by Tim Susman
“It’s fine. Ara, darling, would you fetch my petticoats from the chest there?”
Down the stairs and behind them led Kip to the back door, which opened onto a wide porch. Beyond that lay the garden, only now starting to show results of the planting they’d done a month ago. Abel and Aran knelt in the dirt, pulling weeds from between the small shoots, the smaller fox mimicking his father’s motions with frequent looks for reassurance. A warm earthy smell with notes of green and of the two foxes filled the air.
“Is that a weed?” Aran asked as Kip approached them.
“I don’t think so.” Abel examined it. “But we can wait until Mrs. Pole comes around tomorrow and we’ll ask her.” He saw Kip and stood, smiling, ears perked. “We’ll learn in another year,” he said, “and I wager Aran will be a better gardener than any of us.”
The nine-year-old cub wagged his tail and showed Kip the weeds he’d pulled. “That’s wonderful,” Kip said. “Our plants will grow tall and strong for sure.”
“And have lots of strawberries!” Aran said.
“The strawberries are over there.” Abel pointed. “They should be ready in another month or two.”
The cub clapped his paws, sending pieces of weed scattering over the ground. Kip laughed. “I hope they’re as good as the ones we got from Savannah last year.”
“They will be.” Aran touched his nose. “The plants smell sweet.”
“Go take a look at them.” Abel gave the cub a pat on the shoulders.
Aran needed no more encouragement; he ran along the garden to the shady patch of ground where the dark green strawberry plants spread their leaves. Ash took off from Kip’s shoulders and soared over the cub, circling around him once and then landing on the nearby shed. Kip shifted to Ash’s view for a moment out of habit, and then back to himself when Abel said, “Alice was packing, so I presume you couldn’t talk her out of going to the Exposition?”
Kip shook his head. “She pointed out that there would be better healers there anyway.”
“Hopefully not for long.”
“That’s part of the idea.” Kip smiled.
Abel looked at him for a long moment. “Maybe someone there can explain your dream?”
“If I feel the need to be laughed at in Amsterdam as I was in Boston, I’ll ask.” Kip smiled. “I’m sorry. I know you mean well.”
Abel looked neither offended nor amused. “It’s not an ordinary dream. You’ve said that.”
“I know. Maybe you’re right. Maybe there will be someone there who can help.”
“All right.” The other fox met his eyes. “It’s a lot of weight you’re carrying. Can I help with any of it?”
Kip draped an arm over his shoulders, breathing in Abel’s scent. Though very different from Alice’s, it also reminded him of the joy that was present in his life. “You can look after Aran and Arabella, and help with Alice’s cub when it arrives. And spend tonight with me. Alice said it was all right.”
“That I can do.” Abel answered Kip’s smile with one of his own.
“And keep talking to the Isle Calatians. If you can find us two more students as good as Jorey, that’ll be a great start to the next class.”
“I can do that as well. Jorey himself will be the best ambassador, though. Take him back to the Isle to show them what he’s learned.”
“Maybe we’ll stop there on the way back.” Kip squeezed Abel and then dropped his arm.
Aran had finished inspecting the strawberries and now ran back to them, into his father’s arms. “They look healthy,” he announced.
“Good.” Kip reached down to rub between the cub’s ears; he flattened them and smiled. “I’ll be gone for a few days and I’m counting on you to keep them looking healthy until I get back.”
“You’re taking Jorey with you?” Abel asked.
“We’re taking all three of the students,” Kip said. Ash flew back from the shed to land on his shoulder. “Malcolm thinks it’ll be good for them, and it’ll show people that we’re a real school. We won’t tell them that three is the entire class. Though they might figure it out. Why else would we bring a Calatian and a woman? Never mind that Jorey and Charity show more promise than Richard.”
“I imagine Master Vendis will be pleased to have a break.” Abel smiled. “Whenever he comes to dinner, he looks as though he’s been trying to chase them all around the town.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if both he and Argent spend the whole week soaking in a bath. I only have the children for one class and they’re exhausting. I don’t know how he manages every morning. In our classes with Patris, we were so quiet. Is it something we’re doing wrong?”
“They’re not afraid of you.” Abel gave a slight smile.
“I’m not afraid of you,” Aran echoed. “I think you’re a very nice second father.”
“That’s good.” Kip crouched down to be at the cub’s level. “Because you’re a smart, wonderful little fox, and I love you very much.”
Aran detached himself from Abel to go hug Kip. “Do you think I’ll be magic too one day?”
“We’ll see.” Kip had watched, but neither he nor Abel nor Alice had seen any sign that Aran or Arabella had any more access to magic than their father. “Maybe in a couple years we’ll play some games and see how you do.”
“Good.” The cub’s little tail wagged.
Kip let go and stood. “I suppose I should get ready to go, too.”
“Come on, Aran,” Abel said. “Let’s help your second father pack.”
2
Amsterdam
The Dutch school of sorcery, the Athæneum Maleficis Artibus, had a translocating room for visiting sorcerers in the basement. When Kip heard this, he thought of the basement full of moldy paper that he and Coppy and Emily had been assigned to upon matriculating at Prince George’s College, but this basement smelled clean and fresh and the floor felt slick and clean under his feet. Someone had even placed fresh-cut tulips on small tables around the edges of the room, which had given the air a light honey scent.
“Come on.” Emily pushed Kip and Alice forward. Ash fluttered to keep her balance but stayed on Kip’s shoulder. “We can’t stand here in the center.”
“Nobody’s going to translocate on top of us,” Kip said, but hurried toward the door.
“No, but the point of this room is that it’s big and empty and it’s supposed to be easy, so let’s keep it easy. Hendrik keeps telling me that it’s busier than usual because of the Exposition.”
Scents underlay the flowers, a composition Kip remembered from previous visits to Amsterdam. The plants and dirt and water and people contributed to a smell unique to this city, one that grew stronger as they stepped from the translocating room out into a small foyer where a clerk sat behind a small mahogany desk.
Alice wrinkled her nose, dropping back as Emily stepped up to give their names. “What’s that…that kind of
He inhaled and sorted through the scents. “Coriander,” he said. “It grows around many of the gardens here.”
“I like it.”
“Me too.” He stepped up to Emily’s side to face the young woman behind the desk wearing purple apprentice’s robes similar to Alice’s. “Good morning,” he said.
“It’s evening here, sir.” She spoke excellent English with a Dutch accent. “Would you be so kind as to sign our ledger please?”
Kip took the proffered quill, dipped it in ink, and signed his name on the indicated space below Emily’s. Alice reached out at his side to take the quill when he was done, signing quickly so that the ink didn’t have time to dry.
“Thank you so much,” the woman said, taking the quill back. “Welcome to Amsterdam. Is there anything I may assist you with?”
“I’m to talk to Master de Wees,” Emily said. “Is he upstairs in the common room?”
The woman beamed. “Just so. He is welcoming new arrivals. If you are with a group, you will be assigned an apprentice to show yo
u to your quarters.”
“We’re from the Lutris School in America,” Emily said. “I’ll be right back with the others.”
Her raven, Sleek, took off from her shoulder to land on Alice’s, and a moment later Emily vanished. The apprentice cleared her throat. “Excuse me,” she said, and tapped the ledger, her eyes wide. “Could you please tell Master Carswell how much I owe to her?”
“Owe to her?” Kip frowned. “Did she loan you—”
Alice put a paw on his arm. “Of course we can,” she said, “but you should tell her yourself. She is quite pleasant. How long have you been an apprentice?”
“Oh!” The young woman sat up at the sound of Alice’s voice and looked quickly at the ledger, “I had not realized—Apprentice Penfold? I thought you to be Master Penfold’s brother.”
“I’m his wife.” Alice smiled. “It’s all right. In robes, we foxes look very similar to you.”
“I have met many Calatians. I did not think—” Her cheeks reddened.
“What’s your name?” Kip asked, in as friendly a voice as he could.
“Apprentice de Groot, sir.”
Malcolm and Jorey, a young red squirrel in student’s robes, came through the door in that moment. Corvi, Malcolm’s raven, looked alertly around the room from his perch on the sorcerer’s shoulder as Malcolm reached back, feeling for the door to close it behind them.
“Good evening,” Apprentice de Groot said. “Please sign the—” She gasped, seeing Malcolm’s eyeless face for the first time.
Malcolm walked confidently to the desk and put his fingers on the ledger. “This book?” he asked.
“Y-yes, sir.”
As Malcolm signed, Jorey came up beside him, bushy tail twitching. The squirrel glanced at Kip, who gave him an encouraging smile, and then spoke to Apprentice de Groot. “Master O’Brien’s appearance may be off-putting,” he said, “but don’t let him startle you with it. He has sorcery to allow him to see as well as anyone—better, even.”
The young woman seemed grateful to have another face to focus on. “I—I meant no—”
“He knows you didn’t.” Jorey took the pen from Malcolm and added his name to the ledger.
“He can speak for himself, young student,” Malcolm said, though he smiled.
“Sorry, sir.” Jorey put the quill down. “I’ll hold my tongue.”
“Aye, well.” Malcolm put a hand on the squirrel’s shoulder and guided him to one side. “Let’s set our sights on something attainable before we go reaching for the moon, shall we?”
Before Jorey could reply, the other two students arrived, followed by Emily. The taller, a fair-skinned boy whose white robes bore dirt on the sleeves and hem, strode first to the table, smiling under his mop of red hair as he stuck out a hand to Apprentice de Groot. “Good day,” he said. “I’m Richard Farmer, student at the Lutris School of Sorcery. It’s a true pleasure to meet you and visit your country. May I have the honor of knowing your name?”
“Oh, ah.” Apprentice de Groot’s cheeks reddened further. She took his hand. “It’s Jan, thank you.”
“Thank you for welcoming us to your lovely city.” Richard brought her hand briefly to his lips. “It’s so inspiring to see another woman joining us in the ranks of sorcery.”
“I only just became an apprentice last month,” she said.
“What area are you specializing in?”
“I’m going to be a translocational sorcerer.”
Emily nudged the third student, a young girl with light brown skin and black hair, up to the table as Richard said with genuine enthusiasm, “That’s wonderful! I would love to be able to travel, but I fear my talents lie more with the physical.”
“Oh, there’s so much to learn with physical magic,” Jan said. “I couldn’t master very much of it myself—” She noticed the third student and composed herself. “I’m so sorry. Richard, can you please sign the ledger, and then…” She inclined her head to the girl.
“Charity,” the girl said. “It’s lovely to meet you. I’m to be a translocational sorcerer as well.”
Emily came to stand beside Kip, both of them watching Richard as he signed the book. “He reminds me of Victor,” Emily said in a very low voice, “but not in the bad ways.”
“He means the things he says,” Kip said. “And he actually has magical talent.”
Emily nodded. “Still, I worry a little about him.”
“I worry about all of them. But they’ll watch out for each other.”
Richard watched as Charity signed the ledger, and then the two of them joined Jorey off to the side, whispering to each other while keeping an eye on their teachers for guidance. Kip smiled. “They remind me of us,” he said. “The three of us, I mean.”
Emily nodded. “Except they don’t have other students to fear.”
“No.” Kip put an arm around Alice’s shoulders. “We’ve done that right, at least.”
Apprentice de Groot gazed at Richard for a moment and then came back to herself and raised a hand to Emily. “If you please, Master Carswell, Master de Wees will be awaiting you.”
“Yes, thank you.” Emily smiled. “Come along, everyone.”
Master de Wees, a tall bearded sorcerer who looked to be Kip’s father’s age, greeted Emily with a very rehearsed, “Welcome to the International Exposition of Sorcery. We are delighted to have delegations from all over the world given the chance to visit our lovely city and share knowledge of sorcery.” He didn’t introduce himself to nor ask the names of any of the other six people trailing behind Emily.
They left the Athæneum, which gave the students a chance to look back at it. Charity gasped, and though the other two remained silent, both of them stopped with her to stare at the ornate mansion’s elegantly curved roof, coming to a sharper peak than they were accustomed to seeing, below which ran a band of gilded reliefs depicting acts of sorcery. Below that, a series of windows, each framed in a small stone archway, looked out over the plaza they stood in. But the most striking feature was the door through which they’d just passed, a great ebony slab with gold handles, and the gold inscription across the stone above it.
Emily had told Kip that the inscription meant, “From the world of the spirit by our will into reality,” a quotation from the famous Dutch Master Hoeneck, who had financed the building in the 1700s. But Kip liked the look of the Dutch words: “Geestkracht maakt macht.”
“Crikey,” Richard said. “Why doesn’t our school look like that?”
“Cause we haven’t any money,” Jorey answered promptly.
“That’s enough,” Emily said. “This building was built three hundred years ago on the orders of the King of Holland. Our school was built by our own hands and our people. If one of you turns out to be an accomplished sculptor, you may feel free to add your designs to the walls. Until then, you’re here to learn about sorcery, not buildings.”
“Yes’m.” Jorey put his ears back, and Richard and Charity might as well have. They hurried on with Malcolm guiding them behind Master de Wees, who had folded his arms at the delay and now strode quickly forward again.
The Hotel Drijvende Bloem, not nearly as elaborate as the school, still looked more elegant than any building in Peachtree, with a bright clay brick facing and light sandstone trim. It jutted from the street into the canal with a flower-lined walkway around it that burst with color—though this close to the canal, Kip and Alice could definitely smell the water even over the flowers. On the street side, the hotel wall stood mostly flat with sharp peaks to the roof, but the end closest to the canal curved to match the U-shape of the walkway, and where it rejoined the main body of the hotel, the building bore interestingly sharp corners.
In the stark marble-floored lobby, Master de Wees cast about the crowd of people going back and forth and finally waved down a harried-looking balding man in a well-appointed suit. “Heinrich,” he said, “These are the Americans.”
“Ah, a pleasure! I am the concierge,” the man said, shaking
Emily’s hand. “Heinrich Schmidt, at your service. I’ll just call a bellhop to show you to your rooms. Have you any luggage?”
“We do,” Emily said, “but I’ll fetch it to the rooms directly once we know where they are.”
“These are sorcerers,” Master de Wees explained, and turned to Emily. “Are you situated? I apologize but I am awaiting three more delegations.”
“Yes, thank you. I look forward to seeing you…” She trailed off as Master de Wees turned and walked away in the middle of her sentence. “Later, I suppose.”
“Rude,” Alice said.
“He’s busy.” Emily turned back to Schmidt. “We’ll wait until a bellhop is available.”
Ten minutes later, a boy of fifteen led them up two flights of stairs to three adjacent rooms. Each looked the same except that one room had an additional set of cushions on the floor next to the two simple beds. “We’re in this one,” Malcolm said, ushering Richard and Jorey into it. “You two may share one of the beds or take turns on the floor, as you like.”
Emily and Charity took the second room, and Kip and Alice the third. The bellhop told Emily, “Facilities are at the end of the hall, shared with all the rooms. There’s a pot if you don’t wish to walk down there in the night.”
“Thank you,” Emily said, and then, because the bellhop still stood expectantly, she dug out her purse and put a ten-cent coin in his hand.
He looked at it with puzzlement, then shrugged and slipped it into his pocket. “Much obliged,” he said, and departed.
While Emily went back to Peachtree to get their luggage, Malcolm sat the three students down on one of the beds in his room, with Kip and Alice standing behind him. “I want each of you to make the most of this time,” he said. “The school is paying for you to have three days in Amsterdam because we believe you have a lot to learn here at the Exposition, and I’ve personally told Headmistress Carswell that you’ll make it worth the school’s money.”
