Captive Magics

40 - The Invitation

Nutte had, to that point, never been a talkative soul, but after the uncomfortably introduction to Lissy he treated Leander much like part of the fabric of the building, paying little more attention to him than he would a bookshelf, and not speaking to him at all that afternoon or the following morning. This, along with the frosty introduction to Gilla, was an unpleasantly alienating experience in a library which was already too quiet and Leander, though he knew they were in enemy territory, hoped it wouldn't last. It came as a relief when the solitary noise of his fountain pen on the ledger was joined by two sets of footsteps down the hallway.

Gilla had returned, cold, sharp, and rigid as a pin, and with her was Teckirrion, who lounged against the reception desk as he explained something to her. Two shadows swam in a yellow pool of light; hers (small, amusingly troll-like and squat despite her slender frame) was doing its best to ignore the vast, looming spider of his which preached from the walls and ceiling.

"...So it is actually very simple. Ah! Hello!" said Teckirrion when Leander reached them. He straightened and flashed a salesman smile. "Good to see you again."

"Likewise. I trust you're both well?" Leander asked, copying their details down in the book below a long column of Beans, Martha, Beans, Martha, Beans, Martha. (How had Beans managed to get a College library card which only said 'Beans' on it?)

"Excellent," Teckirrion replied enthusiastically. Gilla opened her mouth to say something, then seemed to lose interest in the idea and closed it. "We're not stopping long today, just a flying visit," he added, and they marched off to the sound of Gilla telling him about the book she had found, their robes billowing behind them. It left a shimmering cloud of dust raised in the still air and this slowly settled around Leander as he aimlessly straightened out the contents of the desk, his mind busy devising a set of runes which would stick dust to them. If he could find a symbol for dust he would be sorted. The library would be too, for it sorely needed it.

Gilla reappeared with a book to check out, and explained that Teckirrion had gone to see how Nutte was getting on.

"I see," said Leander, still wondering what Nutte was supposed to be getting on with. A second later Teckirrion strode in, grinning toothily, and sent the newly settled dust whirling again.

"All finished," he announced, and came to a stop with his hands in his pockets, making his lanky frame seem even more angular.

"Got everything you needed?"

"Absolutely! No problem. And really glad to see you're settling in, ha ha! I expect I'll see you around soon." Gilla was anchored in place, flipping through a notebook with the library book stuck under one arm. She remained stationary while Teckirrion made to leave, then stopped as an idea seemed to strike. "Oh, that reminds me," he said. "There's a party next month, at Lord Gorstanley's. Well, you're College staff now, so why not come? It would be great to see you there." He passed Leander an invitation and stuffed his hands back in his pockets, turning in sync with Gilla towards the door. Several paces away he turned his head towards Leander, who was studying the invitation. "Bring your wife too, of course," he tossed over his shoulder, and they left.

It was so obviously contrived that Leander was worrying over it before the echo from the front door closing behind them rattled down the corridor, until he calmed himself down enough to see the potential advantages. This was an opportunity for Lissy, and although Teckirrion's faux-casual interest in her unnerved him, it was unlikely to come from knowing she was a foreign spy (Leander refused to stop feeling entirely anxious about this possibility) but instead for different reasons. Still, he was uneasy.

Misgivings aside, Leander couldn't help but feel a bubble of hope that she might be recognised for her talent, which by the time he arrived home had morphed into a lengthy fantasy about her being welcomed into the College by Lord Gorstanley himself, an occurrence so pleasing to the fantasy Lissy that she responded by throwing herself into Leander's arms and kissing him thoroughly. He blinked as the real Lissy appeared at the top of the kitchen steps, leaning over the bannister to greet him with a cheerful grin but no kiss.

"Hullo. What has your imagination dreamed up today?"

"What?"

"Thought up any new runes?"

"Oh...oh, right. No. I thought about a way to get rid of all the dust in the library, but it came to nothing." She followed him downstairs while he asked what she had done that day.

"Fixed a broken kettle, of all things. You'll be glad to hear with that thrilling task on my hands I didn't have time to chase after any treacherous members of the gentry. Tea?"

"Please, as always," he replied, smiling, and hunted around for the invitation to present to her. She took it silently and Leander waited for the burst of enthusiasm.

"How considerate!"

"To invite a humble librarian to Lord Gorstanley's party? Very."

"It's a shame we can't go," she said, scanning the card which had Mr and Mrs St. Baudeliensis written in copperplate.

"What? Why do you say that? We don't have anything else to do that day."

"Formal." She showed him the line on the invite and his bubble of hope burst. "We don't have anything to wear. Although, you might go—"

"No. I'm not going without you."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to."

"It might be useful though."

"Teckirrion was adamant that I should bring you," he told her. She pursed her lips.

"We could afford to buy clothes if we sold more gold again."

"...Hmmm..."

"Okay, yes, you're right."

"If we had more time we could move to a cheaper house, but the price of food is our real problem, especially since half of it spoils before we eat it," he said, and watched as an idea seemed to strike her. "What is it?"

"Hmm...no, it's silly. I'll keep thinking, maybe we can come up with something in time."