The Apprenticeship of Julian St. Albans (Consulting Magic Book 2)

by Amy Crook

  After that, they started the movie and relaxed, and Alex even scooted his chair close enough to hold hands after the food was gone. The movie was especially interesting to Julian because it explained a lot of little things people said that he never quite understood except from context.

  "Can we watch another?" asked Julian when it was over, which made everyone laugh.

  "I wouldn't mind, if Thomas isn't tired of us all yet," said Alex. "I want more food, though, that pizza wasn't enough for a working mage."

  "I demand Padma's," said Geoff. "You guys talk about it all the time, but never take me there."

  "Ooh, so do I," said Julian, uncurling. "We can eat there and then come back here?"

  "Two cabs, though," said Alex, making a face.

  "Nah, we can all fit in Thomas' giant monster truck," said Murielle teasingly. "I get shotgun, though."

  That got protests, both from Thomas about the perfectly reasonable size of his vehicle and everyone else about shotgun, but Thomas agreed to drive them. They spent a few moments straightening up, making sure pizza was in the fridge and bottles in the right bins, and then they all filed out and climbed into the car.

  "This isn't that big, at least it's easier to park than a limo," said Julian, taking the middle again as the shortest. Alex was on his left behind Murielle, with poor Geoff squished in behind Thomas.

  "The limo would have more leg room, though," said Geoff.

  "Yeah, but there's nowhere in Thomas' flat for Jones to sit, too," said Alex cheerfully, "and he'd want to join in the fun."

  "That's true, how's he doing?" asked Murielle, and that started a round of asking after each others' acquaintances, which turned into a game of annoying the single people about their lack of dates, making Murielle grump good-naturedly that it was none of their business, Thomas blush a truly impressive shade of red, and Geoff lament the lack of commitment-minded men in the world.

  "Back so soon?" said Padma, giving Julian a shameless hug and kissing Alex's cheek.

  "They insisted," said Alex, sounding proud. "This is Dr. Tamlinson, Geoff runs the infirmary at the Agency, and you know Murielle. Agent Thomas MacLean works with her."

  "You're very welcome here, did you want a table or one of the rooms tonight?" she said, shaking everyone's hands. They agreed on a table, and she led them to a good one. "How are you, dear?" she asked Julian as they got seated, "Everyone's being extra careful, going out back tonight."

  "I'm doing really well, Dr. Geoff looked at me and Alex has been putting a potion on the bruise," said Julian. "I'm glad they're taking care, that guy didn't seem to have his act together very well but he could've hurt someone less well-protected."

  "Your Alex takes care of you," said Padma, sounding very proud. "He's a good man."

  Julian kissed her cheek and then patted his own chest. "He is, he even fixed my amulet so it'll protect me again."

  "Good," she said with a nod. "Now, tea for everyone, and you'll want lassis with your curry, yes?"

  "I'd like rose milk instead, please," said Lapointe.

  "All right, anyone else? Mango all right?" asked Padma.

  "Plain for me, please," said Geoff, then, "Oh, thanks," to the waiter, who set a cup of chai and a glass of water in front of each of them.

  Padma nodded. "I'll send out some papadums, too, I know you like those," she said, heading back to the kitchen.

  "Well, so far I'm impressed, and I haven't even had the food," said Geoff.

  "Alex has a way with waitresses," said Murielle teasingly.

  "Hush, you, Padma is not a waitress," retorted Alex. "And she's both married and perfectly aware of my preferences, unlike some others."

  "Jenny knows your preferences now," Murielle shot right back.

  Alex was saved when their waiter came out to ask about starters, and they had to look at the menus. They talked about food through the whole meal, not just what they were eating now but current favourites and childhood memories. Alex waxed eloquent about Julian's Courtship banquet, and Julian told them all about their two dinner dates, and how Padma had been sweet to him even then.

  Geoff snuck off and paid the check, refusing to let anyone repay him on the grounds that his desolate love life left plenty of money for treating his friends, and besides, everyone else had provided something already, from the cake to the beer.

  There were no leftovers, so they all piled empty-handed and full-bellied in Thomas' SUV for the ride back to his place.

  "What'll we watch next?" asked Julian, cuddling shamelessly with Alex now that night had fallen and it was cooling off.

  That started an intricate discussion that Julian was mostly left out of, so he let his mind wander, thinking about his studies and where they were taking him. He liked the idea of doing something to help at the Agency, and he had already scouted several places in MacLean's flat where he'd be able to put plants, should Julian happen to make a gift of some. Julian kept having this urge to give plants away, to make sure there were green growing things in the spaces of all the people he cared about, and he saw no reason not to indulge it.

  "We're here, love," said Alex, pulling him out of his reverie.

  "Sorry, just thinking," said Julian. "Did you come to a consensus?"

  "We did," said Alex, "Well, they did, I've not seen half the things they wanted to show you, since I grew up the same way you did."

  "It's a little weird, realising all the stuff we missed because it was common," said Julian softly, letting Alex escort him upstairs. "But I don't know, I would've missed all the books I read, too."

  "Yeah," said Alex, kissing his hair. "And now we have all these things to discover with our friends."

  "Yeah," agreed Julian with a smile, "we do."

  CHAPTER 8

  Julian was well-rested enough he didn't even mind the alarm going off at an ungodly hour the next morning. He snuggled up closer to Alex and mmed happily. "Going to fix the nursery today."

  Alex kissed his hair and snuggled right back. "We'll make it better than before, my love."

  Julian yawned and stretched and demanded a quick kiss, then slipped out of bed to start his day. They did a sketchy wash, knowing they'd get a full purification at the Temple, and dressed simply. Alex had bought Julian a silk tunic and trousers like his own, and both sets went into a silk bag for later. They ate a good, hearty breakfast from Alys, and passed on the praise for her cake.

  "I've made these up for you and your priest," she said, pulling out three old-fashioned tin lunch boxes. "You'll eat them after you're done, before you go to that crime scene."

  "Yes, ma'am," said Julian. "You take good care of us."

  "You really do," said Alex, when a large thermos began to fill itself with tea, sugar and milk.

  "There'll be cups at Mary Margaret's," she said, "and this is for drinking with your meals. It's proper tea with a bit of extra something."

  "So if it tastes odd, that's just the extra," said Julian. "Got it."

  "Now, go get yourselves gathered, I'll pack these up for you properly," said Alys, shooing them away. Julian got his big herbal and a fresh notebook, along with his coloured pencils, since he wasn't likely to have Lapointe's sparkly pen collection to raid this time, and packed everything up in his book bag, then he carefully separated out plants from both of the lucky clover pots from the window box, which Alys was kind enough to levitate inside for the process. Alex vanished into his work room and emerged with a bag of his own, and the food and plants were put in a sturdy box for the trip, along with a separate treat for Jones.

  Jones came up and carried the box down for them, which meant that they were getting doors for once, a change of circumstances that amused them all.

  "How have you been, anyway?" asked Alex, as they settled into the car.

  "I'm doing quite good, except for my inability to get Jenny's number," said Jones. "Victor gave me a raise, and a few more responsibilities to go with it."

  "That's wonderful," said Julian. "You've been more than just a d
river to him for a while now, anyway."

  "Thanks to Alex, mostly," said Jones. "I'm not sure Victor would've ever noticed me enough to care if I hadn't ended up driving him around during your Courtship."

  "Which really makes it thanks to Julian," Alex prevaricated.

  "Well, no matter why, I'm glad," said Julian. "You're a lot nicer than Sheffield."

  Jones chuckled. "No comment," he said. His attention was mostly on the road anyway, getting them safely from home to Temple along a route that had grown familiar to all of them. "Victor said to tell you I'm at your disposal all day, by the way."

  That got them talking about their plans for the day and everything that had led up to it, the tale of which took until they arrived at the main Temple just a few minutes before the hour.

  "Alex, Julian, good to see you," said Father Stephen, stepping out of the Temple doors to meet them. "Will your driver be joining us today?"

  Jones looked sheepish. "No, thank you, Father, perhaps another time."

  "As you will," said Father Stephen affably. "Go in peace, and we'll see you again in an hour."

  Jones relaxed. "Yes, Father. Would you like a coffee when I get back?"

  "You're not going all the way to see Jenny, are you?" asked Julian slyly.

  "No, it's too far for just an hour," said Jones with a sigh. "There's another cafe nearby that's good for reading in."

  "Then I would love one, with milk and a little bit of cinnamon, if they have it," said Father Stephen. "Thank you for offering."

  "You know what we like," said Alex.

  "Yep, I'll bring some for everyone. Will Murielle be at the nursery, too?" said Jones.

  "She will, and I bet she'd love a good coffee, Mary Margaret only ever has tea," said Julian, warmed by Jones' thoughtfulness. "You might as well get some extra black ones in case there's other people, I think there's spots for eight in the back of the car, right?"

  "There are, yeah, I'll do that," said Jones. "Victor said expenses were on him today, so it's covered," he added, mostly for the priest's benefit, Julian suspected.

  "We'll see you in an hour, then," said Alex.

  Jones got the first of Julian's pots out of the box in the trunk and they took their leave, Jones back into the car and the rest of them going into the interior of the temple. Father Stephen handed the plant off to an acolyte and led them back to the changing room.

  "Should I go first?" asked Julian, heading straight for his usual locker to undress. He and Alex would share, with whoever was first taking the key.

  "I'll go last," said Father Stephen. "Why don't we send Alex first, so he's not tempted to spend all day listening to the wards?"

  "I like your wards, they give me good ideas," said Alex, but he nodded. "Do you want to wait to undress, love?"

  "It's a bit cold," said Julian, "but then we couldn't really share a locker."

  "True, true," said Alex. "Well, you'll get warm in the middle bits, anyway."

  Julian smiled and kissed him, warmed in a different way by his concern. "I'll be fine, I've done this before, you know."

  They kissed one more time, then finished undressing. Alex went in first with the locker key around his wrist. Julian couldn't help but laugh at the face Alex made as he sank into the cold mineral bath, covering his mouth to hide it.

  "He always does hate the cold bath," said Father Stephen, voice full of rich amusement.

  Julian relaxed. "He does, but he comes anyway because we both feel better, after," he said, sitting on the bench by the blue-tiled archway. "I can't really blame him, I hate the cold part, too."

  Father Stephen chuckled. "You do like it here, though, other than the cold part."

  "I do, though I'm not ready to give up..." Julian paused, eyes straying to where Alex was dunking himself back under the water again.

  "You're not suited to that part of our life here, it's true," said Stephen, unperturbed. "Alex never was, either, though he finds a great deal of peace when he does visit."

  "I'll have to get the story of how you know each other out of you later," said Julian. "I have a feeling this conversation's got a different point."

  Stephen smiled. "It does, yes. I was wondering if you'd be interested in doing more work here, in lieu of monetary donations. I'll ask Alex as well, though his schedule is more fluid than yours, generally."

  "Is my talent really that valuable to you?" asked Julian dubiously. "I mean, I'm barely an apprentice at this point. I've still got a lot of learning to do."

  Father Stephen patted his knee. "Of course it is, especially the variation you have which enhances not only the health and beauty of a plant, but its magical potency."

  "Oh," said Julian, ducking his head and smiling. "I'd love to help, you can work out a schedule with Mary Margaret," he said, then he chuckled. "I might be helping with the Agency's medical greenhouse, too, so I guess that's three of you that have to learn to share."

  "I'm sure we can manage," said Father Stephen.

  A chime sounded, and Julian stood. "That's my cue," he said, shivering a little in anticipation of the cold bath.

  "I'll see you on the other side," said Stephen, his voice as warm as the water would be chilly.

  Julian smiled, and went into the purification with a light heart and full mind.

  CHAPTER 9

  Alex was sitting half-dressed by their locker, cradling Julian's amulet with his listening face on, the one that meant his attention was on an entirely different sphere for the moment. Julian dressed without worrying about interrupting him; he used to try to tiptoe, until he realised Alex wouldn't notice if a chorus of naked dancing boys went by unless they were wearing magical tassels. He was glad to get proper clothes on again, feeling quite shivery in the airy atmosphere of the Temple, and he snuggled right up to Alex and tucked his cold hands up under Alex's shirt.

  That managed to break his concentration.

  Alex yelped and laughed and put his arms around Julian, kissing him warmly. "Sorry, I was just making sure yesterday's fixes were still fixed. It's as good as new, though, possibly better."

  "Good," said Julian, "though you're pretty good protection all by yourself." He stole a kiss, then guided Alex's hands to put the amulet back on him, tucking it away before helping Alex to get buttoned back up himself.

  "It's good to see you two so happy," said Stephen, as he emerged from the green archway. "Alex had a lot of turmoil before he accepted you properly into his heart, you know."

  Julian smiled fondly. "I know, he kept trying to pretend he was only in it for the case."

  "I was trying to be only in it for the case," said Alex, getting his shoes and socks on. "Good thing you didn't let me succeed."

  Julian rewarded him with a kiss, and once they got themselves all put together and the keys back in the locker doors, Julian asked shyly, "So, where's this plot in need of some gardening, anyway?"

  "Just this way, we should have time for you to get the plant in the earth before we have to head over to the nursery," said Stephen, leading them through yet another doorway and through a few passages to another dirt-floored space like the meditation room, but smaller and bare of life, for now. Julian's plant and a trowel and watering can were waiting for them, though no sign of the acolyte.

  "Oh, it's lovely in here. Will you want grass, or a path?" said Julian. He slipped off his shoes and socks and walked on the soft earth, feeling it ready and waiting for new life in a way he couldn't explain.

  "I was thinking a path and a few benches," said Father Stephen. "More room for other plants that way."

  Julian smiled and nodded. "We'll put the clover here, then," he said, stopping just where it felt right.

  Stephen brought him the tools without being asked, and Julian knelt down, using that strange sense of his to be certain when he'd dug enough, to put the plant in the earth just so, and pack the earth around it exactly right. He poured on a nice little shower of water, until the plant told him it was happy and would be happy here, and then smiled up a
t Father Stephen. "It likes your garden."

  "Thank you, Julian," said Father Stephen warmly, giving him a hand up. "It's a very good start."

  "You should have fairy flowers in here, too," said Julian, glancing around. "I don't know if they could get in, but it just feels right."

  "I'm happy to bow to your expertise," said Father Stephen.

  Alex knelt in front of the bench by the doorway with a bowl of warm water and a cloth to wash Julian's feet. "Someone brought them by, but I said I'd take care of you," said Alex. His fingers were warm and sure, and he dried Julian's feet carefully, then let him put on his own socks and shoes.

  "You always take good care of me," said Julian, something he felt like he said a lot but bore repeating. He'd realised today in his meditations that Alex looking out for him in all the ways he did, large and small, gave Julian the freedom and courage to explore his life more than he might have otherwise. He could say yes to all of these opportunities and their risks because Alex made it safe for him at home, as his family and Cecil had before this.

  "You're easy to care for," said Alex, his expression showing that he'd had some revelations of his own, and they were good ones. They shared a quick kiss, then they both stood.

  "Just leave those," said Father Stephen, gesturing to the bowl and dirty towels. "One of the acolytes will be by for them."

  "Thanks," said Julian, filled with a sense of peace and purpose, even more than usual. "Shall we?"

  "Our chariot awaits," said Alex, gesturing.

  "Actually," said Father Stephen, amused, "it's this way."

  They were all smiling as they emerged into the sunshine, and Father Stephen traded the bag he'd collected from another of the ubiquitous acolytes for the first cup of coffee from Jones. "Mmm, that smells good, anyway," he said, taking a sip. "Oh, that's delicious, you said this place was nearby?"