Modern Magick

Alchemy and Argent: 2

'Where,' I said plaintively, some twenty minutes later, 'is Jay?'

I'd searched most of the building for him, and then the gardens, too, and found no sign. Ending up at last in the first-floor common room, just in case I'd missed him before, I posed my question to the room at large.

Three people were there: Dave from the treasury (accounts, by any other name; Milady despises modern corporate-speak); lovely, Scary Rob; and a newcomer (she looked about five minutes old) that I didn't know.

Rob, parked by the open window with a tall glass of water at his elbow, looked up from the magazine he was reading. 'He's not here,' he said.

'I discovered that for myself just now.' I flopped into a chair, disconsolate. Searching the premises for Jay had only made me hotter, and without the satisfaction of sharing Val's breakthrough with him. 'So where is he?' I'd checked my phone, too, in case of missed messages from him, but there was nothing.

'He's off on assignment.'

I blinked. 'Without me?'

'He's with Melissa's team on some kind of artefact retrieval.'

'Oh,' I said.

Rob smiled, kindly enough, at my disappointment. 'He's the only Waymaster we have, Ves. You do realise how in demand he is? Every department at Home has been clamouring to borrow him for weeks.'

'Oh,' I said again.

'You were lucky to monopolise him for so long.'

I waved this away, duly humbled. 'Any idea when he'll be back?' I asked, super casually.

'Miss him?' said Rob.

'It's not that,' I said quickly.

'Mmhmm.' Rob went back to his magazine.

'It's just that we're starting to make a bit of a breakthrough on the alchemy thing, and we might need him soon.'

'Oh?' Rob looked up. 'Where are you going?'

'Possibly, York.'

'York isn't that far away.'

'You mean we should drive places? In a car? Old school.'

Rob grinned. 'You're getting spoiled.'

'I like my personal Waymaster service.'

'Uh huh. But you're in no way missing Jay.'

'I miss my Waymaster,' I sniffed. 'Who happens to be Jay.'

'Yes, and he isn't yours.'

What that meant, of course, was that Jay had graduated from the position of new boy and no longer particularly needed my guidance. He was a fully-fledged agent in his own right, and in great demand. Popular, too. I couldn't help noticing that everybody liked Jay.

'Lonesome?' said Rob.

'I am not lonely,' I said with imperious dignity.

He gave me much the same sceptical look I'd been getting from Val. He didn't say anything else, but he didn't need to. Val's essential point held. I'd spent months rattling about the world(s) with Jay, frequently Alban and Zareen, and more recently Emellana Rogan, too. Now Alban and Em were gone back to Mandridore, Zareen was in recovery at the School of Weird, and Jay was off saving the magickal world without me.

Maybe I was just the teensiest bit lonely.

At least I had Val. And Addie. I could feel my link with my unicorn pal, wrapped tenderly around my heart. She was my familiar, and I suppose I was hers; I always felt her near me, even when she probably wasn't. I'd taken more than one secret (hopefully) trip back to her glade to visit, and don my unicorn horn and tail myself. It felt good.