“Here we go,” Conrad mutters, grimacing in expectation of another racket.
As Noah gets the crowd’s attention, he clears his throat, throwing a glance in Zoe Tallis’ direction. She’s kind enough to smile at his mild obsession, showing no signs of genuine interest. Not that this put’s Noah off as he belts out the first lines of a famous Society tune.
He signals for the merry members to sing along which they dutifully do, laughing and clinking glasses as Noah hits full stride, failing to hit a single note. The cheers explode in Rebel’s Rest as the song ends, Noah jumping down from the bar to a round of applause.
“Well …?” he asks as he always does, leaving Harvey to choose his words carefully.
“Just checking, were you singing Give me Remedy …?”
I burst out laughing with the others as Noah gets Harvey in a headlock, rubbing the top of his head until he’s rubbing thin air …. Harvey using the Disira charm to escape … re-appearing for a proposed duet.
“Well, come on, then,” Harvey calls over to us, understanding there’s no duel without the agreed duet.
Conrad offers me a nervous grin, stepping onto the bar with visions of flight and fury urging him on. We shuffle closer together, taken along by the slow clapping and raised glasses, the song we all know ringing around us: The Ballad of Rebel’s Rest.
It’s a ridiculous song about the wizards who refused to leave the place we’re in now, singing until the Society elders gave in. We sing along with the crowd, adding ridiculous gestures to raise the spirits: a group of friends who meet up to do normal teenage things, like staying out late and planning things to give adults sleeplessness nights.
The ground floor of The Cendryll rests in darkness, the Quij asleep on the bookshelves underneath the skylight — their beautiful glow not needed in the witching hours. It’s close to 3 a.m. Rebel’s Rest finally kicking us out when the owner couldn’t keep his eyes open. More like kicked through to be precise, the string on the lamps lining the walls used to transport us home.
Home is The Cendryll — the place I’ve never really left and have no intention of leaving. Jacob’s got my mum’s room on the fifth floor, and I stay in the room I used to share with Kaira: the fourth floor quarters vacated by Kaira’s aunt, Philomeena. A teenage girl needs her space, after all, but this doesn’t extend to night time visits from a certain boy, pinching my waist to get the desired reaction.
We’ve got The Cendryll to ourselves at this hour. It’s been a long day and there are things to discuss, not least Conrad’s growing interest in a duel that could get us into hot water. The least we’ll have to do is discuss it with Casper and Philomeena: Kaira’s dad and aunt who still run The Cendryll.
They’re not here as much, splitting their time between magical duties and time with Kaira. I think about Kaira a lot, wondering how I can get her back into the fold, but she’s gone for now, doing her own thing and forging her own path. She’s happy but things aren’t quite the same without her.
As we head to The Seating Station, I take Conrad’s hand and lead him to Quandary Corner — an isolated seating area that rests in the shadows. Some places resonate, almost taking you back to the time you wish you had again. Quandary Corner was my place; our place where the endless wonders began.
I steal a quick kiss once we’re perched in Quandary Corner, feeling more comfortable that it’s out of view of the spiral staircase. The Seating Station provides more space but not the secrecy required, so we cuddle up in Quandary Corner, looking up at the skylight filled with stars, happy to sit together while the rest of the faculty sleeps.
Churchill is still here: Kaira’s cat. He always senses our presence so will appear at the top of the spiral staircase soon. Until then, my focus is on a boy with a renewed purpose: to prove his gift for flight once more.
“It could be dangerous,” I say as Conrad pulls me closer.
“Only up to a point. We’re allies after all, making it a perfect platform for sky rider training. I mean, look at what we learnt in Gilweean, free falling from our Williynx and spiralling through tunnels of ice toward the earth. If this plays out, we might have found another training ground.”
“I say we track them first … see how The Domitus tame the Riadek, then we decide on the duel. It’s got to fit within Society parameters, you know that, and that means no inciting of conflict. We’re not immune from banishment.”
“Fair enough,” he says, looking up at the skylight.
“You think you can take them, don’t you?” I prompt, studying his intense expression. “Beat them in a friendly battle.”
Conrad nods. “I can hold my own in the skies, but it’s more about missing the intensity of battle: the adrenaline rush.”
“Let’s just make sure Odin and Neve aren’t drawing us into a trap first.”
“Like what?”
“Like an ‘accident’ in the skies, spreading the fear that forced Alice Aradel out of hiding.”
The expected conversations begin early next morning as The Cendryll bursts into life, the Quij floating down to offer their morning greeting.
We stayed up all night, only catching sleep in the few hours before dawn. Sometimes, it’s nice to just be away from things, tucked up in a familiar location. That’s what I wanted last night after our return from Rebel’s Rest: to capture the magic of a spectacular universe at rest.
We get to our feet as the doors start to swing open, welcoming familiar faces to the bustling faculty responsible for remedies. The traffic is as busy leaving through the doors, either returning to above-ground duties in the many shops or simply wanting a dose of normality.
It’s not something I miss,
