Page 75 of A Tower of Half-Truths
“Then how do you know how it’s pronounced?”
“I…” He looked to her, then returned her smirk with a chuckle. “Point taken. I’ll admit, this word could simply be an error on my part. Given the limited time I had with the spell tome, transcribing the Etherean was my priority; I was less cautious with the Fenutian.”
“Maybe the wordisFenutian, but it’s too archaic for this dictionary,” Mavery said.
“Possibly. The University’s library should have one from Enodus’s time.”
She nodded. “When can we go?”
“Whenever you want. The arcanists here are more lenient than the ones in North Fenutia. Just wear your assistant’s robe, and they’ll grant you access to anything in the library—even the special collections.”
“Wait.” She pivoted in the chair. “You mean I could have gone to campus by myself all this time? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You never asked,” Alain said with a shrug. “Maybe you ought to reread the Covenants.”
Mavery scoffed. “Trust me, they didn’t mention a thing about assistants and libraries. Sounds likeyou’rethe one who needs to reread the Covenants.”
He opened his mouth, but his rebuttal died on his lips as he looked up, blinking. “Gods, when did it get so late?”
According to the clock, it was almost seven. Outside, a pink-orange sunset bled across the cloudy sky. The sun had already sunk below the horizon.
“This is the third time this week you’ve stayed long past your shift,” Alain said. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were developing a habit.”
She could argue it was to keep a closer eye on Alain after his accident, but that wouldn’t be the full truth. This apartment was leagues more comfortable than her room at the boarding house. Not to mention, the company here was leagues more enjoyable.
She bowed her head as she tidied up her papers, heat gathering in her cheeks. She stashed her translation in a drawer, then rose from the chair. Alain had returned to the sofa, where he now skimmed a book about famous Sensers throughout history. It was a relatively short volume, and one of only a handful in his library that even mentioned Sensing.
Lying on the sofa, he appeared more comfortable than he was letting on. Mavery had noticed how often he would rub his chest; in fact, he was doing it now. The bruise from his injury—a fractured sternum, courtesy of his collision with the tea table—peeked above his collar. Over the past four days, the livid blotch had paled to a sickly yellow. He’d been adamant about letting it heal without spells or potions. He wanted to live with the pain for a bit, as a reminder of his recent mistake.
That was but one of the areas where his stubbornness persisted. In the hours following his resurrection, he’d returned to his research as though literallydyingdidn’t entitle him to a day off. And now he appeared to be settling down for another long, tireless night. Tomorrow was Finisday—Mavery’s usual day off—and without her around, he was likely to work straight through Onisday without pause.
“There’s a pub two blocks from here,” she said. “I was planning to go there for dinner. Why don’t you join me?”
Not bothering to glance up from his book, he shook his head. “I know the one you’re talking about. The wine is overpriced, and I find the clientèle too crass for my taste.”
She crossed her arms. “I’ll have you know, I’ve become somewhat of a regular there.”
“I fail to see how that refutes my point,” he said flatly, though he neglected to hide his smile.
She snorted. “Do you plan to stop and eatat allthis evening?”
“Of course.” He licked his finger, turned a page. “Sometime…eventually.”
She strode forward, plucked the book from his hands, and tossed it on the tea table. Alain gawked at the unceremoniously discarded tome, then frowned at her.
“Mavery, I appreciate your concern, but the presentation is—”
“Two weeks away, as if I could forget. You deserveonenight off between now and then.”
They locked eyes—a silent challenge to see who would relent first. This time, Mavery proved victorious when Alain lowered his gaze with a sigh of defeat.
“All right,” he said, “but no pubs.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
He scratched his chin as he gave it some thought. “Have you ever been to the Night Market in the Garden District?”
Mavery shook her head. Though she’d heard of it, anything in the Garden District had always been too rich for her blood.
