Mia looked at the pigeon in concern. “You wouldn’t really feed him to the cat, would you Professor?” The Professor grinned and whispered “I might bring Fluffy in to give him a bit of a scare, but truthfully, she’s so lazy that she wouldn’t eat that bird unless I killed him, plucked the feathers, and cooked him for her. She’s my wife’s cat, which means she’s terribly spoiled.”
Professor Cavendish led her to a small table and chairs and asked her to pour the tea that was suddenly there. “Mia, if anything bad happens I want you to call Mrs. Bennett and leave. This is my decision.” She’d been so preoccupied that she hadn’t noticed the apple in his hand until after he’d taken a large bite. She stared up at him. He shot her an apologetic look. “Someone had to try it. None of the tests indicate toxicity, and it didn’t hurt the bird. We’ll just give it a few minutes and see. Whatever happens ought to happen quickly.” He encouraged her to eat some of the jam tarts, and she did, though she didn’t have an appetite. He didn’t even sip his tea. He was in the middle of discussing the herbal field guide when his eyes suddenly lost focus.
Mia lifted her wand, quite ready to haul him to Mrs. Bennett if need be. Professor Cavendish shook his head and seemed to focus on something in the corner of the lab. He pulled out his wand and a mouse zoomed out of a corner and landed at his feet.
It was without doubt the oddest conversation Mia had ever been privy to. The Professor spoke in his normal voice while the mouse answered in squeaks and a lot of whisker twitches. It seemed to wear off quickly, before ten minutes had passed the mouse suddenly scampered off to the edge of the lab and disappeared into a hole in the wall. The Professor chuckled. “I owe that little fellow a slice of cheese.” Mia, who didn’t like mice, wrinkled her nose at the thought of deliberately feeding them anything, other than a departure draft.
“I believe that this is the end of our lesson for today, my dear. In fact, I think I’ll cancel the rest of my classes for the day. This sort of adventure is a young man’s purview. Jot down a note, won’t you, and hang it on the door of the greenhouses. I forget sometimes that I’m not a young pup of fifty-seven anymore…” He grinned and she saw the shadow of the man he’d been in his youth. “In fact I’m not a young man of ninety-seven anymore. In two weeks I will be 166 years old. My wife teases me about being a younger man; she’s eight months older than I am, turned 166 last fall…” He shook his head and smiled again, this time obviously thinking about something that happened years before.
***
Professor Cavendish took no visible harm from eating the apple, but the stress affected him more than Mia would have believed. He moved slower, thought slower, and began to show those little signs of ageing that he had avoided for so long. No one was surprised that he announced that he would be retiring at the end of the year. Mia broke into tears when he told her, but he patted her hand, loaned her his handkerchief, and invited her to tea at his home.
“My wife insists on it my dear. She wants to meet the young lady she’s heard so much about over the last months.” He chuckled softly. “I’ll give you fair warning that she probably intends to set you up with one of the great-great-great grandsons or nephews. She keeps up with all that. I don’t even recognize most of them when I see them. Well except Rosy of course. She’s my oldest great-great-great granddaughter. She’s my wife’s favorite, spends lots of time helping my Betsy with the flowers…I wish she’d shown more talent for Botany, but she’s not interested in growing the plants. She likes to chop them up and make them into something else. Always has.” It hadn’t occurred to Mia that her Alchemy professor might be related to anyone at the college. To think of Professor Ambrose as her doting however-many-times-great-grandmother’s favorite was interesting.
***
Several weeks passed with no visible repercussions from the apple tree incident. Professor Fain was still worried. He pushed her as far as he dared in each session. She started meeting him on some afternoons as well. She walked into the music room after her last class. He pulled out his leather satchel and dug around inside for a moment, finally pulling out a book. “You won’t find this one in the library. It’s been outlawed for thirty years because it was linked to too many fatalities in legal duels.” It was entitled Fighting Dirty: A Wand Wielder’s Guide. Her eyes sparkled as she read the title and he laughed. “This isn’t dueling. There are rules in dueling. This book contains spells that are beneath the dignity of any respectable wand wielder, and some purely physical tricks for self defense. I’ll bring a dummy next practice session and you can try a few of them out. Read it. Learn it. Use it only if your life is in danger.” Very soon, if someone tried to harm her she’d be able to protect herself, and any friends who might be nearby. It made her feel much better about the situation. This was much better than the poor excuses for lessons that she’d managed with Professor Patrick while he was so ill.
“Mia!” She looked up when Sarah shouted her name. She’d been practicing the wand movement for a nasty hex that melted the floor beneath an opponent. The book had a whole section of those sort of spells. They were aimed at the environment around the wand wielder, and not the wand wielder themselves. It avoided any shields that a person might have set on their clothing or shoes. It wasn’t wise to anchor a shield spell to your skin. If the shield was overtaxed it could rebound and burn the wand wielder, sometimes killing them.
There was another informative section entitled “Using What You Have”. The author instructed duelists to blind their opponents with sand, dirt, leaves, snow, or any other thing that might be in the area. It made a lot of references to Dueling for Dunces. That book was also out of print, probably because it had a lot of good information in it. She was going to do her best to find a copy.
“We have a snack, if you’re interested.” Sarah’s tone implied that she had better be. Since the tree incident the girls were bossing her with apparent relish. Mia marked her place in the book and grabbed one of the sandwiches.
The others were doing homework. Vivian had her cauldron out and was using her natural gift for flames to control the temperature on what looked like a very passable cold and congestion concoction. Lizzy and Beth were complaining about Professor Stoats’ latest project: each student was supposed to hatch a golden goose egg. The shiny eggs would hatch only if they were kept at an exact temperature for the entire incubation period of sixteen days. The birds were notoriously bad mothers, so for commercial purposes the eggs were hatched by wand wielders. Their shiny shells (which were pretty, but chemically far removed from gold) were ground up and used to tan the inside of furs. The process left them as soft and flexible as leather, but totally waterproof. It was very important to the inhabitants of some of the northernmost citizens of the City.
Sarah was doing a special research project for Professor Tate. “I’m going through these old diaries and looking for any mention of the spells they used to set up the City. Our founders had appalling handwriting.” Sarah was wearing a pair of multiple lens glasses just like the pair Professor Tate had worn the first day of class. Apparently some of the diaries were encoded.
Mia poured another cup of tea and went back to her own studies. There was other homework waiting for her, but she ignored it. Learning what was in this book was more important.
“Are you with us Miss Rusticov?” Professor Petrov glowered at Mia from the stage. She’d been demonstrating the difference in tempo for a new piece of music. Mia had been practicing her wand movements. She’d thought that the Professor couldn’t see what she was doing. “If I spent half the time that you do practicing music, I expect I would show more progress. If you can’t be bothered to pay attention in class, I might just have to clear your standing practice schedule and let other students, who are more serious about the subject take the time slot.” That evil shrew! Mia apologized. She couldn’t lose her practice room. The Professor shot her a dirty look and continued class. Mia couldn’t wait to drop the hag’s class.
Chapter Seventeen
&n
bsp; Mia was surrounded by the girls, on her way to class, when a wadded up sheet of parchment zoomed around the corner and bopped her on the head. She smoothed it in annoyance, wondering where Martin had found the spell to make paper to move that fast. She read the message in total surprise. ‘Come here you troublesome child…’ was scrawled in Headmistress Villanova’s handwriting. Mia shouldered her pack and started walking quickly toward the tower. “The Headmistress wants me for something. Just go on to class without me…” She was hurrying, so she didn’t see the anxious looks her friends gave her as she walked away.
The footman escorted her into the sitting room. It was largely unchanged from her first visit with Emma, except this time, Headmistress Villanova was not alone. The occupants had the air of sudden silence, as if she’d interrupted a furious argument.
Professor Fain stood behind the headmistress with his arms crossed. Headmistress Villanova was seated on one of the sofas, her usual stiff posture eclipsed by her current statue-like pose. Greatlord Chilton and a stranger were seated on the sofa and another man was slouching in a wing-back chair.
Chilton looked dazed. He squinted at her, trying to place her face. She doubted that he knew what decade it was, much less why he was in the room. Mia recognized Greatlord Avery’s symbol of office, from that silly musical of all things. It was also on every guard uniform in the City. He looked like a rodent, despite the sumptuous red velvet of his clothing and the carefully styled black ringlets that cascaded down his back. His eyes kept darting away from the headmistress’ stern gaze and over to the man in the wingback chair.
He was the most relaxed of the three, idly playing with his wand, slumped slightly in the chair. He wore his hair short, no more than an inch from his scalp. The style did nothing to soften his blunt features. Even more than Chilton, he looked as if his face had been chiseled from stone. His garments were cut as severely as his hair, the same unrelenting black. A council member’s medal of office was the only color he wore, a heavy gold medallion worked with dark green jewels.
“Please sit down Amelia.” The headmistress indicated the sofa she was sitting on, putting herself between Mia and the Greatlords. Mia felt a little chill go down her back. She could guess what they were here for. She made her way to the sofa as the headmistress made introductions. “These are Greatlords Avery, Strathorne, and Chilton. They represent the City Guard, the Magus’ personal Guard, and the College respectively.”
Greatlord Strathorne let a very small smile touch his lips “My actual title is Defender of the City, Headmistress, but it is true that most of my duties involve the Magus’ personal protection.” Professor Fain put his hand protectively on Mia’s shoulder. “Be that as it may, Greatlord , I do not see why you were involved with what should be a simple case for Greatlord Chilton as the college’s representative to council, if the council were involved at all.” Greatlord Avery shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Unauthorized creation of a new species is a serious offence…” He stopped mid-sentence and sat back in his seat at Strathorne’s glare.
Professor Fain snorted. “Yes, it’s such a dangerous assignment to apprehend a first year student that it required three Greatlords and not a single guardsman.” The headmistress quelled him with a sharp look.
Greatlord Chilton stirred himself enough to say “The creation of an unauthorized sentient life form is prohibited by section 6.23.6 of City code. It is up to the judge to decide if the creation was accidental.” He pulled a hand up to his brow, as if the effort to speak was too much.
Headmistress Villanova leaned forward. “I think you are forgetting Section three, paragraph four of the College’s charter. ‘Students shall not be held responsible under the normal City codes for magic preformed during their time enrolled in the college. Any disciplinary action shall be the sole province of the head of the college.’ As Headmistress, it is my decision that an accident occurred here at the college, and the magic was performed by a student. The council, I’m afraid, is overstepping its authority in this instance.”
Greatlord Chilton gained a little color in his pale cheeks. “What are you accusing me of Madam? My sole concern has always been the students of this school and upholding the rule of law.”
“Poppycock!” Headmistress Villanova stood up. “How many of my students have you ‘reassigned’ this year alone? You knew as well as I did that they were less likely to ever achieve Greatlord status. I gave you the numbers on accidents! You knew they were more likely to overextend themselves, more likely to die and you did nothing!”
He bristled and leaned forward a bit. He almost looked alive. “I knew nothing of the sort. I act for the good of the City.”
Greatlord Strathorne leaned forward in his chair and put a restraining hand on Greatlord Chilton’s shoulder. “We aren’t here to assign blame. We are here to escort the girl to a detention center for processing.” His smile was cruel. “Being so young, I’m certain that she will be assigned to special projects rather than a harsher punishment…but I might be wrong. The last wand wielder who created a unauthorized species was transfigured.”
Professor Fain pulled out his wand. “The College Charter clearly trumps City Code on this point. Even if it didn’t, you’d be taking the girl to detention to await a hearing. On what authority are you taking her directly to be sentenced?” The Greatlord fingered his dark wand lovingly. “On my authority if you like. As defender of the City it is my duty to expose and remove dangerous wand wielders. Anyone who raised all seventeen stones at testing qualifies as dangerous in my book.” Mia sat back on the sofa and tried to look harmless.
Professor Fain laughed. “Strathorne, you don’t have the authority to piss without the Magus’ permission, and he wouldn’t agree to this.” On some unseen signal, Headmistress Villanova grabbed Greatlord Chilton’s wrist. Half a second later, pandemonium broke out. Professor Fain pushed the sofa with Mia and the Headmistress over and yelled for them to stay down.
Greatlord Chilton and Headmistress Villanova were locked in a silent struggle to pierce each other’s mental defenses. They were totally oblivious to the battle that had broken out between Strathorne and Professor Fain. The curio cabinet and the Magus’ portrait were some of the first casualties from the spells that were being tossed about. The footman appeared out of nowhere to guard the headmistress’ still form: he crouched behind the upturned sofa performing amazing feats of levitation, pulling her away from bouncing spells in the nick of time.
Greatlord Strathorne grinned as he deflected a magebolt. “Come now Ethan, surely you can do better than that? If I remember you were a talented little apprentice…last year.” Professor Fain didn’t respond. He just raised his wand and fired another powerful bolt at the Greatlord. This one knocked his shields aside enough to graze him. His black clothing smoked a bit as he hit Ethan with a vicious magebolt. Not trusting his shields, Ethan dodged to the left and fired a jet of acid at Strathorne. The acid slid down the shield and bubbled as it reached the carpet. Ethan struck again with a bolt as the acid reached the ground.
Mia was crouched under the sofa watching the light display and the mental acrobatics when she felt a wand jab into her side. “Don’t make a sound. We’ll let them sort this while you and I go for a little stroll, shall we?” Greatlord Avery’s ferret face was flushed with triumph.
He had a bruising grip on her arm. He was small for a man, but he was still stronger than she was, and there was a surprising amount of power in his thin fingers. He was fumbling around in her pocket, looking for her wand. She suddenly realized that she would be much worse off if she let him take her wherever he wanted her to go without her wand. So she balanced her weight on her left side and hit him as hard as she could in the nose with her right elbow. It was one of the first tricks in the book Professor Fain had given her.
He swore and tried to stop the blood from staining his velvet doublet while she rolled away from the sofa toward the door. He gave up trying to save the clothing and followed as soon as he realized that sh
e was getting away. He blocked the door and pulled out his wand. He opened his mouth, but what he would have said or done was lost when Professor Fain hit him with a well-placed magebolt. Mia kicked his wand away while he twitched uncontrollably.
Greatlord Strathorne took Professor Fain’s momentary distraction as a signal to add a new level of viciousness to his attack. Professor Fain dodged a nasty hex and shot another magebolt at the sweating Greatlord. “Mia! Go!” She glanced at the door, then back at Professor Fain. He couldn’t spare her another glance. He was fighting for his life. Avery had stopped twitching, but he wouldn’t be down much longer.
She couldn’t make a magebolt, or use any of the complicated hexes that Professor Fain and Greatlord Strathorne were shooting at each other. But she had to do something… Even the footman was doing what he could…
The thought was the mother of the act. Mia summoned the snake vines from greenhouse one and dumped the pot right on top of Strathorne. He blasted the plant away with a single bolt, but it cost him a few seconds. She ran behind the desk as he shot a spell at her and she transfigured the stone floor under his feet into mud. Once he’d sunk ankle deep, she changed it back to stone. He turned his attention to fighting off Professor Fain’s attack and Mia struck again. This time she levitated broken china at his face as he tried to duel. The instinct to protect his eyes kicked in and he ducked, allowing Professor Fain time to set a nice sleeping spell on him.
Seventeen Stones Page 28
