The Cunning Man by Christopher G. Nuttall

Author:Christopher G. Nuttall
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nuttall, Magic, Wizard School, Schooled in Magic, Magic School
Publisher: Christopher G. Nuttall
Published: 2021-09-26T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

The sky was darkening rapidly, the moon rising as Adam stepped out of the salon and looked towards the university. Lilith was ahead of him, heading up the road as if the demons of the night were after her. Adam shivered - Arnold had told him stories of strange creatures sighted deeper within the desert - then started after her. She wasn’t quite running, but she was moving quickly enough to make him work to catch her. It dawned on him, too late, that she might not thank him for coming after her. He’d thought it was a fun evening, a chance to share ideas and hopefully build something workable; she might not have shared his opinion.

His heart clenched as he picked up speed. It wasn’t fair. He’d been shunned by magical apprentices for not being magical and mundane apprentices for trying to be magical. He had never really had any friends, not until now ... and yet, he’d been forced to leave them behind to attend to a girl who didn’t like him, who’d made it clear she wished she’d never met him. It struck him, suddenly, that Lilith might not be pleased to find him coming up behind her, that she might tell him to leave or hex him or ... he hesitated, feeling like a coward. Why was it so hard to do the right thing? Why was it so hard to determine what was the right thing?

Lilith turned, her face illuminated by the moonlight. “What do you want?”

Adam hesitated, again. He wasn’t sure what to say. He could talk about potions and alchemy for hours, until he was told to shut up, but talking to a girl ...? He wasn’t sure how to talk to a city-girl from Beneficence, let alone a sorceress who’d been raised in a very different society and had very different ways of looking at the world. What could he say? He remembered all the stories, all the jokes and jibes, about Laughter and cursed under his breath. It might have been easier if he hadn’t heard the stories. They were probably untrue, but so what? They were still in his mind.

“To talk.” Adam held up his hands, showing they were empty. “How are you feeling?”

“I shouldn’t have gone with you,” Lilith said. “I should have stayed in the university.”

Adam said nothing for a long moment. “It wasn’t that bad ...”

Lilith’s face darkened. “You have no idea what bad is.”

Adam felt a hot flash of temper. “Someone speculating about magic is bad?”

“No.” Lilith clutched her dress, as if she was trying to control herself. “It’s people speculating about magic, or anything, when they don’t have the slightest idea what they’re talking about! That’s not just bad. It’s dangerous!”

“It was just an idea,” Adam protested. “And you pointed out what was wrong with it.”

“They’ll try it anyway,” Lilith said. “And someone will die - or worse - when they try to store magic within their blood.”

She shook her head. “That’s not the point,” she added.

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