Chapter 5 #2
Lesya’s mouth went bone-dry. If the headmaster—someone who was renowned for being prone to favoritism—had done that to his own grandson, what was he going to do to her?
* * *
It was midnight when Lesya, accompanied by Professor Elara Moore, came to a halt at the spiraling staircase that led to Headmaster Eldric Solwyn’s office on the top floor of the highest tower.
“Mind your step, dear,” Elara Moore said as she strode up the stairs.
There was a gargoyle that stood sentinel at the center of the spiraling staircase, its ominous eyes following Lesya as she climbed the stairs.
Her hand hurt no longer. The skin on it was healed to perfection thanks to the very mana-heavy spell that Elara Moore had cast upon it, a spell that healers weren’t usually allowed to cast on account of one healer healing several patients at once and not affording to cast such a heavy spell.
But Elara Moore had made it clear that the circumstances called for it.
Lesya was glad that she could feel her hand again, and none of the burns. Her harness was back on, and even though having it on her hand gave her some courage, it was nothing in the face of the terror she felt in her chest.
Four years and she had never been called to the headmaster’s office.
Eldric Solwyn was a domineering figure, standing more than six feet tall, wearing one of his ceremonial robes with design patterns depicting the sun.
He had a very neat white stubble and trimmed mustache.
When he walked, it was with the stride of a much younger man.
The students had never seen him with his channeling device, and it was rumored that he never wore one.
But as Lesya entered his office, she saw what was unmistakably a channeling device around the headmaster’s neck. A silver necklace with a black stone hanging from it. He glared at Lesya with his deep blue eyes and gave her a brief nod.
“Miss Lesya Rosefield,” the headmaster said, waving his hand, beckoning her to come forward.
Lesya had never been in the headmaster’s office before, and was therefore overcome by the sheer display of splendor present in the room.
Rich red carpets and rugs, tapestries and velvet curtains, and a big glass sunroof at the center.
There were shelves upon shelves stacked with books, potions, and magical paraphernalia.
To one side of this circular room stretched a gallery lined with portraits of old headmasters, leading to a windowed alcove overlooking the entire castle.
Here in this alcove, there was a wine rack and a series of pillows laid atop a mattress.
“Headmaster,” she said, looking at her own feet, realizing just how grimy she was after a whole day’s worth of activities, hardly in the proper attire or decorum for being in such a formal place.
“I have been informed that Mr. Elias Solwyn and his two accomplices put you and your fellow housemates in mortal danger,” Eldric said sternly. “I was also informed that you put yourself on the line and saved Mr. Miles Farrow from what would’ve been a fatal attack.”
“Yes, sir,” Lesya said, still unsure whether she should look up and face the headmaster or stand still with her face down.
“Bourbon?”
That caught her so off-guard that she looked up confusedly at the headmaster, who stood holding two glasses in his hand, one of them extended to her. He had a calm smile on his face, an almost encouraging demeanor that made Lesya reach forward and take the glass from him.
“To your good health,” he said, and raised his glass, then drank from it.
Lesya was no stranger to spirits and strong alcohol, but it was another thing entirely drinking in the headmaster’s presence. It felt wrong. And yet, when she put the glass to her lips and sipped from it, the familiar warmth and strongness of the drink did, in fact, calm her.
“My grandson…” the headmaster began, nodding at Elara Moore. Elara Moore nodded and went out the main door. “Is difficult.”
“You think?” Lesya quipped, immediately regretting the informal remark. It was not like her to behave so; what was in this drink?
“I know,” the headmaster said, smiling at her. “I’ve been dealing with him all his life, especially after his parents passed away at the hands of the Deathless.”
“If this is some sort of speech that’s going to soften me toward Elias…” Lesya said, surprised at her own boldness again.
“It’s not,” Eldric said, shaking his head solemnly.
“What he’s done is unpardonable, and while it may look like I extend a certain degree of favoritism toward him, that is not the case.
He’s going to be expelled, Mr. Cohen and Ms. Drummond with him.
He should have realized that his actions would have consequences. ”
“I really didn’t want…”
“What you want and don’t want is inconsequential here, my dear.
When students come to this university, they expect protection and an environment where learning can thrive.
Not a place where their lives are in danger.
In these tenebrous times, it’s more vital than ever to safeguard their sense of safety.
Including yours. For the trouble Elias caused you, and has been causing you so far, I apologize most sincerely,” the headmaster said, and then sank into his chair, waving at her to sit down in the empty chair facing him.
She did as told, and then began feeling a strange prickling on the nape of her neck, as if an invisible hand was caressing her skin. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair, but chose to remain seated despite her discomfort.
“Expelling him was not an easy decision, and it was not entirely my decision, if I am to be honest. It was the decision of the academic council, and it is one that I agree with,” he said, looking out the window at the distant moon.
“I’m sorry all this happened, Headmaster,” she said, shifting her feet.
“As am I,” he said, and then suddenly turned rapt. “But that is not why I called you here.”
Now she was more confused than ever.
“You may perhaps know this, but sometime ago, when I hired Professor Veilmonte, I made a vow with him, something that would prohibit him from divulging the details of our…business. He’s since then confided in me about the nature of his relationship with you, and has requested permission to share a few details, something that might help you understand better what he does. ”
Lesya didn’t completely hear what he’d said, because she was too busy blushing and feeling the increased blood flow to her ears. It was her secret, their secret, and he’d told the headmaster.
“Rest assured, dear girl, no one else is privy to this information,” the headmaster said, but that did not help. What was Cassian thinking? The headmaster continued, “And since he’s bound by his oath, it falls on me to share the nature of his endeavors of late.”
“Headmaster, I don’t think I?—”
“You must,” he said, staring at her intensely, leaning forward. “And please consider it as me establishing trust between us. These are uncertain times, and we need good people in this fight.”
Fight? Good people? What the hell is he on about?
“Your partner, Cassian Veilmonte, is a member of the Solignis Covenant. He answers directly to me, and he has been paramount in our operations of late. A master alchemist with deep understanding of Aeternumancy theory, Cassian has been chasing leads across the country to see if the Grath Nomad’s claims are true. ”
It felt like the floor had been yanked from underneath her, leaving her in free fall.
“And now, I will present my proposition, for that is the agreement that Cassian and I made. I have been following your academic journey with great interest, and realize that you are one of our best students. A gifted mage, you’re capable of a lot more than you think.
I would very much like for you to be a part of the Solignis Covenant and help us in our fight against the Grath Nomad. ”
“Headmaster, I’m just a student. I assure you, I?—”
He cut her off with a hand. “Need I remind you, girl, that I am the foremost authority on dreamwork in the world? And I know of the dreams you’ve been having of late.”
The blood in her veins turned to ice.
“And if that should not be enough, let me present one more fact that will sway you in collaborating with the Covenant, Lesya Rosefield,” Headmaster Eldric Solwyn said, all the faux-sweetness ripped from his voice, leaving it barbed and harsh.
He stood over her, his intense gaze judging her, loathing her, wishing that she’d never stepped into the university.
“I know your mother practices profane-craft, and that she has preserved your father’s corpse in hopes that the Dark Lord will return and restore him to life.”