Developments, Part II
Louise was still snuggled against him – halfway sprawled on top of him, even – when Jason woke up, and for a moment he thought they were still undercover at the Charming Fairies Inn.
Just for a moment, of course. He was in his Terran nightwear, she was in the shirt that he'd worn yesterday, and until the very last night at the Inn they hadn't been actively cuddling while sharing a bed.
But waking up next to her, and not having to worry about her reaction when she woke up, was a comfort he'd been denied since returning to the Academy.
One we've both been denied, given how badly she's been sleeping since we got back. But unless she changes her mind about the two of us, there's no more need for separation.
Though we can think of some people who'd strenuously disagree.
But her parents and her fiancé were problems to worry about later. For now, he was far too cozy to want to get out of bed.
And Louise probably looks adorable. Perfect for one of those sleeping girlfriend videos, easily a million hits on you-tube. Blow most of those BP-med baby-animal videos out of the park.
Jason blinked.
Holy shit! With the phone we could take some hilarious videos, stuff animals would never do by themselves! We'd just have to use the Mirror of Truth and become kittens or whatever.
Well, if the Mirror allows animal morphs. We don't know that, but before we headed out to rescue the girls we did get an offer to experiment. And the Headmaster demonstrated that the possibilities are rather broad. So how much practice would it take to start to master the damn thing, like he has? We didn't hear him chant any spells when he morphed into the maid, and if that means mental focus instead of wand-waving then we might be able to learn it ourself.
After all, shapeshifting doesn't make us a proper noble mage but it does hint at exotic power, and we can use every bit of not-a-commoner we can lay our hands on.
Plus if we can pull it off then the Mirror beats airships on the personal scale of awesomeness. Once we learn the trick of it, we'll be able to build up a personal library of morphs adapted for different situations. Even mix and match! We won't just make a horse morph, we'll adjust it until it's a bullshit super-horse right out of badly written Mary Sue chicklit. We won't just make a cat morph, we'll adjust it until we've got something like a Sphinxian Treecat, complete with the sharkteeth for claws! And whatever we make, we'll adjust it so that we have at least human-level vision. No colorblindness or other nonsense.
Figure out what's the biggest damn elephant we can make that won't collapse under its own weight, 'cause war-elephants are pretty hard to kill if they aren't panicking. And if animals are possible, find out if magical critters are possible . . . although does that mean the Headmaster has an Ancalagon-scale form? He claimed he could solo Reconquista, so he'd better have some Godzilla-tier shit he can pull out of his ass.
Although, if we can't become a dragon, a dinosaur might be a good alternate choice. T-Rex would be a big target, so we probably want the velociraptors from Jurassic Park . . . but weren't those more like Utahrapters? Either way we'd be big enough for Louise to ride if she needs to, and if we can manage the movie lethality or something better . . .
We'll probably want something that can fly, something that can burrow, swim, etc. Tool-user for as many as possible, to maximize what we can do with utility morphs, so we'd want to mod in functional hands whenever feasible.
What else-?
At that moment his brainstorming was interrupted when Louise sighed, and his eyes widened when what had to be one of her legs shifted just enough to press against his morning wood. Which, since she hadn't rolled on top of him on their narrow bed at the Inn, was something entirely new.
She's only wearing our shirt, going commando as usual, and seemed a bit put out when we didn't massage more than a few inches above her knees last night. Does she want us to push for sex?
No, last night was the first time she deliberately ignored the noble/commoner divide, without anything that could be used as a fig leaf and an excuse to walk it back. And for all that she said she was separated from her wand, she wasn't. And she was plenty nervous when she went topless out of habit for a moment and suddenly realized the new implications. Push too hard and we'd have probably failed a retroactive test of character.
Apparently we didn't, though. Well, unless Louise starts having second thoughts today. She's had time to sleep, so now would be the time for it.
And unless she does dump us, we still have to keep this on the dee-el, at least until we've got enough status to avoid summary execution for daring to go sniffing around a noblewoman. Quite a bit like a black man in love with a white woman during Jim Crow.
Which means we can't even tell Siesta, yet. And that's not fair to her, either, but there's no help for it. Our little mistress may have chosen to break the rules, but if she's that certain her family would put a stop to it . . . hell, we can't even risk third base. Not as long as it'd leave behind evidence for the Headmaster's familiar to sniff out. And mouse noses are better than human, so Scour and Freshen might not be up to the task.
Which means that if we want to fool around enough to work up a sweat, we need to do it well away from the Academy. Huh. Didn't think that would be one of the benefits of going on missions for Henrietta, but maybe . . . although we need to ask that the good Captain Wardes not come along the next-
Jason's thoughts were derailed once more, as Louise's leg shifted again, to press against him a little bit more. He raised his head and found her already awake, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
"How long have you been up, little mistress?"
"A little while," she replied. "I thought you should sleep for as long as you could."
Then she smiled naughtily. "And I was too comfortable to move."
"Uh-huh. Well, I'm awake, so it's time for us to get moving."
"There's still time before breakfast, so we don't need to just yet."
"Really?" He reached down and picked her up by her waist, and held her up at arm's length above him as she squeaked in surprise. ["I'm not sure you understand how tempting you were being, with that little game with your leg."]
She shook her head, her pink tresses spilling down to bracket his face. But as pleasing as the smell of her hair was, the worried expression on her face was more important. ["You're still in control of yourself, though. Right? You can . . . you can kiss me again if you want to, but you don't-"]
Damn, she has had some second thoughts.
He gently lowered her to the mattress next to him, and sighed. "Just one of those things." ["Playful teasing is one thing, Louise. But do take care: A lot of a man's lust is centered around, er, 'planting seed'. If you know what I mean."]
Her face went red. ["I don't . . . Mother told me how women can end up . . . expecting."]
["Yeah, and right now that would cause all sorts of trouble."]
["I know, but-"]
Jason glanced down at her quizzically, and if anything her blush had grown brighter. ["But what, little mistress?"]
["Mother also said that if a boy thought he was in love with me, he would t-try t-to, to l-lie with m-me!"]
["Oh."] How do we say this? ["Remember when I told you about learning to control myself? Just because I'm in love with you, doesn't mean I have to, er, you know. Besides, if you're shy about showing me your chest, now that we're, uh, together, then we're not ready for that."]
Louise looked down, avoiding his eyes. ["So we aren't having a torrid affair."]
["Trying to avoid it, although we'd probably get treated like we were anyway if this comes out too early."] He grimaced as he sat up. ["I am a bit confused. How are you feeling this morning? Anything you regret about last night?"]
She rolled over just enough to bury her face into the mattress. ["No, but I'm still engaged to Jean-, I mean, to Captain Wardes."]
["If I recall correctly, you said you hadn't confirmed it. So how big of an issue is that?"]
["You're right, I haven't confirmed it myself. Mother and Father negotiated it when I was six, that's how I met him. Back when he was nice. But they can't make me marry him, you don't force a mage to marry, obviously, but-"]
["Almost as bad as trying to kidnap one, like Dion the kiddy-diddler?"] You know, if we're going to do any comforting via making out, we should probably get rid of the morning breath. Which meant getting up and heading to the bathroom as he continued. ["Although suddenly I have to wonder, what would have happened if your magic had never improved? It's one thing to say that you won't marry someone when you can melt their face off-"]
Jason glanced out of the little alcove and over to his little mistress when she didn't respond. She was still lying on the mattress, and looking rigid and tense.
["Louise, did you think you wouldn't have any choice about who you married?"]
["I already knew who I was going to marry,"] she replied. ["Until you came along and I took leave of my senses."]
["Gee, thanks."]
["But if I'd failed to summon a familiar, I probably would have been expelled in shame and married off already."]
["Uh-huh. And when you found out that Captain Wardes was a lot less nice than you remembered? Would you still have to marry him then?"]
There was a long pause.
["If he was that awful, I could ask my parents to cancel the engagement. But they would have a very hard time finding anyone else willing to marry me, if I . . . if I was expelled."]
He finished rinsing his mouth out, then frowned. ["Would it still be their choice to make? Not yours?"]
["If I were declared inexprimé I would still be a Vallière. My children would still have a good chance of having magic, if I had a strong husband. And my parents would be my only hope of finding another one, if I turned down Captain Wardes."]
"So you'd have had some choice, but not even as much as the faeries at the Inn. Lovely." He walked back over to his little mistress, scooped her up, and sat down on the bed with her in his lap. "Still, you do have magic now. So you ask your parents to cancel the engagement, and then what?"
Louise looked away. "They negotiated it, so I wouldn't even have to face Captain Wardes. But Mother will demand to know why I'm ending it."
"Which means we can't tell them until I have a Germanian noble title, otherwise I'll be summarily executed. Got it."
"No!" She turned back to Jason and buried her face into his chest. "Don't you dare get yourself killed! Not even by Mother!"
"Shhhh. I don't plan to." The shirt she was wearing, since it was sized for him, had a neckline that was so large on her that it could threaten to slip down one of her shoulders. Which it was presently doing, and with her face buried she was completely vulnerable. So he lifted her hair away and started with a light kiss at the tip of her earlobe, then down her neck and across the uncovered shoulder. ["We'll tell them, but not until I have too much status to get killed out of hand."]
["Good."]
Then she gasped and giggled, as he gave a little extra attention to a spot that the shoulder-rub last night had shown was especially sensitive. ["You're cheating with your wicked auxilia!"] she accused.
["You said I could kiss you if I needed to. Do you want me to stop?"]
["No, don't-"]
She broke off, growling, as he started to snicker . . . and then it was very hard not to yelp when she replied by sinking her teeth into his shoulder.
They'd overslept a bit – not too surprising, his recently-wounded body had been given a bunch of protein to start assimilating – but went on their morning jog anyway, on the grounds that they hadn't done it since starting the trip to Albion and needed to reestablish the habit. (Plus he still needed to get used to wearing the harness and going armed with the new revolvers.) Besides, with classes out their schedule was a bit more flexible.
But it was late enough that they waited until after breakfast for a cooldown stroll outside the Academy walls. Which turned out to be a good thing, because Jason's breakfast was more stew fortified with organ meats and an admonition to stuff himself, so he needed to walk it off until he didn't feel quite so bloated.
The short trees lining the paths outside the walls were now in full blossom, their fragrance adding a bit of a romantic tint to the walk. Unless it was just the finally talking things out with Louise – and she said yes! – but the flowers were pretty. So maybe both.
And the walk was needed, since they'd worked up quite a sweat while exercising, and the mornings were noticeably warmer than when he'd arrived. Which his little mistress acknowledged by stopping to slowly and carefully Flow the sweat from their foreheads.
"Do you think the kitchen would give us some sherbet if I made ice for them?" she asked as they started back up again. "If I was back home, they'd already be preparing it on a warm day like this."
"Wouldn't surprise me," Jason replied. "Do you know if your room will get hot, too?"
"Most likely. Summer is nearly here." Then she stopped dead. "We should also ask for a big bowl, to put ice in! Like we did to keep the Charming Faerie Inn cool!"
He blinked. "I was about to suggest something similar, along with Breeze to move the cooler air around. Well spotted, little mistress."
She smiled up at him.
Jason smirked back down at her. ["Although if that's too much trouble, I suppose we could just wear as little clothing as possible in your room."]
Louise blushed, her eyes widening. ["Y-you wicked d-dog!"]
Oh shit, too far too fast! ["I was just teasing, you know."]
"Hmph!" With that, she stuck her nose in the air and marched forward.
He hurried after her. ["Come on, if you can keep an entire building cool, a single room will never be too much trouble!"] Unless you want an excuse, of course. ["And you know as well as I do that we can't, uh, consummate any time soon."]
She stopped dead, which let him catch up, and gave him a suspicious sidelong look. ["You aren't trying to start a torrid affair before you have a title?"]
Jason offered her his hand. After a moment, she slowly took it, and they continued onward. ["I do like kissing you, and I want to keep doing that. Even if we aren't lovers yet."]
Louise blushed again and looked away. ["That's . . . that's fine. You can, I mean, I like kissing you too."]
["And yes, a good chunk of me wants that torrid affair, but you were pretty upset last night when we were getting ready for bed, and I was serious when I said I'd rather not push you into anything you're not ready for."]
She was quiet for a moment. ["Oh."]
["And besides that? If I'm counting the days right, lying with you right now could lead to a baby. If your monthly cycle is regular enough for counting the days to work."]
Her eyes widened again, but she didn't let go of his hand. ["Z-zerbst . . . she does something to keep from, from getting with child. Or else she would have a dozen by now!"]
Uh, not without some odd . . . nevermind, not important! ["Yeah, except that one reason your parents haven't ordered me gelded or killed outright is that you haven't shown any worry about getting in a family way yourself. Including taking precautions where the Headmaster would notice. And those potions you take that keep you from bleeding during your monthly make it just about impossible to count the days even if your cycle is regular, so you'd need some other method that would draw notice."]
Louise frowned. ["How much scrutiny are we under?"]
["His mouse familiar can't see very well, but it can hear perfectly fine, and smell things better than we can. So not enough to violate your modestly, but enough to find out if we start needing precautions."]
She nodded, but then seemed to relax slightly. ["So you are being prudent, and not just pretending to love me."]
Jason raised an eyebrow. ["Considering how much trouble it's going to be to get to where I can marry you, I don't see the point in pretending."]
["Yes, but you . . . last night I didn't need to defend myself!"]
He blinked again. ["Defend yourself from what?"]
["From you trying to start a torrid affair, of course! I told you, Mother said that if a boy thought he loved me, that's what he'd want to do!"]
Oh, that's why she was surprised when we didn't try to massage very far above her knees! ["I'm sorry. That must have been confusing, if you were waiting for me to try that. I promise that I'll be very interested, once it's 'conjugal relations' and not a 'torrid affair'."]
Her face acquired some healthy color once more, but she was at least smiling. ["Even though it will take time?"]
He shrugged. ["Not like we'll be separated, as long as everyone respects my being your familiar. Although I admit, if one of us already had enough wealth in our names, not just support from your parents, I'd be seriously considering the advantages of eloping."] Instead of that just being a pleasant but lethally foolish daydream.
["But the earliest you can hope to present anything to His Imperial Majesty is during his Heir's wedding celebrations, and that won't be for months."] Her smile turned apologetic. ["I hope you don't mind. We haven't even been acquainted an entire season yet, and if you were courting me properly it would be a scandal all on its own, if we became engaged so quickly. Everyone would think you'd convinced me to lie with you already!"]
["Eh, scandal here, scandal there."] Jason shrugged again. ["We're going to cause a scandal eventually. I'm just hoping we can mitigate the reaction enough to get away with it."] Then he frowned thoughtfully. "Although speaking of the seasons, there's something I should have asked about as soon as I got here."
"What is it?" Louise replied curiously.
"Your calendar. I don't know how it works, aside from the local week having eight days. And I should have asked before, now, but-"
He broke off with a sheepish smile. "Well, remember how I said it was supposed to take six years to get my degree at the university, but I managed in four-and-a-half?"
"I . . . think I remember you saying that, yes. The night I summoned you?"
"Yeah. To manage that I had to be very careful with my time. And let me tell you, a lot of my fellow students were fine with taking eight or even ten years to manage the same, 'cause it let them have more free time to carouse and revel. So I was the strange one who never wanted to have any fun, who was always studying or working to support my studies. I had to plan out my time almost perfectly to get it done, and by the time I graduated I'd gotten sick of even looking at calendars.
"So once I graduated and took a vacation, part of the point was paying as little attention to time as I could get away with. And I kinda kept that up when I showed up here, 'cause you were the boss and I could tell myself it was your job to manage our time. Also, it meant I didn't need to learn a new calendar, and have to keep track of a few dozen new names."
Jason smiled sheepishly again. "But letting it slide all spring was honestly just pure laziness on my part, even if I had a bit of an excuse for it."
"That doesn't seem like you." Louise frowned. "You honestly haven't learned our calendar?"
"Like I said, I figured out pretty quick that your weeks have eight days. But my people use weeks of seven days, so I knew it was going to be a different calendar, and I avoided learning any of it. Might as well take care of that now, while classes are out."
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, you probably should have learned it by now. How you got away with not knowing-"
"I had you to pay attention to the time."
"Well, pay attention now. The year begins at the start of winter with the Advent Festival, on the first day of the month of Yara-"
"When you say the start of winter, do you mean the winter solstice?"
"Of course!"
"Okay." Didn't our calendar do that at first, before the mess with leap years each century made things slip a bit? "'Yara', huh? So how many months are there in a year?" 'Cause memorizing and using them is going to be annoying, but we're biting the bullet so-
"Twelve, of course," Louise told him, interrupting his line of thought.
"Really? Huh." Okay, our translation power treated 'Yara' like a proper noun, but if this were a program it'd only take a quick hash table to sort out. "Mind if I try something?"
"Try what?"
Now, focus! "You said that January is the first month of your calendar, right? Starts at the beginning of winter?"
She looked confused. "Yes, why?"
Jason chuckled. "Because I didn't call it 'Yara', I called it 'January'. Which is the first month of my people's calendar, and happens to start at the beginning of winter." Or at least close to it, if we fudge a bit.
"'Jaan-yew-airy'?" She paused for a moment. "Today is the twenty-first day of the sixth month. So if you say . . ."
"June 21st? I called it by the name of my people use, but-?"
"But I heard the name of the sixth month of our calendar." Louise rolled her eyes again. "It's just like when you learned our script, isn't it? Your auxilum translates the meaning as soon as it knows what it's doing."
"Seems to be the case, yeah. Can't quite do the same thing with the days of the week, since mine has seven and yours has eight, but is there maybe a special day of the week? Something that stands out?" Probably the last day, since the Inn was closed-
She nodded. "The last day of the week is Voidsday. It's a holy day of rest and contemplation."
Bingo! And wasn't Saturday originally the Sabbath, before it changed to Sunday? Don't the Jews still have it that way, in fact? This ought to work, then. "So if I call the first day of the week 'Sunday', and the seventh day 'Saturday', while the eighth day is Voidsday, did that translate right?"
"Yes." His little mistress shook her head. "It seems almost as lazy as ignoring our calendar in the first place, but I suppose this will save time."
"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. There's a lot we can be doing, and who knows how long we'll have to prepare before Her Highness needs something else handled?" Then Jason frowned. "Although come to think of it, I've been around all spring, and the closest I've seen to any kind of 'holiness' was that blessing Scarron offered before each Voidsday dinner. So, if it's a holy day, how come we've never . . . I mean, are there any observances or rituals you're supposed to be keeping?"
There was no response for a long moment.
Finally: "I fell out of the practice of prayer," Louise admitted, "after it seemed that Brimir had forsaken me, as the First Lords were forsaken."
"Oh." Ouch. "Headmaster Osmond mentioned that you came to the Academy early, and your time as a First Form student was particularly difficult."
"Difficult?" She grimaced. "Yes, it was difficult."
"Yeah. But I'm here now, so if you need to talk about it, or just need a shoulder to cry on-"
He cut off as his little mistress stopped turned to glare up at him.
"Jason," she asked, "how many people do you think I let myself cry in front of?"
"Uh, probably not very many?"
Her eyes narrowed. "My father and Cattleya. Jean-Jacques, once, when I ran and hid because I couldn't even cast a cantrip. Not my mother, and certainly not Eléonore. I don't let anyone see me weeping like a helpless child, but you! You go ahead and do whatever you think is best, even if your master says otherwise! You're so frustrating I can't help but break down in front of you!"
He winced. "You don't do it very often, though. And I'm serious about that shoulder. To paraphrase someone quite a bit wiser than myself, even if I can't carry some of your burdens, I can still carry you."
A smile began to crinkle her lips, and her glare lost quite a bit of force. "I know. And you aren't anything I imagined my familiar would be, but now I can barely imagine having a normal familiar."
He smiled back at her. "Turned out to be just as good, eh?"
Louise rolled her eyes yet again. "Jason, I don't know how long it would have taken me to think of drilling Levitate until I could cast it correctly. And after trying over a hundred times without any success, I might have given up again! So without you, I might not have learned most of the First Form cantrips yet. And I probably wouldn't have kept at practicing Ignite and Firebolt, since I still can't cast either one properly yet."
"Because my ideas don't fit how magic works."
"Yes! I would have been left with nothing but explosions with every failed spell. I'd still be the Zero! Sometimes I can't believe how foreign you are, but having a familiar can think of crazy things that sometimes work anyway is-"
She broke off and shook her head.
"Not something you thought to pray for, back when you were still praying?"
"No." She started walking again, before continuing in a chagrined voice. "I should spend this Voidsday in prayerful vigil, pleading for Brimir to forgive my lack of faith in him."
Jason made sure she was looking away when he rolled his eyes. Life can get pretty rough if you're stuck in an untermensch caste, so if their patron saint was actively interfering, why would he hand people power before they proved themselves worthy? Or deny others before they proved themselves unworthy? Magic's pretty obviously something hereditary, anyway.
But getting into a religious argument over it wouldn't be helpful, especially since as a foreigner it'd come across as 'my Jesus is better than your Jesus'.
So, in a bid to change the subject: "Next Voidsday. Alright. And today's the 21st, and-"
Okay, based on the most recent weekend- "Is today Thursday?"
Louise nodded.
"So this month started at the beginning of the week? Convenient, I suppose."
She gave him an odd look. "No, every month starts at the beginning of the week."
"Really? How many days are there in a month, then?"
"Thirty-two, of course!"
"Every month?"
"Yes! Why wouldn't they have the same number of days?"
He shrugged. "In the case of my people, a couple of ancient emperors made sure that the months named after them were longer by stealing a day from another month. So, uh, what about the years with an extra day in them?" 'Cause if y'all have years that are perfectly regular and don't need leap years that's going to be a really weird coincidence.
"You mean the Day of Precession every two or three years, when the Advent star is late?" she asked. "That won't happen again until the end of next year."
"Oh. I think that's what my people call a 'leap year'." Hmmm. "So 384 days a year," Jason mused, "and more leap years, but your day seems to be about a minute shorter than mine, so if I'm doing the math right that's pretty much a wash-"
"Your days are a 'minute' shorter?" Louise repeated. "What?"
"Hang on. And with 19 extra days in a year-"
"What?!"
"That means you gain a full year – 19 squared is 400 minus 39, that's 361 which is close enough – every nineteen years which means . . . little mistress, when is your birthday? We haven't missed it since I showed up, have we?" That'd suck, dunno what the locals do but she should get a chance to celebrate no matter what.
"My birthday is the 6th of August." Then she stopped again and yanked (there was no other word for it) at him through his recently awoken auxilum that let her call him to her side, making him stumble.
"Now that I have your attention," Louise said tartly, "what in Brimir's name are you going on about?"
He chuckled. "Sorry, until I got through the math there wasn't much point in saying anything. But, well, by the reckoning of my people you're already seventeen-and-a-half. You'll turn eighteen about a month or two month after your seventeenth birthday here, if I'm not mucking up the math."
She gave him a look of sheer disbelief, and resumed walking again. "Your people must have a strange calendar. And why does it matter, anyway?"
["The thing, I'm from Texas. And since you're seventeen, by Texas law you're already old enough to make your own decisions on-"]
Having a torrid affair.
["-well, who you want to marry. Of course, you aren't Texan, but the age of majority across America is eighteen. So by the time I've got a Germanian title, you'll be old enough no matter what."]
Louise blushed charmingly. ["We . . . you know my age doesn't matter! If I'd been expelled for not summoning a familiar I probably would be married already to Jean- . . . to Captain Wardes."]
["Oh, of course. Still, you said it, last night."]
She blinked. ["I did? What did I say?"]
He glanced down at her and raised an eyebrow. ["Brimir's 'other worlds'. If he taught about them there probably ought to be some way of getting back across. I know Siesta's grandfather slipped over, for one, so all things considered your world and mine are probably pretty close together. And the Headmaster has a collection of forbidden artifacts, so it shouldn't-"]
Louise stopped yet again, and when he turned back to look at her, her eyes had gone extremely wide.
"Jason?" she said in a very small voice. "You're claiming that you're from another world? How can you know that?"
"I've known ever since I saw that this world has two moons," he replied quietly. "Terra – my world – only has one, and it's white instead of the pale blue and red of your two moons. And the difference in the length of the day was more confirmation." Then he smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not plotting to escape your company, it's just something to keep in mind-"
"Jason, if you knew you were from another world then why didn't you tell me?!"
Louise was trembling again, much as she'd been the last night, when she'd chosen to abandon noble propriety and start up a forbidden romance with him, and he hurried to slip an arm around her for support.
"Little mistress? What's wrong?"
She shook her herself. "W-we should go see Mr. Colbert right this instant."
"Um, okay-"
But she was already marching towards the professor's laboratory suite, doing her best to drag him with her. Not that she had the bulk to accomplish it without magic, but he quickened his stride to humor her.
After all, we've had enough of a walk by now, and if this is bothering her that much we might as well get it taken care of right away.
"Did you know Jason claims to be from another world?" Louise demanded, as soon as they entered Mr. Colbert's suite.
The professor's eyebrows shot up. "No, I did not. That is . . . quite the extraordinary claim," he replied, his expression a clear invitation for clarification.
"It's not like I have a way to prove it," Jason pointed out, feeling rather awkward. "I mean, I can prove it to my satisfaction. The length of the days here are slightly different, the number of days in the year are different, the constellations are different, and there's only one moon in the skies of Terra. Hell, beyond that? My people have gone around our world, through water and air, and on trails of fire through the lower reaches of the Void. Halkegenia isn't on our maps, which is more proof that this is another world.
"The problem is, I'd have to find a way to bring you to Terra and show off the differences before anything I've said could be considered proof. I didn't have any solid evidence to offer, so I didn't say anything."
"And once you'd earned some trust, it didn't seem of any great importance?"
"Oh, it'd be very important if I could find a way to return for a visit." Then he shrugged. "But like I said, I couldn't prove it, and nobody said anything to suggest that travel between worlds was a known possibility until very recently, and I didn't want to seem crazy. Besides, the only reason to go on about it when I first got here was if I wanted to go back home, and . . . I wanted to see what would happen next. If that doesn't sound too silly."
Mr. Colbert glanced questioningly at Louise, and smiled slightly when she blushed. "Yes, I believe I understand what you mean."
And his tone, for all that it was quite mild, was clearly masking amusement.
"No, it's-" Wait! Explaining parallel motives is one of those things where we nerds can offend without . . . just be careful, idiot. Jason took a deep breath. "Okay, yeah. I'll walk the worlds at her side to the very end of days, if she'll let me. And if I can finesse outraged parents. But I didn't know I'd have any reason to hope along those lines, right after the summoning. Getting to visit another world, one where magic is real?"
His smiled sadly. "Our storytellers have been writing adventures like that for a long time. Just about everyone who likes to read those adventures back home has wished they could do it. But we can't, because we don't have magic portals leading to other worlds. Not normally. So those of us who dream of such things . . . eventually we have to grow up. Work towards goals that aren't quite so impossible. Even if it breaks our hearts, just like those of us who look up at the stars in quiet despair for all the worlds we'll never be able to visit.
"Except that your Brimir chose me for the impossible, and was nice enough to make things easy for me."
"You did seem oddly content for one torn from his prior life," Mr. Colbert commented. "I had wondered on that. But 'easy'? I would have wished for noble magic, were I in your circumstances."
"I admit, that'd be nice. On the other hand, I've got a workaround for the language barrier, my needs are provided for, and I've developed a decent working relationship with you based on reinventing stuff. Plus, it turns out that the Headmaster considers me a net positive, so he's declined to tamper with me as long as I'm good for Louise. Speaking of which, it'd be worth putting up with a lot worse for her alone."
"Jason!" His little mistress blushed again, her cheeks darker than the rose-colored hair framing them. "You can't say things like that." ["Not until you have a title!"]
All traces of amusement left Mr. Colbert's expression. "Sadly, Miss Vallière is correct. Whatever private doubts some may harbor, it's officially accepted that she summoned you as her familiar. And she has treated you as such, of course, but as that means housing you in her bedroom, it has been the subject of no small merriment among the gossips.
"Which, now that the students have mostly gone home to their families for the summer, means that you shall have to be quite careful in public. Noblemen may sow where they will, provided they're suitably discreet, but a commoner seeking the love of a noblewoman? It happens, of course: Love and lust make fools of us all. But it is far more scandalous. You spoke of 'finessing' outraged parents, but I must wonder if they can be mollified, given the circumstances."
"Hopefully by then the circumstances will include my having a Germanian title." Jason tilted his head. "If you don't think we can pull it off, why are you being as supportive as you've been? Both you and the Headmaster, to be honest."
"Because . . . do you not recall? I was there, at the Summoning Rite. I witnessed it."
"Um, right, you were the one overseeing everything. So how does that . . . I mean, Louise kissed me. Which I'm not complaining about, but why does that mean you aren't scandalized by my aspirations? How does her kissing me make everything okay?"
"It wouldn't be, if Mother or Father had seen it," Louise grumbled. "But it was Brimir at work. Isn't that what you mean, Mr. Colbert?"
"Yes, precisely," the professor replied. "In everyday life, Jason, the merciful hand of Brimir can be hard to discern, but there is one miracle that every mage may count on: The Rite of Summoning works without fail. And to be kissed by your master . . . had you thought that such was the usual gesture of acceptance and binding?"
"I hadn't given it any thought, to be honest. Kinda distracted at the time, you know."
Mr. Colbert chuckled. "I imagine so! But surely it's evident that the ceremony might last for days, if I or another had to persuade every mage who summoned a snake, a frog, a spider, or something equally dubious to kiss it. The only other mage who kissed her familiar this year was Dame Tabitha, and she kissed her wind dragon on its forehead, rather than any part of its mouth. The binding gesture is a matter of instinct, a prompting to the mage after delivering the benediction of acceptance, and typically involves nothing more than holding the new familiar, or embracing it if it's too large to pick up."
"Oh." Jason glanced at Louise. "By the time you came back from talking to him, I'd managed to get to my knees. A hug would have been fine, I guess."
She winced. "That's what I was going to do." Her blush renewed itself once more. "I don't go around kissing boys, you know!"
"Yeah, you said something about that, that night."
["And I haven't even ever kissed Captain Wardes!"] "Mr. Colbert confirmed that you were truly what I'd summoned, so I had to complete the Rite. But then when I said the benediction . . ."
"We were all quite surprised," the teacher confirmed. "Miss Vallière thought there'd been some mistake, which was reasonable enough, given that no human, common or noble, has ever been summoned as a familiar. But it was even more of a shock when we witnessed what Brimir was prompting her to do."
"Oh." Jason thought about it for a moment. Then he couldn't help but chuckle.
Louise glared. "It wasn't funny! This was before we started getting along, and it was mortifying!"
"Sorry, I get that, but I just had this one song pop into my head, and-"
"You know a song appropriate to the situation? From a land without magic, your storytellers crafted a song for becoming a familiar?" Mr. Colbert sounded very dubious about this latest claim.
"Not the familiar part, just the boy-meets-girl. First time a girl's ever kissed me within moments of meeting me, after all. I don't mean to make fun, I'm just picturing a spirit sitting on her shoulder, whispering something like:
"Dere you summoned him
Kneeling on de courtyard dirt
Can't understand what you say
But dere's some'ting about him
"And you don' know why
But you're dyin' to try
You wanna
Kiss de boy."
The resulting twin expression of disbelief made Jason flush. "I swear it's funny in context," he muttered, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck.
Mr. Colbert shook his head. "Miss Vallière, I hope for your sake that Jason is not like this very often."
She rolled her eyes. "No, he doesn't spend all his time making up blasphemous jokes. Thank Brimir. And usually his jests are funny."
["That was funny!"]
["No it wasn't!"]
Dammit, if we do get to visit Earth we're going to show her the Little Mermaid and maybe then she'll get it.
"It was mortifying, but-" She shook her head. "It was the right thing to do. I knew it was what I was supposed to do."
"I must admit, I thought it seemed sweet," the teacher offered. "Tender, perhaps."
"Until Zerbst made her stupid joke, anyway."
Jason raised an eyebrow again. "I was a bit distracted at that point, with the runes burning themselves into my hand. So what joke?"
His little mistress scowled. "She said it was my kiss that made you hurt like that."
Ow. Technically true, but it's not like she intended to hurt us, proximate cause or no. ["Okay, you remember how you told me I couldn't take revenge for you on anyone after I helped Guiche make a fool of himself? I'm making an exception for Kirche."]
["That's all right."]
"Despite your sudden swoon, I was able to verify that you were in good health. So your unfortunate jest just now aside-" Mr. Colbert broke off and frowned severely. "No. Jason, you're attempting to win the hand of a Duke's daughter. Making light of Brimir is behavior suitable to a slum whorehouse or a dockside tavern. Not a noble household. Status as a foreigner will not excuse you here. You must show enough sense to comport yourself properly if you're to have any hope of being taken seriously as a nobleman someday."
"Yessir." Because there were times to be a smartass and a gadfly, and then there were times to brace to attention and try to respond like a raw recruit who'd managed to draw the ire of his DI. Besides, he's right. We don't have magic, so if we blunder in front of unsympathetic witnesses they'll decide we're showing our commoner heritage. Wouldn't be wrong, either.
"That aside, there was a kiss, and it was at Brimir's prompting. And I can testify that Miss Vallière had previously spurned advances from classmates of high family, as can most of the faculty, so she does not comport herself as basely as some of the other students. So when I informed the Headmaster of the events of the Summoning Rite, he promptly developed a headache, as the simplest and clearest interpretation of Brimir's will is that you were selected for Miss Vallière as a-"
He broke off, clearly search for a suitable term.
"Helpmate?" Jason suggested after a moment. Seems properly archaic, anyway.
"Just so. And your actions as her familiar have supported that interpretation. Nor has Miss Vallière sought to impede such a relationship."
"I have tried to treat him properly!" Louise protested. "But first he helped me figure out what I needed to do to start to cast Levitate properly. And he's never mocked me for my failures, or betrayed me for his own convenience . . ."
She was silent for a moment, and then continued in a very small voice. "I'm not sorry for how it turned out. Except for magic, he's everything that I dreamed a fiancé should be."
Ha! Suck it, Wardes!
"Well then." Mr. Colbert smiled a bittersweet smile. "I have enough sins to answer to Brimir for already. The easy solution to the scandal is obvious enough, but I've seen what comes of twisting Brimir's design to justify the easy path.
"So let us give thanks, and trust in Brimir's favor, and carry out the work of today. That being: Jason, may I see your revolvers?"
"Sure." He pulled them out and handed them over. Then: Wait, we forgot to clean them-!
The professor held up one of them. "As you can see, Miss Vallière, we've made an excellent start in designing the firearms that your familiar will need to present to the Emperor of Germania. The advantage of having six chambers-"
Mr. Colbert broke off, frowning. For upon opening the cylinder and swinging it out, the smell of gunpowder residue became rather evident.
"The Headmaster informed me that you'd been called away yesterday. Were you showing off for her Highness? That seems premature, at least until-"
He broke off again, giving them both a very narrow stare.
Louise's face had gone very still, and Jason stepped back to her side, doing his best not to look guilty.
Which was no help at all when the professor lunged forward faster than he could react, jabbing him in the side with a finger. All he could do was hiss in pain: That particular spot was over ribs that had been busted, healed, and then rehealed, and was still a bit sore. Just as Headmaster Osmond had warned.
Unfortunately, the hiss apparently all the evidence that Mr. Colbert needed to investigate further, and a well-practiced wave of his staff was followed by a rather considering gaze. "You've been healed twice in the last two days. That wound must have been life-threatening."
"I, uh, can neither confirm nor deny."
"Mm. With the Headmaster making excuses for you . . . I trust, at least, that the danger to Her Highness is gone for the nonce?"
Jason gaped, open-mouthed. "That had to have been a guess!"
"Indeed, but a likely one. And you don't control your reactions with much skill. I imagine I could discern the course of your desperate heroics before lunch without ever casting a spell, simply by asking questions and evaluating your responses."
You 'could' discern them? "Does that mean you're not going to?"
"I'll admit to some curiosity, but I suspect that whatever the incident was, it's best kept quiet. So I'll inquire with the Headmaster, and he'll tell me what I may safely know." Mr. Colbert shook his head. "It was before my time, but I've heard of the painful lessons that Her Majesty taught the Royal Guard regarding how difficult it is to protect a headstrong heir. I suppose the rising generation will have to learn anew.
"For now, a lesson on properly cleaning firearms seems wise. If you were close enough to the fighting to be wounded . . . were you able to witness his bravery, Miss Vallière?"
"I can't talk about it. Although he was stupidly brave." But she smiled anyway.
"Not really," Jason protested. He held up his left hand to show the runes. "I found out what these are for. When I was ready to fight, when I pulled out the revolvers, they lit up and I didn't feel any fear. Getting hurt wasn't fun, but it wasn't enough to stop me, and having to kill didn't make me throw up until I let go and they stopped glowing."
"Then you are marked for war," the professor noted somberly.
"That's what Headmaster Osmond thought, too."
Mr. Colbert sighed. "I haven't been able to find a translation for your runes. The Fenrir library is large, and records that purport to predate the Romalian Empire are often damaged. I'd hoped that yours was a left-hand blessing of life, which seemed plausible given how you've helped Miss Vallière, but if it was given to you to kill . . ."
"A left-hand what?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Colbert," Louise cut in. "I should have instructed him before now." She turned to Jason. "You remember that the Void was given to Brimir to govern?"
"Worlds without end, yes." Not a god, but from what we've gathered the local equivalent of Moses or Abraham.
"Brimir ascended to glory long ago," she went on. "The symbols of Brimir in his Ascension are the Head, for wisdom. The Heart, for compassion. The Right Hand for just rulership, and the Left Hand for life, and for death. Thus does Brimir govern the Void."
"Hmm. Someone speculated that my being able to fight was the blessing of a Fury, if you recall." He paused for a moment. "So what is a Fury?"
"They are one of the orders of angels or lesser gods who have influence over the world under Brimir." Mr. Colbert thumped his staff on the floor in a diamond pattern. "Dominions are aspected to Earth. Graces are beings of Fire. Angels of Water are known as Tempests, and those of Air are called Furies. But I rather doubt that you were marked by a Fury."
"Oh." Jason held back a helpless laugh. Jehovah of the Thunders, which is how the ancient Israelites called on Him when they went to battle, but Wales heard it and- "So if this stuff on my hand isn't the favor of a Fury, then what?"
"There are also lesser saints," the professor replied, "granted ascension by Brimir, although they rarely manifest influence beyond a specific relic. But then there are the Archangels, and there is one who is known to be more active in Halkegenia than all the others combined."
Jason felt a shiver go down his spine, and a glance at his little mistress revealed that she'd suddenly gone pale, and was trembling once more. "Okay. Who is it?"
"The Left Hand of Retribution. The Captain of the Heavenly Hosts. The Archangel Gandálfr."
Louise moaned, this latest shock finally too much for her, and he barely managed to get to her before her legs buckled and gave out as she fainted.
"Is there a reason you haven't Awakened her yet?" Jason asked, as he kept his little mistress more-or-less upright in the chair that had quickly been brought out for her. "I mean, is it dangerous to wake someone out of a swoon?"
"Generally not," Mr. Colbert replied, as he rummaged through a cupboard. "And it's best done immediately, if the cause is a blow to the head. But Miss Vallière was merely dealt a shock to her sensibilities. And she may have been feeling poorly after being in danger, although you would know more than I."
"Uh-" She did not like being mind-controlled by the draugr. "That's fair to say." Plus asking her to declare for us despite the impropriety of it all was maybe a bit of extra stress as well.
"I've recently discovered a beverage imported from Rub' al Khali, that I've found to have a soothing effect when my students are particularly difficult." The professor straightened up, holding aloft a familiar-looking block. "'Tea', they call it. I've found I prefer to use it rather than brandy, when I wish to relax."
Jason blinked, then started laughing. Which got him a somewhat bemused look in reply.
"Sorry," he said once he finished. "You're right, tea's good for that. Maybe a pinch of salt and a good dose of honey, to sweeten it out?"
Mr. Colbert raised his eyebrows, then gestured with his staff and Levitated several items over to a table. "You're familiar with tea? I thought you weren't from beyond the desert after all."
"We've got it on Terra as well. There's honestly a lot of things that both worlds have in common. Pretty sure that means frequent travel between them, even if it was thousands of years ago."
"Perhaps." The professor then pulled a wand out. "A staff grants greater power," he noted, "so I rarely use this, but a wand is more precise." So saying, he Levitated a jar to empty its contents – water – into a pot, and tapped the pot with his wand.
The water was boiling moments later, and the tea, salt, and honey were added forthwith. A second spell and-
"Neat!" Jason breathed, as the smell of sweet tea filled the room. "You made a spell just to brew drinks?"
"Boiling Brew can also manage simple soups, but yes." Mr. Colbert smiled, but a bit sadly. "It was a personal challenge when I was younger, to develop spells that use Fire in peaceful ways."
He waved his wand in Louise's direction and cast Awaken. "Miss Vallière? I've prepared tea, if you would like some."
Her eyes flickered, then opened. She took a deep breath, looked around . . . and then froze as she saw Jason. "Gandálfr," she whispered, her eyes widening.
He smiled wryly. "Drink your tea, little mistress. You've had too many shocks in the last couple of days, so let's calm your nerves a bit before we go on."
She nodded quickly, took the cup that the professor offered, and began sipping.
The two men waited quietly.
Finally:
"I prayed one last time, the morning of the summoning," Louise confessed as she lowered her tea, hands tight around the cup. "Even though everyone knew I was the Zero that Zerbst named me, hopeless and forsaken by Brimir . . . the Summoning Rite was my one last chance. So I begged for Brimir to favor me, to grant me-"
She broke off, and started blushing again, and took another long sip from her tea.
"It might be best to say what you pleaded for," Mr. Colbert finally pointed out. "You attracted the notice of the Left Hand of Retribution, whose attentions are rarely comfortable . . . but I've never heard claim that the archangel is unjust."
She nodded and put the tea back down. "I prayed for Brimir to send me . . ."
Louise trailed off, then visibly screwed up her courage and continued. "To send me my rightful servant, my divine, beautiful," her blush grew deeper, "wise, powerful-"
Her familiar's face also acquired some healthy color at hearing the list of attributes his little mistress had begged for.
The professor's eyes twinkled as he looked from one to the other. "Were you satisfied, then?" he asked, chuckling.
"How could she be?" Jason said before she could respond. "I'm just a scholar, fat and clumsy and-"
"No you're not!" Louise protested.
"Well . . . okay, I'll agree that I'm in better shape now. Although I've got a ways to go. And I'm not stupid, I know that. But the rest?"
"Yes, you're very clever," she agreed. "You figured out how I could finally begin to cast. And if that idea hadn't worked, you'd have had another, wouldn't you?"
"There were other things you could have tried," he agreed. "Like I said a couple of months back, explosions can do quite a bit if you know how. Would have been trickier, though."
"And that's not all you've thought of, for me or for her Highness. You are wise, more than some mages."
He felt his cheeks flushing anew. "I'm too young to be wise," he muttered.
"Nonetheless. And you fought a-" Louise shook her head. "You fought well. And you look a lot better than you did when I summoned you. Besides, if you were horrible, I wouldn't-"
She blushed yet again and took another sip. "And you came from another world, by Brimir's design."
Jason shivered. If he was powerful enough, and wise enough, and . . . okay, maybe his mom hadn't been lying too much when she'd told him that he'd be handsome if he ever got into shape. But that left-
"I'm not Gandálfr!" he insisted. "My people are just as mortal as any Halkagenian, we generally don't live more than about seventy or eighty years, I'm only twenty-two . . . I'm not an angel!"
"But you were branded when Miss Vallière accepted you, and on your left hand. It seems clear that you were chosen by the archangel. And it remains to be seen what will be revealed when the dross has been entirely consumed." Mr. Colbert shook his head. "Although there were clear ironies in your initial presentation. Miss Vallière, was there anything else you wished for, even if you did not utter it in your prayers?"
"I-"
She looked down, not willing to meet anyone's gaze. "I wanted to prove I was better than Zerbst," she finally muttered.
"And there, perhaps, was the archangel's justice at work, testing you. If you had been too proud to accept your familiar's help, if you had treated him like trash as some nobles insist on treating all commoners . . . well. It's likely a very good thing that you proved worthy of Gandálfr's trial. But in the future, I recommend that you take care with your prayers, that you open your whole intent in your supplications. It's evident that Brimir has not forgotten nor forsaken you, but as I said, the attention of Retribution is rarely comfortable."
Louise nodded fervently.
There was a certain fraught silence in the room for a long moment.
"Warnings about pride aside," Jason said, and we need to do some praying ourself, 'cause if we've been chosen as some sort of divine agent we could use some of that wisdom our little mistress seems to think we have! "One of the reasons we came by this morning was because the Headmaster recommended it, and gave some assignments. If you've got the time."
"Oh?" Mr. Colbert frowned. "Are we to set aside the firearms for now?"
"Oh, hell no. My new power is made for fighting, and testing what all it can do is one of those assignments. But," he glanced over at his little mistress. ["Did you remember to bring the Flowering Bounty spell with you?"]
She nodded, reached into the sleeve that didn't hold her wand, and pulled out the scroll. "I tried this yesterday, after I returned from Bruxelles, but I miscast it." Louise scowled. "As I always miscast, until I've drilled for days. But there aren't enough seeds to permit that."
"Seeds?" the professor repeated, sounding rather startled. "What spell is that?"
"Flowering Bounty."
"It's the one Headmaster Osmond supplied," Jason offered. "But he suggested training with you if possible, and when he first gave it to me he said you might be able to help if she was struggling with it."
"To help-" Mr. Colbert took a deep breath. "Ordinarily, I would think this another trial brought on by the Headmaster's sense of humor. Flowering Bounty can be cast as a Dot, but only if a mage has grown to a Dot in each element. And even then it requires extensive practice to balance them all."
Louise scowled. "So I can't hope to cast it."
"Only the most advanced Third Form students are asked to try." He shook his head. "It makes no sense to ask you to attempt a spell that would be beyond any Second Form, no matter how capable. But he is the Headmaster, so I suppose you should try nonetheless."
She nodded, Levitated one of the little seeds away from the others, and began.
The Square version made the seed explode. As did the Dot.
"Much as I expected, given your difficulties. I suppose I can arrange for more seeds for you to practice on, if you wish to devote some time to it every day."
"Until I can drill out the explosions," she agreed, still scowling. "But I haven't shown you the third version yet!"
Mr. Colbert blinked. "I'm sorry, but what third version?"
Louise unrolled the scroll to the appropriate section and held it up.
The professor peered at it. "What is . . . I've never seen a spell so incredibly long as this. Not outside of extended rituals! Nor does it seem to define the figura involved . . ."
"I know!" she agreed emphatically. "But it doesn't explode the same as the other versions."
He straightened up. "It doesn't? Show me, Miss Vallière."
She nodded and cast, again taking about a minute to go through the long incantation, and just as the prior afternoon, the targeted seed flared into brief fire, and then ash.
Mr. Colbert stared at the results, frowning thoughtfully, for at least as long as it had taken Louise to cast.
Then he pulled out his wand again. "One more time, please."
So she did it again, while he cast what was presumably a diagnostic spell of some sort.
There was another long moment of consideration.
Finally the professor shook his head. "And once again I am reminded why Headmaster Osmond is the Headmaster. Miss Vallière, if I am correct you've accomplished something no other Second Form has achieved.
"Jason, I used up my water to brew the tea. Please go fetch a full jar and a shallow dish."
He nodded and turned to go.
"Is there any tea left?" Louise asked as he left. "It does seem to have calmed my nerves, some . . ."
It didn't take him very long to get back to Mr. Colbert's suite. Just long enough for his little mistress to be finishing her second cup of sweetened tea, it seemed.
"Now, Miss Vallière," the professor said, Levitating the dish onto the table, pouring enough water from the new jar to cover the bottom, and putting a seed in the middle of said dish, "cast again, and I think we shall be able to observe something important regarding the balance of the elements."
She nodded, setting her mouth to a firm line, and began casting once more.
This time, there was no flash of fire. But by the time she finished casting, the water in the bowl was steaming.
"Not so much vis, the next time," Mr. Colbert suggested, Levitating the water away and replacing it with another layer of cool water and a new seed. "And continue casting: The extended version seems written so that you may begin all over again without a break in the incantation."
Louise nodded again.
The water wasn't steaming by the time she got to the end, but nothing was happening with the seed, either. Nor the second time through the spell.
But about halfway through the third iteration, a tiny bit of green sprouted from one end of the seed.
And then the water started to boil, as her eyes widened.
The professor chuckled. "Success is encouraging, but you'll need to moderate that surge of enthusiasm as you practice this spell, Miss Vallière."
She looked chagrined. "I know."
"Nonetheless it would seem that you do have the essence of it," he assured her. "And without needing to practice until the explosions go away."
"Boiling a seed isn't much better," Louise pointed out grumpily.
"Rudimentary success is still remarkable, even if you require the presence of the other elements to balance your Fire," Mr. Colbert insisted. "Many Third Form students don't bother learning even the Dot of their opposing element, and so never have the chance to learn Flowering Bounty."
"If I had a dot in Earth I could just learn Fruitful Bounty," she countered. "Isn't it so easy to learn that the Academy teaches it to all the Earth students?"
"Easy? A poor casting does not fail catastrophically, true, and it is one of the spells taught to all who study Earth." He frowned thoughtfully. "But perhaps the differences are best demonstrated in the field. Follow me, please."
The professor led them outside, and then Levitated them over the Academy walls, landing on the path that the two had been using for their morning jogs.
He gestured to the short trees that Jason had been admiring earlier. "It's not widely boasted of, but these are cultivars, brought long ago from the plum trees of Moselle, before it became a ducal province of Gallia. There the soil is uniquely suited for them to thrive, but here the Headmaster ensures that Fruitful Bounty is applied liberally to the ground they root in. He does enjoy his comforts, and the plum wine they produce is exquisite. And perhaps it's a good thing that the trees flower and fruit during the summer, else the students might be so busy courting each other under the blossoms that they would fail to learn anything until winter drove them indoors."
Jason did his best not to react, but something must have leaked through, for Mr. Colbert smiled slightly. "As I'm sure Miss Vallière will recall, once the harvest begins we shall not be quite so dependent on fruits that require a Romalian climate for our refreshment."
Louise nodded. "They are excellent plums," she agreed. "Mother and Father import a bushel every summer, and they never last very long."
Her words got a chuckle. "That is no surprise. Now as I said, Fruitful Bounty is liberally applied to replenish the soil, and nourish the trees, but for all that they bear generously, their essential nature is such that the first plums will not ripen until late July."
So saying, the professor raised his staff and tapped one of the tiny white flowers on the branches above, chanting the words of the Dot version of Flowering Bounty. Then he went to the next tree, and repeated the spell on one of its blossoms. Then a third.
By the time he finished casting, the first blossom was already growing into a small plum, ripening before their very eyes, becoming so deep a yellow that it gleamed golden in the morning sun. Once it finished, Mr. Colbert Levitated it down into his hand, then glanced from student and familiar to the other two ripening plums. "Go on," he said, and bit into the one he was holding. "I didn't grow three only to hoard them."
Louise nodded and carefully Levitated the second down for herself, and Jason was able to reach up and pluck his directly from the tree.
Then when he bit into his own, he had to close his eyes for a moment, just to savor the taste: Sweet, but without the revolting tang of cheap candy.
There were no further words until they all finished eating.
"And now I can do this," his little mistress said, her voice full of wonder. "How-?"
"It would be best if you did not practice on these trees," the professor cautioned, as they began to walk back to his suite. "And even once you have gained proficiency with the spell, you must exercise care in its use. I cast it on three different trees so that it would not strain the health of any one of them. Plants must have an adequate supply of the virtue of the soil in which they grow, and if a deficiency of vital essences occurs even a healthy-seeming tree can wither and die.
"That you can cast it, Miss Vallière, albeit in the unusually long form? And without intensive practice first to quell your explosions? Clearly Headmaster Osmond has some idea of what he is about, that he asked you to attempt it, but I must confess I've no notion of the theory he is operating from. I've only seen Flowering Bounty in two forms: The original Square with each of the elements properly represented, and the Dot that was the result of what I would have previously considered an impossible synthesis of the elements into a single figura, had it occurred to me to consider it at all!
"That you can cast this new version, even before you've learned to be proficient with Ignite . . ."
Mr. Colbert trailed off for a moment. "I do not know what this portends, nor what the Headmaster is seeking to test. I'll report to him that you're enjoying some initial success, but he is a busy man, so I'd advise you to practice with the spell until you are proficient. Then report your full success, and hopefully his purpose will then be explained."
"So that's what she's gonna focus on, for now?" Jason asked as they reached the suite and went inside. "Practice her flower power?"
"For a little while each day, yes. I would advise halting when practice becomes less an exercise in focus and more in frustration." The professor gave him a considering look before continuing. "By your tone, you were hoping for something else. Is there perhaps a cantrip you believe your master should spend her time on instead?"
And if we're interpreting the emphasis correctly, that was a subtle 'don't try to spend all your time making out' warning. "Be a good idea to get the rest of 'em down, yeah. But after returning from the battle, I did a bit of thinking about ways to exploit her explosions."
Louise gave him a scowl. "My explosions happen when I fail to cast a spell!"
"Right, but while we can't go into much detail? I probably would have died if you hadn't used your explosions the first time." ["And we would have all died if we hadn't found a way to unhand the draugr."] "They may feel embarrassing, but those explosions have proven their worth in battle. And I'd put their potency at about the same level as Fireball – when Kirche casts, no less! – which means someone looking at you and seeing the 'Zero' is going to be surprised when you pull out magic that's Line verging on Triangle. Even more surprised if you've prepared some tricks that exploit your explosions."
If her scowl didn't disappear, it at least became more thoughtful.
"What kind of tricks did you have in mind?" Mr. Colbert asked.
"The first one . . . well, at the battle her explosions were dispatching soldiers two at a time. Which got me thinking about what my people would call 'AoE', or Area of Effect."
"'Aeohwee'?" his little mistress repeated thoughtfully. "I was casting quickly, and I didn't want large explosions because they were so close to you-"
"But you'd need time to charge up a large explosion, like Kirche charging up a big Fireball. And when you have enemies who aren't close to any friendlies or noncombatants?" Jason paused and smiled. "I like the idea of explosions that are big and fast."
The scowl disappeared, and pink eyes gleamed. "Big, and faster than Zerbst? How?!"
He chuckled. "Simple enough, really. There's a technique among my people, where we put gunpowder in a hollow steel ball, and when it explodes steel fragments shred everything nearby. Lethal to everyone within a few paces, and will wound out to a dozen paces or so. Probably only count as one hit on Shields, but still one hit on every mage in range. And since Ignite Gunpowder is a thing in Halkagenia, I'm pretty sure no one would bother with them. Too much effort to keep one-use items safe from enemy mages."
The professor shook his head. "No, we don't use them. Miss Vallière?"
Louise thought for a moment. "Those sound like one of the weapons the Easterlings used when they invaded. The 'hathagol'?"
"Yes. Go on."
"They were dangerous, like Jason said, but then we discovered that the Easterling couldn't Mark wards against fire. Their invasion was halted, and would have been turned back entirely if they hadn't developed the alchemy they use to ward their guns."
"Correct," Mr. Colbert said with an approving nod. "As I should expect from a daughter of your mother. And if the companies who pressed their advantage had worked together instead of fighting amongst themselves, not grasping the sophistication of the Easterling alchemists, the invasion might have been thwarted entirely."
"How couldn't they know?" she protested. "Alchemy was how the Easterlings dispatched vernacula in battle!"
"It's not easy to see, knowing the history," he replied gently, "but everything account I've studied says that our forebears believed the alchemy to be merely hedge magic and folklore, only useful for dispatching warbeast. That it was instead a highly developed branch of natural philosophy wasn't understood until a generation later." Then he looked to Jason. "But once they did learn to counter Ignite Gunpowder, they quickly ceased to craft hathagol. Such small devices would be nothing more than an overly-expensive curiosity, I fear. Nonetheless, it was a clever notion. What others have you considered?"
Don't react to the condescension, no matter how irritating! "That's the thing, sir. Louise doesn't need to put gunpowder inside them. Just carry around some small metal balls, and when she puts an explosion into the core it ought to be just as deadly as if she were using the originals."
And damn but it was satisfying to see the look of surprise on the older, more experienced, and smarter man. Because for once we've managed to out-think him!
But Mr. Colbert was a genius, and the surprised expression didn't last very long before he started laughing. "Indeed! I'm reminded of the attempt to transmute a pebble."
By the slightly mortified look on her face, so was Louise.
"Yes, small steel balls would be simple enough to make, and there would be little to sabotage. But we are discussing a lethal weapon. Are you prepared to take lives, Miss Vallière?"
She grimaced. "I already had to. Those soldiers . . . they didn't survive. It was horrible, like Mother said it would be, but what they wanted to do would have been worse."
"Ah. Has the Headmaster spoken with you, yet?"
She shook her head.
"He will, and he's better than I at saying what needs to be said. It's a lesson that none should have to learn so young, but," here the professor shook his head, "sometimes there are no better choices."
Louise nodded, but didn't say anything in reply.
So let's move along. "We're gonna want a lot of practice, here," Jason noted. "Even though you can probably manage this trick right away, it is going to kill things in a pretty big area, and you'll need to be able to eyeball the lethal zone quickly in a fight, so you know when to stick to exploding enemies one at a time instead.
"Although frankly," he went on, "unless we end up in a big battle, most of the time it's probably better to try to subdue rather than kill."
["What if Henrietta needs us again, though?"]
["You think she won't ask Wales instead?"] he sent back.
["Wouldn't she ask all of us?"]
Jason blinked. ["Well . . . huh. I guess we haven't done too badly, at that. But that just means we need to practice hard, so we'll be ready."]
He shook himself. "Anyway, remember the first time you blew me up? Knocked me into the wall, and knocked me out for a bit. That shows you can move things things around without destroying them, and even put someone down and out without having to kill them. So that's something I thought about yesterday: Could you separate those two effects? If you can push things around without the focus that levitation seems to need, that opens up some interesting options for battlefield control. And if you can put someone out, even if only for a little while? Not the same as Hold Person, but still pretty useful."
"If my explosions are as strong as Fireball, maybe I could simply learn Hold Person," she countered.
He shrugged. "Maybe. But it might take a while to drill out the explosions, and this would be something you've already managed and could build on. Anyway, couple other things I've thought of. You've got enough control over your explosions that you can create a spark and light a candle with it. Figure out how to create enough sparks and you're on your way to Dazzle. On the other end of the scale? When it comes to guns, and from the stories I've heard it's true with battlefield spells too, people learn to take cover. Trees, stone walls, earthworks, and so on. But a big explosion ought to act like a mine, right? So I have to wonder: Just how big a breach you could make, if you made an explosion as big as you could?"
"I don't know," Louise breathed, eyes widening.
"Against hasty fortifications, perhaps a sizable one," Mr. Colbert allowed. "But properly Marked and warded walls will not be so easily breached, and against a truly secure fortress, where the very walls have been ennobled to stand firm? The Earthen Fist had good reason to choose stealth over force against the Academy vault.
"As for fire," here he very visibly did not sigh. "Miss Vallière, I must recommend against playing with sparks until you can cast Ignite correctly. What you're able to do is akin to striking flint with steel. It does result in fire, and if you are able to increase the scope of that spark you might be able to cast Dazzle. Perhaps. Despite it being a Line. Nonetheless Ignite must create fire directly."
"But," she started to protest, "if I can cast Lines, then-!"
"No, Miss Vallière," he interrupted, gently but firmly. "I'm not insisting on a correct casting of Ignite for the sake of being cruel. The other elements exist unto themselves, but other than in certain regions of the Eldrwyrm, fire must be brought forth, and the fundamental magic to accomplish that springs from Ignite."
He tapped the floor with his staff, and a plume of pure fire began burning in the air in front of them. "As you can see, this does not strictly require gestures or incantations. Indeed, the Headmaster has progressed to the point where he can conjure flame, as I am, burning nothing, without so much as a wand or staff to focus his vis. It's a daunting example to aspire to." Mr. Colbert then relaxed his grip on the staff, and the fire disappeared in one last flicker.
"But I can't do that!" Louise all-but-wailed.
"Not yet, no. But your diligence will surely be rewarded in time, if you don't wander down false paths. And I can offer this as consolation, perhaps: Much as with Flowering Bounty, conjuring flame purely through vis and will is a skill normally practiced only by advanced Third Form students. So no matter long it takes to overcome this crippled aspect of your affinity, no matter how difficult the struggle, no matter how slow the progress, I can promise you that the effort that you put in to master Ignite will aid you when it is finally time to learn the spells of Fire that build on it."
Her face took on a pinched look as she bowed her head, and Jason got ready to provide a comforting hug-
But then her head snapped back up and her eyes blazed. "But I can make fire directly!"
"Miss Vallière?"
"Watch!"
She Levitated one of the Flowering Bounty seeds onto the table in front of her, then raced through the incantation.
And a pair of jaws dropped in tandem as the seed was consumed in a brief gout of flame, not even a third of the way through the spell.
Which means she was overpowering it, but- "Brilliant, little mistress! Now make it work on a candle!"
Mr. Colbert nodded and Levitated a candle to where the former seed was nothing but ash.
Louise raised her chin firmly and cast Flowering Bounty again, this time slowly, but clearly and confidently, and-
The top third of the candle burst open, exploding with a soft pop!
Her face twitched. ["HEL TAKE IT!"]
And even as Jason was wincing she locked down her expression, but the fury in her eyes blazed such that he hesitated to try to offer comfort.
The professor shook his head sadly. "I am sorry, but it seems to be more of the same. Your spell must not merely cause fire, eventually. It must be Fire, from the beginning."
She trembled slightly, but didn't respond.
Mr. Colbert said nothing more for a long moment, apparently waiting to see if she would say anything.
Finally: "Come. Your familiar's ideas do have merit. Let us go see if your explosions can breach the earthworks that might shelter enemies on the battlefield."
She clenched her fists at the pity in his voice. ["I was THAT CLOSE! So close to something more than cantrips and, and, and pretending my explosions will ever amount to anything!"]
["Yeah, but-"]
Jason broke off, frowning as he thought about what the professor had done. "Wait, Mr. Colbert. I might have another idea."
The door, halfway opened, was swung back closed in response. "You do?"
"You do?!" Louise demanded, in urgent echo.
"Your sparks are closer to Ignite than what you had when we started Levitate, that first afternoon. So . . . give me a moment to think it through." Because the phone works on this world, and so do the radios and the flashlights, which means that magic aside, the laws of physics just about have to be identical to Earth's. And whatever magic says that 'Fire' is, fire itself is . . . well, isn't heat the most entropic form of energy?
"Jason?" she demanded again, after a very brief moment.
He slowly reached for the candle, and straightened the wick out in the mess at the top. "You only need a spark to set wood on fire, if you do it right, but the fuel for the fire as it burns comes from the wood itself, sunlight soaked in leaves and carried through sap to grow root, branch, and bark. The burning releases that stored energy, leaving behind ash."
He pulled Louise in front of him, facing the candle, and began gently rubbing her back and shoulders. "Luminous beings are we," he rumbled softly into her ear. "Not dead clay, witless air, or cold water, but blazing with light and life. We burn."
He could feel her tremble under his hands as she shivered. "You saw Mr. Colbert do it. He needed no fuel, nothing for a spark to catch, nothing but pure will. And when you're casting, you're the most determined person I've ever seen. By your will, the vis goes into the wick. Slowly and gently, but hold it there. Do not let it free for anything. Let it build up, let it smolder.
"Let there be Fire."
She took a deep breath, then raised her wand, pointing it at the candle.
But she chanted nothing.
Mr. Colbert left the doorway and approached the table, watching intently.
And nothing happened.
Then Louise set her jaw, as a series of tiny explosions began to tear away at the candle, up and down the wax column.
Jason held his breath. Come on, little mistress, you can do it, it doesn't matter if you have to drill out the explosions as long as you do it-!
And just when the candle started to slump, the wick flared up and began burning steadily.
She opened her mouth, but then looked to the professor and waited.
"That did seem to be fire," Mr. Colbert began, "but there were many tiny explosions beforehand, and it could have been another spark."
"No!" Louise protested.
"A false casting will do you no good in the long run, Miss Vallière," he reminded her, as he Levitated over another candle, then pulled out his wand. "Casting voicelessly was impressive, but I need you to cast again."
She clenched her fists, and her shoulders tensed under Jason's hands, but then she bared her teeth at the new candle and raised her wand again.
The explosions tearing away at the candle began immediately, were noticeably larger, and quickly tore it apart . . . but this time every bit of the now-exposed wick caught fire at once.
"That wasn't a spark!" she growled.
"I agree," Mr. Colbert replied slowly. "But you didn't cast Ignite. You called forth fire directly, though will and vis."
"Isn't that better than Ignite?" Jason asked. "The purer form of the spell?"
The professor paused, then suddenly chuckled. "So it is argued in many tomes."
Louise held her breath.
"And if I encourage my students to learn Extinguish voicelessly and then wandlessly, I can hardly complain when I witness any similarly advanced casting. Well done, Miss Vallière."
She grinned so broadly it almost cracked her face.
Jason's smile wasn't much smaller. "So, little mistress, how long do you think before you can manage Fireball?"
If anything her smile widened. "I'll have to drill out the explosions, as usual, but once I have-!"
Mr. Colbert shook his head. "With Miss Zerbst's example to aspire to and surpass? I almost shudder to think of what Miss Vallière will prove able to do with Fireball."
"Ha! She'll . . . hold on! It won't just be Fireball. Combine it with an explosion and the result is going to be damn near thermobaric!"
Which, oddly, wiped the grin from Louise's face, as she suddenly turned to stare at him.
Whereas the professor limited his reaction to a raised eyebrow. "You mean to say 'Thermobara', surely."
"I . . . what?"
"That is how Duchess Vallière arrived at her mage title of the Heavy Wind, after all."
"The what?"
Mr. Colbert's expression turned quite amused. "You truly didn't know? By her retirement the crest of Aerobara had become very famous."
"Do you think I can pull it off?" Louise demanded, sounding giddy. It was frankly almost scary.
"Oh, I have no doubt that Jason has had every confidence in you from the beginning. For myself, I am persuaded that it is not impossible."
She let out a cheer, then jumped up and hugged her familiar very tightly.
He quickly wrapped his arms around her before she could fall, then offered a pleading expression. "Sir, what did I just say?! I think I'm missing something important, here."
Mr. Colbert laughed. "By such alone I would know that you were from far away," he replied. "But surely you've noticed that your master has claimed no mage title for herself."
Louise was still hanging on tight. Leave her there, it's not like we mind. "Yeah, Kirche has brought it up a time or two, but-"
Then the proverbial penny dropped. "But 'Thermobara' is a valid title, and it suits because of the explosions."
"That's part of it, yes. But also, it's presumptuous to claim a lofty mage title for oneself. A specialty, or a family trait? Expected. A title given by another? Admirable. But had a young mage claimed her title to be the Typhoon, especially as a cadet or student, she would have invited scorn from anyone with experience and earned reputations. However, her ambition and cleverness led her to hunt through obscure dialects of ancient Romalian to find something that could be interpreted more . . . innocuously. Until she'd earned a sufficiently grand reputation."
"'Typhoon'? And aero-"
The aforementioned penny really dropped, and Jason's jaw worked for a moment. "Did I just name Louise the Firestorm?" Because that would mean she didn't give it to herself, so-
She cheered again – right into his ear! – and somehow squeezed even tighter. It was almost enough to make it harder to breathe.
Mr. Colbert laughed again, seeing this.
Eventually Louise let go and slid down to her feet.
"Unfortunately," the professor then noted, "for a daughter of your mother? A title along the lines of Heavy Flame would bring a level of scrutiny that it would seem rather unwise to risk for the time being. Therefore you may wish to consider more innocuous titles until the time comes."
"Innocuous? That probably rules out Eruption and Volcano, too."
Louise nodded. "Probably. But I'm not the Zero anymore."
"No, you're not, and I'll so inform the Headmaster." He smiled encouragingly. "And your parents will be very proud of you, I'm sure."
She flinched, ever so slightly, and suddenly buried her face in her familiar's chest. "They'll be relieved I'm not completely useless."
Though said in a mutter, it was loud enough for them both to hear.
Mr. Colbert looked stricken, and started to open his mouth, but Jason held up a hand and shook his head. The professor nodded in concession, and the sweep of his hand surrendered relieved custody of this latest angst.
["You don't mean that, little mistress, or were you lying when you said you'd let yourself cry in front of your father? In his arms, I'd wager."]
She bit him, although through his shirt she didn't have the leverage for much more than a nip. ["That's not fair!"]
["Am I mistaken?"]
[". . . No."]
["Your mother, then. So, is she cruel, like your sister? Or merely stern and demanding? Could you earn praise, even if only grudging praise, in fields not related to magic?"]
Louise didn't respond for nearly a minute. ["Have you met her, somehow?"]
["No, little mistress. But if she's such a legend that it's hazardous for her daughter to mimic her mage title, I'll bet she's led troops to victory through battles terrible enough to daunt even a blooded veteran. A commander who can do that is often very sparing in praise to those she leads. And they know that if she has little mercy to spare them, she'll have absolutely none for her foes."]
["That's . . . some of the stories I've overheard from the older retainers are . . . they'd follow her if she decided to besiege Hel's own fortress."]
["So an excellent leader of soldiers. But the thing about that is, if that's all she knew? It's rarely a good way to be a parent. Children, young children especially, need to be secure in the knowledge that they are loved. I wouldn't be surprised if your mother is badly out of practice when it comes to hugs and cuddling. Hint. Hint."]
She pulled her head back from his chest and stared him in the eye, incredulous and resentful. "You t-think I sh-should-"
"I think you should forgive her, yes. Because any parent can make mistakes. Every parent does make mistakes, and sometimes they never realize them. And because, little mistress, I will name for you now the deepest fear that has plagued of both your father and your mother for over a decade."
Jason took a deep breath, and his voice dropped half an octave. "That if a miracle never happened, that one day their baby girl would have been left, helpless, to the mercy of those who would neither love her, nor cherish her, nor respect her, nor value her above a pawn."
Mr. Colbert's eyes were wide as he looked away, one hand over his mouth, and Louise buried her face in Jason's chest again, trembling and shuddering as he held her.
It took her quite a while to stop.
She finally pulled away – leaving a suspiciously damp spot on Jason's shirt – and turned to the professor. "I apologize for my loss of composure, Mr. Colbert."
He shook his head. "No apology is necessary. But after the stress and strain of the last few days, perhaps you might benefit from a soak in the bathhouse, and then rejoin us for luncheon?"
Louise nodded, started to turn to the doorway – but then turned to Jason and held up her arms. ["Carry me?"]
He smiled down at her. ["Whenever you need me, little mistress. Always and forever."]
"You good from here?" he asked, once he'd brought her to the entrance to the baths, in the central tower on the other side of the dining hall. "'Cause I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to be going inside with you, even if other familiars are allowed in for grooming."
She giggled and slid down to the ground. "That would cause some uproar, if anyone else is using them! I'll be well. Go back and see what you can learn about your magic."
Mr. Colbert did not speak for a moment once Jason rejoined him.
"I find myself hoping that your master's difficulty this morning is only due to recent stress," he finally said. "I was impressed by how she had settled down from the flightiness of adolescence, when you two returned from your month in Bruxelles."
"In her defense, sir, it has been a couple of stressful days." Some of which we can't bring up, of course. "And it probably doesn't hurt that she hasn't had classes with Kirche since we came back. She doesn't seem to feel the same need for braggadocio when she isn't trying to measure up to her perceived rival."
The professor sighed. "Miss Zerbst likewise didn't feel the need to show off as spectacularly while the two of you were absent. Given that, I'm rather tempted to separate them, once classes resume this autumn."
Jason shook his head. "Doubt that'll work. I mean, I can't blame you for wanting to, but we both know that Louise is going to practice her cute – uh, until her fingers blister, now that she's made the breakthrough she needed with Ignite. I'd be more surprised if she doesn't have a small library of Line spells down by fall, and she'll probably be hoping to catch up with the couple of Triangles that Kirche has been learning."
"Up to Triangles in one season?" Mr. Colbert shook his head. "Were we speaking of any other mage, I would laugh at the absurdity. But Miss Vallière's issue has proven to be that her magic is awry, rather than a simple lack of power."
He then noted: "But Miss Zerbst knows three Triangles, now that she has shown proficiency with Searing Rebuke. And she obtained permission to study two more on her own this summer, once she demonstrated wandless proficiency with Extinguish."
"She did?"
"I'm not saying she was pleased with that requirement, when she first made the request." The sudden smile on the professor's face was perhaps a bit on the smug side. "But someone may have pointed out to her that Miss Vallière would be willing to practice night and day, if it meant being permitted to study more advanced spells over the summer."
"Yes, Louise will, and I'll have to make sure she gets enough to sleep and doesn't skip meals." Jason's return smile was rather wry. "So shall I let her know that the grimoires are hers to peruse as soon as she can put out fires with nothing more than her determination?"
"You're assuming that your master's progress will be extremely rapid, once she has Ignite. Remember, her magic is awry, and each spell may continue to require more practice from her than it ought."
"That's . . . okay, that is possible." And she's been having to play catch-up this spring, too. "Alright, I'm not conspiring with you to keep Louise from continuing her education, but are there maybe classes for First Form students who already know their elements, and are ready for some specialized instruction? 'Cause that might do her some good, and it'd help keep the girls separated so they don't fight." Plus, it's what Wales is doing with a Third Form for Earth, so maybe-?
Mr. Colbert rubbed his chin. "There are advanced classes for First Form students who have already displayed an affinity, usually taught by Third Form students who are contemplating a career in academia. And those classes were offered to Miss Vallière shortly after you arrived, but she turned them down most emphatically. She didn't tell you?"
"No, but Louise was kinda ambivalent towards me, at least at first. And she might of guessed that I would have tried to persuade her to take remedial Fire, even if it meant more scorn from her classmates. Well, we've got all summer to see if she'd even need remedial classes. And, hell, if she can catch up with the rest of the class by the start of fall, it oughta help her maintain her composure even in the face of Kirche's provocations."
"Let us hope so. And this apparent issue with her family? There seemed to be much that you two weren't speaking of."
Jason's smile turned a bit sad. "Probably what you'd expect. She's always felt like she's failing her family by not measuring up, and who knows how long she's been worried that she might be cast out of the ranks of the nobility? Once she has Ignite down properly, there's no chance left that she'd ever be declared 'inexprimé', right?"
"That's correct. Although I should warn you that while Duchess Vallière undoubtedly loves her daughter, she is likely to hold Miss Vallière to the same high standards that the eldest Miss Vallière is known for."
He frowned. "That's Eléanore, right? From what I've gathered, she has all the sternness of their mother without any of the compassion or worry that'd be hidden behind it."
"I would call that an understatement," Mr. Colbert replied. "She enjoys a reputation for a quick wit, a sharp tongue, and a fierce temper, and I've heard rumors that there have been difficulties with her students and colleagues."
"Lovely. Well, once Louise patches up her relationship with her mother, we'll see about getting her sister to respect her. In the meantime, the revolvers?"
"Indeed."
Cleaning the revolvers proved rather easy with the aid of magic: There turned out to be a variation on the magical dishrags from the Charming Faerie Inn that was suited to cleaning guns. And in the process protected them against rust, corrosion, and fouling.
Which seemed like cheating. But was so very convenient.
"How many rounds did you discharge, altogether?" Mr. Colbert asked, examining one as Jason cleaned the barrel of the other. "They seem to have held up well enough."
"Not very many," he admitted. "About fifteen or sixteen, I think. I didn't get a chance to reload until the fight was nearly over, so after the first dozen shots I had to switch to mêlée."
"Thus the urgent need for healing, I assume."
"Eventually, yeah."
"But with only sixteen rounds discharged," the professor mused, "we haven't begun to determine how durable the revolvers are. Which may not seem too great an issue at first, but given that these are meant be to used far more than once per battle, testing their limits seems wise."
"Um, while I've never used one of the guns can that fire hundreds of bullets in a few heartbeats," Jason frowned, trying to remember, "I think there was something about having to change out the barrels during battle so they can keep firing. So you're right. Unless there're spells that'll preserve them."
"Yes, there are," Mr. Colbert acknowledged. "But the revolvers will already need to be Marked to protect them, which will make the various means of preservation that much more expensive."
"Oh. Yeah, better see what we can do with mundane improvements first."
"Indeed. And as it seems that you've finished cleaning them, let us adjourn outside to Miss Vallière's practice range."
"You've, uh, developed the range a bit more," Jason commented, looking around. "Got other students expressing interest?"
The professor shook his head. "Not yet. But it occurred to me that the two of you are not the only ones who may wish to improve their speed and accuracy, with war brewing on the horizon," he replied sadly. "Indeed I expect many of them to be eager for such practice, after spending the summer hearing family tales of wartime glory."
"Oh." Then a thought occurred. "Speaking of practice, I didn't miss with any of my shots, and that includes some throwing knives. Which is frankly ludicrous, 'cause I've never used knives in combat."
"And you still made the attempt?"
He shrugged. "They were there," well, Butterfly was there, but details, "I didn't have time to reload, and I didn't think to question something that was working out."
"Then it seems very likely to be a result of your auxilia," Mr. Colbert agreed. "Unless your sudden prowess was the result of the archangel's direct intervention."
Jason frowned. "You think so? That'd suck."
"Familiars don't have auxilia that require tools to use," the professor pointed out. "Although commoners do use tools, and even mages are rarely found without their wands at hand, so perhaps humans are the exception to the rule. But it's also possible that Retribution chose to retain agency over the circumstances wherein your battle auxilum becomes active."
"That'd really suck. Especially since Gandálfr hasn't bothered to tell me anything after branding his message – whatever it says – on my hand."
"Perhaps the archangel is waiting for you to decipher that message. Still, Gandálfr branded the runes upon you at the moment you were accepted as a familiar, and it's reasonable to suppose that the auxilia granted to you as an agent of the Left Hand could be yours to command, in the service of Miss Vallière as her familiar."
"An entire spectrum of possibilities." Jason sighed. "Hope this doesn't turn out to be a waste of time."
"Determining the parameters of an unprecedented auxilum possessed by an unprecedented type of familiar? Rest assured that this is no waste of time, whatever the outcome."
"Right." Time to load.
The sense of increased awareness didn't return, nor did the dispassionate willingness to kill, although as he chambered the rounds the revolvers started to itch, much as the rifle had. Except they didn't feel like they were about to explode on him.
That's probably a good thing.
But then it was time to send lead down the range, and-
"You said you didn't miss?" Mr. Colbert inquired.
Jason scowled at the holes in the backstop, a hit pattern that wandered all over the target and off it as well. Two nights ago we were confident and incredibly precise for someone who hasn't had time to practice since starting college. Power confirmed, familiar or angelic, 'cause this is where we're really at. "I told Louise she needed to practice her aim. Looks like I'm gonna have to take my own advice, if I can't figure out how to get my auxilum to work."
"You needn't despair of that yet," the professor pointed out, soothingly. "As a human, you lack the stronger instincts of animals. And despite those stronger instincts, the other students have needed to spend their evenings training their familiars' auxilia. I can't fault you for focusing on Miss Vallière's training, but it does mean you are months behind in your development as her familiar."
"Not like we knew what we could train. Anyway, we did spend our evenings training, it's just that all we had to train was stuff related to sharing senses, which was tricky since I'm a lot smarter than most familiars." And most humans, but that's never safe to brag about.
"You've had to train your universal auxilia?"
"Eh. We've made progress, but we're still working on it."
"Then it seems even more likely," Mr. Colbert said, "that this will similarly require practice."
"Yeah, and I'll put in the practice time if that's what I gotta do. Except that I already got it to work when I needed it, and now I'm back to just having that itchy feeling when I'm holding a weapon." Jason scowled again. "Maybe I do need Gandálfr to grant approval every time I use it."
"It is possible, but we haven't explored all the options. For example, familiars exercise their powers in the service of their masters. Perhaps you require Miss Vallière to command you to this?"
She didn't precisely . . . but she was summoning us at the time. "Hell with it. Let's give it a try."
So Jason reloaded, took a two-handed firing stance, and called out to Louise. ["Little mistress? How are you feeling?"]
["Much better,"] she admitted. ["Does Mr. Colbert want me to practice Ignite until luncheon?"]
["No, go ahead and relax. You've had a couple of pretty stressful days, after all. Anyway, we're trying to figure out how I can get my battle auxilum to work again. Or if it was just something that Gandálfr lent me while it was needed, if you take my meaning."]
She didn't respond immediately.
"Jason, how do you intend to have Miss Vallière command you?" Mr. Colbert inquired. "Or do you plan to wait until she rejoins us?"
"No, I'm checking with her right now. We haven't figured out sharing senses," although pushing into her head worked, so there's something to practice when we have time, "but we've gotten to where we can talk to each other."
The professor's eyebrows rose, but he only nodded.
["That does sound like something we need to know,"] Louise finally replied, having apparently thought it over.
["Yeah. The runes on my left hand were glowing, so it's definitely related to the archangel taking notice of us. And I'm having trouble getting it to trigger again."]
["With you and Mr. Colbert working together, surely you can think of different ways to cast!"]
["We're trying, yes. Right now we're exploring my duty as your familiar to protect you. So here's a thought: What happens if you order me to battle?"]
["Do you have someone to fight?"] She sounded rather uncertain.
["Er, not at the moment. Just the targets, which he's improved on while we were traveling to Albion. Try anyway?"]
Once again, Louise was silent, and it was easy to imagine her dubious expression.
["Very well,"] she replied after a moment. ["Go forth and defeat those targets in my name!"]
Another moment passed.
["Did that do anything?"]
["No."]
["It would be better to know how this works before we get involved in another fight."]
["I know. I'd ask you to summon me, but I'm not trying to start a fight at the bathhouse. We'll see what else we can try first."] He sighed and shook his head.
"Jason?"
"No good. She can call me to her side, that's another auxilum we've figured out, and she was calling me when I used my battle auxilum. So maybe she has to be in danger before I can use it." He scowled. "Which would make it really hard to practice."
"Hm." Mr. Colbert's eyes narrowed. "How confident of danger were you when you rushed to her side?"
"Pretty damn confident, sir. Can't talk about the details, but . . . through the bond, see? I knew that she and the princess were in danger."
"Ah. I had a thought that perhaps it was a matter of convincing yourself she was in danger, but if you knew-"
"Hang on," Jason interrupted. "That sounds . . . hell, let's at least try it out."
"Go on, then."
"Right." He took a deep breath. Louise could be in danger at any moment. Even now! Whoever sent that draugr is still out there. She's Henrietta's childhood friend, and Reconquista has Tristain infiltrated, so she could be targeted at any time. If we can't do this at a moment's notice we can't keep her safe. She needs us. She needs us! She. Needs. Me!
Once again the world seemed to slow down, and every leaf, every blade of grass, and every scratch on the targets seemed distinct and countable. His eyes flickered over every shadow in view, dismissing them as non-threats, and finally his attention settled on Mr. Colbert.
It did not take the professor long to notice his focus. "Jason?" he asked with a hint of concern.
He's tensing up. Getting ready to fight. Have to attack now if we want the element of sur-
Dropping the revolver so quickly that it was almost a convulsion, Jason took in a deep breath, trying to calm his suddenly-racing heart. "That was not what I was going for."
Mr. Colbert looked down at the dropped firearm and back up. "Indeed. What happened?"
Another deep breath. "I focused on the possibility of a threat to Louise, and . . . well, you're the only other person here. And if you were an enemy, you'd be a damned dangerous one."
There was a long moment of silence from the retired veteran.
"I can't deny the truth of that," he eventually replied, very quietly. Then, a bit louder: "Perhaps this is intended solely for battle?"
"But-!"
Except nothing reasonable came to mind, so Jason broke off, wincing. "It could be. It'd even make sense, if someone was worried about me refusing to use it."
"Would you refuse to use it?" Mr. Colbert asked, suddenly looking stern. "In the face of your master's need?"
"No! But it changes how I see things. I can kill without remorse, if I've decided someone is an enemy. And I nearly decided you were, just because you were there and I was looking for threats!"
"Then perhaps it is meant to be used only when danger threatens."
"Maybe." A long sigh. "So maybe we shouldn't be trying to force it, but . . . isn't Gandálfr supposed to be the 'most active archangel' in history?"
"Correct."
"Then, shouldn't the archangel with the most experience with mortal affairs have learned by now that the more we sweat in practice, the less we bleed in battle?"
"That isn't unreasonable," the professor agreed, "but how do you propose to practice this without starting a fight?"
"Good question. I told myself there was danger, so . . . maybe I can make up a litany? 'I am the left hand of-' No, the Ivanova Boast is still for facing down an enemy-"
"The what boast?"
"'I am a servant of the Heavy Fire, wielder of the brand of Gandálfr. The dark-' No, same problem. And Boondock Saints is right out." Until we have an army to defeat, anyway.
"Jason?"
He shook his head. "Sorry. Uh, context. I'm trying to adapt legends of holy warriors, their words as they faced evil. Which . . . I need something more neutral. Affirming, but not necessarily fighting. 'I am the bone of my-' Close, but not quite applicable."
"Hm." Mr. Colbert looked thoughtful. "The Headmaster has a large collection of texts that claim to be pre-Romalian Empire. Some of the tales of Gandálfr are . . . well, I wouldn't care to justify them to a Church Inquisitor. But many are suited to thrill the heart and set blood racing. Perhaps a transcription of one of them might work?"
"If I can't figure it out here, maybe. But . . . here, let me try this."
Jason bent down, picked the revolver back up, closed his eyes, and began to recite:
"'A paladin is sworn to valor.
His heart knows only virtue.
His blade defends the helpless.
His might upholds the weak.
His word speaks only truth.
His wrath undoes the wicked.'"
His eyes opened and he stared straight ahead.
"'I walk in the dark where no one will enter.
I stand on the bridge, and no one may pass.
I live for Louise, I will die for Louise.
In Gandálfr's name!'"
The runes flared briefly, and glowed steadily.
"You seem to be in better control," Mr. Colbert commented after a moment.
"I am," Jason replied gravely. "Like the calm before the storm."
Then he tilted his head, considering. "You were prepared to subdue me if necessary, I trust?"
"Only if necessary, but yes."
"Good." He looked to the targets. "If I move about three paces closer, I can hit the bullseye every time. If I'm not somehow distracted. Otherwise," and he could feel the truth of it, "these revolvers are simply not accurate enough."
Mr. Colbert shrugged. "I've never claimed to be a master gunsmith. I have witnessed expert pistoleers perform trick shots at three times this range, but I'm sure their weapons were the best that could be commissioned. How close a grouping can you manage from here?"
"Let's find out."
There was a slight nagging feeling that he could make two-gun mojo work again, but Jason ignored it this time. This was practice, not desperate improvisation fueled by eucatastrophic fortune, so there would be time later to try out Hollywood bullshit. (There was, of course, no reason to even think about holding the revolver sideways.) He took aim, quickly but confidently, and discharged all six rounds in about 10 seconds. Only one of the shots was a bullseye, but the rest were all within three or four inches of the center.
"I can see the difference your auxilum makes," the professor noted, nodding. "And the increased confidence alone would make you more effective in battle." He paused, then continued with a small smile. "Although I doubt Miss Vallière will permit you to die for her."
Jason's answering smile was equally subdued as he began reloading. "And I intend to keep us both alive for a very long time. But while I cloak myself in the mantle of Retribution I am free of the fears of mortality: My blood does not chill and my flesh does not quail when I say that they will harm her only over my cold, dead body. And not even then, if I can find a way."
"Lovers have ever been prone to such oaths, but . . . well. By Brimir's grace, perhaps yours can stand firm." Mr. Colbert paused. "But you may wish to develop a faster litany to use your auxilum. Any mage could have killed you a dozen times over during your recitation."
"I know. It's even one of the rules: 'If my transformation sequence takes longer than it takes for an enemy to launch an attack, I will figure out how to shorten it'." Even if we have to resort to something as stupidly 'magical girl' as 'Rune Power Makeup'. Hell, 'Deus Vult' would be shorter and more apropos. "Something to practice, certainly. Right now, I want to try out one of my people's legends."
So saying, he held the revolver at a level closer to his waist. One of the nice things about his power – and any gun-lover back on Earth would call utter bullshit if they heard it – was that he didn't seem to need to sight along the barrel properly to have a good idea of where his bullets were going to end up, almost as if there were a laser pointer attached to it. It meant this trick might be ready for combat right away. So Jason pulled the trigger without cocking the hammer first-
Then fanned the hammer, discharging all six rounds in what couldn't have been more than a couple of seconds.
And then he had to sidestep quickly to avoid the especially large and dense cloud of smoke he'd just produced.
Mr. Colbert Levitated the target over, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he examined the target. "Were you simulating a shot to the head after you defeated a mage's Shield?" he asked, pointing to two of the new holes, one noticeably above the bullseye, the other just below the top of the target.
"No." Fortunately, there were sources to draw on for the likely answer. "No, I think that was muzzle climb."
"Which is?"
"The revolver was trying to spin, with the trigger at the center of the rotation, and each discharge added new impetus. One of the issues of rapid fire, in fact. Fire fast enough and you don't have enough time to bring the barrel back on target."
"Ah." Mr. Colbert shook his head. "It is an interesting trick, but you may need to discharge slightly less quickly to ensure the bullets each draw out a separate charge from an enemy Shield. And I think I may need to secure ear protection: The ringing from the noise of those fast discharges is not particularly pleasant."
"The . . . oh. Merde. Yes, we need ear protection. Play around with repeating firearms for long enough and you will go deaf."
The professor lifted an eyebrow, offering Jason a very dry expression. "You did not consider this worth mentioning?"
"I hadn't thought about it, to be honest. It's been years since I got to do any shooting. Most universities back home think that students get into too much trouble between the boozing and the wenching, so they don't allow weapons, and I was taking classes year-round."
Mr. Colbert opened his mouth for a moment, then closed it, and blinked a few times. "I must admit, I do have the occasional desire to diswand all the students between classes.
"In any event, you have demonstrated that you can gun down most any mage, once you have a sense of the timing. Very few can erect a Shield that will permit them to survive the impact of six bullets."
Jason was setting the revolvers down and getting ready to clean them, and his runes faded just as the professor finished. And then he had to gulp back breakfast as his stomach suddenly roiled.
"What is it?"
"I . . . when I used the last bullets in the revolvers, they only just knocked down a mage's Shield. Then . . . then I bullrushed him, grabbed his swordwand, and drove it through his throat while he was still on the ground."
Mr. Colbert regarded him for a moment, then picked up one of the revolvers and began cleaning it. "Is that the death that troubles you the most?" he asked quietly.
"The others all died on their feet, facing me. Or at least able to turn and face me, and weapons in hand. This one . . . he was down, and I butchered him while he was helpless, because that's the only way I could make sure he wouldn't get back up."
"Except that you feel that you had already beaten him?"
"I . . . yeah. Something like that. I know it's stupid-"
"Did you have a spare ally to keep him subdued?"
"No. No, not at that point."
"Then you had no means of keeping a prisoner. That is one of the terrible differences between a courtyard duel and a true battle. All too often, one cannot afford to be lenient in battle."
"I know that, sir, but it keeps coming back, and I don't want to always be remembering it!"
"Jason," Mr. Colbert said, very gently, "every warrior will accumulate deaths that he regrets. This is why I had hoped yours was a blessing of life, rather than life-taking. But sometimes, it's the enemy who chooses the battle, rather than yourself. All you can do is pray for the peace of the souls of the ones whose lives you had to take."
"I did, but . . . do you think it'd help to pray again?"
"It can't hurt." The professor then looked down at the revolver in his hands with a critical eye. "Now, about that trick of yours."
"Yeah?"
"Please don't repeat it with these revolvers, at least until we've improved the design. If I'm not mistaken, this revolver may be too damaged to be safely wielded again."
"Oh." Shit, another thing we managed to screw up! "Sorry."
"I'm not saying it was a worthless experiment to perform. But I don't have time to produce an endless supply for you to practice with." Mr. Colbert then glanced out the window. "In any event, the time for luncheon approaches. Perhaps Miss Vallière would appreciate an escort across the grounds?"
And give us a reminder of why we're willing to fight. Jason smiled wryly. "On it."
A/N:
New Spells: Boiling Brew – Fire spell of unknown shape and type, invented by Mr. Colbert.
Flowering Bounty – technically I first mentioned the name in the last chapter, but it's explained here. Makes plants grow immediately. Very difficult spell, originally (it would seem) a Square, but can be cast as a Dot with a figura that's a perfect balance of all four elements. Apparently, the Headmaster came up with a third version more suited to Louise. Somehow.