“It happened five days ago. Not exactly enough time to forgive and forget.”
“But things are different now. I know now I can trust you. And you know you can trust me, too. I’ve already proven that.”
Claudia scoffs. “You havenot—”
“I never told the High Sage about your snake,” Marcherie interjects, “and I didn’t tell a soul about your secret meetings with Lamour in the observatory.”
She freezes. “How did you know about that?”
Marcherie smirks. “I saw you.”
“You were following me?”
“I didn’t know who I was following. I just saw a light coming from the observatory while I was visiting Odette’s grave one night, so I waited at the edge of the wing to see who came out. And there you were.”
Looking at the plush rug beneath her feet, Claudia mumbles, “Yes, well, he’s been helping me get caught up on rhetorical theory.”
“In the forbidden wing of the discipline you initially applied for?”
She swallows hard. “Yes.”
“And then you brought Cassius up there, too? Are you going to try to tell me you two were ‘practicing rhetorical theory’ as well?”
Claudia fumbles for an excuse.
With a slanted smile, Marcherie says, “Since we’re friends, I won’t tell a soul. We are friends, right?”
Is this blackmail or sincerity? She clenches her jaw. “Right,” Claudia says, unsure.
“So, tell me. What happened between you and Cas? Are you stressed because he’s so angry with you?”
“No, he’s not—wait.” Claudia approaches the bed and sits on the edge. “He told you he’s angry with me?” A million questions sit at the back of her throat.What else did he say? When? How? Does he miss me?
“Of course he is. You got him in trouble with the only person in the world he respects.”
“But surely the High Sage will forgive him, right? It doesn’t seem like it should be that big of a deal.”
Marcherie leans in like she’s sharing a secret. “Triche may seem like a calm old man, but he knows how to hold a grudge.”
“How do you know that?”
“Well, you know how Astrologia was debunked? Oh, of course you know,Star Girl. Anyway, there was a period of time where the Astrologiawing was used as an Astronomiawing instead. Students still studied the cosmos, though there was no magical enhancement to their studies without Sidarphion. Then, when Triche became High Sage, he condemned the whole wing and left it to rot. He expelled any current students who were in the Astronomia program, despite the fact that many professors in other disciplines offered to absorb the Astronomia class into theirs.”
No wonder he sent Claudia such a harsh rejection. “Why does Triche hate Astro-everything so much?”
“There are lots of rumors. Some think that when he was a student, he was in love with an Astrologia major who didn’t love him back. Others think he saw a fate in his stars he didn’t like. Though most say he’s just a stickler for magic and he’s merciless against those who don’t use it. I can’t say I blame him for what he did.” She looks Claudia up and down with genuine sympathy. “No offense. But this is a magical institution. Why teach a subject that can’t be used beyond the abilities of a common mortal? It’s pointless here. Triche knew what he was doing when he ended it.”
She wonders if Odette—the other celestial witch—ever hadany run-ins with him, if he ever found her in the observatory like that. “What did Odette think about the High Sage?”
Marcherie winces, but she shakes the emotion from her face. A flash of fear runs through Claudia when she imagines how Marcherie must feel—losing the person she loves.
Claudia is one month away from the exact same grief.
“She liked him,” Marcherie says, shrugging. “She said he had all the answers.”
“I suppose he does.” Claudia sighs. She notices how her posture has relaxed, how she’s leaned closer toward Marcherie as they’ve been talking. She clears her throat and pulls back, steeling her spine. “What’s going to happen when he dies? He’s got to be close. If he’s not going to keep training Cassius, who else will have all the answers?”
“Triche isn’t going to die, Claudia,” she says like it’s as obvious as the color of the sky. “He’s protected by the gods. He’s going to ascend.”
