Page 30 of Monster's Delight

“As for visiting the boy’s wing, well, you’re an adult. The most important thing about that is that you keep yourself safe, both from unwanted pregnancy and infections. I expect a five page paper on the subject on my desk by the end of the week. The spells you would need to prevent both, details about how to cast them, any side-effects, et cetera.” He fixed me with his dark eyes. “Understood?”

“Yes, Professor,” I replied quietly.

He raised a bushy eyebrow. “You may leave now. Don’t you have better things to do, like sleep?”

“I was wondering about the sword...”

“Ah.” He spun his chair to look up at it on the wall behind him. “I’m rather proud of that find, to be honest. Declan was on the expedition with me, you know. Clarent had been lost for centuries.”

“Clarent?” I wasn’t familiar with the name.

“It was wielded by England’s most famous king, before he was given Excalibur.” The professor’s eyes twinkled.

“The sword in the stone?” I breathed. “No way!”

“That is one theory, of course. It was only used in knighting ceremonies once Excalibur came along, poor thing. Even worse, it is rumored to be the sword that Mordred used to kill Arthur! Immediately after that, it was lost, probably because Mordred wanted to hide the evidence of his betrayal.”

“Poor Clarent,” I said sadly. “Are all the objects in here magical?”

“Mostly. I like to collect them. When I retire, I’ll have copies made and donate these to the school.” He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “When I retire, I’ll travel the world, finding lost treasures like these full time.”

“I plan to travel the world as soon as I graduate. Maybe I’ll beat you to some of them,” I teased.

His eyes opened and he grinned at me. “That is a challenge, young miss. I accept.” The professor got to his feet and held out his hand for me to shake it. “I look forward to competing against you.”

I shook his hand, feeling very young and silly, as I didn’t have the first clue how to go about searching for magical relics. I left his office, fortunately still on the fifth floor, and returned to my dorm room where the girls were eagerly waiting for my return.

“How did it go with Aiden?” Una asked excitedly the instant I entered.

“He ran away from me,” I declared mournfully, throwing myself on the mattress dramatically. “And then I got caught by Professor Dunlop.”

A hissed intake of breath from the three girls was the reply to that.

“I have an essay to write and I have to take down the spell by noon. Which I take to mean he liked the prank.” I smiled.

“Okay, yes, good job on the prank,” Una said, “But we need to focus on the more important thing here. What do you mean, Aiden ran away from you?”

“He said something about me not making it easy for him, and then he ran away. He didn’t even touch me.” I buried my face in a pillow.

“Maybe it was a misunderstanding?” Hazel suggested.

“Maybe,” I said, my voice muffled by fabric.

“There’s nothing you can do about it tonight,” Rhiannon said. “You can talk to him tomorrow.”

“I think this calls for another drink. Who’s with me?” Una lifted her glass.

“God, yes,” I replied.

CHAPTER10

I sankinto my seat next to Hazel and dropped my head on my arms.

“Where’s your food?” she asked, her mouth full. “We have a midterm in Charms and Potions this afternoon and you need your strength. How did Qualitative Spellcraft go this morning?”

“Don’t even start.” I groaned, sitting up and wiping my hands down my face. “I’m sure I got question two wrong, describing the effects of a mending spell. I think I got confused with the healing spell.”

Hazel nodded as if that had made sense to her. She wasn’t in that class with me because she preferred the practical classes over the theoretical ones.

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