“I don’t know how to dance,” Caleb admitted. “Help?”
“Just hold me and follow,” Emily muttered back. She’d never bothered to learn the more complex dances, but the simple ones were merely a matter of following the shouted directions and the music. “And try to relax.”
They whirled around the dance floor several times before Mistress Irene, sitting at the High Table with the rest of the staff, tapped her fork against her glass for silence. The musicians stopped playing, encouraging the students to gather in front of the tutors. Emily held Caleb’s hand and waited, silently, to hear the speech.
“It has been an extraordinary term,” Mistress Irene said, softly. “Many of you still carry the scars of possession, others resisted temptation and remained strong. But our Grandmaster is dead and there will be a new person seated in his chair, when some of you return for your next year of schooling.”
Emily felt a shiver running down her spine at the tutor’s words. Things were going to change, whether she liked it or not.
“Those of you who are leaving us will always be welcome, if you wish to return,” Mistress Irene added. “By graduating now, you join countless others who have left Whitehall ever since this building first became a school. Your exam results will be mailed to you, once we have finished proctoring them; I and the staff wish you the very best in your future careers.”
She paused for a long moment. “Those of you who intend to return next year will have your results mailed to you soon. If you fail to qualify for Fifth Year, you may be allowed to redo your Third or Fourth Years. Should you wish, instead, to leave the school, merely let us know and we will send you your final certificate.
“These have been troubling years,” she concluded. “But I must say, here and now, that you have all done very well. I am proud of you all.”
Emily winced, inwardly. How many of those troubling years had been her fault, directly or indirectly? Shadye had used her to get into the school, the Mimic had been released during his invasion of the school...and the Demon would never have gained entry if she and the Grandmaster hadn’t brought it back from the Blighted Lands. But she’d never intended to do the school any harm. It was her first real home.
She glanced around and saw a number of students wiping their eyes. Whitehall had been different for them too, she knew; many of them had come from poor backgrounds and the school had been their first real taste of luxury. They no longer belonged in their villages, but would they fit into magical society? It might not matter, Lady Barb had told her; even a small amount of magical training would allow someone to make a good living, if they were prepared to work hard. They would certainly never have to return to their hometowns.
And what will they do, she asked herself, when their children ask about their pasts?
Mistress Irene called a handful of students up for brief congratulations; Emily listened and applauded politely when the time came. They were all students who intended to leave, after the dinner, and not return. Mistress Irene talked about their achievements, mentioned something of what they intended to do with their lives and then let them go. They would probably have been jeered on Earth, Emily suspected, for daring to do well at school. But jeering a nerd at Whitehall could be very dangerous.
“You should be up there,” Caleb muttered.
“I’m not planning to leave,” Emily muttered back.
She smiled genuinely as Imaiqah stood up. Mistress Irene feted her for coming out of her shell and developing unexpected talents, then let her return to the crowd. Emily nodded in silent agreement; Imaiqah had developed rapidly, once she’d learned to have faith in herself. And now she was poised to become a close confidante and advisor to a Queen...
And she’s leaving me here, Emily added, mentally. She knew it was selfish, but she couldn’t keep herself from feeling down. I’ll be alone.
The long stream of congratulations finally came to an end. Caleb led her over to the buffet tables, piled food on both of their plates and found a quiet spot in the corner to eat it. Emily couldn’t help noticing that some of the boys were giving her second or third looks, their expressions torn between interest and a certain amount of fear. She’d killed Master Grey, after all; she wouldn’t have any difficulty tearing a student apart. She couldn’t help finding it depressing, even though she knew it was better than being seen as a helpless victim. All she really wanted was to get on with her studies in peace.
“It’s never easy to leave a school, unless you hate it,” Caleb commented. “The outside world is going to be a shock for them. There’s no one out there to clear up their messes.”
Emily shrugged. She’d heard that most of the crap students learned at high school on Earth was useless outside school - and she believed it. A person who’d risen to become Big Man on Campus would be penny-ante in the outside world. But she wasn’t sure that was so true of anyone leaving Whitehall. They’d have practical knowledge and powerful magic, not worthless pieces of paper and too many competitors for too few jobs.
“You hated Stronghold,” she said, instead. “Are you sad you left?”
“Never,” Caleb said. “But it was still hard to walk into a whole new school, knowing I was alone.”
“I’m glad you did,” Emily said.
She understood, all too well. Caleb would have entered Whitehall in Third Year, after all the cliques had formed. He would have been an outcast from the start, unable to make many friends. Injuring himself in Fourth Year wouldn’t have helped. He had needed to repeat most of the year while everyone he knew moved on to Fifth Year. But at least he’d made friends with Emily and her friends. She had no idea if the Grandmaster had been intentionally matchmaking or not, but it had definitely worked out for him.
And now Melissa is excluded from her former friends, she thought, catching sight of the redhead leaning against the wall. Just as Alassa was after I almost killed her.
She sighed, inwardly. Alassa had been lucky. She’d found a second set of friends almost at once. Melissa, it seemed, hadn’t. Her former friends were too connected to the magical families, the families she’d deserted. None of them would want to suggest that walking away was easy.
Caleb squeezed her hand. “What are you thinking?”
“Too much,” Emily said. She couldn’t help feeling sorry for Melissa. She’d had her own problems with being a social outcast, but it had to be worse for the other girl. She had been pretty and popular, once upon a time. “Would you mind very much if I went and spoke to Melissa?”
“Not at all,” Caleb said. He glanced towards the stand. “Professor Thande might be willing to advise me, if I ask.”
Emily smiled, gave him a quick hug and walked over to Melissa. Up close, it was far too easy to see that Melissa was depressed, although she was trying hard to hide it. Indeed, if attendance hadn’t been mandatory, Emily had a feeling Melissa would have headed to Beneficence as soon as the exams had been completed. She would have done well, Emily was sure. Unlike Alassa, at least before Emily had befriended her, Melissa had been worked hard by her family.
Melissa met her eyes as she approached. “What do you want?”
“Just to see how you were,” Emily said. She cursed herself as she cast a privacy ward in the air. She’d never been very good at knowing what to say when someone was in pain. “I...you’ll be going back to Beneficence tomorrow with us, won’t you?”
“Only as far as the bridges,” Melissa said, sharply. She leaned back against the wall. “Did you come here to mock me?”
“No,” Emily said, keeping her temper under firm control. “I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
Melissa laughed, harshly. “And what makes you think I might be all right?”
“Nothing,” Emily said. She fought down the urge to run her hand through her hair. “But I do care.”
“Caring is not an advantage,” Melissa said.
Mycroft would have agreed, Emily thought, sardonically.
“And I cannot wait to finish my t
ime here and get out,” Melissa added. “There are Healers who will take me on an as apprentice even without my grandmother’s blessing.”
Emily winced. If Fulvia wanted to really screw up Melissa’s life, it would be easy enough for her to pressure the Healers to refuse Melissa’s request for an apprenticeship. Hell, if she waited for a couple of years, Melissa would be bound by the oaths but unable to be trained further than she could get in school. But those oaths were so harsh that few magicians were willing to accept them. It was quite possible that the Healers would take Melissa anyway, no matter what her Grandmother said.
And I really have to thank Fulvia for sending Master Grey to kill me, she thought. Maybe I could get Melissa an apprenticeship as a subtle rebuke.
She pushed the thought aside and leaned forward. “If you want...you know...to do things together next year, we can,” she said. “I’ll be alone too.”
“Your friend managed to get her exam results thrown out,” Melissa said. She sounded darkly amused by the whole concept. “But your other friend isn’t staying?”
“She doesn’t want to remain for the final two years,” Emily said. It was no secret, particularly not now that Imaiqah had been called up on the stage. “You could spend time with me.”
“Perhaps,” Melissa said. Emily knew she was poor at reading people, but even she could tell that Melissa was desperately trying to keep some of her pride. “Would you want me to be sorry for Alassa?”
Emily kept her face expressionless with an effort. Officially, Alassa’s exam results had been canceled; a punishment, she suspected, worse than anything else a naughty student might be called upon to endure. Alassa had been forced to take the exams even though everyone had known she’d never be able to use her results to prove herself. But with her father intent on keeping the true level of her abilities a secret, Alassa and he were the only people outside the examination board who would know how far she’d come.
And even if someone suspects the truth, she thought, they still won’t be able to look at the official record to see her results.
“Just be civil,” she said. “Treat her as you would want to be treated.”
Melissa smiled, rather thinly. “Bow and scrape before her?”
“Within reason,” Emily said. She’d always found people bowing and scraping in front of her creepy. It was just a reminder that a single ill-chosen word could have disastrous consequences for her subjects in Cockatrice. “I’m not asking for you to be her friend, merely...someone she can tolerate.”
“I can try,” Melissa said. “But there’s a great deal of bad blood between us.”
Emily shrugged. “Put it behind you,” she said. It wasn’t easy advice to follow, but there was no real alternative. “She won’t even be here next year.”
She nodded to Melissa, then turned. “Wait,” Melissa said. “I hear a rumor that you’re in a Courtship.”
Emily turned back to face her. “Who told you?”
“A little bird,” Melissa said. She smiled, drolly. “You know how quickly rumors fly through the school.”
“Most of them are nonsense,” Emily said. She’d had problems looking at Professor Lombardi after a rumor had spread about him walking into an inn with a pair of ancient hags. “You know that too.”
“You are,” Melissa said. She’d probably seen it on Emily’s face. “I believe you’ll need advice - and someone to stand beside you, when the time comes. Someone raised in the right set of traditions.”
“I haven’t thought about it yet,” Emily admitted. “Are you offering?”
“Yes,” Melissa said.
Emily studied her for a long moment. A couple of years ago, she would have suspected a trap. It had been Melissa, after all, who’d played a hundred nasty pranks on her. But now, after Melissa’s marriage and Emily’s role in it, she found it hard to believe that Melissa would play any jokes on her. It was far more likely that Melissa was trying to pay a debt she found burdensome.
“I’ll keep you in mind,” she promised. “But you do realize that I was not raised in those traditions.”
“Your father committed a grave mistake there,” Melissa noted. “Our traditions are quite important. They are the wardstone of our society.”
Emily nodded and turned back to where Caleb was patiently waiting. When she glanced back, as he led her onto the dance floor, Melissa was gone.
“She was offering to stand beside me,” she said, as they spun around on the floor. “Is that a good idea?”
“See what happens in a couple of years,” Caleb said. He frowned as he considered the possibilities. “My mother may object because Melissa deserted her family.”
Emily sighed. The network of patronage and family relationships that bound the magical families together was too complex for anyone to follow, save for someone who had steeped themselves in it since birth. Caleb’s mother, a sorceress herself, might have ties that led, eventually, to Fulvia, even though Fulvia had been stripped of most of her power. It was just possible she would refuse to accept Melissa playing any role in the wedding...
If there is a wedding, she reminded herself. She liked Caleb, she felt comfortable with him, but marriage? She honestly wasn’t sure. But then, the Courtship was meant to make her sure - or allow one or both of them to decide against it without shame. There’s a long way to go before I need to choose a second.
Caleb met her eyes. “Do you like her?”
“I feel sorry for her,” Emily admitted. It crossed her mind, not for the first time, that she and Melissa had a great deal in common. And Alassa and Melissa, for that matter. “She’s so alone right now.”
“She had the courage to stand up to someone almost as formidable as my mother,” Caleb said. There was a hint of admiration in his tone. “I think she’ll be fine.”
“I hope so,” Emily said.
She tugged him though the doors and into the gardens surrounding Whitehall. Dozens of couples were already there, walking through the darkened bushes and pretending they were invisible. Just for a few minutes, she could pretend she was someone else, someone who wasn’t scared to hold her boyfriend in her arms. But she knew it couldn’t last.
“I’ll see you in Beneficence,” she whispered, as she looked up at the sky. The stars twinkled down at her, forming constellations that might not be visible on Earth. “And...and I’ll do my best to be polite to your mother.”
“Please,” Caleb said. “And be polite to my father too.”
Emily nodded. “I’ll do my best,” she said. It was rare for a mundane to marry a powerful magician, she’d been told, and those who did were extraordinary. “He must be a formidable man.”
“He is,” Caleb said. They turned to walk back inside. “And he’s looking forward to meeting you too.”
Chapter Eight
THERE WAS NO SIGN OF CALEB at breakfast the following morning. Emily ate quickly, checked her trunk and travel bag - most of her possessions would be going into storage until she returned for Fifth Year - and hurried down to the courtyard. Lady Barb and Melissa were waiting for her, next to a large open-top carriage. Emily nodded to them both, shoved her bag into the compartment under the carriage and clambered into the vehicle. Melissa scrambled up next to Emily; Lady Barb took the reins and cracked the whip. The horses neighed, and started to pull the carriage towards the gates.
“If you’ve forgotten anything, it’s too late,” Lady Barb said, as they passed through the gates. There was a long stream of carriages heading for the portal, but Lady Barb took them right to the front of the line and was waved through. “Brace yourself.”
Emily closed her eyes, concentrating on preparing herself for the portal. There was a surge of magic surrounding her - for a moment, her head felt as if it were being crushed by a giant - and then it faded to nothingness. She opened her eyes and looked around as Lady Barb drove the horses back onto the road. A river lay ahead of them, easily wide enough to take several giant sailing ships. She saw a handful of fishing boats making t
heir way down to the sea as the carriage turned to follow the road.
She glanced at Melissa, who looked faintly unwell. “Why don’t we just take the portal into the city?”
“The City Guilds don’t like the thought of establishing a permanent portal,” Melissa said, grimly. She swallowed hard, as if she were trying not to be sick. “We have to use the one here and drive into the city, across the bridges.”
Emily nodded and leaned back into her seat as the carriage rocked toward the river. The landscape changed, becoming rockier, as the city itself came into view. She found herself staring as the river split into two, each smaller channel branching out and protecting Beneficence from harm. One channel ran down a rocky gorge that looked dangerous, even to her untrained eyes; the other was smoother, but ran under a rocky overhang that made it impossible for anyone to climb up to the city. Beneficence was an isolated island, to all intents and purposes; she couldn’t help thinking of a castle, brooding over the surrounding landscape. It looked, very much, as though the entire city was built of dark grey stone.
Like Manhattan, she thought, slowly.
“There are four bridges,” Lady Barb said, without looking back. “Two of them can be raised when danger threatens, while the other two are heavily guarded and warded against intruders. It’s very difficult to get into the city if the guards are even remotely ready to repel attack.”
Melissa elbowed Emily. “Caleb will be more than happy to tell you all about it,” she said, dryly. “Just remember to look suitably awed when he does.”
Emily snorted, rudely, as the carriage joined the road leading up towards the city. It looked as though the local farmers - her farmers, if she recalled correctly - were bringing the fruits of their labors to the city, while the city-folk were selling fish and trade goods from across the world. She’d read about Beneficence back when she’d been planning her bank and she’d learned that the city was politically neutral, isolated by the river and sheer cliff faces from the surrounding kingdom. King Randor’s predecessors had found it impossible to do more than annoy the inhabitants, no matter how hard they tried to cross the river. And the city’s navy was more than equal to the task of beating off a blockade.
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