Chapter 8
*
A knock on the door broke the silence, but Liara didn't answer. Probably some Herald wondering why she didn't turn up for the rest of her classes.
The knock repeated, and the door knob was tried, but Liara had bolted the door shut, and it remained stubbornly closed. A voice inserted itself through the crack.
"If you don't unlock the door," someone said cheerfully, "I'll use my Fetching gift to open it. I can, you know."
Kirstie! Liara stood up from her position on the chair and pulled open the door. Kirstie walked in immediately and looked around appreciatively.
"Nice hangings." She commented, looking at the five tapestries Liara had created. "Where did you get them? Can't say I like the dagger, though."
"You can see a dagger?" Liara said in surprise. Only people with slight elemental gifts could see the daggers woven into the tapestries. "In which hanging?"
"This one." Kirstie replied, gesturing to the picture of lightening hanging over the fireplace. "It's a good effect, but the subject's a bit grim."
That explained it. Kirstie probably had a touch of mage gift, which often brought with it some Lightening power.
"Did you come here to discus my decor?" Liara asked pointedly, resuming her seat. Kirstie appropriated the edge of the bed.
"No, in fact." Kirstie replied, keeping her cheerful tone in spite of this snub. "The Dean called me to his office a while ago."
Blood pounded in Liara's ears. This was outrageous! First he pried into her affairs, and now he interrogated her friends about her!
"He told me about your - interview," Kirstie continued, watching Liara closely. "He wants me to spy on you."
"What did you tell him?" asked Liara. Rage still pumped in her veins, despite her attempt to suppress it.
Kirstie snorted. "No, of course. I'm your friend, aren't I?"
"A better friend than Deilan is," Liara muttered, her anger draining away in the face of Kirstie's steadfast loyalty.
"Oh?" asked Kirstie. "What did he do?"
"Told the Dean about me, when I told him to keep his mouth shut about what he knows." Liara replied, her anger at this betrayal strengthening the shields that kept Deilan's, and the love he offered, quite firmly out. She did not want him, traitor that he was, interfering in her life anymore.
"Oh." Said Kirstie blankly, and her face became vacant. "My Companion, Lyathra, says that the Dean just guessed." She told Liara.
In reply she got a disbelieving noise. "Yes, with Deilan telling him every time he made a wrong answer."
This struck Kirstie as interesting. What was so important about Liara's past that made her so desperate for secrecy? And what made Deilan so desperate for others to find out?
Kirstie had refused to spy for the Dean, but, now alerted to her friend's problems, she might do a bit of spying for herself - but much more subtly than the Dean's crude method. And she knew, or at least suspected, things the Dean didn't know - she had seen the scar that marred Liara's right shoulder, and noted that she kept her glove on even while bathing. She believed she knew the cause of Liara's aversion for swords.
*
The dinner bell tolled, and Kirstie stood up.
"Come on." She said pulling Liara out of her seat. "I'll introduce you to your new yearmates."
"My what?" asked Liara, confused by this sudden incongruous declaration.
"Oh, didn't I say?" Kirstie asked innocently, blue eyes sparkling with mischeif. "Youv'e been transfered to my year group."
With that she sailed blithely from the room, leaving behind an extremely startled Liara.
*
A knock on the door broke the silence, but Liara didn't answer. Probably some Herald wondering why she didn't turn up for the rest of her classes.
The knock repeated, and the door knob was tried, but Liara had bolted the door shut, and it remained stubbornly closed. A voice inserted itself through the crack.
"If you don't unlock the door," someone said cheerfully, "I'll use my Fetching gift to open it. I can, you know."
Kirstie! Liara stood up from her position on the chair and pulled open the door. Kirstie walked in immediately and looked around appreciatively.
"Nice hangings." She commented, looking at the five tapestries Liara had created. "Where did you get them? Can't say I like the dagger, though."
"You can see a dagger?" Liara said in surprise. Only people with slight elemental gifts could see the daggers woven into the tapestries. "In which hanging?"
"This one." Kirstie replied, gesturing to the picture of lightening hanging over the fireplace. "It's a good effect, but the subject's a bit grim."
That explained it. Kirstie probably had a touch of mage gift, which often brought with it some Lightening power.
"Did you come here to discus my decor?" Liara asked pointedly, resuming her seat. Kirstie appropriated the edge of the bed.
"No, in fact." Kirstie replied, keeping her cheerful tone in spite of this snub. "The Dean called me to his office a while ago."
Blood pounded in Liara's ears. This was outrageous! First he pried into her affairs, and now he interrogated her friends about her!
"He told me about your - interview," Kirstie continued, watching Liara closely. "He wants me to spy on you."
"What did you tell him?" asked Liara. Rage still pumped in her veins, despite her attempt to suppress it.
Kirstie snorted. "No, of course. I'm your friend, aren't I?"
"A better friend than Deilan is," Liara muttered, her anger draining away in the face of Kirstie's steadfast loyalty.
"Oh?" asked Kirstie. "What did he do?"
"Told the Dean about me, when I told him to keep his mouth shut about what he knows." Liara replied, her anger at this betrayal strengthening the shields that kept Deilan's, and the love he offered, quite firmly out. She did not want him, traitor that he was, interfering in her life anymore.
"Oh." Said Kirstie blankly, and her face became vacant. "My Companion, Lyathra, says that the Dean just guessed." She told Liara.
In reply she got a disbelieving noise. "Yes, with Deilan telling him every time he made a wrong answer."
This struck Kirstie as interesting. What was so important about Liara's past that made her so desperate for secrecy? And what made Deilan so desperate for others to find out?
Kirstie had refused to spy for the Dean, but, now alerted to her friend's problems, she might do a bit of spying for herself - but much more subtly than the Dean's crude method. And she knew, or at least suspected, things the Dean didn't know - she had seen the scar that marred Liara's right shoulder, and noted that she kept her glove on even while bathing. She believed she knew the cause of Liara's aversion for swords.
*
The dinner bell tolled, and Kirstie stood up.
"Come on." She said pulling Liara out of her seat. "I'll introduce you to your new yearmates."
"My what?" asked Liara, confused by this sudden incongruous declaration.
"Oh, didn't I say?" Kirstie asked innocently, blue eyes sparkling with mischeif. "Youv'e been transfered to my year group."
With that she sailed blithely from the room, leaving behind an extremely startled Liara.