Graduation Day (Schooled in Magic Book 14)

by Christopher Nuttall

  “I know what I saw in Frieda’s mind,” Emily said, firmly. “She was manipulated.”

  “She also assaulted my daughter,” Sienna pointed out. “Why should I speak on her behalf?”

  Emily took a breath. She didn’t blame Sienna for being angry. But she was directing her anger at the wrong person. Frieda hadn’t been responsible for her actions. A dozen arguments flashed through her mind, but she focused on the important one.

  “Marian was nothing more than collateral damage,” she said. “Frieda would have lashed out at anyone as her mind was warped and twisted out of shape. Marian was merely unlucky enough to be within reach. Frieda is not truly to blame.”

  “That’s debatable,” Sienna said, coolly. “Such manipulation can be resisted.”

  Emily gritted her teeth. “Frieda is nineteen and ... and not disposed to constantly question her own thoughts and feelings,” she said. “The poison took root and meshed into her mind before she could grasp that something was wrong.”

  She shivered. Everyone had moments of anger, moments when they would happily cross the line and become monsters. She’d had them, more than she cared to admit. If someone had been playing with her mind, making those brief seconds of pure anger worse, would she have done something she couldn’t fix? There had been times, in her life, when she knew she would have crossed the line if she hadn’t had good self-control.

  “Worse, the source of the manipulation was right next to her,” she added, pushing her thoughts aside. “She couldn’t hope to resist indefinitely as long as she didn’t realize that she was being pushed.”

  “It was careless, if true,” Sienna said. She looked around the borrowed office, thoughtfully, then back at Emily. “If I do this for you, all debts are settled. Understood?”

  “Yes,” Emily said, shortly. It wasn’t as if Sienna was going to become her mother-in-law, after all. “And if you succeed ...”

  “Don’t make promises you are unable to keep,” Sienna said. Her voice was very dry. “Let us hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”

  Emily had always admired Sienna, even if she hadn’t always liked her. Caleb’s mother spent the next hour going through everything that had happened, parsing out the details and zeroing in on discrepancies in the story. Emily felt as though her mind was being pulled apart, although she knew it had to be done. It was almost a relief when the door opened, after they had gone though the story for the third time, and Master Tor stepped into the room. He looked tired and worn. Emily rather suspected that Gordian had put him in charge of handling the inquest.

  “The Grandmaster requests the pleasure of your company, Emily,” he said. “Lady Sienna, have you agreed to become the Defender?”

  “I have.” Sienna rose, smoothly. “Dare I assume that my company is also requested?”

  “Indeed it is,” Master Tor said. “The Grandmaster would be pleased to see you too.”

  He turned and walked out of the room. Sienna caught Emily’s arm before she could follow.

  “He has probably invited Fulvia too,” she said, coldly. “Do not, and I mean do not, pick a fight with her. Try not to talk to her. Let me do the talking.”

  “Understood,” Emily said.

  They walked up the stairs and along the corridor to Gordian’s office. A handful of guards stood outside, looking as if they were trying to blend into the stone walls. They looked oddly out of place, even though it wasn’t the first time that mediators had patrolled and guarded the school. Rumor suggested that Gordian feared for his life, although Emily knew better than to take rumors with anything less than a large pinch of salt. She looked for Lady Barb, but didn’t see her. Hopefully, that was a good sign.

  Sienna had been right, Emily realized, as they walked into Gordian’s office. Fulvia was indeed there, sitting on a chair in front of the desk. She turned, her eyes going wide - just for a second - as she saw Sienna. Emily hoped that was a good sign too. Fulvia might just have expected Emily to conduct the defense herself. It was the sort of thing, Emily admitted ruefully, that she might have done. But she also knew that someone else would do a better job.

  “Lady Sienna,” Gordian said. “Is this your first visit to Whitehall?”

  “I visited briefly, after my son’s accident,” Sienna said. Her voice was calm and completely composed, betraying nothing. “My studies were at Stronghold.”

  Gordian gave her a searching look. “And you are prepared to act as Defender?”

  “I am,” Sienna confirmed.

  Fulvia cleared her throat. “She is not unbiased, Grandmaster. I protest.”

  Emily felt a hot flash of hatred. It was all she could do to keep herself from saying something cutting - or worse. If Sienna hadn’t warned her ...

  Sienna chuckled. “And you are not unbiased?”

  “Your daughter was gravely injured by the defendant,” Fulvia said. “How can you represent her?”

  “It is a point of law that a person cannot be held accountable for anything they are forced to do by magic.” Sienna’s voice was cold. “I regret what happened, naturally. But I do not choose to focus my anger on someone who is very much an innocent victim in her own right.”

  Gordian smiled. “I must say, Lady Fulvia, that objecting to the Defender on the grounds she may be prejudiced against the person she is supposed to be defending is odd,” he said. His voice was artfully sly. “Do you not have every reason to encourage her to serve?”

  “It is important that all matters are conducted in a manner that leaves no room for misinterpretation,” Fulvia said. “There must be no doubt that the defendant received a fair trial before being condemned.”

  “Quite so,” Gordian agreed. He didn’t seem inclined to comment that Fulvia was clearly biased. But then, that wouldn’t surprise anyone. “But the defendant - or her legal guardian - has the right to choose who speaks for her.”

  He nodded to Emily, who felt a sudden flicker of hope. Gordian wasn’t on her side, but he wasn’t on Fulvia’s side either. That was something, at least. The Grandmaster could have made matters harder - far harder - for her if he wished. And yet ... proving Frieda’s innocence would be tricky. Gordian wasn’t the person they had to convince.

  “Please, be seated,” Gordian said. Madame Griselda entered the room and walked over to the sideboard, where a steaming kettle was waiting. “Kava?”

  “We would both like a cup,” Sienna said.

  Emily frowned, but said nothing as Madame Griselda poured everyone a mug of Kava and passed them around. It was a way of welcoming them, she knew; a way of putting the discussion on an informal basis. And yet, she didn’t feel informal. Fulvia’s mere presence polluted the air, her eyes flickering from side to side as she sipped her Kava. Emily had to fight to keep herself under control as she took a sip herself. Sienna didn’t seem to be affected. She just leaned back in her chair and waited for Gordian to continue.

  “The staff and I have discussed the matter at great length,” Gordian said. “Given the people involved” - he lifted his cup and saluted Fulvia - “it was felt that a selection of jurors from outside the school would be the most impartial.”

  Emily felt her hand tremble. Fulvia was in her second century. Thousands of people - potential jurors - owed her favors. A random selection might well put a number of her allies into the seats. And then ... she had no illusions. Fulvia would call in every favor she was owed to make sure her allies voted in the right way. Frieda would be condemned before Emily and Sienna could mount any kind of defense.

  “Each of you will select three jurors,” Gordian continued. “The remaining three will be selected at random. A simple majority will be enough to acquit or condemn the defendant. I trust this is suitable?”

  “It is more than suitable,” Sienna said. She put a hand on Emily’s arm, silently warning her to keep her mouth closed. “How long do we have to select our jurors?”

  “You have a week.” Gordian paused. “The randomly-selected jurors will be picked by Friday. You ma
y lodge objections, if you wish, but only on reasonable grounds.”

  And who is to say what are reasonable grounds? Emily asked herself. You, of course.

  “Please inform us as soon as the jurors have been nominated,” Sienna said. “We would not wish to delay any objections.”

  Fulvia tilted her head, just enough for Emily to see she was smiling. “That will be suitable, Grandmaster. I will have my selections to you by the end of the day.”

  Emily felt her heart sink. The odds were still tilted in Fulvia’s favor, although ... she sighed, inwardly. She’d have to hope they could find something, either proof of Frieda’s innocence or a direct link between Daze and Fulvia. But she knew Fulvia would have covered her tracks well.

  “The inquest itself will be held the following week,” Gordian continued. “Please remember that you should also provide a list of witnesses, although I do understand that someone may come forward midway through the trial.”

  “Of course,” Fulvia murmured.

  And if we tell you who we’re calling as witnesses, Emily asked herself, will you arrange for them to suffer accidents?

  “We’ll review the rules,” Sienna said, briskly. “But I see no reason to assume the worst.”

  “Very good.” Gordian looked from Sienna to Fulvia and back again. “The healers inform me that Frieda is in no fit state to be questioned, let alone interrogated. Until that changes, you are ordered not to attempt to speak with her without permission from myself, which will not be granted unless there is an improvement in Frieda’s condition.”

  “We do require her testimony at some point,” Fulvia said.

  “She is in no state to give testimony,” Sienna countered.

  “Which is what the healers tell me,” Gordian said.

  “Then Emily mustn’t meet Frieda either,” Fulvia said, sweetly. She smiled, as if she’d won a point. “It would only upset the poor dear.”

  “Emily is not the Defender,” Sienna pointed out. “She can meet Frieda or not, if she wishes.”

  “Indeed,” Gordian agreed. His eyes met Emily’s. “But I advise you not to push your friend too far.”

  Emily nodded, thinking hard. Had they just won a point? Or had Fulvia never really expected to win? Or ... she closed her eyes for a long moment. Fulvia might just have started the whole tangent to remind them that she wasn’t going to be a pushover. Or to call attention to a potential stumbling block, further down the line ...

  “Lady Sienna,” Gordian said. “I hope to have the pleasure of your company at High Table this evening. Until then ... enjoy the school.”

  Sienna’s lips twitched. “I thank you, Grandmaster. I’m sure I shall.”

  Emily kept her face under tight control as she followed Sienna out of the room and down the corridor. Sienna tapped her lips as soon as they were outside, warning Emily to say nothing until they reached a disused classroom. Emily could feel tiny flickers in the school’s wards following them, perhaps spying on them. It would have been easy to push them away, she thought. But she had no idea how Gordian’s modifications to the wards would react.

  “The Grandmaster seems determined to try to balance things,” Sienna said, as she cast a set of privacy wards. “Three jurors selected by us, three by her, three picked at random ...it does give us an opportunity.”

  “We’d need five jurors to support us,” Emily said, slowly. “That means convincing two of the neutrals to vote for acquittal, right?”

  “Yes.” Sienna sat, crossing her long legs. “And Fulvia will be working on them too.”

  She shrugged. “That said, they have to make a show of voting the right way,” she added. “If the evidence is solidly in Frieda’s favor and they vote to condemn her, you’d have excellent grounds for appeal. Even Fulvia’s picks will have to make a show of following the evidence, although no one will be surprised if they vote in line with her wishes. And that said, Emily, the same is true of your choices. If the evidence swings against Frieda, they may have trouble following you.”

  Emily couldn’t sit down. She paced the room, her mind racing as she tried to put the different possibilities together. “Who should I pick?”

  “You can’t pick me, not any longer.” Sienna smiled, humorlessly. “I dare say I was one of her picks until now, although you could have made an excellent case that I would be biased.”

  Her lips quirked. “Pick people who are strong enough to resist either threats or blandishments,” she added. “Someone who is looking for an apprenticeship would make a very poor choice, as Fulvia could offer him more than you. Her enmity could make or break his career. I’d advise senior magicians, if you have any who owe you favors. Your father would be a good choice.”

  If he answers his mail, Emily thought, grimly. Void hadn’t replied to her first letter, let alone the two later messages she’d sent. She wished he’d taken her up on her offer of a chat parchment. Fulvia can’t threaten him, can she?

  “I’ll give it some thought,” she said. Zed would be a good choice, she was sure. The MageMaster of Mountaintop didn’t need support from Fulvia, not as long as he held control of the school’s wards. Who else? She’d have to think about it very carefully. “And what happens then?”

  “Fulvia presents the case for Frieda to be punished, I present the case for her to be acquitted,” Sienna said. “Which is something we’re going to have to work on, by the way. We must put forward an airtight case.”

  “And if we can’t ... she stands condemned,” Emily said. “What other choices are there?”

  “Very few,” Sienna said. “You might be able to trade for her life, but the price would be high.”

  Emily nodded, impatiently. “I know that. Are there any others?”

  “Not really,” Sienna said. “You could offer to stand in her place, but that would probably result in your death. Or you could find some other way to bring pressure to bear on the Ashworths. But it would have to be something extraordinary for them to roll over for you.”

  Emily stopped pacing and turned to look at the older woman. “How are our chances?”

  “They could be better,” Sienna said. “The real problem is proving that Frieda was manipulated by an outside force. If we can prove that, Emily, we can either get her acquitted or argue for a lesser sentence. That would probably get her a period of imprisonment or servitude, but she would be free at the end of it. She wouldn’t be handed over to Fulvia.”

  “Better than being killed,” Emily said. Frieda would hate it. She’d been a prisoner and a slave, first in the Cairngorms and then in Mountaintop. Even being confined to Whitehall would grate on her. “And it would have to be a real punishment, wouldn’t it?”

  Sienna nodded, curtly. “You wouldn’t be allowed to take her on as your maid, no,” she agreed. “But that’s pretty much the best-case scenario. If we fail to prove that Frieda was manipulated, at least past the point where she could reasonably resist, she will be found guilty. And if that happens, she will be handed over to Fulvia and her family. I wouldn’t expect her to survive.”

  “They want me,” Emily said. “If they bargain ...”

  “They’d want you,” Sienna said. “And I wouldn’t expect you to survive either.”

  She rose, dusting off her skirt. “I need to visit my daughter, then spend some time with my son. Let me know when you have a shortlist of jurors who are willing to serve - I want to make sure there are no unpleasant surprises before it’s too late. It’s been a while since I was on active service, but I do have a handful of friends who owe me favors. One of them can vet the jurors for us.”

  “Thank you.” Emily let out a sigh of relief. “For everything, I mean.”

  Sienna met her eyes. “I do regret the way things ended between you and Caleb,” she said, softly. “And I am not angry with you because of it.”

  “Thank you,” Emily said, again.

  “But I would also be happy to have the debt I owe you settled,” Sienna added. “I dislike owing debts to anyone.”
/>   “I understand,” Emily said.

  She found herself unsure what to say. Caleb had admitted that his mother had castigated him at some length, although she’d clearly been in two minds about the relationship after Casper’s death. Caleb was the heir now, the one who had to marry carefully to secure the family’s future. And his first relationship had failed. It was hard to blame Sienna for being annoyed at his first girlfriend, particularly given all the effort Caleb had put into doing it right.

  “Make sure you also research the procedure carefully,” Sienna said. “You will be tested on it.”

  And not by you, Emily thought, as Sienna turned and walked through the door. By Gordian ... and Fulvia.

  She took a long breath. And if I fail, Frieda dies.

  Chapter Twelve

  “AND YOU ARE NOT EXPECTED TO be running through the corridors, casting hexes in all directions,” a voice snapped. “What do you think you are doing?”

  Emily tensed. Jacqui’s voice? It sounded like her. She inched down the corridor and peered around the corner. Jacqui stood, her back to Emily, as she lectured a set of Second Years on proper decorum. Two of the younger girls looked as though they were on the verge of tears, while the others seemed torn between defiance and the urge to start running. They’d been playing Freeze Tag, Emily realized numbly. And Jacqui had interrupted their game.

  “You’re disturbing older students at their studies,” Jacqui continued, apparently unaware of Emily’s presence. “Why don’t you take your game outside?”

  The oldest of the boys met her eyes, defiantly. “No one’s stopped us from playing tag before.”

  “We’re getting closer to the exams,” Jacqui snapped. “I could hear you four floors away.”

  “The exams are months away,” the boy said. His gaze slid past Jacqui, his eyes meeting Emily’s. “Isn’t that right?”

  Jacqui turned. Her face twisted, showing anger and embarrassment before she schooled her features into a blank mask. Emily groaned, inwardly. Jacqui was technically in the right to scold them for making a racket, but it was a little bitchy. And yet ... Emily’s mere presence would force Jacqui to establish her authority as harshly as possible. The former Head Girl couldn’t be allowed to second-guess the current Head Girl.