Page 84 of A Tower of Half-Truths
Not in person, at any rate…
Wren blushed. “Anyway, Lorcan carried Conor back to the closest village. He got so shaken up over the whole ordeal, heresigned and left the wizarding community altogether. Last I heard, he’d moved to Durnatel and became a wardsmith for some bank.”
“And then you resigned.”
She nodded. “I didn’t want to, not at first. But things weren’t the same after that trip. Aventus became even more obsessed with the temple. He was so wrapped up in his research, he stopped leaving his apartment. I had to ask Professor Ward to help me with exams.
“Things only got worse after Dean Kazamin put Aventus on sabbatical. He’d go days without eating, without even getting out of bed. And then the drinking.” She shook her head. “I hate that I resigned in the middle of all that, but… But being someone’s caretaker wasn’t what I’d signed up for.”
Mavery recalled the state of Alain’s apartment—and Alain himself—on the day they first met. To learn that he’d been living that way formonthsleft an ache deep in her chest.
“Lucky for me,” Wren continued, “Nezima was looking for another assistant and hired me on the spot.”
Mavery snorted. Being used as a human satchel seemed the opposite of luck.
Wren shrugged. “I know taking that job was a bit of a setback. I graduated five years ago—at this point in my career, I ought to be assisting an independent wizard, not one still tied to the University. But I’ll take grading term papers over being a caretaker any day, though I do sometimes miss getting paid—”
“Nezima doesn’t pay you?”
“Wizards aren’t required to pay their assistants; Aventus is one of the few that does.” She furrowed her brow. “Didn’t he review the Covenants with you?”
“I must’ve forgotten about that one. But if she isn’t paying you, how do you get by?”
“I’m a Wincoff,” Wren said, and Mavery resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course, someone connected to railroad barons wouldn’t be concerned with something as arbitrary asmoney. “Speaking of Nezima, she runs a club for the women on campus—wizards andassistants alike. We meet every Middisday evening at a pub called the Lettered Gentleman.”
Mavery raised her eyebrows.
Wren laughed. “She chose it primarily for the convenience, partly for the irony. You should join us! Come talk about your research, vent your frustrations, have a drink on Nezima; she always pays for everything.”
Now that Mavery planned to stay in Leyport, it would be wise to make some connections in the wizarding community. Perhaps more friends, if she could manage it. At the very least, she could learn more about the enigmatic Nezima—for starters, why Alain disliked her so much.
“Thanks, Wren.”
“Until then, take care of yourself, Mavery,” Wren said cheerfully, but then her expression darkened. “And if Aventus ever brings up the Innominate Temple again, do yourself a favor and find any other wizard to work for.”
Mavery frowned. “I’m not going to abandon Alain for ‘any other wizard.’ ” Her frown deepened as Wren’s eyes widened. “What?”
Wren flinched. Mavery’s tone had apparently been more forceful than she’d intended.
“Nothing. Only, we worked together for three years and got along well enough, I suppose, but I never used his real name. Conor did, though. Strange…”
“What’s strange?” Mavery demanded, but her question would remain unanswered. The clock tower atop the Great Hall chimed, announcing that it was four o’clock.
“I need to go,” Wren said. “I hope you’ll join us on Middisday. Remember: the Lettered Gentleman after final classes let out!”
With a smile and a wave, she bounded across the quad and into the library. Though Mavery hadn’t learned much about Sensing today, she now had plenty more to think about.
Twenty-Six
When Alain reinstated his wards after his accident, he’d decided that locking the front door would be redundant. So long as Mavery gave a courtesy knock, she was free to enter as she pleased. The morning after her trip to the library, she rapped on the door, then opened it to find Alain amid another bout of pacing and spell-revising—mercifully, with protective wards in place.
“Good morning,” he said, coming to a stop in the middle of the room. “How was your day off?”
“I did as you suggested and went to the library on my own.”
His eyes brightened. “Did you learn anything interesting?”
She held back a laugh as she thought of her conversation with Wren. But she wasn’t ready to press him onthat.
