Lucky Rabbit

The Dragon refused to explain exactly what he meant until he was able to translate the documents thoroughly, but he did offer one cryptic clue when he said, “I need to contact a resource at the Royal Registry. If these papers say what I think they do, and the information can be verified, Duke Benedict may no longer be a concern.” With that, he opened a door in the wall that Pandy was absolutely certain had never been there before and stepped through. It sealed up behind him, leaving Augustus and Pandy alone.

Curious, Pandy crossed to the wall and knocked on it, then peered through the window that was only a few feet away, in the very same wall. It overlooked the front lawn and the long drive leading up to the school, and there was no way even a very skinny room could have fit in the space available.

“You’d do best not to question it,” Augustus advised from behind her. “The library is, in a very, ah, unreal way, a figment of Elarion’s imagination. It exists because he believes it does, and so when he chooses to believe something different, the library is also different.”

Pandy turned to stare at him. “But what happens if he stops believing? Or,” she thought about a still body lying in a shadowy pool of blood on her phone screen, “If he died?”

One corner of Augustus’s mouth hitched up. “There’s a reason we don’t mention the peculiarities of the library,” he said, then looked down, tapping his finger on the tabletop before adding, “and in spite of what happened in your game, it is incredibly unlikely that he could be killed. I can think of only one being strong enough to do so, and she’s currently missing.”

Ismara. Which meant Augustus believed that the Dragon’s power lay somewhere between that of a normal elemental and a god. Why then was Beeswick here, playing at being a librarian? She didn’t think he enjoyed it that much. She opened her mouth to ask, and Augustus shook his head, his eyes warning her to remain silent.

Changing course, Pandy said, “Isn’t Duke Benedict the person you think is trying to get Kaden and Louisa in trouble by kidnapping Eleanor and forcing her to reveal her magic?” The whole thing seemed unnecessarily convoluted to Pandy. If this Duke was so certain Louisa had lied about Eleanor’s parentage, then he should just come out and say so. Any essence stone would prove the princess wasn’t an Air mage.

Augustus nodded. “Yes. It’s best for him if he seems to have no involvement in the plot. He’s not well-liked, and Fergus was beloved. Kaden is popular with both the noble families and the common people, especially after losing his father at such a young age, followed by his own brush with death. If Benedict took action to benefit himself, popular opinion could well turn against him, even if the law supports his bid for power.”

Pandy’s gaze lingered on the blank wall through which Professor Beeswick had vanished. “So what do you think those papers say?”

With a shake of his head, Augustus admitted, “I hesitate to even guess. If Beeswick is planning to approach someone at the Registry, however, it must be something to do with Duke Benedict’s parentage. Or perhaps Fergus and Louisa did file the paperwork indicating the truth of Eleanor’s background, and that paperwork disappeared after Fergus’s death. If those pages contain proof that Benedict altered the Registry… that’s even worse than simply failing to inform it of an, ah, ‘indiscretion’.”

Frowning, Pandy looked back at him. “Wouldn’t Queen Louisa tell you if that was the case?”

He sighed and gave a half-shrug. “I hope so, but the truth is that I was Fergus’s friend, not hers. She may not trust me as he did. She certainly hasn’t explained what’s really going on, simply asked me to take on the position here so I could watch over Eleanor. Something at which I failed rather abysmally.”

Without thinking, Pandy crossed to his side and took his hand in hers. “You were betrayed by someone who was supposedly sent by Louisa herself. Then they used creatures they shouldn’t have to alter a spell created by,” she paused, glancing around, “a very wise and powerful Dragon. You’ve also risked your own life several times, even though technically you’re supposed to be retired.”

She gave him a Look, and he bounced it right back at her. “I let my guard down,” he said. “There’s no excuse for that. But… you’re right. Ms. Wellington came with Louisa’s personal recommendation, and the way they used Aetherbane to alter the spell that connects the school and the library was genius. Genius put to evil purpose, but genius nonetheless.”

Genius? Beeswick said he’d never seen anything like it before, but the word genius had never been thrown around. It really was strange how their enemies shifted between ‘genius’ and ‘hit things hard until they break’. She supposed it made sense if they really were dealing with two enemies, one of whom wore the other like a particularly large and flamboyant hat, but she still felt like they were missing something. Several somethings, actually, but the word genius made her think of mad scientists, and mad scientists made her think of-

As happened so often at Falconet, a bell chime interrupted them. It was Sunday, so the only bells were ones that told the residents when to eat and when to go to bed. This must be the lunch bell, because Pandy hadn’t been able to meet Augustus and Professor Beeswick until after breakfast. That meant the children would all be heading for the dining hall, the chancellor would be expected to be there to preside over the meal, and Thaniel’s Bunny needed to make an appearance.

More than one child had noticed that Bunny no longer accompanied Thaniel everywhere, so he’d claimed his rabbit preferred to stay in his room now that he didn’t have a roommate. Still, Pandy made sure to be with him for every meal where she didn’t need to be Eurydice Haupe. Unlike a superhero and their alter ego, no one would become suspicious if a teacher and a rabbit were never seen together.

Augustus gave Pandy’s hand a final squeeze, then released her and went down the steps. She followed him but didn’t start down right away. As much as Pandy wanted to fly down through the central area, it was entirely possible that there were still malingering children in the library, so instead she shifted back to Bunny and took her time, hugging the side of the stairs as she hopped down. There weren’t enough shadows here for her to cast Shield of Darkness, so she just tried to be as sneaky as possible.

Thaniel’s task was, as it had been for the last several days, to hang out somewhere visible and look miserable. It was actually fairly boring, and he couldn’t even depend on Abbington and Geraldine to liven things up, since they were supposed to be more and more frustrated with his moping. The children did at least get a chance to be themselves when they were behind closed doors in the library or the music room for Small Group, but all three were rapidly tiring of their roles.

As a result, when Pandy found Thaniel waiting for her in the foyer, she could tell that his glum expression was entirely genuine. Geraldine had gone ahead into the dining hall, but Abbington lingered in the doorway until he saw Pandy appear, then hurried ahead, looking relieved. They were never supposed to leave Thaniel alone, but they also weren’t supposed to look like they were enjoying his company, which was a fine line to walk for an eight and a nine-year-old.

Thaniel scooped Pandy into his arms, nuzzling his face into her fur. She didn’t get any Corruption Points, so he wasn’t crying, but she didn’t think tears were all that far off. No, Thaniel definitely wasn’t enjoying being part of this deception any longer. For better or worse, his part was probably almost over, though she doubted he’d enjoy being cooped up in Augustus’s rooms while she was off pretending to be him either. That shouldn’t last more than a single day, but Thaniel had enough energy and enthusiasm for a half dozen average children.

“I just want everything t’go back the way it was,” he murmured into Pandy’s back. “I miss Ellie an’ Lord Winston and Izzy and old Tempest, even though she tried to bite my toe.”

That only happened once, after Thaniel stumbled and kicked Tempest’s box while he was still groggy from sleep, so the tortoise couldn’t really be blamed. Besides, Thaniel still had all of his toes, and Pandy was almost certain that wouldn’t be the case if the turtle had really made an effort. She understood the sentiment, however, and wiggled until he raised his face. Pressing her nose against his cheek, she tickled him with her whiskers and Thaniel laughed.

“Lunch is about to begin, Thaniel,” Ms. Davenport’s crisp voice interrupted them, and Thaniel jumped. They both turned to look toward the door and saw that the hall supervisor was standing there, watching them with raised brows and pinched lips.

“I’m sorry, Ms-” Thaniel started, then remembered he wasn’t supposed to be pleasant to anyone right now. His arms tightened around Pandy, and he added, “Nobody wants me in there anyway. I should just… just starve. Nobody’d care.”

Ms. Davenport’s face contorted, finally settling into an expression that looked very uncomfortable with its new resting place: sympathy. “I assure you I would, and I’m certain I wouldn’t be the only one.” She seemed to struggle with herself for a moment before her innate honesty forced her to say, “Mr. Blackwood may not be who I would have chosen as chancellor, but I can assure you that he does not fall short in one aspect at least. He truly cares about the students of this school, and you in particular. I know you’ve been struggling lately, and I hope you know you can come to any of us with your problems at any time. Our doors are always open.”

Now Thaniel’s eyes did fill with tears, and he gave a jerky nod before he managed to say, “Thanks, Ms. Davenport. That’s a nice thing to say.”

The discomfort drained from the hall supervisor’s body as her expression settled into a much more familiar one. “Good. Then come in and eat. I’ll be lenient this time, given the circumstances, but it is quite rude to be late to a meal.”

Pandy met Thaniel’s eyes as the boy looked down, and they shared a glance that held slightly damp amusement. Thaniel shifted her weight to one arm so he could swipe the back of his sleeve against his eyes, before proceeding into the dining hall, where far too many eyes immediately landed on him and lingered there. His whole body stiffened, but he marched over to the table he shared with Abbington and Geraldine, placing Pandy on the ground before pulling out his chair and flopping into it.

Not enjoying the weight of so many gazes any more than Thaniel did, Pandy hurried beneath the table with Miss Cupcakes. The kitten was sleeping beside Geraldine’s feet, and she barely deigned to open one eye to acknowledge Pandy’s arrival. Her ear twitched, the eye closed, and Pandy was alone with three pairs of feet and her own thoughts. It was at times like this that she really missed Lord Winston. The dog hadn’t paid much attention to Pandy and Miss Cupcakes, but his mere presence had made mealtime more fun. There was just something about the contrast between that droopy face and his enthusiasm for life that made mealtimes more pleasant.

Once everyone was seated, the carts began rolling out of the kitchen hallway. As always, their table was one of the first stops, since she and Miss Cupcakes had their own special meals. Pandy began working her way through her bowl of mixed greens while peering out at the people surrounding them. It really was interesting to watch the students, especially on the weekends when there were a lot fewer of them, and the rules were relaxed at least a little. She knew most of the resident first-years by name, though there were a few like Lamont and Lamonia Kimball that just didn’t stand out enough to catch her attention.

Speaking of those two, Pandy chomped into a leaf that was either kale or a reasonable local representative of the family, and hopped around beneath the table until her eyes landed on a boy a few tables away. His hair was a little longer than most boys wore it, and his face was pale. Many of the children had at least a bit of a tan, but Lamont looked like he’d never stepped into direct sunlight in his life. Still, his face and coloring left no doubt that he was Lamonia’s twin.

On the weekend, fewer tables were set up for meals simply because there were fewer people to occupy them. Still, while most of the remaining tables were full, several weren’t, including Thaniel’s. Even Suzanne had stopped trying to sit with him after being rebuffed a few times, and they were definitely going to have to explain and apologize to her after this was all over.

Lamont’s table was also almost entirely empty. In fact, only one person sat there with him. Lamonia Kimball was back.