FALL TERM - October 20th
Aisling arrived late for dinner tonight, given it was a new moon and coven meetings would take up most of the evening, I hadn't really expected to see her at all. She strode through the double doors of the dining hall in a flurry. Her hair was windswept and streaked with electric green.
I'd been having dinner with our usual set. Aries and Noodle were talking animatedly about a novel, something Aries had picked up on Noodle's recommendation. I admittedly was only half listening. I hadn't read it. Not many frivolous imports making it into Caburh.
Then, Aisling said, "I figured it out, Zeph. You can thank me later. Your ex-girlfriend isn't a mage, she's a witch."
Aries and Noodle quieted and turned their attention to Aisling.
"I thought she was a vampire," Noodle piped up.
I side-eyed Aries, who in trying to kick Noodle under the table had missed and kicked me instead. "And I'd thought I'd told Aries that in confidence."
Aries ducked his head. "Sorry…"
I rolled my eyes, but was already over it. Noodle was Aries's friend and he was fast becoming Aisling's friend. Had we been closer, chances are I'd have told Noodle too, but we weren't. At least not yet. I wasn't going out of my way to exclude him.
"As I was saying," -Aisling redirected us all back to her- "your vampire's not a mage. She probably learned from a whole different school of magic."
"She's not my vampire, so let's please not call her that. And she didn't attend one of the universities - Ianthe would have talked about it -"
"I mean a different kind of school," Aisling said. "A theoretical school of magic. There's magic as mages see it and understand it, but that's just one way of engaging with it. Obviously, the fae also have their own approach to magic too. But then, there's the other other magic users - like witches… Or devils, seraphim, divinities, etcetera, etcetera. Witches don't really have universities like the Midnight Court. They don't do this kind of thing. They're not centrally organized the way mages are."
"How'd you learn about all this, Aisling?" I asked, suddenly curious. I'd been in the library for weeks now looking for information on Orendell and it took Aisling less than a day to figure out how Ianthe had managed to dreamwalk. The library had a lot in it, but the organization methods were bare bones to say the least. And as for the library in the Sanctum, there wasn't any organizing method at all.
Aisling's eyes flickered pink as she glanced around the table. "I know you get all secretive or whatever, Zeph, but I decided it was easier just to ask someone. I picked Professor Umbra. She seems like someone who can keep a secret."
Well, that explained it.Apparently no one here could keep anything to themselves… "At least you're honest."
"I am when I'm among friends at least," she said with a too-wide grin.
I didn't really know much about Professor Umbra. She was leader of another coven at the Court and dressed in such a way that I suspected she and Marblebrook shared a tailor - sharp, professional, and mostly in black. The notable difference between her and Marblebrook though was that she had a tendency to dress with a vintage flare: high-necked blouses, dark herringbone coats, petticoats with lace trim, and more often than not, white gloves to cover her hands. She was probably the only person at the Midnight Court who could step into the Stag's Court and pass for a local. The first time we crossed paths I had to do a double-take. Outside of this though, I don't know her. I'm not in any of her lectures. But Aisling was right about one thing, she really didn't seem the type to gossip. I only had to hope she also saw this as the kind of thing not worth looking too closely at.
Aisling went on, "So, mages generally don't practice dreamwalking. There's a few methods that might accomplish something to a similar effect, but it wouldn't be dreamwalking. It's kind of like how Aries could maybe take a potion to turn his hair green. Or maybe he could draw a sigil on his scalp that makes his hair look green. But either way he does it, he's not just willing his hair to be green the same way I do. Professor Umbra says that witches are pretty common. Most don't even call themselves witches, they just learn a spell or two and that's that. So, maybe that's the case for your- your ex-girlfriend?"
I wasn't sure if I should find that comforting. For one thing, I knew about her dreamwalking. She'd been able to do this for years. It was I guess vaguely reassuring she didn't really have any other tricks up her sleeve, but to some extent, I knew if she'd had more, I'd have seen it by now.
It felt a little better having all this off my chest. I had friends who cared enough to worry for me. Friends who were trying their best to look out for me. Had I ever had anything quite like this before? A memory of my mother flickered somewhere in the back of my mind. I guess you could say I saw her as a friend, but I'm not really sure that she counted. We'd been close –or as close as she'd let anyone get to her– and I missed her, but at least now, sitting at dinner it was beginning to feel like I had something else here now too.
After dinner, Aries suggested that the three of us go to the Sanctum a little early to work there for awhile before the coven meeting began. It was times like these I wished Aisling had just been in our coven, would have made this easier. Or at least, less awkward.
"Fine, just do your spooky shadow magic out of here or whatever," Aisling said.
"Is it spooky?" Noodle completely missed the point.
Aries cut in instead. "Sorry, Aisling. I'm not trying to edge you out. We have a coven meeting space with no windows or doors, and until I'm good enough at shadowstep to get in and out of the meeting room on my own, it's really the only time I get to practice." I was initially a little surprised he'd actually said her name. He didn't have to be an ass when it came to her, but this was more than that. He was being almost nice? Cordial, maybe.
But then it hit me again what he'd said. Noodle was still not a confident caster and shadow step still made Aries nervous. He really had only asked me to take him to and from the Sanctum. I'd been going a lot, disappearing for hours there, but I'd only brought him once.
"Oh, I didn't even think that you might want to visit the Sanctum more. I could probably take-"
"No, that's alright. Thanks. For the coven meetings alone is enough. It's just…" Aries shivered. "You're right when you said it's better casting it on your own. And besides, I've almost got it." There was a hint of pride there in his smirk.
Aisling kicked the table leg. "We don't have to make this a whole thing, but if you're going there to learn new spells, teach me one of them, alright? I want to disappear into the shadows too. Maybe give Brian a good scare."
"That poor man," Noodle muttered. Noodle had a point, Aisling did seem to be spending more time in the kennels when she was bored than anyone ought to. It was something we'd have to talk about at some point, but right then was not the time.
"I think shadow step is a coven specific spell, but I'll find something good, alright?" I said.
Aisling raised an eyebrow, appraising the offer for a long moment before saying, "You got it. Guess I'll be off to learn secret spells of my own." She rose slowly from the table. "You can go now. Turn into mist or whatever you do."
Noodle vanished first.
Aries stood up hesitantly. "It wasn't so bad the last time you took me to the Sanctum."
The last time I was so focused on the spellwork, I could hardly remember what I'd done. I was a little surprised when Aries stepped close to me and wrapped his arms around my middle. He pressed his forehead into my shoulder as though bracing for a hit. "Just make it quick."
Aisling watched us from the table. "You know, maybe I don't need to learn that one after all. Good luck, boys."
Aries was clinging to me like a sloth, tight gripped and tense. I'd known he hated this spell. Made me feel more than a little guilty for using it on the two of us while we were fighting after Blackclaw's class the other day. Had he been this anxious last time? Or was this because I'd made it worse?
I put my arms around him. He was stiff as a statue, but giving off heat.
We were always fighting. I'd gotten used to the shape of him from wrestling him again and again the last few weeks. He was always touching me and now, he was suddenly familiar. I didn't really do hugs, and this wasn't even a hug exactly, but Aries was close and for the moment, unlikely to elbow me in the gut. He'd asked me to make this quick, was it so wrong I wanted to draw this out just for another minute. He'd be able to cast it on his own by the next new moon anyway.
Aisling gave me a silent look before heading out.
At least I no longer needed to look at my hands to cast shadow step. I took a deep breath, hoping Aries would take the hint and try to breathe through it with me and let the shadows wash over us.
In the dark entry chamber of the Sanctum, no one was there to notice Aries clinging to me. He wasn't flirting, he was afraid. Because I'd done this. My hands rubbed circles into his shoulders. "I know you really hate doing that. And I used it the other day after Blackclaw's class… That was unfair of me."
Aries sighed, panting hot breath against my chest. His head was still bent so that his hair brushed up against my chin. "It's better that I do it myself," he said. "When I can do it myself consistently."
"You were looking pretty good last time I saw," I said. My hand unconsciously drifted up into the fine blond strands at the nape of his neck.
"Well, I'll get it down tonight, I'm sure," he said. His hands fell away first. It was only then that I realized I was still touching him. I let them drop to my sides. You're making it weird, Zeph, my voice of reason chided. Aisling's voice again. Definitely didn't help that I knew she'd have more than a few things to say to me later about all this.
Last time, he'd been the one blushing, so now why was I nervous?
"If you get it down that means it'll be me, you, and Noodle now fighting for time with the beginner's grimoire," I said, leading the way to the main chamber.
"Haven't you finished it by now? You've been reading it for weeks."
"It's got a lot in it," I said.
I was nearly through it. If Noodle was already reading it, I'd let him have it. There was a whole shelf technically of beginner's volumes, but the grimoire was the only I'd yet to find with combative spells. So while I suppose I could learn the nifty little healing sigil Aries had found the night of the full moon, it wasn't the most exciting prospect.
In the main chamber, Noodle lay on his back sprawled on one of the couches. It was a little too informal for how mannered the room felt, but no one else was here. Why would it matter? He had the beginner's grimoire raised aloft and absently mimed through casting gestures with his free hand.
He didn't look up when we entered, but only asked, "What spell should we give Aisling? With invisibility she'd be a menace."
"Yeah, maybe not that one," I said.
"How about something you can teach me too," Aries added. It wasn't a bad idea.
"You pick one, Noodle. I'm sure she'll love it," I said. Aries was already practicing his casting. I'd watched briefly and noted the movements were all correct this time. It might not have come naturally to him, but now that he was doing it, it was exact. His casting wasn't graceful, but measured. The kind of movements that with time would probably never fully loosen up but would go from careful to certain. He wasn't going to be so far behind the rest of the class for long.
I poked through the beginner's shelf. There really wasn't anything particularly interesting from what I could tell. Most had been specifically designed for the Vodalysa coven with titles that felt like class subjects. I was already taking a course on sigils, another on magical weapons, and then there was divination. Not a chance I'd pick that one up.
But then, I noticed another book. It was worn and leatherbound like the beginner's grimoire, but Noodle had that one. There wasn't a second copy, was there?
I hadn't thought so, but here one was. Right as I'd been looking for it.
I paged through it. Almost instantly, I realized it wasn't the beginner's grimoire, but it was definitely a grimoire and it was on the right shelf. And I already had my sights set on the one I wanted to practice next. Perdor, or more commonly ruin, a minor destruction spell. A gesture as quick as zap, but a little more complicated.
I was still standing by the bookshelf, testing the gesture with one hand when I heard Marblebrook's voice over the stone stillness of the Sanctum. "Mr. Ashbourne, do you have a minute?"
I dropped my hand and shut the book, but held it at my side. It was weird when she called me by my last name. She was formal, so I understood, but in her office, alone, I was always just Zephyr. On her, that wasn't enough to feel informal before now, but I saw it for what it was in its absence. She waved for me to follow her, and so I did, through another door and down a spiral stairwell. We walked in near darkness, with me following the footfalls of her heels more closely than her shadow.
"I know it's been some time since we've been able to catch up," she said. "I might have heard something through the grapevine and I wish you'd come to me first."
"I'm sorry about the tapestry on the last full moon," I blurted out. "I didn't even remember destroying it until I saw it the next day."
Marblebrook laughed. "I wasn't talking about that. That was an ugly thing that smelled like mold. I don't care about it. Maybe I'll teach you a repair spell for next time though. Better to keep damages around the Court to a minimum, alright? No, I was talking about Lady Hart."
Oh… So, not even Professor Umber kept secrets. I sighed. Marblebrook pulled open an unseen door that led into a windowed room. The shock of daylight in the Sanctum caught me so far off guard that I didn't realize where we were until she'd shut the door. We were standing in her office. Her office was a crowded fourth floor tower room, with a wide picture window, dark bookshelves on every wall, and somehow a finely-carved marble fireplace. The mantel was cluttered with gold-framed photographs of her and Kelyn.
I was caught in the midst of the mental gymnastics of figuring out just where the Sanctum was in the Court. I'd imagined it below, but could it have been an attic room? That didn't feel right.
Marblebrook ignored my confusion. "Don't be ashamed. Lady Hart probably wants you to feel that way. Your mother said she's becoming quite a terror back at home. She's been hounding both your parents for your whereabouts for weeks. Your father is struggling with it."
I refocused on our conversation. "He doesn't know anything."
"I suspect that's part of the problem," Marblebrook said. "Anyway, if her dreamwalking was at all as I'd heard it, it'll be some time before she has the energy to do that again. Something like that is incredibly depleting."
Marblebrook went on, "With that said, I realize you really don't have a way to know anything of what's happening back home. You've had to wait for me to give you updates. That shouldn't be how it is. I brought you something."
On a chair opposite her desk there was what I'd assumed to be a serving tray. Its trim certainly had a metal patina, beveled and decorative as any fine servingware. But when I raised it up to examine it, I caught my own reflection on the flat black expanse. The center pane was glass, but not glass exactly. This was a mirror, but in its reflection it had drained all the color from me and the room behind me.
"This is a scrying glass, Zephyr," Marblebrook explained. "It's not a tool for communication, but your mother was very clear on that. She doesn't want there to be anything that might suggest where you've gone. For the most part, most people won't even know that someone is watching. Obviously, your mother will know, so try not to peer in on her too often if you can help it. It'll just make her worry. But for problems like Lady Hart? It might help."
At just the mention of Ianthe, I saw a ripple pass over my reflection. I was tired of her for the moment and pushed the thought away.
"Thank you," I said.
"It's only a loan," Marblebrook said. "Bring it back at the end of term, alright? When you come to the cottage?"
"When?" I was confused.
"Kelyn said she wanted to be the one to tell you. So, act surprised and say yes when she finds you, alright? The Court's a ghost town over the break. You're coming to stay with us for a few weeks."
"Oh, I couldn't impose."
Marblebrook waved me off. "It's not imposing. Kelyn's over the moon about hosting you. Can't remember the last time we had company."
It wasn't going to be a choice and probably better I not fight it anyway. "Thank you," I said. I noticed Marblebrook hadn't actually gone as far to say that she wanted me there, but my mother wouldn't have either. I knew better to understand her insistence should be taken as sign enough.
Marblebrook pat my shoulder. "Try not to stare at the scrying glass all through tonight's ritual, if you can help it. Alright? They're a little addicting at first."