Modern Magick

Alchemy and Argent: 7

'As waiting rooms go,' said Jay, 'This one isn't bad.' He reposed himself upon the grass once more, shut his eyes, and apparently dozed off.

I stood watching him for a few minutes, undecided about whether or not to interrupt his nap. As opportunities for R&R went, the locale was ideal but the timing was pretty bad.

But he looked so comfortable lying stretched out in the verdure, with a tiny half-smile on his sun-bathed face, that I didn't have the heart.

He didn't seem to mind that he was exhausted, yet expected to soldier on; nor that Milady kept him hopping, week in, week out. He never complained. Either he loved the job that much, or he had one hell of a work ethic.

Which made me wonder, once again, about the Jay behind the workhorse façade. Though we'd been working together for some weeks now, I was aware that I still didn't know him very well. There had hardly been the time to try. The Jay I knew was tireless, unbelievably dedicated, magickally remarkable, and very self-contained. He'd occasionally got a little irritated with me (my fault, always), but his temper rarely frayed, he never panicked, and he hardly ever worried. A cool cucumber, you might say.

But nobody was like that all the time. Em Rogan had called him "controlled", and she was right. Where was the real Jay, behind the top-of-the-class star student of the Hidden University? What did he care about, besides his studies and his mission with the Society? The only glimpses I'd really had into his inner world were disparate things like his dress sense (that jacket didn't quite go with the image), the motorbike (ditto), and...

Nope, that was about it.

Might have something to do with the family, I mused. The only time I really saw him animated was when he talked about his siblings, of which there were at least three—

'You're staring at me,' said Jay, and I realised with a start that his dark eyes were open.

'Was not,' I said automatically.

'And you had that pensive look on your face.'

'Pensive?' I tried my best smile on him. 'Wasn't thinking anything, I swear.'

'One might even say, inquisitive.' Jay sat up with a slight groan, and brushed grass seeds out of his hair. 'Whatever I've done to deserve such scrutiny, I beg mercy.'

'I was just wondering,' I began, but with a whoosh of magick — tasting like clear air after a thunderstorm, and smelling of white wine — our not-so-friendly local sprite was back.

She'd developed a smile.

'My name is—' she said, followed by several unpronounceable syllables I will not attempt to recreate. 'It means flow of bright water in your tongue.'

'...Is it all right if we call you that?' I said.

'Maybe just "Flow",' Jay amended.

Flow bowed her assent. 'You are welcome in Aylligranir, Cordelia Vesper and Jay Patel,' she announced. 'Her Majesty is eager to meet the envoys of Queen Delia. If you will follow me?'

Her manner being far more gracious than before, I was somewhat surprised, and a shade uneasy. Obviously, our ruse had succeeded better than I had expected. Hopefully, anyway. That, or this was a counter-ruse, and upon accepting Flow's gracious invitation we were to be thrown into a deep, dark dungeon.

And how was it that she knew our names? I didn't remember telling her mine, let alone Jay's.

'Our fame has preceded us,' I whispered to Jay, as Flow walked, stately and straight-backed, towards the sheer hillside.