True Magics (24 page)

“I’ll survive,” said Thomas. “Did she say anything about me? Or what her father wants?”

“No,” said Eileen. “In fact, she made a point of telling me that she wouldn’t discuss her father’s business because it might lead to strife between you and I, and she wasn’t going to be responsible for that.”

“That’s…”
Surprising.
Thomas’s opinion of Claudine went up a notch. “That’s very good of her.”

“I think so, yes,” said Eileen. “If she sticks to it, we might be friends.”

Thomas nodded. “What do you two think of Malcolm?”

“I hadn’t figured him for a religious fanatic,” said Henry. “He is quite desperate to have magic be real.”

“‘To turn the tide against those who would destroy magic everywhere,’” quoted Eileen. “The Church?”

“The Church destroyed the Daughter’s temples last time,” said Thomas. “Maybe they’re hoping for enough power to return the favour?”

“Probably,” said Henry. “There’s nothing like the possibility of revenge to keep the followers in line.”

Thomas sighed. “I was hoping he’d have some clue about the magicians and instead…”

“He has religion,” said Henry.

“Speaking of which,” said Thomas. “It’s time to go listen to some other fanatics.”

Eileen looked puzzled. “What?”

Thomas explained what Sir Walter had asked as they made their way to the market square. The preacher was there again, and the crowd around him was bigger than the day before. Thomas, Henry and Eileen stood to one side and listened.

“Now, I ask you,” the preacher ranted, “who is it that is going to take control of the wild elements in our city? Who is it that will bring back decency, faith, and virtue? Do you think it is the king?”

To Thomas’s surprise, he saw some people shaking their heads and heard a few calls of “no!”

“Of course not!” said the preacher. “The king is immersed in worldly matters! He thrives on trade and politics and law!” He jabbed a finger out as he spoke, as if he could stab his points home. “Which means that he is up to his neck in the heart of all that is wrong with our city! He is immersed in corruption! Immersed in gluttony! Immersed in depravity! Look at his students! Look at the ones that the king so prides himself on! The ones who debauch our young girls and despoil our streets!”

Thomas and his friends backed further away, hoping the preacher wouldn’t point at them again.

“These are the ones whom the king holds up as examples to us all! These are the ones who the king says are the finest of our youth! And I say he is wrong!” The preacher took a breath and leaned forward, dropping his voice so the people had to strain to hear him. “Do you know what the students are doing now? Do you?

“It isn’t enough to seduce our girls in the streets of our city,” his voice grew steadily louder. “It isn’t enough to come after your daughters in plain sight, where you can try to stop them, no! Now they are trying to bring girls into the Academy! They are trying to get your daughters behind the Academy walls where they can carry on without your watchful eyes on them! And is the king stopping them?”

“No!” someone called.

“Is he restraining them, to keep them away from your daughters?”

“Not likely!” said someone else.

“NO!” shouted the preacher. “He encourages them! He supports them. He writes his laws so that these students may do whatsoever they wish, and no one may censure them for it! He lets them run wild when they should be under the rule of someone with true moral authority! He is letting his
students
destroy the good name of our city, destroy the reputations of our daughters, and destroy our businesses!

“Well, I say enough!” The preacher was hitting the climax of his speech. “I say it’s time to get the students back where they belong! Back under the control of the High Father!”

“We were never under the High Father’s control,” muttered Thomas.

“I know,” said Henry. “Tell them.”

“No, thanks,” said Thomas.

“Heard enough?” asked Eileen, her voice taut.

“Yes,” said Thomas. “Let’s get out of here. We’re nearly late now.”

They half-jogged their way to the Academy, only to pull up short at the gates.

“Oh, by the Four!” said Eileen, her mouth staying open in surprise. “What is this?”

The wall around the Academy gate was covered in new posters that said, “NO girls!” and “Keep them out!” and “Say NO.”

Just inside the gates a student was handing handbills out to everyone who walked in the door. He shoved one into Thomas’s hand and then ran off, calling, “She’s here!”

“Women: the Bane of Learning,”
the handbill was titled. Thomas read through it, and then handed it to Eileen. She took it and read it, her eyes growing wider with every moment. “Really?” she sputtered. “Really?
‘With their preoccupation on matters of the body, with the uncleanness that comes upon them every month, and with their weaker intellect, there can be no doubt that women cannot measure up to the standards of the Academy.’
Who wrote this garbage?”

“The Headmaster said fight like students,” Thomas said, taking back the handbill. “Apparently Keith’s side has taken up arms.” He pointed to the bottom of the sheet. “‘Traditionalists,’ they’re calling themselves.”

“We’ll have to make up a name for our side,” said Henry.

“This is fighting?” said Eileen, incredulous.

“A war of words,” said Henry. He winced. “There won’t be songs again, will there? Last time there were some truly execrable songs.”

Thomas shuddered. “I hope not.”

They were barely ten feet further in when two more students accosted them. “Sign the petition!” one said. “No girls in the… Oh!” The pair skidded to a stop. “Sorry!”

“Get out of here,” growled Henry and the two ran off, laughing. Henry turned to Thomas. “I’ll rally the troops at lunch. We need to have an answer to all this before the end of the day.”

“How do we answer this?” demanded Eileen. “There’s so many of them!”

Thomas looked over the Academy grounds. There were students running all over with petitions, others putting posters up on walls, and a couple standing on crates making speeches. “Maybe thirty at most,” said Thomas, taking her hand and squeezing it. “We can get just as many.”

“There, father!” said Keith from the gates behind them. “There she is!”

Keith led a trio of men, all wearing thick fur robes and gold chains, through the gates. He stopped at the gatehouse and spoke to the keeper. The men, meanwhile, walked right up to Eileen.

“Well, if I had not seen it I would not have credited it,” said the first man, who was thin with a wispy beard and a brow wrinkled from much frowning. “A girl in Academy robes.”

“Eileen Gobhann, at your service,” said Eileen, with a curtsey only barely deep enough to be respectable. “And you are?”

“Hardly seems like a creature capable of destroying three hundred fifty years of tradition,” said the second man, whose face was a perfect match for Keith’s save that he was bald as an egg.

“Two hundred,” corrected Eileen.

“And this is your boy, I suppose,” said Keith’s father, looking over Thomas as if inspecting a horse. “The one who won a war single-handed, to hear the stories they tell.”

“The stories are much exaggerated,” said Thomas, bowing no lower than Eileen had curtsied. “You would be Keith’s father. And your companions are?”

“Very, very concerned,” pronounced the thin one.

“Why?” asked Eileen. “Are you worried I’ll do better than your sons?”

The third merchant, who was fat and wore a thick fur hat and squinted when he looked at people, laughed. “Hardly that! We’re afraid you’ll distract them from their studies. No boy can concentrate when girls are around.”

“I’ve found that they work harder,” said Eileen, her voice falsely bright. “Especially once they know that I’m smarter than they are.”

“Impudent, too!” said the wispy one. “Why, if my daughter talked to me in that tone, I’d take the back of my hand to her.”

“Then it’s a good thing you aren’t my father,” said Eileen, all false cheer gone from her voice. Her hands curled into fists at her sides. “Because then I’d have to explain to my mother how you lost a hand.”

The wispy man’s mouth dropped open, and he turned bright red. The fur-hatted merchant stepped in front of him “My apologies,” he said. “My friend is letting his emotions get the better of him, which does no one any good at all.” He squinted at Eileen and held out his hand in greeting. “I am Merchant Danson. And a graduate of the Academy myself, I might add, which was not easy with eyes like mine. Eileen was it?”

“Miss Gobhann, actually.” said Henry.

“Her brother is Sir George Gobhann,” added Thomas. “Knight of the Order of the White Wolves.”

“I see. Well, Miss Gobhann, you must surely notice that young men are not… shall we say… the wisest of creatures?” He realized Eileen wasn’t going to take his hand, and withdrew it. “Young men are so easily led astray, especially by such a pretty young woman as yourself.”

“Especially if the boy thinks the girl is interested in them,” said Keith’s father. “Then it’s nearly impossible for them to manage any concentration at all.”

“I hadn’t realized your son was so pathetic,” said Eileen.

“And now we must go see the Headmaster,” said Henry as all three merchants opened their mouths in protest. “Eileen, if you please?”

“Of course. “Eileen took Thomas’s hand. “Shall we?”

“We shall,” said Thomas, and led them off to the Headmaster’s house at a brisk pace. He waited until they were out of the merchant’s hearing to say, “Well said back there.”

“Thanks,” said Eileen, sounding at once pleased and irritated. “I thought so.”

“As did I,” said Henry. “They’re following us, by the way.”

“What? Why?”

“Because they’re probably on the way to see the Headmaster,” said Thomas. “Part of the Traditionalist’s campaign, you think?”

“It’s what I’d do,” said Henry. “When in doubt, bring in the parents. Especially if they’re wealthy, sit on the city council, and have the ear of the king.”

“Will it work?” Eileen asked.

“No,” said Henry. “The king is on your side. At least as long as Thomas makes him happy.”

Which I will hopefully do today,
thought Thomas, as they trooped across the grass to the Headmaster’s house.
If the man in the green cloak comes.

“
Thomas!” Evan and the rest of the Student Company were already at the house. “Where have you been? You’re supposed talk to the Headmaster! Quickly!”

“I take it none of them came home,” said Thomas. “Everyone give me your essays from last night.”

They all handed them over and Thomas went up the steps, and knocked at the door. Matron Marshall opened it and looked suspiciously at Thomas and the crowd behind him. “What do you lot want, then?”

“
I
want to speak to the Headmaster,” said Thomas. “
They
want to make sure I’ve delivered their essays.”

“I’ll take the essays in,” said the Matron, “but the Headmaster has no time for you today.”

“It’s important,” said Thomas. “Three students have gone missing.”

The Matron sniffed. “Still recovering from whatever party they were at, you mean.”

“No, I mean they haven’t been seen for three days,” said Thomas.

“Three days?” The Matron frowned. “You wait here.”

She took the essays and shut the door in Thomas’s face. Thomas sighed, expecting to be kept waiting. He looked back over the grounds and saw Keith the merchants slowly making their way across the grounds.

And wouldn’t that be just what we need.
“Henry!” When Henry looked, Thomas pointed to the four coming. Henry saw, and a moment later had the rest of the company surrounding Eileen. Thomas heard Eileen’s indignant voice and winced.
I’m going to be in trouble for that.

The Headmaster’s door opened and the Matron said, “This way, Thomas.”

Thomas followed her to the Headmaster’s study. It was a very comfortable room, with bookshelves along the walls and a large desk with a very large chair behind it and two smaller ones in front. The Headmaster was sitting behind the desk. He, too, wore a frown. “Who is missing?”

Thomas told the Headmaster everything he knew, as well as what they had done so far to look for them. The Headmaster listened, nodded and sat back in his chair. “And you say these three were the ones who were badly injured?”

“Yes, sir. Charles lost his hand, and Jonathan and Liam both have permanent limps and other damage.”

“There’s no chance they just left? They could have gone home.”

“They didn’t.”

“Are you sure?”

“They had no reason to go, sir. They were doing all right.” Thomas took a deep breath. “I think the Church of the High Father has them.”