Ah, there we go!

Thea pushed the spine of the book with the tip of her finger, sliding it into place on the shelf. She dusted her hands off against her skirt and turned to see the last stack of homeless books out on the desk in her family’s library. Her calm mood she’d managed to regain by doing what she did most often, putting books away, waivered as if a stone had been thrown into the still pond of her emotions.

The final stack was one she’d avoided, putting up the rest of the books around the room while ignoring these: they were the books Luin had picked out for her to read. Seeing them brought back all her unvoiced worries.

Arriving home with a city guard escort in a rented carriage with the family’s horses tied behind had been awkward to say the least. Some luck had been afforded to her since only Darcin was home currently, but even his looks of concern and insistence on rushing a physician to their home had made Thea want to shrink in on herself. Darcin had only relaxed after the physician pronounced her healthy save a few abrasions on her hands.

Thea picked up the top book from that stack, the one she’d finished first, Defense Tactics of Entry-Level Knights. The memory of how she’d deflected the angry man’s attack and rolled to the side ready to block another blow flashed in her mind. She’d been able to do it almost exactly as described in the book. Her lack of arm strength couldn’t be helped, but her movements had been just like the illustrated diagrams. But it shouldn’t have been possible for her muscles to have learned how to move like that on instinct alone and with no real practice. It wasn’t as if she’d taken what this book described and asked Tim to teach her how to do the moves on the training grounds. Swinging that wheel spoke around was the first time she’d swung a weapon around since her days swinging sticks at her brothers as a small child—and that could hardly be called practice.

Thea took the book and found its place on the shelf. Slipping it back in among its cohorts, she wondered what made Luin pick these books out for her. Her instincts were screaming that all these odd things added up, that they were all connected, but how was what she couldn’t figure out.

Perhaps it’s a good thing that Luin is elsewhere for the moment. She immediately felt guilty at being relieved to be alone and away from him at that moment. She knew he was more comfortable by her side, but right now….

I just—I just need to think. Just for a little while. Luin had been thoroughly checked by the physician and treated for his bruises on his back. Thea had checked to make sure that was done at least, but she couldn’t make herself go see him just yet.

On the carriage ride back, Luin had promised that he would talk with her later that day, that after tonight, he wouldn’t hide anything from her anymore. Thea thought of how sad Luin’s eyes had looked when he’d said, “It will all make sense then,” before he spent the rest of the carriage ride in silence.

Thea picked up the second book on that stack, Basic Mana Theory for Magus Initiates, and let out a dry chuckle. What’s next, am I going to start manipulating mana? It seemed almost laughable for someone like her, someone who didn’t even receive a skill.

A knock came at the door, causing Thea to lose her grip on the book. It bounced against her palm on its spine a few times as she tried to catch hold of it before she grabbed it with both hands. Once it was firmly in her grasp again, she turned to see her brother, Darcin, open the door to the library.

Darcin carried a tray with him set with a plate under a cloche, a pitcher, and some silverware. It was odd to see him carrying a tray like Hennison would juxtaposed as it was against his long, dark lavender hair pulled back in a silver tie and the mage robes he often wore for training when he wasn’t enacting his duties as the family heir.

“You didn’t request supper already, so I thought you might be hungry.” He sat the tray down on the corner of the table and slid it gently towards Thea.

“Ah, thank you. I hadn’t realized just how late it was.” Thea lifted the cloche to see that roasted meat and root vegetables had been prepared along with bread and a small slice of cake in a separate dish. Her stomach decided to growl loudly once the smell of the food began to fill the library. “I guess I was hungrier than I realized as well.”

“Sit and eat, then.” Darcin gestured to the chair at the library table.

“I shouldn’t eat in here. I can take this up to my room—”

“It will be fine. Just eat here. The books won’t mind, and none are on this side of the table, so nothing will spill on them.” Darcin’s matter-of-factness left no real way she could refuse, that and her stomach had the last say.

“Alright.” Thea sat down, pouring herself a pitcher of iced tea with fruit in it before beginning to eat.

It was a little awkward to eat in the silence of the library with her equally silent brother who simply stood, leaning against the shelves near the door. He looked away towards the window. But Thea was pretty used to her eldest brother being like this. She knew he was just spending time with her without feeling the need to fill it up with idle chatter. But that didn’t mean Thea didn’t wish for a bit of conversation.

After several bites of the roasted meat and vegetables and a taste of the cake, Thea asked, “I’m guessing you sent word to Mother and Father about today’s incident.”

Darcin nodded. “Yes, but I made sure to emphasize first that you are alright. It seems that and the emperor’s need of them has kept them from rushing home like you feared.”

“I see.” Thea hadn’t mentioned that she was worried over the fuss that would be made about the incident, but Darcin had known all the same. “Thank you for that.”

“Well, that part was easy, but you’ll still have to worry about Tim. It won’t be long before he hears about what happened through the other knights.”

Thea winced. That was true. Tim would hear about what happened, including all the details of the angry man that had attacked her. Darcin was able to downplay some of those details to their parents, but Tim was bound to hear all the ugly bits and possibly even interact with the culprit.

“I guess I’ll just have to convince him that I’m truly fine,” Thea said, forcing a smile and shrugging.

“But are you really?” asked Darcin, his dark teal eyes sending Thea a piercing look.

“Am I really what?”

“Fine.”

“Oh.” Thea was taken aback. She was okay in most senses of the word, but she couldn’t deny the worries that weighed on her mind. But without having heard Luin’s explanation, she didn’t feel that she could bring that up with anyone else just yet. She wanted to give Luin time to explain things before she made that decision.

“I suppose it’s still a bit shocking,” Thea said. “Calming myself completely will likely take some time. But I really am okay.” The smile she gave Darcin this time was more genuine. She took another bite of the cake as if to emphasize her words.

Darcin smiled ever so slightly. “Right.” He paused before adding, “I should inform you that I received a request earlier today. I haven’t had a chance to mention it with all that happened when you returned, but we’re going to be having a guest for a while.”

“Oh, really? Who?” Thea asked, taking another bite of the cake.

“Commander Hollendale.”

Thea nearly choked. She grabbed the glass of fruit tea and took several gulps. “The commander is what? Our guest?” The words came out a bit hoarse.

Darcin tilted his head at her reaction. “He requested to stay at the manor for a while to assist in his investigation. We have the room, Tim is his partner, and the investigation must continue since His Majesty ordered it, so I’ve given him a guest room on the second floor.” Darcin frowned as if he were worried that Thea might object, but her sputtering was just pure and simple shock.

I am so glad Gwen isn’t here to witness this! She’d never let me hear the end of it.

Thea steadied herself. “I was just surprised.” She cleared her throat a bit. “I agree. We should help with the investigation, and if being a guest of this manor helps, then so be it. How long will the commander be staying?”

“I’m unsure at this point, but perhaps for a week or more.”

“Ah.” Her mouth had gone dry. She brought the cup to her lips again, speaking right before she took a sip. “When are we expecting him to arrive then?”

“He arrived half an hour ago.”

It took everything Thea had to keep that sip of tea in her mouth and actually swallow it. I shouldn’t have drank while asking that.

“I…I see.” Thea stood. “I think I’d better head back to my rooms then. I should probably greet him as well since Mother and Father are absent. I’ll need to change.” Her mind went straight to worrying about whether the commander would feel slighted by her not having greeted him along with Darcin when he arrived.

“No need,” said Darcin, halting Thea before she could pass through the library door. “I’ve explained what happened earlier today to him in brief, so he is not expecting you to greet him this evening. Tomorrow will suffice.”

“Oh.” Thea’s worry deflated and her shoulders lowered. With her hand on the doorframe, she glanced down the hall as the thoughts of her upcoming conversation with Luin rushed back now that she wouldn’t have to worry about meeting the commander–at least for tonight. She looked back over her shoulder at her brother, the memory of the last book she put up coming back to her. “Darcy? Do you happen to know if someone can develop a proficiency in mana manipulation—say, to the skill level of a magus in training—later in life.” Curiosity prompted her question, but now that it was out, her stomach was a ball of nerves in waiting for the answer.

Darcin frowned, his hand rubbing his chin. “It’s never entirely accurate to say something like that would be completely impossible, but it is very improbable. One usually shows talent or interest in mana manipulation at an early age, and then it takes a lot of study in order to even get to the level of an initiate. So, I would say not. Why? Is there someone you know asking about it?”

Thea shook her head. That’s good to know. Now I feel a bit silly for my thought earlier.

“Oh, but there is one way.”

Thea flinched. “There is?”

“Yes, if a skill was involved.” He tapped his chin with his forefinger and then shrugged. “But it’s still probably only a one in ten thousand chance.”

Thea nodded and tried to make herself feel better even with that answer. I don’t have a skill, so it’s still a silly thought, right?

“You should get to bed and rest,” Darcin continued. “You’ve had quite the eventful day.” He stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder before going back to pick up the tray.

Thea couldn’t say anything about the fact that she had a conversation scheduled for tonight nor that sleep would probably not be easy to come by either way, so she just smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Brother. I believe I’ll head back to my room now.”

“Good night, then.”

“Yes. Good night.”

Her thoughts were on the relatively new choice of wall paper in the hallway as she walked to her room. Pausing at her door before turning the knob, Thea opened the door quickly but sighed when the room appeared to be empty.

This tension really is awful. And I hate that I’m full of doubts. I can’t imagine how Luin feels right now.

The heaviness in her heart seemed to grow as she noticed something out of place in her room. She walked over to her bed. A folded piece of paper that had not been there earlier was on her bedside table. She unfolded it. The brief message with no signature read, Please come to the lavender room, 9 o’clock tonight. But it was clear who had written it.

Thea sighed and refolded the paper before slipping it into her skirt pocket. The lavender room was the room across from hers that Hennison had let Luin use. There was no doubt in her mind that Luin had left the note, perhaps as he’d come to find her but she’d already holed herself up in the manor library. He hadn’t come looking for her, so it seemed that he was giving her space—at least until 9 o’clock.

How long is it until then? Thea looked at her grandfather clock across the room. It read fifteen minutes past eight. It was going to be a tense forty-five minutes.