billowy enough for my modesty to be more than adequately covered. I shrugged and figured they’d just have to do. I quickly changed the dressing on my hand, noting with satisfaction that the lacerations caused by punching through the window yesterday were healing nicely, then ran my hands over my skull, feeling the beginnings of stubbly re-growth. I supposed part of me should thank Thomas for the fact that I didn’t have to worry about bad hair days any more. Then I snorted. The day I’d thank him for anything would be the day that dragons flew again through the sky.
Once back in the cafeteria, which I was oddly starting to feel rather at home in, I ignored the fruit plates and baskets of bread and croissants and instead made straight for the coffee urn. The cups on offer were rather on the small side, so I poured myself three and then balanced them precariously over to an empty table.
I was savouring the dregs of the second cup, when someone plonked themselves down beside me. Startled, I flicked my eyes up.
“Hey,” said Brock, placing down a tray covered with a mass of fried food that only a teenager could eat and not feel guilty about.
“Uh, hey,” I replied, somewhat nonplussed.
He lifted up his plate and gestured at me to try some kind of doughy sugary ball thing. I shook my head, and lifted up cup number three instead. Brock grunted and began to wolf down his food at an alarming rate, finishing before I’d even drunk down to the end of my coffee.
Then he pushed his chair back and grunted. “See you.”
I genuinely smiled. “Bye, Brock.” Wonders would never cease. It would appear that I may have made another, if perhaps rather taciturn, new friend.
“Initiate Smith?” called an unpleasantly familiar voice from the other side of the room.
Fucking Thomas. I’d been hoping that I’d have time to sneak another cup of coffee. I sighed and stood up whilst he crooked his little finger at me, beckoning me over. A flash of heat travelled down to my toes as I walked over to join him. Jeez, wasn’t I just becoming the well trained little sham Initiate?
Once I reached him, he smiled down at me, although it didn’t somehow quite reach his eyes.
“I hope you’re ready to begin your Protection lesson,” he said looking over my wrinkled attire with a disapproving frown.
“I can’t wait, Mage Thomas,” I replied, injecting as much fake enthusiasm as I could possibly muster.
A grimace crossed his flat features. “You’re going to have to, of course, get over your aversion to me touching you if you are going to have any chance of succeeding.”
I started guiltily at his words. I didn’t have a problem with him touching me: he just tried to do it at the most inopportune moments. With no appropriate answer, I just shrugged innocently and followed him out of the cafeteria.
When we were outside in the fresh air and heading towards what I presumed was the Protection building, Thomas chose to speak again. “So, I hear that you are starting to win over some new friends.”
I couldn’t help myself from grinning and nodding. “It’s all Mary really. That girl is like some kind of unstoppable force of nature. Once she puts her mind to something I don’t imagine much gets in her way.”
Thomas gave a short bark of laughter. “I can think of someone else not too far away who is much the same as that.”
I blinked. I rarely got my own way with anything. If I did I’d hardly be trailing after Thomas wearing a stupid powder blue nightgown in the middle of the Ministry of Mages’ national training academy. “That’s hardly true,” I protested.
“Really?” p rojected Thomas with a heavy hint of sarcasm. He began ticking off his fingers. “The Arch-Mage is prepared to free a potential hazard – your friend - from stasis simply because you asked him to. You are getting mage training at the best,” he put considerable emphasis on
Once back in the cafeteria, which I was oddly starting to feel rather at home in, I ignored the fruit plates and baskets of bread and croissants and instead made straight for the coffee urn. The cups on offer were rather on the small side, so I poured myself three and then balanced them precariously over to an empty table.
I was savouring the dregs of the second cup, when someone plonked themselves down beside me. Startled, I flicked my eyes up.
“Hey,” said Brock, placing down a tray covered with a mass of fried food that only a teenager could eat and not feel guilty about.
“Uh, hey,” I replied, somewhat nonplussed.
He lifted up his plate and gestured at me to try some kind of doughy sugary ball thing. I shook my head, and lifted up cup number three instead. Brock grunted and began to wolf down his food at an alarming rate, finishing before I’d even drunk down to the end of my coffee.
Then he pushed his chair back and grunted. “See you.”
I genuinely smiled. “Bye, Brock.” Wonders would never cease. It would appear that I may have made another, if perhaps rather taciturn, new friend.
“Initiate Smith?” called an unpleasantly familiar voice from the other side of the room.
Fucking Thomas. I’d been hoping that I’d have time to sneak another cup of coffee. I sighed and stood up whilst he crooked his little finger at me, beckoning me over. A flash of heat travelled down to my toes as I walked over to join him. Jeez, wasn’t I just becoming the well trained little sham Initiate?
Once I reached him, he smiled down at me, although it didn’t somehow quite reach his eyes.
“I hope you’re ready to begin your Protection lesson,” he said looking over my wrinkled attire with a disapproving frown.
“I can’t wait, Mage Thomas,” I replied, injecting as much fake enthusiasm as I could possibly muster.
A grimace crossed his flat features. “You’re going to have to, of course, get over your aversion to me touching you if you are going to have any chance of succeeding.”
I started guiltily at his words. I didn’t have a problem with him touching me: he just tried to do it at the most inopportune moments. With no appropriate answer, I just shrugged innocently and followed him out of the cafeteria.
When we were outside in the fresh air and heading towards what I presumed was the Protection building, Thomas chose to speak again. “So, I hear that you are starting to win over some new friends.”
I couldn’t help myself from grinning and nodding. “It’s all Mary really. That girl is like some kind of unstoppable force of nature. Once she puts her mind to something I don’t imagine much gets in her way.”
Thomas gave a short bark of laughter. “I can think of someone else not too far away who is much the same as that.”
I blinked. I rarely got my own way with anything. If I did I’d hardly be trailing after Thomas wearing a stupid powder blue nightgown in the middle of the Ministry of Mages’ national training academy. “That’s hardly true,” I protested.
“Really?” p rojected Thomas with a heavy hint of sarcasm. He began ticking off his fingers. “The Arch-Mage is prepared to free a potential hazard – your friend - from stasis simply because you asked him to. You are getting mage training at the best,” he put considerable emphasis on
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