Page 27 of Monsters and Mocha

Merry’s roommate, George, waved at her from his cot. He was leaning against the wall with a book on his lap, and a casted leg stretched out and elevated on a pillow in front of him. “Hi, Dr. Shelton.”

“George.” She offered him a smile, doing her best to wrangle her emotions under control. Merry, with one arm in a sling, dragged the chair from the corner of the room and gallantly offered it to her.

“Is the captain going to be alright?” His face was troubled. “He looked like he was upset about something. Is he mad that I wanted him to come?”

She hesitated. “He is upset. But it’s not anything you did,” she added quickly when Merry’s face fell. “He’s just…still adjusting. He’ll be fine, though.”

I hope.

Merry nodded slowly. “It’s probably hard, adjusting to all that magic.”

Darby worked hard to control her surprise, and she glanced warily at George. “It’s no different than the magic that I used to help both of you.”

“Oh, George already knows,” Merry reassured her.

“What? Merry!” Her heart jumped to the back of her throat in panic. “Who else did you tell?”

“Just the other boys. But don’t worry! We won’t tell anyone.”

“You already did.” Darby leaned forward with a groan and covered her face with her hands.

“Only because we were all worried about the captain. We would never betray him, not after what he did for us.”

She looked up to see a bright, determined light in Merry’s eyes. She sighed in defeat. “Alright. But no more, okay? Not unless Fitz gives you permission to talk about it.”

“Fitz?” George looked over at Merry and waggled his eyebrows up and down. “Dr. Shelton, just how close are you and the captain?”

Her cheeks heated, but underneath the embarrassment from the implied relationship was the sting of his words and the sharp ache of her guilt. She scrambled for something to change the subject. “Merry, what did you mean when you said it would be hard to adjust to all the magic?”

“The magic in all the new parts that you built for him.” Merry tilted his head curiously. “How did you get it to stay in the metal? I’ve never heard of anyone enchanting non-living material like that before.”

“It’s not exactly enchanted. I just used magic to make connections between the metal and his existing muscles, using the pathways that were already present in his nervous system. But how do you know that?”

“I can see it. Can’t you?”

She blinked slowly. “You can see magic, Merry?”

“Well, yeah.” He looked over at George with a puzzled expression. “Can’t you? Isn’t that how you know how to use it?”

“No. I had to learn how to reach out and feel it. We all did. I’ve never heard of anyone actually being able to see it.” Darby straightened in her chair as an idea flared to life, one that would ensure the bright, curious young man in front of her would stay far away from the front lines. “Why didn’t you study at the Academy?”

He shrugged. “It’s not like Gran could afford the tuition, and I didn’t have the character references for a scholarship.”

“You do now.” She nodded decisively as she stood. “I’ll write the letter today.”

Merry sucked in a quick gasp, and his eyes watered. “You would do that?” His shoulders fell. “But I need two. I’m still one short. Unless…” He looked up hopefully. “Do you think Captain Monstrego would write one?”

“I’m sure—” Darby caught herself. No more making decisions for him. She cleared her throat and reached for the door handle. “I can ask him.”

As long as he’s still willing to speak to me.

Darby stepped into the street a quarter of an hour later. Though George and Merry’s laughter and boyish antics had done much to improve her mood, worry for Fitz still sat heavy in the back of her mind. She scanned the sides of the street as she walked, searching for any sign of the captain.

He’s probably just gone back to Clerval’s. I hope he’s gone back to Clerval’s. It’s too cold for him to be out for a prolonged period of time, and those clouds look like rain. She grimaced as a new thought struck her. I was so worried about insulation that I didn’t even think about needing to ensure the metal is protected from water damage. The last thing Fitz needs is rusty joints. Maybe⁠—

“I see your friend must have changed his mind.”

Lacey’s smug voice pulled her from her train of thought. Darby looked up, blinking, to find herself standing in front of the alley that led behind Clerval’s. Lacey was standing just outside the coffeehouse door, on the cusp of either coming or going.