Jess was glad that she had already returned her cup to the table. It was all that she could do to keep her hands from trembling. Spilling tea down herself would be nothing more than self-assassination. She knew she was in hot water now. Hot, shark-infested waters.

“Now, Miss Harper,” the headmaster said. “If we might continue our conversation?”

Hot, shark-infested waters. With lasers.

Jess sat tight, unwilling to venture forth blindly in this conversation.

“You were unimpressed by my explanation earlier,” said the headmaster with a tilt of his head. His clasped hands rested on his knees, giving the impression that he was almost motionless unless positioning himself to strike. It was unnerving, and Jess decided, decidedly reptilian.

“About the gender divide?” Jess asked.

“Yes.”

“Things work differently where I come from,” Jess explained, keeping her words vague.

“Including calling Druidry ‘botany’ apparently,” the headmaster commented dryly.

“And alchemy is chemistry,” she risked in return.

The headmaster’s eyes seem to glaze for a moment at this information as though ruminating. “Fascinating.”

Jess refrained from nervously licking her lips. “Yes. There are some more questions that I had about how the school administration is managed though.”

The sharp focus returned to the headmaster’s eyes at the word ‘administration’. “Such as?”

“Student assessments,” Jess said. A slew of related questions raced through her head. Is there a grading system – national or not? Formative or summative? Do you have a national curriculum?

“When the students graduate, how are they assessed?” she said, opting for simplicity. She didn’t even know whether the headmaster would understand all the jargon. Though, she doubted that it would take him long to update his practices given how sharp he seemed.

“Students are assessed by their teachers throughout their education. Those that meet our standards graduate with our full support,” the headmaster said.

“Assessed how?” asked Jess.

“By their teachers evaluating their understanding,” the headmaster said.

It felt as though she were trying to pin down a politician but for Jess, this was the major impasse. She wouldn’t let herself be deterred. It was bad enough that her students wouldn’t be able to make notes at school, nor would she be able to write out worksheets to support their learning, but how do you check in with an entire classroom of individuals without an entourage of experts to help? She was a one woman show. If she had to rely on verbal answers from everyone, how could she possibly be sure that they understood the bulk of the work without spending most of her time interviewing them instead of teaching?

“Miss Harper. I do believe that you are giving yourself too little credit.”

The headmaster’s words surprised Jess.

“In what way?” Jess asked, genuinely puzzled.

“Miss Harper, please. Here you are, marching into this school and with barely a hint of restraint you have told me, directly, what you dislike about the way that this school is run.”

Heat began to rise in Jess’s cheeks. If her blush wasn’t visible yet, it soon would be.

The headmaster continued. “Believe me when I tell you that I am well versed in the art of receiving criticism. Parents, local councillors, and even disagreements between staff are common. You, Miss Harper, appear to be a different breed entirely.”

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Shakey or not, Jess reached forward for her tea. Her reply sounded small and meek to her eyes. “I see.”

“Is your goal to compete with Steelvale Academy?” the headmaster asked.

“No,” Jess said, startled. “How could I?”

“Is your goal to undermine the staff at Steelvale Academy?”

The teacup clicked heavily with the saucer in Jess’s hand as a trickle of anger set in. “No. Of course not.”

“And your goal is not to replace any of the current staff at the Academy?”

“No.”

The headmaster leaned back in his seat, hands still politely clasped. “If not for glory, nor riches, then that only leaves one thing. Knowledge.”

Jess maintained her poker face as best she was able. Something that was growing more difficult as her patience for the headmaster’s mind-games thinned.

“Though I cannot say that I support your technique, to storm the proverbial castle for nothing more than answers. An educator truly putting themselves on the line in the name of receiving education. Now that I find rather intriguing.”

Jess’s brain stuttered at that. She remained suspicious, of course, but the strangely complimentary words took some of the heat out of her anger. She still felt as though his statement was missing a giant ‘but’.

“So, are you intrigued enough to help?” Jess asked.

“Of course. I’ll ensure that a meeting is arranged with Master Jefferson. He will be sure to answer your questions surrounding the specifics of our assessment criteria,” he answered.

“Very kind of you,” Jess said, “and in return?”

A whisper of a smile hinted at the corner of the sly headmaster’s lips. “Tell me more about how chemistry is taught in your homelands.”

“For a start, we teach everyone the same curriculum, regardless of gender,” Jess said warily. “There’s an expectation that all students get to experience lab work and practical activities, as well as theory work.”

“Theory work?”

“Atomic theory and other fundamentals,” Jess said. Going to be interesting without a periodic table to refer to.

“Fundamentals in theory,” the headmaster mused, “Such as turning lead into gold?”

“I suppose,” replied Jess.

“Do you think it can be done?”

Jess’s nose wrinkled. “Turning lead into gold?”

“Yes. It’s been a matter of discussion for years among alchemists,” said the headmaster. “I was curious about the opinions of your homeland.”

“Technically yes,” replied Jess. “Though not currently. Not with the tools we currently have at our disposal.” Definitely not now that I’ve been flung back in time. “Not without magic. Though that feels as though it would be cheating.”

The headmaster dipped his head in acknowledgement. “Very interesting.” He paused for a moment, considering Jess once more, giving her the alarming feeling that she was a mouse awaiting the strike of a snake.

“Am I to assume that alchemy shall be taught at your school, Miss Harper?” he asked.

“That was my intention.”

“Without aid?”

She gritted her teeth and forced a polite smile. “You mean without the aid of a male staff member?”

“Naturally.”

“Again. That was my intention. Though there’s a small issue with my plan,” Jess said. More than small, really. “I don’t have any reading material for the students. No textbooks. Especially not alchemy ones.”

“I see,” said the headmaster. “Now that is a predicament.”

The statement hung in the air. She wasn’t sure what the headmaster was going to suggest but she had no intentions of getting on her knees and begging for the materials she needed. There was also the unanswered question of what the headmaster hoped to gain.

“It would be greatly detrimental to the learning of Steelvale Academy students if we were to simply allow another school to use the precious resources we have,” the headmaster said. “After all, we are not a charity.”

Jess tensed, hoping for a ‘but’.

“Though it behoves the school to stand as a guide in the quest for knowledge. A quest that however untenable, might eventually bear fruit.”

Jess gave a sly grin. “That sounds like a very arty-farty way of saying you want me to see if I can teach alchemy so you can claim responsibility for the discovery if it works.”

“Without wasting our staff or student’s time if it doesn’t,” the headmaster agreed. “Afterall. I was under the impression that wealth and glory weren’t your goals?”

“Clever,” said Jess.

“So, are we in agreement, Miss Harper?” the headmaster asked.

“Under one condition,” Jess warned. “I want to be able to speak to your alchemy teacher at some point as well. Brainstorming. That kind of thing. Just in case there’s differences between alchemy and chemistry.” Which obviously there is. I don’t want green hair or anything.

“That is a fair request,” the headmaster conceded.

“You wouldn’t happen to be on good terms with Master Darkhault, would you?” she asked.

The brief flash of disgust across his face was the most emotion that he had displayed throughout their meeting.

“Alas. Master Darkhault believes himself to be far above the abilities of Steelvale Academy. His insight would be invaluable and yet he chooses to sequester himself and the many books at his disposal.”

“I thought that would be the case,” said Jess with a glum expression.

“Indeed,” said the headmaster, before rising to his feet. “There is someone that is rumoured to be on good terms with Master Darkhault though.”

Jess hurried to place the cup on the table before standing as well. “Who?”

The headmaster straightened the cuffs at his wrists. “There may not be any truth to it of course. Perhaps it’s just idle gossip.”

“Who?” Jess repeated, more forcefully this time.

“The Druidess Nimue Yllanala.”

Jess’s face puckered as though she’d bitten into a lemon. “The Druidess in the cave? Big, tall elf?”

“Indeed,” agreed the headmaster. Then, as he turned away, he added, “Though you did not hear that from me.”