“I said last time that I learned from books.”
“Miss Spencer. Books are many things, but a substitute to thaumaturgical instruction they are not. If you wish to attend my academy, I would appreciate it if you do not lie so plainly to my face.”
Eva had to suppress a flinch, but compared to Ylva, the woman’s glare amounted to almost nothing. “I apologize,” she said, “I’ll keep my lies more subdued in your presence.”
The corners of Zoe Baxter’s mouth twitched, though Eva couldn’t tell if it was into a smile or a frown. “I suppose it would be too much to ask to meet this person?”
“I’ll ask, but he is a fairly private individual.” Personally, Eva didn’t really care if they met. Getting her master to meet with someone might just prove a fun side challenge to herself.
“Can you tell me if he uses a focus or does magic like you do.”
Eva considered for a moment. There probably wasn’t much harm in answering. “He uses rings.” She tapped her right ring and middle finger. “They connect to a bracelet that… does magic. I’m not sure on the exact details.”
“Ah. A fighter then?” The woman looked more interested than concerned that Eva had spent time learning from a potentially dangerous person.
“You can tell just by his focus?”
Taking on a pose Eva imagined she used while lecturing, Zoe Baxter paced up and down the short alley. “While wands are the standard focus, they are easily broken, dropped, or disarmed, especially in the heat of combat. Rings are none of these things and generally preferred by combat mages. They aren’t the only type, of course, but fairly common.”
“I see.” Eva thought for a moment. “Well, he may have been a fighter once upon a time, but he can barely walk right now. I doubt he’ll be having too many adventures at the moment.”
“While I would like to meet this mysterious guardian of yours, we should go back to the matter at hand. You have decided to accept the Brakket’s offer for enrollment and scholarship?”
Eva nodded. “If you’ll have me.”
“Excellent.” Zoe Baxter pulled out a large manila envelope from somewhere within her jacket. How it fit without being folded around her body had to be magic.
Eva accepted the offered envelope and peeked inside.
“Within you will find a card, similar to a credit card. It will get you all your meals, uniforms, books, and other school equipment. It also has a small monthly allowance for other necessities you may have.” She paused and held up her fingers pinched together. “And I do mean small, Miss Spencer. We are not a charity.”
“Eva,” Eva said. “Will I be paying back this credit card for the next hundred years?”
“We highly encourage graduates of our school to donate money. Especially those who used the scholarship program. Donations are where the money on that card comes from, after all.
“The envelope also contains important school information, such as required equipment and book lists. Your plane ticket is also there.”
“Ticket?” Eva poked around in the envelope until she found a thin strip of paper. She had never flown before, but the ticket looked entirely normal. Given the business card had looked normal, that wasn’t saying much.
Eva’s eyes flicked over the date. “The seventh? That’s–”
“The day after tomorrow,” Zoe confirmed.
“So soon? When does school start?”
“The end of August.”
“Why the difference in time?”
“Mostly to get students acquainted and settled in. There are a number of summer seminars that most find interesting as well. The information for them should be in your packet.” She paused, considering. “If that is a problem, you are free to leave at any time, even during the school year. You could live here so long as you make it to classes on time. I will warn you, our campus is located in Montana. There is no daily transport between there and Florida.”
“No, that’s fine. I was just curious.”
“Very well. I will leave you to your packing. Should you need anything, another of my business cards is in the envelope. Should you miss your flight, tap the ticket five times in a star pattern and it will change to work with another flight in early July.”
Eva nodded. “One question,” she said, “are pets allowed?”
“Some students bring pets, cats are especially popular these days. I can’t think of any rules that disallow other types of pets. One student has a snake, but it is slightly unorthodox. What kind of pet is it?”
“Tarantula.”
Zoe Baxter made a face. The first real expression of emotion that Eva had seen on her. It wasn’t particularly pleasant. Her sharp face was much more suited to stern expressions than fear or disgust.
Eva just gave her a smile.
“I will be sure to find someone else to take care of your dorm inspections.”
“Oh don’t worry. She won’t bite– She doesn’t–” Eva took her turn to frown. “I’ll keep her in a cage during inspections.”
“Your roommates may not be pleased. I’ll leave that for you to work out.”
“Roommates?”
