The Apprenticeship of Julian St. Albans (Consulting Magic Book 2)

by Amy Crook

  Everyone got washed up and their shoes and street clothes back on, and then they shared tea while the three magic users ate -- and how strange was it for Julian to count himself among them? Alys had sent along lovely cold herbed chicken and a potato salad made with spicy mustard, plus two oatcakes apiece which were full of sticky honey, sweet fruit and crunchy seeds and nuts. Julian ate every crumb and drank his portion of her tea and then more cool water afterward, and felt a million times better when it was done.

  "Your Alys is a miracle worker," said Stephen, closing up the lunch box with a satisfied sigh. "I feel quite restored."

  "She knows what she's about with food and drink," agreed Alex. "And there was some fairy magic in the food, too, not just the tea."

  "So you've really got a brownie?" said Raul curiously; they'd mostly talked amongst themselves, and Julian didn't know any of the assistants that well yet, since he spent a lot of his time either learning from Mary Margaret or putting what he'd learned into practice with the plants.

  "Yep," said Alex smugly. "They moved in right after Julian's case was over, and they like him a lot."

  "Wait, you have two brownies?" said another of the assistants, who Julian thought was named John or James or something very ordinary like that, and could as a consequence never remember.

  "They're a couple, Nat and Alys, he fixes and she cooks," said Julian. "Since Alex is a mage and he's got wards on the flat, they struck a proper deal with him, so we're allowed to talk about them."

  "But not to thank them, still," said Alex wryly.

  That led to a few stories of their pranks, which finished off the tea and their excuses for stalling. "I suppose we'd best be off to the crime scene," said Julian.

  "Jones and I ate while you guys were busy," said Lapointe, tossing her cup in the trash.

  "Then it's time," said Alex with a sigh. He made sure they'd gathered up everything, and they took their leave.

  Lapointe followed in her own car, having given Jones directions earlier, and they settled into a comfortable silence as they moved through the city streets. Julian watched the buildings go by and thought about how different his life was, and the things he missed and the things he liked better now. It was strange to have a real purpose that he'd chosen for himself, instead of inherited like the estate duties, but it made up for the times he missed his apple trees.

  His life was still pretty luxurious, too, even if Alys cooked more traditional food than the St. Albans chef, and he lived in a little flat instead of a huge manor house. Alex didn't skimp on the small things, so everything in their space was quality. At least, now that they'd redecorated and gotten rid of his ratty old furniture, which Julian had been pleasantly surprised that Alex hadn't even argued about.

  He sighed and snuggled up, pressing a kiss to Alex's mouth.

  "What was that for?" said Alex, "Not that I mind."

  "I was just thinking that you could have argued instead of letting us redecorate," said Julian. "You've made space for me in every corner of your life and half the time I don't even have to ask."

  "You moved into the city for me, and left your beloved orchards behind," said Alex, giving him a kiss back. "That deserves a little extra consideration."

  Father Stephen just sat and smiled at them, looking perfectly at peace with the world. It wasn't much longer before they pulled up to the old Temple, where Lapointe had arrived first and made sure there was a space for Jones to park in amongst the still-present cop cars. Their comfortable silence stayed with Julian after they got out, and he followed wordlessly as Lapointe led them into her crime scene.

  The body had been cleared out yesterday, but the crime scene techs were still buzzing over everything like dedicated bees in search of every last grain of pollen. Julian felt the same sadness from some of the plants, and anger from others, and he let that lead him away from the group to a tiny grotto where wilting water plants crowded around a natural spring. Julian knelt down and listened to them, sending back sympathy and promises that he'd make sure they got some plant food.

  "Oh, there you are," said Lapointe behind him. "Alex and Father Stephen are back to arguing, so they haven't noticed yet."

  Julian chuckled and stood. "These were drained, like the greenhouse plants, they'll need special tending," he explained.

  "I'll make a note of it, I've got another of those maps and I was hoping you'd do a walk-through for me anyway," she said, pulling out her little notebook. "Let's go interrupt the two of them before they drive everyone batty first, though."

  "All right," said Julian, following her to the main meditation garden, where there was old blood splashed liberally on the damaged greens. This garden had paths and benches instead of grass, and the murder had taken place in the middle of a big patch of ground-covering clover. There was a hole dug off-centre of the trampled area, and Julian asked, "They found another seed?"

  "Bindweed this time," said Alex, making a face. "It was already sprouting, they put it in one of those magic-proof boxes."

  "We're spoiling their plans, hopefully," said Lapointe. "Is the clover significant?"

  "It's common white clover instead of luck-clover this time," said Julian, thinking back to his studies. "Good for the earth, and it's good for breaking curses, though not like this."

  "I believe the Temple was using it as a ground cover here to restore the soil," said Father Stephen. "We also use the blossoms in certain potions."

  "Right," said Alex. "It's a Sun plant, good for purifying and dispelling evil."

  "So that's a weird choice," said Lapointe. "I mean, why do something evil on top of a plant used for dispelling evil?"

  "That's a very good question," said Alex.

  "Maybe they didn't think of it as evil?" said Julian. "I mean, the plants aren't angry about it, they're just sad, like before. Maybe the person thinks they're doing something for the greater good?"

  "That's a very wise thought," said Father Stephen.

  Julian knelt down and put his fingers in the earth just at the edge of the clover patch, ignoring the conversation swirling above him so he could listen to the plants. He could feel their emotions so much more clearly now, even without Alex's charm; something had clicked for him the past few days with all the needful work he'd been doing. He thought rather sadly that he'd not have minded waiting, if it meant no one died to give him practice.

  "Murielle tells me you have something else to show me?" said Father Stephen, when Julian stood.

  "The water-plant grotto will need magical fertiliser and tending to if they're going to recover," said Julian. "I can show you while we walk the Temple, Murielle wants me to listen to all the plants and see if there's any other areas of damage."

  "I'd be happy to lead you around, that way you won't miss anything," said Stephen, his voice full of humour. "Perhaps you'd both like to join us?"

  Lapointe chuckled. "Are you implying the busy bees haven't found all the honey yet?" She put away her notebook. "I'm game, they don't need me to stand here. Alex?"

  "Yes, though I might be listening, so don't worry if I seem distracted," Alex said, mostly for Father Stephen's benefit. Julian and Murielle were quite familiar with his ways, after all.

  "Let's start at the entrance, it'll be the easiest way to walk you through everything," said Stephen. They trooped back to the start, then wound their way through the whole space. Unlike the main Temple, this one had either earth or flagstone floors nearly everywhere, and most of its rooms were dedicated in one way or another to nature. There were over a dozen of the small grottoes, each with a different theme to the plants, but the purifying spring was the only one that had been drained.

  "It's just like in the nursery, the way it skipped over the rest of the plants and just drained the virgin greenhouse," said Julian. "Is the spring okay?" he asked Alex and Stephen anxiously.

  The two conferred briefly, then Father Stephen nodded. "Everything seems to be in order here, other than needing some tending," he assured Julian.

 
"If someone can bring the fertiliser, I don't mind tending to the plants," said Julian. "If Alex thinks I haven't overtaxed myself, anyway."

  Alex tangled their fingers together and whistled the now-familiar little tune he used for simple diagnostic listening. "You seem fine," he said, kissing Julian's hand before letting it go.

  "I'll call over to the Temple and see if they can spare anyone," said Father Stephen.

  "Jones could go pick it up," volunteered Alex, and they made the arrangements.

  "All right, let's finish our tour so Jones doesn't have to hunt us out in this maze," said Lapointe wryly. They'd already found two rooms the techs hadn't been in yet, both hidden culs de sac designed more for the priests' use than those seeking solace here.

  "Of course, my dear," said Father Stephen. There weren't any more drained plants, though there was a stray smear of blood where no one expected it to be.

  Julian stepped back while the other three focused themselves on the evidence and the magic, Father Stephen's jocular persona swept away by a sense of purpose that Julian hadn't seen before. Julian knelt down again and put his fingers in the dirt between the flagstones, listening to the tiny moss that grew there, finding the places where it had been disturbed. "Try under that one," said Julian, pointing.

  Alex and Lapointe got their gloves on and carefully pried it up, though the stone proved much looser than expected. The dirt beneath it was loose and moist rather than tightly-packed as you would expect for being trodden underfoot for so many years. "There's definitely something here," said Lapointe.

  Father Stephen vanished for a moment, returning with two of the techs. They immediately began to process the area, photographing and testing, and alerting the others to keep an eye out for loose flagstones. Once they were satisfied, Alex was allowed to dig in the earth with his fingers, whistling and listening until he pulled out an old, bent coin. That, too, was photographed and put in a magic-proof box, and then the rest of the little patch of earth was thoroughly checked for either magic or plant life.

  "I hope there's nothing like that at the nursery," said Julian worriedly.

  "It would have shown itself when we did the blessing," said Father Stephen. "Everything in the nursery was connected at that time, and although the web is very loose to allow people and plants to come and go, we identified everything magical being tied into the web."

  Julian relaxed, and then his phone chimed with a text. "Oh, Jones! You don't need me, right?"

  "You're more needed with the plants," said Father Stephen.

  Lapointe waved him on, and he went out front to thank Jones and get the vial of liquid fertiliser. "Ooh, this is good stuff," said Julian; there was a tiny glow of magic even through the dark blue glass.

  "They asked that you also use it on the crime scene, if you're allowed," said Jones. "Father Stephen can take the rest back."

  "Thank you," said Julian. "Are you staying for dinner?"

  "If I'm invited," said Jones with a grin. "You guys might be working past that, anyway, at this rate."

  Julian chuckled. "Yeah, true. All right, back to your book, I'm off... There's some nice benches inside, if you fancy a change of pace."

  "Nah, I never did like sitting on stone," said Jones. "I'm used to the car."

  Julian headed back to talk to Lapointe and Stephen, just to make sure he was allowed to affect either or both of the relevant crime scenes. He was given permission, and so he decided to start with the grotto with its water lilies and cool atmosphere. The plants welcomed him when he came in, and he took off his shoes and socks again so he could better connect to them. He let his plant-sense stretch out and eclipse the rest of his senses, so he could give them all just what they needed. It was different without Alex helping, more draining, but it also encouraged him to connect deeper with the earth itself and draw reserves from there.

  Julian felt a profound sense of peace when he was done, and he sat on the bench next to the pool and dipped his toes in, feeling that the water didn't mind taking care of him after all he'd done for its beloved plants. It was a little disconcerting to sense more than just plants so easily, and he made a mental note to talk to Alex about it. That thought brought his attention to the amulet under his shirt, and the keep-safe charm he still wore with it. He could feel them, too. The keep-safe was a simple hum of contentment that Julian was, indeed, safe; the amulet was a more complex creation, not as sentient as Horace, but with a real sense of purpose and determination. It was satisfied to have protected Julian last week, and grateful that Alex repaired it, and it also felt smug that it was being strengthened somehow.

  Julian put that on his list for Alex as well, then pulled his feet out to air dry. He grabbed his shoes, socks tucked inside, and left wet footprints that vanished into the flagstones as he walked from the grotto to the crime scene and its unhappy clover. He was reluctant at first to step off the path, but he compromised by sticking to the clean leaves as he walked. He felt the clover bouncing back from each step as it was meant to, which made him think more about the way it was crushed and trampled where the body had lain.

  He scattered the glowing potion over the leaves, watching it slide away to be absorbed by the earth and from there into the plants, and felt their gratitude. He shook droplets like Father Stephen's water-blessing, sending his own energy with them, pacing all around the room, though he avoided walking on the actual bloodstains. Even those plants got their flung droplets, and he could feel that they'd survive, and even the blood would provide some nutrients, once it was washed away into the soil.

  "Almost done?" said Alex from the doorway, and Julian jumped.

  "Oh! Yes, sorry, you startled me," he said with a laugh. "They should wash the leaves here as soon as they can, it'll help."

  "We'll go tell Father Stephen," said Alex with a smile, waiting for him to put his shoes back on. "They're pretty much done with me, but Lapointe wants you to fill out another of her maps with your impressions of the plants."

  "Oh, right," said Julian. "Is it ready now?"

  Alex led him on a shortcut back to the room where they'd found the talisman. "I don't think so... Murielle, when will you have the map ready?"

  "I have to take my blank back to the department to make copies," she said, "Will you remember everything if we wait until tomorrow?"

  Julian nodded. "I'll remember," he assured her. "Are you coming to dinner? And you, Father?"

  "You'd both be welcome," echoed Alex. "I can tell Alys, I got them a tablet that gets messages, though they still won't let me get them a phone."

  "They use it to shop online," said Julian with a giggle. "No more sending me and Alex to the grocery store."

  "Well, unless she's short something," said Alex. "Then I still get sent to fetch."

  "I'd love to," said Father Stephen, looking very amused at their banter. "I'll just call the Temple and let them know." He pulled out his phone and wandered into another of the little rooms to make the call.

  "I'll come if I can get away," said Lapointe. "Let me wrap things up here and I'll call before I drive over."

  "I'll let Alys know," said Alex, pulling out his phone and texting.

  Julian talked to Lapointe about the other impressions he'd gotten from the plants, remembering to request that the clover be watered enough to wash the blood away, which she promised to do as soon as things were wrapped up. She got called away and waved them off. The three of them headed back to Jones and the car, and the much-depleted bottle of fertiliser was tucked away with Father Stephen's other things.

  They were quiet on the trip home, all of them worn thin by the day, but Julian was looking forward to dinner at home. Alex would go hide in his lab afterward, but Julian had always found that a good meal with people you cared about went a long way toward restoring his equilibrium after a bad day. Not that today was all bad, the blessing had been amazing to be a part of, but it had been exhausting and he hated the reason they'd had to do it at all.

  Julian cuddled up to Alex in the elevat
or up. "I promise to let you go hide after dinner," he whispered, wanting Alex to get a little of that feeling of being noticed and cared for.

  Alex smiled down at him, then kissed him and whispered in his ear. "I knew I loved you for a reason."

  They let everyone in, Alex pausing to whistle a welcoming little tune at his wards so everyone could enter safely, and Julian headed straight for the bedroom. "I need clean feet," he explained.

  "Whatever makes you comfortable," assured Father Stephen. Tea had already appeared on the low table, and so he sat and poured, after checking the pot to be sure it was brewed.

  Julian smiled and headed off to get cleaned up, letting the soft murmur of voices follow him. He changed into fresh clothes as well, coming out in a light summer sweater and a comfortable pair of trousers to find them talking about Alys and Nat.

  "We're very lucky," said Julian, taking a seat and accepting his tea from Alex in exchange for a kiss. "They've been quite tolerant of us while we got used to them."

  "Except for the blue thing," said Jones, amused.

  "That was actually pretty tolerant, too," said Alex. He usually found it funny, now that the colour had faded. "Angry fae can do a whole lot worse."

  "There's quite a few cautionary tales along those lines," said Father Stephen. "It's wise of you to appreciate your good fortune."

  "Did Murielle call yet?" asked Julian plaintively, even though he knew it wasn't really soon enough. Sitting where it was warm and comfortable had made him aware of how depleted he was.

  They laughed when a small plate of starters appeared in front of each of them, Julian's piled the highest for once, though Alex and Stephen both had more than Jones.

  "I'd complain about getting the short plate, but I know where you guys get your metabolisms," teased Jones, picking up his plate and popping one of the little bite-sized morsels into his mouth. "Mmmm, and if the starters are this good, I want room for dinner."

  Julian giggled and picked up his plate. Alys had made some sort of tiny baked dumplings, full of good-smelling things. He bit into one and made a sound of happy surprise at the sharp, early apple baked in with cheese and herbs. "Oh, these are good, there's apple!"