For the first time in many nights, sleep came easily and without worry about the day to come.
Chapter Seven
Volinette stood and stretched, her back popping as she extended her arms over her head. She scanned the classroom, hoping to catch Baris’s eye before he left. It seemed that he had already escaped. She stifled a sigh. It was harder for her to leave the room, since she and Janessa shared a worktable near the wide desk that Master Casto used as both a demonstration space and a podium for his lectures.
“Can I talk to you for a minute, Volinette?”
It took Volinette a few seconds to register the fact that it was Janessa who had spoken to her. Not just spoken to her, but in a quiet voice that was nothing like the one that she normally used when calling her names or accusing her of murder. Volinette wasn’t quite sure what to say. Her mind whirled with possibilities and implications.
“Um. Sure. I guess. What do you need?”
“I just—” Janessa broke off, glancing around the room as if she were afraid someone else would be listening in. She needn’t have worried. Everyone else had left the room. Even Master Casto had gathered his belongings from the desk and slipped out before Volinette could free herself of Janessa’s attendance.
Volinette stood there, watching Janessa shift from foot to foot and wishing that she hadn’t picked this moment to have a heart-to-heart talk. She almost wished that Janessa would go back to threatening her. At least that was expected. This was just, well, strange.
“I wanted to say that I was sorry,” Janessa blurted out in a rush, as if she didn’t dare pause between the words. “I know you’re not responsible for what happened during the Trial, and I’ve been pretty hung up on it. So I wanted to say, you know, I’m sorry.”
Of all the things that Volinette might have expected Janessa to say, offering up an apology for her behavior was probably the last thing she’d have written down on the list. It just seemed too unnatural, especially after so many weeks of Janessa and her friends making Volinette’s life as miserable as they could manage without getting caught.
“I, um…I’m not sure what to say,” Volinette answered, deciding the honesty was probably the best course to take. On the off chance that Janessa was genuinely sorry for her actions, there wasn’t anything to gain by making the process harder for her than it needed to be. “Thanks, I guess.”
“I don’t blame you for being suspicious. I think I would be too. I don’t expect us to be friends.” Janessa ducked her head, as if embarrassed by the admission. Volinette just stared at her. “But I wanted to say I was sorry, that’s all.”
Janessa fled from the room before Volinette could form an answer. She stood there by the worktable for several long moments, staring at the door that Janessa had made her hasty exit through. Baris appeared in the doorway, his eyes wide.
“I wasn’t trying to listen in,” he blurted. “Did she just apologize to you?”
Volinette nodded. Baris shook his head.
“What did you do to her?”
“I didn’t do anything to her,” Volinette snapped, unsettled by the awe in Baris’s question. “I kept her from casting a spell on me, that’s all. I protected myself.”
Baris shook his head again.
“I don’t think that would do it, Volinette. I think you need to keep an eye on her. Apology or not, I don’t think she’s going to let you off the hook that easily.”
“I’ll be careful,” Volinette said absently. She was still thinking about how uncomfortable Janessa had been during their brief exchange. She wasn’t sure Janessa could fake it that well.
“You better be,” Baris said, his voice dire. “I still think she’s got it out for you.”
“You might be right. Either way, I’ll be careful.”
“Good.” Baris eyed Volinette as if he didn’t believe her, but he let it go. Volinette was glad he did. She really didn’t want to talk about it anymore.
“Why did you come back?”
Baris sighed.
“I was hoping you were hungry,” he said, rather plaintively. “I don’t feel like eating alone again.”
“What? You don’t want to sit with Syble?” Volinette knew full well that Baris hated Janessa’s shadow nearly as much as Janessa had, until today, appeared to hate Volinette. Still, she couldn’t resist needling him over the pairing.
“No! She’s a—”
“Baris!”
“Well she is! You should hear the way she talks about Janessa. You’d think that she was the Head Master or something. It’s always ‘oh, she’s so smart’ or ‘oh, she’s so clever.’”
Baris clutched his stomach and pantomimed retching on his feet. He was exaggerating so much that Volinette couldn’t help but to burst into laughter. She wiped the tears from her eyes and clapped Baris on the shoulder.
“I’m so glad you’re here with me. I’m not sure what I’d do without you.”
“So, you’ll come have lunch?”
“Yes,” Volinette laughed. “I’ll come have lunch. I promise I won’t leave you to the ravages of Syble and Janessa’s other cronies.”
Baris shifted from one foot to the other while Volinette gathered her books and scrolls from the worktable. He was not at all pleased when she wanted to stop at the dormitory to drop off her things, but he kept his complaints to a minimum. It wasn’t long before they entered the bustling cafeteria across the courtyard from the dormitory.
Janessa and her friends were gathered together at the farthest table from the door. When Volinette and Baris entered, they bent their heads together in a conspiratorial fashion. Volinette ignored them, instead following Baris to pick up a tray and get in line for refreshments.
They made their way through the line quickly, picking and choosing from the food that was available. The Academy cafeteria employed some of the greatest cooks in the Imperium, or, at least, that’s what they were told. What Volinette knew for certain was that there was never a lack of people in the cafeteria, from lowly apprentices up to the Head Master herself.
Volinette and Baris took up seats opposite each other on one of the open tables near the door. While Volinette began to eat, Baris sat with a fork in his hand, staring over her shoulder. It wasn’t hard for Volinette to decode his bizarre behavior.
“Let it go, Baris. They’re not going to do anything here. There are too many people around. Janessa might not have respect for anyone, but the others are still afraid enough of the Master Quintessentialists to cause too much trouble.”
“I guess.” He glanced at her tray, seeming to see the food for the first time. “Hey, are you going to eat that?”
Volinette poked him in the hand with her fork.
“Eat your own, you have plenty.”
Baris stuck his tongue out at her, but set into his own food as if it was the first meal he’d had in days. They spoke very little as they worked their way through the food and, once finished, deposited their trays in the slot at the end of the long room. A quick glance around the cafeteria showed Volinette that Janessa and the others had left sometime during their meal. That was just as well, she thought. She didn’t really want to deal with Janessa again so soon.
“Want to go down to the breakwater?” Baris asked as they stood idle near the cafeteria doorway.
Volinette wrinkled her nose. “No, not today. I heard a fresh batch of ships came in, and I don’t want to be upwind of their cargo. I was thinking about going to the library.”
Baris wrinkled his nose in an almost perfect mimicry of the grimace she’d just made.
“No thank you. I’ll find something better to do with a half-day free of work and studying. I guess I’ll see you around then.”
She gave him a smile and sent him off with a little shove. Baris was a good friend, but his lack of interest in any learning that wasn’t mandatory both aggravated and amused her. He was often the last student into the classroom and the first one out. His objections to self-study were loud and drawn out, often earning the i
re of Master Casto. Sometimes lowering the Master to the point where he’d rap the back of Baris’s hands with the long willow pointer he carried around while teaching.
Volinette made her way from the cafeteria back to the squat stone building that held most of the teaching rooms for the younger students. Though Master Casto had given them the afternoon off from their studies, not everyone in the Academy was so lucky. There were still many classes in session. She lingered in the hall outside some of the open classrooms, hoping to catch an interesting fact or turn of phrase.
This wasn’t the first time that she’d spent a free afternoon just wandering the halls of the Academy. None of the Masters seemed to mind, so long as she stayed out of view and didn’t interrupt. She’d been caught on a number of occasions, lurking outside a room listening. Most of the Masters just gave her a smile and a tolerant shake of their head before moving on.
Her favorite classes to eavesdrop on were those that dealt with the history of the Great Orders, famous Quintessentialists, or the struggle the mages faced in the growth and expansion of the Human Imperium. It wasn’t unusual for Volinette to hear something she found fascinating during one of her wanderings and then rush to the Great Library and dive deeply into whatever books she could find on the subject.
She stopped outside an open classroom and strained her ears. What she heard wasn’t any of the Masters she was familiar with. It was a hushed conversation, not at all like a normal lesson.
“Do you think she’s really gone soft?” a girl’s voice asked. The voice was familiar, but Volinette couldn’t quite place it. She flattened her back against the corridor wall, closing her eyes so she could focus on the softly spoken words.
“I don’t know,” another girl replied, her voice sharp. “I only heard a little before that simpering fool came back.”
“She’s very clever,” still another girl said. “She has to have a reason. She has to.”
Volinette flushed, going red from the base of her neck to the tips of her ears. That last voice was one that she’d be able to recognize anywhere. Syble had a very distinct timbre to her speech, and Volinette could see her in her mind just as clearly as if they were in the same room.
“I still don’t like it.” That was Nixi. Now that she knew whom she was listening in on, it was easier for Volinette to pick out the girls’ voices.
They were obviously talking about Janessa, probably about her apology and attempt at reconciliation. If Janessa’s harpies were confused by her actions, maybe they were genuine after all. The girls certainly wouldn’t be likely to turn their back on Janessa unless she’d given them a very good reason.
“Let’s get out of here. We can talk about it later.”
Volinette’s eyes snapped open and she scanned the hallway, searching for a way to escape. All of the other classrooms were occupied and closed. She couldn’t just barge into one of them to get away from the girls. Their footsteps were getting closer to the door. Forcing herself to move, Volinette turned from the door and walked as fast as she could toward the opposite end of the hallway.
“Well, well, look who it is.”
Her flight hadn’t carried her far enough. Halsie’s sing-song voice echoed down the hallway, making Volinette’s spine go rigid. She didn’t care for her odds against the three girls. Fighting the urge to turn and face them, she continued on as fast as her feet would carry her.
“Aw,” Halsie said, in a voice far too loud for the quiet hall. “The murderer doesn’t want to stay and play.”
A door opened suddenly beside Volinette and she jumped to the side with a yelp. A Master stepped into the hall, his ornate robes, embroidered with his symbols of rank and station, swirling around his ankles.
“What’s the meaning of all this ruckus?” he demanded, first looking at Volinette and then to the girls who were still standing outside the other classroom.
Volinette swallowed hard, trying to clear the lump from her throat. She turned so she could see the girls out of the corner of her eye. Halsie looked to Nixi, then to Syble. Neither of them said anything, they stood still and mute as statues. Halsie sighed, realizing that she wasn’t going to get the support she wanted against the Master who was glowering at them.
“Nothing, Master. We were just leaving.” Halsie’s voice was sickeningly sweet, but the Master didn’t seem to notice, or care.
“See to it that you do, then…and keep quiet about it.”
Halsie and the others turned and disappeared down the corridor. With a last sour look at Volinette, the Master retreated into his classroom and slammed the door.
She took that as an opportunity to dash down the hallway as fast as she could go. There was no way she wanted to meet back up with the trio, and the sooner she got out of the classroom building and outside the Academy grounds, the sooner she’d feel safe from a chance encounter with them.
She dashed down the cobblestone path and past the North Gate, startling the guards who were lounging against the gate posts. Volinette called an apology over her shoulder, coming up short after she left the familiar territory of the Academy grounds. Being outside the walls of the Academy felt safer right now. In the city, she could escape from Janessa and her friends. Inside the school, there were only so many places she could hide, and those were often frequented by the other Apprentices, Acolytes, or Journeymen. Right now, she just wanted to be alone.
Volinette reached into her pocket, feeling the weight of the few Crowns she had there. The coins didn’t amount to a fortune, but she’d earned enough doing odd jobs around the Academy for Master Casto that she was far from destitute. She could stop in an inn, tavern, or halfway house and get a good hot meal and something to drink if she so desired.
There was a narrow alcove in the wall that surrounded the Academy. She slipped into that alcove now, watching the bustle of people as they hurried on their duties around the city. She gnawed on her lower lip, trying to decide what she wanted to do. Curfew was the only thing that would drive her back to the dormitory. She’d have several hours before she had to deal with the other girls again. If she were lucky, maybe she could even make it to her room before the others noticed she was back.
Her hand went to the coins in her pocket again. She and Baris had just eaten, so a meal wasn’t appealing in the slightest. Her best bet, as it often was, would probably just be spending the afternoon in the Great Library. It had never done her wrong before, and burying her thoughts in the stories and glories of the past was just the thing that might ease her nerves.
With a destination and a plan in mind, Volinette slipped from the alcove and set out for the huge stone building that housed an entire wealth of knowledge amassed by Quintessentialists since the Imperium had been founded.
Chapter Eight
When Volinette stepped out of the Great Library and onto the wide avenue that ran through Blackbeach, the streets were mostly deserted. The respectable folk of the city had retreated behind closed doors, leaving those few who were still out and about to wander at their peril. She wasn’t sure how she’d lost track of the time, but it was the first time Volinette had been out past curfew. Her heart thundered against her ribs as she made her way back to the Academy. She dared not run, lest she attract too much attention, but she walked as fast as she could.
As she approached the entrance to the Academy grounds nearest to the dormitory, her heart sank. The heavy obsidian gates that separated the schools of magic from the rest of Blackbeach were closed. She could feel the guarding magic dancing along the glass bars as she approached. Volinette swallowed hard. Without the right spell or ritual, there was no way she was going to be able to get into the Academy until morning.
“Who goes there?”
Never before had Volinette been so happy to hear such a gruff voice. The guard that peered at her from the other side of the gate was a stocky man, wearing thick leather armor inset with obsidian details. He carried a heavy wooden staff that he could, she had no doubt, employ with deadly efficiency.
“My name is Volinette, Sir. I’m an Acolyte in the School of Sorcery.”
“You’re out after curfew, Acolyte. I’m not supposed to open the gate for anyone, for any reason.”
“Please! This is only the first time I’ve missed curfew. Surely you missed curfew once or twice when you were being trained?”
There was a bark of laughter from beyond the gate, behind the wall where Volinette couldn’t see. The guard glanced over his shoulder toward the sound and made a sour face.
“Quiet, you.” He looked back at Volinette, his eyes scanning her from head to foot. “I guess I can make an exception this once.”
He raised a hand and spoke a series of guttural words. The gates pulsed with a faint white glow, then retracted into the wall without making a sound. Volinette had squeezed through them before they were all the way open. She turned to the guard and bowed from the waist.
“Thank you! Thank you so much.”
She heard another bark of laughter and looked up to see a man as thin and willowy as the other guard was stocky, leaning against the wall of the guard hut just inside the gate. He laid a finger aside of his nose and gave Volinette a conspiratorial nod.
The stock guard wagged a finger at her.
“Just remember that this was just this once. If you get caught outside after curfew again and I’m on duty, you’re going to spend the night on the cobbles outside the gate. Understand?”
“Oh, yes, Sir. Thank you very much.”
Volinette bowed again and hurried down the cobblestone path that led to the dormitory. Every step of the way, she thanked her good fortune that the house-mother for the girls’ quarters was a notoriously heavy sleeper. She should be able to slip inside and get to her room without anyone else being the wiser.
She eased the dormitory door open, careful to slide it past the spot where it stuck and squealed in protest if moved with too much force. She flattened her stomach against the door, squeezing between it and the frame in as little space as she could manage. Once she was inside, she closed the door with as much care as she’d opened it. She pressed her back against the door and closed her eyes, finally able to take a full breath for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.
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