She gave a silent gasp, though she should have realized long ago that he had guessed it. He could see inside her.
«And all because youre used to living among people and thinking youre a simple human,» he said, «you know youre surrounded by simple vulnerable people, youre used to feeling like them, youre vulnerable like a fragile girl, and inside you lives such power. Too powerful even for a magical being, it burns through your graceful body. Never mind the broken feelings.»
«I wasnt asking you about myself,» she reminded him.
«Oh, of course, there are the rules,» he continued to curl his fingers, more and more of them on his hand, as if new ones could grow at his will. «Create your own gold, and then you can create everything else, too,» he proclaimed, «No unelected tutors. No food but sorcery. No gratitude, nobody needs it here. No thank you, no goodbye, you just never leave here, because your soul will stay here, no matter where you go. The term of your training will expire, but the term of dependence on the magical forces you control will never, and believe me, one day you will stumble so that your own magic will destroy you itself. Thats when every student of the School of Witchcraft realizes that there was no one to thank and nothing to thank. He wove his own net and got tangled in it himself. And the victims that any disciple of this place can drag down, I dont count anymore; there are always countless of them. You destroy yourself when you sign the contract with your blood, but you have no choice. The fragile human body, by a whim of fate, which holds a non-human talent, leaves the newcomer no choice. All the chosen ones come here, and here the same thing always awaits them. I think its very tragic to be born human and have non-human qualities. Youre like a moth tied to a candle in advance, you dont even have to fly at it and youll burn anyway. And dont look at me so accusingly, Rhianon, in your heart you know Im right. With your unearthly gifts, youre neither angel nor demon, though something in between, but youre not human either, and thus youre superfluous everywhere. That is why you think that your path lies with the School of Witchcraft. As a spirit I approve of you. It really is the only true path. It is better to perish after gaining a moment of your power here than to be an outcast for both humans and supernatural beings for a lifetime. For centuries Ive watched humans discovering their magical powers as if from heaven, and I can assure you that a shelter here is the perfect way out for them. But you are different. You came here of your own free will, not because its time to improve your gift. So just remember one last rule. No gratitude. When a newcomer memorizes this condition as the last one, there is usually another one someones shadow accompanying you. It will stay with you forever.»
Rhianon looked over her shoulder and saw no one. Orpheus had spoken his monologue with such self-confidence. She even flinched, though no one was following her.
«Is something wrong?» He was already smiling mockingly.
«Are you scaring me on purpose?» She snapped back angrily.
«No, Im just testing how brave you are.»
«You are idiot! I should have you thrown out like a careless servant. Though you may be a spirit, youre no better than a lazy peasant whos been admitted to the castle kitchen and doesnt know what hes doing.»
«Hey, I merely said the general rules,» he said defensively. «You asked me to. Remember?»
«Yeah, but I didnt ask you to comment on all those rules, just to name them.»
«If you were really meant to be here, youd know them by now, theyd be written in fiery letters on the walls, like tablets or right in your brain, but believe me, you wouldnt be left uninformed.»
«So why did they let me in at all?»
«Its a mystery to me, too,» he stepped away from her and looked around as if he were looking for something. It was unclear whether he was joking, or whether he was really trying to find some clue. Nothing was ever quite clear with him, and his mood was always changing. One minute he was serious, and the next he was bursting into laughter and making obscene jokes. Rhianon was tired of him, but she could not drive him away. For one thing she did not know how to do it, and for another she was afraid to experiment, that she might drive him away for good, and then she would need him again. While she was not yet on the throne of her country, she could tolerate his presence around her. And then well see if she needs such an advisor, who can find out everything about everyone, or if she will chase him away for being garrulous. At any rate, it will not be soon.
«Think about it, seven years,» he said, as if he could read her mind. «Do you really want to stay in that dark mansion for seven years? Its a dark place. Besides, you wont learn anything useful here. Its so uncomfortable and dark.»
«But I can see light,» she nodded at the rainbow rays dancing in the gap between the door and the lintel.
«Its just an illusion,» Orpheus tried with all his might to influence her decisions, but so far he had failed, and he was beginning to get angry. It seemed that if he found the tiny humans now, he would crush them with his own fingers.
«Its all an illusion,» Rhianon corrected him. «You said yourself that magic is all there is. Magic is the only thing that can help me.»
«Youre exaggerating. There are many other ways to get back what you want,» he trailed after her, a gruesome look on his face. Rhianon shrugged, feeling the chill of his breath on her shoulders. He himself remained motley and bright, but it seemed to her that his sighs might freeze with ice.
«It is like picking up a companion spirit,» she teased him.
«Well» Orpheus didnt find something to say, probably for the first time in all eternity, and so he looked bewildered.
She was glad. So it was possible to surprise or offend him to the point where he would stop talking. Or maybe she should just not answer him so hed shut up. His chatter would soon give her a headache. Rhianon sighed and reached for the opened door. Was the light really an illusion, or was a rainbow sheltering beyond the threshold? Her fingers touched the doorjamb, her movements unsure.
«You dont have to follow me if you dont want to,» she muttered, and involuntarily dropped her gaze to the hem of her dress. It was stained. There werent many red stains from blood drops, but they stood out sharply against the pale blue fabric.
«You dont have your uniform yet,» someone said behind her, but not Orpheus. The voice was clearly that of a woman. Rhianon turned around and spotted the same couple at the end of the dark corridor. Strangely, their black outfits instead of blending into the darkness stood out sharply against her. She only recognized them by their clothes, though if black outfits were the uniform for everyone here, then the lady and the gentleman might not have been the ones shed seen at the masquerade at all. They could have been other students of the School of Witchcraft dressed exactly the same. Yet something told her it was them. She liked the ladys dress, which exposed her shoulders and was embellished with puffy trim, but she herself would have preferred mens clothing. She was tired of dresses. She would have felt more comfortable in velvet breeches and a black camisole than in a corset that restrained her.
As soon as she looked away from the strange couple and glanced at herself, everything changed. There was white lace stretching across her breasts in place of the dainty cleavage. On her hands she noticed dark lapels and puffy cuffs. Diamond cufflinks gleamed slightly. Gold thread was gracefully woven into the white lace.