Chapter 95: Prose and Points

Chapter 95: Prose and Points

Sebastien

Month 1, Day 28, Thursday 9:40 a.m.

Professor Ilma didn’t make a fuss when Sebastien slipped back into the room halfway through her lecture, despite the distraction she caused to the gossip-hungry students.

After the period was over, Sebastien hurried through the halls to Pecanty’s Sympathetic Science classroom, not because she was eager for his class, but because she wanted to speak with both Damien and Ana.

Sebastien had apparently hurried too quickly, because neither was there when she arrived.

Some of the other students began working up the gumption to approach her as soon as she entered the room. She was unguarded, like a baby lamb separated from the flock.

Waverly Ascott, quiet as ever, moved her bag out of the seat next to her and waved Sebastien over with barely a glance.

Sebastien placed the plate of cookies pillaged from Kiernan on her desk.

Ascott kept her eyes trained on a thick book about witchcraft, but took one of the cookies and started nibbling.

Brinn Setterlund came up on Sebastien’s other side, leaning against the desk and crossing his arms. He sent a weak glare out at nothing in particular, which Sebastien found supremely unthreatening, but was apparently enough to keep the other students from approaching.

‘They’re protecting me,’ she realized with an uncomfortable moment of inner warmth.

Rhett Moncrieffe took a seat behind her with a cool nod. “Welcome back.”

Alec Gervin also took a guard position, though he had to kick another student out of their place to do so, which reduced Sebastien’s warm feelings.

Damien and Ana arrived shortly after and took the seats in front of her before immediately turning to face her. “Stars above, Sebastien, I’m so glad you’re back. Things have been rather unpleasant here,” Damien said.

She leaned forward. “I wanted to ask you two about that. What’s happened while I was gone? What rumors have been circulating? Everyone seems to know I was involved.” Damien might have information from his brother, since they seemed to communicate frequently and the elder Westbay wasn’t particularly circumspect with what he revealed to his little brother. And Ana always seemed to know the latest gossip.

“It’s been all anyone’s talking about,” Ana said. “What actually happened is still rather vague, but, as always, there are rumors that range from plausible to outrageous.”

Damien nodded. “The coppers haven’t come out with a statement, but everyone knows Newton is dead, and there was an Aberrant that got the Red Guard called in.”

Ana, like Waverly, took one of the cookies from Sebastien’s desk without even bothering to ask. “Delicious. Where did you get these, Sebastien?”

“Grandmaster Kiernan from the History department gave them to me when he called me to his office this morning,” she said pointedly.

Damien’s eyes widened before he controlled his expression, but the tension leaked through in his voice. “He’s the department Chair, right? What could he want with you? Why did he give you cookies?”

Sebastien grimaced. “Kiernan gave me contribution points, but they were just an excuse to question me about what happened.”

Ana nodded sagely. “He’s probably worried about the University’s reputation and what rumors you might spread. Canelo has been stripped of her student liaison position, you know. She was absent for a few days, perhaps being questioned by the coppers, but she’s back now. It’s bad press to have two of your student aides implicated in an incident like this. Especially when one turns up an Aberrant.” Ana plucked at her clothes, smoothing imaginary wrinkles. “And on that note...what actually happened?”

Sebastien could feel the weight of attention from every remotely close-by student straining to hear her answer. She shook her head. “I had to make a vow with the Red Guard. I can’t talk about it.” She had a feeling she would be repeating that a lot in the near future.

Damien groaned in frustration, sending Ana a glare. “I told you guys not to bother him about that!”

Ana shrugged. “No harm in asking. I’m not ashamed to admit that I am quite curious. Perhaps I could relate some of the rumors to you, Sebastien, and you could simply tell me how close to the truth they are, on a scale of one to ten?”

Sebastien shrank down in her chair to get away from Ana’s gleaming eyes. “No, thank you.”

“Leave him alone, Ana,” Alec said, scowling down at his desk. “Someone died.”

Ana passed Alec a cookie and a sympathetic look, patting him on the hand. “Here. Eat something before you get any grumpier.” She turned to Sebastien. “Newton Moore was his tutor, you know. It’s a little frightening to think about.”

Alec scowled but, with a surreptitious look at Sebastien, shoved the entire cookie into his mouth with an angry grunt.

Damien tossed his hair back. “I sympathize, Sebastien. Everyone keeps asking me for details since my Family runs the coppers. But I couldn’t tell them anything even if I wanted to, because I don’t know much. I sent a letter to Titus, but he’s too busy with the investigation.” Damien coughed awkwardly. “Also, it is confidential since the investigation is still ongoing, even if Titus isn’t bound by the secrets of the Red Guard like someone in a lesser position might be.”

“So, I put together a care package for the Moore family. Damien and I wrote letters to them about what it was like being friends with Newton, and gathered up some of his stuff that was left in his room, plus some coin to help them get by. I heard their house was burnt down. Anyway, um, do you want to write a letter for them, too? I can put it in with the rest of the package.”

Sebastien was taken aback, and remained silent for a long few seconds. She had not expected this, and especially not from Alec.

Alec shuffled, his eyebrows drawing down. “I know I’m not good with people like Ana, but care packages are something you do when a family goes through a traumatic event. It’s too simple to mess up. Do you want to write a letter or not?” he asked, growing belligerent.

“I have Newton’s Conduit. I’ll send that along with a letter of my own.”

He harrumphed. “Well, finish it by Monday. I’m not waiting on you if you don’t.”

They walked on to the cafeteria, where she stopped and scanned the large room from the entrance. Stopping Alec, she handed him the empty cookie plate. “Give this to the kitchen workers.”

“Why can’t you do it?” he asked.

She didn’t reply, already leaving. To her surprise, Damien caught up with her a few moments later. “Where are you going?” he asked.

“To find Tanya Canelo. We were both there. I want to see what she has to say.” Really, she wanted to know what Tanya had told the coppers and the Red Guard, to see if she could glean any clues about what their next move might be.

“I’ll come, too,” Damien offered immediately, adding in a murmur, “It might be dangerous to meet with her alone.”

Tanya’s personal room had been taken away and she now roomed in the fourth-term student dorms, but she wasn’t there. Sebastien finally found her in a less-trafficked corner of the library. The blonde, square-jawed girl looked almost as exhausted as Sebastien felt.

Her mouth tightened when she saw Sebastien, but she nodded a sharp greeting. “Siverling. If you’re here to talk about the rogue magic incident, I’m unable to speak of it.”

Sebastien sat down across from her. “The Red Guard made me take a vow too, but I can talk with those who already know the details. I was there shortly before the Red Guard arrived. I saw you going upstairs with the others, from outside the window.”

Tanya looked between the two of them, not relaxing. “So?”

“So... Does anyone know why the Raven Queen was there?”

Damien sucked in a breath.

“I cannot speak of it,” Tanya repeated.

“Do you need Damien to leave?” Sebastien asked.

Damien scowled immediately. “I’m not leaving you alone with her, Sebastien.” He glared at Tanya, making no secret of his distrust.

Tanya glared back at Damien, looking as if she might snap and attack him, but instead, her eyes welled up with tears.

They rolled down her cheeks like big fat diamonds, one after the other.

Damien stepped back, alarmed.

“I cannot speak of it!” Tanya squeezed out in a choked voice.

It was so far out of character, so different from what Sebastien had been expecting, that she stared at the crying young woman for a long few moments. ‘Was this what that skull was supposed to do to me? If so, vowing under the incorrect name made a huge difference. Or maybe she gave a different vow, and I got preferential treatment.’

When Tanya hunched over, sobbing, Sebastien regained her wits, laying an awkward hand across Tanya’s shaking shoulder. “I know you didn’t mean for this to happen. What happened to Newton...wasn’t your fault.”

Tanya let out a watery snort. “If only that were true.” With an obvious effort of will, she got herself under control, straightening and looking at Sebastien with a gaze that reminded her of a suffocating fish, wide-eyed and desperate. “But I would take it back, if I could. Newton was my friend, too.”

Damien shuffled awkwardly, but Sebastien said, “I know. I didn’t realize the restrictions they placed on you were so harsh. We don’t have to talk about it.”

Tanya nodded, looking as if her head might fall and never rise again. “Could you leave me be? I have a lot of studying to do. My mid-term results weren’t as good as someone in my position needs.”

They complied, though Damien seemed unsatisfied as they walked away. “Why aren’t you angry with her? Did she really have nothing to do with how Newton ended up?”

Sebastien sighed. ‘If I were going to be angry with her, what would I need to feel for myself?’ Aloud, she said, “I sympathize, I suppose. Who knows how she got into this, but at this point, she’s trapped. She’s in too deep to escape, even if she wants to.”

The feeling was familiar.