“I don’t have any formal wear here,” Stann said. “It is all at home.”
“I don’t own any formal wear,” Jack said.
“OK. Here’s how this is going to go down,” Talia said. “Jack and Stann, you go see Master Horton, get a haircut and black formal outfits. Lana, you can borrow something from me. It will be nicer than anything you can get at an hour’s notice. Colin, you go get changed right now and find out from Gretchen who the honored guests are going to be tonight and we’ll meet at the questers lobby. What time is the dinner supposed to start?”
“Seven,” Jack said.
“We meet at six-thirty.”
“Jack, you need a short speech.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you are the unofficial leader of the Misfits, and this damn dinner was your idea. So deal with it.”
“Right,” Jack said. “Let’s go, Stann.”
Jack and Stann left the apartment and went to find Master Horton. They were just outside of the building when they ran into Garreth Minner.
“Jack! I’ve been looking for you. I need to talk to you.”
“No time, Garreth. I have to run.” Jack then remembered the invitation in his pocket. He handed the invitation to Garreth. “Here, come to the dinner tonight, we can talk then.”
They kept running until they got to Master Horton’s shop.
“Hello, Master Vance, Master Morwerk. Shouldn’t you two be getting ready for your big party? I was just closing up so that I could get myself ready. I never miss an opportunity to eat a meal by Chef Ramsey.”
“That’s the problem, Master Horton. Stann and I don’t have formal wear.”
“I see. That is a problem. Take a seat,” Master Horton said, and suddenly two stools appeared behind them.
They both sat down.
“Would I be so bold as to suggest you both could use a bit of a shave and a cut?”
“Please,” Jack said.
Master Horton waved his hand and his magical scissors went to work. “Have you a color preference for your formal wear?”
“Talia instructed us to choose black.”
“A wise choice. Talia is from a family used to hosting such events. Black is a good choice; it has no political connotations nor does it have any social meanings.”
Jack frowned. “Our clothing can have political connotations?”
“Of course. Formal dinners are fraught with political and social agendas. The Academy, as much as it is its own identity, is still a significant tool of the Empire. Many of the guests tonight will have their own opinions as to what the future of the Empire is, and how Darkthorn Academy should serve in their views. Royal purple clothing represents a strong belief that the Empire should remain loyal to the traditional role of the Empire, and that means expansionist points of view. Those wearing dark blues often are modernists who don’t want to see a repeat of the Great War. They would see the Empire stand pat and not expand its borders. Red outfits often indicate a willingness to go into battle, or on a personal level that they are available. Of course, there are several other colors and clothing styles that have their own meanings, but that is a lesson that would take much more time that we have available.”
When the scissors were done, a small brush came and wiped them clean.
“Wait right here. I shall get you two proper formal wear. I think I have just the right outfits for both of you.”
Jack and Stann looked at each other as Master Horton went to retrieve clothing for them.
“Did you know about the colors?” Jack asked Stann.
Stann shrugged. “Orc politics are different than Westdrift politics. Our clothing does have meaning but it is usually in regards to our own clan affiliations, not our political agendas.”
Jack sighed. Politics was something he knew very little of. Ramy had not been one to worry about politics; in fact, his policy was to remain neutral and avoid the topic whenever possible. Jack had been happy to follow his grandfather’s lead and never paid much attention to it.
After a few moments, Master Horton returned. He handed Jack a bag and another to Stann. “Trousers, shirt and jacket.”
Stann pulled out his jacket to see what it looked like. It was a simple black dinner jacket, three button, with a crest on the left side. It was a dragon with four sections of color behind it. There was a green plaid section, a red and black stripe, a dark blue-gold trim and a yellow with black stripes. “What crest is this?”
“I took the liberty of creating a crest for your Misfits. The dragon is a sellkirk dragon, and the four colored sections represent the bloodlines of your members. Green for orc, red for human, blue for dwarven and yellow for elven. This crest symbolizes your loyalty to each other and should prevent anyone from making assumptions about where your loyalties stand. Questers are known for their commitment to each other above all. That is to your benefit in such a political event.”
Jack grinned. “It’s perfect. We should get one for Colin as well.”
Master Horton lifted a bag. “A jacket for Master Bentley and jewelry for the ladies with the crest on it.”
“You’re the best, Master Horton,” Jack said.
“See you lads this evening,” Master Horton said.
When they got back to the room, they found the girls in Talia’s room.
“That was quick,” Talia said from behind the bedroom door.
“Master Horton is a bloody genius,” Jack said. “He even designed a crest for the Misfits.”
“A crest? That is perfect, why didn’t I think of that? Is it a Misfits crest?” Talia said.
“Yes.”
“Perfect. You boys get dressed and then we’ll take a look at this crest of ours.”
Jack looked at Stann and shrugged. It was obvious who was in charge for the evening. Jack went to his room and started to get changed. Lord Scratches flew into the room and sat on the window sill.
When Jack had his outfit on, he looked at Lord. “What do you think?”
The dragon chirped.
“Thanks, Lord,” Jack said.
He then opened his door and went back into the common room. He froze in place when he saw the girls. Talia had a deep red dress that clung to her every curve, the neckline plunged in provocative fashion. Her hair was done up and her bangs framed her face in a most fetching way. Lana had on a black dress that was slightly more conservative than the one Talia wore, but it was still sultry and sophisticated. Like Talia, her hair was up in a fancy arrangement that was unlike anything Jack had seen before.
“Wow,” Jack said. “You both look amazing.”
“Thank you,” Talia said as she twirled around.
Stann looked confused as he exited his room.
“What’s wrong, darling?” Talia said.
“I thought you hated these things?”
“I dislike pretentious snobs and fake people, which this school is full of, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like dressing up like a princess now and again. I’m sure before the night is over I’ll have had my fill of people once more and want to scratch out all of their eyes, but for now… I’m happy.”
She then rubbed her hand over Stann’s chest. “The Misfits crest? I like it. Master Horton is truly talented.”
Jack handed Talia and Lana their jewelry. A pair of silver necklaces with a pendant in the shape of their crest. Each of the colors was represented by tiny gemstones.
Talia inspected the necklaces. “Astonishing.”
“They are beautiful,” Lana said.
“It isn’t just that,” Talia said. “Master Horton could make the crests for the jackets with magic easily enough, but not these pieces of jewelry. These took time and effort. There are even protective runes on them.”
Jack rubbed his jaw. If the jewelry had taken more than a few minutes to make, Master Horton had planned on giving them the gifts before the dinner was even announced.
“Jack, cast your stats spell.” Talia said.
Jack cast the spell. Not only
were the pieces of jewelry magically enhanced, so were the jackets. They gave health, mana and resistance to all poisons.
“Even our jackets have magic,” Stann said as he looked at his stats.
“I knew it,” Talia said. “There is something more to these gifts than just a dinner. Don’t mention to anyone the magical enhancements of the jackets or the jewelry.”
Jack nodded. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he trusted Talia enough to follow her lead.
“What’s it mean?” Lana asked.
Talia frowned. “I’m not sure. When the time is right, Master Horton will let us know. Perhaps he will tonight.”
“Let’s head down to the main lobby,” Talia said.
When they arrived at the main lobby, they were greeted by Gretchen. She was dressed in a frilly dress that had a high neck and flowed all the way down to the ground. To Jack, Gretchen had always seemed to have a utilitarian style, but she certainly wore the fancy dress with aplomb.
“Welcome, Misfits, to your own dinner,” Gretchen said with an amused tone. “You’re a little early, but that is entirely appropriate. Please go down the corridor towards the antiquities sorting area, but turn left at the double doors. You’ll find it easily enough, just follow the music.”
“Thank you, Gretchen; by the way, you look lovely tonight,” Jack said.
“As do you. I like your crests. And you young ladies look smashing.”
Talia and Lana both grinned. “Thank you.”
Leaving Gretchen, they went down the hallway. They’d been down it dozens of times, but Jack didn’t remember a set of double doors. Had he just not been paying enough attention or was there magic at work?
The sounds of soft music started to fill the corridor and then they came to a large set of doors. Jack was certain he’d never seen them before. Through the doors was a large room with ten large round tables. On the far side of the room was one long rectangular table.
As they entered the room, Colin spotted them and ran over. “Hey, guys.” He then noticed the jackets Stann and Jack were wearing. “Cool crests. Is that Lord Scratches?”
Jack handed Colin his new jacket. “I’m not sure if it is Lord Scratches or just a design of a sellkirk dragon, but Master Horton designed the crest for us. It is now the official Misfits crest.”
Colin grinned as he removed his jacket and put the new one on. “Very cool.”
“Colin, what do we know of the special guests?”
Colin’s smile disappeared. “There are a few low-level merchant types and three main guests of the academy. Engus Garmin is an emissary from Nurangaurd. Lady Veronica Bellwether and Derrick Dixon.”
Talia grimaced. “OK.”
“Dixon? Any relation to Isaac Dixon?” Jack asked.
Talia nodded. “Derrick Dixon is his uncle. While Bradley Dixon, Isaac’s father, is a rich industrialist, Derrick was once one of the teachers here at Darkthorn. He’s probably one of the most powerful mages in all of Westdrift.”
“Oh,” Jack said. Considering his own issues with Isaac, having the man’s uncle as a special guest seemed unfortunate.
“It isn’t all bad,” Talia said. “The emissary from Nurangaurd is neutral, he’ll be more interested in the meal than anything else, and Lady Veronica is an old family friend. Overall, I’d say we’re good, depending on who the other guests are and the table arrangements.”
“One of Chef Ramsey’s staff asked me who to sit with us, I said the Fingers of Death. Is that OK?” Colin asked.
“That’s perfect,” Talia said. “The way the tables are arranged, we won’t have to interact with many other people, and the main guests will be socializing with the headmaster and other teachers. Less opportunities for us to say something dumb. Remember, don’t give any opinions on Westdrift politics. Just say you don’t know or are just focusing on your studies. Politics are a nasty web you don’t want to be caught in. Especially Empire politics.”
Headmaster Anderle walked over just as Talia was finishing her warning. “Sage advice, Miss Payra. Congratulations to your group for a fine start as questers. Your unfortunate circumstances that led you here haven’t slowed your progress as students. In fact, it seems to have enhanced it.”
“Thank you, Headmaster,” Jack said.
“Now, normally these events would require the host to give a speech. However, I think given the circumstances, I would say a few words on your behalf and then heap all the glory and fame for the meal on Chef Ramsey. It would reduce the attention on you. That is, if you’d like me to do that.”
Jack glanced over at Talia. She nodded. “That would be greatly appreciated, Headmaster Anderle. I wasn’t keen on giving a speech, and frankly had no idea that my offer to host a meal would become such an event.”
Headmaster Anderle chuckled. “Yes, I’m afraid that things can delve out of control quickly around here. Chef Ramsey is a bit of a celebrity among the elites of society. His meals are excellent, and the fact that he only cooks for you questers means that his availability is limited. That makes it all the more appealing to the rich and famous to have eaten one of his meals. Your fellow questers are already spoiled by his services and won’t make such a big deal of it. But for the staff and guests this is a rare treat. And to be frank, we milk it for all it is worth. The dozen or so guests that are here will go home and rave about the Academy. Annoying as gossip can be, it is a good thing for a school when they are singing your praises.”
“Understood,” Jack said.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, a few of our high-profile guests are arriving soon and they require the full treatment of having the headmaster meet-and-greet,” Headmaster Anderle said with a wink.
As he walked away, Jack turned to the others and grinned. “Whew.”
“You got lucky,” Talia said. “I was looking forward to seeing you squirm and stumble your way through a speech. Although, as much as I wouldn’t mind seeing you put under pressure, it is far better for us that Headmaster Anderle gives the speech.”
“Agreed,” Jack said. Talia hadn’t been joking about him squirming and stumbling if he’d had to give a speech. He was already starting to sweat just thinking about it.
“Hey, guys. Thanks for the invite,” Mal Cooper said as the Flaming Fingers arrived. Mal had on a suit jacket that flared out at the hips, making it hard to tell if it was a dress or a suit, but the flamboyant leader of the Flaming Fingers of Death pulled it off nicely. The suit was also magical and looked like fire. The colors even moved and flickered like real flames. The rest of the Flaming Fingers had on suits or dresses that had partial flames. Brandon’s one arm looked like it was on fire, while the rest of his suit was dark black. Nicole had on a black dress, but instead of fire her dress looked like smoke was rising up the front of her dress, changing and shifting like a wind-tussled cloud of smoke. Christine’s dress was a bright red, and the bottom edge of the dress looked like flames were rising, while Nikko was wearing a black dress with a plunging neckline. She was wearing a necklace that went down towards her navel, and it looked like it was on fire. She also wore earrings that looked like flames. The entire group looked awesome as far as Jack was concerned.
“Wow, you guys look cool,” Stann said.
“Don’t you mean hot?” Mal said with a wink.
“Call it what you want, you guys look amazing. Those flame designs are killer,” Colin said.
“Thanks,” Christine said. “We originally had fire crests, and we still do, but for fancy occasions we had these made.”
“Cost us a pretty penny too, but totally worth it,” Nicole said.
The members of the Flaming Fingers and the Misfits all sat down. They seemed to pick their seating spots not by group but by gender. The girls were on one side, while the boys were on the other. Jack pointed this out.
Mal laughed. “I don’t think that is on purpose. Brandon is jealous of the physical damage dealers, that is why he’s seated between Stann and Lana. I’m pretty sure Talia chose to sit beside Ni
kko and Christine so she could find out how the dresses were made. Nicole will sit anywhere, and I took the last chair.”
Jack shrugged. “Either way, I’m glad Colin chose you guys for our table. It should be a fun night.”
“If by fun you mean fill our faces with fantastic food, then I agree,” Mal said.
While they chatted, the rest of the tables started to fill up. Jack recognized many of the faces of other questers, and several of the professors and staff, but there were far more that he didn’t know. “Lot of faces I don’t recognize.”
“Not surprising,” Mal said. Many of the dragon keepers aren’t at the Academy often, many of the professors don’t teach first years, and a lot of the questers don’t live on campus. I’ve been here a few years now and I don’t recognize everyone.”
Jack nodded. He was about to say something else when a burst of fireworks went off on the far side of the room. The fireworks kept going for a good thirty seconds before stopping. Out of the cloud of smoke caused by the fireworks stepped Headmaster Anderle.
“Now that I have your attention, I’ve been informed by Chef Ramsey that they are almost ready to serve dinner, and that if I wanted to ruin the evening by giving a speech, I had to do it now. He refuses to let me talk after his dessert is served, and I tend to go into a food coma after one of Chef Ramsey’s meals, so I was willing to forfeit the right to a late-night speech.
“For our honored guests, staff and brave students who have become exemplary explorers of the Ancient Lands, I welcome you to dinner. One of our newest groups of students to become questers, the Menacing Misfits, have had the extraordinary luck of coming across an elder dargow. Not only did they survive the encounter, they had the foresight to bring the meat back for Chef Ramsey to work his magic on. On behalf of myself, the staff and our guests I would like to thank the Misfits for their generous offer to share in their bounty. Questing is a very secluded activity where the team has only themselves to rely on, and as such the rewards for their activities heavily go towards the team. Questers are the masters of their own destinies, and it makes it that more rewarding for me when I see our students give back to the school, be it in service or as simple a gesture as an exquisite meal. Thank you, Misfits. Thank you, Chef Ramsey. Now, without further rambling, let us enjoy the rare flavors of the Ancient Lands.”
Menacing Misfits: An Epic Fantasy Adventure (Darkthorn Academy Book 1) Page 37
