Page 14 of Hex Appeal

"Looking forward to it."Her professional tone somehow made it worse, reminding him of theoretical debates that had ended with considerably less professional activities.Activities his body remembered with inconvenient clarity.

He retreated with what dignity he could muster, which wasn't much, given that a small parade of animated paper airplanes had begun following him out the door, trailing heart-shaped confetti.

Three hours.He had three hours to remember why proper procedures mattered.Why rushing into advanced magic was dangerous.Why mixing personal and professional never ended well.

Three hours to forget how brilliant she was when passionate about teaching.How perfectly their magic had synchronized in that defensive move.How much he wanted to...

No.Professional thoughts only.

He had three hours to get himself under control.

He was going to need every minute.

***

CERIES HEADED TO THEteacher's lounge during her free period, clutching a stack of ungraded papers and her rebellious quill, which had stopped trying to draw hearts and upgraded to sketching elaborate wedding invitations.She was trying not to think about being alone with Malachai in his office after school today, though her traitorous brain kept supplying extremely unprofessional scenarios involving his desk.

As she rounded the corner, she caught Thorncraft speaking in hushed tones with someone through a communication mirror.'...production schedule must meet the curriculum timeline,' he was saying.'Once the board approves the full program, we'll have orders from every—' He spotted her and smoothly pivoted the mirror away.'Hello, Professor Frostwind.Just discussing some boring administrative matters.'"

She gave him a brief smile and continued down the shifting hallways to the lounge.Her hair shifted to curious copper when she heard animated voices through the partially open door.

"—another school making changes," Minerva Everheart, the potions professor, was saying, stirring her tea with such force it was creating a miniature whirlpool."That's three this term."

"Broomwick Academy was always so traditional," one of the Herbalism department heads, Juno Runeheart replied."Hard to believe they'd abandon their old curriculum so quickly.Their headmaster once gave me a forty-minute lecture on why changing the font in their spellbooks would lead to moral decay and possibly demon summoning."

"Times change," Minerva said, but her tone suggested she'd rather they didn't."Though I've never seen so many schools revising their defensive magic programs all at once.It's like a synchronizing charm gone haywire."

Ceries paused in the doorway, her quill pausing mid-grade, suddenly invested in eavesdropping rather than marking Jennifer Thompson's creative interpretation of hex history.

"Trustee Thorncraft seems very invested in modernizing the curriculum," Juno said carefully, her voice dropping to the pitch universally recognized as "I'm-not-saying-anything-suspicious-but-actually-I-totally-am.""He's been spending a lot of time observing the advanced classes lately."

"And bringing in those consultants."Minerva spotted Ceries and waved her in with the too-bright smile of someone who definitely wasn't just talking about her."Speaking of which—how are you settling in?I hear you've got some innovative ideas about defensive magic yourself."

Ceries's hair flickered between hope and uncertainty while her charm bracelet chimed sadly, the magical equivalent of sighing."I do, but I'm having trouble getting them approved.Principal Starcatcher seems resistant to change."

"He's just careful," Juno said, exchanging a look with Minerva that contained an entire conversation Ceries couldn't decode."After what happened at his last school..."

"What happened?"Ceries asked, but both teachers suddenly became very interested in their teacups, as if they might contain the secrets of the universe rather than over-steeped Earl Grey.

"Ancient history," Minerva said quickly, waving her hand dismissively."But speaking of history, did you notice how quickly the board approved your hiring?Usually takes weeks of interviews, observations, background checks, personality analyses, and at least one divination session with tea leaves."

"The trustees must have been very impressed with your ideas," Juno added, her tone neutral but her eyes sharp enough to slice cheese.

"I suppose with the curriculum changes..."

"Mmm."Minerva gathered her things with suspicious efficiency."Just be careful.Rapid change isn't always progress.Sometimes it's just chaos wearing a nicer outfit."She headed for the door."I've got to get back to my classroom.The freshmen are practicing levitation potions, and someone always manages to get stuck on the ceiling.Last week it was me."

After she left, Juno studied Ceries with an expression that suggested she was seeing more than just a new teacher with questionable hair color control.

"Changes can look good on parchment," Juno said carefully, gathering her things."But just because something's new doesn't mean it's better.Especially when someone's in an awful hurry to make those changes happen."

Alone in the lounge, Ceries stared at her lesson plans.If other schools were changing so quickly, maybe there was more going on than simple modernization.Her charm bracelet gave a concerned little tinkle, like the magical equivalent of raised eyebrows.

Back in the classroom, Ceries watched Irideane demonstrate a basic shield charm, noting how long it took her to cast.Three seconds.In a real attack, that would be two seconds too late, and possibly one life lost.

"Good form, Irideane," she said, making notes with her reluctant quill, which kept trying to draw hearts instead of timing data."But in an emergency..."

"We need something faster," Irideane finished."Like that fog hex you mentioned?"

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