by Leah Ross
She sighed loudly and leaned back against her tree. I came here to go to school. I don’t need this.
“Everything all right?”
Laria jumped in surprise and looked up. She recognized the girl as the one that had been sitting next to Guinn at lunch several days ago. Laria frowned slightly and began to gather her things. “Did Guinn send you?”
The girl held up her hands in truce. “No, no! I have a strict policy of not meddling in my friends’ love lives. I come in peace.” She held out her hand. “I’m Shana Delecourt.”
Laria shook Shana’s hand. “Laria Brookes.”
“May I join you?” Shana eyed Laria’s hastily stuffed bag. “Or are you leaving?”
Laria blushed. “I thought you’d come to plead Guinn’s case. I was going to escape.”
Shana laughed. “We’ve made a marvelous impression on you, I see.” She sat on the grass and tipped her face up to the sun. “Such a beautiful day.”
“Yes. I love to study outside.”
“What are you studying at the moment?”
“Time manipulation. It’s devilishly tricky magic.”
“Ooh,” said Shana. “Yes, it is. I remember how frustrating that class was. I could mentor you a bit, if you’d like.”
“I don’t know...”
“I promise I have no agenda, Laria. I just want to be your friend. You’ll go crazy here if all you do is study. You need to have some fun too.”
Laria blushed again. “I apologize. Thank you for being so kind, and I would love your advice. I admit that I’m not used to people being nice to me.”
Shana waved her hand. “No problem. I spend all my time in the company of those beastly boys. My feelings don’t hurt that easily.”
“How long have you been friends with them?”
“Since we all arrived here our first year. They’re all imbecilic, lazy gits, who drink too much and work too little, but I love them like family. I get to be the smart, pretty one when I’m with them, so it’s not too bad. They could definitely use a little more feminine influence, though.” She grinned.
Laria smiled too. “So you know Guinn pretty well?”
“Better than almost anyone else,” Shana admitted.
“The two of you were a couple.” The sinister little pang of jealousy inside her squeaked in protest.
“Yes, but it ended several months ago, before the term break. You don’t miss anything, do you?”
“It’s good that you can still be friends. What happened?”
Shana sighed. “It just can’t work. I’m training for a career at the hospital here, and his master passion will take him everywhere but here. Besides, one-sided relationships just aren’t sustainable.”
Laria decided not to pry. “You’re training in the medical field?”
“My father runs the magical therapy department at the local hospital. I seem to have a particular aptitude for healing magic, so my parents sent me here to develop it.”
“You don’t sound excited about it,” Laria observed.
Shana shrugged. “It’s not terribly exciting work, but it helps people.”
“When will I get to learn?”
“You’ll only be exposed to the basics. The medical program only takes first year students. It takes the entire five years to cover everything. Non-medical students only get the low level spells.”
“Oh.” Laria frowned and looked at her hands, clearly disappointed.
“I’d be happy to teach you some more advanced magic, as long as you don’t tell my professors.”
Laria beamed. “Really? That would be wonderful!”
Shana squeezed Laria’s hand. “It would be my pleasure.”
The two of them sat in silence for several minutes, thinking. Then Laria remembered one more thing she wanted to know about Guinn. “Is Guinn always so intense?”
“Always,” Shana replied with a grin.
“I was afraid of that.”
Shana laughed. “Don’t let him intimidate you. He’s absolutely the best person to have on your side.”
Laria bit her lip nervously. “I shouldn’t even be entertaining this notion. School is hard enough.”
“Just give him a chance. Let him prove himself. I promise you won’t regret it.”
Laria laughed this time. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Shana! All right, I’ll talk to him.”
Shana grinned. That’s all the opening he needs. You owe me big, McCabe.
~*~
Guinn strolled down the wide lawn, heading for the large tree where Laria could usually be found studying. One of his friends had seen her there only a few minutes ago, in fact. Suddenly, a book flew in his direction. He ducked quickly to avoid it. Looking up, he saw books levitating and shooting off in all directions.
“Stop it! Leave me alone!”
Guinn recognized Laria’s voice at once, and he jumped up to help her. Rounding the tree, he saw a group of fourth year boys tormenting the poor girl. The largest one had his arms wrapped around her and held her close to his body to prevent escape or retaliation. The other three rifled through her things, scattering everything about.
“What’s the matter, bookworm? We’re just helping you study more efficiently!”
“What’s with the blue hair, anyway? Just have to be different, huh?”
“I don’t know,” the large one said. “But it’s soft, and she smells nice too!”
They all laughed.
“Return my things at once!” she yelled.
“Make us,” the large boy said in her ear, breathing her in deep.
Guinn’s rage snapped. Hurling spells at the boys, he dashed into the fray. His first target was the large boy. Guinn pulled Laria from his grip, and punched him square across the jaw. The boy tried to fight back, but Guinn slammed his nose, dropping the brute to the ground, blood pouring down his face. Then Guinn kicked his stomach for good measure, leaving the poor sod a writhing, pathetic mess.
“Don’t you dare disrespect a lady like that again, you slime!” Guinn snarled. Then he turned to the other bullies, who gaped at him in shock. “As for the rest of you guttersnipes, go retrieve every single item belonging to this girl, apologize, and if I even see you look in her direction again, I will personally remove your slandering tongues!”
The boys ran, gathering all of Laria’s things and stacking them neatly by the tree. Then they gasped hasty apologies at her and fled, dragging their injured crony with them.
Laria gaped at Guinn, marveling at the intensity of his anger. She rubbed her arms where there were already bruises forming, and went to pack up her belongings. Guinn stepped up to help her.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Imbeciles,” he spat. “They won’t bother you again.”
She frowned. “I’m used to it.” Then she scowled at him. “You shouldn’t have used magic, though! You’ll get in trouble.”
He shrugged. “I’m used to it.”
Her lips lifted in a small smile. Allowing him to assist her, they packed up her bag. Then he escorted her back into the building.
“You’re a very surprising person, Mr. McCabe.”
He laughed. “You have no idea.”
~*~
The school year which Guinn thought interminable only a short time ago was now infinitely more tolerable with the introduction of Laria to his life. She was so intelligent and thoughtful, with a strong will and steadfast determination underneath her gentle façade. Indeed, the more time Guinn spent with her, the more she opened up and displayed her true self. He found himself making excuses to his friends in order to spend more time with Laria.
He found her lounging beneath her tree at lunchtime, enjoying the sunshine and flipping through a book. He stopped a few yards away for several moments to just take her in. Her hair was pulled up off her neck, her book was resting against her leg, her other leg was propped up on her knee, and she lazily dangled her little shoe from her bare toes. Guinn felt his heart pound in his ch
est as his eyes lingered on the curve of her delicate neck. Get a hold of yourself, man!
He approached the tree and crouched behind it. With a barely whispered spell, he conjured a perfect, delicate purple blossom and then he leaned around the tree. “Pretty flowers should stick together, don’t you think?”
She looked up at him with the quizzical look he found entirely too endearing. “Where did you find that? Despite its name, lavender nieldcress blooms in ivaya. That’s not for several more months.”
“I made it, of course.”
“Are you crazy?!” She looked around frantically to make sure no one had seen and clapped her palm down flat on his.
“Hey!” He pulled his hand away, his feelings almost as crushed as the flower in his hand.
“You can’t afford expulsion now,” she reprimanded him.
“You didn’t have to pulverize it!” he complained.
“I apologize, but it took me too much time and work to get here. I won’t have someone else get me kicked out.”
“All you care about is this stupid school!”
“And all you care about is your commission,” she said, unfazed, “It seems we have different goals, but the same road to reach them. Perhaps we should study together rather than argue about the things we can’t change.”
He flopped down on the grass, the fight knocked out of him. “You always make too much damn sense.”
She smiled and returned her attention to her book. She didn’t know why people warned her about Guinn’s temper when she began spending time with him. He was really quite easy to handle if one knew how to do it. All she had to do when he tried to instigate an argument was diffuse it calmly and swiftly with a statement with which he couldn’t argue. As long as she didn’t fuel his fire, no one got burned.
She glanced at him from under her lowered lashes. She thought it amusing that they looked like an odd pair together, their appearances so opposite each other’s. While she was small and fair, he was tall, broad, muscular, and dark. Her eyes traveled the length of his body. He was certainly not hard to look at. A frown crossed her face. He could have any girl at this school; why was he spending all of his time with her?
Before she could stop the words, they came tumbling out of her mouth. “Why are you here with me?”
His brows furrowed with confusion. “Why shouldn’t I be?”
“You like me?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” he replied with a laugh. “Don’t you like me?”
“I think you’re a hot-tempered, overly confident, ambitious man, who doesn’t let anyone get in the way of what he wants,” she said, “And yes, I like you.”
“Well, I think you’re a stubborn, driven, insufferable know-it-all who’s too smart for her own good. We all have our unique little quirks, but those are what make life interesting,” he replied.
“We’re so different from each other.”
He rolled to his side and leaned on his elbow, then flashed a mischievous half-smile at her. “I like a challenge.”
She blushed. “I’ve been told my entire life that I’m strange. Forgive me if I find it difficult to believe that someone can accept me for what I am and nothing more.”
“Why would anyone think you strange?” he asked, puzzled.
She grabbed a handful of her hair. “This for one thing. It’s so unruly, and I can’t do a thing with it. It’s always been blue at the ends. I cut it all off once after a particularly nasty bout of teasing when I was a child, and I was stuck with a head of blue hair until it grew out again.”
He shook his head and tried not to picture her as a little girl with a nest of curly blue hair, for fear of laughing at the unbearable adorableness and offending her. “That must have been horrible.”
“I was called ‘Worm’ for much of my childhood, because I always had my nose in a book. ‘Teacher’s pet,’ ‘brownnose,’ ‘goody-goody,’ I got them all. I didn’t have many friends. The kids all thought I was too serious, too focused on my studies, no fun at all. They only saw my strangeness.”
“That’s not at all what I see,” Guinn said reassuringly, “I see a woman who is wholly dedicated to achieving her goals, who worked very hard to get herself here, and did it all on her own, through sheer determination and pure merit. I see an incredibly intelligent person who can conduct a stimulating conversation with grace and patience. And I happen to like the hair.” He lifted a blue curl and twirled it gently around his finger.
“I was always so different.”
He abruptly sat up. “So? What fun is it being the same as everyone else? I’m loud and opinionated and have the frustrating habit of constantly sticking my foot in my mouth. But that’s just who I am. If people thought that was the extent of my personality and avoided me for it, then they’d never know that I am also thoughtful and kind and romantic. Why judge someone by an incomplete picture of their being?”
She smiled. “That was very profound, Guinn.”
“See?” he beamed, “Didn’t think I had it in me, did you?”
“I must admit, I wasn’t sure what to think of you at first,” she said, “But I’m very glad you’re so frustratingly tenacious.”
“Are you glad you gave me a chance, despite the awkward first impression?”
The color rose again in her cheeks. “Very.”
Chapter Five
Following Guinn and his boisterous gaggle of friends, Laria tried to pay attention to the many threads of conversation weaving around her, not understanding much amidst the inside jokes and unfamiliar topics. She wondered for the dozenth time if she was dressed appropriately enough for a kierdai harvest festival, and what one was supposed to do at such an event.
Shana broke away from the boys and waited for Laria. “How are you doing?”
“I’m… a little nervous,” Laria admitted.
“There’s no need to be nervous, Laria. This isn’t any different than any other local fair. What were your favorite things to do at the fair when you were a child? I’m certain we can find the same things here.”
“I don’t know.” Laria blushed. “I’ve never been to a fair.”
Shana grinned and clapped her hands in delight. “Then please allow me to enlighten you. This will be fun!”
Guinn feigned interest in his friends’ stories, remaining engaged enough to comment and laugh as needed, but his attention was definitely focused elsewhere. When Laria had joined them earlier wearing her entirely too fetching sundress and wrap combination with dainty little boots, he knew he was doomed. He’d had to walk ahead of her just to stop staring.
William took advantage of a lull in the conversation to pull Guinn aside. “So, Captain, I couldn’t help but notice your complete lack of interest in anything other than the siren in the dress back there.”
Guinn scowled. “Stay out of it, Hannigan.”
“Well then,” William said with a shrug. “If you’re not going to show the girl a good time, perhaps I can step in?”
“Try it, and you’ll find yourself lamenting the loss of a cherished limb. I’ll let you figure out which one.”
William took a large step away from Guinn. “That’s below the belt, McCabe.”
Guinn couldn’t help smiling at his friend’s joke.
“Well, since she’s spoken for, might I suggest some diversions at the fair perfectly suited for a lucky blighter like you to enjoy with her?”
“This is not a date, William.”
“Whatever you say,” William replied. “But don’t wait too long to make your move, Guinn, or you may find you’ve arrived too late.”
~*~
They’d wandered a bit, and Laria had sampled many unique snacks along with some of the many alcoholic beverages offered to her. Her head swam a bit with more alcohol than food in her stomach, but she was much more relaxed than she’d been earlier. She was having a wonderful time. Suddenly, Shana grabbed her hand and dragged her off to the side.
“Come on! Come get a fort
une with me, Laria!” Shana pulled her friend toward the mysterious darkness of a covered mystic’s tent.
William snorted. “Don’t waste your money on that charlatan, girls. I can tell your futures much more accurately, and I won’t charge you nearly as much.”
The rest of the group laughed, but Shana stuck her tongue out at him. “It’s just for fun.”
Laria smiled at her. “I’ll go with you. Come on!”
The girls ducked into the tent. The air was thick with incense and stifling, making Laria’s head feel even fuzzier. The thick curtains muffled the sounds from outside. It felt like a cocoon, and Laria had the sudden urge to curl up on a pile of the plush cushions and take a nap. The waiting area in the front of the tent was separated from the back by another opaque expanse of cloth overlaid with a glittering curtain of beads.
After several minutes, the gypsy pulled the partition aside, ushering her latest client back out into the fair. Then she returned to address Shana and Laria. The woman greeted Shana with a smile. “I was wondering when I would see you again.”
Shana giggled. “You know I come see you every year.”
“Hoping the fates may have changed their mind?”
Shana shook her head. “I know I’m not destined for any great deeds. This year I brought my new friend for a reading.”
The gypsy turned to Laria, considering the girl silently. The mystic’s eyes widened, and concern briefly flashed across the woman’s face before she covered it with a gracious smile. “Welcome, fellow seekers of the unknown. I am Neia. Please follow me.”
The girls walked into the back area of the tent and took seats across from Neia at a low table strewn with cards. Shana handed the woman a pouch of coins. Neia accepted it with a slight nod of her head. Then she gathered her cards and shuffled them three times. “Do you want a reading this year, my dear?” she asked Shana.