Chapter 36. Good Reflexes
The next couple of days were a bit weird. Minnelil was so aggressively friendly and helpful to everyone that even Fek got dubious.
“Have you been eating catnip?” he asked.
Grit laughed so hard at Minnelil’s expression that she fell off her chair.
I didn’t talk much to her, except when she taught me channeling. She acted like she always did, but maybe her back was a little straighter, her brows slightly frowned when she thought I wasn’t looking.
I didn’t know what to think about it, so I didn’t. I focused on the channeling. Learning to feel the power intentionally was making it easier to shut it out when I didn’t want to.
The janitor let me practice by watching him work. His tools were good for that. The wood wheels creaked and rattled as he pushed the cart around, a sphere of power around it. He swept bones off the side of the walkway, and the bristles of his broom stuck sparks on the planks. We watched the bones as they tumbled down, swirled away in the tunnel of wind.
He smoked, and the smoke smelled of herbs and old coffee. I focused on not being afraid of his tools, tuning out the sizzling magic that permeated all of his stuff. He said I could come with him to check out some laboratories if I wanted to see some proper cleaning, shaking the broom at me. The motion made the inside of my skull spark.
I declined.
No new merchants arrived, but two left. They paid extra to get a retinue of skeletons to follow them and clear the roads. Bursar rubbed all three of her hands together, and the sound the scalpels made on the smooth copper of her hands sent shivers running up and down my spine.
I got a note from Falar two days later, telling me the preparations for the trip were proceeding well. He told me to go to the Bursar for spending money to get proper winter gear. “That coward,” I said as I read the note, sitting at the dorm table.
“What is it?” Grit asked.
“Falar wants me to go grab winter clothes for the field trip. It seems the trip is going to happen.”
“I want to come with,” Grit said.
I blinked, staring at the note in my hand. “You sure?” I asked finally.
Grit took almost as long to answer. She shuffled her feet and breathed out. “Yeah.”
I nodded and tucked the note into my pocket. “Okay.”
“I mean," Grit said, "the student council put forward a bunch of names, but Falar threw them all out. So it should be safe, and there might not even be any other students around. Everyone always says field trips are important.”
“I already said okay,” I said, rubbing at my face. “You really are sure?”
“I am. And you don’t need to say—“
“I won’t. I said I’d handle it, remember?”
“Thanks, Lina. I mean it.”
I waved her quiet. It was awkward enough for everyone already. I smiled at her and nodded again and held the smile until she looked away.
I wasn’t sure I would call having a crush on Falar safe, even if the council wouldn’t kick up a fuss about who got to go on the trip. But she was a grown-up Jonungaard. Better to get it out of her system, maybe? “I’ll talk to him. But no promises.”
“Yeah, I know.” She leaned down and pressed her cheek on the top of my head, wrapping her arm around my chest. “Thanks, and sorry,” she muttered.
Was it spring already? Why was everyone suddenly in heat? I pursed my lips together and tolerated the hug and the warmth. Her white hair flowed over my face and I blew on it.
Maybe it would annoy Falar, if nothing else. Would serve him right.
“Spending money?” the Bursar asked. The screeching didn’t sound furious this time, more pained. “Won’t. Magical protection. Suffice?”
“Sorry,” I said. “Falar wrote that it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“I am. Already sorry,” she said, grabbing a small slip of paper from the desk. One of her fingers was a pen, but it stopped to hover above the paper before writing anything. Her eyes spun to look at me. “Do not. Splurge.”
“Of course not,” I said, bowing.
“Lina!” Anglhromendiabilis shouted. “I’m delighted to have you lighten my humble traveling establishment!”
“I’ll lighten your tent and you can lighten my purse, if you find me something to protect me from the cold.”
He beamed at me. “At once! So few people around here can do proper mercantile banter. Do you haggle as well?”
“Find the gear and find out.”
He grinned at me. His teeth were stained or painted bright yellow, matching his shirt. Weird look. “Are you looking for magical or mundane accoutrements?”
“Maybe just ordinary stuff,” I said. “I don’t want it to seem extravagant. The Bursar is paying for this.”
“Oof,” he said. “I understand you perfectly. Let me check the crate at the back…”
The coat was lined with a thin strip of perfectly white fur. It shone against the dark brown of the coat. The hat was also made of brown fur, a tall thick hairy cylinder that covered my ears.
“Why is it shaped like this?” I asked, adjusting the hat on my head.
“It’s the latest fashion!” Ang said. “But very affordable, compared to magical options, mind you. It makes you look respectable.”
“It makes me look like I’m wearing a chimney, but fine. Do you have a second set of these available?”
“I do! There’s a slight size difference though, so I’d have to get it adjusted. Is this for the excursion everyone keeps whispering about?”
“Yeah, but it wouldn’t be for me. I’ll have to make sure first if it’s going to be needed.”
“Perfect, perfect, I’ll make the slight adjustments on these myself, so you can leave them for me for now. The buttons need to be shifted or the front will pull slightly.”
“Don’t bother, it’s pretty—“
“Shush! Anglhromendiabilis doesn’t sell ill fitting clothing!”
“Fine, fine, fine.”
His voice lowered in pitch and he leaned closer to me, talking like a normal person again. “Talking about the excursion, did you know they are renting the tent from me? I get to spend the nights inside for free!”
“Oh, congrats. Must be nice?”
“It is! Ah, to sleep without having nightmares about how much it costs!” he said, gazing up and sighing. “Anyway, anything you can tell me about the thing? It sounds interesting. Where are you going? Why?”
I shrugged. No one had said that the thing was supposed to be a secret, but I didn’t really know any details to tell him. “Beats me. Somewhere north. The wind is angry.”
“Brr,” he said. “Well, I wish you luck if you’re going. Don’t trust the time up there. It can be dangerous. But luckily, I have a collection of mountain lanterns! If you would like to—”
I chuckled, waving him quiet. “Thanks, but I’ll let others worry about all that other stuff. I’ll come tell you about the second set of clothes later.”
I pushed outside. It would be nice to wear something else than a black robe for a long while. I had never had a fur coat. It had been warm and soft like nothing I had ever worn. Even back in my original home, the winters had never been cold enough to require dressing up like a bear.
Time to deliver on a promise, or at least try to. I slapped my hands together, sighing. No way around it.
“Enter,” Falar said the moment I knocked.
I pulled the door open and stepped inside. The study was gloomy, like it had always been. How did he manage to read and write in here?
Ferne sat in one of the arm chairs in the corner. Falar was leaning both palms on his desk, staring at a pile of papers. He glanced up and frowned. “What? Where’s Jextor?”
I frowned at him.
“Ah, how foolish of me. I realize now that you knocked instead of barging in and starting to shout and wave your hands around immediately. Well, what is it? Make it snappy, student.”
I knew him already, and had planned what to say. “I want to bring another student on the trip.”
Falar shuffled the papers on the desk and grabbed a few of them. “Who, why?”
Not an outright refusal. Promising, not as much of an uphill struggle as I had expected. “Grit. She is very committed to coming.”
“Grit… hmm,” Falar said, handing the papers to Ferne. “The Jonungaard girl. Hard worker. Opinions?”
Ferne shrugged her shoulders. “I guess you could take one more student, but I don’t know why you would. You already said no to the council. She’s a clever girl, though. Competent.”
“Well, comparatively clever,” Falar said.
The door slammed open, making all of us flinch.
“Haa!” Jextor shouted and lunged through the door to slap me on the shoulder.
I yelped and dodged away, stumbling to crouch next to Ferne.
“Good reflexes,” she said, then nodded at Jextor. “Chancellor.”
“Everyone is invited, is it?” Jextor said, kicking the door shut. The room shook. “She’s right. I can feel it now. There’s a hint of death on the wind. I was only trying to congratulate you.” He wagged a finger at me as I rose carefully to stand, keeping myself out of slapping distance.
“Jextor,” Falar said in a resigned voice. “Do come in.”
“I did!”
“Yes, that was exactly the…” Falar sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “Now that you are here, I’ll ask against my better judgement. The girl wants to bring a friend on our journey to the dark. Grit, the Jonungaa—“
“I know her,” Jextor said. “Good head on her shoulders, good hair on the head. Why not? It’ll be educational. The more the merrier.”
“Yes, that’s what I feared you’d say. Fine. You, make sure she understands the risks.”
“Um, what risks?” I asked.
“Any. We don’t know what awaits us. Except Jextor’s company.”
“Is it really going to be you two on the trip?”
“Yes,” they both said at the same time. Jextor smiled at Falar with all of his teeth and he scowled back at him.
Ferne stifled a chuckle.
“This is going to be great,” I muttered.