Chapter 3 #4
Maeve contemplated him for a moment, her eyebrows drawn slightly together. She had seen Mal win many magical duels throughout their time at Vaukore. Even at a young age, he bested those much older than him.
“I think I will stick to what I am already good at, and perfect that,” she whispered, pulling her textbook back from him.
When the two of them said goodnight, Maeve made her way to The East Wing of the castle, eager to crash into her comfy dorm room bed.
“Oh thank God,” gasped a pair of girls as she strode towards the door.
The pair of them jumped to their feet, slamming close the book that had previously been in their lap.
“Have you read this?” Asked the blonde one, as she shoved the cover in Maeve’s face.
“Yes,” said Maeve with a laugh.
“I knew you would have,” said her friend. “I just said maybe Maeve will be back soon from her tutoring lessons with Malachite.”
Maeve grimaced. “Does everyone know about that?”
The girls exchanged an incredulous look. “Everyone is talking about it,” they said in unison.
Maeve walked around them. “What exactly is there to talk about?”
“That if you are struggling to pass Alchemy we’re all doomed.
“How do you get any work done around him?” Laughed the blonde as her cheeks flushed.
“Merlin,” muttered Maeve.
As she approached the ornate arched ivory double doors, a golden inscription was spread across the doorway.
“Here,” said the blonde, handing her the book.
“I don’t need that,” said Maeve. “The answer is Year 604. Prince Danin.”
The ivory doors clicked open and the inscription faded. The book vanished from the girl’s hands with a swift howling of the wind.
Maeve slipped quickly between the double doors and grabbed each knob in her hands.
“Just for being so nosy,” said Maeve with a smile.
The girls’ mouths hung open wide as Maeve slammed the ivory doors quickly, locking them out in the corridor, forced to answer a different and new question without her help.
“That’s cruel,” said Lavinia, who was sprawled across an armchair with a book held high. “They’ve been out there moaning for twenty minutes.”
“They’re such babies,” said Maeve. “Academia or pleasure?” She asked, nodding to the book Lavinia held high above her head.
She looked over at Maeve with a wicked grin. “Pleasure.”
“Goodnight,” said Maeve quickly, making her way towards the stairs up to the girls dorm rooms.
Lavinia shot up and smiled widely at Maeve.
“You’re denying yourself a good time, Sinclair.”
“Reading is to stimulate the mind-”
“Oh there is plenty of stimulation-”
Maeve turned back towards her, suppressing a smile.
“See,” said Lavinia. “You know you want to try.”
Maeve watched her for a moment. She thought about how Abraxas would never let her hear the end of it if she started reading Lavinia’s erotic novels. Spinel appeared from the shadows of the room and gave her a few chirp like meows. He stretched deeply with a wide mouth yawn.
“Goodnight,” said Maeve once more.
Lavinia shook her head and laid out across the chair once more. “Your loss.”
Spinel followed her up to her dormitory. Within minutes she was asleep, Spinel curled up beside her.
The next day the castle was buzzing with excitement for the return of The Dueling Club. Tonight was the first duel of the year. The duels always pulled a crowd. Maeve rarely attended. But maybe tonight was different.
There was no doubt Mal would best anyone that stepped up, as he had been undefeated since his first duel at school.
“Maeve?”
A faint voice brought her out of her thoughts and back into Healing Class, an elective she had postponed taking until now. To her left, Violet’s eyebrows were raised and she was waving a hand in her face. “Have you heard anything I’ve said?”
Maeve batted her hand away. “No. Sorry.”
The rest of the class was practicing their nonverbal spells, something Maeve had mastered last year.
Violet rolled her eyes. “I asked if you were going on the trip this weekend. Because rumor has it that Velvetina’s has some gorgeous new winter wear.”
“Oh,” said Maeve.
Maeve found it hard to want to do anything with Violet lately.
“I should probably study,” said Maeve.
Violet’s head flung backwards as she closed her eyes in frustration.
Maeve chuckled lightly.“Fine. I wouldn’t mind a pretty new coat.”
Violet exhaled and raised her hand to practice. “Thank you.”
Maeve watched a Draconem student struggled to produce a healing spell silently.
She could honestly use a day off just to have fun. Now that she was performing better in Alchemy, there was much less for her to stress over.
The only portal still available for students to use on designated weekends was the one to London, and the Headmasters had ensured them it was safe and guarded. Maeve much preferred the Magical shops in Paris, but London had a fine array too.
Last year, she and Abraxas managed to get banned from one shop in Paris. Something about “snobby British children.”
“I won’t be setting foot through that portal,” said Harriet Simms from behind them.
“Good thing no one asked you,” snapped Violet.
Harriet glowered at her, fixed her Serpentine badge as though it meant something, which it did, and returned to her work.
After class, Maeve set out to find Mal. She knew he’d be leaving Charms class and waited for him in the main corridor. She spotted him rather quickly.
“Malachite,” said Maeve as she reached out and touched his arm to gather his attention. “May I have a short word?”
His eyes lingered on her hand. She dropped it at once and stepped away from him. His eyes found hers, and he nodded for them to move over.
They pushed through the swarm of students heading for their various dorms and rounded a corner out of the traffic.
“Firstly,” she began, “I just want to thank you for helping me with Alchemy, I know I was difficult at first.”
He attempted to hide a small smirk at her admitting her own arrogance, but Maeve knew he was all too pleased with himself regardless.
“Secondly, I’m going to London this weekend so I won’t be meeting to study.”
Students continued passing by them in the main hallway laughing loudly.
“Thank you for letting me know,” said Mal, his voice businesslike.
Maeve nodded and noticed his expression shift.
“Thirdly, good luck tonight,” said Maeve, backing away. “Not that you need it.”
Mal smiled softly in agreement. Maeve turned on her heel and headed to The Dining Hall.
Dinner was filled with whispers of bets for the duels. Betting was strictly illegal at Vaukore, though no Professor truly enforced this. Professor Larliesl, who sponsored The Dueling Club, usually pretended he had no idea the betting was even taking place.
Maeve ate her dinner alone, which was mostly how she preferred it. There was much more time to read and contemplate that way.
After much thought, Maeve decided she would make an uncommon appearance at the duel that night.
“Did you hear a first year boy challenged a fourth year? He’s got to be mental.” Maeve overheard a young Draconem student say as she made her way to the Dueling Hall.
The large stone room was in the dungeon.
Its walls were covered in marks from various hexes and curses-a lingering reminder of the potential seriousness of a duel.
There was a large, circular dueling stage in the center of the room, and surrounding it was plenty of seating, ancient tapestries and paintings stretched high onto its vaulted curves.
“Maeve!” Abraxas called from one corner of the room, motioning her over.
Maeve made her way through the large crowd of students, over to a group of Serpentine students she knew quite well.
“Hi, Maeve,” said Iris Astoria, a witch who was younger than Maeve.
The Astoria family, like the Sinclair family, was a bloodline of Sacred Seventeen.
Six of the Sacred families had Pureblood Magicals in school at Vaukore with Maeve.
They were among the seventeen families left with only Magicals in their lines and lineages.
The Magical world on Earth was now a mixture of Humans, Elves, and Magicals.
The Sacred Seventeen, however, did not marry or reproduce outside of those seventeen families, as was their duty designated by the Committee of the Sacred.
Maeve took a seat in an oversized armchair, crossing her legs.
“Would you like to place any bets?” Abraxas asked Maeve, in an affected voice.
“Absolutely,” said Maeve leaning over to look at the dueling sign up list.
“Fawley is fighting Kash?” She whispered, glancing over towards Fawley.
Hendrix Fawley was a senior at Vaukore, in his fourth year.
He and Maeve were two of the few Sacred Seventeen members in history to be placed outside of Serpentine Court.
A fact which they commiserated on many occasions.
Fawley’s family didn’t take it as well as Maeve’s did.
The morning after he was sorted his parents came bursting through the front gates of the school demanding to speak with Headmasters Elgin and Rowan.
“I’d put money on Kash, sadly,” laughed Thormund Prewett.
“I dunno,” said Mervyn Roswyn. “The stakes are high for Fawley.”
“But Mal’s really been laying into Kash lately, telling him he’s got to progress,” said Phineas.
“I’ll bet on Fawley,” said Maeve plainly.
“What?” Said Phineas, shocked.
Maeve shrugged. “You didn’t see him this summer in his duel. He’s gotten pretty good and we all know I think Kash is a wuss.”
“I’m with Maeve,” said Abraxas. “Especially about the wuss part.”
They reviewed the rest of the sheet and discussed their projected winners. There were few others Maeve was willing to bet on. Abraxas bet on every single duel, even the first years.
Mal emerged from the crowd and made his way towards them. His eyes found Maeve but his cool expression never faltered.
“Evening, Sinclair. I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” he said, collected as always.
“What else is there to do on a Tuesday night?” Maeve said cooly.
“Read the same book for the millionth time?” Abraxas snorted.