Secrets and Spellcraft

by Michael G. Manning

  He froze, listening to see if the men outside the room would come bursting in, but no one entered. Then he began lowering Janice to the ground, feeling the coarse rope burn his hands. It was a relief when she finally touched bottom and the line went slack.

  Will went back to the bed and tied the other end of the rope to the leg of the bed. Pulling it taut, he worked his way back to the window and tossed the rest out of the window before easing out and walking his way down the side of the house. Once there, he reached as high as he could and cut the rope, then he did the same close to the point where it attached to his bundle of Janice.

  All told, he had probably lost around forty or fifty feet of his once impressive piece of cordage, but he felt it was more than worth it. Storing the rest in his ring, he considered the bundle at his feet.

  Janice was completely unconscious now, and Will panicked for a moment until he confirmed that she was, in fact, still breathing. Even though she was probably of an average weight for a young lady at her age, carrying her would still be a significant burden. He would have preferred to carry her over his shoulder, but given the drug in her system, he worried she would stop breathing completely. Squatting down, he slipped one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back and stood up. Then he began to walk, heading away from Malview House in a straight line.

  He couldn’t afford to circle around to the front until he had gotten well away, otherwise he would risk being seen by the partygoers. That would add a considerable distance to his journey, but it also had the advantage of taking him in the direction they were least likely to search. The back of Malview House faced east, away from the center of the campus, away from the dorms, away from any reasonable destination he might have chosen.

  Another advantage was the lack of lighting. By the time Will had covered thirty yards, darkness covered him. There were modern gas lamps on the campus, but those lights were only located near the larger buildings. Fortunately, light wasn’t a problem for him. Will adjusted his eyesight until the half-moon and starlight provided ample illumination.

  After a hundred yards, his arms and back were burning. He focused his turyn to improve his stamina and kept going until they were close to the wall that separated Wurthaven’s green lawns from the rest of Cerria. Will found a large laurel hedge and deposited Janice beside it. He checked her breathing again.

  That done, he untied the knots around the quilt and gently extracted her from the bundle. He wasn’t comfortable letting her lie prone, so he lifted her by the shoulders and pulled her with him until his back was to the wall, then he sat down and propped her up against his chest. His mother had always cautioned him that people with breathing problems should never lay flat.

  Then he waited.

  Aside from the stone wall digging into his back, it was peaceful. Using his foot, he managed to pull the quilt close enough so he could grab it, then he settled it over Janice’s legs and torso to help keep her warm. Five or six hours, he told himself. It should start wearing off by then. If she can make it that long, she’ll be fine. He wasn’t entirely sure of the time, but at a guess that would be somewhere between midnight and dawn. He was glad he didn’t have class the next day.

  With nothing to do, his thoughts quickly began to drift. The night was cool, but the warmth from her body soon had him sweating, though not unpleasantly so. He might have slept, but for the stones digging into his back. After a while he rested his chin on the top of her head, noting the pleasant smell of her hair.

  It was at that point that his body began to take notice of Janice’s feminine charms. It had been a long time since he had been so close to someone of the opposite gender. He wasn’t truly tempted, though. Instead his mind began to think of the past, when he had shared a cloak on a cold night with a certain sorceress. Selene. He wondered how she was getting along. He hoped her father hadn’t been too angry with her.

  Looking up, he saw the moon peeking at him over the wall and he wondered if she might be seeing it as well, wherever she was. What would she think if she could see him now? After a moment he decided she would likely approve. Despite her background, Selene had never approved of those in power abusing their privilege.

  “I bet she would have torn that house apart if she’d been there,” Will said, chuckling lightly. Or would she have? He also remembered her counseling him to leave the comfort women in Barrowden behind. It would probably depend on the situation, he decided. Selene’s a pragmatist first and foremost.

  Did that make her good or evil? If someone only chose the good when it was practical, did that count as good? It was certainly better than not choosing to be good at all, but it wasn’t necessarily virtuous. Then again, Selene had frequently chosen to spend her free time feeding the poor and treating the sick. Those actions hadn’t necessarily been practical, not for a woman in her position.

  Hours passed, and eventually, Janice began to stir, seeking a more comfortable position. Will took that as a good sign. “Wake up,” he told her. “Can you hear me?”

  “Huh?” she asked fuzzily.

  Will tried explaining the situation to her, but the young woman was still addled from the tincture of opium. Dawn was still hours away and he didn’t want to spend the rest of the night outside, so he decided to head back to the dorms. Will helped his companion to her feet, where she swayed, drifting gradually from side to side. Bending down quickly, he recovered the quilt and draped it over her shoulders then stood with his back to her and bent his knees. “Put your arms around my shoulders.”

  She didn’t understand, so he was forced to reach back and take her hands so he could draw her arms around him. Once they were in place he leaned forward, put his hands behind her thighs, and lifted her up. Her reflexes took over then, and she held tightly to him to keep from falling. Carrying his classmate piggyback, he began the long trek back to the dorm.

  It took him half an hour to get there, whereupon he discovered that the doors were locked. He didn’t know the resident assistant for the female dorm, nor did he want to risk Janice’s reputation by waking them and leaving an obviously intoxicated girl on the doorstep. Instead, he parked his companion by the door to the boys’ dorm and walked around until he spotted his own window.

  Will spent ten minutes or longer throwing pebbles at the window before Seth finally woke and poked his head out. “Will?”

  “Let me in!” Will hissed, his voice half whisper and half yell. Seth nodded and disappeared. A few minutes later, he met Will at the entrance.

  “You’re not supposed to come back so late,” whined his roommate. “They lock the doors for a reason.”

  “So I’ve discovered,” said Will dryly. Then he went and got Janice back on her feet, maneuvering her into position for another piggyback ride.

  “What the hell?” exclaimed Seth. “Is that a girl?”

  Will nodded. “I know you’ve never seen one before, but this is indeed a girl,” Will answered sarcastically.

  Seth’s eyes bugged. “You can’t bring one of those in here!”

  “One of those?” asked Will. “It’s a girl, not a desk or a chair. I believe you’re supposed to say, ‘one of them.’”

  “Whatever! It’s against the rules.”

  “Well, I’m not leaving her out here to sleep on the bench,” countered Will. “She’s drunk and someone’s already tried to take advantage of her.”

  His roommate stared at him suspiciously. “Was it you?”

  “Really?” spat Will. “Do you think I’m wicked or stupid enough to rape someone, then carry them back to my dorm? Does that make any sense?”

  Seth shifted from one foot to the other. “Well, I suppose when you put it that way, maybe not. You still can’t bring her in here.”

  “I am,” said Will firmly, “and you’re going to hold the door for me.”

  “And if I don’t?” said Seth rebelliously.

  “I’ll knock you down and lock you out. You can try sleeping on the bench. If you keep arguing, I’ll have her slee
p on your bunk.”

  “I’ll get the door.”

  The two boys went through the lobby, wary lest they be caught. “Where’s Mom?” asked Will.

  “Probably sleeping in her room,” offered Seth. “As sane people usually do at this hour.”

  They got to the stairs and Will went first, carrying his semi-conscious charge on his back. His legs began to burn fiercely after a single flight of stairs. Then he heard a strange sound from Seth. Will stopped at the landing and looked back. “What?”

  “Sk—skirts,” stammered Seth. “Her skirts.”

  “Yeah? She wears them, I know.”

  Seth pointed at Janice and made a few more unintelligible sounds. After a moment Will realized what had the other boy so flustered. The girls dress had ridden up, exposing most of her legs and some of her derriere. In fact, his hands were now holding her by her bare hips. Will’s face flushed. It was a chore putting her down and getting her back up, so he simply grimaced at Seth. “You go ahead of us.”

  The next three flights of stairs were sheer torture, but they finally reached the fourth floor. Seth checked to make sure the hall was empty and then led them to their room. He balked when he saw Will settling Janice into the bottom bunk. “What are you doing?” hissed Seth. “That’s my bed!”

  “You can sleep up top,” said Will with a sigh. “I’ll take the floor.”

  “But she’s in my bed!”

  “I promise, you won’t catch anything,” said Will dryly. “Didn’t you have sisters or cousins?”

  Seth shook his head.

  “What about a mom then?”

  His roommate pointed at the girl. “That is not my mom.”

  “True enough,” said Will. “If she was, she’d have smacked the stupid out of you by now. Climb the damn ladder and shut up. We’ll sneak her out in the morning, don’t worry.”

  “But my sheets—”

  “Seth. You won’t get pregnant from sleeping on the same sheets a girl slept on. Trust me. If you’re that worried, I’ll pay to have them washed for you. Stop being a baby.”

  “Pregnant?” huffed Seth. “I know that.”

  Will pushed his roommate to the ladder, placed his hands upon it, then landed a resounding slap on the other boy’s buttock. “Up you go! Oh, toss me the extra pillow, the floor’s hard enough as it is.”

  The pillow flew at his head a moment later, but Will caught it deftly. Then he lay down and made himself as comfortable as he could, given the circumstances. He was tired, and sleep came quickly.

  Chapter 12

  He knew something was wrong as his mind slowly surfaced, returning to the waking world. Streamers of sunlight were shining around him, their brilliance blinding him until he realized he needed to return his vision to normal. As the vast sea of white retreated, he saw two eyes filled with animosity staring at him from the other side of the room.

  It was Janice, sitting in one of their desk chairs, which she had moved over by the door. Off to the side of the room, Will saw Seth huddled on his bunk against the wall. The expression on his roommate’s face was easy to read, for it screamed, ‘save me!’

  Will sat up, groaning as the muscles he had abused in his arms, legs, and back made their grievances known to him.

  “Would you mind explaining to me how I got here?” asked Janice’s stern voice.

  His eyes darted toward Seth. “Didn’t he tell you anything?”

  Seth shrank even farther back, whispering, “I tried.”

  “The only reason I didn’t run out of here yelling bloody murder is because he said you could explain,” replied Janice. “That, and the fact that this is the boy’s dorm.”

  “You don’t remember anything?” asked Will.

  Her eyes narrowed. “I remember talking to you. I remember singing, and I remember getting sleepy. After that it’s all a blur. Did you give me a piggyback ride last night?”

  “So, you do remember a little,” said Will. “Yes. I carried you back here late last night. I couldn’t leave you there.”

  “You know if they catch me here, I’ll be expelled,” accused Janice. “And hopefully you too. Should I thank you for that?”

  “Dennis drugged you last night,” said Will, jumping straight to the point.

  She blanched, then a look of puzzlement stole across her face. “I didn’t drink. I never do.”

  “He gave you a glass of wine, right before you sang. Remember?”

  She did. “If you knew, why didn’t you stop him?”

  “I didn’t know, not right away,” he explained. “I didn’t realize until after you disappeared. I found you upstairs in one of the bedrooms. Dennis had a line forming outside the door. They were paying him—”

  Janice held up her hand. “Enough. I get it.” Then she shivered, crossing her arms tightly across her chest. She closed her eyes tightly, and her hands balled into angry fists. “That bastard.” Will saw a trickle escape from the corner of her eyes.

  “It’s all right,” said Will. “I got you out before anything happened.”

  “How?”

  “He said that since my party gift was so expensive, I could have the first turn. Dennis said I’d have half an hour, so after I went in—”

  “Stop! I don’t want to know. That’s enough.” She had her hands over her face by then.

  “No, no, no!” said Will. “Nothing happened. It was a ruse. After they let me in, I tied you up in a blanket and lowered you down from a window. Then I climbed down and carried you away.”

  Seth broke in, “You tied her up and kidnapped her?”

  Will turned on his friend. “You aren’t helping. I didn’t kidnap her. She was comatose. I prefer to think of it as an involuntary relocation.”

  Janice was openly crying now, which perplexed Will. “You’re safe,” he told her. “They didn’t get a chance to do anything to you.”

  “He’s going to be furious,” Janice said quietly, tears still running down her cheeks.

  “I’d like to think if it was me, I’d say ‘thank you,’” suggested Seth.

  Will glared at his roommate. “You’re still not helping. Can’t you see she’s upset? Besides, she shouldn’t have to thank anyone for not being raped. That’s just human decency.” He turned back toward Janice. “What’s wrong? If you’re worried about Dennis, don’t be. I won’t let him bother you.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t understand. His father is Count Spry. My parents live on his estate in Lindham. They work for him. What do you think will happen when he complains to his father?”

  Will studied his hands. He’d thought he was doing a good thing, but had he? It had to be. He refused to believe a world existed in which the best option was letting an asshole like Dennis Spry abuse someone like Janice. “Listen,” he began, “You didn’t do anything. It was all me. I’ll make sure he knows. If he’s going to take revenge on someone, he can come after me.” It helped that no one could find his family, but he didn’t mention that.

  “Do you think he cares?” said Janice. “He’s been humiliated. He’ll find a way to punish both of us. You don’t know him like I do. My life is over. I don’t even care if they stop paying my tuition. His father will toss my family into the streets, or worse.”

  “Surely his father can’t be that unreasonable,” suggested Seth. “The truth is that you didn’t do anything.”

  “Dennis won’t tell the truth. He’ll say whatever he wants until he gets what he wants, and his father will believe him.”

  Will listened, his mind blank. How could the world be so unfair? Then a stray thought came to him. What would Tailtiu have done? Stupid question, he told himself. She’d have tied herself to the bed. Then afterward she’d have murdered them all, if they survived the act to begin with. “Oh!” he exclaimed.

  Seth and Janice both looked askance at him.

  “I’ll take care of it,” said Will with quiet determination.

  His roommate began shaking a finger in his direction. “I don’t like tha
t look. That’s the same look you had last night when you threatened me, so I’d hold the door. See where that got us?” He waved his hand in Janice’s direction.

  “Don’t worry about it. It won’t involve you,” Will assured him.

  Janice had dried her cheeks with her sleeve. “What are you going to do?”

  “Count Spry won’t do anything to your parents if he doesn’t hear about this, right? It’s only a problem for them if Dennis starts feeding lies to his father.”

  Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “And?”

  “I’ll just make sure he doesn’t tell any lies,” finished Will.

  “How?”

  Will gave her a faint smile. “You’re innocent, but you won’t be if I tell you. Let’s figure out how to get you out of here instead.” He asked Seth, “What time is it?”

  “Almost time for lunch.”

  “You can take the front and make sure the stairs are empty once everyone goes to eat,” said Will. “We’ll throw a cloak over her and if Mom is near the door you can distract her while Janice gets out.”

  They waited, and when the time came Janice’s exit was even easier than Will had hoped. No one was on the stairs or near the door. As soon as they were outside, they turned to the right and headed for the corner of the building. After checking to make sure they were unobserved, Janice removed the cloak and handed it back to Will.

  Her face was a mask, behind which hid a multitude of conflicting emotions. “Thank you,” she said. “Whatever happens, I know you were trying to help.” Then she headed for the women’s dorm.

  Will watched her go. He had gotten the full message. Thank you, but you probably fucked up my entire life. It wasn’t his fault, though. “Never accept blame for the evil actions of others,” he told himself. Janice might be right about the consequences, but it wasn’t her fault, or his. The blame belonged to those who chose to punish good people for nothing more than refusing to quietly accept being violated as their lot in life.

  He went to eat lunch. The long night had left him hungrier than ever. Once his stomach was satisfied, he took a walk, heading toward the main gate. He needed money.