Elspeth led them back out into the masses of people which had not diminished in the slightest. Elvie itched to question Elspeth about current events – well, she itched to ask everyone questions – but considered it might not be the best time.

Skirting through the throng of people, they made their way to the far wall where several younger students waited. A girl in a blue coat sat on a wooden bench, idling watching the comings and goings of others with no real interest.

‘Good morning Rilla,’ Elspeth said.

‘Morning Miss,’ the girl replied deferentially, her voice not much above a whisper.

‘How many times do I have to tell you, Elspeth is fine?’ She scolded gently. When she didn’t get a reply, she continued. ‘Can I ask a favour of you? Would you be kind enough to escort our two new students over to Ash House for me? If you could spare a small detour by Elder House that would also be lovely.’

‘Of course.’ She peeked through her fringe at Flynn and Elvie. Elvie smiled. Flynn was disinterested, which Elvie assumed was his constant state.

‘Hi, I’m Elvie.’ She introduced herself. ‘And this is…’ She gave Flynn a nudge with her toe.

‘Flynn.’ Elvie rolled her eyes as he displayed the communication skills of a tree stump.

The girl looked shy. She raised her eyes timidly, smiled, and in her soft voice said: ‘I’m Rilla.’

‘I like your hair,’ Elvie commented, trying her best to engage Rilla in conversation and set her at ease. And it was nice to her eyes, short to the shoulder, but flowing in blonde swirls. The style was different from her own woven ringlets.

Rilla sensed a kindred spirit, as some of the wariness left her face to be replaced by the crinkling of a smile. ‘Let’s get going. There’s some way to walk – but like most destinations here, it’ll not take too long to get to Elder House.’

‘We’re walking?’ Flynn asked, and Elvie echoed his surprise. Eldridge and James Vermont had driven cars – Elvie assumed that every magician would have transport of some sort.

Rilla nodded, her shyness slowly melting away. ‘The Island is large, deceptively so. Most students walk from place to place. You could ride a pony, but they’ll have all been put to use with everyone at the Court. Cars are reserved for the teachers and Masters, unless you’re fortunate enough to have one yourself. There’s a sort of bus-truck thing, they use to pick students up from the houses, but it only runs at set times. I try to avoid the bus most days as it feels like you’re being shipped off to war.’

Both Elvie and Flynn nodded as if they understood.

‘At least we’ll get a chance to see the Island,’ Elvie said. ‘To be honest, I thought magicians would have a better way of travelling. It’s a bit of a disappointment.’

Rilla gave a small laugh. ‘As my grandfather always said, even magicians cannot escape the necessities of life. Come on, it will take us some time as it is.’

They set off from the hubbub of people, out the grand entrance to the foyer and down a haphazardly paved road. Rilla had returned to her quiet ways, while Flynn maintained his brooding manner. That left Elvie to make the conversation. ‘Can you tell us more about the Island?’

‘I… I don’t know much. Not many people talk to me, and I keep to myself mostly.’

‘How long have you been here?’ Flynn asked, sceptically.

Rilla blushed and Elvie sensed she was about to return to her shell. What was with him?

‘I can’t believe we’re all Ash House together,’ she distracted. ‘Well, I’m not entirely, but you know what I mean.’

Rilla nodded. Flynn frowned. ‘This is my second year.’ Rilla began her story. ‘I’m not much of a magician if truth be told. I know the spells, but I don’t… Ghirstwen tells me I need to get some backbone.’

‘Backbone has nothing to do with spells,’ Flynn grumbled.

Rilla’s blush deepened. ‘I do well on the theory side, but I don’t have the confidence for casting – the focus element has always been my struggle.’

Elvie smiled. ‘We can work on it together! I can barely cast anything, so you’re miles ahead of me anyway.’

Rilla resumed her silence although her blush faded, and Elvie turned her attention to Flynn.

‘So where are you from?’

‘Stratford.’

‘Like the Stratford, Shakespeare’s home? Wonderful!’ She clapped her hands in delight. ‘I love Shakespeare, well, what I can work out. The Twelfth Night is my favourite.’

‘So you read?’

‘Stories more than anything. As many stories as I can get. My father always tries to make me read history books.’

‘And where are you from?’

The question stopped her exuberance in its tracks. ‘Didn’t you hear? I’m from Australia. But I, ah… I’ve been living with my guardian the last few months.’

‘That’s right – that was you.’ Flynn’s eyes brightened as he set off asking questions about Australia. What was it like? Was the weather as hot as they say? Was the wildlife very dangerous?

Elvie did her best to answer in general terms, thinking back to her history lessons in primary school to describe what Australia was like in the current timeframe. It almost became a test of her knowledge. How much did you pay attention in primary school? She kept her descriptions general, describing the heat, the bush and the farms, and when Flynn pressed her about Sydney, she’d focused on the water and the beaches – natural things unaffected by technology. It wasn’t that she wanted to lie, but she also did not want to reveal too much, too early.

Her answers satisfied him so she quizzed him in return. ‘Tell me about yourself?’

Walls came up instantly. ‘You won’t be interested.’ He lowered his head and trudged on.

Elvie was about to protest – she had things to hide, and yet she’d still answered. But Rilla broke the tension by saying: ‘Australia sounds beautiful. I wish I could see it one day.’

‘It can be a hard place to live, especially if you move away from the coastlines, but it’s beautiful. Where are you from Rilla?’ Elvie gave Flynn a look.

It turned out that Rilla was the daughter of merchants, not upper class like Eldridge but definitely well off. Rilla had been expected to join the family’s business, to combat the struggles of what she termed a ‘giant depression.’ Elvie wasn’t exactly certain what a depression was, or why one would be great, but the way Rilla spoke of it sounded serious.

‘But everything was thrown in the air when I started casting magic, as scary as that was. Scared Mama, that’s for sure – I healed a dog on the side of the road. It was just so sad, hobbling along with a broken leg, and I had to help… That’s how I ended up here.’

By the time they arrived, the barriers to friendship were breaking down. Elvie had quickly worked out Rilla was shy, which was painfully obvious to anyone that spent a minute with her, but underneath hid a pleasant and thoughtful girl whom Elvie liked very much. Flynn on the other hand, Elvie wasn’t as certain about. He was intelligent, but he didn’t speak unless he wanted to, or he was interested. He was smart and inquisitive, but Elvie sensed his personality might be frustrating.

‘If you look just over this rise, you can see it ahead now.’ Rilla pointed, and Elvie caught her first glimpse of Elder House.