65
Selma was wearing her chain mail bikini again as they passed through the common room of the Academy. She didn’t like the robes she was supposed to wear.
She said they were uncomfortable and rough on her soft skin.
Milo thought she just wanted him to look at her all the time.
Next to her, Mila trotted nervously. She wore the robes. But they were cut short like Tania’s. Milo had noticed a few other female students had started imitating this trend and cutting their robes, too.
Though few of them were quite so eager to flash their underwear and mostly cut them to just above the knee.
Behind the golems, Milo followed quietly.
He was a bit lost in his thoughts. He’d heard on one of the recordings that another Paddstone would arrive soon. His name was Padrick, and he was Fergus’ brother.
Milo wanted to believe there’d be no trouble, but he doubted it.
Especially with all the rumors of the Paddstone patriarch, Fallon, pressuring the Mage Court for both a place in the court and for Milo’s head.
On a plate.
While he wasn’t so worried about the last part, because the laws of the Mage Republic wouldn’t allow it, he still felt pressured to quickly unlock the Prime completely.
Maybe in the restricted secrets of the Workshop and the dwarves he could find a way to protect himself from everyone. And get more golemskin so he could build more golems. Right now, he’d used the last of it on Mila.
And Fed had told him he needed access to the Prime to make more.
Frustrated, Milo was only half-listening as Selma scratched her head and looked confused at Mila. “But what I don’t get is how you sound different. I mean, you look different to Fulka because you changed your face and body shape. That’s easy to get. But how do you sound different?”
“It’s concentration.” Mila shrugged. “When I was Fulka, I tried to use words like Tania does and also worked real hard on the accent. Like saying ya instead of you a lot.”
“I can’t do that.”
“It’s how you shape your tongue,” she said. “It’s real important. See?”
“Ugh.” Selma shook her head. “Did you brush your teeth this morning?”
“What? Of course I did! What are you saying?”
“I didn’t say nothing, sister.”
“Milo!” Mila rounded on him and opened her mouth. “Is there something wrong with my teeth?”
He gave her a slight glance, mostly to humor her.
“They look clean to me.”
Mila wiggled her tongue up and down. “Really?”
“Sure.” Then he cocked his head. “I thought the sound of your voice came from the voice box in your throat. Didn’t it change because of the mechanical adjustments I made?”
“Well, sure,” she said, snapping her teeth shut and sighing. “That’s a part of it, sure. But I can change the sound of my voice, too, depending on how my lips are.”
She stopped walking and started making different sounds by exaggerating her mouth movements.
“See?”
He shook his head. They all still sounded like her. “Not really.”
“See this, then?” She blew him a kiss and giggled.
“Excuse me,” a voice asked from their right.
He turned and nearly groaned.
Vesna.
“I was hoping to talk to you?” She fumbled her words as her bodyguard stood behind her as impassive as the granite wall behind him. “And maybe apologize?”
Milo glanced at Mila and Selma, who were staring at Vesna like she was a bug.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m a bit busy.”
“Please?”
Maybe it was her tone. Or it could’ve been he was tired. Whatever it was, he shrugged and nodded. “Alright. Give me a moment?”
The last part was aimed at his golems, who returned his shrug and moved aside.
“I’ll stick around here,” Selma said, stepping up beside the bodyguard who looked a little surprised as she stood nearly against his shoulder.
Mila took the other side of him with a bored yawn.
Vesna ignored them all and led him to a couch. She took one, and he took the one opposite her. He sank back into it, feeling the aches in his back sort of bloom like little flowers. It wasn’t unpleasant.
He realized he needed rest.
“I do owe you an apology,” Vesna said.
“Alright.”
“Then, I’m sorry…”
“Okay.”
“You’re not making this very easy,” she pouted. He guessed by her expression that she used it a lot with her family. Maybe with other young men. “I’m trying to be nice to you, Milo.”
“Why?”
“Because I think maybe we can help each other?” She smoothed down her robe as though she was wearing an expensive gown. There was a ring on her finger. A heavy ruby enclosed in gold. Gold bangles clinked pleasantly at her wrists.
“How?”
“Well, you did seem to need money,” she pointed out. “And, in case you didn’t know, my family is very rich.”
“That must be nice.”
“It can be,” she said.
“I bet.” He let his head lean back into the top of the couch.
Looking slightly over her head, he took a deep breath.
“I grew up with nothing. I wasn’t an orphan, but my family couldn’t do much for me.
They focused on my brother and sister. I was sent out into the world with a pouch of coins and a pat on the head. I never heard from them again.”
Vesna gave him a look which showed how little she could relate to that.
Her parents no doubt pampered her. Especially given her potential as a mage. Tania had told him she was a rank 6, which was pretty good. The Farringham family was proud of her.
Milo wondered if his own would be proud of him if they found out.
But who would tell them?
He wasn’t about to go back to them and let them know.
Besides. Didn’t he have a new family now? Wasn’t Tania, Mila, Selma, and the Workshop his family? Even Click and Clack and their army of spider golems felt like annoying little cousins scrambling around his feet sometimes.
“Do you want to take care of them?” Vesna’s voice sounded confused, but she was trying to find something to use as a bridge. “My family can help.”
“Why would I want that? They kicked me out. If they’d wanted anything from me, they’d have kept in contact.”
“Then what do you want, Milo?” Vesna touched a finger to her throat. “Do you want money? Power? With my family, we could help you get both.”
“How?”
“Well, money buys a lot of things…”
“Really?”
“Of course,” she said, missing the dry amusement in his voice. “And, there’s other ways, too.”
“What other ways?”
“Well.” She pursed her lips at him and reached out to touch his knee with a suggestive brush of her fingers.
The gesture, meant to be seductive, almost made him choke a laugh as he suddenly imagined Jassie’s incredulous scowl if she could have seen it.
“Maybe we can talk about how you could get closer to my family. To me?”
Before he could reply, a hand slapped down from behind and plucked him out of his chair.
He let out a shocked gasp as he was lifted to his feet.
“Yeah, I think that’s enough of that,” Tania growled. “Milo’s got his mitts full enough already with me and my sisters. He ain’t got time for a slummer like you. So, hit the road before ya get smacked on the beezer.”
Her grip on his shirt was pulling his collar tight, and he tried to tug himself loose.
But she didn’t let go.
Vesna’s eyes narrowed, and she gripped her robes in frustration while smiling as though nothing had happened. “I don’t know who you are,” she said. “But Milo and I were talking. There’s no law against that.”
“Sure there is,” his golem said firmly. She pointed a thumb at herself. “It’s called Tania’s Law.”
“I think it’s up to Milo who he wants to talk to,” Vesna sniffed.
“Milo can talk to anyone he wants,” Tania said. “But he don’t wanna talk to you.”
“Are you sure about that?” Vesna showed a cool smile. “My family is powerful, you know. And rich. If Milo married into it, he’d never want anything again in his life. He’d have everything he needs.”
“He’s already got everything he needs. And more.”
Vesna’s gaze dropped to Tania’s exposed legs. “Well. I suppose I can see why he’s attracted to you. But a short skirt can’t compensate for good breeding.”
“You think he likes me just for my coochie?” Tania let out a sharp barking laugh that got the whole room’s attention.
Although mostly everyone was already watching Milo struggle to breathe.
“He ain’t that shallow, ya ditzy dame. Ya think ya got enough money to be his moll?
Well, there ain’t enough money in the world to buy my man here. He ain’t a sap. Are ya, Milo?”
“Breathe,” he squeaked out, slapping her forearm.
“Oh.” Tania let him go and gave him a concerned pat down. “Are ya alright, Milo?”
“Fine,” he croaked, hunching over and letting out a cough as his airway started working again.
But she kept fussing over him, rubbing his back and looking ashamed. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I saw that skirt trying to make a move on ya, and kinda lost my marbles.”
“It’s alright,” he told her, looking up into her eyes. “I was about to tell her I wasn’t interested anyway.”
“I know. But I don’t think she’s the type to take no for an answer.” Tania shot the woman a fierce look. “And I won’t let no one bully ya. Especially not some cake-eater like this.”
“You’re making a mistake,” Vesna said, trying to regain her composure. “My family has a lot of connections.”
“Lady,” Tania said, putting an arm protectively around him and leading him away. “Your family can bite my can. It don’t matter who you are. Or what coochie you squirted yourself out of. Our family is better than yours.”
Milo rubbed at his neck, his mind reeling at her words.
How had she known what he was thinking?
“I’m sorry ta steal ya thunder.” Tania sighed. “But she was rubbing me the wrong way. And some things gotta be settled lady to tramp, ya know?”
That’s not it, he thought.
She was making out like she was protecting him.
But she wasn’t. It was plain simple jealousy. That’s all. The scowl on her face proved that. She was still scowling, and he could see her mind running over thoughts of squishing Vesna against a wall.
Simple human jealousy.
The emotion seemed real from her. He could even feel her body vibrating with anger as she supported him. Not that he needed support.
But her care for him was wrapped up in that jealousy and she needed to hold him as much as she needed to get her anger out. He let her drag him towards his room.
“Family,” he murmured. The word sounded nice to him again. It hadn’t sounded nice in years. In fact, he couldn’t remember when he’d last even thought the word.
“What?” Tania glanced at him.
“Nothing.”