Page 107 of Bonds of Magic
Then she turned to Hans and said something while gesturing to his eyepatch. He grimaced and shook his head. She said something else, and he shook his head even more emphatically,looking hunted. Cinda’s shoulders moved up and down, and I got the distinct sense that she was sighing at what she considered Hans’s stubbornness. He was probably refusing additional treatment.
Would you be any better as a patient?asked the voice in the back of my mind. I pushed it away without answering.
With Teresa out of the running, I needed to turn my attention to the other three ward-keepers, but I didn’t know where to start. I thought about checking up on Hans myself, but he had a petulant look on his face, and I wasn’t really in the mood to deal with that.
Sheridan stood up from his table and made his way over to the one where Hans sat. He clapped Hans on the shoulder, and Hans jolted forward. Sheridan pointed to his eyepatch and said something with a laugh.
Hans gave him a pained smile in return. Whatever Sheridan’s joke was, it evidently wasn’t very funny. Or maybe Hans was still in too much pain to find anything funny.
Eddie reached for the bottle of red in the center of their table, but Sheridan took it from him, pouring more wine into Hans’s glass, then making his way around the table like a server. He even draped a napkin over his forearm with a grin.
What had put him in such a good mood? Did he win some money down at Angler’s Rest? That seemed unlikely—and he’d have to pay off his debts there first.
“So that’s settled then,” Nat said, drawing my attention back to our table. “Poker night at my place next week.” She pointed a finger at me. “And no finking out.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“You think we can rope Autumn in?” Seb asked.
“Autumn?” Nat looked thoughtful. “I didn’t know she played.”
“I don’t know if she does,” Seb said. “But she’s been kind of withdrawn lately. I thought it might cheer her up.”
“Didn’t realize you two were friends,” I said, glancing over at Autumn. She reached over and filched a French fry from Hans’s plate. I thought I heard her say something about carbo-loading, but she was too quiet for me to hear clearly.
“Of course you didn’t,” Nat said. “That would require you having a social life, or even being remotely interested in the people around you.”
“I’m interested,” I protested. “I’m just…”
I trailed off, my eyes still on Autumn and Hans as she took another one of his fries. Was there something going on between them? I looked over at Seb to ask, then realized asking would underscore Nat’s point.
“Yeah,” Nat said with a snort. “Sure.”
The vegan lasagna must not have been very filling, because Autumn’s plate was empty and she was stealing yet another fry from Hans’s plate. He slapped at her hand.
“Get your own,” he said, loud enough for me to hear over the roar of the room.
Autumn sighed and began to stand up, empty tray in hand. But Orlando was standing too, and he waved for her to sit down, taking both of their trays to bus. His wine glass was still half full, and when he came back he topped off everyone’s glasses again.
The dinner hour was wearing on, and there were lots of faculty I hadn’t seen yet. I wondered if they’d eaten earlier, or if most of them took dinner in their rooms, to avoid mingling with the unwashed masses.
“Do most of the faculty not eat with the students?” I asked Nat and Seb.
“It’s about fifty-fifty,” Seb said, at the same time that Nat said, “Why?”
“Just curious,” I said. No one had commented on Teresa’s absence. But maybe it wasn’t comment-worthy.
“The only one who never eats his meals in here is Isaac,” Seb said thoughtfully. “Though I can’t say I blame him. The man deals with people all day, putting out fires. He deserves a little time to himself.”
Isaac. I needed to talk to him, tell him what I’d learned about Teresa. I’d have to go see him after dinner.
I frowned, wondering if I was being foolish to believe her. What if she’d already enchanted the girls before I’d barged in? Should I go see Isaac now, and get a second opinion before assuming everything was fine?
“I think it would offend his dignity,” Nat said. “I doubt he wants everyone seeing him chowing down on a cheeseburger and fries.”
“Can you even imagine Isaac eating a cheeseburger?” Seb put in.
Nat laughed, and a scream went up from the table next to us.
