Or perhaps hed locked himself in his room for an entire day, ignoring Iolanthes knocks and the trays of food shed left outside his door. But Mrs. Needles didnt need to know that.
No one needed to know that.
Oh, hes lucky to have you, he is, said Mrs. Needles.
Iolanthes cheer faltered a littledid she ever fool anyone, in the end? But she remained resolutely in character. For running a few errands now and then, maybe. But there are far easier ways of getting chores done than raising an elemental mage for it.
They chuckled over that, Mrs. Needles good-naturedly, Iolanthe doggedly.
Well, I brought you some lunch, miss. Mrs. Needles nudged the picnic basket closer to Iolanthe.
Thank you, Mrs. Needles. And if youd like to leave early today to get ready for the wedding, by all means, take as much time as you need.
That would get Mrs. Needles away from the house before Master Haywood awakened testy and disoriented from his merixida-induced stupor.
Mrs. Needles placed a hand over her heart. Thatd be nice! I do love a wedding, and I want to look my best in front of all those fancy city folks.
Rosie Oakbluffs wedding was to take place in Meadswell, the provincial capital sixty miles away. At the wedding, Iolanthe would light the path on which the bride and groom would walk arm in arm toward the altar. It was considered good luck for the lighting of the path to be performed by a friend of the bride rather than a hired elemental mage, and no one minded too much that Iolanthe was less a friend to the bride than someone trying to bribe the mother of the bride.
I will see you at the wedding, she said to Mrs. Needles.
Mrs. Needles waved, then vaulted, leaving behind a faint distortion in the air that quickly cleared. Iolanthe checked her watchquarter to one in the afternoon. She was running behind.
Not just for the wedding. She was at least half a term behind in her academic reading. Her clarifying potions kept failing. Every last spell from Archival Magic fought tooth and nail against her efforts at mastery.
And the first round of qualifying exams for upper academies began in five weeks.
Elemental magic was elder magic, a direct, primordial connection between the mage and the universe, needing no words or procedures as intermediaries. For millennia subtle magic had been the pale imitation, trying without coming close to matching the power and majesty of elemental magic.
But at some point the tide had turned. Now subtle magic possessed the depth and flexibility to suit every need, and elemental magic was its clunky, primitive country cousin, ill-adapted to the demands of modern life. Who needed fire-wielding elemental mages when lighting, heating, and cooking were all done with much safer, much more convenient flameless magic these days?
Without a sound education in subtle magic, elemental mages had pitifully few choices in careers: the circuses, the foundries, or the quarries, none of which appealed to Iolanthe. And without stellar results on the qualifying exams and the grants theyd bring, she would not be able to afford to attend an upper academy at all.
She checked her watch again. Shed run through her routine for the lighting of the path one more time, then she needed to check on the light elixir in the schoolroom.
A snap of her fingers brought a fresh sphere of fire five feet across. Another snap, the fireball doubled in diameter, a miniature sun rising against the steep, treeless cliffs of the opposite bank.
Fire was such a pleasure. Power was such a pleasure.
Would that she could bend Master Haywood to her will just as easily. She laced her fingers, then yanked them apart. The fireball separated into sixteen trails of flame, darting through the air like a school of fish, taking fast turns in unison.
She clasped her palms together. The streams of fire formed again into a perfect sphere. A flick of her wrist had the fireball leap high in the air and spin, tossing out countless sparks. Now her hands pressed down, half submerging the fireball into the river, sending up a huge plume of hissing steamthere was a large reflecting pool at the wedding venue, and she planned to take full advantage of it.
Stop, said a voice behind her. Stop this moment.
She stilled in surprise. Master Haywoodhe was up early. Dismissing the fire, she turned around.
He used to be a handsome man, her guardian, golden and fit. No more. Limp hair hung about his pale face. Bags drooped under his eyes. His thin framehe sometimes reminded her of a marionettelooked as if it might rattle apart with the least exertion. It never not hurt to see him like this, a shadow of his former self.
But a part of her couldnt help being thrilled that he had come to watch her rehearse. He hadnt shown much interest in her in a long time. Perhaps she could also get him to help her on some of her coursework. Hed promised to homeschool her, but shed had to teach herself, and she had so many unanswered questions.
But first, Afternoon. Have you had anything to eat?