Magic's Pawn

and amused as his face was angry and sullen. :No fear, teacher-mine. It's still going mostly as planned.:

She sighed mentally with relief. .'Mostly?:

:Well, we couldn’ tpractice this much, so we made some miscalculations. Van got me in the eye with his elbow, we both managed to sock each other in the mouth somehow, and I think I made him sprain his ankle when I tackled him. Hurry up and lecture us, I can't keep a straight face much longer!:

She straightened, and looked down her long nose at both of them, ignoring the water dripping off the end of it. 'A fine thing,' she said acidly, 'when I can't trust my protege and ward to conduct themselves like civilized adults in my absence! What am I to do with you? Find you keepers?'

Tylendel made as if to say something, but shrank under her icy glare, the rain slowly washing the mud out of his hair.

'Trainee Tylendel, you should have known better! You are a Herald-in-training; I expect you to act in accordance with the dignity and honor of our office. I do not expect to find you thrashing about in the mud like a six-year-old brat with no manners and no sense! No matter how much Vanyel provoked you, you should have come to me first, not taken the matter into your own hands!'

Tylendel hung his head and mumbled something in the direction of the puddle around his feet.

'Louder, trainee,' she snapped. 'I can't hear you.'

'Yes, Herald Savil,' he repeated, his voice harsh, and full of suppressed emotion. 'I was wrong.'

'Go - back to your quarters. Now. Make yourself presentable. I'll deal with you when I'm done with Vanyel.'

Tylendel bowed slightly, and without another word, walked past her and through the crowd at the doorway. Savil didn't turn around to watch his progress, but even above the steady beat of the rain she could hear the sound of the crowd parting behind her to let him through. One or two in the group snickered a little, but that was all.

She turned her dagger-gaze on Vanyel, who was glaring at her from under a wet comma of black hair that was obscuring one eye.

'And you. Fine state of affairs this is.' She walked forward a bit and folded her arms, trying not to shiver in the cold rain. 'I've heard about those snide little comments of yours, the backbiting, and all the rest of it. You've been picking at 'Lendel ever since you arrived here, young man, and I won't have it!'

Vanyel raised his head, glaring back at her with every bit of the arrogance he'd ever shown. 'He's nothing but a-“

'He outranks you, young man, and you'd do well to remember that!' she snapped. 'Consider yourself confined to your quarters for the duration! If I learn you've set one toot out of the suite when you aren't at lessons, I'll ship you back to your father so fast the wind of your passing will tear the thatch from the roofs! Now march!'

Vanyel set his jaw, and pivoted where he stood, setting off toward Savil's suite through the rain - taking the opposite course that Tylendel had followed. He was more than half staggering, and it made Savil's ankle ache in sympathy to to see him struggling through the mud, but she made no move to help him. Instead, she stalked along behind him, as if making certain that he reached his goal.

But once they had rounded the corner and were out of sight of the doorway, she dropped her pose and her dignity and scrambled through the slippery grass to reach his side.

'Lean on me, lad,' she said, coming up beside him, and pulling his arm over her shoulder. 'I've been called an old stick before this, I might as well act like one.'

'Aunt - thank the gods - ' he gasped. 'I thought we'd never get out of sight.' He stumbled and nearly fell, all of his weight suddenly landing on Savil, making her stagger. 'Please, I've got to rest a minute. Gods above, this hurts.''

'How bad is it?' she asked, as he shivered beside her in the cold rain.

'Don't know.' He managed a wan grin. 'Hurts more than a thorn in the toe, less than when I broke my arm. That tell you anything?'

'Hardly,' she snorted. 'Come on, the sooner I get you inside, the happier I'll be.

And I hope my protege has the sense to think and not come running out to help.''

The lights of Savil's windows were in sight - and her heart sank for a moment when she did see someone running toward them through the rain. Then she saw a second silhouette beside the first, and realized that it was not Tylendel who was coming to help them in, but Mardic and Donni.

The youngsters took over the task of supporting Vanyel. That left Savil free to go on ahead of them; for which she was truly grateful. She was chilled right down to the bone, and those bones were starting to ache rather persistently.

She stepped in through Vanyel's outer door; almost as soon as she'd stepped across the threshold she found herself enveloped in a warm blanket and practically carried into the common room. It was Tylendel, of course; he stayed with her just long enough to settle her in her favorite chair and put a mug of mulled wine in her hand, then he was gone.

He was back again in a moment, Vanyel's arm around his shoulder, the latter hopping awkwardly beside him.

There was already a blanket waiting on the couch; Tylendel got Vanyel bundled into it and pressed another mug of the wine into his hands.

 Mardic and Donni piled in right behind them; giggling, shaking the rain out of their hair, and heading straight for the kettle of wine on the hearth. Vanyel was more interested in his lover's black eye and swollen lip than the wine.