“And we can always get more items from the staff,” Roger added.
Conrad placed the waistcoat on the paper and cast.As soon as he was done, he picked it up and checked over where he’d seen the slight stain before.He passed it to Sage for approval.Sage looked over it with painstaking care.Then he folded it onto his lap and nodded, a small smile at the corner of his lips.
Conrad beamed.“Glad it passed muster.”
Sage’s smile grew slightly.I trust you.The words were not spoken out loud, but Conrad felt them in the smile.Sage’s trust felt all the more precious knowing that it was a secret between them.His chest warmed at the thought and he moved on to the next article of clothing.
Wyndham took a seat on the chaise lounge beside Sage, crossing one knee elegantly over the other and leaning his elbow against the arm rest.“One thing that never fails to fascinate me is the way that every person’s magic has such a unique personality.I find that raw materials bring this out more when it comes to human magic.Why don’t you try the cabbage on this next casting, Conrad?That way Sage can feel what your magic is like when you use it.”
Conrad looked up to see Sage’s startled expression.For all his work with the councilmembers, he and Sage had barely spoken about magic.He had no idea if Sage had felt it or, frankly, had any opinion on it—aside from a teasing snobbery about some ingredients.He also had no idea how to adjust the calculations when it came to fresh cabbage.He glanced at Roger.“I might need a bit of help with that, if you don’t mind.”
Roger grinned, ever happy to be of assistance, and bustled over, grabbing three books on his way.They both knelt on the floor together, and discussed the value of one sigil over the other, whether certain calculations might be better suited to such a plain item, and how much magic a cabbage could provide in the first place.
At length, they agreed upon a strategy and Conrad bent over a fresh spellpaper to prepare everything.Sage and Wyndham had remained silent throughout the exchange, but as Conrad wrote down the necessary pieces, Wyndham turned to Sage.“Remarkable, isn’t it?Human magic is surprisingly complex.”
Sage gave Wyndham a wary look and then shrugged.“I’m sure I wouldn’t bother if I had to go through all that every time I needed to cast a spell.”
Wyndham laughed.“You get used to it.Roger is quite brilliant when it comes to this sort of thing.The sheer knowledge he holds in his head is astounding.”
Roger blushed, but looked undeniably pleased by the compliment.
Sage cleared his throat.“Indeed.Roger is probably one of the cleverest people I’ve ever met.”
Conrad felt as though a sliver of tension in the room that he hadn’t even been aware of fizzled out with Sage’s words.Wyndham relaxed and bounced one foot idly.“Agreed.Although I’m pleased to note that there isn’t a single person in this house who is foolish.It’s nice to know we’ve surrounded ourselves with intelligent friends.”
Sage swallowed and clasped his hands in his lap, on top of the folded waistcoat.“Yes,” he said softly.
Conrad stole a look at Roger, who gave him a small secret smile, and then he bent over the paper to hide his own grin.When he was satisfied with what he’d written and Roger had checked over his work, Conrad sat back on his heels.“Right,” he said.“Ready?”
