True Magics (25 page)

The Headmaster’s eyebrows went up. “The Church?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Why would the Church want them?”

“They were in the north with me, sir,” said Thomas. “They saw everything I saw and… I think the Church wants to question them about it.”

“About it?” repeated the Headmaster. “Or about you?”

Thomas sighed. “About me, sir.”

“To prove that you have witchcraft?”

Thomas nodded.

“Why wouldn’t they arrest you?” asked the Headmaster.

“I don’t know, Headmaster.”

The Headmaster sighed. “Can you prove any of this?”

Thomas shook his head.

“Of course not,” The Headmaster bit his lip and chewed it for a while. “I will have this looked into at once. Meanwhile, get to class.”

Thomas slipped out just in time to pass Keith and the merchants coming up the wide porch stair. Thomas nodded politely but didn’t stop moving. On the grass in front of the house, the company was still in a line with Eileen behind them. On a word from Henry, they let Thomas through and then closed ranks again, blocking Eileen from the merchants’ sight.

Eileen was fuming.

“This way,” said Henry, leading them back toward the common.

“I don’t need to be herded!” snapped Eileen.

“And we don’t need a fight in front of the Headmaster’s house,” said Henry. “Yet.”

Eileen stomped away from the house. “I don’t understand why all this is so important! I want to study! So what?”

“I don’t know,” said Thomas. “It’s just a rule. We’ll get them to change it soon enough.”

“Not if those men have their way!”

“Well?” demanded William. “What happened inside?”

“I told the Headmaster,” said Thomas. “He said he’d look into it.”

“Which is something, at least,” said Henry.

“Not much,” grumbled Evan. “And who are those men with Keith?”

“The ‘Traditionalists’ organized themselves last night,” said Thomas. “And apparently they’ve brought their parents into it.”

“That is…” William was turning red. “That’s…”

Mark suggested a word, and John and James had others. William shook his head. “Those things, too, but I was thinking, ’unfair.’ It’s not right!”

“It’s all unfair,” said Eileen. “How do we stop it?”

“Same tactics,” said Michael. “We need handbills printed up. And posters. We need to get more people on our side than against.”

“How?” asked Eileen. “And when?”

“Lunch,” said Henry. “We’ll meet at lunch and come up with a plan. Can someone write a handbill before then?”

“I can,” said Mark. “I have spare time this morning.”

“Do it, then. The Law Building has a printing press,” said Henry. “They’ll let us use it if we give them paper and ink. I’ll buy some this morning.”

“I’ll write another petition for the parents,” said William. “We’ll ask everyone who’s signed to have their parents send letters.”

“What if the parents don’t want to?” asked Philip. “What if they don’t like the idea of girls at the Academy?”

“We have three hundred signatures on the petitions so far,” said William. “If we can get that many students, we can get some of their parents as well.”

“Three… hundred?” Eileen looked flabbergast. “So soon?”

James was practically beaming. “We were going to tell you later.”

“We’ll get more, too,” said William. “Just you watch. See you in the Law Building at noon!”

13

Thomas spent the morning barely able to concentrate. He kept thinking about what was happening to Charles, Liam and Jonathan. Jonathan and Charles probably weren’t in a bad way yet, but Charles had been there for days now.

I’ll think of something later,
Thomas promised himself.
I just need to get through today, first.

The air was still chill and the wind high enough to drive the wet under Thomas’s clothes and make him shiver the moment he stepped outside at noon. Students were moving briskly across the compound, looking for shelter and a place to eat whatever lunches they had brought. Thomas spotted Eileen walking with Michael and being followed by a half-dozen others. Thomas met them on the commons.

“Really an embarrassment to herself,” were the first words Thomas caught as he came closer, followed by. “She ought to go home and save herself the shame.”

“What’s going on?” he asked Eileen, though he was looking at the crowd behind her.

“They’re following Eileen,” said Michael. “They’ve been doing it since this morning.”

“Ah.” Thomas looked the group over. “Why?”

“They’re jerks,” said Eileen. “They think—”

“WHY IS IT THAT A GIRL THINKS SHE SHOULD BE IN THE ACADEMY?” bellowed one of the students. The others joined in, yelling over one another and drowning Eileen’s voice.

“SHE’S AN EMBARRASSMENT!”

“SHE’S DISTRACTING THE STUDENTS!”

“HER MOTHER MUST BE SO ASHAMED!”

“WHAT MUST HER FAMILY THINK?”

“Wow,” said Thomas. “That must be really, really irritating.”

“Oh, yes…”

“SHE LIED TO GET IN, YOU KNOW.”

“SHE SHOULDN’T EVEN BE HERE!”

“SHE’LL NEVER PASS THE EXAMS!”

“That’s enough!” said Thomas.

“We’re just giving our opinions,” said one of the larger students.

Eileen glared at him, “You’re being a bunch of—”

“THE KING BANNED ALL THE GIRLS, WHY IS THERE ONE HERE?”

“SHE LOOKS RIDICULOUS IN THAT ROBE.”

“HOW CAN HER FAMILY EVEN FACE HER?”

“SHE’S A DISGRACE TO ALL WOMEN!”

Eileen threw up her hands. “Idiots!”

“SHE INSULTS US ALL!”

“HER PRESENCE HERE IS OBSCENE!”

“SHE’S TOO FORWARD TO BE A STUDENT!”

“Oh, by the Four,” said Thomas, taking Eileen’s hand and leading her away. The Traditionalists followed them to the Law Building and waved as Eileen went inside. “See you when you get back!” called the big one.

Eileen kept her mouth closed until they were out of sight, then let loose with a long string of curses, ending with, “Immature, stupid, BOYS!”

“All morning?” asked Thomas.

“Every moment I wasn’t in class, they were there! Talking constantly about how disgraceful it was for me to be there, and how I should go home, and how I have no hope of getting in! And every time I opened my mouth they’d start yelling so I couldn’t talk to anyone!”

Thomas was impressed, despite himself. He was also smart enough not to say so. “I wonder if Keith came up with that one?”

“Well if he did, he can go sit in George’s forge and stay there!”

The printing room was in the basement of the Law Building, and as soon as they went down the stairs they heard voices—many voices. Eileen looked in the door and froze in place. There were easily fifty students in the room.

James, standing at the press, spotted Eileen and waved. “I spread the word and asked who wanted to help!”

Eileen stood, mouth open, staring at them all.

“I think she’s overwhelmed,” said Henry. “Now, where’s that handbill?”

“Here,” said Mark.

“And here’s a tract on the advantages of having girls in the Academy,” said Michael. “Did it in Languages this morning.”

The rest of their lunch they spent prepping the printing press for posters and reviewing the Mark’s handbill. Michael’s tract was too long to go on a single sheet, but James cut it down and Evan re-wrote it neatly enough that the printer could read it.

“We’ll have it printed up tonight and distribute it tomorrow,” said Marcus. “Same with the posters.”

Several students volunteered to heckle any of the Traditionalists that were speaking publicly. Others promised to recruit more students to their cause. Petition sheets were spread around the room for everyone to take.

“Wait!” called Henry. “What do we call ourselves?”

The room went silent. Students looked at one another, puzzled. Then the names started flying fast and furious.

“Eileen’s Army?”

“That’s stupid. Girl-lovers?”

“And you called mine stupid?”

“The Best Cause Ever!”

“True-Edge!”

“No sword metaphors,” said Thomas. “We’re not supposed to be the violent ones, remember?”

“They’re the Traditionalists,” said Wilson. “That makes us what?”

“A pain in their neck?”

“Radicals!”

“Revolutionaries!”

“Forward-thinkers!”

“I like that,” said Eileen.

“Too long,” said Henry. “One word!”

“Forwardists!”

“That’s not a word.

“Developers.”

“Progressives!”

“Idealists!”

“That one,” said Henry. “Eileen?”

“I like it,” said Eileen, who was starting to look a bit dazed at it all.

“Right. Idealists! All in favour!”

“AYE!” The shout filled the room, followed by laughter.

“Idealists it is,” said Henry. “Back to work!”

“You are all…” Eileen surveyed the room full of excited, arguing students. “Hey!”

The talking stopped. Everybody turned to look at her. Eileen smiled at them. “You are all amazing,” said Eileen. “Thank you.”

Eileen’s good spirits didn’t make it through the afternoon. The Traditionalists followed Eileen everywhere, talking at the top of their voices every time she opened her mouth. Thomas and other members of the company tried to stop it, but every time they did, more of boys would join in. It was completely ridiculous and very effective. At the end of the day, Eileen stomped her way out the gates, fuming. Thomas wished with all his heart he could let her go home. Instead, he led Eileen and Henry down the street that ran parallel to the Academy wall.

“And why this way?” asked Henry. “Is there a new tavern to try?”

“Yes,” said Thomas. “Wilson said they have a great stew and a really good brandy for a decent price.”

“I don’t want to go to a tavern,” said Eileen. “George is waiting for me.”

“Just come with,” said Thomas. “It’s important.”

Thomas turned down the first street they came to, then he went a different way down another street, then a third. When he came to the next intersection, he stopped. “Oh, by the Four.”

“Lost?” Eileen asked, her tone and posture making it clear what she thought about that.

“I’m not lost!” Thomas stared down each street a moment, then pointed to a narrow street with a sharp curve in it. “That way. It’s down that street.”

“I hope so,” said Eileen. “I’d rather not spend the night wandering.”

Thomas glared at her and led Eileen and Henry down the street. As soon as they rounded the corner, Thomas pulled Henry and Eileen against the wall and flattened himself there, drawing his dagger but leaving his rapier in his belt. He whispered, “Wait!”

Henry and Eileen looked mystified, but drew their own daggers and waited. A few moments later the stout man in the blue cloak and the green coat came around the corner. He saw them and jolted to a stop. Thomas launched himself off the wall and caught the man’s cloak. “Got you!”

“Please, sir!” the stout man cried out. “Please don’t hurt me!”

“Shut up,” hissed Thomas. Several people turned on the street to see what was going on, but no one came near. Thomas put his dagger into the man’s armpit and pushed up, just enough so the man could feel the point. “Come with me!”

The man stumbled the first two steps but caught his balance and walked beside Thomas. Henry and Eileen put their daggers away and fell in on either side of them. They kept their hands on their rapier grips and glared at anyone who thought to come near. Thomas led the man to the nearest alley. It was a dead end, which suited Thomas fine. He pushed the man into it. “Keep people out,” he said over his shoulder.

He took the man another dozen steps into the alley and let him go. The man pressed himself against the back wall, his breathing rapid and his eyes wide with fear. Thomas sheathed his dagger. “Given that you’ve been following me since Festival, I thought I should introduce myself,” Thomas said. “I am Thomas Flarety, Captain of the Academy’s Expeditionary Company, fifth year student at the Royal Academy of Learning and son of John Flarety, a cloth merchant of Elmvale.” He bowed deeply, and when he straightened up, looked the other man in the eye. “And you have magic.”

The man swallowed loudly, but said nothing.

“We thought you were an agent of the Church at first,” said Thomas. “But you weren’t following us around all the time. And then there was the fact that I was the only one who could see you.” Thomas shook his head. “You think I would have been able to figure it out faster. But then, I’ve been tired a lot, lately. And I think I was expecting something obvious. Healing or fire or something. Care to tell me your name?”