Love's Labor's Won (47 page)

“Which is why the guilds rake in a hefty amount of cash,” Markus said, dryly. “I could see them liking the idea of a bank, too.”

He frowned. “We’d have to practically layer the whole building in wards, then devise binding oaths and contracts,” he mused aloud. “Someone would be bound to try to steal something from the vaults, once we got them established. There are entire clubs of people who try to break wards purely for the hell of it.”

“It will be a steep learning curve,” Emily agreed, dryly. She leaned forward. “I can offer you a considerable wage, including enough for Melissa to complete her remaining three years of schooling, and a large lump sum to serve as the first deposit. You will also have a handful of shares in the bank, which you may buy and sell as you see fit.”

Melissa frowned. “What’s a share?”

“A share in the bank,” Emily said. “Basically, ownership rights. A couple of people who happen to hold fifty percent, plus one, of the shares in any business can run it to suit themselves, but profits are paid out in line with the shares.”

“So if I held ten percent of the shares, I would get ten percent of the profits,” Melissa said.

“Basically,” Emily agreed. It was a little more complex than that, but there would be time to discuss the difference between gross and net profits later. “I’d hold a number of shares, as would you. Later, we would sell them on, allowing other investors to join us.”

“It sounds great,” Markus said. “What’s the catch?”

“I will be requiring an oath,” Emily said, flatly. “This isn’t something I can allow to get screwed up.”

Markus eyed her for a long moment. “Very well,” he said, finally. “Once you have an oath worked out, and we have agreed on the wording, I will swear.”

Emily nodded. She would have to speak to Lady Barb, when she finally returned, and come up with an oath Markus could swear without compromising himself. Markus wasn’t likely to swear eternal loyalty to her, or anyone. And besides, it would be insulting to ask him to do anything of the sort.

“You are welcome to stay for the rest of the summer,” she said, again. “And I would be interested in talking about other ideas, too.”

“I thank you,” Markus said. “You’re a very strange person, Lady Emily.”

Emily couldn’t deny it. To them, she had to look like a strange mixture of woman-child, genius inventor and eccentric romantic. She was nineteen, more or less, and she still thought of herself as a girl, where most children of the Nameless World would think of themselves as adults. But then, even Alassa was growing up as she started to accept the responsibilities that came with her birth. Emily could do no less.

“But a decent one, I hope,” she said.

“Yes,” Melissa said. “It must have been very tempting to betray us.”

“It could have been,” Emily said. “But I am not cruel.”

Melissa nodded, slowly. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“Me too,” Emily agreed.

What would her life have been like, she wondered again, if she’d met Melissa first? Would Melissa have dragged her out of her shell and forced her to socialize, or would she have been allowed to study in peace, while Melissa and her friends continued their private war with Alassa and her cronies? But Melissa would have inevitably gained the advantage, as long as Alassa remained dependent on a wand. It would have only had one possible outcome.

“You never answered my question,” Markus said. “What
should
I tell the MageMaster?”

Emily laughed. In all the excitement, she had quite forgotten Zed’s proposal.

“Tell him that he can keep the books at Mountaintop for the moment, as long as he grants me freedom of the school,” she said. There were books in the collection she wouldn’t have cared to store elsewhere, even in Whitehall. “I will probably consult them, one of these days.”

She looked up as the maid finally appeared, carrying three menus. “My usual, please,” Emily said. “And you two?”

Markus placed his order before looking directly at Emily. “I think he will be satisfied,” he said. “But he will probably want to give you something to allow you access into the school.”

“He can send it to me here or Whitehall,” Emily said. “And I hope he has forgiven me for everything.”

“You made him MageMaster,” Markus said. “I dare say he will forgive you, eventually.”

Emily shrugged. Zed had been happiest as a researcher, probing the unexplored mysteries of alchemy; he probably didn’t enjoy running the school. But, on the other hand, he hadn’t had any long-term ambitions of his own. He might not have wanted the job, but he was the person Mountaintop needed.

“We will see,” she said, as the food arrived. “But I’ll try and stay out of his way for a while.”

“You should watch your back,” Melissa said. “Fulvia will not leave this insult unsettled.”

“It might be hard for her to drum up support,” Markus pointed out. “The only other person I’ve seen who made such a show of power was the old MageMaster, back in Third Year. There was an...an incident and he was not pleased.”

Emily sighed. She’d shocked them all — and she had a feeling that most of the crowd had been glad of the excuse to avoid a fight — but anyone who thought about it might have been able to work magic
through
her wards. Or simply keep hammering on them until they broke.

Melissa smiled at him. “What happened?”

“A Fifth Year thought it would be a good idea to cast a curse on one of his classmates,” Markus said. “The MageMaster went through the roof. Practically broke the idiot’s spine as he dragged him out the door. I’ve never seen anyone expelled so fast.”

Expelled
, Emily thought,
or drained of power
?

She shrugged. There was no way to know.

“I’ll watch my back,” she said, finally. “But there’s only so much I can do.”

“Hire a bodyguard,” Melissa suggested. Her voice became teasing. “I’m sure Jade would be a good match for you.”

Emily snorted. “Don’t even go there.”

“It’s a good thought,” Markus said. “I could recommend a few combat sorcerers who might like the challenge.”

“No, thank you,” Emily said. Jade was spoken for...and besides, it would have felt weird to pay him for anything. And then there was Lady Barb or Sergeant Miles...the thought of hiring either of them was awkward, to say the least. She’d disliked Travis even before he’d been eaten by a Mimic, while Cat would still be in training. “I don’t want anyone following me around.”

“Apart from Frieda,” Melissa said. “Does she still follow you everywhere?”

Emily sighed. “Sometimes,” she said. “But she needs friends of her own.”

“She has them,” Melissa said. “And yet she really looks up to you.”

“I know,” Emily said. She shook her head. Who in their right mind would look up to her, when she had a remarkable talent for screwing up her life? And that of other people? Master Grey might have been right, after all, when he’d called her a child of chaos. “But what do I do about it?”

“Let her grow out of it,” Markus said. “My brother and sister used to follow me everywhere, even when I threatened them. It was maddening.”

“She is of the age when she needs someone to look up to,” Melissa agreed. “And there are worse people for her to admire.”

Emily blushed and changed the subject, hastily. “Like I said, you are welcome to stay here for the rest of the summer,” she said. “But you might want to stay away from the Faire.”

“It will be over soon,” Markus agreed. “And then...we can start to work on the bank.”

Emily rose. “Thank you,” she said. “And...and I hope it works out for you.”

“Thank
you
,” Markus said.

“Tell me something,” Emily said. She allowed her voice to darken. “Last night...did you
mean
to be discovered?”

Melissa and Markus exchanged glances. “Let’s just say we knew it was possible,” Melissa said, finally. “And we wanted it to be over.”

Emily sighed. “I know how you feel,” she said. “Even if I have never been in love.”

She looked at the two of them, sitting so close, and felt another stab of envy. It would be nice to have someone so close to her...nice, but also dangerous. The whole affair could have gone so many different ways, all of which could have led to disaster. Romance...could be dangerous. It had blighted her mother’s life beyond repair. She knew she shouldn’t be considering dating anyone...

...And yet she had to admit it was tempting.

Turning, she walked through the door, warding it behind her to grant them both a little privacy. They deserved it, after everything they’d gone through.

Good thing they didn’t kill each other after all
, she thought.
The feud would just have continued with a new rallying cry. And that would have been the greatest tragedy of all
.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

“T
HEY’VE APPROVED OUR PROJECT,” CALEB SAID
, as she stepped into the workroom. “We’re good to go.”

Emily let out a sigh of relief. They’d worked too hard on it for her to entertain any other possibility, even though she knew nothing had been guaranteed. By now, rumors of the standoff between the Ashfalls and the Ashworths at Cockatrice had probably reached Whitehall, puzzling and alarming the Grandmaster. She was surprised that Lady Barb hadn’t been ordered back to the Faire at once.

But, in the end, everything had worked out fine. To her relief, the Faire had reached its conclusion without any further incidents, either because of rumors of her power or simply because the two noble families had left immediately after disowning their former heirs. Emily had attended the final ceremony, then left the committee to organize the next Faire without her involvement. She was damned if she was wasting any more of her summer.

“That’s good,” she said. A week after the Faire had concluded, it was almost as if it had never been there in the first place. The only remaining traces were the iron rails, which had been left there to mark the spot. “Can we complete it in nine months?”

“I think so,” Caleb said. He gave her a shy smile. “We could make a start on it now, if you want.”

Emily hesitated — she liked spending time with Caleb — but shook her head. “I have too much else to do right now,” she said. Now the Faire was over, she could actually spend more time with Frieda before she had to go back to Whitehall. “We can start once we’re back at school.”

Caleb nodded, slowly. “As you wish,” he said. “It should be a workable project, even if it takes longer than we thought to work the kinks out.”

“I certainly hope so,” Emily agreed.

“My family wants me home for a few days prior to returning to school,” Caleb added. “I don’t suppose you have some reason to keep me here?”

Emily smiled. “I could chain you up in the dungeons, if you like.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Caleb muttered. “It sounds heavenly right now.”

“You don’t want to go home?” Emily asked.

“My father will go on and on about my brother’s achievements, my brother will go on and on about
his
achievements...I’ll be bored stiff within the day,” Caleb predicted mournfully. “Mother will ask why I haven’t signed up for Martial Magic; my sisters will demand my return to Stronghold, so they have someone to help them when they go there.”

“You don’t fit in,” Emily said.

“Not for a very long time,” Caleb agreed. He sighed, then looked down at the papers. “I’ll send most of my notes to Whitehall before I go, if you don’t mind. We may as well ensure they remain safe.”

“Of course,” Emily said. She watched as Caleb packed up his papers, noting the smooth precision of his movements. He would be a natural in Alchemy class. But then, he had to concentrate to keep his hands from shaking. “I’ve enjoyed working with you.”

Caleb smiled. “I’ve enjoyed working with you too,” he said. “But I meant to ask: how
did
you produce such a powerful working, all on your own?”

“Magic,” Emily said, deadpan. “Magic, and desperation. I couldn’t allow them to rip the castle apart.”

“They would have done it too,” Caleb said. “That feud is legendary.”

Emily eyed him for a moment. “Do you think I did the right thing?”

“I can hardly complain about two people wanting to leave their families,” Caleb pointed out, after a moment’s thought. “Maybe you could have handled it better, but I don’t know how.”

“Thank you,” Emily said. It was odd, but part of her valued his approval. She still had no idea what Lady Barb would have to say about it. “I hope they will be happy, wherever they end up.”

“Me too,” Caleb said. He smiled, tightly. “It brings hope to the rest of us.”

He rose, and bowed to her. “I’ll have these sent off with a courier tonight, then leave the castle tomorrow. And then...I guess I’ll see you in Whitehall.”

Emily frowned. Part of her wanted to urge him to hurry up and go, part of her wanted him to stay with her, even though she needed to spend time elsewhere. She closed her eyes, trying to sort out her own feelings, but nothing made sense. Was this what Alassa had felt, when she’d first started to talk to Jade, or was it something completely different? She honestly didn’t know.

“I guess,” she said. She wanted to ask him to stay, but she felt too nervous to make the move. “And I look forward to turning the world upside down.”

“Again,” Caleb said.

He bowed to her a second time, turned, and walked out the door, carrying his notes under one arm. Emily looked down at the empty table, fighting down the urge to call him back. It wasn’t like her to be so...
demanding
of another’s company, she was sure, and yet...the impulse was almost overpoweringly strong. Maybe Imaiqah had been right, after all, and she was attracted to Caleb. He wasn’t classically handsome, not like Jade, but that only helped. Or maybe she was just imagining things.

She sighed and reached out with her mind to touch the castle wards. It had taken days to repair them, even though she’d been able to ask for help from her friends. The ward she’d created had torn holes in the castle’s protections, causing a series of failures that had eventually brought the entire network down. Jade had commented that he’d never heard of anything like it, while Markus had talked about the Fall of Mountaintop. Emily had a feeling that the problems had only just begun. The castle was definitely not designed to handle elaborate wards.