Page 37 of A Tower of Half-Truths
With a pang of longing, she turned away from the cabinet. At the door, she shook Kazamin’s unnervingly cold and bony hand; she worried it would shatter if she gripped it too firmly.
“Welcome to the University of Leyport, Marion,” he said.
“Mavery,” she replied stiffly. Normally, she would abhor the idea of robbing the elderly. But robbingthisold codger wouldn’t weigh on her conscience one bit.
He closed his office door and hobbled through the emptycommon room toward the lift. Mavery would figure out how to get her hands on Kazamin’s curios some other time. First, she had another matter to address. She folded her arms—partially for dramatic effect, partially to warm herself—and rounded on Alain. He raised his hands.
“Look, keeping you in the dark was never my intent—”
“Oh, I think it wasexactlyyour intention.”
“The Sensing spell was only an idea—one of several, in fact. I didn’t know Kazamin would latch onto the first one I suggested.”
Mavery snorted. “Please, you saw how those assistants treated me like I was some sort of specimen the second they found out I was a Senser. And what did Kazamin mean about having a Mystic confirm my abilities? Because if you think I’m going to let one ofthempoke around in my head—”
“Mysticism is perfectly safe when practiced by professionals.”
“Sure, when they’re not torturing confessions out of people.”
“Torture?” Alain scoffed. “That’s a rather narrow view of an entire School of Magic. While I agree thatsomeof the uses of Mysticism are a bit morally questionable, that’s not true for all of them. In this case, the Mystic would simply ask you a few questions and detect whether you were lying. It’s a five-minute interview, quick and painless.”
“And you’ve experienced this yourself?”
“Well, no, but—”
She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“—it doesn’t matter,” Alain continued. “I’m not calling upon any Mystics because I don’t need to, no matter what Kazamin says. You’ve given me no reason to doubt your abilities, especially after what I’ve witnessed today.”
Mavery studied his expression: earnest, with a hint of that odd look he’d given her before. Though she had no reason to doubt him, nothing about this sat right with her.
She sighed. “Look, I was fine with all your note-taking when I thought it was for a book, maybe for your own amusement. But aspell? I don’t know if I’m comfortable with that.”
“Why not? Think of how it could benefit the study of magic!”
“My Sensinghasbeen a benefit, but it’s also been a burden.I’m still freezing after that episode downstairs. Having a reaction like that isn’t something I’d wish on anyone—even if they can just turn it off with a spell. Ican’t do that. I’llneverbe able to do that.”
To her own surprise, this was bothering her more than she’d anticipated. But why? She would be gone long before he finished the damned spell. And there was no guarantee hewouldfinish it, especially if he needed her assistance.
Because, once again, she had landed herself in a situation where someone was assuming his authority over her, not even bothering to ask for her input, and she was supposed to accept it.
“I didn’t think—” Alain started.
“No, you didn’t.” She averted her gaze and muttered, “That’s the problem with you wizards. You never—”
“Alain!”
They both turned toward a boisterous baritone voice. Upon seeing its source, Alain’s shoulders sank.
“Oh, gods, not now,” he groaned.
Bounding toward them was a hulking middle-aged man. Everything about his body seemed to be out of proportion with itself, from his barrel chest contrasted with his slender legs, to his bulbous nose paired with his beady eyes. His plum-and-silver robe strained against his protruding stomach. The man had a bushy red mustache that was leagues thicker than the hair atop his head. His cheeks had the ruddiness of someone who had just come in from the cold, or from downing a pint.
Despite his imposing build, the man had a jovial spirit—a littletoojovial. His thick arms seized Alain around the middle, drawing him into a full-bodied hug. Alain stiffened and, once he was free again, gave the man a forced smile.
“Aha, so the rumors are true!” Though he now stood in front of them, the man’s voice was no less booming. “The elusive Alain Tesseraunt has returned at last. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to campus today?”
“I—”
