Graduation Day (Schooled in Magic Book 14)

by Christopher Nuttall

  “We would have needed help anyway, would we not?” Caleb reached out and drew her into a hug. “This way, we get people who genuinely want to help us.”

  “I suppose,” Emily said. “You’re not mad at me?”

  “Not really,” Caleb said. He released her and sat back. “Emily, we would have needed help sooner or later, wouldn’t we? It works in our favor.”

  Emily shrugged. She’d had the vague idea that they could start the university after they completed their respective apprenticeships, which would have been two or three years in the future. Jade was the only person she knew who’d completed an apprenticeship in less than two years. But if Master Highland was involved, they’d have to start sooner ... perhaps they could convince Caleb’s master to move to Heart’s Eye. Or maybe Caleb could apprentice under Master Highland. That would set the cat amongst the pigeons.

  “I hope so.” She rested her head in her hands. “But I feel as though I did something dirty.”

  Caleb tapped her shoulder. “Did you do something dirty? Did he demand sexual favors in exchange for his vote?”

  Emily shook her head, soundlessly. The thought had never really crossed her mind. She’d have been repulsed at the very idea, but Master Highland wouldn’t have considered selling his vote so cheaply. She grimaced in disgust. That was something she would have preferred not to consider.

  “There you are, then,” Caleb said. “You’re no dirtier than a butcher trading meat to the cobbler in exchange for shoes.”

  And yet, both parties would be sure they were getting the lesser half of the bargain, Emily thought, ruefully. Thank God for whoever invented money.

  “He wants a formal contract,” Emily said. “A statement of precisely what we’re offering.”

  “I can do that,” Caleb said. “But it will mean working out what we’re going to do with the university before we even rebuild the school itself.”

  Emily nodded. There were so many issues that would have to be tackled, one by one, before they could open the university. And pinning some of them down now would only come back to haunt them later on. Master Highland would want as much authority and power as possible, while she wanted to limit his ability to steer Heart’s Eye in an academically unfriendly direction. He’d been keen to push the limits of magical and technological knowledge, but what about political and economic theory?

  “Try and make the terms a little vague,” she advised. “And run them past your mother first, if she’ll advise.”

  “I can try.” Caleb looked at her for a long moment. “What happened to Jacqui?”

  Emily groaned. She should have known this was coming. “What have you heard?”

  “There’s a rumor going ‘round that you killed her,” Caleb said. “And another saying you turned her into a frog and no one can undo the spell. And a third saying you dueled her for the Head Girl post and won. And yet another saying ...”

  “I don’t want to know,” Emily said, quickly. “We had a ... disagreement.”

  Caleb’s eyebrows rose. “What sort of disagreement keeps you both out of class?”

  “I had to meet with Master Highland,” Emily said. “Jacqui ... I don’t know what happened to her.”

  She looked down at her hands, wonderingly. The infirmary, perhaps. She didn’t think she’d hurt Jacqui badly, but she wasn’t entirely sure. There might have been internal bleeding - or worse. Besides, she had shocked the other girl. A long period of enforced rest would be good for her. And then ...

  Jacqui can’t stay as Head Girl any longer, Emily thought. Her position is now untenable.

  She sighed, inwardly. Gordian would know that too, of course. And yet ... he couldn’t be seen to let someone, anyone, push him into making a decision. Perhaps he’d claim Jacqui was too injured to handle her duties and pick someone else to serve in her place ... Cirroc, perhaps. He commanded the respect of the dueling club, if nothing else. And he was formidable enough to quiet angry students.

  “At least you didn’t kill her,” Caleb said. “Did she manage to hurt you?”

  Emily shook her head. She’d taken poundings from necromancers and combat sorcerers ... Jacqui couldn’t match them, although she might have sneaked a lucky hex through Emily’s wards. Casper had hurt her worse and he’d been close enough to give her a run for her money. Another stab of guilt knifed into her heart. She’d come far too close to killing someone who, in the end, had been no match for her.

  “I feel ... I feel like I did the wrong thing,” she said. “And yet, I also feel as though I did the right thing.”

  “There’s no such thing as a perfect decision,” Caleb said. “That’s what Old Hairy Nose used to say. Just the decision you make at the time, based on everything you know then - and not in hindsight.”

  Emily had to smile. “Old Hairy Nose?”

  “One of the sergeants at Stronghold,” Caleb said. “Tough old bastard, never failed to force us to do more and more press-ups at the slightest excuse, but no one doubted he knew what he was doing. He’d say there was no time to consider all the possible options, merely a chance to take the best possible option ...”

  “And that it was better to be doing something,” Emily finished. Sergeant Harkin had told her the same thing, years ago. “Time will tell, I suppose.”

  “Yeah,” Caleb said. “Look on the bright side. No one cares about your date with Cat now.”

  Emily had to laugh. “It wasn’t really a date. And it was ruined at the end. It wasn’t his fault, but still ...”

  “As long as it wasn’t his fault,” Caleb said. “And as long as you enjoyed most of it.”

  “Hah,” Emily said. She had no idea if Cat would be interested in another date. And she wasn’t sure if she was interested in another date. “Do you still have the afternoon free?”

  “More or less,” Caleb said. “Jacqui assigned me to supervise detentions after classes end for the day, but I’m free before then.”

  And the detentions might have been cancelled, Emily thought. But who knows?

  “Please write out the agreement before the detentions, then we can go through the terms before I give it to Master Highland,” Emily said. “And then ...”

  She sucked in her breath. Sienna hadn’t said anything, but Master Highland had seemed certain that Saturday would be the day. There was no more evidence to present, no more witnesses ... Emily contemplated putting Jacqui on the witness stand, but it would only complicate matters. Proof that Fulvia had tried to manipulate events in the school wasn’t proof that she’d hired Daze to corrupt Frieda. The crone had buried her tracks too well for Emily’s peace of mind.

  “I’ll see to it,” Caleb said. “And you be careful, okay? Are you coming to classes later?”

  “I don’t know,” Emily said. She looked at her watch. It was nearly an hour to lunch, then ... she shook her head. Technically, she was supposed to go to afternoon classes, but Gordian would want his say first. And then ... “I’ll see what happens in the afternoon.”

  She leaned back in her chair, trying to muster the energy to get up. There was no point in delaying matters, not when trouble was approaching at terrifying speed, but ...

  The door opened. Lady Barb stepped into the room.

  Emily felt her heart sink. Of all the people Gordian could have sent to find her, it just had to be Lady Barb. The older woman didn’t look happy, either. Her patrician face was twisted into a scowl. Emily knew she was in trouble.

  “Emily,” Lady Barb said. Her gaze shifted to Caleb. “Go back to class, please.”

  Caleb nodded and hurried off. Emily watched him go, not daring to look at Lady Barb. This was going to be bad. Gordian had every reason to be furious with her. Lady Barb was going to be angry too. Emily had come very close to killing another student ...

  “Tell me something,” Lady Barb said, as she cast a privacy ward. “What were you thinking?”

  Emily looked down at the dusty floor. “Jacqui drove Frieda to suicide,” she said, flatly. She didn’t
want to face the older woman, not now. “She deserved it.”

  “Perhaps she did,” Lady Barb said. “But you do realize that this is going to cost you, don’t you?”

  She tapped Emily’s shoulder, sharply. “Bullying the wife of one of your jurors wasn’t a very bright move either,” she added. “I dare say Markus is pissed at you right now.”

  Emily swore, using a handful of colorful words she’d learned at the army camp. She hadn’t even thought of that. She’d won Master Highland’s vote, but ... had she lost Markus’s? If he voted against her, Frieda was doomed. And even if he abstained ...

  “Language,” Lady Barb said, reprovingly. “I suggest you find a way to make it up to them before the vote.”

  “I will,” Emily said, miserably. But she had no idea what she could do. “How ... how badly was she punished?”

  “I believe she was told to write a detailed essay on the importance of allowing healers to do their work in peace,” Lady Barb said. “Under the circumstances, it was as light a punishment as was decent. Perhaps you should volunteer to help her write the essay.”

  “If that’s what she wants,” Emily said. She knew it wouldn’t be enough. Whitehall’s staff were very good at spotting copied or plagiarized essays. Melissa would have to do most of the work herself to avoid landing in worse trouble. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not the person you should be apologizing to,” Lady Barb said, stiffly. She sat down on one of the desks, looking down at Emily. “And really, you owe Gordian an apology too. I don’t have any liking for him, but he’s been placed in an impossible spot.”

  “One he made worse,” Emily muttered. “And I don’t think ...”

  “I had noticed,” Lady Barb said. “What happened between you and Master Highland, anyway?”

  Emily sighed. “We made a deal. He gets a role in the planned university, I get his vote.”

  “Probably the best you could expect,” Lady Barb said. She reached out and lifted Emily’s chin until they were making eye contact. “You do realize that you’re already on thin ice?”

  “I know,” Emily said.

  “And if you’d killed Jacqui, you would be expelled?” Lady Barb leaned forward until her face was almost touching Emily’s. “And that Fulvia might have had you in her power the moment she filed for a second inquest?”

  “I know,” Emily said. It wouldn’t have been that easy, but ... it would have been a nightmare. “And I’m sorry and ...”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Lady Barb said. She leaned back, resting her hands on her hips. “Emily ... be careful what you do over the next few days, alright?”

  “I will,” Emily said.

  Lady Barb gave her a doubtful look, then rose. “I have orders to escort you to the Grandmaster’s office. Will you come with me?”

  Emily stood. “Do I have a choice?”

  “There’s always a choice,” Lady Barb said. She turned and led the way to the door, then stopped. “You just have to be prepared to take the consequences.”

  Emily followed her along the corridor, wincing inwardly as younger students stared at her fearfully or worshipfully. Rumors had definitely spread out of control, made worse by Jacqui’s failure to make an appearance between classes. She wondered, absently, just what the rumors had become by now. The students probably believed she was being reappointed Head Girl or being expelled. Or worse.

  There was no sign of Madame Griselda as they stepped into the outer office, but the wards were stronger than ever before. Emily paused, half-wishing that Lady Barb could accompany her into the inner office. But she knew that wasn’t going to happen. Steeling herself, she took a step forward. Her feet felt as though they were made of lead.

  “Whatever else happens, we will discuss matters later,” Lady Barb said. Her voice was cold enough to make Emily shiver. Lady Barb was pissed. “And then you may have to make some pretty important decisions.”

  “I know,” Emily said.

  She forced herself forward, feeling the wards growing even stronger as she crossed the threshold into Gordian’s office. It felt distinctly unwelcoming. Gordian sat behind his desk, his elbows resting on the wood and his fingers steepled in front of his face. He nodded to her curtly, motioning for her to stand in front of the desk. Emily clasped her hands behind her back as she moved into position, wondering if she’d just walked into a trap. The sheer level of protections layered over the room stunned her. Who did Gordian think he was facing? A full-fledged necromancer?

  “I received the medical report while you were eating breakfast,” Gordian said. His voice was utterly toneless. “On one hand, Jacqui is physically unhurt beyond a number of bumps and bruises; on the other, she is too shaken to continue in her duties. And far too many students now know that something happened between you and her, although - fortunately - details are lacking.”

  He paused, as if he expected Emily to comment. But she said nothing.

  “Under other circumstances, you would be expelled,” Gordian said. “Students have always tested themselves against each other, often to the point of causing serious injury. However, undermining the Head Girl’s authority is a far more considerable problem. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that Jacqui undermined your authority while you were Head Girl.”

  “She was spreading rumors about me,” Emily said, flatly. “And she was doing it at Fulvia’s command.”

  Gordian nodded, slowly. “She claims not to have intentionally pushed Frieda into making an attempt to kill herself,” he added. “That might be true. At the same time, she showed serious flaws in judgement when she spoke to your young friend. I am not inclined to forgive her for her actions, accident or not.”

  “You let her abuse her power,” Emily pointed out. “And she had half the school uniting against her.”

  “There are limits to how openly we can intervene when the Head Pupils veer towards excessive behavior, either by being too liberal or too strict.” Gordian look up at her, peering over his fingertips. “To interfere openly would be to question her authority, fatally undermining her.”

  “And not interfering left the rest of the school at her mercy,” Emily snapped. “Did you know she had ties to Fulvia?”

  Gordian sighed, heavily. “Emily, if you learn nothing else from me, learn this. Every magician has ties to countless other magicians. And when one of those ties conflicts with another one, it’s anyone’s guess which way they will jump. I nominated Jacqui for the post because I believed she had the ability to make a success of it. In hindsight, she might have done better if she hadn’t been trying to compensate for your laxity.

  “I did not realize—” he held up a hand to keep Emily from interrupting “—that Fulvia was playing political games. But now we have to see them through to the end.”

  “Maybe,” Emily said.

  “There’s no maybe about it, young lady,” Gordian said. He lifted an eyebrow. “Unless, of course, you believe yourself powerful enough to stand above the fray?”

  Emily scowled, but said nothing.

  “Jacqui will be replaced by another Head Pupil,” Gordian told her. “The staff and I will discuss that later. As for you, you will have an in-school suspension for the next two weeks - if nothing else, it will allow you and Sienna to work on your closing remarks. Lady Barb has volunteered to supervise you. I suggest you spend the rest of the time, whatever the outcome of the inquest, trying to catch up with your classmates. Your marks have yet to recover.”

  “I know,” Emily said, shortly. Lady Barb would keep her nose to the grindstone. Perhaps that was what she deserved. But at least Lady Barb would also understand her going to see Frieda. “I thank you.”

  “I’ve done you no favors,” Gordian said. He met her eyes. “If things were different, you would be expelled.”

  If I didn’t have a link to the wards, Emily thought.

  “And for her first duty, Lady Barb can escort you to the Warden,” Gordian added. “I believe you have an overdue appointment.”
<
br />   “Yes, sir,” Emily said. She paused. “Does it bother you that Fulvia is playing games in your school?”

  Gordian looked back at her. “Yes. It does. And if I’d realized what she was doing, I would have stopped her games before they got out of hand. But I didn’t. And now we have to live with the consequences.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  IF IT HADN’T BEEN FOR LADY Barb’s steady presence, Emily would have found the next two days harder than they were.

  Not that they’d been easy. Whispers followed her wherever she went - the kitchens, the library - as rumors grew and grew in the telling. Jacqui’s continuous absence from class only fed the rumors, which changed and mutated into absurdities that Emily hoped no one - even the tellers - truly believed. And Cirroc bossing her around, publicly, after his appointment as Head Boy, only made the rumors stranger. He was clearly not scared of Emily ...

  And if he didn’t have to establish himself, Emily thought, I wouldn’t have been quite so cooperative.

  It said a great deal about Jacqui’s failure, she considered, that Cirroc had very little trouble in restoring order. He had the great advantage of not being Jacqui, something which boosted him even in the eyes of students who didn’t attend the dueling club. Most of the detentions and other punishments were cancelled as soon as he took office, which helped. But Emily felt as though none of the Head Pupils had really emerged with a great deal of credit. She’d been too lax, Jacqui had been too strict ... Cirroc? Even if he struck a balance between the two extremes, he’d still only be Head Pupil for two-thirds of the school year. Being Head Pupil for five months wouldn’t look good on anyone’s resume.

  She was still mulling it over as Lady Barb escorted her to Samra’s classroom. The older woman’s presence hadn’t helped the rumors, giving credence to the suggestion that Emily was actually under arrest. Thankfully, so far no one had dared ask Emily - or Lady Barb - about it. Emily honestly wasn’t sure what she’d say if someone did. She was too busy fretting over what she’d say to Melissa when they met.

  And I haven’t had a chance to speak to Jade or Cat, she thought. Have I lost their votes too?