Thatjolted her. Hard enough that she couldn’t say anything, for a moment.
Anaya had to break the silence, once she seemed to register that silence needed to be broken. “I wasn’t saying that resentfully, Min. I know you would never hoard information,” she said, then seemed to hesitate. She bit her lip. Before just bursting out with it. “But I’d be a fool if I didn’t know you were getting that information in some kind of weird and probably dangerous way.”
“It’s not dangerous.”
“If it wasn’t, you would just tell me what the source is.”
“Maybe I just don’t think both of us should be in trouble.”
“So it’s illegal, then. It’s going to get you expelled. Or dragged in front of a magical tribunal for crimes against the natural order.” Her friend’s voice dropped low for that last part. And even lower when she added one last thing, while leaning forward, eyes wide. “You know they execute people in really weird ways, right? I heard that they use a rusty spoon. And they don’t cut your headoff. They cut yourelbowsoff. Do you have any idea how long it’ll take to die of having sawn-off elbows? Years, probably.”
“Well, good job, you’re being ridiculous on purpose, then.”
“Maybe I am, but the head and rusty spoon part still made you flinch.”
No, she wanted to say. But the thought of Harker got in the way. Harker saying what they would do to him.Who are you really protecting?she found herself thinking.Anaya? Or him?And it didn’t make her feel any better about things when her mind answered,Anaya. After all, Anaya was the only person who should even be in an equation like that. Who cared if he got brutally executed?
Not her. No, sir. Not a bit of it.
“Look, you don’t have to worry, okay. I’m being very careful. I’ve got things in place to protect myself.” She swallowed too thickly around those last words. And had to rush on, before Anaya could point at said swallowing as evidence of her lies and her nerves. “And once I make sure that whatever I’m learning is accurate and safe and not going to blow you up somehow, I will share it. I just need to see if I can... replicate it. By using certain methods.”
“Do the methods involve emotion?”
Anaya said the words casually.
But she met Mina’s gaze as she did so, and held it.
“So you’ve guessed that, then,” Mina said. “It feels that way to you.”
“Kind of. Sometimes. I did wonder about whether it was something to do with feeling relief? The first time I gathered, it was once I was safe on top of the hedge. My whole body sagged with it, and then somehow I could feel it coming to me. It kind ofbloomed. And when I think back on that feeling, I can make it happen. Like some sort of... emotional muscle memory.”
Anaya held up a hand, light suddenly blooming in it.
Then she seemed to look at Mina pointedly. And Mina realized her friend was waiting for her to do it back. To show that she had mastered this muscle memory, too. Or at least started to give it a go.
But of course, it wasn’t that easy.
“Well, see the thing is, though... my emotion is sort of embarrassing.”
“You mean you have to, like, pick your nose to feel it?”
“What? No.No. Gross. And probably not a thing.Hopefullynot a thing.”
“I dunno, Min. I saw Humphrey Smythe the other day in the spooky hallway behind the quad, muttering to himself while rooting around with both fingers. And I don’t think he was searching for clear thoughts.”
Mina flicked back through her memories of their various classes, searching for a Humphrey. And when she got him, it didn’t make this information any easier to digest. “Oh god, is he the guy with the monocle?”
“It popped off while he was attempting it.”
“This is the worst thing I’ve ever heard. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. In fact, let’s just go back to the life cycle of a unicorn. First, there is the horse orgy. And then... and then they... and then—” Mina started to say. But she couldn’t finish the thought. And judging by Anaya’s pointed expression, Anaya understood why. Most likely Anaya could see the blush spreading over her cheeks, and was now connecting the dots.
“It’s a sex thing, isn’t it?” her friend said finally.
While she scrambled for a way out of it.
“I have no idea what would give you that impression.”
“Your face is bright red just because you had to talk about horse shagging.”
