Scholar of Magic Read online

  “Certainly.”

  “Have it sent over to my office this evening if you don’t mind.”

  Professor Dugas nodded. “Would you like a copy of the report on how the structure was sabotaged as well?”

  Master Courtney waved his hand dismissively. “That’s a matter for the Crown to investigate. I’m not really interested in it.” He stared at the ground. “Do you have some jars? I didn’t think to bring any. I’d like to take samples of the soil and plants here.”

  ***

  Will got home at close to his usual time, and while he hadn’t had to do any actual work, he still felt tired. Master Courtney hadn’t pressed him for any more answers on the way back but the tension of wondering when the next question might come had exhausted him.

  Blake greeted him at the door. “How was your day, sir?”

  He shook his head. “I’ve had better. Has T—” He caught himself. “Has Selene come in yet?”

  “She’s upstairs,” answered Blake. “She asked me to reassure you that she wouldn’t be attacking you today, in light of your handicap.”

  Will squinted suspiciously at the other man, wondering whether he should trust him. Tailtiu had been relentless for the past few months. “You’ve just made me more paranoid,” he complained.

  When he got upstairs, he opened the door to the master bedroom cautiously. Tailtiu laughed when she saw his careful entry. “Relax. I truly won’t attack you again. Not until you tell me your magic is restored.”

  “I figured you’d say something along the lines of me being prepared to defend myself with or without magic,” replied Will.

  His aunt nodded. “I considered it, but the nature of the training I’ve been giving you won’t work in that context. Lethal attacks require you to respond without hesitation. If I kept it up, you’d almost certainly be forced to use a spell, and then you might permanently damage yourself. I can wait.”

  “Did you see anything interesting today?”

  Tailtiu shrugged. “She went to a party at some other human’s home. After that she went home, so I was a little bored. However, the house she lives in is being watched.”

  “You spotted the assassin?”

  “They spotted me,” said Tailtiu. “Whoever it is shadowing her is very good. I was forced to depart the area and change forms several times to avoid raising the watcher’s suspicion. For a human, the person watching their house is very observant.”

  The fact that Tailtiu had been noticed was shocking to him, but Will didn’t dwell on it. “Were they still there when you left?”

  She shook her head. “Probably had to eat or take care of other business. They left during the late afternoon. I tried to follow them.”

  “Tried?”

  Tailtiu seemed embarrassed. “The watcher passed around the other side of the house and vanished. I’m not sure how they got away from the area. I couldn’t find any trace or trail.”

  That was close to unbelievable. “Nothing?”

  She nodded, then tapped her nose. “There wasn’t even a scent trail. Even creatures that can mask their turyn can’t do that.”

  “Could they have slipped through a congruence? Or maybe they didn’t leave?”

  “There were no congruences nearby, and if they’d stayed, I would have found them. I waited and kept an eye on the area for another hour before coming back here, just to see if they’d hidden somehow. If they were still there, they were more patient than I am.”

  None of that made Will feel better. He started for the door.

  “Don’t bother,” said Tailtiu. “You’ll only make matters worse.”

  “I can’t just ignore this.”

  “If the watcher does come back, you’ll be spotted immediately,” explained Tailtiu. “Without magic, you don’t have a chance in hell of remaining unobserved, and you’ve already discovered you’re no match for this one in hand-to-hand combat. I’ll watch the house until you’ve recovered.”

  Although he felt relieved, Will couldn’t help but ask, “Doesn’t that conflict with your other promise?”

  “It was decided that this was a reasonable exception.”

  He stared at the fae woman with sudden interest. “You saw her? You spoke to her? What did she say? Is she well?”

  His aunt laughed. “I spoke with Mother. I haven’t seen your lover any more recently than you have.”

  Will frowned. “But isn’t she with Aislinn? I thought surely—”

  Tailtiu cut him off, “I have no idea where she is. Mother doesn’t share all her secrets with me.”

  “But…”

  “Rest easy, nephew. Mother is no fool. Wherever she’s stashed your girl I’m sure she’s safe.”

  Unless the king figured out that his daughter wasn’t where he thought she was. If he decided to, he could use the heart-stone enchantment to summon her back. Will worried about that possibility, and it was one reason he’d gone along with the plan to have Tailtiu impersonate Selene. So long as the king thought she was still within close reach, he seemed content to leave things be. Will ran a hand through his hair in frustration. As usual, the only thing he could do was nothing at all.

  Chapter 6

  The next morning Will noticed that he was once again collecting more stares from his fellow students. It was something he had gotten used to, both before and after his marriage to Selene, for various reasons. Lately the attention had died down some, but it appeared he had once again become an active topic of discussion.

  He and Janice couldn’t really talk during class, so she held her questions until the lecture was over, but she was careful not to let him get out of sight as they exited. She caught his sleeve in the hall outside. “Don’t even think about trying to escape,” she warned him.

  His expression was droll. “I knew better than to try.” Glancing around, he saw nearly everyone in their vicinity was watching them with interest. Some of them appeared ready to approach and try to start conversations. “Want to get some air?” he asked Janice.

  She flashed a warm smile, which reminded him of why he liked her so much. Janice was probably his best friend at Wurthaven, and while they had had a few problems because of some romantic interest, she hadn’t let it interfere with their relationship as friends. “Let’s go,” she replied.

  Outside, they were able to keep some distance from their fellow students, but only so long as they remained on the move. “Stephanie was telling some remarkable stories yesterday,” began Janice, “and for once you sounded like a hero rather than a villain.”

  He shrugged modestly.

  “I was tempted to disbelieve her tale, since it cast you in a positive light, until they took you out of class yesterday.”

  Will frowned. “That was unkind.”

  Janice grinned. “It’s not that I think poorly of you, you understand. It’s just hard to believe anyone else would think kindly of you.”

  He snorted. “What did she say?”

  “That you saved the work crew at the dam by keeping the entire thing from collapsing.”

  “That doesn’t seem humanly possible.”

  Janice nodded. “She said she helped by funneling turyn to you from her elemental. She also said you saved her from a nasty fall from a platform.” She waggled her wrist in front of him. “She even had bruises to demonstrate where you grabbed her.”

  Will smirked. “That sounds good. I’ll go with it. Everything she said was true.” His eyes glanced up toward the sky in an expression of humor. “Ow!” he exclaimed as Janice drove her elbow into his side. “Fine, I’ll tell you the truth.”

  “You’d better.”

  He explained what had actually happened, along with his tense exchange with Stephanie afterward. When he finished, he saw his friend staring at him with surprise in her eyes. “What?” he asked.

  “You really threatened her like that?”

  Will lowered his eyes. “I’m not proud of it, but I couldn’t think of a better solution. Besides, you know Selene isn’t actually…�
�� He let his words taper off without finishing as he glanced around to make sure no one was nearby. He didn’t have to say it, though; Janice was one of the few people he had entrusted with the truth about Selene’s absence. “If there was a scandal, she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it,” he added.

  She shook her head. “I wasn’t judging you. Actually, I’m impressed with how you stood up for yourself. Not too long ago you would have let someone like her just walk all over you.”

  He didn’t see her point. “I’ve never been one to run from a fight.”

  “Not a physical fight,” corrected Janice. “But you avoided social confrontations, especially with women. I had resigned myself to the fact that Selene and I were going to have to protect you from women for the rest of your clueless life.”

  Will laughed. “You make it sound as though women are evil.”

  “You have no idea,” she said, shaking her head. “But you’re still trying to oversimplify things. My sex isn’t evil per se, but we’re highly social—maybe you would describe it as political. We fight more with words and opinions.” Her eyes flicked to the side of his head for a moment. “Speaking of fights, what happened to your head?”

  “Would you believe I was following a young woman at night and tried to stop a stranger from assaulting her?”

  She squinted at him. “What really happened?”

  He let out a dramatic sigh. “Even when I try to tell the truth, no one believes me. And you wonder why I try to tell people I had an accident.”

  It was her turn to laugh then. “Usually you lie first, then you admit the truth. How am I supposed to know when you’re going to change the formula? So, who was the damsel in distress this time?”

  “Laina Nerrow.”

  “The baron’s daughter? Didn’t you dance with her sister at the Winter Ball?”

  “That’s an oddly specific thing for you to remember,” observed Will.

  “It was a big night for me,” said Janice. “It was the first, and probably only, time I was invited to a royal ball. Are you trying to deflect my curiosity? You were a little sensitive after you danced with the other sister at the ball, now you’re following the older sister around at night.”

  He said nothing.

  “You’re going to tell me eventually,” she informed him. “Why drag it out?”

  No, I’m not, he thought silently. He trusted Janice, but the secret of his parentage wasn’t something he could share. Selene had agreed to let him bring Janice in on her secret, but the Nerrow family didn’t have that option. If the secret somehow got out, his sisters might be in danger simply for being related to him.

  After a moment she relented. “At least tell me what happened.”

  “Laina and Selene are close friends,” he said, beginning an explanation of the entire evening. He detailed Laina’s plea and her unhappy exit, which led up to his following her and the inevitable fight with the assassin.

  “You don’t do anything by halves, do you?” remarked Janice at the end of it all.

  He spotted Rob closing in on them, so Will turned to include his friend as well as let Janice know they were no longer alone. “I don’t do it on purpose. Hi Rob!”

  Rob’s expression was dramatically sour. “I’m not sure I can talk to you anymore.”

  “I’ve never been able to stop you before,” noted Will with a smirk. “What’s changed now?”

  “First you marry the princess, and now, just when the rest of us think it might be safe, you go and turn yourself into a hero. Have you heard the things Stephanie has been saying about you?”

  “I’m not a big fan of gossip,” said Will dryly.

  “Every time she tells the story it gets more incredible. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next rendition has you showing up on a white charger before single-handedly fixing the dam while practicing the latest dance.”

  Janice snorted, then her eyes lit up. Leaning close to Will’s ear, she whispered, “I know how you can defeat the assassin. Next time you see him you should dance with him. He won’t be able to fight after you stomp all over his toes.”

  “I’ve gotten a lot better!” Will protested. Janice’s remark was a reference to the pain he had put her and his dance teacher through back when he had been practicing for the Winter Ball.

  Rob looked back and forth between them. “I must have missed something.”

  “I have to head to my next class,” said Janice, bowing out and leaving Will to explain.

  “Well?” asked Rob.

  “Come on,” said Will, putting one arm over his friend’s shoulder. “I’ll tell you on the way to Advanced Spell Theory.”

  ***

  The next few days passed with frustrating slowness as Will waited to recover his ability to use turyn safely. Each evening, Tailtiu would stop in for an hour or so to relay what she had seen, and he couldn’t help but notice she looked haggard. Seeming tired would be normal for a human, but for the fae it was highly unusual.

  “Are you all right?” he asked her on the fourth evening.

  She nodded brusquely. “I’m just spending too much time in your world. I’ll recover once I have some free time to return to Faerie.”

  “I’m going to test the waters tomorrow,” he informed her. “If I’m able to use magic, then you can go back, and I’ll watch her home that evening.”

  Tailtiu sighed. “I’m not sure there’s a need. This assassin seems content to watch. Every day the girl leaves, attending parties and social meetings at various people’s homes. Whatever the man following her is planning, it doesn’t seem urgent. He’s let multiple opportunities pass without attempting anything.”

  “Unless he’s being cautious because you’ve got him spooked,” countered Will. “You said he’s noticed you several times.”

  “He has, but I think there’s something else going on. The stranger follows her during her trips, but never gets too close. In the evenings he waits outside for a while before vanishing.”

  “What are you getting at?” asked Will.

  “He only leaves when Laina is at home and it seems certain she won’t be leaving again that day. This morning I got there before dawn, even before the assassin arrived, and I sensed something strange.”

  “And?”

  His aunt shrugged. “I’m not sure what it was. It was a strange trace of turyn. It felt cold, but it vanished as soon as the sun came up.”

  “You couldn’t tell what it was?”

  She shook her head. “It reminded me of demonic turyn, but it was different. I haven’t come across anything quite like it before. I don’t think you should try to watch the house. Let me have a day to recover and we can go together.”

  Will shook his head. “You can recover, but I’m not leaving Laina unguarded, not when it’s obvious that someone has it in for her.”

  Tailtiu’s expression was one of puzzlement. “Why bother? She wouldn’t do the same for you. The girl hates you.”

  “She’s family.”

  She snorted. “So am I, but given the right opportunity I’d take your seed and then your life. She doesn’t even know you’re related. You humans make no sense.”

  His gaze was flat and unwavering. “I’d do the same for you.”

  Tailtiu laughed. “And that is exactly what will get you killed some day. In any case, I would never be foolish enough to need your help.”

  Will shrugged. “You’re probably right—on both counts—but that’s who I am. Anyway, we will see how things go tomorrow.”

  “I’d really prefer you don’t go. Let me rest and we’ll go together.”

  There was a certain emphasis in her tone. Surely she isn’t really worried about me, is she? He dismissed the idea. He knew better. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, followed by Blake’s voice. “It’s getting late, sir. Would you like me to start dinner or do you still intend on cooking?”

  Will stepped to the door and pulled it open. “Was that a threat?”

  Blake took a step back,
a look of innocence on his face. “Of course not, sir! I merely offered to cook if you were too…”

  “Any time you offer to cook, it’s a threat.”

  His manservant raised one brow. “Perhaps if you’re that dissatisfied with my efforts you might deign to teach me how to cook then.”

  Will chuckled. “I like cooking. I’d rather just do it myself, unless you want to pay me for lessons.”

  “An exchange then?”

  “What would you exchange?”

  “I could teach you how to use a blade. You seemed interested a few days ago.”

  Will was definitely interested, but he put on an air of reluctance. “I’m already taking rapier classes.”

  “And I’m sure those are valuable in their own way,” said Blake with a hint of condescension in his tone.

  “I was in the army too.”

  “So, you’ve got discipline. You know how to hold a shield and keep your place in a line. I’m offering to teach you something different.”

  “Such as?”

  “The kind of blade work you need to survive in a dark alley. The sort you needed a few days ago but didn’t have.”

  It was an interesting offer. “You said you weren’t good enough to take the assassin, though.”

  “I’m getting old,” admitted Blake. “Doesn’t mean I don’t have a lot to teach you.” The look on the older man’s face implied that he felt he had a lot to show Will.

  “Fine,” said Will, relenting. “After dinner we’ll spar. No magic. If you can convince me, then tomorrow I’ll teach you how to properly cook a roast.”

  Blake held out one hand. “Agreed.” They shook on the deal.

  Chapter 7

  Will’s classes were predicated upon his successes and failures from the previous semester. Professor Karlovic had exempted him entirely from the core curriculum Alchemy classes, though Will still rented a lab room for personal use. Professor Dulaney had moved him to Advanced Spell Theory, moving him entirely past the second-year classes on that subject. Math had been a success, but he hadn’t been moved ahead, and Composition had been a failure. He was retaking the same class with Professor Conrad this semester.