"It seems like I placed a burden that's too high for you, little princess," he said. "You tried to carry the responsibility for the safety of the whole family, and that was too much for you. While I'm proud that I have raised such a filial daughter, it saddens me that by doing so I put you in danger."
This was way worse than mother's criticism and snark.
"But Papa..." I tried to explain, "it had to be done. Grandpa's right. We can't keep hiding here, in Caerland, forever. Sam needs to go to a good school, and after that, to a good university. He won't be able to get that here. And Billie and Mikey will also grow up and need better schools. We need to make sure they can go to school."
"That's right," father said. "But that shouldn't be on you. I'm your father, and it is my duty to take care of the family. I should be the one who takes care of the boys' education."
"The problem comes from Mama's side of the family," I pointed out. "You're not responsible for problems that happened before you married."
"Dana," father said, firmly. "It's our family. I'm a Bedwen, too. The moment I married your mother and took on her family name, her family became mine. And you should never solve our family's problems alone."
While father's hurt feelings were like salt to the wound to me, it was comforting to know he thought of my problems as our problems. The best thing I could do was to solve the problems I had created.
"In that case, Papa..." I said. "Now that I'm better, we should have a family meeting. You, Mama, Gramps, me. The boys are too young."
He nodded.
"Family should solve problems together," he said.
28
We had the meeting after sending the boys to sleep. They felt there was something for adults only, and tried to linger, refusing to go to sleep, but after reading a couple of book chapters, they were finally put to sleep.
We assembled in the living room. I gave them copies of the report, as well as notes on everything that I'd learned so far. Father, who looked at the drawings I made, suggested a couple more symbols. But, even after all the brainstorming, we could not guess who was behind the attack. Our family's enemy, the Inquisition, could have been behind this. Or not. We knew nothing about who was behind this.
"There is only one way to find out who it was," I said. "Return to Ashford. Continue living as I was. At some point, they'll come after me again. And our best hope is to catch them then."
"I don't like it," mother said. I could see father agreed.
"But it's not like Dana can stay here forever," grandpa said. "She already took a very long leave from her studies. She has missed so many classes by now, she might need an extension."
"I had a medical reason," I said. "And it seems like I'll need to extend my studies for another year, now that I am a mage. I will have to do a double major in magic and alchemy, and I will need the extra credits of Applied Magic. But yes, it won't be good to miss so much."
"Isn't he teaching you magic, already?" mother asked. "He could continue doing so."
"I also need to return to Ashford," grandpa pointed out. "And she needs to study at university. I can't teach her anything beyond the basics."
"They might not attack me," I told her. "The Captain destroyed all documents that link me to his project. They might suspect I was working with him, but I do have the cover story. And the bomb has probably attracted enough attention from the authorities that it will be quite risky to attack me. Of course, I'll avoid grandpa's house now..."
"No need," grandpa said firmly. "I can protect my house. I'll move to a more protected spot. You should also move with me. You'll be much more exposed in the dorms."
"But won't that just reignite the rumors?" I asked.
"Soon, I won't be your teacher anymore," grandpa said. "You should quickly finish your thesis, and then you'll be just my apprentice. And apprenticeships are different."
"Still, moving into your house..." I said.
"You should do it," mother suddenly said. "I'll be much calmer if I know you live in a safe house."
"Does that mean you'll let me go back if I agree to live with him?" I asked mother.
She shrugged.
"I don't think I can stop you. But you'll be safer if you've got your back covered."
"There is another issue, besides Dana's safety," father said. "And that's the legal trouble she's in. You are her master now, right?" he asked grandpa.
"Well, yes. The Initiation, backdated and properly filed, will show that Dana was in legal possession of her magical skills," grandpa answered.
"But she'll still be an apprentice, right? And there's no way to prove there was a bomb there. She could still be facing arson charges," father said, worried.
"You seem to forget how things work in Kalmar, dear," mother said. "Apprentices are not considered in full possession of their magical skills. Since nobody died or was injured, and the only things damaged were the lab she was in, they'll only have to pay damages. Well," she corrected, "he will have to pay damages," she said, pointing at grandpa. "As her master, and grandfather."
"A responsibility I accepted as her master," grandpa nodded, "and that she no doubt will repay."
"So, that's it? Just a fine?" father asked. "She's used her magic to burn a lab, and she'll get away with it just by paying a fine?"
Mother and grandpa started looking uncomfortable.
"Well..." mother said, "it's not that simple..."
"I'll have to face a magical tribunal," I explained to father, "which will be made of mages like him," I said, pointing at my grandfather.
Father was quite confused.
"So you," pointing at me, "a dark mage, will be judged by light mages? Is it because your master is light?"
"It's about balance," I explained. "Magical apprentices are considered minors when it comes to their use of magic, and their crimes get judged by a magical tribunal. Burning down stuff, explosions, and damages to property are very common among apprentices. So, as long as people don't get harmed, magical tribunals only look at whether the mage in question is stable or unstable. And to avoid bias and coverups, light mages are judged by dark ones, and dark ones by light mages. For balance. But generally, as long as you pay for damages, and they see no signs of instability, they let you go."
"OK," father said, accepting my explanation. "So you'll get judged for the fire by a magical tribunal, and, as long as Mr. Bedwen pays the fine for you, you'll be fine. But what about the Captain's death?"
"I had nothing to do with it," I said.
"I know that," father said. "But those gendarmes who came to investigate you didn't seem to know that. You may go to jail for the only crime you didn't actually commit."
He had a point. I don't know what happened with Captain Greggs. He was unconscious, but he wasn't dead when I found him. And, if they managed to save me from the third-degree burns I had, why didn't the healers also save Captain Greggs?
"Sean," grandpa said. Grandpa had been using father's first name since the day he arrived. But then, he couldn't reasonably call him Mr. Bedwen, as there would be two Mr. Bedwens then. "That's what lawyers are for. I will defend Dana myself if needed, although that will surely be unnecessary. Whatever evidence they may have of Dana killing her boss, it will be fake, and fake evidence does not withstand scrutiny well. She'll be safe with me."
They then started looking at each other, in some manly staring contest. At some point in the middle of it, father lowered his gaze.
"I'm glad that Dana's under your care, father," he said, acknowledging my grandpa. He'd always called him Mr before. He then turned towards me. "Dana, dear, you should listen to your grandpa in the future. I'm sure he'll be able to protect you."
And that was it. My parents decided that they'd leave me in grandpa's care. It was a bit insulting that they didn't think I could take care of myself, but then, it's not like I had provided much evidence in favor of that hypothesis.
We started packing. I wrote a letter to Jack, telling him I was coming back. We were goi
ng to Ashford the next day.
I took some of mother's clothes with me, so I could at least change in the train. Grandpa bought a first-class ticket, so we were going back in a two-bed coupe instead of the second class cabin I came in.
The day of our departure, the boys also insisted on accompanying us. As I boarded the train, under the impatient gaze of the conductor, I hugged all of them, and mother handed me a bag with the pies she had baked.
"There's a restaurant in the train," I said.
"I know," she said.
The conductor coughed. There was a bell. I went up the train steps, and the conductor whistled. The train then started rolling. I checked the window. There they were, all waving their hands. I waved back.
When Crow Hill disappeared into the distance, I went into the coupe, and made myself some tea. The journey was going to be intense. I couldn't practice my magic, not in a moving train, so I was going to finish writing my thesis. Grandpa brought a few books and my literature review, so we spent most of the seven days of the trip discussing and writing. It was intense, but by the time we were in Ashford, we had a written first draft. It was going to take a couple of weeks to finish it off, but it's not like grandpa would move immediately. He had to find the right house, first.
The last thing I expected when I arrived at Ashford was to see the gendarmes that had visited me in the hospital. Had Jack alerted them?
"Miss Bedwen. So you went home to recover?" the old man asked.
"Yes," I said. I did go home, didn't I?
"Is there something wrong, Detective?" asked grandpa.
"It's Captain. Captain Briggs. And this is Lieutenant Craen."
Right. The gendarmerie is a semi-military organization.
"And you are?" Captain Briggs asked.
"David Bedwen. Miss Bedwen's master," grandpa answered. "What do you want from my apprentice?"
"Apprentice? I didn't find any mention of that in any files. And besides, aren't you a light mage?"
"I guess the clerk who filed the documents was slow," grandpa said, avoiding to answer the second question. "And what do you want from my apprentice?"
"We'd like her to answer a few questions about the death of Captain Greggs," the gendarme Captain said.
"Great. Miss Bedwen will answer all your questions. In writing. After I review them," grandpa said.
"Excuse me. But by which right do you talk in Miss Bedwen's name?" the Captain asked.
"As her master, obviously. Don't you know that as the master, I am the legal guardian of my apprentice?" grandpa asked.
"But how could you be her master?" the dark guy asked. "You are a light mage, and she is dark."
"And you are..." grandpa asked.
"Craen. Lieutenant Craen," he answered.
"Right. Lieutenant Craen. Well, the only requirement to take on an apprentice is that the master should be a fully certified mage, and the apprentice needs to be a magical person. That they be of the same type is not a requirement," grandpa said.
"But that's only because nobody would be..." the Lieutenant stopped under grandpa's watchful eye. He probably wanted to say 'stupid enough', but chose not to.
The Captain chose to speak now.
"Master or no," he said. "We've got an arrest warrant for Miss Bedwen. She must accompany us to the station." And with those words, the Captain took a document out of his jacket.
"Give me that," grandpa said, snatching the document from the Captain's hands.
He checked it and returned it to the Captain with a smile.
"Since Miss Bedwen is not entirely responsible for her actions," he said, "you'll need to issue a warrant that specifies whether you are arresting her in her magical capacity or in her civilian capacity."
"That's not a requirement for arresting mages," the Captain said.
"Not mages," grandpa said. "Magical apprentices. As long as she is learning, Miss Bedwen is not entirely liable for her magical mistakes."
"And who is?" the Captain asked, suspiciously.
"Me," grandpa said, smiling.
"Captain," the Lieutenant said, tugging his sleeve. "He's right. We need to get the warrant re-issued."
"Alright, then," the Captain said. "I'll get another warrant. Filed properly this time. But don't go anywhere else, Miss Bedwen. Or I'll make sure to charge you with fleeing."
"Of course, Captain," grandpa said. "I'll make sure Miss Bedwen stays put. Now, if you excuse us, we have to go."
And we went towards the coaches, to then board different coaches.
"Where do you want to go, Miss?" the cabbie asked.
I thought about it for a moment.
"To the police station in Maynard St," I said.
29
Arriving at the police station in the mid-day with a small bag of clothes, wearing one of mother's dresses, bone-tired from the trip, probably wasn't the best of ideas. But I had to know, right now, whether Jack told the gendarmes I was coming. And why he didn't come to pick me up.
When I arrived, the same annoying policeman was at the reception.
"I am here to see Detective Taylor," I told him. "On a personal matter."
He looked at me, saw my determined face, and picked up the phone.
"Detective Taylor," he said, nervously looking at me. "Miss Bedwen is here again, waiting for you." He stopped for a moment, listening to whatever Jack was saying. "She says it's for a personal matter, sir." He paused for a much longer moment. "OK, sir. I'll tell her that," he then said, hanging up.
He looked at me, as I was nervously banning my fingers on the desk.
"You can go in, Miss Bedwen. Let me show you the way," he said, going behind the counter.
As he escorted me, I could feel the stares around the station. I knew I looked strange. Wearing a dress, my thinness wasn't as obvious, especially with the thick coat and all the layers of skirts. But my chin was still a bit too sharp, and my cheekbones too bony. The plump, meaty cheeks were gone. No longer a skeleton, but still on the unnaturally skinny part of the scale.
When we arrived at Jack's office, me still awkwardly holding the bag my clothes were in, the policeman knocked.
"Come in," I heard Jack's voice.
The policeman opened the door for me, as I was still holding the bag in my hands. I came in, leaving the bag by the door, and closing the door in front of the guy's face. I then looked around.
Jack, who was sitting behind his desk, stood up and went around it. I could see him scanning my face, my body. I could see the gears of his mind working, thinking, evaluating. I'm sure he's seen people like me, ill, emaciated, before.
"Dana!" he said, reaching towards me. "What the hell happened to you?" he said when he was at arms' reach towards me. For an awkward moment, it seemed like he was just going to stand there, awkwardly, but then I felt his arms around me, hugging me in a worried, tender embrace.
"I was so worried about you," he whispered into my ear. "But also angry. Why did you have to suddenly disappear like that? And after a sudden illegal Initiation, at that. And gosh, Dana, you are so thin!" he said, as his hands went from my shoulders to my waist, then moved up, examining my rib cage. He then released me from the hug and started to undo the buttons of my coat.
I didn't really want him to see me like that, but he was so fast, and I was so hesitant, that he managed to take off my coat before I could say anything.
"Jack," I tried to calm him, as he grabbed both of my wrists into his hand. In my current state, he could hold both my wrists in one hand. "I had to leave. In my health state, with my magic unstable -- I just had to leave. Thank you, by the way, for sorting that out. I didn't really think I'd need your help with something like this, and..."
"It's OK, baby," he said, hugging me. "I offered you a favor, and I did it voluntarily. I would have done that for you anyway, but I know you'd never have asked for the help. But can you tell me what happened, first?"
I hugged him closer.
"Not sure," I said. "I don't think we should t
alk about this stuff in your office. I'll tell you everything, but not now. Not here."
"Will you tell me everything at my home?" he asked.
"I will," I said. "After I solve the matters for today. Sort out the medical leave papers, all that. I just came to Ashford, you know."
I then remembered the reason I came directly here, without leaving my stuff at the dorms or anything. I relaxed the embrace and looked up, to his eyes.
"Why didn't you pick me up at the station?" I asked. "And did you tell anybody when I was coming?"
"I'm sorry I didn't pick you up," he said, "but I was a bit angry at you for disappearing like that. But now that I've seen the state you're in, I just can't be angry anymore. You look terrible."
"But you didn't tell anybody I was coming, right? Anybody in the gendarmerie?"
"The gendarmerie?" he asked, stroking my hair. "No, nobody talked to me about you. But it wouldn't be too hard to know you're coming. Descriptions of people on the run are circulated among train conductors -- and they would inform the feds about the tickets you bought. So, are you in trouble with the gendarmerie?"
"Later," I said. "I'll tell you everything later."
"Of course," Jack said. He took out his pocket watch. "Listen, I can't take time off work today unless it's something really urgent. Could you wait for me at my home until I finish?"
"Well," I said. "I still have things to do. I have to drop off my bag at the dorm. I also have to fill in the paperwork for a medical leave of absence. Get checked by a healer, also. I have a very busy day ahead of me."
"You sure you can handle all of that right after the trip?" he asked.
"Well, I have to," I said. "I'm the one who has to take care of myself."
The Apprentice's Path: The Alchemist #1 Page 21
