Lucky Rabbit

Thaniel led everyone to the training ground, where they found several other students, many of them sparring. It was a bit startling to see so many ten-year-olds wielding swords, especially since they seemed to be quite good at it, at least to Pandy’s inexpert gaze. It looked like the scenes of sword-fighting she’d seen in movies, anyway, except not quite as fast, and entirely lacking in jumping over fallen objects or throwing chairs at each other.

A few of the older students were also watching over the younger ones and helping them. It turned out that they’d been specially selected by Sir Harriet, and when the others were doing chores, these students had free time so that they could be here to tutor and watch over the younger students during their free time.

Geraldine was thrilled by the battles, and Pandy could see her body shift, fingers opening and closing as she watched the combatants. It was obvious that she longed to be among them, and there were several girls practicing, so eventually she should get her wish. At Condor, all of the students had to take some kind of martial class, and though many of the girls chose archery, there were some in the sword-fighting class, and a few took unarmed combat. As with most things, it seemed that Falconet was similar.

Only Thaniel seemed as interested as Geraldine, however, and soon Eleanor managed to drag them all away toward the stable, where Abbington’s ‘capy’ lived. Apparently the creature was quite a bit larger than any of the other pets, which meant Brook couldn’t live in the dorms or attend class. When Abbington held his hand at the height of his hip to indicate the creature’s size, Pandy thought he must be exaggerating. He was not.

The capy lived in a separate stall from the horses and ponies. It was on the very end, and as soon as Abbington got close enough for his footsteps to be heard over the soft whickers and shifting of the mounts, a loud clicking sound – almost like a slow purr – began to come from beyond the wooden door. Something scratched at the door, and when Abbington opened it, two dark-furred feet landed on his shoulders as a large…rodent? Beaver? shoved its square nose into his face.

Abbington threw his arms around Brook and began to scratch the thick, coarse brown fur that covered her sides. The capy’s head was on a level with his, and the boy had to brace himself in order to resist being shoved over by the enthusiastic animal. Then Brook’s dark eyes landed on the children arrayed behind her friend, and she dropped down to all fours at Abbington’s side, eyeing them curiously, but with no fear. Which was fair, because she still stood almost two feet tall, and as she’d just shown, when she stood on her hind legs, she was as tall as any of the children except Isidor.

“SBrook,” Abbington said, giving a smile which revealed a missing tooth on the lower left side of his mouth. “Shacapy.”

“A capybara,” Eleanor said, unable to tear her eyes from the animal. Her eyes were almost glowing with adoration, and she kept lifting a hand as if to pet Brook, then dropping it again. “They can only be found in the Valley, along the banks of the rivers and lakes. We once believed they were related to beavers, because of the…adorable..face…” She trailed off, and her composure finally broke. Lurching forward, she fell to her knees, scratching the capybara’s neck and sides. Brook, for her part, accepted this with equanimity, only shifting to allow better access to an itchy spot on her belly.

“S’notabeaver,” Abbington said, obviously not sure whether to be pleased or jealous at this turn of events. “Rodenrightfrellylotsapets.”

It took Pandy a moment to work out that he meant, “She’s not a beaver. She’s a rodent, and right friendly.” But was he saying she liked lots of pets, or lots of people in the Valley had capybaras as pets? In the end, it didn’t matter, because once the ice was broken, all of the children surrounded the capybara, petting and scratching any spot that looked like it might itch. Fortunately, all of them except Isidor somehow knew where the best spots were, and he was also the most reluctant to make the attempt. It seemed that he preferred reptiles to mammals, which perhaps explained at least part of his apparent disinterest in Pandy.

When Eleanor finally regained her voice, she looked at Abbington and said, “I knew they got large, but I didn’t realize she would be this large. She’s lovely.” By now, Lord Winston, too, had ventured into the stall, and he gave his mistress a long, sad sigh, flopping his jowls down across his front paws. To her credit, she immediately went to him and began to smooth his floppy, silky ears.

“Bigun. Likesswimmin,” Abbington said, gesturing to a hole that had been cut into the wall only recently, judging by the fresh wood on the edges. “Gottapondout.”

Like Lord Winston, Pandy had been abandoned when the children went to pet the capybara, and now she hopped to the hole, peering out into the dimness of dusk. The sun had set, but the last of its rays still lightened the horizon, which was visible beyond the trees scattered across the pasture behind the stable. A fence that was meant to keep the horses and ponies in probably wouldn’t do the same for a capybara, but there was a pond shimmering in the pasture, and apparently that was enough for Brook.

Thaniel, too, poked his head out, and then he was on his knees and out through the hole. He grinned as he ran over to the pond and stared down into it. Looking back toward the others, who were all staring after him, he called, “I bet there’s treasure in here! There’s always treasure at the bottom of ponds and lakes in Wayward Pirate Pete!” He pulled off his jacket and dropped it on the ground, and started to toe off his shoes.

“Thaniel, you can’t just jump in!” Eleanor called, carefully lifting her skirts as she duck-walked through the opening. Geraldine did something similar, though significantly less graceful, followed by Isidor, Abbington, and a curious Brook. The capybara moved toward the pond with surprising speed and a sort of hopping gait, slipping into it with the ease of a cat into an empty cardboard box. Barely a splash marked her entry, and when her head popped up a moment later, it was clear that this part of the pond was only a foot and a half to two feet deep.

Thaniel sighed, picking up his jacket. “In Wayward Pirate Peteand the Plank-Walking Academy, there are seven mysteries at the school. I bet Falconet has some-” His mouth clamped shut, as if only just realizing he already knew at least one of those mysteries. He hadn’t yet told the girls about the secret passage, and it seemed increasingly unlikely that he intended to do so, though Pandy wasn’t quite sure why. Maybe he’d been frightened by what happened, and didn’t want to use or talk about it ever again?

“That’s just a story,” Geraldine said, but Pandy could tell her imagination had been sparked by the idea. Eleanor looked interested, too, but Isidor and Abbington only seemed confused.

“Who is ‘Wayward Pirate Pete’?” Isidor asked, pronouncing the name carefully, as if he was speaking a foreign language and wanted to make sure he got the accent right.

Thaniel, Geraldine, and Eleanor all stared at him, aghast. “Pirate Pete is…is…Pirate Pete,” Thaniel said. His hand began to wave around in front of him, holding an invisible sword as he fought off enemies that existed only in his mind. “He runs off to sea because he wants t’ be a pirate, but when he gets there, everybody laughs at him ‘cause he always says please an’ thank you and eats his vegetables. They say no real pirate does that, so Pete sets out t’ prove ‘em wrong.”

“And when a bunch of evil pirates take the ship he’s on, he manages to steal it right back, all by himself,” Geraldine said, falling in across from Thaniel. Their insubstantial swords clashed, and Geraldine spun away, clutching at her chest dramatically.

“An’ then he meets Scrubs, who used t’be the Really Evil Pirate Drake’s pet, but when they’re captured together, they become friends, and Scrubs becomes Pirate Pete’s First Mate instead,” Thaniel said.

“And he always says please and thank you and eats his vegetables,” Thaniel and Geraldine chorus together, before Thaniel added, “I wanna be just like him, ‘cept I won’t eat tomatoes, ‘cause they’re disgusting.”

As he got more and more excited, Thaniel’s diction definitely started slipping back into the way he used to speak, before the Reedsleys and Lian began correcting him. Geraldine finally noticed, too, and shoved her elbow into his side, but Abbington’s eyes were huge, and for the very first time he was standing completely straight, without his shoulders hunched up toward his ears.

“Youspeakintoo?” he asked, then flushed, and his shoulders came up again. “MzWellinontolmeI’mstupd. Can’talkright. Shdshuttup.”

“What?” Eleanor gasped, and Geraldine echoed her, though she sounded more angry than shocked. Eleanor shook her head. “You do speak a little fast, but it’s obvious you’re not stupid.”

“And we all understand you,” Geraldine added, a scowl on her freckled face. “So don’t you listen to her. She’s just mean!”

All five children fell into a slightly shocked silence at these words, including the girl herself. They had all been raised to respect their elders, especially their parents and teachers, and the idea of not listening to one was…distressing. Still, they all knew she was right, and slowly, four little heads nodded while the fifth remained bowed.

“I…don’t believe she’s correct about how innate magic works,” Eleanor said very quietly.

“And she really is mean,” Thaniel put in, folding his arms across his chest.

“She didn’t actually teach us anything,” Isidor agreed.

Abbington finally looked up, searching the other four faces. Behind him, Brook sloshed out of the pond, her paws squishing through the mud until she could press against Abbington’s side. He didn’t seem to notice the large wet spot spreading across his pants and jacket from her wet fur.

“S’ok?” the boy asked, eyes searching the faces of the other children. “Yadon’min?”

“Of course we don’t mind,” Eleanor said stoutly, and the others nodded. “The whole point of this school is to give us a chance to meet new people, and do things we couldn’t at home.”

“I’m glad I met you,” Geraldine said, nodding.

“I like you!” Thaniel said cheerfully.

Isidor didn’t say anything, but his nod of approval spoke volumes for the reserved boy.

A tear slowly trickled down Abbington’s face, and Pandy almost lunged for it as it dripped off his chin. Fortunately, she realized that might look just a little odd, and held herself back, which was just as well, since the drop landed on Brook’s back, disappearing into the water already dripping from the capybara.

Silently, Geraldine tugged a very rumpled lace-edged handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to Abbington, who accepted it and blew his nose loudly. When he tried to give it back to the girl, she waved it away hastily, so he stuffed it into his pocket instead.

“C’nyateachme?” he asked shyly, taking off his glasses and attempting to rub the fog off with his shirt. This was only partially successful thanks to the fact that much of his shirt was already sopping wet.

“To speak like we do?” Eleanor asked.

Abbington nodded, then added, “An’natemagc.”

“Oh!” Thaniel exclaimed. “Yes, please. I didn’t understand what Ms. Wellington said about ‘nate magic at all.”

“Innate,” Geraldine corrected, her nose tilting up into the air ever so slightly. “If you’re going to help Abbington, you really should try to do better yourself.”

“Bing,” Abbington said as Thaniel opened his mouth to make a rebuttal. Everyone turned to look at him, and he hitched a thumb toward his chest. “C’ncallmeBing. Frens.”

“Friends,” Eleanor said, smiling, then dropped a shallow curtsey. It should have looked ridiculous. She was standing in a muddy field, talking to a boy with an overgrown guinea pig leaning against his side, but somehow, in spite of the frizzy brown curls, and the fact that she was wearing the same uniform as every other girl at the school, there was something distinctly regal and, well, special about her. Everyone else stared, blinking, until her gentle smile faltered and she looked around. “What?”

Geraldine shook her head, then stuck out her hand. “Show me how to make a flame, please?” She waggled her fingers, and Eleanor laughed.

“Of course,” the princess said. “When my tutor taught me, she said that your magic is just part of you. It’s always been there, and that’s actually why it can be hard for some people to use it the first time. You’re looking for something different, but it’s not.”

She pressed a hand to her abdomen and drew in a deep breath. “It’s like the air you breathe, or the blood in your veins. And just like that, it happens without you thinking about it. You’ve probably used magic a hundred times without ever noticing. When that button you can’t see slips into place, or you sneeze and nobody hears it because you’re at the dinner table, and if they did, you’d get in trouble.”

That last example was definitely personal experience talking, and Eleanor hurried on. “So rather than thinking about what feels different, think about what feels right when something like that happens, and that’s your magic.”

Thaniel blinked, but Geraldine nodded slowly. “Like when your tea is too cold, and you don’t want to ask someone to bring you a fresh cup, and then you try it again, and it’s just right.” That also sounded like personal experience, but when Geraldine held out her hand and wiggled her fingers this time, the tiniest spark flashed from index finger to thumb. It was almost too small to see, but in the growing darkness, with frogs and crickets just beginning to sing a welcome song to the night, it looked like she was holding a star for the briefest of all possible moments.

Thaniel and Eleanor gasped, but Geraldine just glared at her fingers, fuzzy brows almost touching over her nose. The spark returned, and this time it grew, until it shot up, crackling as it encountered Geraldine’s face. She yelped, dropping her hand and jumping backward. Straight into the pond. Water engulfed her, splashing up and over her head, along with a thick cascade of mud. Brook turned to look at her, then, apparently deciding Geraldine had decided to join her, she reentered the pool and paddled over to rest her head on the girl’s shoulder.

Geraldine spluttered, obviously torn between crying and being angry, until she met Thaniel’s eyes and burst out into laughter instead. He grinned back at her, wading into the pond himself before flopping forward onto his belly, splashing Geraldine and Brook. The girl just stared at him, but the capybara turned her body, using her head to send a wave back at the boy. Then Abbington was there, too, laughing and splashing, while Isidor shook his head and Eleanor hovered at the edge of the pond, looking like she’d like to join in, but didn’t quite dare.

Eventually, the last bell rang, telling them all to go to their rooms, and the three in the water slogged back onto dry-ish land. When they reentered the stable, it was to find that the lights had been dimmed, and only a drowsy stableboy sat in a chair by the door. Abbington followed them just a few feet, then stopped.

“Sleep’nwiBrook,” he said, pointing back toward the capybara, who was watching them from her open door. “Comeinnamorn.”

It was a surprise to the others that he would be allowed to sleep in the stables, but they nodded. They were all too tired to quibble over something so small. Instead, they crept back to their rooms, trying not to drip on the rugs, and Thaniel and Isidor were asleep as soon as their heads touched their pillows.