Roswyn smirked. “I picked her years ago. Turns out she’s as good as I imagined.”
“Too bad about her magic though.”
Roswyn glared at her.
“A lineage of seers and not single prophecy made.” Maeve clicked her tongue.
“Yeah,” said Roswyn. “But that Cauldron still chose her over you.”
Maeve’s smirk faltered against her will. Roswyn smiled.
“So I don’t get it. I don’t get why he gives you the time of day.”
“Couldn’t say,” said Maeve. “Perhaps he grows tired of listening to you whine.”
Roswyn laughed. “He’ll grow tired of you soon enough. One way or another. Clock is ticking. When’s your twenty-second birthday again?”
Roswyn hit his mark. Maeve cheeks flushed hot. Roswyn nodded in triumph. “Thank Merlin it’s not me.”
“You’ve got that damn right.” Maeve rolled her eyes and turned away from him to continue her search for Spinel.
After over an hour of searching, Maeve sat on the main steps of the castle, just outside the Great Hall. Roswyn’s comment lingered in her mind.
From the side corridor emerged Headmaster Elgin. Her long gray hair was loose and free.
“Good evening, Maeve.”
“Evening, Madam,” said Maeve politely.
Elgin stopped and observed her. “What seems to be the matter?” Asked Elgin.
“My cat,” said Maeve. “I haven’t seen him in a few days, which is not like him.”
“The black one, with the odd colored eyes?”
Maeve nodded.
“Oh, I’m certain he’ll turn up,” said Elgin. “Cats are brilliant creatures, and you know what they say?” Maeve waited for her to continue. “They say they take after their owners, which makes him the second brightest cat at Vaukore.”
Maeve’s brow’s raised, certain she had never heard Elgin crack a joke. Maeve smiled at this attempt to cheer her up.
“If I may speak boldly,” said Elgin, “I have noticed you and Mr. Peur have become close-”
Maeve laughed. “Why is everyone so fixated on that?”
“Forgive me,” said Elgin genuinely. “It’s just that it can be incredibly lonely to be, so to say, above the rest. When I made Bellator straight out of school even those closest to me became distant.”
“You were a Bellator? In the Magical Militia or Law Enforcement?”
“Yes,” she replied. “Your Father was a Captain then. When the time came I chose Magical Law. Not the military.”
Maeve smiled. “I’ve heard he was beloved then.”
Elgin nodded. “He was a marvel. His leadership capabilities were unmatched. His Pureblood Magic was, and still is, a force to be reckoned.”
“That’s funny,” said Maeve. “I don’t see him that way.”
“Of course not,” said Elgin gently. “At any rate, I only meant that you and Mr. Peur are both incredibly gifted, and I hope the pair of you can assist one another in your magical journey.”
