Eva let silence fill the air as she considered her words carefully. “I didn’t want Juliana to feel that I thought she was weak. She was doing, as you said, exemplary. It felt wrong to interrupt.”
“So you failed to assist your friend due to wanting to save foolish pride. Her own, not yours. It is true this was a mere mock fight with no intent to seriously injure,” she gave sidelong look at Juliana, “at least on my part. But I hope you would not do such foolish things in an actual battle. I’ve known plenty of people to die because of foolish pride than I care to. I do not wish to add to that count.”
A silence hung over the crowd of students at the heavy words. Zoe seemed to not notice. She turned back to Juliana. “Thank you, Miss Rivas. You may return to your seat.
“That will be all for tonight,” Zoe said as Juliana hopped off stage. “The second seminar will be held on Monday one week from tonight.”
Eva’s shoulders slumped as Juliana sat down. “Sorry,” Eva said.
Juliana just shook her blond hair. “Don’t be. I didn’t help in your fight.”
“That’s different. I wasn’t doing much of anything and Professor Baxter wasn’t doing much in return. You had lightning bolts tossed at you and they are nothing to be scoffed at, believe me.”
“You’ve had run ins with lightning before, Miss Eva?” Zoe walked up to where the girls were seated. “I shouldn’t have held back so much then.”
“Second hand and I’m very sure that it wasn’t quite the same.”
“Oh? Do tell.”
Eva sighed and relayed a sanitized version of her master being hit by lightning. She made sure to obscure all the details.
At mentioning how her master had been laid up for a few weeks, Juliana nodded sagely. “I’ve seen my mother on potion highs after injury. It isn’t pretty.”
“Sounds like you’ve had quite a lot of experiences. I fully expected to be hit by a spell under the cover of your darkness. What led to your decision to use a punch?”
Eva shrugged. “I don’t know why you expected a pre-first year student to do much of anything,” she said with a glance towards Juliana.
“I personally know Juliana’s mother, and have known Juliana for a fair amount of time.” The two shared a glance. “Still I wanted to check and see for myself how her training was coming.”
“Well,” Eva said, “I’ve never had to use major offensive spells. Light spells and the darkness derivative are useful on occasion. My stepping is useful for everyday transportation. I can light a campfire but I’m not going to be throwing around fireballs like that first student.” She shrugged again. “In retrospect, I should have just ducked down and wrote down a sleep rune.”
Zoe Baxter narrowed her eyes. Eva did not miss the glare.
“Something wrong?” she asked.
“A complex and rather impressive array of runes was found outside a museum in your hometown. A certain group expressed great interest in recovering a dangerous object that was stolen.”
Eva stiffened as her stomach clenched for the second time that night.
“And Miss Eva. I do remember your promise to be clever with your lies.”
“There was a ten thousand year old phylactery with a bounty for its destruction. My mentor was looking to collect.”
Zoe had the good sense to look startled. “There was a lich running around while I was there? And you fought it?”
Eva shook her head. “I just put the museum staff to sleep. Apparently its body had been destroyed a long time ago and it was unable to acquire a new one. And before you ask, the phylactery was destroyed. I watched it happen.”
Zoe studied Eva’s face. After a minute, her eyes flicked over to Juliana. Eva caught a shrug out of the corner of her eye. “Well,” Zoe said, turning back to Eva, “that is reassuring. I must admit to being concerned when the sisters refused to describe what dangerous object was stolen in their notice, especially as I suspected one of my students were involved. They’ll be happy to know it is destroyed.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Eva said quickly. She did not want her name mentioned to the nuns. “My mentor theorized that the Elysium Sisters were protecting the phylactery, rather than seeking its destruction.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Juliana spoke up. “The Elysium Sisters are known for being intensely hostile to any sort of undeath or necromancers.”
“Well, I highly doubt my mentor was capable of destroying it while they were unable to. But that’s just his theory. You would have to ask him.”
“I would love to.”
Eva suppressed a wince. She forgot the stiff woman wanted to meet with her master. Her little challenge to herself went wayward with the traveling and exploring of a new city. “I passed on your wish to meet him before I left. I haven’t spoken with him since.”
“Indeed.”
“In any case,” Eva said before the instructor could continue, “if they really want to know, just tell them Randolph Carter destroyed the phylactery. As far as I know, my mentor is still in Florida.”
Zoe Baxter nodded and parted with the girls, but not before reminding them to be at the next week’s seminar.
“Sounds like you’re into some dangerous things.”
