Seventeen Stones

by Vanessa Wells

  The headmistress began to pace. “We’ll have to find a good location for the extra lessons…I don’t want to have them in the teacher’s offices. Other Professors pop in too frequently…”

  Mia nodded. “Then I suppose I’ll be doing a lot more music practice.” The headmistress gave her a funny look. She grinned. “I bet dueling is loud, and I know Creation can be. What we need is a place that’s soundproof, like the music rooms. Everyone knows that I’m not one of Professor Petrov’s top students…”

  The headmistress chuckled. “And no one would ever suspect a young lady who is spending hours practicing the piano to be interested in anything but finding a properly pedigreed husband!”

  Mia stared into the fire. “Professor Fain, what do you have planned for the holiday?”

  In the end Professor Fain was invited to the house party so that the lessons could begin as quickly as possible. Mia was secretly a little pleased. Headmistress Villanova accepted an invitation to the ball itself. “It will be something of a coup d'état for you my dear. I almost never attend social gatherings. I despise small talk. But it will be a subtle way to show you are not without allies, even if you don’t have parents.”

  After a moment’s consideration she added “Actually…I would like to introduce you to Greatlord and Lady Powers if you don’t mind inviting them. They are two of the council elders, a group of Greatlords and Ladies that have the ability to police the Magus and the regular council members if such a step becomes necessary. They might be the two oldest active wand wielders in the City bounds. They are a bit odd…I’m not even sure they would come. They’ve become very reclusive in the past sixty years, but Lady Powers is my great-aunt, so she might listen to me.” Mia agreed to send them invitations and said goodnight.

  Mia snagged a book at the library on her way out, just in case the others noticed that she’d been gone. They were eating a light snack of sliced melon and toasted walnuts when she returned. As soon as Mia stepped into the room a nervous Ella asked if she’d found the book she was looking for. Poor thing, she was a terrible liar. Lizzy interrupted. “Mia, don’t be dense. Beth and I are sighted, Vivian’s the nosiest person on campus, and Sarah never misses a single detail. We know something’s amiss.”

  Mia was torn for a moment, but couldn’t resist their worried faces. “I have a bit of a problem...” The telling took forever because they kept interrupting. Sarah resented their implicating the council as a whole. “My Grandfather would never do anything like that. He was always excited to get a powerful new apprentice to teach. He’d never be so careless as to let one overextend themselves.”

  Lizzy shook her head. “There are about a hundred council members and Guild Masters. I doubt all of them are as nice as your Grandfather, Sarah.”

  Vivian nodded. “The Merchant Guild Master isn’t. My parents have said for years that someone needed to do something about him.”

  Sarah pulled out a notepad. It was her immediate reaction to any stressful situation. “We don’t have enough information, but we can get it. Vivian, write your parents and ask about the Guild Master. We need specific instances of what he’s been up to. See if they can talk to the other merchant families about it. How many major merchant families are there?” Vivian shrugged. “There are only about a hundred, maybe one-fifty if you count the traveling merchants. They’ve always got the best information. How exactly is this going to do Mia any good?”

  Sarah sighed. “I’m not sure. But there are only about a hundred council members. It’s a place to start. If the problem is in the council at least there are procedures. The council elders have the power to punish any member of council who oversteps their power, if we can get them to act. I’ll talk to my mother, Lizzy and Beth can have a quiet chat with their grandmother during the house party.”

  “Mia, if you can question Professor Fain for specifics and your solicitor they might have more information…” Sarah was scribbling as she rattled off ideas. “We’ll see what we can come up with over the break and discuss this again once we have a place to start. If we find proof of negligence we can take it to my grandfather. He can present it to the Magus. He’s more likely to do something about a problem than the elders.” The girls discussed plans deep into the night, for once, totally ignoring the study materials strewn all over the rooms.

  Chapter Twelve

  After the previous evening Mia’s tests in Transfiguration, Elementary Healing, and Animal Husbandry were fairly simple. Marshall gave them a written exam and sat in a huffy silence for the entire period, glaring at the students. Elementary Healing was nothing but presenting their charts on childhood disease (Mia managed to get through the presentation mainly by examining her shoes while she went over her research). Animal Husbandry consisted of bridling, saddling, and riding a horse and bringing him back in under control. If Mia seemed a bit distracted during all of this, her friends’ reassuring looks and frequent quick hugs helped. How would she have survived the day without them?

  She couldn’t imagine how to communicate her distress to Emma. Her guardian had originally agreed to come to the house party. Unfortunately, the village was suffering from a terrible outbreak of warbling weakness, a serious disease that caused the infected person to sing until they passed out. Emma had written that the noise was unbearable.

  Unlike most diseases, warbling weakness affected mostly teenagers and young adults. Emma was frantically sending word to every healer and apothicary she knew to get enough wren’s hair to concoct an antidote for the entire village. Mia had asked Mrs. Bennett to help and she had graciously sent a full pound out of the college stores. The antidote used vast quantities of the substance along with flamingo fins, sparrow slippers, and minced garlic. Emma always added just a hint of parsley to the batch as well; it helped with the garlic breath.

  Putting her worries in a letter didn’t seem wise. The girls had agreed to use the utmost caution while gathering the information. Even Ella was aware that the Council was dangerous. Mia finally decided that she would have to wait to speak to Emma in person before she would be able to have her guardian’s advice and comfort. She just had to hope that Emma would be able to attend at least some of the house party.

  ***

  Even with the feeling of impending doom hanging over her head, life went on. The evening of the Mid-Winter performance was cold and crisp. Snow blanketed the campus as the girls made their way to the theater building. The moon cast a silvery shimmer where the magelights couldn’t reach. Mia had convinced Ella to wear one of her dresses; a pale green frock that Lady Anne had agreed was acceptable for the performance.

  The other girls were wearing dresses made for the occasion: Lizzy and Beth wore dark blue velvet, more in the style of very young girls than young ladies. Their grandmother had sent the dresses especially for the concert. They each had a white satin bow at the waist and the girls wore their hair tied with another. They wore white fur caplets as well. Others might think that the wide dresses were a bit out of fashion, a little too young for the girls, but Mia thought that they were adorable.

  Vivian wore one of Madam Reece’s creations, though she was the only one who wasn’t performing. She made no pretence of having any talent for music. She’d admitted it when the girls met the first night. “I can’t even hum.” She was glowing as she encouraged the others, as happy to show off her friend’s talents as she would have been to be performing herself. Perhaps happier: Vivian didn’t like speaking in front of large groups of people unless she knew all of them. Mia found this amusing since Vivian did very little besides talk. Of course, if Vivian ever did have to speak in front of a large group, there was a good chance she would know all of them: she had a fantastic memory for names and faces (not to mention remembering every bit of gossip she’d ever heard about anyone anywhere).

  Sarah was walking along the path, unperturbed by the looming concert. She’d preformed on the harp since she was eight. Her dress was lovely: a flowing peach overdress on top of white embroidered satin
sheath. She wore a floor length peach velvet cloak over it. Mia couldn’t imagine when she would wear that cloak again, but she had to admit the effect was stunning.

  Mia was wearing a pale blue dress but she’d just thrown her regular school cloak over it as she left. After seeing Sarah’s ensemble, she wished she’d taken more thought to what she was going to wear. Of course, thoughts like that were fleeting. For the most part, she was busy focusing on not throwing up.

  Ella was the first performer, sliding into the most dreaded place in the rotation with the nonchalance of a seasoned pro. Like a giant eagle, her voice soared over the crowd, bathing them in notes so high and pure that hearing was almost surreal. Mia doubted that the audience would have cared if she’d sung in a grain sack.

  Mia was so entranced by Ella’s stellar performance and the resounding applause that she wasn’t able to work up a proper panic before she stepped on the stage. Her stomach did do a nice set of back flips as she looked out into the audience. Thankfully, the footlights made it impossible to see anyone clearly, even the people in the front row. Mia’s journey across the stage felt like a million miles, but once she sat down to the piano she found that Beth had been right. Her fingers knew the music so well that all she had to do was relax enough to let them play. Applause greeted the end of the piece, as Mia looked out again. She blinked three times, made a hasty curtsey, and then walked (she didn’t run!) off the stage.

  The next performer walked past her as she heard a familiar voice growl. “At least you didn’t make a fool out of yourself.” Professor Petrov’s heavy black brows were raised. Mia took the comment as the extravagant praise it was meant to be.

  Sarah walked out onto the stage and took her seat at the harp. Her fingers flew over the strings as she sat with her eyes closed, playing. It was flawless. From behind the curtains, Mia could see Lady Anne and her husband sitting with Vivian on the front row, applauding wildly.

  Mia stood in the wings breathing in the smell of the theater: the ever-present dust from curtains and floor, the sharp smell of paint and dye from the backdrops. Now that her part was over, the nausea was gone and she could enjoy the rest of the performances. Professor Petrov announced the composition students last. A complete hush fell over the room when she introduced Lizzy and Beth.

  The strains of their new composition lilted through the air, playfully teasing the listener’s ear. The sharp clear notes fell faster and faster, with complicated harmonies weaving in and out. It evoked images of spring and summer, leaving everyone who heard it smiling. There was a moment after the music stopped, a moment of stunned silence. Then the very straight-laced students of the college erupted into a frenzied standing ovation while Lizzy and Beth sunk into a deep curtsey.

  The reception afterward made it difficult to get a word with anyone. People came up to congratulate all the girls bringing flowers, chocolates, and bags of candies. Mia and Ella stood close to each other, with Vivian happily running interference. They didn’t have to say much with Vivian around. She kept a sharp eye on Lizzy and Beth as well. No young man was safe from being sent to the refreshment table for punch and cake if he wandered too near. Most of them didn’t mind. Lizzy, Beth, and Ella were indisputably the best performers of the evening, everyone wanted a word with them, and everyone wanted to be seen having a word with them.

  Sarah was standing in between her parents, basking in their undivided attention. Mia heard them talking softly about other members of the family who weren’t in the audience: most of them were already on the family estate, getting ready for the mid-winter celebration. Sir Kendrick had done a tricky charm to record the performance on a piece of parchment so that her grandparents and the rest of the family could see it. He intended to mail it tomorrow. He looked drained from the spell. Her parents gradually wandered toward the refreshment table, giving Sarah time to congratulate her friends.

  A young man with curly black hair and mischievous blue eyes approached with six bags of candy. Vivian blushed when she was first to receive a bag. “Gabriel! I didn’t do anything but sit in the front row!” The handsome young man laughed. “I brought candy for the six prettiest girls in school and you made the list, music notwithstanding. However I did want to offer my congratulations to your friends.” He nodded to the other girls in a pleasant way as he passed each a bag of sweets. He winked and said cheerfully “I’m trying to bribe them. I think if they liked me I might have a better chance at getting a date.”

  Vivian crossed her arms. “With one of them?” He shook his black head emphatically. “No. I was hoping that they might take pity on me and tell me what your favorite flowers are so I can bring them when you finally let me take you out somewhere.” Beth snickered. “I don’t know that we should help anyone who has such a glib answer.”

  Sarah opened her bag of taffy and tasted the cinnamon flavored sweet inside. “She likes violets, lilies, and yellow roses.” Beth shot her a disbelieving look and Sarah quirked a little smile. “I’m easy to bribe with candy, and Vivian can take care of herself.” Gabriel laughed. “That’s the honest truth!” Vivian looked pleased and Mia suspected that it wouldn’t be long before she and Gabriel enjoyed their first date.

  Mia was walking away from the others when Professor Fain joined her. “Will they believe you need any more practice after tonight?” Mia looked up at him and saw he was serious. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me all evening. Piano takes constant practice. Lizzy and Beth, the twins that played the duet, practically live in the music room.” The professor nodded and looked around. He pulled out his wand and created a beautiful bunch of flowers. “I believe it’s traditional to give the performers gifts at these things. It would be a shame if no one remembered to give you a bouquet. It was lovely.” He walked away without a backward glance. Mia sniffed her flowers and turned back to the party.

  ***

  There were no exams for Sight, so the class was canceled the next day. Professor Tate’s History exam consisted of reading three texts copied from actual records and then writing a list of facts that could be pulled from the information. The Professor was busily going over ancient building diagrams while they took the test. She had enchanted a pen next to her to write while she mumbled dimensions. It was a little distracting, but Mia managed to finish before the class ended.

  Government was a simple multiple choice test, and most of the answers were ‘B’. In light of her new information Mia found the way the subject was taught disturbing. No doubt as to why the headmistress (who prided herself on the academic standards in the college) hated the way the course was being taught per the Council’s instruction.

  Magical Theory was by far the most difficult test Mia had taken. It took three hours to make her way through the complicated questions. She didn’t know if she was imagining it, but she thought that Professor Patrick might have been looking at her more often than usual during the test. She wondered what the headmistress told to get him to agree to give her extra lessons. She was grateful that those lessons weren’t starting until after the holiday.

  The Astronomy test was held in a nice warm classroom instead of the freezing ancient theater. Mia was relieved. It was very cold outside and she needed her wits about her to remember all of the planets, their moons, their orbits, and all the stupid mathematical equations they were supposed to have learned. During the test, she’d noticed Lizzy groaning in frustration, while Beth shook her head slightly. It must be nice to have two brains to work on problems like this. Mia was certain that in the case of mathematical problems two heads were better than one.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The next day dawned cold and clear and the girls woke late. The first semester of college was over. They had three solid weeks to relax before resuming their studies. Mia and her cohorts enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and spent the morning packing. The coaches arrived at the dorm right after lunch. Lady Anne, Sarah, and Vivian rode in the Lady’s unmistakable coach. It was ivory, gilded gold with the Greatlord’s crest emblazone
d on the door. Mia’s coach looked drab in comparison and she wondered why her mother, who had been a Greatlady after all, hadn’t had a similar coach. But sitting in the soft leather seat and noting how well sprung the coach was Mia began to suspect that Greatlady Alexandria Rusticov preferred to mix into the traffic rather than stand out. Mia wondered why.

  Lizzy and Beth were napping and Ella was staring out of the window. Mia knew that Ella was more out of her depth than even she was. “A copper for your thoughts.” The girl’s red head turned and she smiled. “That’s a poor bargain, I wouldn’t give these thoughts away to someone I didn’t like. I’m just wondering how all this is really going to work. I don’t know why Sarah seems to think research will help. I mean, what could we find out about the council? Or if we did, who would believe us over them? I don’t see how gathering a bunch of information is going to…make any difference.” She said the last in a whispered rush, as if the words tasted bad coming out. Mia nodded and tried to stay calm. She’d wondered about that herself. “You know Sarah. She sees something that’s wrong and she wants to do something, so she starts gathering information. It’s not a bad place to start. I think it will help if they find out about me.” Mia hadn’t mentioned that the headmistress intended to be very careful of Ella too. “It will at least give me a place to look.”