“About that…” Prospero gave him a guilty look. She explained two of his students had been in town, and for the first time since he’d come to Crenshaw, he saw a hint that the woman he’d thought of as reptilian had a heart. A flare of possessiveness washed over him since the students in question were Maggie and the overly strong witch.
“How?” Sondre asked. “How did they get out the castle without anyone noticing? There are spells and…” He shook his head. “Elias?”
The hob, Elias, popped into the room. He was one of the least objectionable of the creatures, dressed in miniature blue jeans and a button-down shirt that looked identical to one of Sondre’s own shirts. Though he’d not had the urge to ask Elias why he mimicked Sondre’s clothes, Sondre hoped it meant this hob was less adversarial to him than most.
Maybe.
“How did the students escape?”
Elias grinned in that nerve-racking way hobs had of smiling, as if they were laughing at a person but not out loud. Then he said cheerily, “Built a tree. Summoned it from nothing to fruiting. That one’s a strong witch, Headmasher.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?” Sondre asked.
“Thought about it. Decided not to.” Elias bobbed his head, nodding in affirmation to either his own statement or a thought he wasn’t sharing.
“I see.” Sondre pinched the bridge of his nose. “That will be all.”
Elias vanished.
Prospero gave Sondre an amused look as the hob disappeared and echoed, “Headmasher?”
“Hobs. Who knows why they say or do anything?” Sondre shrugged, not feeling like he and Prospero were now or likely ever would be at the sort of friendship where he’d confess that he had been falling-down drunk often enough that he’d stumbled and whacked his head into doorways or furniture. Sondre suspected a few of the castle hobs purposely shrank door lintels to injure him—but he had no proof.
Instead of saying any of that, he settled on, “This way.”
In mere moments, he strode through the castle with his former nemesis at his side. They stepped outside. Springing from the ground outside Miss Brandeau’s room was an enormous tree.
“Damn.” He plucked a perfect apple. Rolling it in his hand, he marveled at the sheer immensity of what the new witch had accomplished. He was more than adept at a lot of things, but to create a full, maturetree out of thin air? Not even the House of Dionysus and Jörd, who managed plants for Crenshaw, could create such a thing.
She could heal the rift.
Do I tell the others? Do I let her heal it? Do we try to send her back?
Sondre stood side by side with Prospero and marveled at the tree that now stretched from soil to balcony.
“Plan?” she prompted.
“You go see the chief witch. I’ll deal with the students. Bring these two back to the castle, and make sure Brandeau’s balcony doors are sealed. Tomorrow, we’ll select which students we siphon and which stay. I’d rather get that managed before anyone has a sickness that their magic is too weak to heal.”
“Logical.”
Sondre tossed her an apple. “Why didn’t you bring them here when you saw them?”
Prospero bit the apple, chewed, and swallowed. “I have no authority over students.” She held the apple up. “It’s as good as the fresh, perfect fruit that it resembles.”
He ate part of the one in his hand, buying time for her to say whatever was on her mind. He’d been at odds with her long enough to know when she wasn’t done speaking.
Several silent moments later, she spoke. “Miss Brandeau is friends with Ms. Lynch, so I recommend keeping that one here, too.” Prospero’s lips curved into what he would consider teasing if anyone else did so. “I know that you can already tell which of them is powerful enough to stay here. It’s not beenthatlong since I held your position at the castle.”
Sondre sighed. “I’ll share my thoughts with the Congress. That’s all. I won’t suggest any of them have to stay or go.”
Prospero’s smile faded. “As you will.”
In the next moment, she swept away toward the town. He wasn’t sure if she intended to cross paths with his students after all or seek more drinks in the tavern. Tomorrow was going to be a helluva mess, evenwithout the chaos of their town knowing so many witches had died all at once.
First, we siphon a few of the new arrivals, and then I talk to the others and figure out a new plan.Sondre wasn’t sure they wanted the all-out war that would result from Brandeau being here and fixing the rift, but he wasn’t sure he could convince the Congress to let her go back to her world either.
36Dan
