Page 50 of The Alchemists

“This is really good coffee,” she said, because it was.

“Thanks. I have a subscription from a roaster in Portland. Libations are something of a passion of mine.”

She grinned. If she’d had any doubt that this was Sebastian’s friend, that dispelled it. Vaguely, she recalled that he’d worn a plaid waistcoat and a yellow button-down to alchemy last class.

“That’s your bar?”

“Mmm. So, what do you normally do with your mornings?”

She shrugged. “Nothing fancy. Listen to music usually, sometimes homework, sometimes dance. Yoga.”

“Dance?”

“Since I was twelve.”

Asher whistled low through his lush lips. “You must be good.”

“I guess. What do you do with your mornings?” Talking to Asher was easier than talking to anyone she’d ever met. Something about his demeanor invited openness.

“Music also. Composition usually.”

“Sebastian said that music is your mundane major?”

Asher looked as if he’d gotten a whiff of something foul. “Only technically. Music is my major. Period. I’m certainly not planning on going into Metaphysical Theory when I graduate.”

It took Lily a moment to gather herself. What Asher was saying—that he considered his non-magical major to be his true one—was practically sacrilege.

“Wow.”

He turned to her, his lightheartedness gone. “I’m speaking freely to you because I can only assume you have a very different viewpoint on the mundane world than most people here, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t repeat that.”

“My lips are sealed, but why…”

“Don’t I think the mundane world is a worthless burden? How many famous magical artists can you name?” He gave her two seconds to contemplate. “And how many non-magical ones?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Point taken.”

He drained his coffee and stood up, twisting his long torso until his back popped. “Want to hear what I’m working on?”

“Like a composition?”

He grinned. “Yeah, like a composition.”

Lily sleepwalked through the day, tumbling into bed shortly after dinner. She and Seb had barely stayed upright during alchemy and had nearly melted a hole in their lab table.

They’d found both of the symbols from the ring in the windows, and they were fairly certain the windows contained some sort of code. The problem was that alchemists, being notoriously paranoid, didn’t have a universal symbolic language, so certain elements had nearly infinite symbols used to denote them.

Now, with the weekend arrived, Lily hopped from foot to foot, trying to stay warm as she waited for Seb in Studio C. It was time to switch to a heavier jacket. He arrived, hair rumpled and cheeks red, and they began warming up in companionable silence.

“Are you doing anything for the midterm break?” he asked when they paused for water.

“I was going to work on the code, mostly. Why, are you doing something?”

He looked vaguely guilty as he said, “We’re going to Québec City. We go every year.”

“Friends at Savarelle?”

“Tori’s cousin. He lets us borrow his apartment.”