“You’re not…alliedwith them?” I asked doubtfully.
Forsooth smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“No, Ms. Shadow,” he said firmly. “I am not. Quite the opposite.” He cleared his throat, motioning delicately with a hand, like he had while casting. “Truthfully, we could use your help. I had some hope the benefit would be mutual, given your interests.”
“My… help?” I asked, confused. “What interests?”
Forsooth paused a moment, his expression grave.
“I would like to offer you a regular seat at our little gathering, if you feel so inclined,” he said next, his eyes and voice a touch fierce. “In the short term, we are concerned with a number of disappearances in the Magical and human worlds. And, perhaps more of interest to you, our recent loss of Alaric Greythorne as a student at this institution.”
My heart leapt sideways at his words.
I fought to keep my mouth and eyes expressionless, but I’ve never been very good at keeping my feelings off my face, not while face to face with someone I knew. I took a breath, and glanced at my monocerus, which was pawing anxiously at the stone.
“If it helps,” Forsooth added, his voice kinder. “Ihadplanned to ask you to join us at some point, anyway. I’d intended to wait until at least next term, as you’re still so new to this world. But when I happened to witness Mr. Bones’s instructions to you in my class the other day, regarding the disappearance of his friend, and your friend, too, I gather, it occurred to me that perhaps I needed to accelerate my timeline.”
He paused, maybe to watch me process all of that.
He cleared his throat.
“I will say, while I don’t agree with his methods, Mr. Bones is likely correct in his belief that it’s not wise for you to show so much interest in Mr. Greythorne’s whereabouts. I hope you took his warning to heart, and attempted to be discreet this week.”
I thought about that. I felt my face grow hotter once I had.
“Not really,” I admitted.
If that bothered Forsooth, he didn’t let it show.
“I see. Well, perhaps hearing it from someone a little less overbearing than Mr. Bones will convince you to try a bit harder to contain your curiosity?” He quirked an eyebrow so that it disappeared under his bushy hair. “I hope the promise of more, shall we say,actionableinformation from our little gathering might also make it easier to resist temptation.”
I felt myself flush hotter. When Forsooth stepped back a pace, I took a step backwards, too, still gripping the goblet Graham had handed me.
“Of course,” I said, trying hard not to feel foolish.
Great, now I had two mages who thought I was a complete moron.
Forsooth chuckled, abruptly enough, it was clear he’d heard me.
My face reddened more, but he waved me off, his amusement apparent.
“Quite the contrary, Ms. Shadow. I cannot speak for Mr. Bones, nor would I dare to try, but if he did think that of you, it wouldn’t be your intelligence I’d be questioning.”
Still smiling, Forsooth went on before I could answer, although I’m not sure how Iwouldhave answered that.
“You will await my note, then?” he asked, his voice back to cheerful. “We generally meet after dinner, eight o’clock, on the top floor of the Northeast Tower. We try to do so everyfew weeks, but sometimes meet or less more frequently, as the situation demands.”
His dark eyes grew more serious.
“I must unfortunately ask you to be discreet about my having invited you, Ms. Shadow, and about anything that might be discussed, as well as the identity of the other attendees, if you do decide to join us. If any of your friends happen to ask where you are going, it would be better to characterize the meeting as academic in nature. As your own supposition suggests, it’s the most plausible explanation for someone of your abilities.”
Hesitating, he looked up towards the sky, his expression grave.
“I will makeoneexception to that discretion,” he added, voice thoughtful. “You may tell Mr. Bones of our conversation, and the true nature of the meetings… should the topic ever come up between you. But only him. And kindly ask him to be discreet, if you do happen to tell him. Although I strongly doubt that warning will be necessary, in hisparticularcase.”
I nodded, still a little flushed, and now even more perplexed.
I didn’t know how to tell him that Bones and I weren’t exactly on speaking terms, regardless of what he thought he’d overheard between us in class. And why would Forsooth trustBoneson this particular subject anyway, given who he was?
