Removed their heads, to be precise.
Ceri rubbed at her neck involuntarily. “Gallia? I hope my presence doesn’t offend you. I’ve heard your people don’t care much for royalty.”
“Au contraire,” said Leo. “Most Gallic find royalty quaint. Charming. A relic from a bygone era. Not that you’re a relic, per se.” He looked down, blushing. “Not that you’re quaint.”
“Charming, then?” offered Ceri.
Another book fell to the floor. Leo went for it, but Ceri got there first.
“Courtship in the Modern Era: An Etiquette Guide for Young People,”she read aloud. As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
She contemplated hurling the book across the room. This library had some nerve. Just what was it suggesting with that offering?
She hadn’t been thinking anything of the sort. Not that Leo wasn’t handsome. He was an elf—of course he was handsome. But that also meant he was many years her senior, although they did say elves matured more slowly, and he seemed to be a student still of some kind, so he couldn’t have been too much older than her in mental age if not actual age.
But none of that mattered because she was here to study, not to court men. No matter how incredibly handsome and slightly awkward and somewhat charming they might be.
Ceri looked at Leo, who immediately tore away his glance and began to contemplate the binding on the book about royalty with some intensity.
Ms. Redclaw cleared her throat.
“Right,” said Leo, purposefully not looking at Ceri or the book. “I better be going. I’ve got a lot to do to—and first, I’ve got to get these books dry enough to even know where to start.”
“Oh,” said Ceri. “I guess since you know who I am, I can help with that.”
Ceri looked down at the stain on her shirt and removed it, pulling the dark liquid from it and into a ball in the air. It was one of the few uses of magic King Derkomai tolerated: althoughhe generally hated magic, he permitted his own family to use it to avoid embarrassment.
Then she held out her hands, gesturing to the books, papers, and handkerchiefs they had used to clean up the mess on the floor. The droplets of tea coffee flew out of each object, joining the ball suspended in the air.
“Incroyable,” said Leo.
“I can’t do anything about the cup, I’m afraid,” said Ceri. “That’s beyond my skill.”
Ms. Redclaw showed Ceri to a sink in the back behind the library counter, where she dropped the floating ball of liquid down the drain.
When they returned, Leo was still there. He’d taken a leather-bound journal from the now-dry stack of books and papers and was scribbling furiously with a pen.
“Would you be willing—” Leo began as she approached him. “No, never mind.”
“What is it?” asked Ceri.
“No, it’s too much to ask. You’ve already done enough. Thank you for cleaning up my mess.”
“Yes, thank you, your highness,” said Ms. Redclaw. “I hope to see again soon.”
Ms. Redclaw wheeled back behind the counter, leaving her alone with Leo.
“Tell me what you wanted to ask me,” said Ceri once Ms. Redclaw was out of earshot.
It was purely out of curiosity that she insisted on hearing it. Ceri couldn’t stand unanswered questions any more than she could stand unopened doors. It had absolutely nothing to do with the library’s suggested reading. Nothing at all.
“It’s just…your magic,” said Leo. “I research magic. It’s why I’m here at Winwold and not back at one of the renowned Gallicuniversities. They have discarded magic for reason, for science. They claim the time of magic has passed.”
“My father holds the same opinion of magic. ‘Useless and unreliable superstitious nonsense.’ Unless one of the royals needs it, of course,” said Ceri.
Leo shook his head. “But what if magic and science are the same thing? What if they’re two sides of the same coin? I’ve been trying to study magic as a form of energy, as a potential power source. Perhaps magic and science need not be at odds at all. But the universities in Gallia think it’s best if we leave magic behind us in the past, and even here, there’s an idea that magic is different from the rest of the natural world, and that it can’t be understood by the same means. I think they’re wrong. There’s so much still to learn if we’re open to it, just so much untapped potential—”
Leo’s face had animated when talking about his research. His lovely green eyes were dancing with energy behind his spectacles. Golden strands of his hair fell onto his cheeks from his movement, highlighting their symmetry. He had leaned forward without realizing it, his hands gesturing so enthusiastically that he brushed Ceri’s arm again.
