Page 110 of A Tower of Half-Truths
They returned to Steelforge Towers two hours later, after running through the spell a half-dozen times. Though there was no more celebratory kissing, they did hold hands on the walk back through the forest, and they continued to walk hand in hand as they progressed down the corridor to Alain’s apartment.
“What in the hells isthat?” Mavery asked.
Rumbling reverberated through the corridor, followed by a high-pitched whine. Had they not been indoors, the racket couldhave been easily mistaken for a train. The further they walked, the louder it grew. It was suspiciously familiar, and Alain’s suspicions were confirmed upon finding a man-shaped lump sleeping next to his front door.
“What’s he doing here?” Mavery whispered.
There was but one way to find out. Regretfully, Alain released Mavery’s hand and stepped forward.
“Declan, wake up!”
Declan replied with another bone-rattling snore. Alain nudged Declan’s shin with his foot, and his colleague sprung awake in a fit of incoherent sputtering. He blinked, yawned as he reacclimated to his surroundings.
“You’re back!” he said, then blinked again upon spotting Mavery. “Er, it appearsbothof you are back.”
“What do you want, Declan?” Alain demanded.
“Bah! Is that any way of speaking to an old friend?”
“An old friend who only turns up unannounced whenever he wants something.”
“I wouldn’t need to resort to these measures if you checked your mail every now and again. Did you evenseemy most recent letter?”
Alain had been so focused on perfecting the incantation, he’d let his mail accumulate again; sending Mavery down to fetch it hadn’t even crossed his mind.
“I’ll take your silence as a ‘no,’ ” Declan grumbled. “Well, you’re right. I was hoping to ask you for a favor. Why don’t we go inside and discuss this further?”
Alain looked to Mavery, who shrugged. With a sigh, he dismissed his warding magic to allow Declan entry, then unlocked the door for all three of them. Once inside, Declan wasted no time making himself at home: he plopped himself into Alain’s armchair by the fireplace. He emitted a low whistle as he gazed around the room.
“I’ve never seen this place soclean!” he exclaimed. “This is Mavery’s doing, I’ll wager.”
“It is,” Alain said as he sat on one end of the sofa. Mavery took the opposite end, putting them at no risk of accidentally touching.
Declan nodded. “Yes, I sensed a feminine touch soon as I walked in.”
Mavery snorted. “Being organized has nothing to do with femininity. If that were the case, then wouldn’t every assistant—as well as every arcanist, for that matter—be female?”
“You got me there,” Declan said with a hearty laugh. “Though a wizard with a knack for cleanliness is a rare sight.”
“Somehow, I don’t find that hard to believe.”
“You don’t know the half of it! Worst tower I ever saw, by far, had a—”
Alain cleared his throat. “I doubt you came here solely to discuss home decorating. What do you want?”
“Not in the mood for small talk, I see.” Declan leaned back in the chair, rested his steepled hands atop his perfectly round stomach. “Final exams begin on Onisday. I was hoping you and your lovely assistant could help me with—”
“We can’t. We’re presenting to the High Council in a week’s time.”
“A spell presentation, yes?” When Alain nodded, Declan dismissively waved his hand. “This is, what, your third spell? Fourth? It’ll be a walk in the park for a wizard like you!”
“I’m glad you have such confidence in me, but this will be my first time presenting before the Council in over two years. I need to be prepared.”
“I understand, but the thing is…” Declan sighed deeply as he twiddled his thumbs. Alain braced himself for one of Declan’s favorite tactics: the play upon one’s guilty conscience. “Seeing as I covered some of your classes this term, a third of my students were originally yours. And since you’re now stopping by campus again, I thought—”
“I’m sorry, Declan, but my answer is still ‘no.’ Our plates are too full.”
“How many students do you have?” Mavery asked.
