatest lords and ladies of Elsenere; people at the same level of wealth and freedom as the Rose family.“Lady Shaeda,” the woman breathed, “I’m so delighted to finally meet you! My name is Junith! Wait, is that too informal? It’s been so long since I’ve talked with one of you … with a human, I mean! Oh, this is SO exciting! What do you think? I mean, how do I look? Did I get the outfit right? I did spend so much time this morning working on creating the most effectively human-like ensemble that I could; Aistus INSISTED.”Junith did a little twirl, letting her skirts billow out around her.“Um,” Shaeda murmured, nonplussed. “Well, you … you certainly look human. I wouldn’t have known you weren’t, if you hadn’t told me.”Junith turned and gave the man a triumphant look.“Aistus,” she called. “Come over here and greet our champion!”He turned, smiled softly at Shaeda, and then walked over to join them.“Welcome,” he murmured, and his voice was a purr just as soft as velvet. “My name is Aistus, and I’m ever so pleased to make your acquaintance.”Junith rolled her eyes.“He’s so stuffy,” she sighed. “Oh, well. Are you ready?”Shaeda simply blinked at her.“I’m not sure,” she said honestly. “I don’t-!”“She couldn’t possibly be ready,” murmured Aistus. “You haven’t yet told her what to be ready for.”Junith shot him a frown“I was GETTING to that,” she hissed. “Ahem. Welcome, Lady Shaeda, to the … oh, Great Shuya, I’m not sure what to call it. I suppose you humans would refer to this as a refuge! That’s that, then; we’ll call it the Refuge. It’s a safe space; as long as you’re here, no one can harm your mind, body, or soul, and no one can find you unless you welcome them in. Aistus and I are here to help you in whatever way we can, although, of course, there are some things we absolutely can’t do. No cheating, you know?”“Cheating?” Shaeda found that not much of this was making sense. “I’m sorry; what exactly is happening?”Aistus clucked his tongue at Junith, and her eyes flashed.“You can’t cheat at the game,” sighed Junith, speaking a bit more sharply than she had at first. “That’s clear, isn’t it? You WILL win, of course, but you have to win FAIRLY. Otherwise, it doesn’t count. You can do that, can’t you? Of course you can. I have ALWAYS believed in you!”Ah, thought Shaeda. Alright, so she was going to play a game. That would be fine; she liked games. So did Migael; when they weren’t studying, or rushing out into the night to practice things they shouldn’t be learning yet, they often played table games in his dorm room. Judging by the looks they got when they separated at strange hours of the morning, several people in the dorm were under the impression that they were playing a VERY different kind of two-person game alone together, but Shaeda didn’t really care. She was getting very good at Siege and Shadow, and now she won more than she lost. Migael was surprisingly good at strategy, considering he really only studied when she cajoled or threatened him into it. Luckily for him, he was, apparently, a natural. If she could beat him fairly in the real world, then of course she’d be able to win a game in a dream.“Okay,” she said, nodding. “I understand. So, what are we playing?”Junith and Aistus looked momentarily stunned.“I’m not sure how to answer that,” murmured Aistus. “The game doesn’t have a name; not as such.”“Of course it does!” Junith’s eyes lit up with something alarming and slightly unfriendly. “It’s called WAR! We’re playing war. If you win, then the human race is saved! Yay! And if He wins … Well, that’ll be some very bad luck, I’m afraid. Very, VERY bad, Lady Shaeda, so that’s not really an option; not this time.”“But with our help,” Aistus assured Shaeda, “you’ll be safe. He’ll have no chance ...
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    11 mins
  • Griever: Chapter Three

    Griever: Chapter Three
    May 9 2026
    Chapter ThreeAs it did every year, the first year’s final examination began on the rooftop of Elandir Academy, in full, blinding sunlight. It was always sunny on an examination day, because Professor Rosin, probably both their worst teacher and their most powerful spellsmith, “commanded the sun,” as he liked to put it.Rosin was a little theatrical. What actually happened, Shaeda knew, was that he cast a complex combination of heat and light charms that convinced the atmosphere for several miles around the Academy to behave like it was the sweetest day of the warmest month, even when the neighboring villages were soaked with rain. He only did this for the first year’s examination; the fourth years had to work their magic in the midst of a thunderstorm, or, if they were a particularly difficult class, a blizzard.Sarina, too, had a particular interest in environmental spellcraft. She was good at it; very good, and Shaeda didn’t think Sarina would have any trouble defending herself against whatever Rosin threw at her during her examination. Hopefully, her talent wouldn’t offend Rosin’s pride enough to make things miserable for the rest of her class.“Sura,” Migael was whispering under his breath, waving his hands around in small but wild gestures that Shaeda certainly didn’t recognize. “Suran. Surana!”“You’ve got it all wrong,” Talie hissed. “How are you doing it wrong? That’s the simplest one!”“My hands shake,” Migael shot back. “You know that!”Talie just shook her head at him, but Shaeda took Migael’s hand, traced a small teardrop sign on the back of his middle knuckle, and whispered “Shekra.”Immediately, Migael’s hands stilled, and she watched him take a slow, deep breath.“Thanks,” he whispered. “I, uh … yeah, hoo boy. I needed that.”Talie’s eyes went wide.“Are you serious?” she asked. “We’re allowed to do that before the test? No way!”“Nobody said that we weren’t.” Shaeda shrugged. “It’s not like it’s gonna help him remember spells he never bothered to learn; it’ll just keep him from freaking out. I can do one for you too, if you want.”“Um, no thanks.” Talie looked uncertain. “Just in case it’s against the rules, I think I’ll pass, but … nice work. You’re really good at that one. I’m a little jealous.”Shaeda grimaced. “Thanks. I kind of use that spell a lot.”Ever since she’d been a little girl, Shaeda had used the classic soothing spell to help calm herself on a regular basis. The caretakers at the orphanage hadn’t liked her to get “wound up,” or too overenthusiastic about anything. Most of the time, any excitement on her part had just seemed to make them more tired, which was impressive considering how exhausted they always looked to begin with, so when she’d learned the little calming spell, she’d practiced it until it made her easier to live with.Migael tapped her on the wrist, and when she met his eyes, she could tell that he was really seeing her.“You shouldn’t,” said Migael. “I mean, I think your enthusiasm is very cute. All the guys do.”He flashed her a wicked smile, and Shaeda just raised an eyebrow at him. He winked, and she laughed.At least no one here seemed to get too offended when Shaeda got excited, even if it made the magic just a little bit harder to reign in.“Ew,” said Talie. “Quit flirting.”Migael’s mouth fell open.“Whoa, hang on,” he began. “I’m not!”Ignoring him, Talie walked off to greet a few of her other friends. Migael turned and gave Shaeda an uncomfortable look.“You know I’m not, uh, flirting with you, right?” he asked, looking serious. “I wouldn’t. You’re not … I mean, uh, we’re not … it’s not like that?”Shaeda put a comforting hand on his shoulder.“I know,” she insisted. “And I appreciate it.”“You do?” Migael looked relieved. “Oh, uh, good. That’s great. Because you’re … well, I mean, we’re … uh, listen, actually, I’ve been sort of wanting to talk to you about that. I think we’re-!”“Migael?” A slim young man with shaggy, jet-black hair and unusually pale eyes tapped Migael on the shoulder. “Hello! I think we’re in the same group.”Migael opened and closed his mouth one more time, looked frustrated, and then finally turned his attention to the newcomer.“Oh, hey, Lark.” He gave the young man a small smile. “Shaeda, you ever met Lark Lumley? We’re in the same music lesson. Wait, what’d you say about a group?”Lark smiled brightly at Shaeda, then held out a small piece of paper.“They’ve put us together for the examination,” he repeated. “You, me, and Shaeda. It’s nice to meet you, Shaeda. Migael talks about you all the time.”Migael, who had never mentioned Lark to Shaeda even once, looked a little guilty.“Ladies and gentlemen!” Professor Sharm, acting as head of the Academy while Professor Petwardan was away on an expedition, stepped to the ...
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    16 mins
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