This choice: Her History and Enchanting Professors, having a whispered argument. About her. • Go Back... "I don't understand why we even brought her here," said a whispering voice. Melona strained to listen and realized it was Professor Luminata's voice. "We'd have been well within our rights to have refused her."
Melona backed up a bit, hiding behind the shelf, and peered through a gap between the books. Professors Luminata and Chantress were seated at a nearby table, having a whispered argument.
Melona was about to walk out from behind the shelves and find another corner of the library to study in, when she heard Chantress speak. "Really. You're the history professor. How many generations of the Pearsly family have come to the Academy? Do you really think that bringing the wrath of her father, or worse yet her mother, down on the faculty would be such a good idea?"
Melona froze. Oh gods, they were talking about her.
"Be that as it may," said Luminata. "We could have recommended an equally-prestigious institution. The Imperceptible University, or the Thaumium."
"The Pearslies are traditionalists," said Chantress.
"The Pearslies," spat Luminata, "have produced an heir who could be the most dangerous woman on the planet right now!"
"Please," said Chantress. "The world is always in danger. I've seen plenty of worse--"
"Oh, oh the immortal elf witch thinks there's something more dangerous than Melona F--" said Luminata, her voice growing louder.
"Would you keep it down?" hissed Chantress. "The only reason I thought that this would be a better place to meet than my office is because I thought that it'd be less likely to arouse suspicion than us meeting in my office again, but if you attract attention--"
Melona looked up at the ceiling and noticed a strange dome overhead. The acoustics must be just perfect for her to hear this, because there was no way that they were whispering that loudly.
"Sorry, sorry," said Luminata. "Look, you may have seen some more dangerous casters in your time, but I haven't. Melona Pearsly is the biggest ticking time bomb I've ever seen, and we brought her into the only place on the planet that might set her off!"
"That's not how time bombs work," said Chantress. "Besides, we're the only place that knows she's a time bomb to begin with, aside from her own home. The kitchen staff at the Academy and the Pearsly estate have both done a good job at keeping her magic suppressed." She mimed snipping some wires.
Melona's eyes widened. Suppressed? You mean--she--
"Oh great, so the one thing keeping us safe is that fact that she'll never gets hankering for some foreign food and go out for three nights in a row," said Luminata. "You've seen her robes. I've never seen such fancy materials worn so poorly. You know she gets enough money from home to--"
"--To stay cooped up in her room and feel sorry for herself," said Chantress. "Besides, the odds of her recovering her magic and then finding the ritual circle in the gardens is slim to none."
"How slim, Chantress?" asked Luminata. "Because last I checked, none of us went out of our ways to hide that thing!"
"I've told you a million times, Luminata," said Chantress. "The only enchantment it needs is the ignorance spell I put on it. The only people who can find that thing are the people who already know it exists."
Melona's heart raced.
"But--"
"But if I did anything else to the circle," said Chantress, "It'd destabilize the thaumic field and turn half the kingdom to glass. Quite literally, may I add. Vitrification is such a nasty way to go."
Luminata sighed. "I get that," she said. "But I think it would be easier if we sent that poor girl to someplace that didn't have the catalyst that would turn her into a nightmare."
Chantress sighed right back. "Melina Pearsly is spiteful and resourceful. If we snubbed her daughter, she could have just as easily told Melona about the circle and brought her here
to 'show off the family stomping grounds' or something. It's not her luscious ass on the line. She has enough security to escape the fallout of her daughter."
Luminata ground her teeth loud enough to send an unpleasant shiver up Melona's spine. "So we keep our friends close, our enemies closer, and--"
"And the would-be Scion of the Lust Realm even closer, so that we can dope her up with mana suppressants," finished Chantress.
There was a long pause.
"I do feel sorry for her," said Luminata.
"We all do, Lumi," said Chantress. Melona stifled a gasp. She was pretty sure that was the first time she'd ever heard Chantress use a nickname before. "We just need to wait until she reaches her nineteenth birthday. The prophecy will have passed, and we can just bump her down a year and start teaching her in earnest."
"Will we get to explain it to her?"
"At that point? Yes. The Scion's last chance will have passed."
"Will she forgive us?" asked Luminata.
"No," whispered Melona. "No she will not."
It was then that--  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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